Dolls have become a big part of my life since I started collecting Blythe in 2009. They’re a fantastic aspect and, what some of my friends consider to be, an “odd hobby”. Odd is one of the nicer words that I’ve heard in reference to Blythe. There’s also been comments of “Those look like Bratz dolls” and “That’s a very large head!”. Such is life when those around you do not appreciate the dolls that you do.

Former coworkers can attest to the fact that I would have dolls sitting on my desk. I’d even occasionally change the eyes so that they would be looking at a coworker. Then there were people who find the dolls creepy because of the large head-to-body ratio and the orange or pink eyes. Nobody ever seems to have a problem with the blues or greens, but the stock orange or pinks? Those are demonic, apparently. I don’t see it, obviously, and I typically like and leave the stock pinks in my dolls. My family is fairly non-opinionated about the dolls – mostly because they stay in my room and they don’t make too many comments besides “Don’t you think that you have enough?”. My boyfriend likes the fact that I like them, and there has been promises of building me a dollhouse ‘one day’. So, that’s something to look forward to! Most of the time though, people tend to say nice things about the dolls – this may be because they don’t want to offend me, which is a nice thing for them to do.

How does Blythe affect those around you?

Once upon a time, I thought that eight was a lot of dolls!

My doll family remains fairly static – as in the fact that nobody ever leaves. However, the dolls do come in and then stay – forever. I’ve gone through moments when I have thought about selling some of my Blythes. Then I realized that no, that’s just not a good idea, and there’s no reason for me to sell them besides a mild whim that is quickly squashed when I realize that I’m being a bit stupid about it. But, I digress. The dolls are here to stay, but yesterday (after adding two more Monster High dolls), I realize that this is the most dolls that I’ve ever owned at the same time. But this could be said with every new addition. I’m currently at: 13 full-sized Blythes, 1 Middie, 1 Petite, 1 ball-jointed doll, 1 mini Lalaloopsy and 6 Monster High dolls (4 out of box, 2 in box). Which means that there’s a total of 23 dolls living with me right now. Twenty-three. That’s a lot! (I’m sure I just made some people who have over 50 dolls chuckle at the naivete that 23 is a lot…)

What is the largest your doll family has ever been?

I was briefly considering how things have changed in my life since I started collecting Blythe dolls and all their little clothing, shoes and accessories. I got my first doll in 2009, back when I had zero clothing for dolls that weren’t Barbie, and it’s just gone up from there. Whenever I go shopping for yarn or fabric, I take into consideration the scale of the print or the weight of the yarn. When I really considered things, Blythe has changed my life a lot (for the better).

I own books about Blythe now – clothing pattern books and otherwise, as well as a lot of sewing things (despite not using them as much as I could), and a lot more sock yarn or thinner. I don’t knit enough socks to justify the amount of sock yarn that I have, but I have actually knitted more in general since Blythe has come into my life. Along with sewing, crocheting and I buy a lot more doll shoes now. This is especially true when you consider that I didn’t buy any doll shoes for myself until my late teens/early twenties – mostly because there was no use for me to buy doll shoes. But now there is, so I have way too many pairs of doll shoes. (Sophie says “There’s no such thing as ‘too many’ when it comes to shoes!”). I do want to craft a lot more when it comes to my dolls, mostly because when one doesn’t have a regular income source, it’s a smart idea to not buy as much as one is inclined to do when it comes to dolls and dolly things…

How has Blythe taken over your life?

Lately I’ve been all about the miniatures. I’ve gotten into reading dollhouse blogs (primarily 1/12 scale – Blythes are 1/6 scale) and I’ve ever gone ahead an ordered a book from Amazon about making miniatures. It’s a book on 1/12 scale miniatures, but I’m sure that the techniques and ideas can be extrapolated easily to Blythe size. I never really thought that I would be interested in miniatures, at least not to the extent that I have become! I always thought that Re-ment and other mass-produced miniatures are very cute (and I do love the Re-ment that I have), but I never really thought I would end up accumulating any. As it is, right now I have a teeny tiny box of Re-ment and non-Re-ment miniatures that would barely fill a kitchen. I’ve been collecting furniture with ideas to make my own here and there…. Yet I still do not have a dollhouse or a room box. Clearly this needs to change!

Do you collect miniatures to go along with your Blythes?

Some collectors are a bit more fluid when it comes to their doll families, I feel. Especially with how often they buy or sell dolls on forums, Facebook and behind the scenes. I’m a fan of looking at photos of what is available because you never know when someone will spark an interest in you. That’s how I ended up with Halo, my Friends With Blythe custom. I was browsing the Going Baroque section over at Blythe Kingdom and I saw her. She was at a price that I could afford and so lovely. She’s been here for just over a year (arrived July 21 2012).

As far as dolls in general go, Halo really bucked the trend for me. Besides her, all my other Blythes are close to stock or are completely stock. I’ve only ever made minor changes (eyechips, sleep eyes, gaze lift), nothing extravagantly crazy like rerooting a doll or painting eyelids. I’m not that talented! She was a welcome change, and I don’t know if I’ll be adding to my doll family with more custom girls or not – it’s always a possibility! But for now, the norm is for stock and mostly stock dolls. I’ve grown accustomed to the extreme shine and trying not to take photos with my face on their foreheads!

What kinds of trends are in your doll family?