Susan Shapiro, The Beginnings of a Custom Doll Project

At last, I get to explain the story of our first customized doll!

As you have already learned, this year Penny got the idea to buy Emily Bennett, American Girl doll and best friend of Molly McIntire. We can partially blame Lisette (Emily) over at Melody Valerie Couture because she is just so darn pretty. But you can't just have Emily- you need to have Susan Shapiro and Linda Rinaldi too! It is a fearsome foursome, not a terrible twosome!

After looking at all of the available dolls on the American Girl website, Penny was not able to find one that resembled the book illustrations for Susan. In the movie she has blue eyes, however, in the books she has brown eyes. You wouldn't think it would be that difficult to find a light-brown-haired, brown-eyed, bangs-less doll in the sea of AG...but it didn't look like it was going to happen.

The plan developed to buy a #23 and swap her eyes out for light brown ones from a #26 doll. Mstangledwebs (an American Girl Playthings board member, LiveJournal AG over 18 member and the creator of fairies) offers a customized doll service and actually had these eyes already available. So we didn't have to buy both dolls ourselves. A very convenient service indeed!

In the images below you see the illustrated Susan from Molly's paperdolls (so you have a general idea of what she is supposed to look like) and then our new #23 right out of her box, showing off her beautiful hair and gorgeous blue eyes.

After seeing the doll in person, Penny had some second thoughts about changing the eyes. However, with the light brown hair, classic facemold and no bangs- Susan looked way too much like Emily. And Linda is also supposed to have blue eyes. So it would have been 3 blue eyed dolls from the 1940s. How boring is that?

So off she went to Mstangledwebs for an eye-swap!

Check back tomorrow, May 1st 2009, when we reveal the new brown-eyed Susan and a Keepers Dolly Duds 1940s outfit! See you soon!

Guest Review with Jess: Etsy's Julia's Creations

As you all may know, I love my fashions to be cool & funky, which is why I love this outfit from Etsy seller Julia's Creations. It has 4 fun pieces, my red t-shirt, striped leggings, polka skirt & jacket. I took the jacket off when I got hot.

This is my little sister Anna. She loves to wear pretty dresses so we got her this one from Julia's as well. It is so pretty and so well made. The prices are so great at Julia's we can't wait to shop there again.

New Doll and Custom Clothing Plans!

Hello again!

Please allow me to share a little confession with you- once you start this blogging thing and you learn how to actually do it properly it is very difficult to tear yourself away! It's been several months now, but I am finally getting the hang of it!

Having followers and guest reviews from another author, Jess, is just so exciting that I want to keep posting again and again! I really should be doing homework...but instead I'm here on the computer. (Don't tell Penny.)

Let's take advantage of my procrastination and talk custom doll projects! My next post will introduce you to our first custom doll. But first I decided to bring your attention to our next planned project.

We have already briefly discussed our upcoming custom doll project of a brown-eyed Felicity doll to play the role of Elinor Dashwood from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. We need someone to wear all of this Regency period clothing we are collecting!

The new question became: "What do we do with the green eyes and where do we get brown ones?" I suggested to Penny that she finally make that dark brown-haired, green-eyed doll that she has been thinking about since she was a little girl. American Girl used to make a Girl of Today/ Just Like You doll with dark brown hair and green eyes. However, that doll (#10) was retired and Penny likes to buy new dolls (she likes that new-doll smell) so she can't troll Ebay for one.

Thus hatched the plan to create a green-eyed version of a #16- see the AG Playthings Guide to JLY for a headshot of this doll, as well as a guide to the number coding for JLY dolls. We wanted to create a new historical to be our friend, however #16 features bangs, which are not really appropriate for characters dating to earlier than the 1900s.

I began to sketch out a "dating" plan in my Science notebook- instead of writing about plant cells. This is what I came up with: many of the other 1900s decades are already occupied by official American Girl historical dolls- Samantha for 1904, Rebecca for 1914, Kit for 1934, Molly for 1944 and Julie for 1974.

We wanted to be slightly original, so we were left with 1924, 1954, and 1964 as choices. Bangs didn't seem right for the 1920s when we tend to think of flappers and bobbed hairdos for that decade. So it was between 1954 and 1964: sock-hops or the Vietnam War.....um, yeah. You can probably see where this is heading.... Even though Penny's Dad is a Vietnam vet (yay Marines!) and it would be cool to make a Vietnam-era doll as a semi-tribute to him, she felt weird placing a young girl into that part of US history.

