I really like your website. Do you have a button that I can use to link to it? I’d like to help support this site!

And the answer is: yes, yes I have a button. I have many buttons, actually. My favourite is still one of the ones I made ages ago as it features Prim, my messy-haired girl:

I made quite a few new buttons lately. They can all be used to link back to BlytheLife from your blog or website:

In addition, I also accept guest posts (articles, tutorials), freebies to share on this website and I welcome suggestions. And if you’re interested in being interviewed/featured here on BlytheLife, I also love to interview people!

As a Pro account holder for Flickr, I’m a bit iffy about the changes. As of May 20 2013, there are three different account types being offered by Flickr and here are some of the specifications:

• Free – 1 Tb of space, max. 200mb/photo, 1GB/video, ads
• Ad-Free – $49.99/year – same as above, but without ads
• Doublr – $499.99/year – 2Tb of space, all other features the same as above

But if you had a Pro account? Just a taste of what was available:

• Max. 50mb/photo, 500mb/video
• Unlimited storage
• Ad-free
• $24.95/year

Flickr, so soon after announcing the intention to purchase Tumblr, decided to scrape the previous model (Free and Pro accounts) to go with the new model (Free, Ad-Free and Doublr). I personally think that spending $500/year is steep. I’d rather take the $500 and invest it into something else, if I was that into photography (which, I am not). At $50/year just to take away ads? That’s already double what it used to cost for a Pro account, for one year ($24.95/year). Of course, nothing in life is free. By opening Flickr up to advertisers, the many account holders become the product that’s being sold rather than making revenue off of Pro account holders. Granted, if you think about it, $50 for 365 days of ad-free web-browsing, that ends up being $0.137 per day for ad-free browsing. Doesn’t seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things, does it? But if you want to avoid spending $50 per year, continue reading on!

What if I already have a Pro account?

If your Pro account was extended by the 3 months of ‘gifted’ Pro by Flickr, I found that users have been saying that they do not have the option of renewing their Pro account. Additionally, if you were given the “Gift of Pro” by a friend, you are also unable to renew the Pro account status because you weren’t the one who paid for it. Sneaky little loophole, isn’t it?

If you paid for your Pro account yourself, you have the option of keeping the Pro status and all it’s features (including the ad-free browsing capabilities and the option to renew once your subscription is up). The price is currently staying the same ($24.95/year). My Flickr Pro is set to expire on April 1 2015 – so I don’t know if the price will still be the same then!

For those that would like to switch from Pro to Free status, it would appear that you do have the option of doing so. And if you had paid for the account (rather than being gifted Pro status), people have been reporting that they can get a prorated refund. You have until August 20 2013 to decide if you want to stay with your Pro account or if you wish to make the switch to Free. For those that are worried about ads, there have also been reports that ad blockers (there are many plugins available for many popular browsers) are able to block the ads on accounts on Flickr that are Free.

As for the app…

I can’t give anyone an opinion about the Apple-friendly version of the Flickr app, but I updated my (Android) Flickr app to the new version and it mimics the updated website quite nicely – only I like the layout on the app a lot better than on my computer. I spent some time playing around with the app and I find it easier to navigate and to move from one section to another. I can actually get to my groups on the mobile app now – which is a huge plus. The way the website is designed is more mobile friendly than web browser friendly, but I’m still getting used to both of them. Nobody has mentioned seeing ads on the app yet, so I’m unsure if ads will soon be part of the Flickr apps or not.

Do I stay or do I go?

Some people in the Blythe community have decided to leave Flickr out of anger of the changes. Many people have moved to Ipernity. Another alternative for Flickr is 500px.

I will have a post up about these two alternative photo-sharing websites after I get a chance to explore both options a bit more thoroughly (before the August 20th deadline).

There is a different size of doll family for every person. Some people have one Blythe, some have two, others have twenty. I told myself at the beginning that I would only have one Blythe – this lasted for all of a month, by the way. I’ll admit that I wish I had the funds and the space for over a hundred Blythes, or more, but I don’t. As it is, I find it difficult to make time for all of my Blythes, but it’d be nice to have quite a few more dolls. I would enjoy having a rainbow family with all the hair colours, and a gaggle of Kenners. I like the size of the family that I have right now (a dozen), but I don’t know if it consider it to be small or large. Small and large are both such relative terms. In comparison to someone with over a hundred dolls, I have a puny doll family. But compared to someone who has two Blythes, I have a lot of dolls. But a dozen is a nice round number and I think that I can handle it for now.

