Keepers Dolly Duds Sundress, Linen Jacket and Hat

It seem like its been forever since we showed a new handmade outfit! Of course we did post about the purple Ruthie dress from Ebay seller sophie_nc on June 19th....but that seems like sooo long ago! Back then, when I was a young, naive fifth grader, and not yet the cool, hip sixth grader that I am today. Ok, so grade-levels are really irrelevant when it comes to coolness.... at least that's what Penny keeps saying...

Today, as a wise and mature sixth grader, I write about the new plaid sundress, blue linen jacket and matching hat which we received from Ebay seller keepersdollyduds. It is being modeled by our lovely new friend Rebecca. She has yet to be firmly established as Rebecca Rubin. Penny will probably pick out a new last name when she figures out her new identity. We don't like to be too matchy-matchy to the AG names. But we do like the name Rebecca.

Anyway, where was I? Oh right, so this jacket and hat are dated for the 1930s or early 1940s and were being modeled by Ruthie in the Keepers Dolly Duds auction. So in other words, Rebecca is trying on the 1930s and early 1940s for size. Does she like this time period? Does she look like she should be hanging out with Kit and Ruthie?

As you will see in the plethora of pictures below, the Keepers "duds" are pretty fantastic. The empire-waisted sundress is made of a beautiful plaid fabric colored with blue, red, yellow and white hues. The red trim and bow around the waistline give it an aura of feminine sophistication. The dress goes wonderfully with the jacket and hat, and the best part is the dress could work for a variety of time periods.

The jacket is so well tailored, with delicate lapels, slightly poofy shoulders, and the most beautiful metal buttons. It fits like a glove and Rebecca likes how light-weight it is, while still protecting her fair skin from the sun. The hat is a unique style that I have never seen a doll seamstress attempt to make before. It sits perfectly on the crown of Rebecca's head and sports bows made of the same blue linen fabric on both sides. Penny really loves this set and this blue color.

And last, but not least, you will discover in the photos a new dog which was purchased for Rebecca. Where did we find it? At the grocery store! Bizarre, I know. But it was adorable, and it barks! He/she will be named once we figure out who Rebecca will be. Can't really name him/her Einstein and then put Rebecca into the colonial era...heehee.

So are you ready for another poll? Yes, three polls running simultaneously. Ridiculous? Probably. But I like making them! Our third official poll will ask you which "American" time period you think Rebecca should be placed into. She will still be Jewish, no matter what era she lands in. But obviously her story will be almost 99% different than the AG Rebecca Rubin story. What will her story be? We don't know yet. First we need to determine a time period. So look over to the right in our sidebar under my gorgeous photo and place your vote!

Our next post on handmade doll clothing will focus on a new item from Etsy seller TheDollCloset, being modeled by our-yet-to-be-named 1950s doll. Consider it a teaser into her fun, funky and charming wardrobe! Maybe it will help you decide which name to vote for in our 1950s naming poll on the right. So far, it looks like Virginia is still winning! If that name sticks, she may be nicknamed "Ginny." Or maybe not...we'll have to ask her if she likes that nickname...

So take a gander at the images below and start pondering which time period you think Rebecca (and her canine companion) should be placed into!

AGPNY Photographs Part Two

Here we are again showing you AGPNY and specifically Rebecca's Sideboard, Sabbath Set, and School Supplies. Huzzah! First we start off with the illustrated image of Rebecca hanging above her cases on the historical floor, accented by the very large chandelier hanging above it. Very fancy.

Then we have the sideboard, and the very very shiny samovar. It is made of shiny awesomeness. After two more photos of the fantastic samovar (can you tell I like the samovar?) and the rest of the Sabbath Set, we show you a photo of the School Supplies sitting on top of the sideboard. In this last photo luckily the pickles look like pickles, and not like goose poop. :)

You may notice the back of Rebecca's movie hat in the third image below. At first glance I thought it was a floating cake and I was pretty excited by this. Nope, not a magical levitating baked good but instead a poofy white and pink hat just trying to distract me from the shiny-samovar-goodness. Hmmm, now I have a craving for cake....

Next I will show you Rebecca's Bed, Kittens, Pajamas, and Robe Set in "AGPNY Photographs Part Three" which will appear here in The Doll Wardrobe on Wednesday July 1st. JULY FIRST! My goodness, where oh where did June go?

Friday's Extra Post: Looking for Rebecca Rubin Clothing?

Can't sew? But still want nice clothing for your new Rebecca doll? Are you longing for handmade 1910s clothing?

Look no further than Ebay sellers Keepers Dolly Duds and sdls275, i.e. Heirloom Doll Designs.

