Custom Blythe Dolls

How did NeverLeftBeehind come about?

 

I have always been the type of person who has restless hands 'the devil makes work for idle fingers' and all that. I have an overactive creative thought process, which keeps me busy a lot of the time but is also susceptible to the stresses and strains of life. 

 

I got to a particularly taxing point in my career where I came  to the conclusion that  I needed to think less about work whilst at home and get a hobby! 

 

Whilst strolling around a farmers' market one gorgeous Sunday lunch time, I spotted a beautiful owl brooch made from felt. Mr B (the hubby) treated me to it and I wore it with joy. A few weeks later, whilst still pondering a hobby, I came across my owl brooch and thought what a beautifully simple concept it was. 

That's when my obsession with felt began. Every time I felt that the stress was taking over the creative part of my brain I would get out my felt and create brooches. Until... I had many, many, many brooches and what to do with them? I opened my first online shop and they sold well. 

 

Whilst browsing for inspiration one weekend, I came across these intriguing girls with big eyes and funky fashions. I decided to dig further into the world of these mysterious dolls. Before I knew it, hours had passed and I was completely and utterly in love!

 

Now over the previous months I had collected a nice little pot of profit from making my brooches so I spent it on my first Blythe doll RUBY. With her skull and crossbone tights and tartan laced boots I was hooked!

 

I started to create accessories for her out of felt and decided to sell some of these too. Quickly, I moved onto building up my tool collection and eventually bought a factory girl to customise. Soon after, I moved on to customising official Takara releases. Choosing a shop name took time. I wanted something that reflected that feeling of opening a new doll and the bond that quickly develops. I also wanted to incorporate myself in my shop name. I decided to use my initials NLB. After throwing ideas about for days, I decided on NeverLeftBeehind, I decided on the quirky spelling of Beehind, as my hubby calls me Mrs Bee/ Queen Bee. And well, here I am today...

 

My aim is to make affordable Blythe girls, so that more fans can achieve their dream of owning a Blythe doll. In order to do this, I keep my overheads to a minimum... working from the kitchen table with an iced drink and soothing music. I scour the world for girls who may have their own unique 'flaws' which usually sell for a better price. Very relaxed and flexible layaways are available for all of my girls, often decided by the buyer. I keep the whole idea as a hobby rather than a business and slowly slowly each girl is created.