In the Meantime

It's been pretty busy over here since I got back from my mini-vacation in Connecticut (for those of you who don't follow me on on Flickr or IG: I went to Connecticut!). Now that I am working full-time most of my free time is being spent relaxing with my Boo or hanging out with my best friend. She goes to school about two hours away from me so we we are squeezing in all the time we can get. As we speak (or, rather, as I type) I am teaching her to cable!!

So with me being rather busy and not knowing when I'll be able to hunker down for the next "real" post I wanted to share some link love, as I sometimes do, with you in the meantime...

 

 

Five Four Things I'm Diggin:

 

The Adventures of Yukikko- This one is for my fellow dolly lover's. Laura's photography is simply amazing and Yukikko is probably one of my favorite dolls right now. I have been loving following her 365 project.

 

This ridiculously simple doll book-making tutorial- I found this via Yukikko/GreenTea and I am thoroughly obsessed. I haven't had the time to sit down and try this out but when I do you better believe my dolls are getting a little Harry Potter collection :) Also, this is everything a tutorial should be: easy, fairly short, and super approachable.

 

Sassy Water- First off, I love the name. This is a recipe from the Flat Belly Diet and I must say, it is delicious. Give it a go.

 

This article has really been tickling my fancy, enough that I picked myself up one of these. I know, I kno- but I had a coupon and a store credit and I just wanted it, darn it!

 



 Until Next Time!

 



Toys, Toys, and More Toys

My first Blythe, Cordelia.

 I suppose it's no secret if you follow me on Instagram or Twitter but I have a confession: I love toys. It is indeed a recently new development, relative to the span of my life, though it feels like I have loved toys and been collecting forever. Less like a new part of me and more like an exsisting part of me that only got it's chance to surface. It really started this December, with an unexplainable infatuation with Blythe. (If you don't know Blythe, get to know her. Her story is amazing) I can't even remember how I stumbled on my the first photo of her, but I did and I was captivated. I started knitting sweaters for her before I even considered that I might have one. I could go on and on about growing up to soon and reconnecting with my childhood, and maybe someday I will, but for now I will  just say this: for some reason toys, dolls specifically, make me very happy. Shortly after taking to Blythe (and getting my first one!), I fell hard for Pullip. Then Littlest Pet Shop petite Blythes. Then I fell in love with toy photography. This I can somewhat explain: it is the best, most sensible way for me to share my toy obsession with you.  There is something magical about capturing your toy whether you set out on a shoot with something in mind and you get that perfect expression or whether the expressiveness of your toys totally catches you off guard. Then I was on Blythe Kingdom and falling in love with the community of Blythe collectors. Then I was on Flickr, with ambitions that far surpassed my actual abilities.

Le petit obsession

In the midst of falling down the rabbit hole I found Alice. Alice writes a wonderful blog called My Plastic Fantasy. The first post I read by her was: Getting your doll out in public!. Give it a read, even if you're not a CrazyDollPerson this post is also a lot about being yourself, loud and proud! I didn't realize until I read this post, and I felt something resonate deep inside me, that I wanted desperately to share my doll love with the world. In the months leading up to this cathartic event I was, of course, sharing my new hobby with the Best Boyfriend in the World and the Best Friend in the World and I was tweeting and IG'ing a little but I so longed to be Public with my dolly love. I am so inspired by how unabashedly obsessed Alice is and utterly jealous of her immense creativity. I also love the casual way Alice includes her toys and dolls into her everyday life. When I read "Getting your doll out..." something inside me was unleashed. I showed Andrew the post and conveyed to him my longing and asked for his support. Of course he gave it, willingly. I began to take photos much more enthusiastically, got involved in the online communities more enthusiastically, started living a little more enthusiasticlly.

This is my Takara petite, Miss Sally Rice, with SnugglyKitty (who is the best sport ever!)

At first I thought I was weird for wanting to play with dolls (because, honestly, I never intended to "collect" or "invest" in them, even if that is what I told my self and loved ones to justify it), then I decided it didn't matter if I was weird if it made me happy, and now I have decided that I am not weird. I am obsessive. Overly-enthusiastic. Silly. But I'm not weird. I am a just a girl happily exploring a new hobby that brings her endless joy. I can't fathom why I though I couldn't share this new love with you, my friends. Maybe I was embarrassed. Maybe I was afraid of rejection. But I'm not anymore- I am thrilled to here and be who I am and share it with anyone crazy enough to try to follow along! (Crazy, because I can't even keep track.)

Harris, Hubert, and Hamish the Havoc Wreakers of Brave fame.

As you could have guessed there will be a lot more toy and dolly related posts on here. But do not be disheartened, I am still Live.Love.Yarn. I could never leave the house without yarn, I'll just have to get a bag big enough for my yarn and my dolls now! Thanks for playing along and as always,

Until Next Time

Also, add me on Flickr!! I am LiveLoveYarn over there too, naturally. Some of the photos from this post are photos from my Flickr (to pique your interest with Shameless Self Promotion), but I am newly making a serious effort to post original content (that means minimal re-posting) here, there, and on IG.



My Pullip, Charlotte, looking peaceful and serene

Heritage Days on the Coastline

Blue skies, fun rides

Today my family and I spent the day in Scituate for Heritage Days. We had such a nice afternoon I couldn't help but sharing :) I'm not really very sure why it's called Heritage Days, there wasn't a whole lot of history or heritage going on that I saw, but that doesn't mean it wasn't awesome. It mostly consisted of awesome vendors, food trucks, rides, and live music. There were some great booths with handmade goods, others just some cool stuff. There was a lot of great jewelry to look at.Though some of the vendors were a little weary of us touching their wares, some were just fine with it and those are the ones we purchased from! It's funny, I always find that the artisans are eager for you to handle their goods while other vendors seem less eager for you to do so.

 My mother got me the amazing bracelet above as a congratulatory pressie cuz, guess what- I GOT THE JOB. I start my new position at the library on Monday, and  I am thrilled. The bracelet is made of cracker jack prizes! This vendor had some beautiful vintage button jewelry but I couldn't pass up this colorful, nostalgic creation. Also, I've really been diggin on toys lately but more on that later. She was so funny, she told us that when she got the brush (when she was little!) she tried to brush her own hair with it, to which my Mom chimed in that she used to brush her dolly's hair with hers!

Of course, their was also amazing food and because my family and I have no shame here are some humbling photos of us enjoying our selective treats. I had an amazing. Phenomenal. Other-worldly pulled pork sandwich. The vendor-lady was literally pullin it off the grill when I stepped up, how was I supposed to say no? It was MONDO. It was smoky, sweet, with just a little kick. So good.

My mom went with a traditional fried dough ;) And then got a little funky to the live music.

She might just kill me if she knew I showed you this, but then again she's a lot like me- in that she doesn't take her self to seriously

We also popped in a little music shop boasting ukuleles galore and they did not disappoint. I started playing last summer, very little. I have a cheap little Mahalo that I strum every now and then (my nails are too long right now and I am rather enjoying having pretty nails for the first time....ever, so I will enjoy them over the uke a little longer). The shop owner was pretty proud of her selection, as she should be, and let me snap a quick pic of all the gorgeous little four stringed loves.

And, oh yeah, did I mention that we were right on the coastline and the weather was gorgeous and although it was hot the salty sea breeze was so heavenly? So Heavenly.

That's my lil bro. I can never get an authentic smile out of him, so this = gold.

Until next time, Friends.