Blythecon Seattle 2014

               Journey to the Emerald City... 

   This August my sister at BrownEyedRose and I got to travel down the yellow brick road to our first Blythecon event in Seattle, Washington! Being that the event was in Seattle (another Emerald City), the theme was the Wizard of Oz. We saw Dorothy, Glinda, and even some wicked witches!

For Blythecon, I decided to enter the costume contest, and set about creating a one of a kind dress inspired by the Emerald City.

First I sculpted a 3D model of what the Emerald City looked like in the movie.

Then I used a vacuum forming machine to create a thin plastic mold of the clay piece.

After making a few successful molds, I began coating the interior with green sparkly nail polish.





I then cut out fabric and began sewing the dress. To attain the light behind the Emerald City, I took apart a battery operated tea light, and sewed it into the dress.

There were so many beautiful entries to the contest, and I was honored to see mine among them! It was a fun challenge, and I loved using a variety of techniques in one project!


Now on to the loot...

Blythecon Loot Bag! Thanks everyone!

The goodie bag was like opening presents on Christmas morning... There were so many cool freebies that people worked hard to create.

Here is a bow that I sewed based on the pattern that Helena of Funny Bunny gave out. I sewed the little polka-dot dress for my Blythes, and the bow is such a cute accessory!

   And look at these cool goodies! There is a full-sized and doll-sized "Pullstring Zine" that I've had a fun time reading through and Pullstring Lane also created a oh-so-cute shopping bag! My gals were excited to share the itty-bitty cookies from Rose at BrownEyedRose. Seattle locals might know what a kick seeing a doll-sized "Stranger" magazine is, made by Lexi at ConfettibyLexi....and my girls loved sipping some mocha from a miniature Starbucks mug, created by Valerie at "Blythely I Go". Button Arcade made little "Good Witch" and "Bad Witch" buttons for every vendor. Tiny Haus carefully created a doll-sized admission pass, and Pullstring Lane created a oh-so-cute shopping bag! Finally, Erika at SnowWhite created this fabulous dress that Willow is modeling below... I can't than everyone enough for all the hard work you put into making this event AWESOME for everyone!

A gorgeous dress by Snow White in my goodie bag!

What a great time we had, and now it's time to look forward to next year!

Yummy Gummies!

 

 Great gummies! Here is a sneak peek at my newest creation, inspired by the ooey-gooey sweetness of gummy bears! These shoes are just as cute as little gummy bears themselves, and ready to adorn a "sweet" outfit. I've created these shoes using my own carving and molding process, and will be adding more colors of the rainbow soon ♥

 These shoes are desgned for Neo Blythes, and will be available soon in my shop...  Thanks for looking!

Welcome to Oz...

"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore!"

Today I'm excited to share with you my first ever themed outfit. Next Saturday is Blythecon 2014 in Seattle, and this lovely collection is my donation to the prize raffle. I hope whoever brings this outfit home loves it as much as I loved creating it!

I started this outfit with a twist on Dorothy's old-school style dress. She spiced it up a bit by getting rid of the stuffy under-shirt, and maybe the hemline got a little shorter too... (scandalous!). The dress comes on an acrylic hanger that my dad and I designed and cut using a laser machine. Dorothy wears a straw sunhat, in hopes that the sun actually comes out in Seattle. She wears a pendant with an extra pair of ruby slippers around her neck, and two bitsy-bows in her hair.

And then there's Toto... I've needle felted Toto from pure sheep's wool, a process using a barbed needle, and thousands and thousands of pokes! (A really good activity after a stressful day...) Toto seems to be hauled everywhere around Oz in a prickly basket, so our little Toto is riding in style in a soft and cozy dog carrier, lined with none other than Yellow Brick Road fabric. There is a little charm on the bag that reads "I ♥ Kansas", and around Toto's neck he wears his own identification tag with a heart charm, so that he can find his way home if the flying monkeys should snatch him up. 

"Got dog cookies?"

And finally, the ruby slippers.....

 

When first making this outfit, I knew it had to have some ruby slippers. But not knowing where to find them, decided to create them myself. They are my proudest element of this outfit, because I got to use a lot of my mold-making skills that I usually use in my metal jewelry shop. Needless to say, shoes are TOUGH to make, and I'm happy that Dorothy can wear these glittering girls with pride!

 

This set also comes with an actual patch of the Yellow Brick Road, which I carefully removed the last time was there. Although if anyone asks, I'm going to tell them that it is made from polymer clay, just so they don't get suspicious...  

I hope this box set finds a great home, and that Toto finds his forever-Dorothy. I hope to see you at Blythecon, and  I can't wait to see what other outfits have been created!

Blythe doll wild strawberry bag

 As a child growing up in the woods of northern Wisconsin, I vividly remember finding the tiny treasures under wild strawberry plants. Small in size, the wild strawberry has retained a sweetness that our cultivated strawberries have lost. This dainty bag reminds me of lazy afternoons picking strawberries, and then watching mom carefully cook them up in a delectable pie!

I've sewn the strawberry design on by hand, and lined the bag with a polka dot material. Each strap is sewn on carefully so that the bag is durable enough for your Blythe doll to use on her next strawberry picking outing. The dress was sewn by my talented sister, at Brown Eyed Rose. 

To find this bag, and more like it, visit my Etsy shop here:

 Willow and Quail 

Summer dreaming

Willow and her friendly fox have fallen asleep in a meadow of clover. What dreams might come their way on this lazy summer day?

Willow wears her fox pendant with love ♥

Willow accents her lace dress with a dainty butterfly pendant.

  

Summer sun ♥

Visit my Etsy shop to see what necklaces are currently available

Willow and Quail

Snow White and Rose Red, an interview with Lexxi from Etsy shop Lexxi and Luke

          
          This week I've had the fortune of sitting down with Lexxi from the Etsy shop "Lexxi and Luke". Lexxi uses inspiration from the world around her and infuses it into her creations. I watched her transform two Pullip dolls into the characters "Rose Red" and "Snow White", and am in awe with her ability to put her vision into her sewing. Come along as we visit deep in the forest of another realm!

Snow White and Rose Red. Outfits designed and sewn by Lexxi 

How long have you been creating things?

Ever since I can remember, Ive been trying to get a hold of anything craft wise, and have always found a neat way to make things.

How did your interest in dolls start?

I always had Bratz growing up, and when my mom bought me an American Girl doll for Christmas for me when I was 9, I began making things for it. Eventually, my mom found Pullip dolls, and I fell in love with them.

What is your favorite outfit that you've created for your doll, and why?

I think I like this one turquoise dress with a silver star on it. I like it because I made it out of a hand warmer, and I had loved that hand warmer very much. 

The girls enjoying the quiet woods on a cozy moss bench.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I usually think of what kind of things I would wear or what kind of things are my style. I also see things that I used to like and always think up a newer version of that.

Can you give us any hints on what your next project will be?

I wanted to make something Alice in Wonderland themed for Pullip, so I will most likely be working on that.

Lovely Snow White

Mysterious Rose Red

The girls...

Any advice to young artists just starting out?

Be creative. Don't let anybody tell you that anything you create is bad. Everything you make comes from your heart, and nobody should be allowed to judge that! ♥

Thanks Lexxi! It's great to learn a little more about your process and inspiration! Visit Lexxi's shop here to see more of what this talented artist has created ♥

   https://www.etsy.com/shop/LexxiAndLuke

Resting amongst the buttercups.