July 13, 2019
by Tammy
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Since my summers tend to be a little slower than fall and spring semesters, it gives me time to get organized. It’s a slow process to for me, but I’m making some progress and share it with you in a new video on my YouTube channel.
June 12, 2019
by Tammy
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Summer time is slipping away, which means my summer break from school will be over way too soon. I did manage to get a few new dolls and doll crafting supplies added to my shop, Kawaii Doll Shop. Both red head dolls come with new sparkling pull rings that I added, and both tan dolls come with a pull ring and bead kit so you can either keep the current rings (which are also tan like the dolls) or you can change them. You’ll also find some tan doll bodies over there as well as cute doll charms that you can added to a chain and wear yourself and jazz up a Blythe doll pull cord.
My most recent YouTube video also includes an Etsy shop update, and I chat about a Blythe doll I’m customizing.
December 26, 2018
by Tammy
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I’m happy to announce a collection of new doll dresses that are up in my Etsy shop. I call it the Woodlands Collection because the fabric has a mix of woodland animals such as foxes, bears, rabbits, squirrels, and hedgehogs on it. And, for the first time, along with the usual 1/6 scale doll clothes for dolls like Blythes and Pullips, I have a few larger dresses for 18 inch dolls, including Our Generation and American Girl dolls.
To celebrate, I have a 20% off sale going on for just a few days, starting now through 12/28. Please, stop by my Etsy shop, Kawaii Doll Shop, and let me know what you think of these new dresses.
December 16, 2018
by Tammy
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4 Customized Blythe Dolls
I currently own four customized Blythe dolls. They are a special part of my collection, and in this video, I discuss the difference between using a real Takara stock Blythe doll versus a fake Blythe doll when customizing: Why would a doll customizer want to use a stock versus fake or visa versa? What does this difference between the two types of base dolls mean to those of us who collect these types of dolls?
October 22, 2018
by Tammy
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I’m switching it up a little on my Youtube channel, starting with a little…okay…not so little vlog chat.
October 3, 2018
by Tammy
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What is the perfect accessory to go with a Halloween doll dress? A Halloween trick or treat tote bag, of course! I have sold a few Blythe Halloween doll dresses from my Etsy shop and have these two left at this point. I always like to include a little something special with each order, and the swag included with the dresses have been trick or treat tote bags that are 1/6 scale.
One of my customers commented on how she liked the extra freebie with her dress purchase, so I thought it would be fun to make a short video showing how I make these.
October 3, 2018
by Tammy
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Do you miss summer yet? I definitely do. Granted, where I live in Florida it’s finally turning a tiny bit less hot has heck down here, but nothing beats having a summer vacation. This week’s crafting blog links I’d like to share are a nod to summer. We do miss you!
First up is a sweet shell necklace from Beading Arts. Cyndi was asked to create a necklace that would remind the wearer of her trip to the beach. She had collected shells and wanted to wear them as a remembrance of her time there. This little quick tutorial might give you some great ideas for creating with your own shell collection.
If you are lucky enough to find sea glass, that’s even better. Tappingflamingo shows a unique design she created with loose sea glass. She was able to wire wrap a few pieces so they look like a sail boat. How fun!
Summer may be over, but we can still enjoy our memories of it by wearing special jewelry pieces.
September 30, 2018
by Tammy
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I originally started seriously making videos on my YouTube channel a number of years ago because I had been contacted by a company who asked me if I was interested in teaching a craft class online via videos, which I would have to create myself. I had to decline because I realized a few things: (a) I knew zero about how to make a video all by myself (no techy person to help me); (b) I was super duper uncomfortable being in front of the camera.
So I put my big girl panties on and decided to suck it up and learn to make them and not be such a baby about being filmed. My first videos were very raw. I didn’t have a good camera or the right lighting; heck, I still struggle with both of those issues, but there is a huge difference between my first few attempts and my more recently published videos.
