Reader Leora asked how I organize the clothes for the girls. Let’s just say that I loosely organize their clothes.
Thanks to my generous husband, I have two decorative suitcases that I use. They’re really his, but when he heard me complain that I was running out of storage space, he promptly donated them to the cause. First, he gave me the red suitcase, and then later – as more and more things needed storage – the brown one. Let me also take a moment to express my thanks for a husband who not only tolerates the dolls and all their stuff, but actually likes them. A lot. The den, which is already crowded, has now become the home for the shelves displaying the girls and their suitcases. (We already had a sofa and a chair, several tables, two dollhouses, bookshelves, a stand for the television, and a china cabinet in here when the first of the girls arrived.)
The red suitcase interior:
Let me say that this can get messy quite quickly. It needs a bit of sorting, but this is the basic configuration. Pants, overalls, etc, in the upper left hand corner. Directly below, coats and jackets. Next to the coats – sweaters. Above the sweaters – tops and t-shirts. To the right – dresses. Below the dresses – skirts. And to the right – more dresses. But as I look at this, I see a dress among the sweaters and that will not do! So I’ll probably do a bit of straightening up today.
The brown suitcase: On the left – clothes for the BJD dolls (Wren and Lily) Below them – three stands, which are used for displaying the dolls when taking photographs. (I also use wooden skewers – in fact, I use them the most.) Above them – a stray deer hat meant for the Blythe girls. Above that – all of the Christmas sweaters. Interspersed among all these things are various boxes, mostly from shoe sources, which I’m sure I could throw out at this point. You’ll also see tights, tote bags and handbags, ribbons for their hair, a ziplock full of socks, and a the tin that my Fossil watch came in, which holds…
Shoes and boots. This isn’t large enough to hold all of the footwear. Fortunately, at any given time, the dolls are wearing 17 additional pairs of shoes/boots, so I don’t have to invest in a bigger container.
I also have three little cases that hold things like extra hands for the girls, eye chips, the tortoise shell glasses, a couple of wigs, and hats, hats, hats.
None of this is ideal, but I already have an office full of dollhouses and art supplies and I share it with my husband who has a LOT of guitars and amps. So I really can’t use that space at the moment. This seems to work nicely. I have the big suitcases right in front of the china cabinet. The little gold cases sit on top of a pile of books over in the corner.
I also have that charming cabinet for the girls that I got in an antique shop. I have yet to fill it with anything, but I’m going to add a clothes rod and put some accessories in the two drawers.
Yesterday, I gathered up my courage and unbraided Nina’s hair. Would she still have curls? Would I hate it and have to re-braid it?
The answer:
Oh my god! It’s gorgeous! She’s stunning. I’m going to trim the length just a bit – already started – but I love, love, love this. I can also pull the sides back and clasp them at the back of the head, have long braids, etc. Lots of possibilities. It’s made of mohair and it’s incredibly soft.
Nina came with a taller body – an OB 24, rather than the OB 22 a lot of my girls have. That means she’s 2 centimeters taller. Since she’s taller, I couldn’t fit her on a shelf, so I had to reconfigure the shelves. I’ll finish that up today and take some photos.
Sorry – an all Blythe related post today.
Stay safe.
Happy Thursday.
The dolls have a perfect place for their clothes and accessories…the suitcases are very apropos! Seeing the box of shoes, I still can’t get over how detailed they are! Thanks for the inside look!
The shoes are fascinating! Some of them are works of art.
Stay safe, Barrie.
Such fun to have a peek at the girls’ wardrobes. Love the shoes, especially. Time for a fashion show, Claudia. The girls could take turns. Maybe one a week. Nina’s hair is lovely. You can actually see how soft it is. She’s a cutie! Hugs, Elaine
Her hair is extraordinary!
Thanks, Elaine.
Stay safe.
no need to apologize for an “all-blythe post” … they are darling; plus you answered someone’s question! :)
also, your mention of don’s guitars and amps may lead someone to his website to hear his wonderful voice and songs! i hope so.
back to the girls … your storage solutions look great and give an idea (thanks). i have lots of small things. lots. art supplies are in jars, baskets, small/short old wooden crates. jewelry-making supplies are mostly in old cigar boxes. yarn and knitting needles are in baskets. counted cross-stitch supplies are in an old crate. an old or small suitcase could be handy for fabric or whatever comes next … haha.
had a nice trip to nebraska to see again the homes and towns my parents grew up in. for me (someone who is very sentimental and often feels like time somehow simultaneously goes too fast and too slow), the trip was bittersweet, but the sweet outnumbered the bitter and i am grateful.
on that trip, we had lunch at the restaurant in town. on the wall, among many other things, was an old photo from the town’s centennial in 1972 … a panoramic photo of people gathered for that big event. took photos of the photo and found in them three cousins, my brother, sister and me. :) we were 13, 14 and 15 years old back then and it was wonderful to see. :) wishing our parents, grandparents and other cousins had been in the photo, but they either left that to us kids to represent, were dunking rusks in theircoffee in the shade of trees/tents or were riding on the ferris wheel or scrambler. :)
best i get to some things.
hope you, don and everyone else have a nice, easy day. stay safe.
kathy
Suitcases can be perfect for storage, especially if you find vintage pieces.