Do you prefer having a small doll family or a large doll family?

I had a lot of fun with my interview with Kimberly, the creative mind behind Rosiee Gelutie. With her and her Donutzies, she’s sure she go far with her endeavors and I’m so glad to have been able to share a little bit about her with all of you. It’s not every dolly designer who creates toys for their dolls, as well as playsuits/rompers, dresses and more! That’s pretty creative, if you ask me!

Regarding the Rafflecoptor: I found several people who were using the Tweet/Twitter and Blog Post (not comments) entry methods who were not including links to their Tweets or blog posts. These entries were deleted prior to selecting a winner. As with all my giveaways, I verify to see that Tweets and blog posts were completed with the relevant information. I do not appreciate people trying to gain extra entries without earning them and those people have been noted down.

And the winner of the cute Donutzie and Donutzie-fabric playsuit is…

Congratulations to Maribel!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your email will be forwarded to Kimberly and she’ll be in touch with you regarding your prize! Thanks again to everyone who entered and to Kimberly for sponsoring such a fun giveaway!

• $5 for a pair of doll shoes
• $10 for a doll dress, pair of pants, shorts, hat or coat
• $200 for a Blythe

And I bet quite a few of you are laughing at the fact that I thought that I could adhere to those limits. Arbitrary limits that I give myself in order to keep myself in check. As I got more involved in the community, and more interested in learning how to sew, I learned why people charge what they charge. When it took me nearly 3 hours to sew one doll dress, $10 seems like a bargain. Heck, even $15 for a doll dress is a bargain – and no, I’m not dropping big bucks on doll clothes on a regular basis. I wish that I could, but I don’t.

I’m a lot more selective with my purchases now. Mostly because I’ve just become more picky in what I dress my dolls in, that and after I’ve built up a bit of a wardrobe (and shoe closet), I can afford to be more thoughtful of each piece that comes into my dolls’ closet. It helps that I spend more time with research now, and thinking about how each piece goes with what I already have. Like “Oh, cute pants… but it would go with NOTHING that my dolls’ already own…”, much like I do when I go clothes shopping for myself these days. The combination of having a limited spending capacity results in me being able to afford to be picky. Nowadays, the “upper limit” is a bit more like:

• No more than $50 for a pair of doll shoes
• No more than $60 for a doll dress, pair of paints, shorts, hat or coat
• Erm, no more than $1000 for a Blythe (Kenner…)

Yeah, lets just say that the limit was raised – significantly. Raising the limit isn’t something that everyone is capable of, but nor is it something that needs to be reached – either consistently or even once. Do I need to spend $50 on a pair of doll shoes? Not every day, and nor is it healthy to do so (in my opinion) for the bank account. But it sure can be fun to splurge from time to time on something really special, even if everyone in your life (that doesn’t collect dolls) thinks that you may be completely insane.

I decided to do a little research (also known as searching on eBay for lowest non-inflated pricing). To make it the same across the board, I decided to include prices for brand new, in box dolls. Additionally, I decided not to focus on ADG Blythes. Here are the top 10 Neo/Takara Blythes that I came across at affordable prices. I’ve also included any notes that should be considered prior to buying them.

These prices do not include shipping, they are in $USD, are from BIN (Buy It Now) listings and I am not responsible for any transactions that you decide to take part in.

—

1 & 2. Simply Guava ($99) and Simply Mango ($99)
The big thing to watch out for with the Simply Guava and Mango twins is that there are a lot of fakes floating around. Both are RBLs, came with cute Converse shoes that are quite collectible and small dogs (which don’t tend to be that collectible). Overall, Guava and Mango have been at low prices for a while now and the pricing hasn’t changed much since the influx of fake Guavas and Mangos into the market. But if you’re looking for a legitimate SG or SM, it pays to do your research first.

Photo of Tang (Simply Mango) by Johnathon/alain l’étranger.

