From Miniatures to Charm Bracelets

AHOY MATEY Nautical Charm Bracelet

Collecting miniatures has always been something I have loved to do. Now that I am a jewelry designer one of the best ways to translate that love of miniatures into my designs is by creating charm bracelets. I add a little sparkle and sheen with some themed sterling silver charms and that is when a new charm bracelet design has been created.

My favorite charm bracelet design so far is one that I am about to put up in my shop today. It is called the AHOY MATEY Nautical Charm Bracelet. The charms are an anchor, a ship, dolphins, a helm and a seagull which are matched with various shades of blue Swarovski crystal and glass pearls.

More Littlest Pet Shop

I was given more Littlest Pet Shop Pets by some special to me because he knew how cute I think these little guys are! Now each one of my Blythe girls has their very own pet and I am so enjoying taking photos of them together. Here is Lucy with her new bunny sitting on a wall at Cypress Mountain in Vancouver. My favorite for photographing Blythe is outdoors so now my Blythe's LPS will be joining them!

Ballerinas and their Bags in Grannyknits Shop

Bella the blue ballerina, Pippa the pink ballerina and Yola the yellow ballerina

Many little girls say they want to be ballerinas when they grow up. My mum has created a new doll design just for these little girls; a collection of cute ballerinas in blue, yellow, pink and purple (currently being created) outfits. Also available are ballet print totes to so that little ones can carry their doll with them anywhere they go. Check out these wonderful creations in my mum's etsy shop, grannyknits.

New Member of the Blythe Family - Littlest Pet Shop

It is possible that now I have crossing over to being a little bit nerdy (maybe I was before this as well!) but a couple of days I bought a pet for one of my Blythe dolls. How could I resist pets that have the same big heads and eyes like Blythe but with tine tiny bodies!


Blythe and Littlest Pet Shop just seem to be a match made in heaven so I searched around and found a cat who now belongs to Sonny. This also spurred me to start my first group on Flickr called "Blythe and Their Littlest Pet Shop Pets". Really original name I know but I wanted to it to be specific so that people did not add other photos. As of right now there are 4 members and 27 photos and hopefully that will grow. New members would be great if there is anyone out there who has Blythe and LPS.

Now I have to decide which pets I am going to get for the other girls!

Two Sets of New Eyechips

It took some time for me to decide and finally switch Sonny's eyechips and I have still only done two sets so far. I have more chips coming in the mail and hopefully then I will be able to make a final decision about the last two sets. It is always hard to really envision what a color is going to look like on a girl especially since computer screens are all different and you never really know what color the chips are that you ordered!

Take out the green and orange stock sets of chips from my Sunshine Holiday was surprisingly easy. They just poped right out using the glue stick method (heating one end of a hot glue gun glue stick, pressing it onto the eyechip, wait for it to harden and then pull and twist).

However putting in the new chips was much more of a hassle! With the first set one of the foils bunched up and I didn't notice until it was already clicked in so I had to remove the new chip with the glue stick method. Luckily I was able to get the glue off the new chip and reuse it again. The second set had it's own problem. It was a front facing pair and I just couldn't get one of the chips to stay in. It wouldn't click into place or anything so it ended up falling into the head once! I was able to retreive it and ended up using a little bit of Aleen's Tacky Glue on the back of the pupil and let it dry for a while before changing the eyes and that did the trick.

Here is the final results of the two pairs that I have changed:

The final choices were the brown and green. I will hopefully be replacing the other two soon with blue and pink chips. I think it was well worth the hassle!

Blythe - Knitted Tops for the Summer Weather

names of the tops from left to right:
amethyst, jade, fern, berry and nutmeg

The summer weather is upon us, at least it is this week in Vancouver where is it is 22 degrees and getting warmer! Hopefully it lasts.

My mum has been hard at work designing a new knitted top for Blythe. It is great for the summer weather and will pair perfectly with linen pants (which can also be found in my shop), shorts or skirts all in time for the warm weather.

New Blythe, New Eyechips

The new addition to my Blythe family finally has a name. I wanted it to be a summery name with a possible cowgirl feel to it but I was really stuck so I decided to ask my 11 year old niece for help. She is great at naming things and has often helped my mum name her knitted dolls. My nieces suggestion was Sonny. At first I was not sure but now I can't image calling her anything else! So Sonny she is.

Sunshine Holiday comes with the standard stock blue, green, pink and orange eyechips. I am not usually crazy about these colors on any girl and I know that I am not the only Blythe lover to feel like. However SH looks particularly awful with these colors so I bought new eyechips from coolcat right away.

