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

A Busy New Site for Doll Goods

I wanted to write a quick post to let you know about a new site for doll enthusiasts.  Where can you find a last-minute swimsuit for your dolls trip to the beach next week?  Where can you find a deal on a mint condition, very hard to find, now retired Felicity?  Well, Dollabee, of course!  Cinnamon from Liberty Jane has created a new site for all things doll.  Dollabee is now up and running and is intended to function"like Craigslist, but for dolls."  I am eager to spread the word in hopes of seeing more and more of you posting and purchasing dolls and doll goodies you find on Dollabee.  I hope to see you there soon!
-Whimsy

Dolly Diy: Farmhouse Bed

Do you have a crafty brother or a handy daddy around your house?  If not there is no need to worry.  Thanks to the lovely ladies at Ana White you can build anything you need to outfit your home.  This includes fashioning furniture for your dolls as well.  This post will feature her lovely Farmhouse Bed project.

 I will have to say that our doll bed was not completed by me alone.  This was a well-written starter project for my Scout to help out with.  The instructions are clear and require only a basic understanding of tools and woodworking.  This really doesn't require any special carpentry skill.  This bed was completed in two full afternoons working after lunch until 5:30 each time.  We sanded and stained ours rather than giving it a coat of paint.  We put the finish on the following morning.  We had most of the scrap wood here in the garage and had to purchase only a few pieces for this gorgeous bed from the local home big box store.  All in all, we spent closer to 10 hours on this in stead of the 6 hours the project estimate suggests.  Ours was made and given as a gift.  It was much-loved and shown off by its recipient.  Since we have multiple dollies here, we will be attempting a bunk or trundle bed to keep next time.  With so many dolls around here, we should stay busy for quite some time.  Now go play with your dolls!
-Whimsy

Dolly Travels

Once you have a few friends in your collection you will want to bring them along with you when you go places.  Proper dolly care does not allow for dolls placed on the floorboard of your car or strewn about carelessly.  Here I have sewn a Dolly Take Along Tote using McCall's Pattern M5019.  This pattern was easily cut out and constructed fairly quickly.  The pattern markings and terms were clear.  I would rate this an intermediate project since you are working with interfacing and turning requires proper strap and lining placement.  A girl could sew this with much assistance.

 Here I've taken my embroidery machine and embellished the pocket with a wand applique, some ribbon, and her name.  As you can see, once constructed the tote is huge!  Both Samantha and Fancy Nancy are standing up inside with plenty of room to spare.  My model girly is 7 and the tote is about as big as it could possibly be for her to carry around.  This would be great for a slumber party or a play date with friends.  Let me know if you try this pattern and need any help along the way.  I'd love to help.

Now go play with your dolls!
-Whimsy

American Girl Doll for FREE, yes FREE!!

If I believed in luck, I would say my six year old is lucky.  Put her in a random drawing of any sort and she wins many times.  This time was no different.  I entered all three of the girls, even the baby, in a drawing for a Just Like You doll that the bookstore, Borders, was having.  I filled out the entry forms, looked at what we had stopped there for, and left.  At the end of the week my phone rang and the caller ID displayed Borders.  I looked at my daughter and said, " I bet you won that American Girl Doll."  I was right.  We went down there to sign a few release papers, bring home our newest dolly family member, and were dazzled!  This was our first experience with and brand new, fresh-from-the-box American Girl doll.  I believe she is known as G1940 (how cold) but we call her Maeve.  Her soft body is just right for hugging and holding, her blue eyes sparkle when she's awake and close when she's asleep.  We will spend many hours combing and styling her soft, shiny hair.  She will be right at home in this doll-loving place.  Now go play with your dolls!
-Whimsy

A Doll for Mama

Isn't she cute?  I play dolls with my girls alot.  Usually I am asked to be the hair-stylist but many times they just want me to play family or act out a favorite story from Little House on the Prairie with them.  Thanks to eBay I now have my own vintage American Girl doll to use when we play together.  Isn't she spunky?  This is a Pleasant Company Lindsey and she is perfect.  In fact, I can't believe how tight her limbs are for her age.  We usually buy from the historical line but Lindsey is not from that genre.  She is special because she is the first American Girl of Today doll they issued and is known as Lindsey Bergman.  I like her just because she is cute and full of spunk.  Just look at that unruly hair and the sprinkling of freckles across her tiny upturned nose.  What a doll!  No more time to post, I've got to go play!!
-Whimsy

Our American Girl Doll Family is Growing

Until today we owned just one American Girl doll.  My 6 year old has been asking for one too so I began looking at what was available.  Because she's six and we love vintage, I will not be buying brand new.  She decided that she would like a Pleasant Company Samantha so that is what we got.  A Craigslist poster had several available so off we went to check them out.  We ended up getting this adorable PC Samantha with this cute bob and her complete meet outfit for a GREAT price.  We also purchased several pairs of shoes and clothes from this seller just for fun.  Since Samantha is in no need of repair or rehabilitation we really have nothing more to say.  Now go play dolls!
-Whimsy

Welcome Home, My American Girl Doll

A very popular doll on the market today is the American Girl Doll.  She is probably the most popular among girls aged 9-11 for sure and my girl is no exception.  After looking into the dolls and their stories, we decided Molly would be our perfect first doll.  She is from AG's line of historical dolls, has her own line of books and even a movie.  For us, vintage is always preferred so we began to comb the eBay listings in search of the perfect girl for us.  We were searching for a Pleasant Company era Molly with great skin, bright eyes and soft hair still in its original braids.  Our search has ended!  We are pleased to announce we are now proud owners of our first American Girl doll, Molly McIntyre.  She came with her complete meet outfit and book collection.  We are pleased.
Molly's string is nice and long and her body seems to be without defect or scuffs.  She is odorless as well, which is always a plus!  However, she has one leg that is not as tight as it could be so we will go in and restring it to make her whole body nice and tight.  If your American Girl needs a little re-stringing help, and you've got the patience, give it a try.  Otherwise, you'll have to consider a trip to the Doll Hospital in her future.  This project is adult-only.  Do not try this without some time and a safe location for your parts, in case you need to leave for some reason.  There are a couple of ways to accomplish a re-stringing and this method is adequate and cost-effective if you are on a tight budget.  This is very similar to the way we repaired our own Molly but a bit quicker and cheaper.  If you decide your doll needs some serious help that is beyond your skill, maybe you could contact Diane.  She operates a doll hospital for dolls of any type and does excellent work.  Let me know how your re-stringing goes!
-Whimsy