Go here and here! Those links should bring you to their currently available items, which include very impressive items made for the 1910s.

The Keepers auction (a pink frock) ends Monday, and the Heirloom Doll Designs auctions (a pink frock and a brown coat and hat) end Thursday.

And keep checking back to their shops because these seamstresses are consistently offering up things for Rebecca! Happy shopping everyone!

AGPNY Photographs Part One

After we loaded all of the pictures from the camera to the computer we discovered we have A LOT of interesting images of AGPNY, more than we could really put in one post without going overboard. Well, they are interesting images to us. And I hope of interest to all of you readers, especially the ones who might not live close to an AGP.

Since this is Part One, I will just post an introduction to these images and then next week I will double up on my posts to show you the other AGPNY photos, as well as some new handmade outfits. That way no one will get too bored with what I am talking about!

First we have a photo of the fancy doll clogs Penny purchased after her sister exclaimed that they were the cutest shoes ever. They are pretty darn cute! I will have to scheme a way for them to become my clogs and maybe even get a coordinating outfit... Who says I have to share?

Then we have two overview images of the Rebecca cases on the historical floor at AGPNY. Look closely at the second image below. Notice the man at the far right, behind the glass case, in the red and white striped shirt who is holding onto a doll box for dear life? He is my favorite part of all of these photos. Though I'm not sure if I would describe his body language as tired, traumatized, or just tranquil...

The last two photos in this post show you the little glass-enclosed diorama for Rebecca. Each of the historical dolls has something like this, but we just have photos of Rebecca's case. Notice our close-up shot of the nesting dolls on the windowsill. Which reminds me I still have to show you our new set of nesting dolls....so much to write about...so little time!

On Monday I will post about a new handmade outfit from Ebay seller keepersdollyduds, and also show you some images of Rebecca's Sideboard, Sabbath Set, and School Supplies.

AGPNY Third Doll Purchase Revealed!

Who is the third doll that Penny picked out at American Girl Place New York during our vacation?

Drum roll please!
Dadadadadadadadada....
Rebecca Rubin!

Yes, yes- maybe it is not such a surprise that Rebecca was purchased. Especially since she was standing right in the doorway of AGPNY upon arrival, taunting Penny as she walked in. Other dolls on the wish list will just have to wait a bit longer to be purchased. Rebecca was calling out to be bought. So into the bag she went, with her Meet Accessories.

Our pictures below show her right out of her box, minus her "gold" hair clip. It was falling out of her shiny locks as she was taken out of the box and when it was opened by Penny's strong human hands it snapped in half. Yes, brand-new and broken. Ho-hum. Not the thickest plastic ever created on Earth, needless to say. You are all forewarned to be careful with your Rebecca hair clip.

So Rebecca's hair had to be redone with an elastic and some ribbon. Penny's comments on Rebecca's curly hair included the following: "These curls are really difficult to manage," "The hair pick is only making them frizz out more," and "Oh My Lord, I may need to straighten this hair some!" AG curly wigs + a semi-OCD person = frustration. How does anyone ever manage to work with Nicki's hair? (FYI- Nicki is a Limited Edition Girl of the Year doll with way, way more curls than Rebecca.)

Of course, once most of the curly hair problems were sort of dealt with (i.e. the taming of the wig), it was determined that Rebecca's hair looks really fantastic in photographs. Which makes Penny think twice about straightening the hairs.

Rebecca is quite a pretty young girl. But she kind of looks worried. It seems like the Chrissa dolls also have this slight worried look to their eyebrow/eye region. Maybe it is just in my head though... anyway, let's just call her pensive instead of worried. Currently "Pensive Rebecca" is lost. Penny doesn't want a 1914 doll. So where should she be placed in the historical timeline? Who should she be?

For now, we will show many pictures of her in the 1914 meet outfit below. In our next post we will show you some of the photographs Penny's sister took in AGPNY, including the many many Rebeccas and some of the items in her collection and display cases. After that post, we might return to this whole "Who is Rebecca?" issue and ask for your help with this matter.

Hope you enjoyed our "big" reveal. Until next time, toodles, pips, and cheerios!

Introduction to Two of the New Dolls!

Wow, June is quickly coming to an end and Friday is my last day of school! Yippee! Well, my last day of school until the fall comes... but let's not dwell on such dark thoughts. For now, let's enjoy the summer months and get ready to relax!

For this post I will introduce you to two of the three dolls which Penny picked out at American Girl Place New York. The first thing Penny did when she walked in the door at AGPNY was go to the concierge desk to the right of the doors and ask how a customer gets stuff shipped to themselves. All that is taken care of at check-out! Good to know. You fill out your address on a form, you get charged extra for shipping and it is delivered by UPS.

