End of the Day Thoughts for May 31st Rebecca Release

Random thoughts from Nora the Magnificent...

1) I listed the Meet Boots separately in the poll because several people seemed to like them especially, and may want to label them as their favorite item. Not because they are a separate purchase. They come with the doll. Sorry, that was probably corn-fusing...

2) The Doll herself seems to be the most popular item in our poll! Guess I should have seen that coming, but we have had votes for other things as well. I still haven't decided what my favorite item is...so many interesting things to choose from...

3) Penny still isn't sure what to do with a Rebecca if we buy her. Modern? 1914? Another time period? Kind of makes my brain hurt just thinking about it.... and yet it is fun to make dream dolly plans!

4) From the wrong angle, the pickles from Rebecca's lunch look like goose poop. From the right angle, they look like pickles. This also kind of makes my brain hurt.... I do like pickles quite a bit. Not so much love for goose poop though...

5) The samovar looks gorgeous and Penny really wanted to order it asap. But she'll wait until after we come back from New York City. This way the Sabbath set won't possibly mysteriously arrive while we are away and then Derek will be wondering what it is.... heehee. Theoretical phone conversation dialogue from this situation-

Derek: "What did UPS drop off here today?"
Penny: "Don't open that box!"
Derek: "A dolly-sized samovar and accessories!!! What in the heck...." *blood pressure skyrockets and faints before he can finish his sentence*
Penny: "Honey?"

6) Rebecca's Meet Accessories include that brooch that we were talking about in an earlier post. It is a rabbit jumping over some foliage on a black background. Pretty cool little thing. But it is actually a clip and not a pin. It does seem to be in the style of Russian lacquer miniatures.

7) So the initial excitement is dying down and I am wondering "Where are the nesting dolls?" Le sigh. They don't seem to exist yet. I did see a picture of them in a room display at one of the AG stores. But none that are actually available to buy. Penny wiggled her nose and said "Well we are just going to have to find some."

So we drove a couple towns over to the Russian imports store and looked for our own dolly-sized matryoshka, i.e. Russian nesting dolls. No luck. Yes, they had them. But with very large pink flowers on them. EEE-gads!

Instead of getting matryoshka we came home with a lovely lacquer miniature box to show you all. It is the perfect dolly-sized box and you will see it in the pictures below with my twin sister Ellie. The box features a scene from the fairy tale of Ivan, the Firebird and the Grey Wolf. Look at the wikipedia article on this story here- but I warn you, like many Russian tales there is bloodshed (but everything is happily ever after in the end).

When we got home the "Great Internet Matryoshka Search of 2009" began! We ordered something that looks slightly similar to the AG display items. But they are probably too big. Still we will have something to play with until AG might make some. We even found a set of matryoshka featuring the Ivan fairy tale from our box- as you can see here.

I hope you enjoyed this post of my silly random thoughts and our photos!

Rebecca on the American Girl Website!

Here is the link to her "World" for you curious kids or eager shoppers!

Unfortunately the Sabbath Set is backordered until June 19th... le poo.

Penny ordered Rebecca's School Outfit, Pajamas, and the Robe and Slippers. Hopefully they will come to Badger's Wood soon and I can show them to you on the blog before we leave for New York City! We actually have three different shipments of AG stuff coming here within the next week and a half... Penny just can't resist those darn Spotlight Sales.

And just to be slightly annoying- please vote in our "What is your Favorite AG Rebecca item?" poll on the right sidebar of the blog! I'm really curious to know what the most popular items are, and now you can see pictures of everything on the website to help you with your decision!

Rebecca's Collection Pamphlet and Our Poll

The official American Girl Rebecca's Collection pamphlet mail thingy has been sent out! Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of it for you, but I do have a list of the items and their prices.

So here is the fun part- you can pick your favorite item, before or after you've seen the items (your choice), and put your two cents into the poll on the right side of my blog under my profile picture! Right above the "Name our 1950s Doll" poll.

