When I discovered Pascale‘s dollhouse for Blythe, I was blown away by so much cuteness and talent concentrated in such a tiny area! Each and every detail is designed with a lot of attention and sophistication to get a perfectly refined look. A work of art!
Photo: Chicsochic. Furniture, linens, art and dress by Chicsochic.
Hi Pascale! Can you tell us about yourself?
I live and work in Paris as a writer and a freelance journalist. I am also a consultant in communication. Hobbies? I have a thousand ones! But very little time to devote to them these days unfortunately! I am addicted to antiques, flea markets and yard sales. Reading is my favorite sport, as well as food! Anything that relates to the world of childhood fulfills me, and I have two children who are without any doubt my most time consuming hobby!
Photo: Chicsochic.
Why did you decide to make a doll house for Blythe?
I decided to make a dollhouse for my daughter, Elissa. I started collecting vintage furniture and I had a shock when I discovered Lala a gogo‘s dolly manor on Flickr. That was perfect, so beautiful, so cute: love at first sight! Then she became a friend and we had a few lovely conversations about the making of a Blythe house (dimensions, materials, etc). She gave me some very good advice, and I tried lots of combinations and decors. Then I came to white. Almost all of my (very big now) collection of vintage treasures is in boxes, actually. I would love to have a room dedicated to doll furniture!
Photo: Chicsochic. Furniture and accessories by Chicsochic. Dress by Lemieuxdoll boutique.
Why did you choose to make it all white?
I do love color and playing with color, but I especially appreciate the variations and beauty of things in their natural state. The idea of white came to me naturally. I did not really have a white project, but I needed something pure and fresh, and a kind of narrative place in my daughter’s bedroom. By the way, white was perfect for my photos too!
Photo: Chicsochic. “La Maison Blanche”.
Where did you find all the accessories?
Some of them were thrifted, some are Re-ment or Barbie, and some are handmade. I also received a few as presents from my friends here and there! I use every kind of miniatures, in every scale. I just play with the focus to make them look like playscale on my photos. That is really fun to do!
Photo: Chicsochic. Trifted little treasures.
Which parts did you build yourself?
The dollhouse itself! , I have been to a wood shop with my son and my daughter, and I bought all the pieces for the dollhouse, which is really big! We have 3 floors, 40 cm (16 inches) high each and 120 cm (47 inches) long! The biggest part of the dollhouse is the back which was a big board that we had to carry from the shop to our home. I have no car, so we walked ! The three of us were hidden by that big piece of wood in the streets! That was really horrible, and very heavy! But we made it!
Photos, furniture, linens and accessories by Chicsochic.
And I also made all fabric accessories and crocheted stuff too. I made some furniture, using wood, card box or fimo, and all artistic parts on the walls. We usually do this on Wednesdays, as a craft workshop for my children. They both love doing that with me, and that’s our family never ending project!
Where do you find inspiration?
My children inspire me a lot of course, and especially my daughter. The world of dolls is a form of absolute escape from problems and responsibilities! To me, that freshness is somehow dreamlike and a real balm to my soul. It is highly regressive too, and allows the adult I am to be part of the game and play pretend. This is priceless. It is also a great opportunity to create a miniature world with decor, small clothes, tiny accessories and reveal the best part of ourselves, the part from the child who remains inside us and that we usually allow so little to speak when we are adults. But honor where honor is due, I am also obviously very inspired by all the awesome creations that I can see on Flickr, from all my friends who share with so much talent and creativity the same passion throughout the world.
What are you working on these days and what’s your next project for the doll house?
Another room: a vintage white kitchen! WIP…
How did you discover Blythe?
Like many of us in Europe, thanks to Gina Garan’s books!
How many Blythe dolls do you have?
I have 4 Blythe (I buy one each year) and Elissa got one. We also have many other dolls which play sometimes in the dollhouse too!
Photo: Chicsochic. Emily, custom by Gwen Leven. Dress by Neuart.
Why did you decide to make clothes for Blythe in your Etsy shop?
It is a story about my childhood. I’ve never been a very manual person. When I was a child, I was spending my life in books. Do you see this little blonde girl sitting on stairs who is asking to come for dinner and who does not hear because she is so busy with reading? That was me! However a strange thing, and just one could take me away from novels: model dolls. One day on a plane, I met a young girl who was traveling with her doll and a suitcase full of miniature clothing. I have never been so envious! I do not really know what happened then, but that dolly wardrobe left its mark on me! I received my first doll (Mily de Gégé) when I was three. That doll was very well dressed, and her clothes are actually still highly sought-after by collectors nowadays. But I was still feeling frustrated not to have a complete wardrobe! When my first Blythe doll came home, I wanted to make her wardrobe myself. I was never knitting, and I was no longer crocheting since childhood. As for sewing, it’s simple, I knew nothing about it! I bought a sewing machine, and gave it a try! I got some advice from my friend Cecile (Eclectic gipsyland, who is a genius in that matter) and voila! Then, the first time I showed my creations on Flickr, some of my contacts have been nice enough to order a few of them. After a few months, I decided to open an Etsy shop and list new creations from time to time. I still really do it for fun. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time to list new creations very often and I regret it. It is really something I love to do!
Photos: Annouchka la Pirate and Morganours. Chicsochic knitted dress (left picture) and coat (right picture).
What do you like the most in collecting Blythe?
Having friends around the world! That is what I love most. And I also love to see shining stars on the faces of the little girls who come home, when I sometimes allow them to put their little hands on some of these treasures! This is the most beautiful thing. Actually some people around me say that we live in a human size dollhouse, which is not completely wrong! The world of dolls has invaded a large part of our space! I have tiny in my kitchen, doll cabinets in the living room and even doll furniture in the bathroom…
Photo: Blythedrops. Chicsochic cardi.
MERCI Pascale for sharing the story behind so many beautiful creations, and I can’t wait to see the white kitchen!
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WOW! Such an amazing dolly house! It’s gorgeous. And I totally get why a white pallette was chosen. I like doll houses with colour but they can often seem cluttered, visually, being on such a small scale. Making it white, as Pascale says, takes away the busy-ness so you can see the details more clearly. Plus when spots of colour are used, they pop right out for attention
Beautiful, beautiful…
Thank you again Fanny for bringing another wonderful creative to my notice. Love you
OH! Love reading about Pascale! She is an inspiration! AND I think that Donna Karen must have gotten her new fashion line “DKNY Pure” from Pascale!
I want those cool, white clothes from DKNY! The way that Pascale uses white has always blown me away! AND my girls treasure their clothes from ChicsoChic!!! xxx
J’adore Chicsochic!!! We (well, my girls and I) have a FANTASTIC knitted outfit (white of course!) and a fabulous lounging outfit, complete with tiny slippers, also knitted, by her! My heart lept when I saw this interview on my email–She is incroyable! Incredible!
As for reading, that was my childhood love as well. I would love to think that she might imagine me a sister of the heart.
Thank you once again for an eye opening and wonderfully written interview.
PS: She is beautiful, inside and out. isn’t she. Her photo of herself is so lovely! xox to you both!
A pleasure to read this interview from Pascale sweet and talented girl !
She has a lovely girl and a so poetic and beautiful universe… I love to have a strol in her flickr.
That dolls house is so beautiful, I want to shrink myself and move in!