July 23, 2018
by Tammy
0 comments

Custom Mohair Blythe Doll Arrived

She’s here, all the way from Russia, and I’m totally in love with her. This is a custom Blythe doll from FunnyFunnyDoll on Etsy, and she’s amazing. The hair is a re-root made of mohair, and it is so soft. The carving on her face is a cute pout, and she’s got a soft faceup painted on her face. I show her in an unboxing video below.

She is my third customized doll that I have added to my collection, and I think I’m starting to get jaded now. While the Takara stock dolls are cute, there really no comparison to a one-of-kind custom Blythe doll. It is almost hard to believe this doll start out as just a fake Blythe doll.

July 22, 2018
by Tammy
0 comments

Crafting Inspiration, Bloggers Share

What inspires you? What makes you decide to tackle a new craft project, open up an online store, or start collecting a particular craft related item? Inspiration can pop up unexpectedly, or it can grow slowly.

For Cyndi at Beading Arts, though she does not often use patterns from other designers because she has so many wonderful beading ideas of her own, she made an exception recently when she saw beaded pendant designed by Nora Toth. The dagger shaped beads look great in this piece.

Beadwoven Flower Pendant

At the Bead Love blog, it’s been all about patina lately, and that has opened her up to enhancing all kinds of metal stamped pieces. She experimented with a few different methods, most especially focusing on using Mod Podge, and the results were very encouraging. Many of the pieces she was able to add different layers of colors, making the finished pieces look very different than what she started with.

Vintaj patinas in marble and a mixture of moss and seafoam pearl for the green

Anyone looking for some inspiration can usually find it when participating in a craft related challenge, and Allegory Gallery is offering up a chance for that through the Coral Coast Challenge. Purchase the kit through the gallery’s online shop, and then post your beaded creations on its Facebook group by the deadline. To make it a little more interesting, there is a limited number of kits available, so those participating will be joined by a fairly small group of other beaders.

After encouragement from friends and family, the Tappingflamingo blogger opened Tappingflamingo Bling on Etsy. She was inspired to take this big step because everyone kept asking her if she had an Etsy shop, so of course, that meant it was probably a good idea to open one. She has learned a huge amount about branding and marketing and talks about this in a recent blog post.

Tappingflamingo Beaded Shell Necklace

Finally, bugs of all things inspired blogger Andrew Thornton to start up an amazing collection of art beads, all of which include a theme related to beetles, moths, butterflies, and other flying critters. He shares these with his blogging audience and includes some wonderful photographs of each piece. Try not to be too jealous!

Art Bead Collection Anne Choi

July 19, 2018
by Tammy
0 comments

Grandma’s Log Cabin Quilt Done!

My Grandmother’s Log Cabin Quilt

Finally, the last seam was stitched, and my grandmother’s quilt is complete!

Each square measures 14 by 14 inches, and there are 7 squares in each of the 5 strips that make up the finished quilt. I ended up finishing the edges with a rolled hem, and I had to kind of finagle a little here and there. Hopefully, no one will take out a level to check how straight the sides are. None of us are sure if Grandma had planned to add more to the quilt or how she had planned to finish it, so I had to just “get-er-done” the best I could.

Part of my experience with this, especially in the early stages, was full of nostalgia. I also couldn’t help but think of my grandmother with fondness and admit to a romantic ideal going through my head as I channeled Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” story. However, the project become a little unruly near the end. Nothing really negative happened, but I have to admit that I’m looking forward to working on my own sewing project now.

I can’t help but think that my diving into making Blythe doll clothes was kind of a foreshadowing of all of this. Sewing the tiny dresses, some of which requires hand-stitching, has helped bring my sewing skills back up to where they used to be. Also, I line the top part of my doll dresses with muslin, so I had some already in my fabric stash. As it happened, there was one quilt square that was almost 2 inches short. Yikes! Luckily, though, I had muslin in the same shade as the quilt along with enough scraps for the piecing side of the quilt, thus allowing me to complete the square.

The quilt saga is over, and I will soon deliver it to my parents’ house where it will hang with honor. Unlike Walker’s quilts, however, this quilt is not intended for “everyday use.”

July 14, 2018
by Tammy
0 comments

Tasha Mermaid Blythe Doll & the Eyelash Conundrum

Finally, my pre-ordered Tasha Mermaid Blythe doll arrived, and I started unboxing her today. I even had my iphone in hand to record the occasion so I could share it later on my YouTube channel.

Tasha Mermaid Blythe Doll

However, as I started pulling out the various stock items that come with this June 2018 Takara Neo Blythe doll release, I noticed something – a weird looking eyelash, actually a bunch of eyelashes that were off center.

It seems like a small problem, but considering these dolls are known for how their eyes can be changed by pulling on a cord in the back of their heads, and of course, there are other issues such as how much she costs, how she came all the way from Singapore and before there Japan, and how she’s supposed to be a special collectible doll, a few extra eyelashes off center is not a small problem.

Do I return the doll? Is that even possible? Do I just leave it and not let it bother me every time I looked at her? Do I attempt to fix the eyelashes myself? Do I just resell her to another collector (obviously, with full disclosure about the wonky eyelashes)?

I’m still trying to figure that out, but stay tuned for my decision. And, of course, I’m open to your suggestions. What would you do if this was your new Blythe doll?

July 13, 2018
by Tammy
2 Comments

Sharing the Crafting Love

The Web has allowed so many crafters to share their amazing talents and learn from one another, and I’m very happy to announce that I am back to sharing a handful of carefully curated links from fellow craft bloggers each week.

