Blythe dolls

Monday Morning: Fall is on the Way

August 31, 2026 at 9:10 am by Claudia

Monday morning, which is just like any other morning nowadays. We have fairly regular conversations starting with “What day is this??” or “I was sure it was Friday, but it’s only Wednesday!”

The light is changing. It doesn’t get light as early as it did even a week ago. There are orangish leaves on the ground. You can feel the seasonal change in the air. The limelight hydrangeas are just beginning to show a little pink. The garden has been so gorgeous this year and I’m not quite ready to give it up, yet I’m looking forward to fall. The Rose of Sharons are spectacular this year and every morning I walk to the kitchen door to see the new blossoms. Heavens, I love them. The coneflowers are fading. It’s fascinating to observe.

I don’t buy new clothes for the girls very often, but I just received two new additions to the group wardrobe.

My friend, Gwen, had a sale of lots of clothing she didn’t need and I got this outfit (it had never been worn) by a designer called DiddyDollyDelights. I pictured Ruby in it as soon as I saw it. Isn’t it darling?

I also bought a dress by Simon Yuen, who lives in China/Hong Kong. He designs these beautifully elaborate ensembles – unlike any I’ve ever seen. I’ve been admiring them for years. So I finally bit the bullet and purchased this one – which I immediately pictured on Miyoshi.

GORGEOUS.

The tiny little buttons and incredible details blow me away. There are also gloves, but I couldn’t quite deal with them when I was about to take this picture.

I was just going to dress her, take the picture, and then change her back into the outfit she had been wearing – but she looks so beautiful that I can’t quite do that yet.

Okay – the dollhouse: I’m wrestling with what bed to use. I have the wrought iron bed, of course, but I’ve used wrought iron beds in three of my dollhouses. I built this bed from a House of Miniatures kit. It’s larger than the other bed, which initially put me off. But now, I’m reconsidering. I posted both beds on IG and the vote was for the wooden bed. What do you think? I can always use the wrought iron bed in another project.

Okay.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Heat, Smoke, and Rowan

July 15, 2026 at 9:04 am by Claudia

We’re in another heat warning event. Today in the high 90s, humid, and to add to the oppressiveness, we have a smoke warning from the wildfires in Canada. Yippee. Smoke warnings tomorrow, as well.

A package arrived in the mail yesterday. You better believe I’d been tracking it. It came all the way from Israel to my door in exactly a week. (I’ve spent lots of time attempting pictures, but the light is a bit of a pain right now.)

From Dragonfly Blythe:

I’d like to introduce you to Rowan.

She has dark auburn hair and, as you can tell, the way the color registers varies.

She has freckles (I’m using Ola’s photo.)

Photo credit: DragonflyBlythe

I don’t know how Ola got this level of detail, but God bless her!

If you remember, I had a commission set up with Ola. She was going to create a girl for me. (And that may still happen.) But over a week ago, on a Saturday, she posted a photo saying “In progress.” A girl with curly auburn hair and freckles. My heart started to beat faster. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I messaged Ola and asked if she was available. Thankfully, Ola was online and responded: Do you want her? You can have her. Yes! Yes! I asked if the hair color was as indicated in the photo and she said “exactly the same.” I paid for her, Ola’s husband took the package to the post office a week ago Tuesday, and she arrived here very quickly.

You know I wanted a redhead Dragonfly Blythe. I was frustrated more than once when someone on my feed was selling a redhead – they wouldn’t ship to the US, someone else got there right before me. In one case, I had been promised a girl whenever the owner decided to sell, but that fell through because she had purchased her from someone who had inflated the price and she wanted to recoup that cost and I wouldn’t overpay. I know what Ola charges, in fact, she makes it crystal clear on her IG account. She has set prices. Anyway, I started to think I’d never get one.

Then Ola announced she was coming back and here we are.

Her eyebrows are incredible. She has faint veins on her forehead. Ola is an incredible artist. And the freckles are perfection. Some customizers make them too big, almost like a caricature. But these are perfect.

Can you tell I’m thrilled?

I am blessed with a dream come true.

Now I have to reconfigure the shelves as I am out of room!

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Butterfly and a New Tenant

August 6, 2025 at 8:55 am by Claudia

Yesterday, I followed this beautiful black swallowtail around the big garden bed. I don’t remember seeing one last year. This week has brought an eastern swallowtail and a black swallowtail. Magical creatures!

We’re in the midst of air quality warnings because of the wildfires in Canada. The sky is very hazy. I’ve limited my time outside because I have respiratory issues. It’s just as well, as I have to do some prep work for my coaching job.

Although I vowed my collection was complete, I saw a particular Blythe on my feed a little over a week ago. I couldn’t stop looking at her. She was the creation of a Japanese customizer. I left a comment on the post asking if she was available and was told she was being sold on Yahoo Auctions, which operates in Japan. I went to the listing and poured over all of the details. But I was uncomfortable trying to use the auction site because non-citizens of Japan have to use a proxy to bid and then, if you win, the item is shipped to the proxy first, then the proxy ships it to you. It seemed very complicated and potentially problematic,

Honestly, I spent two full days pouring over the auction listing.

Much to my surprise, the auction ended without anyone bidding, and I received a message on IG from the artist saying she could sell her to me via PayPal and shipping via EMS which is the priority mail of Japan. I talked it over with Don. He loved her, of course. Should I? Shouldn’t I? I knew I’d never see anything like her again. So, I bit the bullet and purchased her. She arrived here in less than a week.

I promise to give you better pictures, but she arrived late in the day on Monday and this is the best I could do.

The tips of the hair are dyed a darker green. She was listed wearing this kimono and I’m a sucker for kimonos, especially red ones. The eye chips are glass and they’re mesmerizing. And the face up is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.

Look at that face!

(I need to comb her hair. Oh wait, I did, you’ll see it in the following photo!)

In honor of her Japanese heritage, I named her Myoshi, after one of my favorite actresses, Myoshi Umeki. Umeki was the first Asian to win an acting Oscar. She won it for the movie Sayonara, directed by the great Josh Logan. (Don had the honor of working with Logan late in Logan’s life.) I have watched her in Flower Drum Song over and over again.

Some rearranging of the shelves ensued as I had to figure out how to fit her in. There’s not a lot of available real estate. Mabel is now sitting in front of three girls on the bottom shelf.

Miyoshi is on a stand, asI don’t want to crush the bow on the back of her kimono.

Lucy’s reaction to her new shelf-mate is troubling…

Anyway, I’m really thrilled to have her here. I will most likely have to sell a doll in the near future, but I dread doing it, so I’m going to wait on that decision.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Monday Morning: Fall is on the Way

Heat, Smoke, and Rowan

Butterfly and a New Tenant

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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