3 & 4. Simply Vanilla ($110) and Simply Chocolate ($120)
Simply Vanilla and Chocolate are the FBL twins. Their stock isn’t typically desirable, but they look gorgeous when customized – which I noticed that quite a few have been customized. That said, SV and SC are both really cute as stock dolls (and not). As far as I know, there are no fakes floating around of SV and SC, but always be vigilant about what you’re buying. When in doubt, always ask someone else that you think might be more familiar about the dolls.

5. Lavender Hug – $120
An adorable FBL with light hair that reminds me a lot of Simply Lilac – but with rounded bangs. She has very adorable boots (that look like Blythe-sized Uggs, if you’re into those) and white fluffy ear warmers. So if you’re looking for a pretty cute doll and stock that’s usable, Lavender Hug fits the bill pretty well. I don’t think I’ve seen very many photos of her on Flickr, but if you’re looking for a doll to customize and get cute stock, LH would work well.

6. Nicky Lad – $130
Nicky Lad comes with cute stock. I see her getting customized quite a bit – but she comes with pink glasses, pink hiking boots, a cute shirt and shorts with a rain poncho. Yes, that’s all fantastic and cute. So cute stock, cute girl (with a set of special chips) – what else do you want in a Blythe?  I think $130 is good value for the quality of stock you end up with, and I don’t believe there were many complaints about NL’s quality – she’s an overall win!

7 & 8. Simply Love Me ($130) and Simply Delight ($130)
The two underrated Simply twins (both of the RBL face mold) – one has Aubrena/Aubrey-coloured hair (Simply Delight), the other has yellow-blonde hair (Simply Love Me). Both dolls come with long-sleeved A-line dresses, along with cute tights and useful boots that can be utilized with other outfits (black from Simply Delight and red from Simply Love Me). These two Simply dolls are another couple of dolls that don’t come up as often as they could. Given that they’re both RBLs, it’s likely that they get used for customizing quite a bit. Overall, I think they’re both pretty cute. Simply Delight is a good alternative if you do not have Adorable Aubrey or any of the Aubrey/Aubrena incarnations.

9. Bohemian Peace – $135
Still quite the looker, Bohemian Peace (RBL) with her long, dark red/auburn locks, she’s an older girl (if 2010 can be considered old), but still very affordable. She has lace tunic top that goes over her dress and the most adorable light blue ukulele. So not only does she come with cute stock, and she has very gorgeous hair, I adore the colour.

Photo of Eudora (Orange and Spice) by Johnathon/alain l’étranger.

10. Orange and Spice – $135
Cheerfully called “Spicy Orange” by a dear Flickr friend, O&S isn’t very popular in the world of Blythe. Yet another RBL, she has a special pair of dark blue chips that go well with the blue eyeshadow that she has. She’s one of the dolls that I’m hoping to get very soon, as I love her in photos (her and Ambrosial, but that doll isn’t on this list).

Blythe is an interesting topic of choice to bring up to a significant other, or a potential significant other. Especially when you consider that the original Kenner Blythe didn’t exactly take off due to people being scared of her abnormally large features (and the changing of the eyes).

I can’t entirely remember how I introduced my boyfriend to Blythe. I’m about 99.99% sure that I had shown him a bunch of photos and just went on and on about the pros and cons of each doll. For instance, I was pretty sure that my first doll was going to be Natasha Moore (long dark pinky hair, houndstooth coat, beauty mark, SBL). This was before I knew anything really about molds (or telling them apart)… I’d send photo after photo of Natasha Moore this and Natasha Moore that. But it didn’t take until the first moment that I bought myself a Blythe doll that he realized that the eyes changed. Apparently I managed to neglect that fact that the eyes changed at all. I guess I was so excited over the idea of getting a Blythe that I didn’t think about how to explain it to someone who didn’t understand it (or necessarily want to discuss dolls) – I have the luckiest boyfriend who gets to listen to me yap about dolls all the time.

How well does your significant other get along with your Blythes?

Photo of Hopalong (Wonderfrog) and her husband (Carter) by Meg/irulethegalaxy.
(I was told I’d get bonus points for including this photo.)

