I'm so glad to see so many Blythe collectors on flickr trying their hand at customizing black Blythes. This one, done by Lacasito Radiactivo was done using a Blybe doll a Blythe clone. I swear to you, looking at this picture, I truly cannot tell the difference. She is so beautiful. I love her color and her hair.
As I may have mentioned before I have been mulling over the idea of customizing a Blybe for a long time now. I see so many cute ones on flickr and while they are so inexpensive I hear just as many bad things as good about them. Things like the poor quality if their hair, unbendable knees and what a nightmare it is to get their eye chips out really turn me off to the idea of getting one but then I see a project like this and think it might just be worth a try.
Well, we'll see.
: )
For love of Blythe and other dolly wonders...
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Resigning from 365
So I just wanted to officially anounce that I have quit Blythe365 on flickr. You can't imagine the kind of pressure I felt coming up with creative, unique photo of Reya Light every single day, not to mention the anxiety of knowing I'd have to keep it up for the rest od the year. I mean I have homework, I have a life, and sometimes even dollies get the blues. I don't regret quitting one bit and I am really thankful for all the comments of support I've gotten from my Blythe flicker community and I sincerely cheer on everyone who continues their own 365 project.
I think being sick with a high fever since Thursday has really brought me down low. I mean, I just stopped, halted everything. My last photo I think was number 47. I chipped my two front teeth on the frigging craft needle I was using to re-root that scalp for Emily this weekend. That was kind of the end right there. I think I kind of had a bit of a breakdown over that.
I dunno, I feel like I might need to fall back on Blythe a little bit. I still have some clothes coming in for her from Hilary Wagstaff and this cute tweed coat from PinkyJane who I discovered on Facebook through my Blythe contact there, Bunny Brown. But that's just kind of my obessession with online shopping at work. I'll have to ease up on that all that soon as well.
And even having said all that, there is a seedling of excitement in me at the prospect of perhaps making another black Blythe soon. I found another shade of brown SEM vinyl paint this weekend on ebay and I got really excited. But I totally lost out (oh it still hurts!!!) on a really affordable Blythe I could have customized when I didn't buy it right away instead of waiting. It was for Punkaholic Blythe, shown above in a picture taken by mingstail on flickr possibly the only other Blythe left that I really want. I just love her, and I think she would make a great brown Blythe. I already have a name picked out for her which I will not reveal here. I will not reveal her name unless I make her.
And yes, I know that some of you on my list serve have been waiting for me to customize a brown Blythe to give you and you must know, I really wish I could, if only it didn't literally cost me hundreds of dollars to make just for myself. I am just to poor to justify giving one away after all that work and money. And I mean I would really love to make one for somebody. I wish I was doing it as my job. But it's really not as simple as buy a Blythe and spray her black. Oh man is it ever not that simple!! It's a crazy undertaking. But when I finally make the decision, it suits me somehow.
What I could do, is if you want to buy your own Blythe, you could send her to me with a desired color (Check SEM Motors on ebay for color swatches) and I can take her apart and sand matte her face spray her send pics and send her packing back to you. That could work. Anyway, it's something to think about.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Hanging out on the Copier
Sabine and Reya (not seen here) came along with me to work almost a week ago. We loitered around the copy machine in the morning. Sabine copied herself about a dozen times.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
I make passes at men who wear glasses
Did I not mention that Takeo finally has clothes. Yes, well he does. I bought him this ill fitting suit on ebay weeks ago, but he needs something shlubbier for the project I have in mind for him. I bought the glasses because thought they would make him look whimpier, weaker. But I think he's hotter than ever.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Watch out Reya! 40/365
Francis really got in the spirit of our snow day shoot today. He even had ideas for setting up a few shots with Reya. He cleaned off his car while I took pics and and then he started throwing snowballs at us. We stayed out for like half an hour more throwing snowballs back and forth after I put Reya and all my camera gear away. It was a lot of fun. I think that's the most exercise I've gotten in ages! LOL!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Lucky Blythe Subscribers!
More Lucky Blythe mags are here!!!! And I just ordered two more for a nice round total of six issues. One of them is an irresistible Sports Illustrated cover and I don't even care about football but it's just so classic!
I hope she does a Rolling Stone cover next! : )
Friday, February 5, 2010
Why Blythe Clothes are cooler than Barbie Clothes
Because they're made by people not companies and they're being made all the time 24/7 by people all over the world, all kinds of people and all kinds of clothes; cute clothes, sweet clothes, quirky, clever, sharp, classic, seasonal, sexy, funny, trendy, scary, functional, cozy, funky, clothes by people not companies.
No one makes clothes for Barbie the way they do for Blythe. Why is that I wonder? I mean Barbie dolls are certainly more commercial, more affordable and more accessible than Blythe dolls.