Looking closer at the issue, Penny's Dad grew up in the 1950s and our 11-yr-old doll would be about the same age as he was in 1954! He always enjoys talking about his childhood adventures. Can't really say the same thing about his enlisted years. So after that long thought process, Penny gave the thumbs up for a new 1950s doll. She is big fan of poodle skirts and saddle shoes!

So help us decide on a name for our mysterious-yet-to-be-created 1950s doll- please vote in the poll on the right side of the screen underneath my profile photo! You can choose more than one name that you like- but don't choose them all because that won't help us narrow down the list!

In anticipation of our new 1950s doll we custom-ordered a new dress from Melody Valerie! Check out the first blog entry on the project just as the work is beginning!

(Sorry I just created the longest post EVER...didn't really mean to....hope your eyeballs aren't sore from reading it!)

meandmyprincessboutique Grey Coat and Scarf

Penny bought this coat months ago and it finally finds its way to the blog! Luckily, if you are interested, you can still buy the same exact coat from Ebay seller meandmyprincessboutique. Most likely it was made in China, but it is quite different and special.

The original ensemble also comes with a newsboy-type hat and pink suede boots. All together it is quite a modern-looking outfit- but we narrowed it down to the coat and the scarf for when Emily needs a fancy winter coat. Double-breasted wool and plaid accessories are timeless. It can still function as a modern outfit anytime though!

For those of you familiar with the AG line for Molly and Emily, you probably know the coat options are pretty slim: a yellow raincoat, a blue jacket for ice skating, and a snowsuit parka. Maybe there is something else available, but I can't think of it. Needless to say we have had to branch out a bit to find things that will work for our 1940s girls!

Did everyone catch our guest reviewer's first post- Monday April 27th? It's written by Jess and it is awesomeness! Such beautiful pictures! Is everyone jealous of those Liberty Jane jeans? I certainly am. (pouting)

In addition, this is our 100th post! Yeeehaaa! 100 posts strong- now we can go into syndication......oh, wait- I think that is TV shows. The next posting from me, Nora, will be our introduction to the new super-special-surprise custom doll! See you next time!

Guest Review with Jess: Liberty Jane jeans & shoes

Hi! My name is Jess and I am the guest reviewer Nora told you about! I am 11 years old, I love cool clothes (especially skulls!), music, traveling, and hanging out with my friends (many you will get to meet here!) I am getting ready for an exciting journey as I travel from California to Washington DC. I have been shopping to help me get ready for my trip. I love my clothes to be cool with attitude which is why I love these jeans from Liberty Jane. They have a great destroyed look and fit great. I think my friends may get jealous. You can also find my skull shoes here.

sdls275 Black and White Gingham 1940s Dress

I told you we branched out from blue and white clothing for Emily! Ok, so black and white is not that far off from blue and white...but it is different!

Penny won the auction on Ebay for this sdls275 Heirloom Doll Designs 1940s gingham dress in anticipation of Emily's arrival. It has a ton of interesting details: buttons down the front, a ruffled waistline, and an edged collar with embroidered flowers.

In addition, the seamstress was nice enough to include two fashionable ribbons with the dress! Of course, there were sort of meant for the ends of Molly's braids, but they look equally wonderful on Emily's pigtails.

This is definitely a fun and unique dress! After Penny bought it she started seeing gingham dresses everywhere. I guess it is that time of the year!

Some interesting news for The Doll Wardrobe readers: we should be getting a guest reviewer on the blog very soon! Another doll is going to share with us some of the handmade/homemade items that her human has been collecting! Does she have dolly friends and/or sisters? Maybe we will find out! So keep your eyeballs peeled for postings from our new author!

Keep your eyeballs peeled...where in the world did that saying come from?

Anyway, enjoy our pics of Emily in her new dress! Next up a grey coat and plaid scarf for our dear Em from Ebay seller meandmyprincessboutique!

Terristouch 1940s Shirt and Shorts

Sorry this post is a little picture-heavy and lacking a slideshow, but I wanted to show you our new outfit in two different ways and sometimes those slideshows shrink my images a bit too much.

