Raffle Prize Spotlight: Blythe Laboratory

Up next is a gorgeous alpaca rooted Blythe scalp by Blythe Laboratory!  It looks like it might have been inspired by Dorothy herself.   It is a beautiful and rich brunette color with caramel highlights.  Thank you so much Angela of Blythe Laboratory for your amazing donation!  You can find Blythe Laboratory at the following places:

Website:    Blythe Laboratory | Mohair and alpaca reroots for Blythe
                  www.blythelab.wordpress.com

Flickr:  Flickr: Blythe Laboratory's Photostream

Raffle Prize Spotlight: Ellie Moe

Our next raffle prizes traveled all the way from Australia, two adorable Ellie Moe dresses!  Thank you so much to Mandy of Ellie Moe for your wonderful donations to the Seattle BlytheCon Raffle!  You can find Ellie Moe at the following Websites:

Etsy:  Ellie Moe & Little Hoos by jeds123 on Etsy
           www.etsy.com/shop/jeds123

Facebook:   Ellie Moe

Seattle Center Guided Tour

Follow Dorothy, The Rainbow Blythe Coalition (RBC), & Myself down the yellow brick road as we give you a guided tour of the Seattle Center in the heart of the Emerald City!  You will get helpful information & find links to multiple websites along the way.  If you are excited for the Seattle BlytheCon, this will cause even more enthusiasm for your trip in August!  Find our tour here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/85412628@N00/sets/72157645384385135/

Vendor Interview- Fishknees

1. Introduce yourself, who are you and where do you live?

Hello! I am Karin Edwards, though I am more recognized as fishknees.
I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri but relocated to Portland, Oregon a few years ago. Best. Decision. Ever.

2. What do you make for Blythe?

I sew tiny clothing creations for Neo and Middie Blythes and sometimes dabble with other dollies. I like using bright colors, mixed prints, beading, and sequins.

3. Where can we find your creations?

I have an etsy shop...www.fishknees.etsy.com.

..and I share on Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter.

4. What are your main influences?

EVERYTHING! Ha! Ummmm...color, print, texture...these are what speak to me!

5. How did you get started with Blythe dolls?

I stumbled upon her completely by accident!
Back in the myspace days I had a bjd background and noticed a logo for Dollmore.com so went hunting for answers...what was this doll?
After looking at many beautiful dollies I found an Ashton Drake red head on their site, ordered her, and fell in love! I haven't looked back since! That was 2006!

6. Do you collect anything else?

I have lots of toys...Lego, Playmobil, Fisher Price people...I like tiny, cute peoples.
I also have a fair amount of original art and prints to make my home a happy place!

7. What's one interesting fact we may not know about you?

I am obsessed with true crime stories! We call them "murder shows". Haha! I spend way too much time watching/listening to the ID network while I work! 

 

 

Costume Contest

Seattle Blythe Con Costume Contest

(Register to Enter/Details Below)

Hi Everyone!  We hope you are all getting excited to Journey to the Emerald City for the Seattle Blythe Convention on August 2nd!  We are very happy to announce that we will be holding a special event at BlytheCon this year.  The Wizard of Oz Blythe Costume Contest!  There will be two categories you can enter.  The First is for the best Individual Wizard of Oz themed Blythe Doll Costume (You present 1 to 2 Blythe dolls in costume to the judges).  The Second Category is for the best Human & Blythe duo or group Wizard of Oz themed Costume (You can coordinate or match your costume with your Blythes in costume).  There will be 1st, 2nd, & 3rd prizes in each category.  Each of the three winners in each category will need to be ready to bring home a new little companion, there very own Blythe!  There's no place like home and a new Blythe doll!  Thank you to Blythe In A Basket for donating these wonderful prizes!    

There will be a scheduled costume parade for each category and the winners will be announced right before the raffle.  Winners will be decided upon by a panel of Judges including your very own Seattle Blythe Con Team: Diem (Tinyhaus), Sara (Devoutdolls), Valerie (Blythelyigo), Brian (SeattleBlythe), as well as our very special & honored judges Juan (Dr. Blythenstein), Allison Katzman, and Junko Wong.    

