Baby Bunny Scenes

I created these Quirky Bunny pics with the Nursery in mind, after a few friends of mine had babies recently! I wanted to give them something original and handmade. 

70's Retro

I used some amazing printed cotton from a "1930's Playroom" range of designs and needle felted the Magic Roundabout style flowers!
The Bunnys are made from felt with button and bead embellishment and hand felted cheeks.....

Blue For A Boy 

                                                                                       






I don't want to use my blog only to advertise my wares, but if you are looking for a gift, these Bunny Pics are on eBay: Item Numbers 300851305891  & 300851308909

Thank you! xXx 

Bamptonia Custom on ebay!

I've been busy catching up on some Blythe custom work of late, and my most recent creation is a Blythe Clone "Snow flake"

Clone dolls are fake Blythes made in China. They're known as Blybe, Basaak or Colour Changing Eyes Dolls. I guess this is a little bit like buying a pair of "Calvin Kleens"?!!! but although the quality of the dolls is a little lower than the official Takara dolls, they are arguably much the same. The hair and body can easily be replaced as can the eye chips, I suppose this is on a par with buying a Primarni coat and customising the buttons and belt..... anyway, to a customiser like me, they offer an opportunity to create amazing little characters without worrying about jeopardising hundreds of pounds. I am sure that purists would argue against, but I'm not a designer snob so it doesn't bother me. These girls also give more people the opportunity to get involved in the hobby, without too much guilt!

Little Snow Flake has had the following work done:

* Carved mouth and nose,
* New face-up using artists pastels and pencils, sealed with MSC.
* Snow flake design eyelids using pastels and acrylic.
* Twiggy Twiggy jelly pull strings and charms.
* Eyes boggled, gaze corrected and sleep eyes.
* New CoolCat scalp and dusky rose pink mohair weft.

She isn't perfect, but she has a lot of charm and is very photogenic! I enjoyed creating her.

She's currently looking for a new Mum: Ebay item number 300851292866 

Better late than never!

I've been meaning to update for a while now, Christmas has been and gone and we're now well into 2013: I just don't know where the time has gone! I hope that you all had a wonderful time with family and friends and wish you a very Happy 2013!     

                                                                                           

                                

                                                                                                                                             

Christmas in the Bamptonia household was a warm and cosy affair. I always love getting the Christmas Decorations out: they're like long lost friends that I always look forward to greeting and seeing again!

This year, I collected pine cones and attached them to our artificial pagan tree, with a bit of subtle sparkle and I adorned the wreath for the front door with pinecones and red pom poms. 

Of course, everyone likes to get involved in Christmas, and that included our much loved 'Tinchapel Textiles' creations by the amazingly talented Deborah Darling. So Dark Bunny, Little Red Ted and our wonderful squirrels (commissioned by our wedding party for our marriage in the summer) had to get trimmed up too!                                                                                 

Even our cat Pumpkin loves Christmas and enjoyed snuggling in her Christmas collar!    

It all felt a little bit bare when everything returned to the loft for another year............

                                                                                                                                                       

Bun-Bun and Babushka Love.

Time well spent......

The desire to create is innate and although we may not have much time to spend on being creative; living in our frenetic mad world, a little something is often better than nothing!                                    

   

Over the last few weeks, I have been snatching some time to make these quirky felted brooches. I love anything that is a little bit messed up and not too pretty, and so came up with my 'bun-bun' Bunny Brooches! Each "bun-bun" (a pet name my Mum used to call my Dad when we were growing up!) has mis-matched eyes to give him (or her) an added dose of "character" and needle felted cheeks. They are stuffed with merino wool fibres and have a safety catch brooch pin on the back, not forgetting a bob-tail of course!!!

 

              

I've also been busy making Babushkas:                                                                                             

Some are plain and simple and others are a little more festive.....They're Reindeer Babushkas! (Possibly more likely to give children nightmares, but I love em!)

I am hoping that these little friends will find a new home at craft fairs, but some are also up for grabs in my Etsy shop 'The Emporium of Bamptonia' 

Peace Out Friends x

Blythe Christmas outfits on Etsy

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Putting my crafting skills to good use this winter, I have made some quirky Christmas outfits for Blythe. Although my girls look great in their attire, it would be nice to share the festive love around! If your girl needs some festive cheer, check out the crimbo gear here:

www.bamptonia.etsy.com

For the love of Blythe.....

For the Love of Blythe.......

I was bitten by the Blythe Doll bug after randomly discovering some of Gina Garan's photos on the internet in 2004. This freaky doll was originally released in 1972, but production was halted after children found her too frightening! Blythe has an oversized head and her eyes change colour and direction with the help of a pull string mechanism on the back of her head. It is this that gives her so much expressivity and makes her so enigmatic. 

Blythe and I actually share a Birthday, and She was originally manufactured by Pallitoy in the local town of Ashby De La Zouch in the early seventies; so perhaps it was more than a coincidence that we found one another?! 

 I now have four original Kenner Blythes (born in 1972, like my good self!) and a variety of Takara (Hasbro) Neo Blythes. The Japanese company began manufacturing the Neo Blythe in 2001 and she now has thousands of followers worldwide but is predominantly popular in Asia. Blythe is not available to purchase in the U.K, so online buying is the only way to go! 
I am very selective about which contemporary girls join my collection. I am careful not to amass too many dolls and collect for collecting's sake! I do, however, own some fake girls (shhhh! They don't know that they are clones so we musn't talk too loudly!) I like to use my creative talents to customise the dolls and create characters. This involves amongst other things, carving, sanding and painting the faces. Below are some of my customs and restorations. 

Original 1972 Kenner Red Head Blythe 

Custom Neo Blythe Cat Girl 

Original 1972 Kenner Blonde Blythe

Custom Mini-Me Bride Clone Doll

Custom Neo Blythe Pierrot Girl 

My Blythe 'hobby' (I hate that word!) has also involved my participation in a variety of different art and craft activities: Photography, sewing, felt making, knitting etc. It may seem like an odd obsession, but if you are creative, Blythe gives you the perfect excuse to have some fun!

Visit me at www.flickr.com/photos/bamptonia/