For the uninitiated, Blythe is a doll that was originally made back in 1972, but she didn’t catch on and was discontinued that same year, reportedly because she scared little girls with her wide-eyed, spaced-out, possibly menacing stare.

In 2001 a doll collector named Gina Garan published a book of photos of the doll called “This is Blythe” sparking the worldwide Blythe conflagration.  Blythe dolls are in production once again, and there are countless blogs and shops for custom Blythe dolls and absolutely unreal clothes and accessories for her.  You can learn everything you ever wanted to know about Blythe at Gina’s blog, aptly titled This is Blythe.  It’s worth a trip over to Gina’s blog, if only to watch the clip of the original t.v. commercial for Blythe (on the “about” page).  Seriously trippy.

I learned about the Blythe phenomenon after hearing that the annual BlytheCon was held here in Portland just last month (missed it!).   And, yes, I’m aware that lots of people find these dolls disturbing.  Online articles about BlytheCon prompted disparaging comments even from open-minded, arty farty Portlanders.   Comments such as: ”fugly and freepy”, ”blyarf”, and the simple yet emotive “Jesus.”  But I just can’t help myself — I think I love her.  I am not blind to her creepiness.  In fact, it is the vaguely sinister vacancy in the eyes that kind of draws me in.

The funny thing is, there are other dolls that are really popular and people go nuts customizing them and making all manner of teeny tiny clothes and accessiories for them.  But for some reason, these dolls do nothing for me.  Sure, they’re creepy.  But not in the good way.  Like the Lati doll:

I mean, it hits all the marks for cute and quirky, but ew.  Nope.  Nothing.

Or the Pullip doll:

Now, I have to admit that if I were to make an actual foray into the world of Blythe, I would be very tempted to re-create clothes from classic movies.  But, as close to my own sensibility as the above image comes, the doll just falls flat for me.  Maybe the simple reason is that the Tali and Pullip dolls are too realistic — not cartoonish or stylized enough.  And there you have it — it is reality that truly creeps me out.

So, open your mind, feast your eyes, and escape from reality for a little while:

Until next time! xxx

I haven’t posted since this spring’s Crafty Wonderland, so here is a recap of my version of the highlights.  My first purchase was a lovely beaded and crocheted necklace made by Sarah Hulin (a.k.a. Sarah Hoo).  The necklace I chose was in the style of the one below, but with different beads in gorgeous blue and gold tones.  I didn’t want my lack of photography chops to negatively reflect on Sarah’s work, so I’m using her image as a surrogate:

While I’m whole-heartedly a fan of handmade jewelry, I’m pretty particular about things — I admire pieces that are crafty in an un-self conscious way, if you know what I mean.  Sarah uses such beautiful materials, and mixes media so that you’re not overwhelmed with masses of fussy beads or smothered by loads of yarn.  Miraculously I made it out of Sarah’s kiosk at CW with only one purchase.  I mean, check out the pretties and funkies:

Then I stopped by Chet and Dot to ogle the plushes with the plausible excuse of needing a gift for a friend who has recently had a baby girl.  This wasn’t my first trip to Chet and Dot’s booth – they’re a longtime favorite of mine.  I won’t provide and photo of the plushie I chose – wouldn’t want to spoil the wee one’s surprise!  (Kids today are so internet savvy.)  But here’s the general gist of the sweet merchandise:

One degree of cuteness is all that separates Chet and Dot from Plants and Animals, creator of this tooth fairy monster friend:

Next I stopped by Trilby Made’s booth to check out the leather cuffs.  Recycled and reversible!

And then on to drool over the jewelry Little Black Rabbit fashions out of vintage tins:

And last, but not least by light years, I stopped by the booth of Andrea Beth Burnett, proprietress of Sheep Creek Needlecraft.  I was initially drawn in by what I thought were garlands made of felted balls. But as I got closer, I realized that the felted balls were clever counterweights for mobiles featuring beautifully detailed needle-felted animals:

As I admired the felted lamb mobile, I noticed Andrea was working on a needle felting project that looked somehow familiar.  Could it really be . . .

Hang on a sec . . .

Indeed.  It is a felted wool Star Wars mobile!