We are all so excited to see everyones amazing costumes Blythe & Human alike!  Let your imaginations run wild!  They can be classic Oz or have a modern twist on Oz.  Whatever your heart desires.  If you would like to participate in the costume contest you need to register with us before BlytheCon.  Please send an email to Brian at seattleblythe@gmail.com with your name, title of your costume, and if you are entering the Individual or Human/Blythe category.  Please only enter one category.  Thanks & see you down the yellow brick road!  Sincerely, Your Seattle Blythe Con Team      

Raffle Prize Spotlight: Chinalilly Dolls / Piparrot / Kult of Kulta Collaboration Blythe Doll

We are very proud to introduce our next custom Blythe doll donation,  Please meet Emerald!  This gorgeous Blythe was created as a collaboration doll by three amazing artist.  Chinalilly Dolls created Emmy's beautiful face, Piparrot created her amazing mohair scalp, & Kult of Kulta did Emmy's fabulous fashion sets!  Thank you all for your amazing work on Emmy and for donating your time, materials & talent to the Seattle BlytheCon raffle!  We so appreciate your support for this fun event!

Chinalilly Dolls:  Chinalilly Dolls by indyandtheninja on Etsy

Piparrot:  Piparrots Alpaca Reroots by piparrot on Etsy

Kult of Kulta:  Join the Kult of Kulta by kultofkulta on Etsy

BlytheCon Human TShirts

For the first time in BCon history we're offering human sized Tshirts!  BCon Tshirts are made to order and ordering has closed.

BCon 2014 Tees are printed on Gildan preshrunk cotton T-shirts.  These are men's cut, we are limited to only one style because of minimum order requirements and every new style requires a whole new set up fee, etc...  Sorry to those who are on the smaller side.  Although the shirts are preshrunk, they do a bit more shrinking after washing and wearing.  For example I'm a 38"chest, but fit a Medium which is 40" chest.  I would say if you have a 34-36" chest the Small would be good for you.  If you are under 33" these shirts will be too big for you. 

Gildan Ultra Cotton in Forest Green
Sizes are as follows:
S: 36" chest
M: 40" chest
L: 44" chest
XL: 48" chest
2XL: 52" chest
3XL: 56"chest
4XL: 60" chest
5XL: 64" chest

Pre-Order is closed. 

Tshirt List:
Abby K
Andy I
Becca W
Becky B
Bella D
Brian D
Charlotte W
Colleen W
Cynthia W
Diem C
Elizabeth I
Fae
Glenn D
Heidi B
Helen N
Jacqueline B
JJ
Julia S
Kimberly C
Kimberly M
Kris L
Lane M
Leah A
Leigh A
Liana H
Lisa L
Lynne R
Maggie S
Maria Y
Matthew P
Michelle W
Momoko K
Phillaine E
Rachel K
Rebecca P
Reilly J
Romina G
Samantha C
Sara L
Sarah G
Sharon S
Simlian O
Simone L
Susan T
Terence O
Valerie I


Blythe-sized shirts will also be available at the BCon Merch table!  This is a prototype, we'll have a selection of colors.

Raffle Prize Spotlight: Artemis Customs

Look who just floated down in a beautiful bubble, it is our latest custom Blythe donation!   Please meet the magical & pretty in pink Good Fairy.  She is inspired by Glinda the Good Witch from the Wizard of Oz.  Thank you so much Carla of Artemis Customs for your amazing contribution to the Seattle BlytheCon raffle.  We are so grateful to you for creating this gorgeous custom Blythe and for donating her as a prize for one lucky attendee!

You may find Artemis Customs at the following locations:

Etsy:   https://www.etsy.com/shop/ByArtemis
Flickr:  Flickr: Art_emis' Photostream
Facebook:  (1) Art_emis - Blythe Customs

Munchkin Middies & Wizard of Oz Photo Shoot!