This outfit is a recent purchase from Terristouch on Etsy which included stunning box pleat shorts and a striped shirt. We then paired it with the white blouse from the previous post to show you the versatility of the shirt and the shorts. This way you can see it with a shirt not tucked in and with a shirt tucked in. We seem to have bought quite a lot of blue and white clothing for Emily, but don't worry we do eventually branch out to other colors for her!

Emily likes to call this her new roller skating outfit. Mind you, those are AG Julie's 1970s roller skates that Em has stolen for herself. But I think they look alright for the 1940s. Plus the blue on the skates almost matches the blue shorts.

Coming up next on our posting schedule is a sdls275 black and white gingham dress for the 1940s courtesy of Ebay!

Terristouch 1940s Striped Jumper and Blouse

April is almost gone! Where is 2009 going? I can remember when it was 2008 and I was the Girl of the Year Limited Edition Doll...so very very long ago. Oh, those were good times. Heehee.

But I digress from today's mission- talking about our new 1940s items from Terristouch on Etsy! First we have a delightful striped jumper with an accompanying white blouse that you see being modeled by our pretty Emily. It sort of reminded me of a candy-striper outfit, but it could also work as a school oufit as well. The nicest thing about these types of outfits is that the blouses can be used with other outfits and the jumpers can be paired with different blouses..... as you can see in our next post!

Emily sure is enjoying getting all these new clothes. In England they had fabric rationing during World War II, so when she was in Europe she didn't get many new items to wear. But here in the USA we are overwhelming her with new frocks!

gehrom Brown Sweater and Hat Set

Well, I mentioned gehrom as a featured Ebay seller in our earlier post from today and I decided I should show you something that we have purchased from this seller.

If I just saw the name "gehrom," I'd probably think they sell AG-sized robot costumes or something...but in fact they sell knitted items!

Penny found two great knitted sets in their shop that she wanted: a brown sweater-coat and hat, and a grey and red sweater-coat and hat. The hats sort of look like they could work for the 1920s, 30s, and 70s. While Penny was trying to decide which time period they should go to, Kit demanded that they were both hers. That doll can be feisty!

So here is the first set in all of its knitted glory! Extra bonus: the flower on the hat is removable, and hence, movable. Yippee! It's a sweet set. Well-made. Super-warm for those chilly days. And it looks great on our lovely Kit.

Coming soon (tomorrow, maybe)..... two new outfits for the 1940s from the Terristouch Etsy shop! Yay for fantastic doll clothing! Wooohoooo! (Maybe I ate too much sugar today...)

Dollies' Dressmaker Dress from Kit's Surprise

One of the nicest things about The Dollies' Dressmaker website offerings is that you might be able to find high-quality reproductions of retired AG items (such as Felicity's Work Gown) and even creations based on AG book illustrations.

How many times have you read an AG book and looked at the illustrations wondering: "Why didn't AG make this dress? It's gorgeous!" Then you start wondering if you could sew it yourself........reality soon hits when you realize you don't even own a sewing machine. And you give up on your dream.

The Dollies' Dressmaker feels our pain. Cindy Hernandez seems to know that there are those of out there in the world who want these illustrated items but can't sew them ourselves. Which brings us to Kit's new dress- please see the lovely pictures below with Kit sporting some nice pigtails. Illustrated in Kit's Surprise: A Christmas Story, this golden-orange dress is girlish and sporty at the same time, just like our Kit!

Penny stared at it on the website for many many months, pondering whether or not to buy it. Then she realized that if it gets sold-out she will be kicking herself for not getting it. (The order button was then pressed.)

Interesting Ebay Sellers!

Yay! Another List!

This is the list of interesting Ebay sellers that you may want to investigate. Most are in the USA and sell homemade items. One or two are probably selling "Made in China" items, but they carry unique stuff so I thought I would include them in case you are looking for "different."

Also, most of these sellers do not carry items 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There may be a long period when they don't offer anything. So if you don't find anything in the shop today, keep checking back. Those sellers that do post regularly tend to do 7 day postings and replace them on a weekly basis. Penny tries to keep a weekly schedule of checking the shops for good stuff. It helps if you save them as a "Saved Seller" in "My Ebay."

