Reina is a complete artist: dedicated, passionate and talented like no other. I have been following her work since Stephanie Says‘ auction, and I am blown away by each and every of her new creations. The imaginary worlds she creates for and around Blythe are always very intense and unique. Reina gives us the honor of telling us about his life with Blythe, and it is a great pleasure to know more about her.
Photo: Reina de Salem.
Hi Reina! Can you introduce yourself ?
Hi there! My name is Reina and I live in Munich, Germany. I studied German Philology because one of the things I like most is reading, and the German literature is one of my favorites.
I moved to Munich a little more than two years ago. I lived in Leipzig before. It’s very easy to travel from Germany to Spain, so each time that I can, I take the opportunity to visit my home country.
I’m a lifetime animal lover, they make me smile. I have worked as a volunteer in the veterinary field, and I had animals my whole life. I’m the proud “mom” of two adorable French bulldogs, Faust (Goethe) and Federica (Nietzsche).
Photo: Reina de Salem. Faust
Photo: Reina de Salem. Federica
Besides being a Blythe Customizer I also work as a Spanish teacher. I enjoy creating my dolls, reading books, writing, painting… Someone once said: “If you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life”. I truly believe in that. None of my jobs have ever felt like work.
I love winter. Snowmen, a raging fire in the fireplace, hot chocolate… Winter is my favorite season. I love music, chocolate, beer, ice skating, cooking, snow days and I’m also addicted to coffee. I like French, Italian, Chinese, Korean or Indian cuisine. However, I’m vegetarian!
How and when did you discover Blythe? When and why did you start your collection?
I discovered Blythe though the Sony campaign for the MiniDisc. I’ve been obsessed ever since!
It was love at first sight and I wanted her desperately. I then started searching the net and some time later got my first Blythe, an Ebony I called Federica, my favorite name. I bought her on eBay on 22.Jun.2007. I had to wait for her for one week (and it felt like this week was never ending). I can still remember perfectly, the day she came, and how nervous I was when I was opening her box. I have customized her many times, and she’s still waiting for a final look (this is the case for the most part of my own collection)!
She was my first Blythe, and the start of my collection.
How many Blythe dolls do you have in your own collection?
I own 17 at the moment:
- 1 Kenner: Her name is Eva Brühl, and she is the treasure of my castle. She is my one. I found her on eBay and I fell in love. I can still remember the day I won her, and the last minute of the auction, it was terrible!! This day will be an ever-lasting memory just like the day when she arrived at my home and I opened her box and I could smell her. I think you don‘t choose your Kenner, it’s more that she chooses you. I was sure that she was my girl the moment I saw her in the auction, but even more so in the moment I could hold and feel her in my hands.
Photo: Reina de Salem. Eva Brühl before.
Photo: Reina de Salem. Eva Brühl after 11 days and multiple hair treatments.
- 1 BL, a stock Mondrian
- 5 EBL’s: T2T, Fancy Pansy, 2 Cherry Berry, and Courtney Tez by Nike
- I also have 7 RBL’s and 3 SBL’s girls. One of them is a Nanuka custom. She was my last year’s birthday present from her, and she is one of the most loving dolls I have in my family now because she is a symbol of friendship.
Photo: Reina de Salem. Ula Bilmum – Nanuka custom.
Where and how do you store them?
I try to create sceneries for all of them but it‘s not easy because the times when I’m not working on custom commissions, I’m teaching or caring my dogs. That means that I have not enough time for my own girls, and that‘s really a pity!
Photo: Reina de Salem. One of the sceneries.
For the moment, I have 2 sceneries and 3 more are in progress. One day I hope to have all my little girls in their own places but until that is possible, they come with me and stand or sit in different places all over the house, and sometimes on shelves by the side of my bed.
Photo: Reina de Salem. Eva Brühl in her playroom.
What do you like the most in collecting Blythe?
They make me feel calm and happy, relaxed…, and it gets all the stress out of me. They also help me to create my own little-big imaginary world 
Photo: Reina de Salem. La Planète du Petit Prince.
Why did you start to customize Blythe?
Creating a new doll from the stock doll, and giving her own personality and soul, is for me one of the greatest feelings. I enjoy the process of using my imagination as an inspiration to create my dolls.
When I saw my first Blythe, I thought that she was unique and different although she was a stock doll. Two weeks later I wanted to change her a little bit more, and I started with her hair. Then I carved her lips, and changed her make-up…, and the rest is history!
