She’s one of my favorite Blythe designers, she recently updated her shop with a whole bunch of wonderful items, and if you’re any familiar with her creations you know that everything sold very, very quickly. Seriously, if you’re not in front of the computer when she’s listing her items, it’s already too late. You’ve missed theFuture.

It’s the strangest thing. She’ll be updating her shop, most of it will sell within minutes, then a few hours later there’ll be nothing left but a couple of items that will mysteriously stay there for some time…

As I am writing this for instance there’s only one of these cute mushroom pockets dresses left, it’s pink – she says “peach” but on my screen it looks pink though – with brown mushroom pockets and it is the sweetest thing ever !

Two mushroom pockets dress for Blythe in sky blue.

I absolutely love the yellow – or is it tangerine ? – one above, but that sky blue with pink mushroom pockets is also so nice !

You see, this is the problem with theFuture, absolutely everything she does is that pretty, and cute – but not in a sugary kind of way for it is always both simple & sophisticated – so it’s really hard to choose…

And she has done those mushroom pockets dresses in the past (love that pink or that mint one) as well as dresses with flower pockets (that royal blue is amazing) or strawberries.

I’ve browsed through her shop, and she seems to always come up with new color combos. I am not 100% sure, but there doesn’t seem to be 2 alike. The chocolate brown one below is different from that camel & that mocha ones. And if she already made a sky blue with pink mushrooms it appears to be shorter…

Two mushroom pockets dress for Blythe in brown.

One thing I really like about theFuture’s creations is that they are obviously made for dolls. They are not clothes that humans would wear or at least not adults. (Not that people who make Blythe clothes like women would wear cannot be extremely interesting and creative, I’m thinking for instance of Aby Monroe @ Taylor Couture and I’m still totally in love with rlkataja’s creations).

So these are dolls clothes, not clothes women would wear, they are very girly and delicate and if there’s an inspiration there, it would be in children – more specifically toddlers – clothes from the 60s or 70s.

For theFuture is not only an amazing crochetter, she sews too and makes the most adorable tops & dresses using vintage fabrics.

Little golden dress for Blythe.

This little dress here with the orange collar and the puff sleeves is one of her favorite patterns. She has another one which she makes into tops or dresses. And you know me I love yellow, so I found a yellow polka dots top with red gingham which is perhaps not the best example of the originality of her fabrics but I cannot help it ! (The ones she sold the other day were mostly green).

But even though the simple tops & dresses are beyond cute, I think she is most creative with her little puff sleeve dresses. For here, even though the vintage fabrics and the shape of the dresses give a very clear retro vibe, in the way she masterfully mixes her fabrics, she is more fresh and modern than most…

So tell us…

Do you have one of theFuture’s creations ? Is it crochet or fabric ? Which one are your favorites ?

Desperately looking for a Black Blythe…

We so rarely see Black Blythes – at least on Etsy as models – and this one is so beautiful I could not resist posting this, especially since the poncho she’s wearing fits her so well !

Her name is Reya – Reya Light her full name – she’s a custom “I Love You It’s True”, and she’s the first Black Blythe Custom doll made by Zanalee. She was born on October 1, 2009 according to her ID, and she seems to be an amazing girl !

And even though I started this article to showcase Zanalee’s ponchos – which I absolutely love – I knew the minute I saw her I really wanted to post this photo of Reya because, as I said, we seldom see black girls on Etsy. The only one I can think of now who uses a Black Blythe as model to sell clothes is LarasFawn. And the first one was probably *jaszmade with her models Foxy & La Toya in 2008… (❉ edit : see note at the end of post)

Now, we all know there are to this day no stock Black Blythes. And please Takara, are you seriously not even considering making one ? So that the only thing left if you desperately want one is to turn to customization, which seemed to be no small feat in 2009 when Zanalee started her project on Reya for there were hardly any ressources on the subject apart from this article by *jaszmade.

Hand knit waist length poncho for Blythe in burgundy.

Zanalee’s journey

But then Reya was born. And then Neige, Angora Lee & Ramona Rae – who’s actually a Blybe, but shh, we won’t tell – plus a few others…

And I have a sense that Zenzile Greene will not stop there. For one, she’s so passionate on the subject that she made a book about her Black Blythes called “Little Brown Blythe”. (You can find it on blurb where you’ll be able to preview 15 pages of it.) Second, browsing through her blog – which is so well written it makes you forget she barely uses tags or categories, just use the search box if you’re looking for something, you’ll find much more results typing the word “custom” for instance than by clicking on any label – browsing through her blog then, it seems very clear that Zanalee is on a quest.