Seven to ten business days for delivery was the estimate from the cashier. But it actually arrived in Badger's Wood in two days. TWO DAYS! Can you believe it? Derek was opening the box (and reading the receipt) before we were even half-way through our vacation!

Anyway, the second thing Penny did was hand her camera to her sister so she could take photos of the store while Penny looked at the dolls. She started her quest in the "Just Like You" areas on the first floor, positioned to the left and right of the doors. (Penny's sidenote: The store's floor plan was not designed for easy-traffic-flow. So it can be a little daunting, especially when people are lined up at the concierge desk to check-in for special events and they block the doorway. Eek! AG, are you reading this?)

The first doll Penny picked out was the mystery girl which will be revealed on Wednesday June 24th. Those of you who consider yourselves to be Sherlock-Holmes-reincarnated have probably already figured out which doll was purchased. Those of you who are more like the Dr. Watsons of the world and are usually asking Holmes "Who? What? When? and How?", check back on Wednesday for the "big" reveal!

The second doll Penny chose was the #16 destined to be customized into our 1950s girl. She looked at every single #16 doll on the floor trying to find one with eyes that were the same size. Or as close to being the same size as she could find. The AG face molds do not always provide the perfect symmetry of parts that Penny finds so comforting in her dolls. By the time she was looking at her 20th #16 doll, Penny's sister was ready to throttle her with her own camera...

Eventually a doll was chosen, and she moved up to the historical floor to find a Felicity doll (with eyes that were generally the same size) to be made into Elinor Dashwood once she gets her brown eyes in place. This search was accomplished relatively quickly in comparison to the #16 quest. With 3 dolls, some accessories, and a pair of doll clogs in tow Penny dragged her bag of goodies up the check-out. (Penny's sidenote: They really need carts, not just big bags. They get way too heavy to lug around- even with just one doll in them. But the store aisles are too narrow for carts and they should be wider for more movement. Again, AG, are you reading this?)

After all the checking-out occured and the goodies were handed off to the cashier to be shipped, Penny remembered she wanted to get a Statue of Liberty costume for Muddiford (fka Coconut), and one of the little carry-all bags for dolls that are store-exclusives. Back to the check-out...

So for now I will show you the #16 and Felicity dolls. In the pictures below you will first see the #16 (yet to be named via our poll, which will probably close after we reveal her with her green eyes), then Felicity, and finally the two dolls side-by-side so you can pretend to envision an eye-swap between the two. (Which will eventually occur.)

Sorry for the long post! (Gee, my little vinyl fingers are tired.) Enjoy our pictures below and I'll return on Wednesday with further AGPNY adventures!

Sophie_nc Purple Dress for Ruthie

There is a house full of weary travelers here in Badger's Wood. All we pretty much want to do is nap! Why do vacations have to be so tiring? We really need a relaxing one soon. Our next vacation will probably be to Disney World. Unfortunately that probably will be a lot of walking and not a lot of relaxing... but still, it is the House of Mouse!

Anyway, besides all of my whining and rambling, I am here to tell you about the purple dress we bought off of Ebay from seller Sophie_nc. It was being modeled by Kit in the Ebay auction and could probably work for the 1930s. So we gave it to Ruthie. It is longer than a normal 1930's young girl's dress would be. But we think it still works for Ruthie, and she loves the color purple. So please enjoy the pictures below of her modeling the sophisticated new dress!

During our "vacation" Penny got to go to the American Girl store in New York City. Yes, she bought some stuff there, including 3 dolls (which we will show off to you next week). She also went to Tiffany's, FAO Schwartz, and a variety of restaurants. I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Central Park Zoo. (I will show you some of the neat stuff I saw there next week as well. And maybe even some videos if I can get those to work in Blogger...)

After a few days in the city we traveled to Penny's parents' house. There we ate a lot of food, went shopping, went out to the movies, and took a whole bunch of pictures of Molly in handmade clothing that Penny had collected when she was a girl. So you should be seeing those in upcoming posts as well. About 75% was made by Penny's Mom, and the other 25% was purchased at craft shows back in the olden days. Heehee.

So Monday June 22nd will be Wild Card Monday! Will you see a new handmade outfit? Maybe! Or will you see a new doll? Or something from New York? Or our Molly in an "old" handmade outfit? Check back with us on Monday to find out!

Vacation Until June 19th! See You Soon!

Dear Doll Wardrobe Readers,

We are off to New York City until next Thursday. Our next post, on Friday June 19th, will be on our new sophie_nc dress for Ruthie purchased off of Ebay.