Absolutely amazing.

Until next time!

I loved the print, but was hoping for one with sleeves.  Part of the beauty of dealing with the actual designer and creator of an item is that you can talk to a real person and get exactly what you want, right?  Right.  So I emailed the shop, and was contacted by the lovely shop owner, Rachel.  Rachel informed me that, lo and behold, they’re selling a version of this shirt on one of my favorite clothing shop sites, ModCloth!

Here’s another design Red Prairie Press has for sale on ModCloth:

Go, indie fashion, go!

First things first, Crafty Wonderland approacheth!  It’s a one-day gig this year, so make sure you get there on Saturday May 7th!   As you can see from the poster below, there will be bunnies, birds, butterflies, and Yeti families aplenty.

As if the assortment of crafty wonders wasn’t enough to draw us to CW, plushmaker extraordinaire, Heidi Kenney will be there!  If you recall, back in my very-first-ever blog post I featured a collection of objets de stuffie, including this flirty little minx:

Well, she was made by none other than Heidi!  And I don’t have to tell you about my Star Wars thing, right?  Heidi created this beyond-belief stuffy of a Wampa-battered Luke Skywalker and his unfortunate Taun Taun turned sleeping bag:

Hang in there, buddy, help is on the way!

Heidi’s talent (and subject matter) know no bounds:

Yeah, they are what you think they are.  Happy ones, judging by their crooked little smiles.  Heidi will be signing her book “Every Day’s A Holiday” full of fun crafts for kids.  SO EXCITED!

And now for the promised subject change.  I NEED to share this bit of Star Wars brilliance I found while searching up images of Heidi’s Hoth Luke above.  Hoth Luke was Heidi’s contribution to a Star Wars-themed plushy show at the Bear and Bird Gallery in Lauderhill, Florida a few years ago.   I didn’t see the show, but in my surfing I frequently find images of the pieces that were featured, such as this amigurumi Luke with Yoda crocheted by Marilyn Patrizio:

So, of course I had to check out Marilyn’s Etsy shop, where I met and fell in love with Timmie:

Timmie is a tadpole.  Sometimes Timmie gets a chill, so Marilyn was kind enough to make Timmie some outerwear:

I’m not even kidding.  It’s real.

And a leather satchel so Timmie can scoot around town looking like this:

On his way to the airport:

It is pointless, therefore I dig it.

See you at Crafty Wonderland!

And Heartsy lets you choose which Etsy shops will have offers in the future, in case you fall in love with these:

Go nuts!

Until next time,

Carie xxx

It’s the liberal use of jackelopes and mushrooms, and the cheekiness of that little squirrel that mean I MUST attempt to stitch this clock.  Of course, after finding the clock, I was off and running.

I think I’d like to redecorate my whole home in a cartoon woodland theme.  This amazing fabric from Moda’s Hideaway line would come in very handy for that little project:

Once I was in this cuckoo headspace, I didn’t want to leave.  You could go mod with this bright yellow clock by Bonni1982:

Or this stylized but adorable clock by Pepper Sprouts:

Ok, so this one isn’t handmade, but independent design is a close relative of handmade, and this watch is just so cool that I had to sneak it in.  Notice that in the first watch, the little cuckoo house doors are closed, but in the second one, the digital cuckoo appears!  Unfortunately, the cuckoo looks a little like something you’d see on scary political propaganda poster, but I’ll overlook that.

Or instead of mod, keep it folksy with a knitted pillow:

Or even a knitted clock!

Did somebody say cake?

Until next time!

Carrie xxx

Check out the series of images and narrative I borrowed from Tada’s website.  I encourage you to savor the quality of the photography, the bizarrely extensive collection of miniatures, the compulsive dedication to character and mood:

Cortez enjoys a private moment in bliss.

Returning home early from grocery shopping, Cadet discovers Cortez’s terrible secret.

Personally, I don’t think Cortez’s secret is terrible at all, but maybe the intention wasn’t really to stir up a discussion of social norms.  Maybe it was to tell us us that there’s no shame in embracing our inner weirdos.  We’re all ok.  Cortez is ok.  Cadet is ok.  The brilliant lunatic who painstakingly creates these scenes is ok.  And those of us who are moved nearly to tears by staged photos of cross-dressing miniature dolls are ok.