• Rebecca Doll and Paperback Book $95
• Rebecca's Accessories, which include the Shawl, Hat and Rabbit Brooch $24
• Rebecca Doll, Paperback book, and Accessories $114
• Sideboard $130
• Sabbath Set, includes Challah, Samovar, Tray, Two Glasses, Canister of Tea, Teapot, Candles in Candlesticks, Cloth (placed under Challah) $68
• Bed, includes white mattress, bolster, bedspread $118
• Two Kittens $22
• Sleeveless Pajamas and Hairbow $24
• Bedtime Robe and Slippers $24
• School Outfit with Blue Sweater, Skirt and Boots $28
• Movie Dress, with Necklace, Shoes and Hat $32
• School Set, includes lunch, school supplies, book bag, sheet music, American flag, pencil, etc. $36
  

Did you pick your favorite thing?

All in all, if someone wants to get everything...they are going to have to lay down $596.00. That is almost 600 buckaroos. Not counting taxes and shipping. That's an awful lot of moola... Oh, the price of dolly joys...

Don't forget to vote in the poll! Yay for Rebecca!

Sewaddicted2 1940s Blue Coat and Hat for Susan

Two more days until Rebecca Rubin arrives at American Girl! Wooohooo!!!!

Now the question becomes, should Penny order her on May 31st or wait until later? She can't decide. She says she should probably wait and keep some sense of a sane budget for this summer.... but then again there is free shipping still available on that day.... ugh, such a dilemma! Of course the real question is- will she be available online that day? Probably not until June 1st...

But Rebecca questions aside, for this post we will introduce you to Susan's blue coat! It is not easy to find coats for all of the time periods we shop for, but luckily this 1940s-era coat popped up in the Ebay store of sewaddicted2! It is soooo beautiful. The fabrics inside and outside are just gorgeous. We should have taken a picture of the blue silky lining, but I didn't think to do that until right now as I am typing this!

The hat is adorable and fits super-well with elastic around the rim. The white pom-pom is the perfect addition to this tam. The fit of the coat, the little blue buttons, the lovely collar and the elegant high waist called out to Penny from the online auction. And it just looks magnificent on Susan in the pictures below. But the bestest-best-best part of the entire thing is the tab on the bottom of the coat that keeps it closed when the wind blows through town! This was a very special and really lucky find!

Coming up in my next post from Badger's Wood is another sweater set from Ebay seller gehrom! This time it is a lovely grey and red combo with hat.

Don't forget to check out Rebecca and her collection on Sunday either in stores or online!!!!! I might even give y'all a pop quiz or a new poll to see if you were paying attention to all the new stuff! Heehee.

Jeanebob4 Sailor Suit for Susan

FIVE DAYS UNTIL REBECCA! That's including today of course in the count. Can't really skip ahead through time, unfortunately... But while we wait, it is now time to sing to you! Yippee!

My doll is as dainty as a sparrow,

Her figure is somethin' to applaud.

Where she's narrow she's as narrow an arrow,

And she's broad where a broad should be broad.


A hundred and one pounds of fun,

That's my little honey bun!

Get a load of honey bun tonight.


I'm speakin' of my Sweetie Pie,

Only eighteen inches high,

Ev'ry inch is packed with dynamite!


(Cue a man wearing a coconut bra, a grass skirt and a wig!)

Ok, so if you haven't seen the musical "South Pacific," none of what just happened makes any sense to you and you should definitely go rent the film version tonight. It is often hailed as the greatest musical of all time and I have to say it is one of my faves. We are a big fan of musicals here in Badger's Wood.

Is the song "Honey Bun" (cited above, with some changes, heehee) chauvinistic? Yes. Should that stop me from singing it to you? No. This musical debuted in 1949! Sixty years ago! Think of it as an educational window into the past (much like the American Girl historical dolls- wink wink).

Getting to the real reason for this post and stepping away from the singing for a moment, Penny found this cute sailor suit while searching Ebay for new clothing. If you like it, go to the Ebay store of jeanebob4 right now- there might be another one waiting for you there!

It includes white pants with blue accents and buttons on the waistline, a short-sleeved shirt with collar and bow, and a dashing hat featuring an embroidered blue star. This is one high-quality outfit and it fits perfectly. Everything just snaps into place and waa-laa: a perfect sailor suit for Susan. And it is close enough to a 1940s Navy uniform to satisfy us. It's difficult to imagine anything more cute!

Next time in The Doll Wardrobe, fantastic Nora Demington (that's me) reveals a new blue coat and hat for Susan from Ebay seller sewaddicted2. It is fantastic and we really can't help but be sewaddicted2 her store! Haha! I kill myself!