Please free to read our posts, add your opinion to our polls, and enjoy all of our pictures of cool handmade items while we are gone!

Then we will show you a whole bunch of new stuff and, hopefully, new dolls when we get back! See you soon!

Love and smooches from Nora the Magnificent

Nayasdesigns 1940s Green Dress for Susan

Susan loves, loves, loves, LOVES this color green. What words could describe it? It's not quite olive. Nor apple. Not grass. Maybe a moss green? Well according to the wacky wikipedia guide to greens, it is best described as a "fern green." She also likes "sap green" and "asparagus," though they don't really sound very appetizing to me. Apparently we should have created her entire wardrobe in greens. But it's a bit too late now...

The white buttons down the front of this 1940s green dress purchased from Etsy seller nayasdesigns remind me of the buttons on Susan's BoltSense dress posted on June 1st, 2009. Buttons seemed like a good theme for some of her dresses. This purchase came with the fabric-covered headband that is elastic, not hard like Emily's (which pops off her head whenever it wants to), and white tights. The dress features the aforementioned buttons, ruffles down the front and over her shoulders onto the back, white rickrack trim, as well as a cute neckline. The dress has lovely lines and fits Susan well.

Penny also purchased a purple dress, very similar in design, from nayasdesigns. But that belongs to someone besides Susan and will be seen here later this year. If you are interested in dresses like this one, I believe Linnea still has a blue one and a yellow one in her shop. Or at least she did when I wrote this blog entry. Heehee.

Soon we leave for New York. I get to go on a week-long school field trip to a variety of probably-boring museums. Penny gets to go shopping. The injustice. She says the museums are great and I will have tons of fun since I like history so much. Yeah, right. I'd rather go shopping...

After our trip to New York, I, Nora Demington, will return (like a bad penny) on June 19th, 2009 with more wonderful posts for all you fantastic people out there on the Internet! You will see a post on a Ruthie dress purchased from Ebay seller sophie_nc!

Meanwhile check out this beautiful nayasdesigns creation!

Terristouch Kirsten-Style Birthday Dress for Cassie

Cassie is the sweetest girl. There ain't no girl sweeter, and she certainly deserves a Kirsten Birthday dress of her own that ain't pink. Ain't that the truth! Haha. Yay for bad grammar!

Where was I? Oh yeah, Etsy seller Terristouch was so super nice recently and asked Penny if there was anything she wanted to suggest as possible upcoming creations. Penny has been longing for Kirsten's Birthday dress since it was first released. (Yes, Penny is kind of, well "older.") But the pinkness! Oh the pinkness! It was a barrier Penny could not get past. Terri made this beautiful version- the same exact pattern for dress and apron as AG- just 150% better. (In Penny's opinion.)

The dress is created from a light blue fabric with little blue dots and multi-color flowers. So cute! The sleeves have elastic in them for the right shape and feature a small white bow on each, with an edging of white rickrack- just like the AG version. And the apron is just perfect and can now be used with all sorts of Cassie's dresses (most of which have been acquired from Terri, heehee).

If AG dolls could smile bigger, Cassie certainly would be smiling very big for Terri in the shots below, where you will see the dress with and without the apron. Thank you again Terri!

Marvelous Me will be posting next week on a green 1940s dress purchased from Etsy seller nayasdesigns for our Susan. Then there will be a little hiatus from us in Badger's Wood as we travel to New York to pick up our new Felicity and 1950s dolls. Will there be more than two dolls purchased? Maybe.... but don't tell Derek. He may start to cry a little. Man tears, of course. But still tears.

Until next time, bask in the cuteness of Cassie below!

Today's Extra Post of My Ramblings, Yes Another One!

Hello again blog readers! Just wanted to let you know a variety of interesting things. Ok, maybe they are just interesting to me...but I am going to share them anyway!

1) We received our Little's Creatures orange furry puppet on Saturday. And it came with a stand! He is made of awesomeness. We haven't figured out a name for him yet. But once we reveal him to you with some pictures and his own post, we will ask for your help in naming him. For some reason we have a difficult time naming things on our own...more on the puppet soon!

2) Terristouch has been producing clothing for Julie and Ivy (1970s) left and right. Right and left. Please check out her shop here! There are jammies and jumpers and school outfits and just a whole bunch of really cute things!

Why am I telling you this? Well, first of all some of Penny's friends have been lamenting the lack of new 1970s clothing from AG. Go to Terristouch! Problem solved.

Second of all, Penny doesn't collect doll clothing from the 1970s unless she wants it for us modern girls. But they are all so cute and someone needs to buy them and love them! That's where you come in! Looking for 1970s clothing? Go to Etsy seller Terristouch!