Lastly, I am not going to explain what these sellers create because they keep changing their offerings. Historical, modern, costumes, etc. etc.- you may find anything! But I can't say/predict who is going to have what and when. Penny has shopped at about a half of these stores, so if you are curious about what we own from them please search our blog!

Here we go, in no particular order.... with spaces so you can read it easily...

• csbsews
• bonjean65
• jeanebob4
• bethg456573vr
• cherrywalks

• keepersdollyduds
• sewing*genie
• silenceoftheyam
• liberty_jane_clothing_llc
• marcotsgirls

• c12ookie
• dhccpiano
• pawspets
• susan49668
• wulang55

• sdls275
• suebesewing
• doll*sewer
• sophie_nc
• sewaddicted2

• damsels-in-dress
• mattimillinery
• kmkdollshop
• suzebella
• gehrom

• alteon77
• idreamofjeannemarie
• allhoneycreations47
• drommer0
• meandmyprincessboutique
  

How do you find these sellers? Ebay.com - Advanced Search - By Seller! Have fun everyone!

agseamstress Spring Dress from Etsy

It feels good to be productive, even at such a late hour....

You may remember that we bought an Addy-style Civil War era dress from agseamstress's Etsy shop awhile back for our friend Cassie. It is a lovely item and ever since then we have been waiting for new agseamstress items.

In the fall/winter there were a couple new items released, but we missed purchasing them before they ran out of stock on Etsy. Too many holiday cookies and slices of pie slowed down Penny's shopping reaction time, heehee. After the recent introduction of the agseamstress spring line of dresses, Penny managed to grab one that she thought would look great on our new friend Emily.

The agseamstress spring line was not really designed as "historical" dresses, but I have determined that this lovely yellow, white and blue dress will do fine in the 1940s. No one seemed to argue with my decision. The layered effect, the skirt length, the peter pan collar, and the slightly poofy sleeves seem to say "works for the 1940s" to me!

So here is our beautiful and charming Emily, with Muddiford at her feet, saying "Thank you agseamstress for my new dress!"


Next time in The Doll Wardrobe... look for a list of relevant Ebay sellers and a posting on Kit's new Dollies' Dressmaker dress! In the meantime, remember, Dollies' Dressmaker has their own website and blog with a "What's New" category- http://www.dolliesblog.com/category/whats-new/

Okay, finally time for bed. Now I can fall asleep knowing I accomplished something today!

Meet Emily!

Well in the interest of producing a steady rate of posting, I found myself sitting here in front of this big keyboard contemplating more posts.

Why wait until "next week"? Whatever superficial determination of time "next week" actually is...

I have free time tonight. Penny is asleep and doesn't know I'm still awake and working on the computer. Why not post? Let's get this party started...

So as the post title says "Meet Emily"! She is one of the newest dolls to arrive here in Badger's Wood. There is actually a second "new" doll that is a surprise which we will reveal soon!

(It is getting a bit crowded with all these dolls around here- but we try to spread ourselves out so there isn't too much squabbling.)

We actually received two Emilys, as you can see in the introduction pictures below. The first had some weird wig issues that bugged Penny because she likes things to look a certain way. So AG sent us out another one to exchange her.

Luckily for us, Penny took pictures of the two dolls together to amuse Ellie and myself. Though we are twins, we are not identical twins. Emily and Emily are certainly identical twins. The left Emily was sent back to AG. It's kind of sad knowing she wasn't able to be adopted by our family. Life does not always go as you planned it. But I'm sure some little girl out there in the world will love her, bond with her, and not even notice the wig issues!

Welcome Emily! Let's go have some tea and crumpets! Although maybe we should wait until Penny wakes up in the morning so an adult can make us tea and crumpets....

Coming up in our next post..... the agseamstress dress from Etsy being modeled by Emily!

Keepers Already Making Rebecca Rubin 1914 Clothing!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Exciting news for collectors!

In anticipation of the May 31st (ish) 2009 release of the new historical doll from American Girl, Ebay store Keepers Dolly Duds has already starting making Rebecca Rubin clothing!

Of course, Keepers is not generating items from the unknown AG collection. We don't really know what types of clothing Rebecca will have from AG, besides what we see on her book cover illustrations. And Keepers is not generating items from the book covers. Just clothing in an appropriate 1914 style that is not overly fancy (like Samantha's 1904 clothing would be.)

