Grail Girls - K-Dolls Heaven Customs

For collectors, Blythe dolls are a very personal thing. Some like factory dolls for their array of hair colours whereas others believe official releases are the only 'real' Blythes; some prefer RBL's, others SBL's. It's all subjective and very much down to personal taste.

Custom Blythes are an even more individual choice - some prefer their dolls kept stock, others like their girls to have the shine removed, boggling and sleep eyes and pull cord charms are all pretty standard, and lips, philtrum and nose changes are relatively standard when carving is involved.

When I first started in the Blythe hobby I honestly wasn't sure whether I liked the idea of customs. Why collect a specific doll only to make drastic changes to her appearance? To some extent this is still how I feel for my personal collection - the Blythe 'shine' doesn't take away from her beauty and I like the shape of her features. However as I delved deeper in to the customised side of these dollies I was in awe of the work of certain artists not for the ways in which they physically altered Blythe but for how they used her as a basis to reflect their own creativity and forge their very own art dolls, still with the distinct over sized head and wide eyes. I'm certainly starting to decide what I do and (especially) don't like in a custom and have begun to add certain dollies to my Grail Girls.

French Blythe customiser Kamii, aka K-Dolls Heaven, is one such dolly artist who's on my wish list. His customs seem to straddle the line between that typical Blythe look and a level of realism that has been unbelievably achieved in this fantastic plastic. With Blythe as the base they are both natural and exaggerated and so very wonderful all at the same time.

The creamy, freckled complexions. The deep, dreamy eyes. The lightly down turned, glossy pouts. The soft fluttery eyelashes. The rich and vibrant array of hair tones. What's not to love about these beautiful girls?

On the other end of the Kamii spectrum of dolls is a collection of much more fantastical ladies that evoke a sense of mythology, fantasy and fairy tales - think gilded lips, rune tattoos, rainbow hair, glitter and crystals and most extraordinarily...tails!

Mermaids, Warrior Princesses & Medieval Ladies.

But could I choose between a Galactic Mermaid or a blonde haired little love if I had the chance to adopt a K-Doll Heaven Blythe? No way! But if there was ever the possibility of owning one I could happily close my eyes and point at any picture of any of his dolls and be ecstatic with the outcome. And that's why they're ALL on my Grail Girls list.

You can view more of Kamii's work on Instagram by searching @k_dolls_heaven or in his Etsy shop KDollsHeaven 

[all photographs used for this post are the property of Kamii aka K Dolls Heaven and have been used with his expression permission]

Merci!

She's So Sassy

When I got Nina, my Leopard Sass, I was pretty disappointed in her hair. And since she was my first ever Blythe doll it was always going to be difficult to disappoint me. But what should have been a voluminous, deep waved perm was frizzy and a bit lank.

Nina has had several hair dampenings (with baby conditioning detangling spray) and her hair then set in foam rollers, but it never seems to stick.

After my Kenner's last conditioning treatment I popped Nina in to the fabric softener mixture for an hour, rinsed and set in rollers. I left her for about 36 hours and then very carefully removed them, making sure not to disturb the ringlets and re-cause the frizz.

All seemed well until a couple of days ago i looked at her and realised while her hair is still relatively smooth, the curls have dropped again. Particularly around her face. So it looks like it's another spa treatment for Nina next week.

Not that she's complaining!

Do you have a Leopard Sass Blythe with troublesome hair? What do you do to keep the curls in?

Grail Girls - Dear Lele Girl

A couple of weeks ago I started a secret Pinterest board of wish list Blythes. Since I already have a public Blythe board I didn't want to bombard non-dolly followers and really this list is just a record for myself. Some of them are much more realistic than others - I think we all know what I'm most likely to end up owning between a newer Takara release and a blonde Kenner!

I have quite a selection of red heads on my wish list but I just saw this girl NRFB on Ebay and my heart sank a little. Obviously sellers can charge whatever they want and it doesn't mean that she's worth that amount or that someone will pay that much. But man, that was a hell of a lot of money and definitely permenantly out of my price range.

So I figured she should be the first of my 'Grail Girls' to grace the blog.

DEAR LELE GIRL

An April 2010 release, she was a CWC exclusive. An RBL mould with natural skin type, blue eyeshadow and pink blush and lips. Her stock is so cute and something I would probably keep her in, though it would fit in well with other dolly clothes I own. Lele comes with a dress, tunic, headband, leg warmers, hair pins, brown clog shoes plus a special blue/green stand with gold rod.

She has two sets of special eye chips - the light green (top left) and light brown (top right) which work so well with her wavy red hair. Personally not a fan of the blue and pink stock chips; I don't think they do anything for her.

And to top it all off - the most beautiful special eyelashes

But even without the fancy stand, the cute clothes and special chips and lashes, there's just something about her and she has the dreamiest complexion. She is one of the sweetest Blythes I think I've ever seen.

Since we're potentially talking £1500 to own this lovely lady I think she will be eternally sitting on the list!

Do you own Dear Lele Girl? What dolls are on your wish list?

Tiny Shoe Addiction #1

OK, I admit it - I am addicted to teeny tiny Blythe shoes.

It's not just the miniature size. It's the level of detail, especially on the stock shoes. It's the fact that they can be picked up for next to no money. It's getting a pair of shoes originally intended for a different doll and finding they fit your Blythe. Plus, just as with human shoes, they finish a girl's outfit off perfectly.