3) Last random thing to talk about for today! Penny asked me to share with you this really cool doll bunk bed she found on Etsy. Go here! Handmade by Etsy seller "dollbedsbyed." It even has a little ladder! Coolness!

If you buy this bed, you'll really be helping us out a lot. How, you ask? Well we already have several doll beds. And trunks. And desks. And more doll furniture than one normal person should have. Or twelve normal people should have. And yet this bunk bed looks like it could be so marvelous with the right paint job. But Penny doesn't have room for any more doll beds!

So need a doll bunk bed? Like painting things yourself? Get this bed! Prevent Penny from buying yet another piece of doll furniture!

Ok, I'm signing off for now...and going back to my studies. I promise....right after I have a snack....and maybe play with the dogs....and annoy my sisters....*mischievous grin*

BoltSense 1940s Purple Dress for Susan

Pockets! Yes, this dress has pockets! Penny's sister can never resist a dress with pockets in real human-size fashion. And Penny can rarely resist a dress with pockets in doll-size fashion. Must be some sort of genetic link.

This purple dress was purchased for Susan from Etsy seller BoltSense back on March 10th. It popped up in the Etsy search results with a Molly as a model in the cutest pigtails. She had Penny at first glance. Of course, we already have Molly- but we didn't have that dress. Add to Cart.

So Penny does freely admit that the under-yoke-layer and the trim on the pockets is made from a light pink fabric. Eeek! But the dress is overwhelmingly purple, so she said that it was ok. The tiny polka dots, scalloped yoke two-layer collar, white decorative buttons, poofy skirt pockets and big thick ribbon that ties the dress in the back really make this dress unique.

The full skirt and puffy short sleeves give a strong aura of 1940s and remind me of Emily's AG Holiday Outfit. But this is more of a school-worthy version, instead of attire for Christmas dinner at the McIntires' house. Plus the necklines are totally different. These are our justifications for owning both dresses...heehee.

Coming up next from Badger's Wood is a post on Etsy seller Terristouch's new take on American Girl's Kirsten Birthday dress. And it isn't pink! Hallelujah! Yes, we sort of asked her to make a version of this dress that wasn't pink. And Terri obliged our request! Such a sweet woman. Thank you Terri! Penny just couldn't bring herself to buy that AG version!

So next time see Cassie's new dress and apron here in The Doll Wardrobe. For now, look below for our beautiful Susan modeling the BoltSense dress! That girl looks prettier and prettier each time I add a post with her. And that silky smooth brown hair is just to die for! *Nora passes out from jealousy*

gehrom Grey and Red Sweater and Hat Set

Rebecca is here! Well, not "here" as in here in Badger's Wood... just "here" as in available for crazy collectors like Penny to purchase!

But Penny is going to wait some more time and be patient before ordering her. I hope everyone who wants her can get her and doesn't have to wait! I am all about instant gratification. Don't forget to vote in the poll in the sidebar for your favorite Rebecca item!

For now, I am going to show you another sweater set from Ebay seller gehrom. This set is shown on Ruthie, but it belongs to Kit. I wanted to show it to you on Ruthie though because the last gehrom set was shown on Kit. Yay for diversification of photo shoots!

The red hat does look especially smashing with Ruthie's dark locks. The grey and red sweater is large enough to fit over a blouse or dress and it buttons up the back. The hat is wonderfully made and again the flower is detachable and movable. The first photo shows you the whole outfit with Emily's dark wool skirt. The second shot gives you an up-close look at the hat and the top of the sweater. The third photo was taken with a more powerful flash so you can see the vertical bands in the crochet-work contrasting against the red horizontal bands. It is quite a neat effect! Thank you gehrom for another great set!

Also, I have to say the red and dark grey combination is really striking and seamstresses don't take advantage of it nearly enough. I don't think American Girl has even made a historical dress with these two colors...or have they? Maybe somewhere there in the AG timeline...

Next time in The Doll Wardrobe I'll be talking about a purple dress for Susan purchased from Etsy seller BoltSense. It is quite a unique addition to her growing wardrobe.

Seems like everybody in this house is getting a purple dress nowadays....everyone except for me, of course. Though honestly, I'm not a huge fan of dresses. Yeah, they are pretty. But I'm more of a pajamas and costumes girl myself.... what have I been pining for? The rabbit costume from Gomunk Creations pictured in the "For sale" section! But that is not really the type of thing I can wear to school....or can I? Hmmm....

While I devise a plan for wearing a rabbit costume to school, enjoy our photos below!