I started out thinking that I was going to do maybe a craft podcast, and I still do those occasionally, but it wasn’t until I started merging my doll collecting into my YouTube channel that I found an audience, small though it may be. I even get “recognized” in a Facebook now and then when I’m chatting in a thread and another member of the group will say something like “Oh, I watch your doll videos.” Really? {blush!}
Now, I really enjoy making videos, both about crafts and dolls, and it’s even better when I can put them together. I even have a Facebook group of my own where I encourage doll collectors to share their videos or videos that they just like, even if they aren’t their own. I polled my little group and asked what their favorite type of doll videos were, and a lot of them said they like dolly dress up videos.
As it happens, a lot of my dolls are in need of a new outfit, so I am filming the process. Again, a learning experience because I have to position the camera in a weird spot and reach around to show the doll. Here’s one of the first in a series I’m working on filming and publishing:
September 23, 2018
by Tammy
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I opened up my Kawaii Doll Shop on Etsy not that long ago. I had another shop on Etsy where I sold jewelry and jewelry supplies (on and off, though mostly off) for years, and while I did rename the old shop, dusted it off a little, and added a few listings, I have decided to concentrate on my doll shop because that brings me the most joy right now. Plus, I can still make doll jewelry and doll themed jewelry over there, so I can satisfy my jewelry enjoyment too.
A good chunk of my summer was spent prepping for the doll shop. I was still teaching at my “real” job, but summers are always slower at school. I had fewer classes and not as many additional teacher-related commitments.
That, of course, all changed when fall semester started. I have an extra heavy class-load, meetings to attend, and school projects to complete. It leaves me a very small amount of time for the doll shop, but I was managing.
Then Etsy decided to come out recently with a big update related to the guide they publish online. It’s sort of a “best practices” manual for Etsy sellers. I’m still catching up on what all the new changes mean, but one crystal clear change is that they are really pushing for sellers to offer free shipping.
I’ve been using the calculated shipping for my listings, and I like that it provides a discounted rate. Except for non-domestic rates, shipping for most of my items has been under three dollars. But free shipping? Is that something I can even do?
Since my shop is basically a big experiment at this point, I decided today to go ahead and give it a shot and ended up setting all my listings (and there are only around 20 right now) to offer free domestic shipping. I’m curious if it will make a difference or not. What’s the worse that could happen? What’s the best that could happen?
I don’t know how long I’m going to run the free domestic shipping experiment, but unless it turns into an amazing selling tool, I’m think I will try this out for a few weeks. Obviously, if I end up selling doll clothes and sundries like hot cakes, then it will be here to stay.
We shall see.
I’ll keep you posted.
September 23, 2018
by Tammy
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Jewelry is pretty much a staple accessory for most of us these days, but jewelry can go beyond working as an accent to an outfit. Jewelry pieces can have personal meanings, connect to past times we enjoy, or even remind us of a trip we’ve taken. These links are from blog makers who have made connections with their jewelry designs.
Tappingflamingo has found a niche when it comes to cruisers who enjoy participating in gift exchanges. While she primarily is focused on making boho and cruise wear jewelry, the gift exchanges or key chains and ornaments have become popular items in her shop.
Beading Arts has found a brilliant way to take seed beaded Russian leaves to the next level. Notoriously floppy after you make them, she has a solution for helping them stay sold so you can use them for all kinds of wonderful jewelry designs.
Andrew is an avid reader, and he enjoys finding ways to combine his thoughts on what he’s read with his jewelry designing. His most recent read is Dark Matter. He fabricated a pendant that he felt might look similar to the time travel device the characters in the book use. He even tagged the author of the novel who replied back and was super impressed with Andrew’s design.
Words also inspire Bead Love’s blogger, and she used a collection of favorite beads and components, which included a special pendant with a saying stamped on it, to create a necklace that she loves wearing. It’s a good example of how we can collect items just because we love the, and then find a way to combine them into one dynamic piece.
Allegory Gallery’s recent blog post about artwork and narratives behind it can be a way to inspire all of use to create amazing jewelry because of the colors but also the thoughts that went into creating the final artwork.