Now I challenge you to not sing "Honey Bun" while you look at these photos below! "A hundred and one pounds of fun..."

New Image of Rebecca Rubin and Some Collection Items

Spoiler Alert!

Only1Genevieve at AG Playthings just posted this link: http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-american-girl-to-introduce-jewish-doll/ Thank you so much!

Just had to share it with y'all. Look at all those beautiful items! And that outfit! So cute! Looks like the type of ensemble that might work for other time periods besides just the 1910s. Perhaps, perhaps not.

List of cool things spotted in this pic:
Sweater
Blouse perhaps?
Skirt
Boots
Tights
Hairbow
Schoolbag with pencil
Lunchbox and napkin

Sideboard
Samovar, 2 glasses and tray
Ceylon Tea box
Challah
Teapot
Candles and candlesticks

Anyone else getting excited for the release? I sure am....

Update: I just noticed some of the things that are on the website I just linked to...and they are not exactly for kiddies' eyes. So here is the photo itself in case you don't want to venture to the website. It is credited to "Splash News." But it looks like it might be an official AG photo...

Another Extra Post!

Yes, I am adding another post for today. I just can't help it! Too much Rebecca excitement going on in the world to ignore.

Eve Coleman of Ebay's keepersdollyduds found this article on Rebecca Rubin in the New York Times. It even includes a nice full-body shot of Rebecca in her hat. Look here!

In addition, over at dolldiaries.com you can see a photo of Rebecca with her hat, shawl and brooch accessories. Look here!

Derek's mother (Derek is my adoptive father) is from Russia and I showed her the picture of Rebecca and her accessories to see what she thought of it. Her idea is that maybe it is a handpainted brooch like perhaps miniatures, i.e. papier-mache objects covered in oil paints and varnished, from Fedoskino or Kholuy/Kholui. Maybe! Just speculation though... Here is a page with lacquer brooches like the type she described. Specifically the ones labeled "lacquered."

Terristouch 1930s Purple Dress for Ruthie

SEVEN DAYS until REBECCA RUBIN! Do you think my countdown will get annoying after a couple more posts? Probably... but let's just pretend it won't get annoying and keep doing it. Heehee.

Our little Ruthie has a penchant for purple dresses, which she discovered after she was able to get her "Meet" dress back from Kit and try it on. Luckily, one of Etsy seller Terristouch's new Ruthie dresses is light purple with tiny yellow flowers dancing all over the fabric. It features a lovely white collar accented by lace and a bow as well as a tie in the back of the dress for a flattering fit. Ruthie was so excited when she saw it come out of the Priority Mail box she couldn't wait to do the photo shoot. Thanks Terri for another great dress!

Now let's see...what else could our Ruthie need for her 1930s wardrobe? She has 2 coats and 8 dresses, as well as the sweater set and skirt from Kit's Meet outfit. (Kit also gave that to her because of the pink-ness. Kit's mother must have picked that outfit out for her....haha.)

So we are missing some non-pink pjs and a robe, an outdoor play outfit, and maybe some non-pink cardigans we could pair up with her dresses. It would be nice to find these types of things handmade. I guess we'll have to continue the 1930s doll clothing search!

"Roll up the score, Navy, Anchors Aweigh!": Up next from Badger's Wood is a snazzy white sailor suit for Susan purchased from Ebay seller jeanebob4. It is our tribute to the WWII troops discussed and honored frequently in Molly's stories.

The outfit also reminded Penny of the sailor costumes from the musical "South Pacific" and especially that silly song "Honey Bun" which Ensign Nellie Forbush sings while dressed as a male sailor. Despite my overwhelming desire to sing it to you now, I'll wait until I write my next post!

For now, enjoy our photos of beautiful Ruthie below!

Today's Extra Post of My Ramblings

For some reason I really don't want to be doing my homework right now, so I'll post on the blog instead! The last day of school for me is June 26th. JUNE 26TH! That's like a whole month away! Ridiculous. Especially since it is already in the 70s here and I want to go to the beach!

Ugh. I will just have to keep waiting. So in order to entertain myself in the meantime I thought I would create a "My Favorite Random Things from This Week List." Here it goes:

My Favorite Random Things from This Week!
(2 AG-related, 2 not AG-related, for balance)

1) Keepers Dolly Duds!