We would like to announce a fun and exciting photo opportunity that will be happening at the Seattle BlytheCon Pre-meet on the afternoon of Friday, August 1st, @3pm at the Olympic Sculpture Park.  A fabulous member of our Blythe community has created a wonderful & whimsical Wizard of Oz themed Photo Shoot with a specially made back drop.  Thank you so much to Julie McQuade of Tickled Pink for putting this all together!  These are the fun things that make BlytheCon so special for all who attend!  

Lollipop Guild        

    Lullaby League   

There will be a special Middie Lullaby League & Lollipop Guild themed photo.  Julie will be selling a limited amount of specially made Lullaby League & Lollipop Guild costumes for Middie to whomever is interested, but anyone who wants to participate by making their own costumes are more then welcome!  As Julie says, “the more Middies the Merrier!" This is not just for Middies, but Neo & Petite Blythes can also join in the fun!  There will be a second special photo that will include all your other Blythes, Neo & Petite alike dressed as your favorite Wizard of Oz characters.  Then you can use the back drop to take pictures of your dolls individually if you wish.    

        

Julie has graciously decided to donate the money she raises from the sale of her Munchkin costumes to the two charities we are supporting with donation baskets, the Seattle Animal Shelter and Northwest Harvest Food Bank.  To quote Julie, "I would rather give the money that I get for the costumes to charities because I'm doing this for everyone to have a cute photo op. :)"  Thank you so much Julie for your kindness and helping these two wonderful local charities!

You may find Julie & her shop Tickled Pink at the following locations:

Etsy Store, Tickled Pink by Julie:  www.plasticbabyz.etsy.com

Facebook Fan Page for Julie’s Shop:  https://www.facebook.com/TickledPinkbyJ?ref=hl

Flickr Group for Tickled Pink by Julie:  https://www.flickr.com/groups/tickledpink/

**Just to clarify, we found out earlier that we could not raise funds for charity with our raffle at this kind of event.  That said, we are still planning on having two donation baskets on our table at Blythe Con where people can choose to donate money to the Seattle Animal Shelter and/or Northwest Harvest Food Bank if they wish.  A lot of people liked the idea of helping local charities, so this is a great opportunity to do just that.  But please know there is absolutely no pressure to do so as this day is for celebrating Blythe, the friendships she has created across the world, and just having fun!  

Allison Katzman & Junko Wong Panel Talk

Pictured above: Blythe Kisses for Allison
We are SO HAPPY to announce there will be a pre-BCon panel with Allison Katzman, Blythe's creator and designer, and Junko Wong, president and CEO of CWC.  This is an extremely rare opportunity to have these two women share their experience and insight.

The panel talk is on Friday, August 1st, the day before BlytheCon.  It will be held at the Seattle Central Library and we are limited to only 100 seats and you must be a ticket holder to RSVP for the talk.  If you'd like to come please purchase a ticket to BCon HERE. We will contact ticket holders for their RSVP within the next 2 weeks.  We will also have a Pre-Meet at the Olympic Sculpture Park later that afternoon.

BlytheCon Panel Talk with Allison Katzman and Junko Wong
Seattle Central Library
Friday, August 1st, 11:30-1:30pm
*The talk will be from Noon - 1pm.  We hope to have a Q&A session after the talk with our guests.

BCon Pre-Meet
Olympic Sculpture Park
Friday, August 1st, 3pm - end

BlytheCon Seattle 2014
Seattle Center's Fisher Pavilion
Saturday, August 2nd, 10:30 - 6pm



We had the privilege to share many great stories with Allison and her daughter over lunch.  The conversation was mind blowing, we found out Allison also designed Emerald Witch!  Blythe was inspired by Betty Boop and NOT Margaret Keane's art.  She designed many other dolls and was the only female designer in her firm, Marvin Glass.  I asked her what it was like, being the only woman working in a "man's world".  She said, "Have you seen MadMen?... Just like that!"  We all laughed!

