mademoiselle blythe

Lynne is first and foremost an artist who chose Blythe as a way to express her artistic talent. She let me adopt one of her stock girls last fall, and that is how we got to know each other. I then quickly discovered that she definitely was one of the best Blythe customizers on earth! Actually, there is no Happibug custom that I wouldn’t love to adopt, but they are all most wanted! In case you don’t know Lynne already, I can tell you that she is a beautiful person, inside and out, and I am very honored that she accepted to tell us about her story with Blythe.

Photo: Happibug.

Hi Lynne! Can you introduce yourself ?

I am Lynne Rutherford, I live in the US, in Texas. I was born in Iowa, but have lived in Texas since college. I love it here; there’s a lot of variety in the surrounding areas (terrain, types of towns, etc.) and a lot of great places that I enjoy visiting within a day or half days’ drive.

Photo: Happibug. The State Fair of Texas.

I work as a free lance Voice Actor, for a living. On television commercials, radio commercials, websites, films… anywhere you just “hear” the voice-over while watching other footage… it could be me! I’ve done it for about twenty years; and I love it — I love english, the spoken word, accents, and well written pieces. It’s very “actor” oriented… you have to be very intuitive and take direction well to do it; and I find it to be really fulfilling and a lot of fun! I’ve also done a lot of live theater, both musical and “straight”, but at this point my main creative outlets are voice acting and Blythe!

Photo: Happibug. Custom Sunshine Holiday for Marie/RedFlynn.

My interests have always been on two fairly constant paths… working as a performer or art. In college I ended up with a bachelor of Arts with a major in music and a minor in theater… but several times in there I almost became an art major. Both areas ebb and flow… and at this time I really enjoy the visual and three dimensional creative work with customizing, sewing, and photographing Blythe; while enjoying my Voice acting career as a “performance” outlet.

How and when did you discover Blythe?

I found one of Gina Garan’s postcard sets in an Urban Outfitters in about 2004. I have always loved photography, illustration, pop art… and I thought her photos of this quirky big headed doll in all kinds of costumes and settings were genius! At that time I thought she had the only Blythe in the world and just had a million wigs and outfits for her! I wish I’d figured out the “truth” more quickly! But it wasn’t until I saw another one of her books; “Blythe Style” in Urban Outfitters a few years later (2006) that I finally read Gina’s bio on the books’ inner cover – and realized these wonderful dolls must be on eBay! So that was the start of my life with Blythe.

Photo: Happibug. Lynne always finds the most fabulous pull charms!

That day I spent time on eBay; quickly realizing that I wouldn’t be getting a Kenner for my first Blythe ($$$!), discovered the “Neos”, found TIB (thisisblythe.com) where I researched Takaras versus Ashton Drakes… and bought my first girl, a Mademoiselle Rosebud, for $68.00 from a US seller… all in one day!

How many Blythe dolls do you have in your own collection?

Okay… I’m going to stand up in my room and count! 79 at the moment; and about 3 more that are waiting to be customized. Of course by the time this is published they probably will have multiplied a little bit more! I’m looking forward to Nostalgic Pop and the Guava and Mango twins!

Photo: Happibug. Custom Cappuccino Chat.

What kind of dolls do you prefer?

I really love them all! Even though my first girl (who I still have, though she now has a Saran re-root and custom make-up) was sbl; I think that mold is my least preferred.

I really love aspects of each type, though. I have 6 Kenners, three are in excellent “classic” shape, and the other three are short-haired… customized by a little girl or a big brother in the 70′s! I love the vintage appeal of Kenners – before discovering Blythe I collected vintage clothes from the 20′s through the 50′s; vintage jewelry (1910 through the 60′s) and vintage household items and furniture — so there’s really something appealing about Kenners  – their quality and their history.

Photo: Happibug. A choir of Kenner angels.

I have most of the BL’s, and lots of EBLs – though very few of the ebls are stock. I love to customize the ebl, rbl, and fbl molds. I also have a few customs from other customizers that I really love — Cocomicchi, Olydoll, Picara, Poohie, and several re-roots by Shershe. All of the rest of the girls are either stock (with slight adjustments like a gaze lift) anniversary or limited girls – like PaM, UT, Jenna, Eleanor, or my own customs.

Photo: Happibug. Two Circus Girls.

Where and how do you store your own dolls?

I like the girls to be “out and about”, sort like a bunch of friends just hanging out. I have some shelves in my workroom where they sit or stand, and I frequently rotate the girls from the other shelves to my worktable so I can see different ones, and enjoy them and be inspired by them!

Photo: Happibug. The girls at home 1.

Photo: Happibug. The girls at home 2.

Why did you start to customize Blythe dolls?

I started very soon after I bought my first Blythe – I really wandered into it by accident.  I spent time on the internet looking at others’ photos and girls; and then I’d look at my MRB and think about what I might change to make her more “cute” and appealing to me. I remember I sand matted her, and repainted her lips over and over… just refining and learning about how to make the concept I had in my mind into a reality. I bought my first girl in March of 2006; and by the summer of 2006 I had gotten my first BL’s and some other sbls. The sbls and ebls that followed all got customized… I think I was just most attracted to the endearing and individual look of custom girls!

Photos: Happibug. Stunning painted lids for Morgan Orton and Ava Fay.

I also got out my dusty sewing machine and started sewing again – and that was a long process of refining as well — my first dresses (based on Puchicollective and vintage skipper patterns) were rustic, to say the least!