And not just the quest for that oddly missing Black doll in a world where blondes, brunettes, red-haired see no problem being in the company of yellow, pink, green, blue and what-other-fantasy-color-hair-you-can-wish-for girls yet, still no Black girl…

Hand knit waist length poncho for Blythe in pink purples.

Heather Sky

But it’s a fantasy world you might argue, it’s not supposed to be real, or reflect the real world. Except it is a bit more complicated than that, you must know that. It’s about what image of ourselves we want to identify with, and most importantly about who we decide to include – or not – in the “ourselves” part.

In this article on her non-Blythe blog The Impossible Really Exists, Zanalee remarks that :

“Blythe Doll collecting appears to be a predominantly white hobby. I can count on one hand the Black females collectors I am in contact with on Flickr.”

It seems to me that if there were more colored Blythes out there – and by “colored” I don’t mean just Black – it would start to attract different people too. I remember when Takara released “Heather Sky” in 2009 it was quite a big deal and she sold very, very fast. And although she was a Prima Dolly and came out in a trio set with “Adorable Aubrey” & “Winsome Willow”, because of the high demand, she also got quickly more expensive than her 2 girlfriends.

The big deal was she was “tanned”, and more so than any other Blythe, except perhaps “Roxy Baby” (see comparison shot here). The official description reads :

“Heather Sky is dressed in bright and cheerfully bold colors.
Green and yellow flower patterns with orange cotton frill match her tanned skin very well!
(…)
The mold is Radiance with dark skin like Neo Blythe “Roxy Baby.”"

So she’s not only tanned, she’s got “dark skin”, and the demand is so high for those types of beauties, the lack so blatant that “Heather Sky”, who came to fill a big void, turned out to have as many origins as people wanted her to have…

Bowie in a very funky poncho by Zanalee @ Etsy.

Customizing as art

But to come back to Zenzile Greene and the quest she seems to be on, it makes no doubt she is going to explore customizing Blythe dolls more and more. Just read her post on how Bowie – that stunning girl in the picture above – was born. There’s an energy when she describes the changes she did to the doll, she might as well have been doing that all her life and the “looming lack of confidence” she was writing about before starting her work on Reya is now far behind…

And I’m sure you’ll agree with me, but Bowie has an amazing style ! And you know what, I’m not sure Zanalee would be as good a customizer if it had not been for her desperate quest for that Black Blythe Takara won’t make. And you know what else, chances are she’s going to be one awsomely great customizer too ! She’s already very good, but you know what I mean…

You see Zanalee is an artist, and in an email she sent me whe writes :

“When I discovered Black Blythes on Flickr, I was ecstatic, asking around about where to find one, and when I realized that they were not being manufactured but customized I new I had to make one as well. I feel even more in love with Blythe. Customized Blythes are my favorites. It’s the customizing of Blythes that really enamors me to the world. I think as an artist, seeing the ways in which people use Blythe as a canvas is really fascinating to me.”

What about you ?

Do you customize your dolls ? Do you have a Black Blythe ? Did you make it yourself ? Do you desperatly want one ?
Please share your thoughts on the subject, leave a comment below…

Links & Ressources :

Zenzile Greene’s book : Little Brown Blythe
Her blog : Born To Blythe
Her Etsy shop : Blythe Warmers
Her Flickr : Zanalee

Flickr groups about Black Blythe dolls :
BLACK BLYTHE IS BEAUTIFUL
Beautiful Brown Blythe
Custom Black Blythes

*jaszmade
Black Blythe Project – A Field Report from *jaszmade

❉ Note :

I knew I had seen a new Black girl on Etsy recently, but the article was already so complex & filled with links that I did not want to make it harder to read, so I’m adding her here. The shop is MyDeliciousBliss by Kyi Lynn and we will write about her on this blog for she is making the most exquisite travel boxes – and much more – for your Blythes dolls…

Also you might want to read the first comments, for Linda @ AddictedToPlastic reminded me that Tingeisha had a black custom doll, and yes she was on Etsy as early as January 2007…

Laura @ RetroChickDesign creates the most exquisite helmets for our Blythe dolls. They are hand knitted, hand felted & hand decorated with embroidery silks, vintage flowers & beads. They fasten under the chin with a beautiful vintage button and judging by the elaborate details and the poetic names they all bear, there’s no doubt these are made with love too !