Eve Coleman, of keepersdollyduds at Ebay is still making new Rebecca Rubin clothing! Yippee! There is a new pale lavender coat and hat set, as well as a pleated dress up for auction right now. They end on Monday. Look here.

2) Kit's AG coat!

It finally arrived today! We ordered it back in mid-February and it showed up out of the blue today! We didn't even get an "Item Shipped" notice! It is quite nice. Real functioning buttons, no velcro. Real wool with a woolly smell! Kit is so happy to finally have it! Molly's Muff and Skates? Still MIA, as well as Kit's school desk and chair, Josefina's Fiesta Dress and Kaya's foal Sparks Flying. Backorder. Backorder. Backorder. Oh well, yay for the received coat!

3) Superpoke Pets!

For those of you who already play this online virtual pet game, I really don't have to explain how fun and addicting it can be. For those of you who have no idea what it is, you can go here to adopt a pet today!

You can choose from a variety of animals, and by gooseberries they are CUTE. The point is to feed, tickle, shower, and play with your pet to earn points and keep it happy. You can have friends for your pet and they can help you earn coins and you can exchange gifts with them. The pets don't die or get sick if you ignore them. They just get dirty and lonely. The best part is your pet has a habitat, which you can change and decorate by buying things with the fake virtual coins in the "pet shop." It sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is. If you want one of your own Superpoke Pets, click that big golden "Adopt One Today" button on that homepage link!

4) Little's Creatures!

While browsing Etsy for stuff we don't really need but would love to own....Penny found a fantastically awesome orange furry puppet! Look here for the Etsy listing. Yes it is sold- because we bought it!

Are we puppeteers? Nope. Do we even know how to use puppets? Not really... but it looked so darn awesome we had to have it! Once we finished checking out the Little's Creatures website, blog, and Youtube Channel we felt like we really should support these awesome puppeteers. Maybe since we bought this little fella they will see a demand and make more to sell them on Etsy. Then everyone in the world can have totally cool puppets! Ok, maybe just the people who want them. But c'mon, I know there are at least 10 million Muppet fans out there who always wanted one of their own!

Click here and you will see a video of the orange furry puppet!, which was created by Little's Creatures to advertise it. We'll let you know when we receive him. So far we haven't heard anything from the seller. They are probably just sitting in front of their computer, mouth open and scratching their heads.....wondering why a buyer with this doll blog and a doll avatar is buying a puppet..... well, stranger things have happened...

Here ends the list. I sure hope you enjoyed my blathering! I think I should go back to my history homework now and stop procrastinating....ugh...

A Variety of Chucks! Courtesy of The Crazy Doll Ladies Designs!

Hello again and thank you for reading our blog! Just thought I'd throw in a thank you, since I don't really thank you enough for reading the blog. I sure hope it's useful!

Well let's see- it's May 22, 2009- which means there are about nine days left until Rebecca Rubin is released into the consumer's universe. NINE DAYS! Oh my goodness!

Penny has yet to decide whether or not she wants to get the doll and keep her in the 1910s in New York with the name Rebecca Rubin. She says it is a difficult decision to make without seeing the doll in person. One idea she has been tossing around is to keep her as Rebecca Rubin but place her in a different time period. But then again, what if Rebecca has a really cool collection for the 1910s? Oh so many decisions to make! Guess we'll just have to keep waiting to see her and her collection. Le sigh.

This post is titled "A Variety of Chucks! Courtesy of The Crazy Doll Ladies Designs!" so let's get that ball rolling. Here is their blog again, showcasing both manufactured and handmade goods. Their shipping is inexpensive but we couldn't just buy one pair of their awesome Chucks when they have so many styles to choose from!

In the photos below you will see the Happy Stripes, Monkeys, Cherries on Black, and Blue Tartan styles which Penny bought for us modern girls in Badger's Wood. Penny also got a pair with skulls and crossed bones, like you saw in Jess's previous guest review. Such a coincidence!

The Chucks are great quality and fit very well. I highly recommend them and I actually squirreled them all away in my own shoe closet for myself. Is that greedy? Nah. I hope my sisters and Sundari don't come looking for them though...