I first met Kimberly in Portland in 2011! She was one of the first Blythe people that I met “in real life” and she made me feel welcome at my first ever Blythe meet. I asked her if she’d be interested in doing an interview with me for BlytheLife and fortunately she was! She’s the mastermind behind Rosiee Gelutie, to learn more – continue to read!

Hi Kimberly! What can you tell us about yourself and how you discovered Blythe?
I’m a 41 year old Hair Stylist with a Mortuary Science Degree.  I had seen pics of Blythe around and was always drawn to her.  I remember seeing a book in a bookstore that had Blythe doing everyday things.  I loved that book but couldn’t afford it.  In 2001 I was at a toy show and there were tons of them (the whole first BL series).  I bought my first Blythe that day (a BL Hollywood) for $50.  I was so excited to own one!!!  Had I known then what I know now I would have bought one of each!

How big is your Blythe family? Who’s your favourite?
I have 45 Blythes (this includes 2 Blybe’s that are my mini me and my bestie’s mini me, 3 Icy’s, 2 Middie’s, a Jecci 5 and an ADG).  Gertie is my very favorite Blythe in the whole wide world, aside from Gertie’s Bestie Elouise.

Where does the name Rosiee Gelutie come from?
Rosiee Gelutie is an anagram of My Bestie Mandy’s girl Elouise and my girl Gertie!  I tried many combinations before I settled on Rosiee Gelutie.

How did you get started in sewing for dolls?
I started sewing for Blythe because I love crafting.  The very first item that I made for them was a Donutzie.  I wanted to create a Pal that could be held by them and be fun.

What made you decide to start selling what you make?
I knew that I wanted to open a shop to sell items that would allow me to visit my Best Friend in Australia every other  year.  I thought it be selling knitted hats, bags and aprons for Humans.  But it ended up being Donutzies and Clothing for Blythe!

What went through your mind when you made your first sale? How about when you first saw something you crafted (and sold!) being photographed?
I was tickled!  My very first Blythe item sale was a Donutzie.  I was super excited to package him up and send him off!  And the first time I saw an item that I made photographed, it made my heart warm.  I still get a huge smile on my face every time I see someone’s girl in an outfit or bedding, or with a Donutzie that I’ve created.

What has been your biggest learning curve when you went from sewing for humans to sewing for dolls?
I did some Costuming when I was in College (I was a Theater Major before Hair and Mortuary) and I sewed some items for myself but I never enjoyed it.  I always felt like I was fighting the machine and lost in construction.  When I say that I thought I would make bags and aprons in my Etsy shop, I thought I’d fight my way through it (I’d only made a few aprons and never a bag btw)!  It wasn’t until I started sewing for Blythe that construction and pattern making finally made sense!  I just finished making a bag for my Mom for her Birthday and it all made sense!  I’m actually gathering tools to make a shirt pattern for myself now.  Sewing Doll Clothing has changed my whole approach to and understanding of sewing!

All crafters have their own routine when they have the time to sit down and craft, what’s your routine?
I think my only routine for sewing in to go into my Hobby Room.  That is my “special” place.  I walk in and if it’s an utter disaster I have to clean it first and while cleaning I’m looking at the items I’m putting away and gaining some focus for creation.  Then if I’m in a mood to cut things out, I’ll sit on the floor in front of my mini ironing board and do that.  Or I’ll start sewing or just picking out fabric that is calling to me if that’s what I’m in the mood for.  I usually have the Netflix cued up on my ipad (I’m really into Miami Vice right now).  I like everything organized and a spot for everything.

Where do you find your inspiration for your designs?
I love simple lines and late 60′s to early 70′s designs.  I keep building on to patterns I’ve already created.  Just thinking of new things to add (sleeves, collar, buttons) or to shorten this or lengthen that.  Sometimes someone will say “I’d love to see more of some type of item” and I start sketching away.  Sometimes I sew something weird and then think if I do this and put this here… Hey!  New pattern!  Accidents can be happy creations!