These are the ones that ordered but I am not sure which ones I am going to use yet:

Dressing Your Blythe For Spring

Looking for something cute for your Blythe for Spring and Summer? I have been mixing and matching fabrics and have added some new mini dresses to my Blythe shop. Disco Diva, Blossom and Fruit Salad mini dresses look super cute worn as a dress on it's own or with tights or pants.

If you are looking for a specific color let me know because I love making custom orders!

Sunshine Holiday Cowgirl Style

I find that each Blythe ends up with their own style and personality. For anyone who doesn't collect Blythe dolls I am sure that I sound like a complete nutcase but for those of you who do I know that you know what I am talking about. I am not sure how the style for each doll comes about, whether it is because of type or color of their hair or make-up or a mood that I am in when I purchase them but they all have their own personalities.


When I was flipping through flickr I came across a photo of a hat that to me just seemed perfect for my SH even though she had not even arrived in the mail yet. It turns out that I saw the hat on the sellers photostream and she had just listed them in her shop. If you are looking for some original hats for your girls check out azhippiechick's shop. This knitted and crocheted hat was the first thing that I put on my new girl when she arrived and it just seems perfect for her personality. She is an urban cowgirl!

Now all I have to do is think of a name for her and I am really stuck...any suggestions?

A Dolly Bag For Every Doll

Every Blythe needs her very own dolly carrier and I like to pick them to match the style of each doll. When I saw some fabric in SewPixie's flickr photostream I just knew I had to ask her to make a custom dolly carrier for my SH. It turns out the fabric has flowers that are almost exactly the same as the ones on the box that SH came in too! So if you are looking for a quality dolly carrier from a talented and friendly seller check out SewPixie's shop.

Sunshine Holiday Arrived

A couple of days ago a little bit of sunshine arrived in my life....that is my Sunshine Holiday Blythe arrived in the mail! The promo photos and illustration that Takara released do not do this girl justice. Her hair is a peachy color and her make-up is subtle and warm, she even has light pink nail polish. I think she is beautiful but the one thing I can't wait to change are her eyechips. If you think the orange and pink stock eyechips are weird or scary on most dolls they are even more scary with SH's tanned skin color. I have already order 4 new sets from coolcat and I can't wait to glue stick her current chips out. For now she will be keeping her blue pair on all the time!


The stock outfit is also adorable and makes me want to play in the sand and jump in the ocean. She comes with a dress, shorts, tank top, bikini (she is wearing the bottoms so you can't see them in the photo below), bag, sandals, sunglasses, stud earrings and stand.

"Make It" Vancouver Art and Fashion Market

This week-end there was a lot of events in Vancouver such as the BMO Vancouver Marathon but I was not running this week-end I was showing my work at a market in a chic area of Vancouver called Yaletown. The show was at the Roundhouse Community Centre and was called "Make It". The organizers created a show that was not like your usual craft market. There was a live DJ and a liquer license which made a shopping experience with a club vibe twist.

The show was a success and I am looking forward to participating in the Christmas show as well.

Sun Run Vancouver

This morning I participated in one of the world's largest 10km races, the Vancouver Sun Run. The name reflects more to do with the sponsors of the event than the weather as it was overcast today but at least it wasn't raining! There were more than 50,000 participants and it was amazing to be part of the wave of runners that went through the city streets. The thing that stuck me the most of the noise of so many people's feet hitting the pavement all at once. It was an amazing sound that stopped me from wearing my ipod and instead just too in my surroundings and enjoying the moment.

Most people do not run this event to make a personal best time as you end up dodging other runners for most of the race, but I did the run this year for the first time because it felt like a right of passage if I am to call myself a runner in Vancouver. Tomorrow our chip times will be printed in the Vancouver Sun Newspaper so we can all have our minute of fame but the time is not really the important thing it is seeing a city come together for fun and health in such huge numbers.

Sunshine Holiday...that is a Blythe not a Vacation!

The warmer weather is slowly coming our way here in Vancouver but really it is not coming fast enough for me. To speed up the process I have pre-ordered a new Blythe called Sunshine Holiday because all she makes me think of is the hot summer weather. I was not planning on adding any new girls to my collection any time soon but I think she is so cute and different than any of my other girls so I had to pre-order her before price went too high. My rational is that she will be great for modelling any new summer fashions that I make for blythecouture.

