Cuteness, Critters, Crochet & World Peace!

Hello, friends! Once again, long time no post as things have been quite hectic around here so I shall make up for my absence by making this an extra lengthy one. Here's what's been happening since we spoke last:
These little critters are off to our dear friends, Linda, Molli, and Zelda. Goodbye Owl and Bunny! Have a safe trip to your wonderful, new home where I know you'll get lots and lots of love. Thank you, Molli, for adopting them! (Update: They arrived safely!)

I've been lucky enough to come into all manner of cuteness lately. Some adorable barrettes for Loovee, which include a set of pink Hello Kitty clips; a kawaii notebook with a sweet teddy bear softie on the cover; the teensiest bunny stickers; and the pièce de résistance -- the cutest Gachapin keychain ever!

These are the first commercially made Blythe outfits I've ever purchased -- Sugarmag and Par Avion. I prefer to make my own Blythe outfits or to get them from fellow crafty folks. I just appreciate the personal handiwork so much. However, Gina Garan had a great clearance sale at her TIB shop, so I decided to give it a go. The neat thing about ordering from her shop is she gives you a free signed Blythe postcard. Hooray for freebies!

Notice that there's not a single bit of pink or blue in it, which are Loovee's favorite colors. So who could this outfit possibly be for? Hmmmmm . . . . The plot thickens.

Although, I have crocheted a simple tank top for Loovee in the past, I've been apprehensive of crocheting a whole dress for her. The problem is every time I think "crochet doll dress" my head immediately gets filled with visions of those awful toilet paper cozy dolls my grandma used to have in her bathroom. You know those plastic lady dolls with their crochet dresses that discreetly hide a fresh roll of T.P. underneath their skirts. Thankfully, I came across some beautiful crochet dresses on Flickr that completely changed my mind and have obliterated my notion that crochet doll dress = a special kind of ugly.

Look at this lovely Blythe dress from Godesia. She has a great Etsy store that sells her crochet creations, too.

This sweet dress is by TeenyWeeny Designs and is for a Pocket Fairy doll. She also has an Etsy store. Love her Blythe hats!

This Blythe schoolgirl dress by Jojoling is incredible! Last I checked she still had a few at her Etsy shop.

I adore this mod Blythe minidress by Dolluxe. Her stuff sells out super fast at her Etsy shop so visit often if you want to snag one of her amazing pieces.

Anyway, I want to thank the above for inspiring me. Here is my very first crochet dolly dress! Not too bad, eh? It still needs a bit of tweaking, but overall I think it came out okay for my first try.

Notice the pretty heart barrette on Loovee's noggin? It came all the way from Holland from Tizzalicious. She makes the cutest accessories (for Blythe and people alike) in lots and lots of pink, which makes them all very painful for me to resist. She has a great Etsy shop and a blog dedicated to her craftiness, too. Thank you, Tizz!

Last, but not least I've been tagged by the talented Zari at justZHM to do a meme! How thrilling! I have never been tagged before. The theme for her meme is Love and Peace and that is her beautiful dove illustration above. It is a very timely subject for me as this summer my brother-in-law will be shipping off to Iraq. It is my hope that this new year brings less strife and more peace to our world.

Much aloha to you all!