First off this week, I love, yes I said it, these laser-engraved heart pendants from Andrew Thornton, which he has available both online and in person through his shop, Allegory Gallery, which is located in Ligonier, PA.

Laser-Engraved Heart Pendants

On the gallery’s weblog, Andrew describes the materials used to make these pendants, and he also explains why he selected the iconic heart shape mixed with brief messages and decorative elements such as flowers and wings.

On Andrew’s personal blog, he has some inspiring news to share related to his gallery. Many of us crafters eventually turn our love of a specific craft or an assortment of crafts into some kind of business venture, and like any small business, there are challenges to say the least.

If you are now attempting to run a small craft related business or are thinking about trying it in the future, then there is a great deal to learn from the experiences of Andrew and his partner, William, has they jumped in and navigated through the SCORE Mentors’ American Small Business Championship.

If you are ready to learn more, there is also a wealth of crafting information on Cyndi Lavin’s weblog, Beading Arts. Most recently, shares how to create a pretty lilac bead embroidery pendant.

Lilac Bead Embroidery Pendant

The colors are so soft and a good compliment to summer styles. She even shows how this color matches up with a current Patone color trend.

Tappingflamingo Shell Necklace

The Tappingflamingo blog is also showing off some pretty summer inspired jewelry that she recently added to her Etsy shop. It’s all about the shells, and she shows how even shell fragments can become beautiful additions to her beaded creations. Some of these shell and shell pieces she picked up while on a Caribbean cruise, and many of them she found while beach-combing in her old home town of Cocoa Beach, Florida.

That’s it for now, just a few juicy links from some of my favorite fellow craft bloggers. I hope you enjoy them.

July 13, 2018
by Tammy
7 Comments

Blythe Doll Customizing Is Not for Me

One of the reasons I was drawn back into doll collecting, and especially gravitated toward Blythe dolls, was because of a popular trend called customizing. This means that a doll is changed in some form. The change might be something small like cutting the doll’s hair or switching out the doll’s body, or it could be much more involved such as totally take the doll apart and changing out the eyes and carving the face plate.

I began slowing with switching out bodies. Then at one point, I purchased a doll (second hand) that someone else had customized, and she arrived in bad shape so I had to put her back together again. I wouldn’t say it was all that fun having to fix the doll, especially since I paid for her, but it gave me a little more incentive to try to fully customize my own Blythe doll.

I bought a few inexpensive fake Blythe dolls, carving knifes, some hand-painted eye chips, and other assorted tools and supplies and got at it. My experience with the first doll was mildly successful, though she was very, very far from perfection. I didn’t jump into the next customization project I had planned as I thought more about it, and I also became distracted with sewing doll clothes, which I found much more enjoyable.

As I’ve been collecting Blythe dolls now for a few years and dabbled in the various parts of the hobby that go with it – customizing, making doll items, photography, and so on – I’m ready to finally admit that I’m not a doll customizer and will probably never be one either. I discuss this topic a little more in a recent six and a half minute video posted on my Youtube channel (see below), and since posting this video, I’ve had a number of people comment and contact me expressing that they also had similar feelings about customizing dolls.

Of course, most crafters want to do all the crafts, right? But, has there ever been a craft that you finally had to admit was just not your calling, that you thought you might like but once you tried it a little, all did not go as planned?

July 8, 2018
by Tammy
0 comments

Tote Bags Finished!

My tote bags are finished. I’ve made a number of them and have four that I’m putting up for sale: $35 US and $40 CAN includes shipping. I show them off in this video.

July 2, 2018
by Tammy
0 comments

Unexpected Quilt Project

I inherited an unfinished object, a beautiful quilt! My grandmother was making this, but for whatever reason, probably her health, she was not able to finish it. She did get a large amount of it done, so while I’ve never quilted before, I’m trying to figure out what she did and just copy it so I can finish this quilt. Needless to say, it has a huge amount of sentimental value for our family. I’ve made some good progress and share that with you in this video from my YouTube channel.

Here’s a photo of the unfinished quilt on a king size bed. I have two more strips of blocks to attach. Then, I will have to figure out how to finish it around the edges.

I don’t see myself becoming a quilter after this experience. I’m finding this project to be very challenging, but I know it will be worth the effort when it’s finished.

June 19, 2018
by Tammy
0 comments

Sewing Simple Tote Bags

If you follow me on Instagram, then you may have already seen some photos or even “story” videos I’ve published over there showing some simple tote bags I’ve been stitching up. Originally, my thoughts were to make one or two to give to a few people I know who practice yoga (like I do) regularly.

Using some cute yoga themed fabric, I made a few. They are lined with another yoga themed fabric, and I was pretty happy with them, so that’s why I was showing them off on social media. Someone even asked me to buy one, so I made another one for her. And, that’s kind of how I fell down the tote bag sewing hole. But, no complaints, I’m having a good time as I continue to sew and have worked on perfecting this design, which is a compilation I put together after watching and reading a number of tote bag instructions.

I’ve even started adding charms to the handle of each tote.

After making the yoga themed tote bags, I went on to get more fabric, and the next one has a French theme going on. While all the totes are meant to be soft and easy to fold up so you can take them shopping with you, this next version is a little bit stiffer because I increased the amount of interfacing I used.

It stands up, but it’s still soft enough to fold. Plus, I added a different charm to this one, oh, la, la.

Once I get a few more made, I will probably post a video to show them in more detail on my YouTube channel. I’ve now had a few additional people ask about purchasing one, so I’m planning on selling a few, but otherwise, these are future gifts for friends and family. They are fun to make, but they are definitely not a quick project.Thus, it’s hard to determine if selling them is something I want to seriously get into or not.