We didn't want the lunch to end.  Allison was so energetic and vivacious in person.  We hope to bring some of that magic to the panel talk.

We would like to thank Allison and her daughter Abby for meeting with us and Reilly for introducing us.  We'd also like to thank Junko Wong for making the long trek from Tokyo and Angel for arranging everything!  You guys are all awesome for making this talk possible.

Vendor Interview- Unicornmine Skinny Scalps Store

 

 

1. Introduce yourself, who are you and where do you live?  I'm Christine Kennison, I have 2 beautiful kids and 2 loveable cats! :) I live in the western suburbs of Chicago, Illinois right now, but grew up in Chicago's South side, not very far from US Cellular field. (or Comiskey Park) 

 

2. What do you make for Blythe?  I make the 'Skinny Scalp' for Neo Blythe and now Middies.  What it is, is a wonderful way to get mohair on your girl without hindering the pull strings, like a lot of wigs do.  I've always described it as a lambskin (or goatskin) weft.  My skinnies have been known to be a bit indestructible and I have many designers and customizers that have been repeat customers.  It has been a wonderful to create colors, and add wonderful texture to a doll that is just screaming for that more one of a kind feel!

3. Where can we find your creations? I was on Team Orange with the "For the Love of Blythe" book project that was created by Fanny Zara, Cindy Sowers and Jean Yates, respectively.   I had a hand in creating the beautiful cotton candy mane of hair on the Marionette girl... What an honor, truly, to be included!   Also, I've been working for years with many of the talented customizers in our wonderful community.  I have a shop on Etsy that is called https://www.etsy.com/shop/SkinnyScalpsStore?ref=si_shop You can also find me by searching for 'bridgeport7'

 

 

4. What are your main influences?  Colors, Brights, Pastels...  I am influenced by my children, flowers, and life! lol...  

5. How did you get started with Blythe dolls? When I started this hobby in 2009, my life was vastly different...  My daughter was almost 2, Son was 5, my husband was not working and someone had given me over 100 Madame Alexander dolls to sell on ebay...  It was quite a daunting task...  I became engrossed with Blythe and fascinated by her charm after someone sent me her doll on loan (within a week I had my own..) lol...  I've never looked back! The main thing was, I really preferred her with beautiful mohair.  At the time, the only thing that was available was a super expensive reroot or a very ill fitting mohair wig.  I became obsessed with figuring out how I could create a lambskin weft on an original Blythe scalp or a Coolcat scalp, and finally, after 3 months of toil, many conversations with my lambskin supplier, ignoring husband and children, I finally had my solution and my first Skinny was made!

6. Do you collect anything else?  (I SO wish I could answer, children and cats!) haha..  But, I love to collect everything rainbowey and cute and find that I have to keep that part of my personality at bay... lol... When I was a child I collected the Enesco mermaids and unicorns and dragons of every shape and size...  lol...   Just saw the Lego movie and was wondering how I could get the lego Unicorn Kitty in my collection...  I do have dolls of every type, and have a daughter that loves them as well.  It's just great big fun to be able to play with someone that I love so much!

7.  What's one interesting fact we may not know about you?  I have a decent singing voice, and will just bust out with a song if the mood strikes me or I'm feeling really passionate about something... I've been known to sing at my husband while we're arguing...  It diffuses the situation because he starts laughing at me...

 

 

Vendor Interview- Kaleidoscope Kustoms

1. Introduce yourself, who are you and where do you live?

Hi, my name is Sarah aka sglahe – Kaleidoscope Kustoms. I live in Hope, Idaho.

2. What do you make for Blythe?

I am a Blythe customizer. I also make handpainted eyechips and will be selling dresses that my mom makes under the name Rag Bag Designs.

3. Where can we find your creations?

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaleidoscopekustoms/

Blog: http://kaleidoscopekustoms.blogspot.com/

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlytheRagBagDesigns

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaleidoscopeKustoms

4. What are your main influences?

I take inspiration from everything around me – nature, art, photography, music, colors…

5. How did you get started with Blythe dolls?

My Mom actually found Blythe on eBay in 2006 while looking for something else and we both immediately fell in love! I didn’t start customizing until 2010 and have now customized almost 200 dolls.