How did you learn how to do it?

I read a lot online. I would read other’s discussions and tips on forums, and online tutorials – the Puchicollective tutorials were extremely helpful — they are a wonderful resource! Then I just did it… over and over! I can safely say I worked on my own girls for about two years (at least) before I ever worked on one for anyone else. I have that “tinkerer’s” nature… I like to work with my hands, and with color; and the scale of Blythe is wonderful — not so large that she’s incredibly expensive; but not so small that you have a really limited space to use as a palette. I had done a lot of other types of art over the years… drawing, painting, jewelry making, designing some clothes — so all of those experiences came into play.

It’s wonderful that you can customize Blythe and if you don’t like what you see, you can just sand it all off and start over – that makes it easier to get started! When I began collecting and customizing Blythe, carving was not as popular as it is now, either – and I think that helped; it’s much easier to make an irreversible mistake in carving than it is with paints and colors!

Photo: Rockymountainroz. Dolly, a Mod Molly custom by Happibug.

What gives you inspiration for a custom?

I get some of my favorite ideas from just having time to be still and let my mind wander a bit. Ideas come into your head as a vision, or a feeling or emotion. I’ll start a sketch or make some notes from those thoughts  – the concept for a girl, or a snippet of her story. Sometimes a song will bring something to mind… or a vintage photo or piece of vintage fabric. I have a little collection of vintage magazines… sewing magazines and Vogue magazines from the 60’s and 70’s … and I’ll get ideas for an outfit that turns into an idea for a custom girl. I love music from the 60′s and will sometimes hear a story about a band or a song that will give me an idea. I also love to look at people’s faces… how the shadows fall around their eyes and lips, how their features are formed.

For commission girls, I like to know the owners’ preferences… sometimes the client has a definite concept in mind, other times I ask questions about favorite colors, icons, and make-up styles to determine a direction for their girl, and then share some ideas… and we collaborate to refine those ideas and find the best direction for their girl.

I like the custom girls to have a winsome, sweet, slightly vulnerable quality that makes you want to pick them up and take them around with you… that’s how I like to feel about the girls in my collection, and I think that translates to the girls I work on, too.

Photo: Happibug. Sprocket, Lynne’s last custom… adopted by Roz.

What’s your work rhythm? How do you like to work?

If I’m at home during the day, I usually spend some time on the internet, catch up with correspondence, etc. in the early morning. If I have all day to work, I usually work pretty continuously through out the day, with little breaks for lunch, exercise, etc. I vastly prefer to work on customs during daylight – I will only work on my own “experiment” girls during the evening hours, because even though my room is very well lit; artificial light just doesn’t compare to day light (for me) in being able see colors, blending, details, etc.

I can customize a girl of my own pretty quickly, but that’s because I have only myself to please; and I can always re-do or adjust as I wish, later. A lot of my own personal girls start out as “experiments” to try a new technique or idea; and I’m never sure if they’ll stay that way (until I get attached to them)!

Photos: Happibug. The forest dweller… who became Satine for Roz.

I take a lot longer for custom commissions and customs that I’m selling… because I want them to be perfect, well thought out, with all the details and finishing in place that I can manage. So in that case I’ll work on the specific doll in stages… one day to sand matte and prepare her faceplates and eye mechanism, and then slowly, over a number of days I add color and details. I stop working or take a break if I get tired, as I want to be “fresh” and observant and creative at all times when working on someone else’s girl.

Photo: Happibug.

What does your studio look like?

I have a long table at one end that is big enough to allow a space for customizing – pastels, pencils, my airbrush and other tools; a space in the center where I do re-rooting; and at the other end I have my sewing machine. The table covers the whole end of the room. I really like it — it’s right by the window and I have a lot of light, which is essential.

Elsewhere in my studio I have all of the dollies sitting in various places; and other collections… blythe cases, other dolls, vintage lamps, enid collins handbags… all kinds of colorful and quirky stuff that inspires me!

Photo: Happibug. Lynne’s workspace.

What are your next projects with Blythe?

I’m going to learn to do full re-roots. I’ve had mohair of various kinds since over a year ago — but no time to learn to use it, outside of re-rooting a Susie Sad Eyes!  I also received an airbrush for my birthday last year; so I’m going to learn to use that. I’ve got a lot of concepts for custom girls in mind; and so I’ll be making some of them this spring – and I’m sure as I begin to do re-roots and use the airbrush, more things will come to mind! I’m also looking forward to having time to sew again – my etsy shop, dollicious, has been dormant since July — but that will be active again, soon!

Photo: Happibug. Dollicious dresses.

Thank you so very much, Lynne, for creating unique dolls and sharing your Blythe love. Your creativity never cease to amaze me!  Each of your custom is precious and designed with incredible attention to detail. My Circus Girl is such a special girl, and my favorite! I cannot wait to see your shop stocked again with many girly Dollicious dresses, and look at your next photos. You certainly know how to make Blythe look stylish and create a wonderful atmosphere around her! And I should add, that on top of being such a talented Blythe customizer, fashion designer and photographer, you are always available to give your help to a Blythe friend! I feel so happy and fortunate to be one of them. Thank you again!

Photos: Happibug. Girls at play and having fun!

Photo: Happibug. Custom Friendly Freckles and Circus Girl adopted by Morgan Orton.

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