Pansies in Pots and Blossoms on the Trees

Vancouver is a pretty beautiful city but no other time of the year beats the blossom season and the coming of Spring. Spring seems long over due at this point in the year but it feels like it is finally here with 13 degree weather and streets lined with the lightly scented blossoms in various shades of pink. Over the past 13 years I have missed out on this time of year and I am happy to be here to enjoy the beauty of Spring. This is also the first year that I have ever had flower boxes full of yellow, white and purple pansies on my balcony.

Welcome Spring!

Shop Update

After months of having this charm in my stock I have finally made a necklace with it and I think it will be a great piece for spring and summer with all the cute tops and tanks that us girls finally get to pull out of our wardrobes! Introducing the "Angel Wing Necklace". All sterling silver with an aqua swarovski crystal.

Blythe Good Girl Vs Bad Girl

The new additions to my Blythe couture shop couldn't be more in contrast with each other. The dresses are called Sweetness and Pretty Punk and I am sure you can tell which one is called which! These dresses continue my line of raw shantung silk and cotton dresses.

Custom Bridesmaid Jewelry

A customer found my shop on etsy and liked my designs so much that she requested two custom made bridemaids sets of earrings and necklaces for her wedding in October. It is always a exciting for me to make custom items because it is great to see a design develop and to see someone so happy with something made just for them.

Let me walk you through the process to come to the final design.

Step 1: The customer liked two designs in my shop but she needed the main color to be pink with accents of grey and orange. She sent me a couple of photos of the bridesmaids dresses and the bouquets. (Below are the two original designs from my shop):

Step 2: I send her photo samples of the beads that could be used as the main bead.

Step 3: She chose the middle ruby colored briolette. I started making the earrings and after changing the colors once the customer was happy.

Step 4: The necklace design was based on the same beads as the earrings and only took one try to get it just how the customer wanted it:

Step 5: Final design was listed in my shop for the customer to purchase:

Simplicity in Design

After spending 6 days in the warm sunshine in California it has inspired me to apply for summer craft shows and create new jewelry designs for my shop. Today I added a new pair of earrings that are all about simplicity with classic and modern design combined.

Simplicity Pearl Hoops

Blythe at the Cabin

The weather is starting to change and get a bit warm, the sun is setting later and this is all the lead up to spring coming our way. Spring is always so inspiring to me so I have created, in collaboration with my mum, new sweaters and pants that can be found in our Blythe etsy shop. The sweaters are all made from various colors of twisted sock yarn and the pants are both jeans and cords in a range of colors. Check them out here.

Friday the 13th and Etsy Front Page

Happy Friday the 13th everyone! I am not really superstitious but it is always interesting to note when the 13th day of a month lands on a Friday.

Contrary to superstition, I had some luck today and one of my pairs of earrings in my shop ended up on the front page of www.etsy.com. I woke up to 30 new shop hearts and 36 new item hearts on the earrings that were in the treasury list. It was fellow seller santabarbaradesigns that let me know the reason for all my new hearts was because my earrings were on the front page.

Here is what the front page looked like. If you are looking for your front page screenshots check out Etsy Front Page on Flickr:

This is a close-up of the Purple Haze Briolette Earrings that were featured. This is the third time I have been on the front page (to my knowledge) and it seems like the way to get on the front page is to have really well taken and interesting photography. I like to use a very simple back ground that only has a hint of a pattern to it and the first photograph for my listings is usually taken close up and at an interesting angle with the further away part of the item out of focus.

The matching Purple Haze Briolette Necklace can also be found in my shop. As a set they make a simple, modern pair that could be worn for any occasion.

Long or Short Earrings

When I pick my jewelry for an outfit I either like to wear a necklace and short earrings that go with the necklace (but I don't like them to be an exact match) or I like to wear just earrings that have a bit more of a statement especially for a night out. I have made lots of bigger and longer earrings but it seems people are not as interested in them as shorter more conservative styles.

Recently I made the earrings in the photo above and I am curious if the readers out there would wear these earrings or if they are just way too long for your taste. They are just over 3 1/2 inches long including the hook. If you could take a minute to answer the poll on the right so I could gather some info on people's taste I would really appreciate it.

Sweetness Necklace - Lily of the Valley

When the economy is slow and business is slow too it is sometimes difficult to motivate yourself to be creative especially when being creative for me is making new items for my online jewelry shop. I have been trying to get inspired to do some work for the shop and have been reading about other entrepreneurs stories to jump start my enthusiasm.

Today I had a wave of inspiration to use a pendant that I have been staring at for a long time and didn't know what to do with. The result is what I believe to be a simple yet beautiful necklace that would be a great modern piece for a wedding or just for a sunny spring day.