Last week she offered a mint green drop-waist dress and this coming Monday an auction closes on a 1914 Blue Linen spring coat and hat. It is very attractive! Search for the seller name "keepersdollyduds" in Ebay and see it for yourself!

Now if only we could see the Rebecca doll and her AG collection! But I guess we have to keep waiting....

List of Etsy Stores Worth Exploring

Over at our first follower's blog- Sonali's "The Couture Review"- is a listing of stores and sites that are of interest to the collector of handmade 18" doll clothing. What a brilliant idea! Instead of having to read every single one of my blog entries to find out where I got stuff- why not just make a list!

Duh. I'm sort of surprised I didn't think of this before on my own, especially since I LOVE making lists. Not a difficult thing to imagine since I am making a catalog of every handmade piece of doll clothing we own here in Badger's Wood via this blog.... So let us begin....

List A- Etsy stores we have bought from and have been very satisfied with the products:

• nayasdesigns- mostly modern fashion
  
• TheNimbleThimble- Regency period and some modern clothing
  
• TheDollTentStore- Name says it all- Tents!
  
• MelodyValerie- modern and semi-historical high-end fashions
  
• agseamstress- modern and historical
  
• granmasplayroom- mostly modern
  
• CindyrellasCloset- mostly modern
  
• nsaffen- modern and historical
  
• terristouch- everything you could ever desire...
  
• BoltSense- historical
  
• AnnaKristine- electic costumes
  
• lemieuxdollboutique- awesome modern clothing
  
• muxoriginals- modern and historical
  
• twiddlestix- sweaters
  
• Lavenderlore- variety of crocheted items
  
• Always2CraftyLinda- variety of crocheted items
  
• dollcloset- hip modern clothing
  
• vebasews4u - superhero costumes
  

List B- Etsy stores we have not bought anything from yet but the stuff they sell looks pretty cool:

• MarieGeorj- mix of costumes, historical and modern clothing
  
• sewsecret4dolls- many hats, modern and historical clothing
  
• jillsfabricdesigns- mix of costumes, historical and modern clothing
• juliascreations- mostly modern clothing
  
• mtmarge7- mostly very girlish historical clothing
  
• sewgrandmacathy- dresses, modern style with purses
  
• gomunkcreations- modern, historical and costumes
  
• sassydollcreations- modern clothing
  
• CutenSassyCreations- modern clothing
  
• dreamtimedollsbears- sleeping bags, sleeping bags and more sleeping bags
  
• algonacpms- bedding
  
• GenuineJubilee- beds, bedding and clothing
  
• divadollboutique- modern clothing
  
• DollsClothesBeds- career costumes/outfits
  
• suzymstudio- aprons and modern clothing

Was that a long enough list for you curious shoppers out there in the blog-o-sphere? Maybe too long? Maybe not? The best part is that there is a seller search option on Etsy- so you can just type in the seller name I have listed above into the search engine, choose sellers from the menu and waahlaa! Enjoy browsing!

The next list will be of Ebay stores that are worth exploring...which I will probably form and post sometime next week. But for next week's new doll outfit- Our posting will be dedicated to a new spring dress from agseamstress's Etsy store! See you guys later!

sdls275 Colonial Era Yellow Gown and Hat

Tada! Here is the promised post on Ebay seller sdls275's Colonial Era Yellow Gown and Hat!

Penny won this lovely gown and straw hat from an Ebay auction and we couldn't be more pleased with it. This is our first colonial gown from this seamstress's studio- Heirloom Doll Designs. Six pieces in total arrived, nicely packaged in a special box and wrapped in tissue paper: straw hat decorated with flowers, yellow light-weight skirt that ties to the waist and even has pocket slits, patterned jacket with very fancy trim, two stomachers- one with lacing and one without, and a thin scarf that tucks into the jacket and stomacher.

We tried to put panniers underneath this skirt- but it wasn't going to happen with the tight-fitting jacket that scoops down over the waist and buttocks of the doll. The ensemble looks gorgeous without them- but just in case you were wondering where the panniers went- that is the story!

