Have Mini will Travel

There are places that we go that I would rather my girls not take their dolls with them.  They are either just too distracting or just too large to tote along with all their accessories.  Enter: The Minis.  There are several lines of play dolls that fit into this category.  Some of our favorites are Madeline, approximately 8 inches, starring character from the much-loved line of children's books and, of course, the American Girl doll minis which stand at approximately 6.5 inches.  We currently own AG mini Kit Kittredge but are on the hunt for more!  She is made very similarly to the 18 inch version of herself, complete with soft cloth body, jointed vinyl limbs and tie string at the neck.  One negative is that her eyes are painted and I would have preferred sleep eyes on her.  To me, this lends to a facial appearance that is not nearly as sweet as the 18 inch American Girl doll.  Madeline is fully vinyl, has a great head of rooted red hair and comes complete with an adorable little scar at the bottom of her softly rounded tummy as a reminder of her famous appendectomy.  Madeline feels just right in little hands.  Her hair is easy to style and does not seem to become too ratted or disheveled with regular play.  One downside is keeping up with those tiny little shoes!  If you find yourself needing to replace them as I do, the American Girl mini dolls wear size 25mm.  These are readily available on the web.  Dolls of this size are also easy to create fun furniture and accessories for.  My girls and I have had a lot of fun creating pretty things together for the minis.  We then pack it all up in a tidy little tote and take it along wherever we go.
Speaking of accessories, let me tell you about a treasure trove of them.  These are scaled for the 18" dolls such as American Girl and really are fun play items to keep your girls busy with their dolls for hours at a time!  If you see something cute used as a photo prop in my Etsy shop it probably came from here.  I'm in love with lovvbugg and I bet if you spend any time at all looking around their store, you will be too.  Now go play with your dolls!
-Whimsy

Baby Millie Travels in Style

A few weeks back I posted pics of our adorable Melissa and Doug 12" Brianna doll.  She is known to us as Baby Millie and I am bursting with pride to show you her little car seat.  This is just a thrift store find that I brought home and fancied up.
Baby Millie's car seat's humble beginnings:

I cut apart the pieces of her original car seat cover at the seams.  Then I used my embroidery machine to quilt the fabric that I would use to create the new cover.

Then using the contrasting fabric panels I had quilted, I cut out the new pattern pieces for the car seat cover from the old pieces I had cut apart.  I stitched the new seams together and put the cover on.  It was a great fit so I reassembled the seat with all the straps and buckles.  How cute!!

Let me know if you decide to try this on your own fabulous thrift store find.  I'd be glad to help you.  Now go play with your dolls!
-Whimsy!

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My Baby's First Doll Baby

My third daughter turned two this month.  She is very interested in playing dollies and is ready to graduate from the average store-type dolly to something nicer.  She is not ready yet for the really nice dolls either, so I have been on a quest to find just the right baby for her.  Part of the reason I am looking is that she wants a baby with hair to brush.  I want to find her a doll with hair that won't get ratty and dry from my toddler's daily use and care.  The other reason is that I want her to have a baby of her own that she can hold while I am caring for her new sister that should be arriving next month.  Here is the solution that we found.  Meet Brianna, now called Baby Millie at our place.

The Melissa and Doug company carries this vanilla-scented, thumb-sucking beauty that is just right for our girl.  Her hair is rooted but full for styling and surprisingly soft.  She gets carried around by her pigtails daily and they have always brushed out nice and smooth for us so far.  It's not too long either.  Her face is of average cuteness but I must say she looks better with her thumb or pacifier in rather than out.  Her clothes are sturdy and wash clean for us.  Her body is soft and sleep-friendly.  If you are in the market for a new baby doll for your little girl who is not quite ready for her first real dolly, then consider Brianna by Melissa and Doug.  At just $15 on Amazon, she is a real bargain.  Here she is after a month at home with us.

Cuddled up with her Mama

Now go play with your dolls!
-Whimsy

My Cuddly Surprise

Hooray, the big day is here!  It's a good thing too because I was about to burst.  Happy Birthday to my second daughter today.  She is still in the midst of playing with baby dolls, not just having dolls as friends, so I am excited to share with you this great find that we have for her.  Remember all that sewing I did last month?  Well it was especially for this tiny, sweet doll.  Meet Madelyn, a My Twinn Cuddly Sister.  Isn't she just adorable in her petite little way?  At just 14" in length we are having a time finding clothes to fit her.  Lucky for my girl her Mama can sew!

What a head of hair she has too!  These braids are long and silky.  Could you imagine a real baby with hair this long? This doll is made with the same high-quality materials that the rest of the My Twinn doll line is.  This includes a premium wig that is soft and full for styling, gorgeous eyes full of sparkle, a full set of premium eyelashes, artist brows and face, and a snuggly-soft bean body that just calls for a little mommy to hold it.  This fabulous eBay find came with 3 pairs of shoes, 3 outfits, and her ribbon hair ties.  My sweet little girl is in love with this Cuddly cutie.

  Now go play with your dolls!
-Whimsy