Thanks so much, Kathy.
Stay safe.
FUN! The posts about the girls always make me smile. Great way to start the day.
Thank you, Tana!
Stay safe.
Oh, I’ve always loved those vintage suitcases. Especially the pattern inside! How sweet of Don to donate them to the girls.
When I was a kid with long hair I always loved the waves made by un-braided braids—and without the inconvenience of curlers! My favorite was the wavy ponytail they made.
I remember the same thing! Loved the waves.
Stay safe, Shanna.
I enjoyed seeing your collection of storage cases and the wardrobe that is stored in them.
I only have one Blythe doll, an 11″ one. I bought it mainly because I wanted to sew doll clothes, but the narrow seams and small pieces frustrated me. So I’ll just continue to sew clothes for my daughters’ American Girl dolls (purchased from the original company before it was bought by Mattel; one can tell the quality is not as good). They are much “heftier” dolls.
I also have two Shirley Temple dolls. One was given to me by my Uncle. My mom sewed clothes for her, and I knit her sweaters. Her wardrobe is kept in a train case my parents gifted me when I was a little girl, some time in the 60’s from the look of the illustrations around the case. The other belonged to my mom, who gave it to me. The woman my grandfather worked for had given my mom a Shirley Temple doll with a porcelain face. She, and her wardrobe, are stored in the leather steamer trunk in which she came.
I have my mom’s Shirley Temple doll. She was upset when she got it because she wanted the American IDEAL version and, instead, my grandmother purchased hers in Canada. The hair is in not very good shape and the composition body is deteriorating a bit, but I love her nonetheless!
Stay safe, Wendy.
Your suitcases remind me of my Barbie doll suitcase full of clothes. Don is a unique wonderful man.
We used to use wallpaper samples that your mom had in a big book and wallpapered the inside of our Barbie cases. Do you remember? I remember making a hanging lamp from a Dixie cup and pipecleaner! We used to have such fun, Kay!
Stay safe.
Oh my. Thanks for the reminder. I loved those wallpaper books. We had to be creative back then. I wish I had a hobby like that now.
xoxo
Nina certainly is a lovely doll – her outfit is very fetching too ♥️
She came to me in that outfit – usually, dolls arrive in sort of ‘extra’ clothes, maybe not the most attractive because everyone wants to hang on to their clothes. But this outfit is beautiful.
Stay safe, Deborah.
Wow, Nina’s hair is something else; how on earth does the crafter make it? It looks so real and rich brown (and enviable!).
Hope you’re gearing up for a nice three-day holiday/weekend. We have early-morning errands tomorrow, including putting fresh florals out for the three deceased veterans in my family who lay at rest in the local cemetery; and then do our usual, to tuck in, stay out of crowds and traffic, stay home; just wish the weather was more motivating for doing some projects. Instead, it’s so de-energizing; the day outside is just awful and it makes the house so dim inside. Outdoors it is humid, stagnant, VERY smoky at 3pm PST, gray, overcast; mid-70s temps although it seems warmer. I swear somebody has a fireplace going although I ask WHY since we’re not at all cold with the weather; it’s not an outdoor-grill sort of smokiness so I suppose somebody has a firepit going (but, again, why; how is that comfortable, to sit around a firepit in this gloomy-muggy day that feels swampy-warm sans rain). The daily, excessive marine layer is really starting to get to me; endless days, one after the other, of dark and dreariness (and obscured horizon); thing is, I know as soon as we don’t have it, summer is upon us and HOT here in SoCalif to where I’m not going to want to be ‘out’ after 9:30am each day; the currently-invisible sun will turn harsh. Well, I think I’ll go turn on some interior lights and try to pretend it’s still daylight; get something done!
A three day weekend is just like any other weekend to us. The only difference being that we don’t get mail on Monday.
And after a lifetime of working in the theater where the traditional day off is on a Monday – it’s truly the same!
Stay safe, Vicki.
Your new lovely doll reminded me, immediately, of actress Andie MacDowell.
Take Care,
Kaye
Oh, you’re so right! Good call, Kaye.
Stay safe.
How perfect is that! They just fit (at least for now…. I hope you have another stashed somewhere because we all know those wardrobes are going to expand!
Nina is just a beauty!
I don’t have another! It’s being used for other things.
She is gorgeous, that girl.
Stay safe, Jeanie.
Ooh, love, love, love your post. So nice that Don likes your dolls so much. What a pleasure the Blythes must bring to your life. I still have my very first doll, tucked away. Again, thanks for your post. I’m in love and just as little envious!
I am the same way when I visit the accounts of other Blythe lovers (on IG). They’re all so beautiful and uniques!
Stay safe, Irene!