Next time my post will take a look at another new Terristouch 1930s summery dress for our friend Ruthie purchased from Etsy. That girl is finally getting enough clothes; a couple more items and she'll be set for all the different seasons. And then Penny can start buying me more clothing. Right? I mean I'm gonna need some more fly duds to go with all these cool Chucks...

Rebecca Items up on Barnes and Noble website

Here is an extra post I am just sneaking in to keep y'all updated.

Weirdly, if you follow this link you will see a real Rebecca Rubin 18" doll pretending to be the mini doll. Bizarre! Also all of her 6 book covers can be seen on the Barnes and Noble website as well. Search for "American Girl Rebecca" All Items and enjoy the investigating! You can even pre-order the mini doll and the books.

From what I can see on the book covers I think her hair is actually a darker brown and not so "spent the summer on the beach and my hair is highlighted now and looks blondish-brown." So this image may not be 100% accurate to her real hair color. I guess we shall find out so enough! Is it May 31st yet?

But still, you can see the doll, her Meet outfit, and her book covers! Yippee!!!

Suebesewing 1940s Daisies Dress for Susan

Here we are again peeking at the new dresses Susan has received upon her arrival at Badger's Wood. This charming dress was purchased from Ebay seller suebesewing and included the dress in a light blue fabric with daisies, dots and sparkles; a tie-on yellow ribbon belt with pearly heart accents; and a delightful bucket hat which keeps the sun out of Susan's eyes.

This dress is in the style of Molly's sleeveless birthday pinafore dress. Penny has always liked the pattern/style of the dress but for some reason the sheer whiteness of the pinafore was not calling out to her.

Suebesewing's version of the pattern is quite lovely. The shoulder ruffles only have one layer- so they are not too bulky. And the skirt has two tiers- making it look fuller and fancier. The light blue rickrack trim on the shoulder ruffles and the skirt layers is an understated, yet eye catching way to make the dress more detailed and beautiful. Thank you suebesewing- Susan loves this dress!

My next post will feature a whole bunch of "Converse" sneakers or "Chucks" from The Crazy Doll Ladies Designs. Of course these aren't handcrafted in the USA, but instead come from China. However, The Crazy Doll Ladies also carry a whole bunch of different handmade goods. Until next time, please check out their cool blog.

Terristouch Light Blue Ruthie Dress

So first here are some images of Ruthie's American Girl brand-name outfit: the so-called "Meet" outfit, which Kit initially stole from her upon the arrival of the original Ruthie doll. However, Kit decided she didn't like the dress because it was a little too girlish, lacy, and has definite traces of pink on it. So back to Ruthie it went, and now she has one more summery dress in her closet.

To beef-up Ruthie's warm-weather-wardrobe, in addition to the sleeveless Keepers Ruthie dress previously reviewed, Penny also bought the light blue, light-weight dress for Ruthie from Etsy seller terristouch pictured below. It has graceful lines, features a soft fabric, and sports a cute row of buttons down the front. Just the sort of dress Ruthie can wear when she and Kit visit the famous Cincinnati Zoo in the summertime! Thanks Terri!

Next up from Badger's Wood is a return to Susan Shapiro's wardrobe for a look at a daisy-tastic, flower-rific summer dress from Ebay seller suebesewing! See ya later!

Nayasdesigns Penguin Pajamas and Starry Pillow

Where does one find 1940s-era pajamas for 18" dolls?- I hear you ask. Ok, maybe you didn't actually ask this, but we asked this question over here in Badger's Wood. And we found the answer in the Etsy shop of nayasdesigns.

We have Molly and Emily's American Girl brand-name pjs. But now we needed something for Susan to wear to bed. This light blue pair of pajamas features cartoon penguins on a waffle weave fabric. Also included was a pillow and a starry pillowcase. We added the white puppy slippers we previously received from nayasdesigns from the white lounge outfit back in 2008.

Though they probably were not designed with the 1940s in mind, these pjs satisfy us. The penguins are cute and old-fashioned with their bow-ties, and resemble something you might see on 1940s novelty fabrics. These pjs sure look comfy! We are so glad we stopped by nayasdesigns; Linnea has been adding a whole bunch of neat stuff throughout the spring!

