Introducing the Lovely and Talented Kawaii Kandy!

I am utterly delighted to get to introduce you to another of my dear friends in the amazing Blythe community.  Maggi was my very first "Blythe friend".  She came to me about a year and a half ago asking me to make a very very special necklace for a very special doll.  Here is the doll (Ty) wearing the necklace I made her <3

After creating this special necklace Maggi and I developed a friendship :)  I looked forward to seeing her amazingly creative photos and her quirky and fabulous dolls.  (Pixy is my favorite, though Pepper is a close second, and all of the others come in third LOL, I love them all!!)   After a while, Maggi started making these fun and fanciful crochet hats and opened her own shop :)

Maggi is one of the kindest, sweetest, most fun and fascinating people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.  I would not have survived the last year and a half without her humor, her warmth, and her friendship :)  Introducing... Maggi!

http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/KawaiiKandy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kawaii_kandy/

1) Where and when did your obsession with creating things begin?

I've loved creating things as long as I can remember. My mom was always making something or other so I definitely got my creative side from her. :)

2) What is your favorite fairy or folk tale and why?

The Hobbit. I know it's not technically a fairy/folk tale but one of the reasons Tolkien wrote it was to give England its own fairy tale/mythology besides King Arthur and that's always stuck with me. I read the book every year and I still find it thrilling.

3) Who is the most inspiring person in your life? Why?

My kids.  They're full of joy and are so innocent about the way the world works. I'd pay good money for that sort of happy ignorance. :D

4) If you could meet any famous person, living or not ;), who would you wish to meet? What would you do with them? (Play skeetball, have lunch, tap dance...)

Hmmmm...probably Jane Austen. She was so snarky and sarcastic...just like me. :)

5) How did you find Blythe? What drew you to her?

I found Blythe through Pullip dolls back in 2008 I think. I collected Pullips for a while and Blythe wasn't even on my radar until around 2012. I think what ultimately drew me to Blythe was how much personality they can hold, this probably wouldn't make sense to anyone other than Blythe collectors but those plastic faces can show a good range of emotion. lol

6) Which of your Blythes is your "mini me"? Which is the one you wish you could be?

Not sure I have a "mini me" but each of my girls has some facet of my own personality and/or quirks. :D

7) What is the story behind "Kawaii Kandy"? How did you come up with the name? Where did you come up with the brilliant idea for hats?

I came up with name Kawaii Kandy back in my Pullip days. I wanted to start a Flickr account and loved kawaii style so then I just started thinking of things that could go with the word "kawaii". The fact that it's sort of became the style for my Blythe hats is pure coincidence...or kismet. lol

I decided to start making hats because I needed more money to fund the doll hobby. LOL  I felt I could crochet reasonably well so then I just started making a list of possible hat ideas that I could try out. I decided that I needed to think of something to set my hat apart from everyone else's and the rest of history. :D

8) What five things couldn't you live without?

The internet (LOL), kdramas, my family, my friends...and glitter. HA!

9) What is the best part about Blythe? About the community?

Blythe is just fun!  She helps me escape when I'm having a bad day, she inspires me to be creative and she has helped me connect with people I wouldn't have otherwise known. I feel the same way about the community. :)

10) Anything else you'd like to tell us about you? About your work?

I just try to make people happy. I'd like to think that they can see my pictures or my girls or my hats and smile for a moment. Sometimes all people need is a moment to reach the surface again.

 

Thank you, Maggi, for doing this interview and sharing your wonderful self with us :)