I have written before how those big heads just seem to have been made for hats, bonnets, helmets, or whatever your imagination can think of… Now, at RetroChickDesign there is definitely plenty of imagination for those helmets are made in a great variety of colors, and browsing through the sold items of the shop I don’t think I’ve seen two alike !

Lemon Drizzle Blythe Kitty Helmet.

Recently, Laura has taken a liking for pompoms and you’ll find them on the cutest poofy onesie knitted rompers as well as on the helmets. There are either listings for the rompers only like with this sweet Strawberry & Powder Pink one or for OOAK sets including a romper and a helmet, both with a pompom.

Mad About Red Blythe Kitty Helmet.

My favorite “One Of A Kind” set so far is “Tangerine Dreams” which I posted above, but I also very much like Sticky Toffee…
Have you browsed through the shop yet ? Do you have a favorite ?

Those pink pull rings we know so well may be iconic by now, still you might want something more funky for your girls !

Kittyrobot has just that. She can customize a resin pull ring for your doll in about any color with a touch – or a whole lot of – “bedazzling”…

Here’s how it works :

“Start with a clear base and add in whatever you like to suit your needs.
Pigments – to make it colored. This can be a clear color or a heavy color base.
Glitter – to add some shimmer and sparkle. A touch, or a whole lot depending on how sparkly u love.
Even candy sprinkles can be added to give it a sweet little touch. A few, or many it’s up to you.”

Aren’t you excited just reading the recipe ?

And if after seeing the wonderful photo above by Lauren @ Happily Candied Photography, you haven’t already clicked on the link to the listing @ Etsy, do it now to check out the choice of colors available, keeping in mind that Jodie can tweak it a little further if you want that really specific color that will match your doll’s hair or make-up…

Fairytale Princess tea cup necklace.

Also make sure to browse through the entire shop @ Etsy for there’s plenty of cute & colorful stuff in there. I especially love the Tea Time Jewelry section, with its rings & necklaces in different but very girly styles.

The flowery ones are my favorites but I also very much like this Wedgwood-like teapot :

Blue Romance Rose – Teapot charm necklace.

And reaching the end of this article I don’t even need to tell you about those amazing Candy Resin buttons, for surely you’ve already fallen in love with them by now…

You’ll find kittyrobot @
Etsy / Facebook / Flickr

+

An interview of Jodie, one of the 2 girls from kittyrobot made by Michelle @ BlytheLife.com in February 2011.

The photo of Pinkachu wearing a custom Pink Glitter with Sprinkles Kittyrobot Pull Ring is © Lauren @ Happily Candied Photography. There’s another great one of the pull ring here on her Flickr.

I want that Buddy Bear so bad, I believe the right term should be “so good”. He’s the most adorable I have seen in a long time !

It’s not very hard to find amazingly beautiful & sophisticated stuffed animals, but I love the “amateurish” side of this one. I love how it’s a drawing on top of some fabric, how it’s not symetrical, how the face is perfect and how the oversized boots are just killing it !

You can see I have a big crush on that one. Plus he’s literally screaming at you to adopt him for Liv aka Jack + Hunter put a ridiculously low price on him. I mean it’s really, really low. Really.

Crochet helmet for Blythe in a variety of greys.

You should know I never mention prices on the blog. Because even though if you’re reading me very quickly you may think this blog is about advertising the latest creations in people’s Etsy shops and about buying stuff, it is not.

It’s not, it has never been and never will be about that.

This blog is about marvelling at the creativity of people. Whether said creativity is exercised in making clothes for dolls or painting a 6×4 foot canvas is the same thing to me. It is about creating beauty. Creating beauty every day and in all things be they ever so little. I did not call my first blog a thing of beauty… for nothing.

So to come back to this price thing, there are other reasons I don’t mention them. First I believe people have the right to price what they want for their creations, pure and simple. Second they may want to rethink their pricing range at some point and this will be easier to do when not too many people can point out how much cheaper those dresses were not so long ago…