6. Do you collect anything else?

I have many different collections, I’m a bit of a hoarder that way. LOL! 

7. What's one interesting fact we may not know about you?

I went to school for graphic design and studied fine arts.

Raffle Prize Spotlight: Bird in a Nest

Up next is a fun donation by Bird In A Nest.  It is a ROAR! Lion helmet for Blythe!  Perfect for our journey down the yellow brick road!  Thank you so much April for your wonderful donation!  You can find Bird in a Nest at the following locations:

www.etsy.com/shop/birdinanest
bird in a nest by birdinanest on Etsy

Raffle Prize Spotlight: Leo COUTURE

Look what just washed up on the shores of the Puget Sound!  This fun & whimsical dress set is entitled "Swimming to Seattle!"  Thank you so much Leo for your adorable donation!  You can find Leo COUTURE at the following places:

Store:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/MisatoLx
Flickr:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/misat0/
Facebook:  http://facebook.com/LeoC0UTURE 

Swimming To Seattle

Vendor Interview- Blythe Blue

 

1. Introduce yourself, who are you and where do you live?
My name is Stacie, and I live a couple hours north of Seattle in a little town called Bellingham. I'm actually closer to the Canadian border than I am to Seattle. I was born and raised in Seattle, and while I love the city, my hubby and I decided we wanted a slower pace and a smaller community in which to raise our young daughter. So we packed up and moved out to "the country" and now have ten acres. It's a big change from having neighbors close enough we could reach out and touch their walls! I am a freelance writer/editor "IRL," but creating, crafting, and attending to my two Etsy shops--Blythe Blu and Sparrow Blu--brings me my most joy.

2. What do you make for Blythe?
I make Blythe-sized headbands and hair accessories. Because I create heirloom-quality bridal hair accessories in my human-sized shop, I like to bring the same level of quality to my doll-sized creations. Attention to detail is extremely important to me!

3. Where can we find your creations?
You can find me on Etsy at www.blytheblu.etsy.com

 

 

4. What are your main influences?
My main influences for my Blythe creations come from my other shop Sparrow Blu. I tend to take fashion and design trends that are popular for "humans" and apply those to my "doll" creations. I wouldn't say I have a particular style, as I myself am drawn to many different design styles--shabby, modern, boho. I like it all, and I don't like limiting my creations to one style set. That'd get boring fast! ;)

5. How did you get started with Blythe dolls?
I fell into my Blythe obsession back in 2008 in a rather odd way. At the time, I was obsessed with anything Twilight-related, and I wanted to find an "Alice Cullen" doll. The licensed doll that was available was, in my opinion, not attractive, so I googled "custom dolls." Lo and behold, my search results turned up hundreds of pictures of custom Blythe dolls. At first, I wasn't sure if they were cute or creepy, but I couldn't stop looking at the pictures. After days of pouring over pictures of Blythe dolls, I realized I quite loved them and wanted one of my own. I contacted Melacacia, who had recently started customizing, and she helped bring to life my absolutely perfect Alice Cullen, who is still one of my all-time favorite custom Blythes. I've been an avid collector ever since! I started creating Blythe hair accessories a couple of years ago. I'd had my "human" shop open for a few years at that point, and it seemed a logical leap to start making pretty things for my dolls, too!

6. Do you collect anything else?
I have quite a collection of couture ribbons (I'm a ribbon hoarder!), and my daughter and I collect Disney pins.

7. What's one interesting fact we may not know about you?
Hmm...one interesting fact... Well, I created a new term to describe myself recently--I'm an "obsessive hobbyist." I become rather obsessed with new hobbies and dive in headfirst. Besides my "Blythe" hobby, I'm currently obsessed with entering sweepstakes and digi-scrapping (scrapbooking digitally). But ask me again in a few months; I'm sure I'll have a new obsession by then. ;) LOL