What has been your favourite piece of Blythe clothing that you’ve made so far? Which Donutzie has been your absolute favourite?
Ooo!  That’s a hard question.  I really don’t know.  I think I’d have to say that I enjoy the pieces that are made out of very limited vintage fabric the most.  Simply because they are OOAK items.   My favorite Donutzie was Gertie’s very first Donutzie that was green with a hot pink back.  His name was Limey and we lost him at BC Dallas.  I was devastated and looked every where for him and asked everyone else to keep an eye out.  My Husband says that Limey ran away to join the Rodeo and that it was his plan all along, once Limey knew we were going there.  So I like to think that he is riding some big stallion in Texas with a ten gallon hat!

What is your favourite aspect of running your own business?
I love challenging myself to learn new things.  I also really enjoy try to achieve the goals that I set for myself.

What would you say is your most irreplaceable tool for sewing and crafting?
My iron.  From start to finish I’m using this tool.  I couldn’t sew without it!

How have you improved as a crafter? What tips do you have to share?
The first thing that I attempted to sew for Blythe were made out of felt.  I created Donutzies and then a simple dress pattern.   Then I progressed to Slacks (made out of fabric) and Bedding.   After Blythe Con Dallas I had a lot of ideas but lacked the skills to do more advanced things.  So for months I labored at learning how to make patterns, set in sleeves and collars.  I’ve gotten better at making patterns and at adding more details to items.  It’s been a slow but steady process.  I hope to continue to improve and evolve.

What can the Blythe community look forward to you in the future?
I’m not really sure but I will continue to work on creating new patterns and styles as they come to me.  I will also work on improving the items that I make with practice.

Thank you for doing this interview with me, Kimberly! What kind of advice do you have for someone who’s new to the hobby?
Thank you for asking me to do this interview!  This has been super fun and I am touched and honored that you asked me!   Advice that I would give to new people in the hobby is to get involved, ask questions and have fun!

You can find out more about Kimberly on Flickr, Facebook and at her shop on Etsy!

Donutzie Playsuit & Donutzie Giveaway!

Kimberly has generously decided to giveaway one Donutzie Playsuit and matching Donutzie to one lucky reader here on BlytheLife!

The giveaway runs until Saturday May 18th 2013 at 11:59pm Pacific. The draw will be held on Sunday May 19th 2013 and the winner will be announced on BlytheLife.com. Remember to use a valid email address for all comments. If you win, your email will be forwarded to Kimberly so she can get in contact with you regarding sending you the prize.

Please only use one email address per person, those using multiple email addresses for more entries will be disqualified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A lot of people have said that Blythe, of the Neo variety, has gotten boring of late. A lot of the releases have had similar styles in terms of hair colour or cut. How many times have we seen that pink-brown mix over and over again? Or the same shoe mold being used that it just gets so repetitive? But Middie hasn’t been around nearly as long so there is still so much room for improvement and growth and, for the most part, there’s been little repeats in the hair colours that Middie has been given. Granted, they could have had a greater range in variety of eye colours (which would be fantastic), but I think most people are pretty happy with the variety that has been produced so far. And they make such gorgeous customs. It always amazes me how much a doll can look differently with the right person!

Custom Middie and photo by Kate/Moofers.

What I would personally love is for Takara to come out with a shoe pack or accessories pack for Middie. They did for the Neo in the past (shoe packs, accessories packs with glasses, outfit packs that came with a full-on outfit and one set even had a scooter), and I think it would be very fun (and would probably do very well) if they came out with more accessories for Middie. After all, if the doll is doing well and selling well, why not kick it up a notch and give the people what they want? I’d also love to see so much more in terms of hair colours, styles, and outfits! It would be nice to have more fun things for Middies – like headbands, headphones, new shoe styles and accessories that would be well-received by the community as a whole.

And if they happened to do an Alexis Emerald in Middie form? That would be wonderful.

It’s a simple, yet complex, question – all at the same time.

For me, Blythe has allowed me the opportunity to make new friends, to be creative, to have something positive in my life that I’m able to maintain – all on my own. I was content (and happy) to have Blythe all to myself before I met people (offline) who also shared the same affinity for the big-headed dolls. And now I have a whole group of friends (online, offline – local and far) who also love the same doll – and we’re able to talk about a whole lot more than dolls! Which, I personally think, is the best part of all.

Why is Blythe important to you?