Right . . . ?

Until next time.

-Carrie xxx

There must be someone I could make this tissue box cozy for . . .

I’d make it for myself, but if it was by my bed I’d probably dream about cake all night and wonder where the thing had disappeared to in the morning.

There’s been a rash of coffee-cup-cozy-making in the craft community over the past few years — down with the disposable paper sleeve, etc.  You know the drill.  I myself am guilty of taking an embroidery class and winding up with a rather sad felt cup cozy embroidered with wonky birds pecking at seed stitches.  I marvel when I see such cozies — knitted, crocheted, what have you — for sale in shops.  I mean, can’t you whip one of those up in the time it takes to order a cappuccino from your friendly barista at Coffeehouse Northwest? (Damn product placement!)  But then I saw these babies:

Hmm, the burger or the bacon?  Is anyone else hungry?

Twinkie seems to best known for her scarves, and it’s no wonder:

The scarf is adorable, and Twinkie herself is absolute eye candy, right?  And she knows saucy as well as she knows sweet:

Ooooh, and she wrote a book so you can try your hand at her scrumptious treats (rest easy, the buttered toast scarf pattern is in there)!

I can’t take it any more — I’m off to make a snack.  Until next time!

Carrie xxx

It’s been so long since my last post that I haven’t even debriefed you on the happenings at the Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale back in December.  I had a rather serious bout of star-struckness when I got to meet Ms. Emily Martin, a.k.a. The Black Apple at CW.  She even signed a copy of her book, The Black Apple’s Paper Doll Primer for me!

(Ok, she may have signed a few other peoples’ books as well, but I’m pretty sure she liked me best.)  I was amazed that you could just walk right up to her at the signing table.  She’s kind of a celebrity in my world, and I thought she’d be surrounded by throngs of devotees — an indie, geek-chic entourage.  But there she was, sweetly and unassumingly signing her lovely book.  It’s filled with Black Apple’s signature other-worldly feel — somehow retro and timeless.  A little vignette is written for each doll, describing their fiercely individual personas.  Readers are introduced to the likes, dislikes, and hobbies of the characters that include conjoined twins, a ghost, and a tattooed lady.  You may be familiar with some of Black Apple characters from her repertoire of dolls and paintings.  How could you not fall in love with an imagination that could create something like this:

There were a lot of beautiful illustrations at CW this year, and I particularly loved Portland-based artist Lee White’s work. I’m drawn in by the warmth in this one, and there’s something about the ink-blot shadow under the bike that I think is so fantastic.

And this one is titled “Lurking” which I think is pretty hilarious:

There seemed to be a common desire among jewelry artists at CW to embrace and celebrate our characteristic cloudy days (ok, months) here in the Pacific Northwest.  Exhibit A, this storm cloud necklace by Sarah Cecelia Jewelry:

And Exhibit B, cloud and bird earrings by Altered Vintage:

Maybe all this gloom does a little something funny to us, as demonstrated by a somewhat disconcerting trend I noted at CW: doll parts.  Appropriated arms.  Disembodied digits.  Loose limbs.  Brian Connolly used them to create funky salt and pepper shakers:

And Altered Vintage (of the cloud and bird earrings above) was at it again creating these earrings:

They suggest wearing them with their meat cleaver or baby head necklace.  Sixteen-year-old quasi-Goth Carrie would have leapt on that like a duck on a junebug.

Amira Mednick is another Portland jewelry maker who was at CW and who I’m really excited about.  She makes these earthy, mixed-media pieces that are so tactile.  This one is made from hand-painted canvas:

I’m one of those people who goes to a museum and wants to run a hand over all the ridges of the oil paintings — I’m big on texture.  I’d probably ruin these by playing with them all day, but I think I might have to go ahead and take that risk.  Check it out — it’s macramé!

And there’s exciting news about the Crafty Wonderland pop-up shop — it is a pop-up no longer, but will continue on into the new year.  Congrats to the Crafty Wonderlanders and I’ll be seeing you there!

Hope inspiration finds you in the new year — see you soon!

Until next time,

Carrie xxx