Country Summer's stock cowboy boots are not only my favourite stock shoes but my favourite dolly shoes period! The detail's awesome (those little creases on the front!) and they fit like a dream without having to bulk up the foot with socks or tights. They are currently gracing the girl they were intended for but I could easily pop these on to any of the other dolls and they would work perfectly with what they're already wearing. I think more brown boots and shoes need to be added to my collection.

How many shoes do you have in your dolly's collection? Which ones are you favourite?

Bake Off Blythe

It's the Great British Bake Off Final!

 

Martha my Petite Samedi Marche Blythe is baking up a storm in preperation.

My money's on Nadiya.

Meet My Kenner

A few months ago I took the plunge and bought myself a Kenner Blythe doll! I'd say they're the grail girls for many collectors. Personally I'd love to own one of each hair colour but if that ever happens it will be a long way in the future.

I'd originally seen this lovely lady on Ebay and when she popped up on my screen again a few months later after joining the Blythe Doll Lovers UK Facebook group I knew I had to find out some more information and try and make her mine. While she wasn't cheap by any means, I got her for a price I could live with and then just had to pray I would be in to sign for her, rather than having her get sent back to the depot.

So here's the low down:

•  she's a restored Kenner head on a Takara body
• her hair is brunette/auburn, centre part, coarse with chunky bangs
•  her eye mech works though I have only changed through her eye colours once (they are now set at blue)
• she has all her lashes, barely any lipstick, no blush and most of her eyeshadow
• her eyes are pretty white with bright eye chips
• she has a few missing hair plugs though everything seems secure
• she has had scalp melt removed by her previous owner

Her only real issue was the state of her hair. Her previous owner had given it a wash and conditioning treatment (so at least I knew it was clean!) but it was still a full on Kenner frizz party when she arrived.

 

So that night I set to, giving her an intensive conditioning treatment and carefully combing through with a fine toothed comb, before setting the hair in foam rollers in small sections and leaving for 24 hours.

There's that Hillyrags dress again! It was actually purchased specially for my Kenner before her arrival and came with a beautiful cream cotton underskirt. The craftmanship is simply exquisite.

Since I'm by no means an expert when it comes to the restoration of Kenner Blythe hair I took to Google and the Kenner Blythe Facebook group for some conditioning tips. In the end I soaked her hair in a wide, shallow dish filled with a mixture of dye free fabric conditioner and boiled water at a ratio of 2:1. Once it had cooled I removed her on to a clean towel and reheated the mixture in the microwave and soaked her hair some more. I think I reheated the mixture twice and left her for several hours. Then I rinsed, rinsed, rinsed to make sure every last bit was gone. She has a very coarse hair texture so I found it dried really quickly and before I'd had chance to put it in rollers. After carefully combing I sprayed small sections with some baby leave in conditioner detangling spray (which is silicone and soap free) before rolling it up. This is something I had personally used on another blythe when setting her hair in curlers so I felt confident in doing it with my Kenner but please remember I am not a professional.

This was after that one treatment with a slight trim to her bangs. I couldn't believe how smooth her hair was (though it still felt rough on the bottom third of the length) and how much longer it had gotten once the frizz was reduced. Once I had removed the sponge rollers I just carefully smoothed it out with my hands. And doesn't she look even lovelier with her sparkly blue chips?

Then Lorelai (for me it had to be an American name plus I love Gilmore Girls) was ready for her first photo shoot so I could post a picture of her in the Kenner Blythe Facebook group and show her off.

Do you own a Kenner? Or is she just waiting on your wishlist?

Blythe Style - Ramona

For my first post I decided to kick off with the first in a series that I'm really looking forward to - 'Blythe Style' will showcase my doll's personal style and how I like to dress them. For the first round I will start each doll in their original stock and then create an outfit from the collection I'm all too quickly amassing.

This week we're starting off with my Mandy Cotton Candy (MCC) aka Ramona.

Apart from her enviable hair, it was her stock that really drew me to this doll. The welly boots have graced the feet of all my other dolls and her hat is just adorable. But while I love her little romper, with the pink pom pom tail on the butt, the fuzzy shorts tend to shed so I don't use them often now for risk of them getting damaged.

A lot of people tend to lean more towards the girly and simple look for their MCC's from what I've seen on Flickr - pastel florals, white frilly dresses, aprons and bows. Don't get me wrong, that look really works well for this doll as a juxtaposition against her striking two blue hair, but Ramona always seems to end up going back to her stock roots and wearing something much more eclectic - a hipster vibe with a pinch of Lolita.

These are my three go-to dresses for Ramona - the black and white stripe and polka dot dress is Barbie and has had the straps removed for a better fit, the frilly white dress has a Peter Rabbit print and was a Blythe Doll Lovers UK Facebook find, and the yellow rabbit print dress is Barbie again and has an awesome scalloped peter pan collar!

But for her blog debut I decided to really mix things up with some clashing prints and lots of props (Ramona tends to get first dibs on all the props and the other girls don't get a look in).

(clockwise l-r) Tortoise shell plastic glasses EBAY; Straw hat COUNTRY SUMMER STOCK; Skateboard POUNDLAND; Floral socks DIY; Black heels LEOPARD SASS STOCK; Ditsy print dress HILLYRAGS; Guitar    POUNDLAND & DIY.

Now let's get her dressed...

 

 "Now I'm finally ready, I'm off to grab a flat white before heading to band practice"

 

 

  

Do you have a Mandy Cotton Candy in your collection? What's her personal style?