Mary is very very happy with her new outfit and is pleased as punch Penny won the auction. This outfit is certainly a unique and high-quality item! My favorite part is the ruffles around the jacket- how do you even make those? I have seen them on gowns in colonial paintings- but never understood the construction. Looking at them up-close and in person, all I can say is it is time-intensive work!

Please enjoy the slideshow below! Next time (hopefully later today)- a list of Etsy stores you may be interested in exploring.

Wow! 2 Followers!

Here we are in mid-April and we have discovered that several more people have actually found my weird little blog and two people are even following it! Whoa! and Wow! Thank you followers!

In the spirit of having actual readers (maybe more people are actually looking at this than I realize) - I am going to try to post one new outfit a week. And I am publishing this post so I am reminded to actually do that. :)

We have quite a backlog of stuff that Penny has bought but we have not actually done a photo shoot for and made postings. So fear not, we certainly have enough things to post for one outfit per week! Maybe if I get really good about posting on a weekly basis I can do two outfits per week. But I guess I shouldn't get ahead of myself yet....

So for this week I will post a Felicity Style Colonial Era gown from Ebay store sdls275.

CindyrellasCloset Bright and Cheery Dress and Bag

Dress #2 from Etsy store CindyrellasCloset is a beautiful peasant-style frock that looks like some of the 70s style fashion that is so popular today. This dress is perfect for going out on those warm spring days.

Sundari can't decide which is her favorite Cindyrellas Closet dress now. This one looks fantastic on her, with the deep colors and fun pattern. It is made from a very unique fabric. The spots that look like reddish-tan are actually shiny, metallic copper! You can't really tell that from our pictures, but trust me they are shiny copper and they look awesome in real life.

Along with the wonderful dress came a fantastic messenger-style bag- just what Sundari needs to bring her books and homework to school for these last few months before summer vacation. Soon enough, Sundari is going to be the best-dressed girl in her class!

CindyrellasCloset Sundress, Bag and Bandana

This past month Sundari voiced her opinion that she needs more clothing, especially for the coming spring and summer months. However, being older than most of us, she is a little more picky about the style of clothing she is willing to wear. While most of us are content with whatever Penny buys for us, Sundari likes to have a say in her wardrobe.

Needless to say, it took a little bit of time to find just the right outfits. But luckily we found the Etsy shop CindyrellasCloset and purchased two very nice dresses. First we have a blue, green, yellow and white patterned sundress that came with a bandana and bag.

Sundari's favorite feature of the dress is the layered effect with three different fabrics that go so well together. The bandana was very easy to tie onto Sundari's head (sometimes they can be challenging to put on). And the bag is the perfect size.

Please see Sundari in our photoshoot below showing off her new duds! Now she is ready for summer!

Keepers Dress and New Ruthie

Ok, so two big pieces of news for this posting.

#1 Penny took the plunge and bought a "pinkish" dress from Ebay store keepersdollyduds! The listing included the colors coral, pink and ivory. Penny was willing to buy it because the first color listed was coral- which she likes quite a bit.

Now that we have it here in person, I would say that it has two different tones of coral, as well as a creamy-yellow and white in the heavily-patterned fabric. It looks like a plaid fabric that got swarmed by bubbles. It is quite neat! Another great Ruthie dress from Keepers!

#2 bit of news: Jess quickly volunteered to model the new Keepers Ruthie dress and was quite patient as we put the included hair ribbon on her head. During the photoshoot she was telling Penny about how she has reddish-brown hair and brown eyes, just the Ruthie in the AG books. She also talked about how much she likes wearing the Ruthie clothing Penny has purchased before. In addition, she stated that she wasn't very interested in wearing modern clothing.

After 15 more hints, Penny asked Jess if she wanted to be Ruthie Smithens- and the answer was an excited "YES!" So while many others choose to keep Jess as Jess, she has now become Ruthie in our household and has taken on a new time period.

A bizarre and unexpected turn of events to be sure, especially since Jess has been living here for so long already as Jess. But in the end, I have always said that dolls rarely keep there original identities in this house. They seem to have slightly different personalities than AG originally had intended for them. Haha.

Julie= Cassie, Mia= Nora (me!), Ruthie=Mary, Sonali=Sundari and now Jess=Ruthie (and of course the future Felicity=Elinor)

Doesn't our new Ruthie look so happy to be Ruthie? Heehee.

