While you all may know my first Blythe (Sophie), I bet you don’t know who the last one into my doll family is! I primarily got her because she was a mold that I didn’t already have, and I was able to pick up locally and pay in cash – which was a nice perk of knowing local doll people and not having a bit of a sticker shock from the exchange rate (please, nobody remind me of how poorly the Canadian dollar is still doing compared to the American dollar). But this is my first (and only) Ashton-Drake Galleries Blythe Kenner reproduction – Pretty Paisley, she has no name yet:

Who was the last Blythe into your doll family?

In my packing adventures, there’s a few things I’ve realized:

• I am really bad at making sure doll shoes go back into my dolly shoe boxes. I found four pairs of boots on my desk.
• I have a lot more doll furniture than I realized (primarily chairs).
• I really don’t have enough stands. I didn’t realize how many stands I was lacking until I was packing things up.
• Doll stuff takes up a lot of room. A. Lot. Of. Room.
• I have a lot of customization items for someone who doesn’t really customize.
• I have a lot of doll stuff, period.

Packing is stressful, I’m not even going to sugar coat. Especially when deadlines are imposed on me by other people. But, such is life, and we move on – literally and figuratively. Between full time work (!) and packing, it leaves very little time for dolls and other fun things because the not-so-fun things (sadly) take priority. At the same time, I’ve been enjoying the packing process because it means that I get to rediscover a lot of things. Like dresses I’ve forgotten that I had, and then coming up with new outfit combinations because I’m procrastinating at the best of times.

Also, these plastic drawers that I own can hold a lot of stuff. In some of the drawers, I have dolls wrapped up fabric or in carry cases, and there’s 3-4 dolls in a drawer. Poor dears, good thing they don’t need to breathe.

Everyday Collector is a feature I first wrote about in March 2016. It’s a feature to showcase the collectors in the Blythe community. If you are interested in being featured, please click here for more information.

Coco.

Tell us about yourself.
I’m Christopher, I’m a cosmetology student in Portland and I’ve been a freelance makeup artist for years. A recovering club kid at the age of 40, I live a more sedate life with my Shih-Tzu, Lily. I love fashion,
old black and white movies, flappers, crochet, makeup artistry, glitter and of course, Blythe.

How did you discover Blythe?
I was living in San Francisco and online at the library catching up on blogs on a lovely summer day. There was a blogger I used to read, and she had this mini Blythe, and the doll tattooed on her arm. It was awesome! I asked her about the doll and she said the really cool Blythe dolls had pull strings. Their eyes moved…she sounded creepy and I forgot bout her.

Flash forward a few years, I was visiting my best friend out in the Oregon coastal mountains. A quilter and toy collector/eBay seller and in her insanely packed sewing room, amidst all the Heather Ross fabric, was a Good Neighbor Cafe in a box and I squealed with delight. She showed me her Ashton Drake redheaded beauty and a couple other ones who escape me. I was hooked and had to get my own.

My best friend handed me Gina’s books and was so excited that I was so enthusiastic and delighted with the dolls. I of course had tons of questions and she told me about reputable sellers and your first doll will speak to you to buy.

Coco, Greta, and Betty Blue.

Tell us about your Blythe family.
My first doll was Simply Chocolate. I loved her little sixties coif and fashion and promptly name her Coco after model Coco Rocha. Simply Love me (renamed Greta) and Monique Magnifique (renamed Clotilde, currently undergoing a transformation) joined the household a few years later. I admired the sellers on Etsy, eBay and Ravelry with their custom girls and a few that were darker skinned and many other dolls with brightly coloured hair. So I researched for a “factory” seller who was able to quench my desire for a blue long haired girl (named Betty Blue) and a beautiful darker skinned (and obvious fake…I know, but stock dollies like her didn’t exist) girl I named Dovima, after the legendary 50’s Vogue model.

What is your favourite thing about Blythe?
Oh goodness! Where do I begin? Her eyes do it and her little body. How her personality not only changes when you change her eyes, but also in how you style her hair and dress her. I’m fondest of her original face, just because it is what I saw that made me fall in love. She’s a great way to pass time and take pictures of and being a guy I love seeing people react to my having her with me. She’s inspiring to make me want to be more crafty and I started crocheting because of her! I love seeing the new releases and how she has such a worldwide following. She’s kind of like an old Hollywood story. She was released from her contract after lackluster success, and then relaunched herself as muse and model in a comeback Joan Crawford would be seething about. She is charming and my current boyfriend I knew was a keeper on our third date, when he met the girls and fell in love. He always wants to play with them!

Dovima

What is your favourite aspect of the Blythe community?
I love the inspiration she gives to all the people who have been bitten by the bug. In some ways it’s like a hilarious playground of make believe: the diehard Kenner only peeps, the customizers, the Takara collectors, and the collectors who buy the stock dolls along with the factory babes. It is amusing and amazing how a plastic doll has such a following of people from all walks of life the world over. All united behind a set of changing eyes. It is so much fun that just when I’m thinking that I have a weird obsession as a 40 year old man for a doll. Then I go on Instagram and online and find other people who make me feel so happy that I’m not alone and understand when I have the need for a new doll. They won’t tell me I’m stupid, they tell me to go for it!

Christopher can be found on Instagram.

BlytheLife Headquarters (a name I just made up for what is essentially my bedroom) is moving! As I contemplate the changes in my life and the changes to come in 2016, I must admit that I was at a bit of a loss for how to pack my dolls. Because BlytheLife HQ is not moving very far, my dolls and my doll stuff (clothes, furniture, shoes, stands, etc.) will be traveling in my car. This honestly gives me the peace of mind that I don’t have to imagine my dolls bouncing from wall to wall inside of a moving van because that idea just gives me nightmares to think about opening a box and finding dolly carnage. Luckily, because I’m not moving very far, I’ll be able to transport my dolls safely in the backseat of my car, and their belongings (of which there are many) in the trunk. Despite what is a considerably “easy” move, I still baby my dolls. Any dolls that don’t have their own carrying case (I use SewPixie carry bags) are safely wrapped up with some soft fabric (a.k.a. t-shirts – bonus, I’m packing some of my clothes in the meantime!). Nonetheless, I know it’s an easy move compared to some other moves that people have made with Blythe.

Have you ever moved with Blythe? How was that experience?

You have a doll-related website/shop/blog and BlytheLife has your target audience!

BlytheLife.com is an active doll website with a high readership that primarily consists of women who are Blythe and other doll collectors/hobbyists. By advertising your doll-related site or business with BlytheLife, you can ensure that your ad is being seen by the people that are your potential customers. Every time someone visits BlytheLife, they’ll see your ad on the side!

Did you know? Sponsorship costs are purposely kept low to keep advertising accessible to people in the doll community.

There are three spots currently available for the month of July and all sponsorship funds go towards the costs of keeping BlytheLife.com live on the internet!

Large – 1 spot available for July! (325×200 pixels)

• $10 – 1 month
• $18 – 2 months
• $26 – 3 months

Small – 2 spots available for July! (160×160 pixels)

• $5 – 1 month
• $9 – 2 months
• $13 – 3 months

If you’d like more information on how you can advertise on BlytheLife, click here.