Photo: Reina de Salem. I am more punk than you: First Custom made for sale.
How did you learn how to do it?
I learned the basic steps by reading all the information that was available. The rest was just imagination, experimenting and trying different things. I think that you never stop learning, and I’m happy to see all I have learned from the moment I started until now, and what I’ll be doing in another 3 years.
Photo: Reina de Salem. Dorothea Cupcake.
What gives you inspiration for custom work?
Films, photography, fashion, the people on the streets, old pics of family…, and music.
Photo: Reina de Salem. Clair de lune.
What is your work rhythm? How do you like to work?
I do most of my work during the day. I like and also need the light of the sun when I‘m working on the faceplates of my customs. The natural light is perfect to see all the tiny details and the colors of the make-up.
Sometimes I work at night with a special daylight lamp, but normally I use these night hours to create Outfits or sewing the scalps.
Photo: Reina de Salem. Growing at night.
The rhythm depends on how much work I have, so I can dedicate more or less hours to my dolls. I would like to work on my dolls daily from the moment I wake up till the moment I go to sleep, but unfortunately I can‘t do this.
How does your studio look like?
I love tidiness and cleanliness, and I need to see all the things in the places where they belong or I cannot work. I have a big window, a blue table, and 2 big wardrobes where the things are organized in many storage boxes. Useful and decorative at the same time!
When you work on custom commissions, do your clients usually have specific requests or do they give you a free hand?
Most people know what they want and they have specific requests. Sometimes they send me videos, pictures, poems…, as a source for inspiration and to describe more exactly how the doll of their dreams looks like.
Photo: Reina de Salem. Miss B. was inspired by The Mad Hatter, a character of Mr. Raymond Sepulveda’s amazing Alice project, Wonderlost.
But sometimes they let me doing all I want. They just tell me the general style, and I create the rest. This is wonderful because I can imagine all I want and all I must do is to just “let myself go” and follow my heart and my inspiration.
Left photo: Reina de Salem. Showbiz. Right photo: Zaloa27. Ashes.
Where do you sell your custom dolls?
I normally put a doll on eBay every two months, but most of my customs are commissions. People contact me through my webpage, and can see the pics of their new little girls on my page and on my Flickr.
Would you have some advice for those who want to start their own customs?
The most important thing is to find your own touch, and that’s possible if you just feel free to follow your imagination. It’s about experimenting and trying different ways and have no fear to start again if the result is totally different as the picture on your mind.
The inspiration comes automatically, and you only need to let yourself go, and of course, working for hours, and much patience.
What are you working on these days and what are your next projects with Blythe?
I’m doing commission work until the end of July. I’m going to take holidays in August, and during this month I’m going to prepare the sketches for the new commission girls and for the ones that will be on eBay from October on.
Photos: Reina de Salem. Latest commission work: Antoinette.
A final word?
I’d like to end this interview by saying Thank you Fanny for contacting me and giving me the opportunity to talk about my little plastic family and my Custom work. Thanks also to all the people who like my work, and support me. But most of all, thanks for enjoying altogether this big-magic-plastic world.
A thousand thanks to you, Reina, for sharing your love story with Blythe. I am delighted by the poetry and originality of your style, which is always renewed, and this is what makes you a great artist. Love does not count the cost, and I totally understand why your clients keep adding your custom Blythes to their dolly families: one is never enough! I hope I will be lucky and have my first one sometime soon. In the meantime, I look forward to admiring your new girls on your photos!
Photos: Reina de Salem: Humming and Güido. I love their adorable “little girl” look.
Photo: Zoe Favole. Isobel and Carmilla - Clara’s Reina de Salem customs.
Photo: Cybermelli. Jasper, Diesel and Calamity Jane – Reina de Salem customs belonging to Melissa.
Photo: Reina de Salem. Sonnet – Melissa/Cybermelli’s 4th Reina de Salem custom. One is never enough!
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Always enjoy your interviews and this is no exception.
It is great to meet Reina. I do love her custom work. Fabulous!
One if the great cutomizers! I have always admired her. Her dolls are spectacular and clearly emote great feeling and personality because Reina loves what she does so much. I am SO happy to have read this lovely interview, Fanny! Thank you both so much!
jean xox
jny_jeanpretty on flickr