On a sidenote, we just wanted to make a quick comment on the sidebar "Help Us Name Our Doll" poll for our upcoming 1950s doll creation. "Virginia" seemed to be a sure thing with over 47% of the votes for awhile there, but now "Connie" is coming up as a definite contender. With about 50 or so votes so far, we greatly appreciate everyone's participation. Thank you so much! For those who haven't voted yet, please feel free to add your opinion to the poll!

As they say in television, "stay tuned" for my next post when we reveal a light blue Ruthie dress from Etsy seller terristouch right here in The Doll Wardrobe!

Custom Melody Valerie 1950s Dress Complete!

An extra posting for today to show off the new 1950s dress that was just completed by the Melody Valerie Couture studio for us here in Badger's Wood: here is the MVC blog entry with photos!

We couldn't be more excited about this dress and look forward to receiving it with much anticipation. Now all we need is the 1950s doll to go with it....

But unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, the new Felicity and #16 dolls are going to be chosen at American Girl Place New York at the beginning of June. So we will have to wait a little bit more time to see them. And then of course, their eyes are going to have to be swapped professionally. But everything should be ready to go and be revealed towards the end of June. For now, please enjoy all the lovely photos of Lisette in the new dress at the MVC blog!

Sophie_nc Skirt, Jacket, and Blouse for Emily

Many of the book illustrations for Emily show her wearing a dark grey wool skirt with a buttoned cardigan over a blouse. This is the same type of outfit we saw on the Susan Shapiro paper doll in our earlier post. Despite its popularity in book illustrations, American Girl does not actually sell a version of this outfit.

It is the type of thing you have to come up with on your own. But where do we find a 1940s dark grey wool skirt? Molly has 3 skirts: her blue wool "Meet" skirt, her red plaid holiday skirt released in 2008, and the red skirt for her skating outfit. Emily has the skirt to her two-piece swimsuit... but I think those are all of our 1940s skirt options. Not exactly everything we could ever desire...

So when we spotted this snazzy little ensemble I thought it was the perfect addition to Emily's wardrobe and it would finally give one of our 1940s' girls a dark grey wool skirt to wear.

This outfit was purchased from Ebay seller sophie_nc and it came with a lace-decorated blouse featuring an attached shoe brooch, a buttoned jacket with fancy decoration on the breast pocket, and the dark grey wool skirt. The fabric for the jacket and skirt is pinstriped. My little sister Maggie thought it looked like something Emily might have worn to school in England and brought over with her to the United States.

Sorry there are soooo many pictures, but we wanted to show the outfit in a variety of ways, including a pairing of the skirt with Emily's "Meet" sweater. We even included an up-close shot of the tiny shoe brooch on the shirt. We are just so impressed with this purchase; the outfit is very detailed and fits quite well. Emily is happy to have such sophisticated attire!

Coming up next from Badger's Wood: Susan's new penguin pajamas and a starry pillow from Etsy seller nayasdesigns! Until we see you again- as Emily might say- toodle pip!

Dollies' Dressmaker 1940s Striped Brown Dress

This lovely brown-on-brown striped 1940s dress with turquoise embroidered accents was purchased from the Dollies' Dressmaker website.

I don't think this particular creation is available anymore from the site, but there are always new things every week or so in their store. This last week several new colonial garments were added and there have even been 2 recent Ebay auctions for colonial gowns. Luckily, they make a little bit of everything for all of the historical periods. Will they come up with new 1914 designs for Rebecca Rubin too? Maybe!?!

But let's not get too excited yet for the 1910s. We are still in the 1940s mode in Badger's Wood and our focus is on collecting for our new Susan and Emily. My sister Maggie picked out this dress for Susan so she would have something nice to wear to school. Stella thought it would look best with pigtails. Enjoy our photos below of Susan in her new dress! Boy, does she look cute!

The next post from Marvelous Me, Nora Demington, will be on a pinstriped skirt and jacket, with blouse, from Ebay seller sophie_nc for our friend Emily. Catch y'all later!

Keepers Dolly Duds Red, White and Blue Ruthie Dress

Ok, so we are a little early for the 4th of July. But how can you write "red, white and blue" in a different order than "red, white and blue"- especially when you are writing about American Girl dolls? It is quite a conundrum, but....

....I guess we can try...this blue, red, and white dress was recently purchased by Penny from the Ebay store of seller keepersdollyduds. If it is possible to be addicted to an Ebay store, she is definitely addicted to Keepers. We may have to have an intervention soon. Heehee.