Lily of the Valley signifies many things including purity of heart, sweetness and happiness. It is often used at weddings because of these sentiments and also because of it's sweet smell. So here I have paired it with classic white glass pearls to create a simple yet modern piece of jewelry that would original and beautiful on any bride.

Click here if you would like to see the necklace in my shop

Steve Madden Brooklyn Hobo Bag

Recently I needed a small shopping fix to spice up my wardrobe on a grey rainy winter day. The Winners store near where I live seem like the perfect destination so I went to see if I could find myself a bargain that would fill my retail need! This is what I came home with:

A mustard colored Steve Madden Hobo bag with detachable coin purse for $50. This color is great during the grey days of winter to give my mostly black outfits a color boost and it will also be good for spring and summer too. Winners is not my favorite shop but you really can find some good purchases every once in a while.

Blythe New Release - Doronjo x Blythe

In February Takara is releasing a new doll called Doronjo x Blythe which is a collaboration doll based on a character from a anime movie called "Yatterman". The movie is based on the 1970s TV program with the same name and Doronjo x Blythe has an outfit and look that is very similar to one of the characters from the movie.

Here are some of the promo shots from blythedoll.com

This doll is very different from any other Takara Blythe release and even though I am not necessary crazy about the outfit (ok well the glasses and the mask are pretty cool) , She is the doll that I have been waiting for and now I would really like to find out a way to justify purchasing her!

"Followers" Gadget Added

Would you like to follow my blog? I have added a new gadget in the side bar of my blog to track who follows my blog. Go ahead and click the "Follow" link if you would like to be a Follower.

If you would like to add this gadget to your own blog it is easy to do... In the Layout section of your blog click the "Add a Gadget" box and choose from a variety of different gadgets from a list of your favorite blogs, to a reader poll and many others.

New Dresses in Blythecouture Shop

It is a slow season for jewelry at the moment with the holidays being over and the economy not being so great so I have been spending some time building my Blythe shop inventory instead. Here are a couple of new additions to the shop that I listed this week:

Silk Pink Stripe Blythe DressBlue Tape Measure Blythe Dress

New Item in My Jewelry Shop

During the craft shows that I participated in this holiday season the one request I kept getting was a sterling silver starfish charm, that I used with a large shell Swarovski crystal necklace, on it's own. I have finally made the starfish necklace which can be found in my etsy shop.

Original Necklace - Sparkly Seashell Necklace (Moonlight)

New Necklace - Starfish Dreams

Celebrate Obama!

Today history was made with the inauguration ceremony of Barack Obama. North America will always remember this day and the hope and change that we all dream that Obama will bring to the US and the World.

Many etsy sellers are celebrating this great day in history. Here are a few of their shop items:

Barak Obama - A Scrabble Tile Pendant
by: The Gilded Lily (thegildedlily)


Barak Obama Greeting Card
by: Betty Mae Artistry (bmae514)


Blythe for Obama
by: La Petite Pomme Frite (lapetitepommefrite)


Obama Bag
by: ArmandoJavierDesign

Luli Designs new Facebook Page

Luli Designs now has it's own Facebook page! If you would like updates on new jewelry designs, events and other news and information about Luli Designs then come to Luli Designs Page and become a "fan"! I will be regularly posting photos of new designs, event details and other important news. You can also post any Luli Designs related photos and add comments on the wall.

Hope that you will all come and check out the page and become a fan!

Blythe As Sweet As Candy

Christmas feels like it was just over a minute ago and already all the shops are full of things for Valentine's Day. It now feels like one holiday almost overlaps the next holiday when it comes to retail stores.

This Valentine's Day it is not only chocolate and candy that can be sweet...your Blythe doll can be too with this new item that can be found at BlytheCouture. The Candy Heart hats are hand knitted by my talented mum with super soft baby yarn and it comes in the three color combinations; dusty pink , off-white or dark pink. These color combinations are shown below:

Traveling with your Blythe

I really like to take my Blythe doll and photographing them in different places but the shoe box that I was carrying them around in just was not convenient. There are lots of different carriers out there but I don't like the ones that are a rectangular piece of fabric that you tie around the doll and I don't think that the dolls hair would look very good after being in a plastic carrier. Finally I found a cute, affordable and convenient dolly carrier by Sew Pixie Designs!!

The carrier comes in lots of different colors and styles of quilted fabric, there is a face cover and a zip up the front. The one in the picture is the first one that I bought and then I liked it so much that I bought two more for my other girls. Now I can carry the girls anywhere and have them protected before they make it to the photo shoot!

Want a dolly carrier of your own? then check out SewPixie Designs etsy shop.