Comes nude, no original stock or box....

A popular way to sell a second hand Blythe doll is nude with no original stock or box. As a museum professional, this goes against everything that we value when obtaining a piece for the collection. For instance, a few of the questions we would ask:

1. Is it in mint (or museum quality) condition? If not, why and is it significant to the history of the object? 
2. Who is the original owner?
3. Is it complete?
4. etc....

You kind of get the gist. I appreciate that you gave your 6 Line Kenner doll a spiffy new bob but unless Dali or Mab Graves (and yes I clumped those two together) cut the hair, the doll is losing value as we speak. Oh, you say you changed out her torso and applied a whitener (often Mr. Clean Magic Eraser) to her face, my inner museum goddess cringes.

Make no mistake, I BlytheLove all my custom girls and have tried diligently to catalogue provenance, history and all associated ephemera but in the end if they take a great photo, it seems as if all of that doesn't matter.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/studiomelenka/

Flowers from Work

One of my bosses sent me flowers for what I considered 'just doing my job' but it is always nice to be appreciated for the everyday. Blythe was certainly appreciative of the impromptu photo shoot it provided. 

  

Blythe Get-Togetha #YYC

Blythe Babes

Last night I went to my first Blythe Get Together at my girlfriend V's knitting lounge in Inglewood. http://www.stashlounge.com/  If you're ever in Calgary and love vintage and knitting and all things awesome, it's a super cool place to be. Plus, V  does more than just sell wool - V holds fantastic parties and last night was no exception. We drank champagne, ate Blythe-sized cupcakes and caramel macaroons. We even made little leather satchels for the girls! 

V and Bo modelling the leather satchel

V asked me if I would attend if she had a Blythe Get-Togetha and I immediately responded with a resounding "YEAH!". A chance to share my love of Blythe would be great! There would be others who would understand me! Most of my friends think they're creepy. I counted down the days as date came closer and closer and then something strange happened. All of sudden doubt began to settle in - Did I really want to share something that was so personal with a group of strangers? These girls - especially Vintage Blythe had become more a part of me than I wanted to admit. A world that existed with no cruelty, no bitterness - it contained only what I gave it. What would happen if I let others into my private universe?

Are we defined by our dolls? Talking to a few others at the Get-Togetha, it seems that we might be. Or at least our alter egos are. These dolls are often everything that we are not. One guest even had matching Wonder Woman outfits for her and her Blythe! #covet

I left the Get-Togetha with mixed feelings.  For my grown-up R, it was great to see other Blythe-ettes but for my five year old R  (the age when I received my first Blythe) it felt like an epic fail play date. Maybe it was just the first time jitters! *SIGH*

Stay strong and keep Blythe-ing!