Truth be told, once the spring and summer warm-weather dresses started being released Penny started hunting them down feverishly in order to fill gaps in specific dolls' wardrobes. For instance, our dear friend Ruthie, who as a wealthy young lady should own a lot of clothing, is sort of lacking a lot of attire choices. So now she has a nice sleeveless dress to wear in the summer while sitting on Kit's front porch and sipping ice tea.

This beautiful blue dress with tiny white polka dots is accented by pleating, red rick-rack trim, a white cut-up layered collar with tiny red buttons, and a removable belt. Also included was the red hair ribbon which Stella managed to tie onto Ruthie's semi-fancy hairdo. (Stella was in charge of hairstyling for this photoshoot.)

Stop by next time for a look at our new Dollies' Dressmaker striped 1940s dress being modeled by Susan Shapiro!

Damsels-in-Dress 1930s Dress, Apron and Oven Mitt

Kit Kittredge is now the proud owner of our first outfit from Ebay seller Damsels-in-Dress!

We've been browsing the Damsels shop casually for awhile now, but were never quite sure what we wanted to get. There are always so many fantastic and creative new things, it can be difficult to choose!

Lately Penny has been concentrating our buying efforts on 1930s and 1940s clothing, with a sprinkle of this and that thrown in for good measure. This Damsels 1930s dress, apron, and oven mitt appeared as if by magic- just the type of thing we were looking for! And perfect for our new Kit- the blue fabric even matches her eyes!

Penny said she knew this was the dress to buy because the main fabric on the dress is very similar to the wallpaper that was once in the dining room of her parents' house. So....wait a minute...huh? I think I need to explain that one a bit more. According to her, the pattern and color of the fabric reminded her of home and fancy holiday dinners with the whole family gathered in the formal dining room. So she definitely wanted that dress. I guess that makes sense, in a weird sort of way.

Stella was the photographer again, so there are a lot of pictures. Below you will see the blue dress, the white apron, and the blue oven mitt that were included with this outfit. The dress features a detachable little bow-tie-esque collar. The apron has some really lovely embroidery work that we show in a close-up, as well as two functional pockets. And the oven mitt is just perfectly adorable and squishy!

Being our first purchase from Damsels-in-Dress, we should comment on the high-quality of the product. This outfit is excellent. No flaws. Perfect proportions. Great detailing. And the fabric choices are just amazing. Everything a doll (and a collector) could ever want! Thank you Jean!

My next post will be a return to Keepers Dolly Duds with a new 1930s Ruthie dress. Ruthie is finally becoming slightly more satisfied with the amount of clothing in her wardrobe. I have to say that she only owns one official American Girl Ruthie outfit, and Kit kind of stole it from her. Bad Kitty, heehee.

Special Post: American Girl Email About Rebecca Rubin

This is the email Penny received today from American Girl with the first sliver of a picture of the new historical doll Rebecca Rubin! Top photo is a semi-blurry close-up of her eyes and below it is the whole email.
Thanks AG! How exciting!
(Now I want to see the WHOLE picture even more...)

p.s. Keepers Dolly Duds has another 1914 dress on Ebay.
Auction closes Monday evening, May 13th.

Suzymstudio Snowmen in the Kitchen Apron Set

Snowmen?!? In May? How confusing is this post?

Honestly, we have been looking at this snowmen apron set from suzymstudio at Etsy since the time of those various holidays in the winter months. But it was difficult to decide who would get to own the set. Then came "The Great Doll Influx of Early 2009!" (Thank you American Girl for your free shipping codes!)

After getting several new historical dolls this year, we now had a reason to grab those snowmen and run for the hills. Luckily, they were still available. What was included?....the main apron with two functional pockets, the headscarf, an oven mitt, a potholder and a special gift of a dishtowel made of the same fabric! Yay for gifts!

Since we purchased this set from "Suzy M" it was only natural that it be given to Susan- so here she is below in all of her ready-to-start-baking-cookies glory! Please enjoy the many many photos (my stepsister Stella, our photographer for this shoot, wanted to include every possible angle in this post).

Coming up next from my tiny vinyl fingertips through this giant keyboard to the almost infinite universe of the Internet- a post on our very first acquisition from Ebay seller Damsels-in-Dress! Yippee!