My only guess as to why Blythe's wardrobe is so much more eclectic, more tailored and more diverse is because her image is so malleable by her collectors and they freely customize their dolls to suit personality, project, photographic purposes and more. Hardly any Blythe doll arriving in her stock clothes ever remains so. It's really as if the doll is acquired with the knowledge that she will have a whole new wardrobe, new eyes colors, hair, matted skin, eyelashes, perhaps even a new body! So in essence, Blythe dolls and their image are seen to be more within the control of the owner than a Barbie doll usually is. This has so much to do with Gina Garan and all the amazing things she did with Blythe in her book "This is Blythe." She did something revolutionary with a doll that was never embraced by it's target market. She proposed that a doll is much more than what it says on it's box, that it can cross the boundaries of it's intended purpose to be whatever you want it to be, if you're into that kind of thing. Obviously, there are cultural traps everywhere, in anything that is marketed but to start to reinvent these things, to comment on them the way Gina did was really what made me look twice at that crazy big headed eye color changing doll and wonder, what's going on here?
Barbie has always been for the most part, completely accepted by her target market, little girls and therefore they also accept the images created for her through her wardrobe by the corporation that produces her.
Blythe, or at least from what I've seen, is collected predominantly by young and older women with more sophisticated ideas about what innocence, sweetness, quirkiness and childhood mean. There is humor, irony, skill, and sensuality imbued in the designs of many Blythe clothes that I have never seen in Barbie clothes. And it's not to say that people who design Blythe clothes are not influenced by commercialism and trend. They totally are, but they are also not controlled by a driving force that is concerned mainly with that and what will sell to a presumably mindless mass. They make one of kind creations they love for those who love them too and regard their audience as intelligent, diverse and artistic minded people who appreciate beauty in a variety of forms.
That being said, this ties in so perfectly to an interview recently done with one one of my favorite Blythe dress designers of all time, Julie (AKA Valentine) Westphal of "House of Pinku" with Mademoiselle Blythe.
I hadn't realized, although I might have guessed, until after I read this that Julie does this for a living! Like this is all she does! How freakin
House of Pinku
I love george
Ladybird House
CannonBelle
Feltland
Miss Modular
A mix of faves, including Vintage Skipper!
No one makes clothes for Barbie the way they do for Blythe. Why is that I wonder? I mean Barbie dolls are certainly more commercial, more affordable and more accessible than Blythe dolls.
My only guess as to why Blythe's wardrobe is so much more eclectic, more tailored and more diverse is because her image is so malleable by her collectors and they freely customize their dolls to suit personality, project, photographic purposes and more. Hardly any Blythe doll arriving in her stock clothes ever remains so. It's really as if the doll is acquired with the knowledge that she will have a whole new wardrobe, new eyes colors, hair, matted skin, eyelashes, perhaps even a new body! So in essence, Blythe dolls and their image are seen to be more within the control of the owner than a Barbie doll usually is. This has so much to do with Gina Garan and all the amazing things she did with Blythe in her book "This is Blythe." She did something revolutionary with a doll that was never embraced by it's target market. She proposed that a doll is much more than what it says on it's box, that it can cross the boundaries of it's intended purpose to be whatever you want it to be, if you're into that kind of thing. Obviously, there are cultural traps everywhere, in anything that is marketed but to start to reinvent these things, to comment on them the way Gina did was really what made me look twice at that crazy big headed eye color changing doll and wonder, what's going on here?
Barbie has always been for the most part, completely accepted by her target market, little girls and therefore they also accept the images created for her through her wardrobe by the corporation that produces her.
Blythe, or at least from what I've seen, is collected predominantly by young and older women with more sophisticated ideas about what innocence, sweetness, quirkiness and childhood mean. There is humor, irony, skill, and sensuality imbued in the designs of many Blythe clothes that I have never seen in Barbie clothes. And it's not to say that people who design Blythe clothes are not influenced by commercialism and trend. They totally are, but they are also not controlled by a driving force that is concerned mainly with that and what will sell to a presumably mindless mass. They make one of kind creations they love for those who love them too and regard their audience as intelligent, diverse and artistic minded people who appreciate beauty in a variety of forms.
That being said, this ties in so perfectly to an interview recently done with one one of my favorite Blythe dress designers of all time, Julie (AKA Valentine) Westphal of "House of Pinku" with Mademoiselle Blythe.
I hadn't realized, although I might have guessed, until after I read this that Julie does this for a living! Like this is all she does! How freakin
House of Pinku
I love george
Ladybird House
CannonBelle
Feltland
Miss Modular
A mix of faves, including Vintage Skipper!
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