I apologize for the heavy Blythe content this week, but that is the way it’s been around here. We’ll get back to whatever seems to be “normal” next week.

First of all, we’re getting about 6 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow and more on Monday and Tuesday. I’m fine about it. I wouldn’t be, perhaps, if we had already had a winter full of snow, but we haven’t. So I’m looking forward to it. Since it’s late in the season, it will melt rather quickly. We moved here because we love the seasons; the Southern California weather, at least when we lived there, was very consistent, and though I loved it, I missed the seasons more. So, bring it on! I’ll be eating apple pie while it’s falling.

Yesterday: I decided to change the body on my Blythe from a licca body to an Obitsu 22. I watched a video showing the steps I needed to take. In the meantime, Don went to Lowes and had them cut a piece of 1/4″ plywood, which looked far too thin to him, as well as a piece of 1/2″ plywood. I took Mabel’s head apart, removed the licca body, and started to work with the obitsu body. The obitsus are notorious for having weak necks that can’t handle the weight of the Blythe head. So I had also ordered a neck strengthener/neck joint. That meant I had to take apart the torso of the new body, replace part of it with the new, stronger piece and then add the neck joint that allows the dolls head to tilt, etc. It was very fiddly work and when I was finally ready to insert the replacement inside the torso, it wouldn’t fit. I tried again and again and I couldn’t figure out what I might be doing wrong. I sent off panicked messages to Palma dolls (the creator of the neck strengthener and joint) and to my friend Natalia at VegaDolls, who also uses these in her dolls. Both of them are in Spain, so they were six hours ahead. It was evening.

In the meantime, Don came home, so I left the doll and came downstairs and we proceeded to attach the bookshelf to the wall. It wasn’t easy. Our floors are funky, and the bookshelf itself is wonky – I’m not sure why, as it was assembled correctly. It leans to the right. Maybe this narrower unit needs to be right next to a wider piece in the same system? I don’t know. Long story short, we attached it to the wall. (And we went with the 1/2″ plywood, by the way.)

The wonkiness drives me a bit crazy, but really, I’m the only one continually gazing at it, so who cares? The shelves are level, the girls stand up straight, so I need to let go of my need for perfection.

After lots of water and some lunch, I went back upstairs to give the body another try. By this time, both women had contacted me and given me guidance. I finally figured out what I needed to do. It took a bit of time, but I was successful! Ta dah!!! But it was exhausting.

Mabel with her new body:

You can see the many joints on this body and that is why I love it and why you can do so much with it. Mabel is happy her head feels more stable.

Having survived surgery with grace,  Mabel decided she needed a change of clothes.

If only the rest of us looked so fresh after surgery!

Today? No more craziness. Rest. Reading. Puzzle. By the way, I finished all the leaves in the puzzle! Now I have to fill in some blue background pieces and finish the patterned edges and it’s done.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Good morning! It’s sunny right now – very cold – but sunny. We’re supposed to get mixed winter precipitation later in the day. Maybe an inch of snow? But since all of that will turn to rain overnight, the snow will disappear. This is part of the storm that has been crossing the country. I know that areas north of us will get more snow. Messy, of course. We might get some snow next Monday night, but if things go as they have been, it will be a big, fat nothing.

The strangest winter I’ve ever seen.

Meet Mabel:

Let me explain. My friend, Jutta, who lives in Toronto, put this girl up for ‘adoption,’ as they say in Blythe world. The price was really, really low or I wouldn’t have contemplated adopting her. I initially made some inquiries about her. Jutta had purchased her last year through a customizer who is no longer on Etsy, She thinks she was Russian. But that’s all we know because the back plate of the head wasn’t signed by the artist.

I was so taken by her eyebrows and intense eyes! And her freckles. A week went by. I checked in with Jutta and she was still available. Another few days went by. I just couldn’t get her out of my thoughts. You know that my favorite look is intense, almost fierce, eyes and eyebrows. Her eyebrows were beautifully painted.

Pink hair wasn’t necessarily on my list, but I find I’m liking it more and more.

Finally, I bit the bullet. I told Don and his first response was “Oh, good! Show me a picture!”

I, of course, have nowhere to put her, so he was in on this last night:

Mabel taking in the crowded conditions.

The solution. The girls look a tad overwhelmed, don’t you think?

Mabel came with a licca body. I’m not a fan. Though they’re cute, they’re not really posable. The hardcore Blythe collectors who keep the dolls on stands in protective cabinets often like licca bodies. But I pose my girls (that’s half the fun of collecting) so I will replace the body. And the neck adaptor is a little loose, too. For now, she’s fine, but she will be having surgery in the future. I’ve already trimmed some uneven ends of her hair.

Olivia also has a licca body so both girls will be scheduled for surgery in a month or two.

We’re glad she’s here.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.