The Nimble Thimble White Day Dress

As you can see in the previous post, Penny is introducing us to a new Etsy shop for doll clothing. Well, new to us. Not new in general.

Welcome to the posting for the Etsy shop TheNimbleThimble's white Regency period day dress. Yes, it was purchased as an intended gift for our own Regency Elinor Dashwood custom doll that we have yet to create. However, Josefina saw the dress come out of the package and snapped it away from us. She likes how the stark white fabric looks with her skin tone and dark black hair. She is right- it does look stunning. The pictures don't do the dress justice. Simple, yet elegant, with a delicate striping effect. Also included was the white ribbon waist-sash.

Josefina has definitely bulked up her wardrobe in these past few months. I guess Penny will have to give someone else a chance at getting some new clothing, or some of the other girls might get jealous. Not me, of course- I never get jealous. All I'm saying is it would be nice to see some packages for me come into this house. Just a few. Maybe somewhere between 12-24 new outfits? Is that too much to ask for? Heehee.

p.s. We are holding off on publishing the black Regency gown until we actually get the Elinor Dashwood doll (an AG Felicity with brown eyes instead of green). That way you all have something to look forward to and she does get to model some of her own clothing!

The Nimble Thimble Dress and Capote

Last month Penny found the Etsy Shop TheNimbleThimble- isn't that the most clever name ever? I think so. The creative mind or minds behind The Nimble Thimble normally make human-size historical clothing that ranges from awesome to more awesome.

Luckily for us, The Nimble Thimble branched out to 18"-doll-size historical clothing. So around the same time that we were buying the Nsaffen Regency period sage dress we bought a whole bunch of Regency period clothing from The Nimble Thimble. Can you tell I like typing "The Nimble Thimble?"

All in all, we purchased a black gown, a white day dress (which Josefina has stolen for herself), and this patterned gold gown with gold capote (the bonnet-hat-thing on Kit's head). All very well-made, gorgeous items.

Kit is modeling for us below, despite the fact that she comes from the 1930s. So now we have 3 Regency period dresses for our Elinor Dashwood doll, which doesn't even exist yet. Do you think we are jumping the gun? Maybe so, but when a seamstress suddenly decides to make Regency period doll clothes and sell them on Etsy you don't wait until you get the appropriate doll. You buy them while you can and hope they make more soon!

So thank you The Nimble Thimble and we hope you make more Regency period doll clothing soon! Or in truth, any period doll clothing would be fantastic (hint*hint*wink*wink).

Melody Valerie Verdant Dress

I have a lot of things to post (i.e. a lot of new clothing to show you), but I have to pace myself. One for tonight and then bedtime.

Remember how I told you the Etsy store of Melody Valerie Couture would be posting a surprise on April 3rd? Well it was "The Verdant Dress" which Penny promptly purchased. It is a one-of-a-kind dress with cream fabric and a green tulle under-layer. On the bodice and edge of the dress are embroidered vines and leaves with light green Swarovski crystals and tiny green beads. There are even crystals sewn onto the tulle! This dress definitely took a lot of work.

Pictures are way better than anything I can describe so look below to see Sundari modeling the new dress. She has claimed it as her own for special occasions. It looks fantastic with her darker skin tone.

Granmasplayroom Monkey Pajamas!

Need some awesome pjs? Or need monkeys? Look no further than Etsy store Granmasplayroom! Here Penny found some pretty darn cool modern pjs- one set with meditating monkeys and one set featuring sock monkeys. They are made out of really soft flannel fabric and come with snaps under the front buttons so they are easy to take on and off.

Also seen below are some plush donkey slippers, worn by Jess, from the Ebay store releaserain- the same store that brought us the tiger slippers you see on Maggie in an earlier post. In the photos below you can tell that the squishy donkey slippers make Jess appear much taller than our Mary. She said she felt very short.

During the photoshoot for these pajamas, Jess and Mary introduced themselves. Jess was intrigued to learn that Mary was originally destined to play the role of Kit's best friend Ruthie. But in fact had switched names and time periods to be colonial girl Mary Royall, taken from a John Singleton Copley painting. So, in reality, she shouldn't be wearing modern pjs. However Mary has a secret penchant for sock monkeys. Jess inquired if the role of Ruthie had been filled by another girl. Penny told her that the Ruthie casting call is still open.