Christmas Dress for Nanea

 I decided that Nanea needed a Christmas dress. I am surprised that AG hasn't made one for her.

I wanted to make a green one to go with her eyes.

I found a green plaid fat quarter with snowflakes in my stash. It was perfect!

I used the pattern Keepers Dolly Duds Nancy and Mary Jane pattern. I didn't add the scallops. They would have been lovely, but I wanted a simpler project. I will make them next time!

Oddly enough, tackling a simpler version of this pattern makes me more confident in tackling a more complicated version later.

I am very happy with the finished version. Nanea can match with the other dolls wearing a Christmas dress now!

I think this dress goes well especially with Molly's and Addy's Christmas dresses.

It is so dark this time of year. It makes it more challenging to take good pictures.

Pattern Review: KDD Sweet Summer Days

 I need to start sewing again!

I started with Keepers Dolly Duds Sweet Summer Days.

Yes, I consider it a hilarious and wonderful joke that after I sewed all of the Keepers Dolly Duds patterns, three more were released.

I am happy to have more wonderful patterns to sew!

I made this dress in yellow gingham. Having learned my lesson the last time I sewed this dress, I lined the skirt so that it wouldn't be see-though.

Nanea gets to wear the dress. It looks great on her! I was sewing this on a rainy day, and the dress was like a drop of sunshine.

If you are not into the midriff gap, Forever 18 Inches Country Diva is a pretty similar pattern.

I'm excited to be sewing again! I'm less excited about winter approaching, but oh well.

Meet Rapunzel

 My first Disney princess doll is Rapunzel.

She may well be my last Disney princess doll as well. My favorite Disney PRINCESS is Belle, with steep competition from Moana and Merida. But I didn't care as much for the limited edition Belle doll.

I have thus far resisted all of the Limited Edition American girl dolls.

But I digress! I am more likely to buy a doll if I think it is a unique combination of features that uses one of my favorite face molds. (Which, for the record, are classic, Jess, Joss and Marie Grace.)

I really liked Limited Edition Rapunzel. But I wasn't going to pay the price they were asking. I also didn't like the crystals, glitter eye make up, and the extra long hair.

When play line Rapunzel came out, all of those concerns were addressed!

A friend gave me her expiring rewards, and Rapunzel came home to me.

For the record, I was REALLY tempted by play line Tiana. But I can't tell Tiana and Claudie apart unless they are in the same picture. Since I am TRYING to limit the size of my collection and I already have Claudie, I did not get Tiana.

Rapunzel's hair has a lovely "swish" to it. It musses easily, and falls back in place easily.

I have not actually seen Tangled, and I may give Rapunzel a new personality. I think she is a lovely doll, and I am so happy to have her.

Ruby Red Siblies Minnie

 I won the Ruby Red Fashion Friends July photo contest!

This was the photo of Maya that I won with!

I was super excited.

My prize arrived on a day when I was really feeling down, and I appreciated the pick-me-up.

I won Siblies doll Minnie, and two outfits! It's a very generous prize.

I am very happy. I didn't have Minnie yet.

Here's Minnie! She's very cute. I love the curls around her forehead.

I did not realize that Minnie has purple streaks in her hair. It doesn't show in many photos, as you can only see it from behind.

Here's a look at the purple streaks of hair:

I will be taking pictures of the outfits that I received as well.

Many thanks to Ruby Red Fashion Friends for the generous prizes!

Frieda Fun!

 Frieda is one of my favorite Ruby red dolls. I love her braid, her pincurls, her sunny smile.

My only complains is that her braid is falling apart with very minimal handling.

She poses like a dream.

Here are some recent Frieda photos!

New Hat!

 Erin is modelling a new hat! 

I was thrilled to find a bag of AG hats at the thrift store. Sadly, I did not find any outfits that went with the hats. But it was a great find!

So Erin got to wear this hat. A friend identified it for me as being from the Glitter Jeans Outfit in 2003.

It's made of this fabric that feels like suede. I miss when American Girl used nice fabrics like that. Sigh.

The Revenge Doll

 Lanie was at the thrift store a week ago, and my mom gave me a "don't even think about it " look.

I went again this Saturday. She was still there, so I bought her just because I was mad at Mom.

I bet no one's ever bought a revenge doll before, have you?

My therapist thinks this is very funny...

This is a "before" picture. You can see the price tag is still on her leg. I have since brushed her hair and she looks much better now.

Dolls at the Lake

 I took three dolls to the lake to get some pictures this weekend.

First up is American Girl Girl of the Year 2020.

Joss is happy to be at the lake, even if she couldn't go surfing.

Next is Ruby Red Fashion Friends Stella. She looks cute as always.

Then there is Ruby Red Create Your Dream Doll Jeanette. I just got her, as the dolls are on sale this month.

I love Jeannette's face. She has less pose-ability than other Ruby Red Fashion Friends, but that is reflected in the lower price point.

Her skin tone is a little odd. She looks very grey when she is next to other Ruby Red dolls.

It doesn't look that bad when she is on her own.

She is a little grey-ish here.

She looks fine in this picture!

Her clothes are all printed on cheap fabric, but again, I expected that from the low price point.

More Maya Madness!

 Yep, here are some more pictures of Maya!

This one is my favorite- so sweet!

Erin's Day Out

 Here are some Erin appreciation pictures!

Her hair looks more brown than red here, but it's still Erin! No doll swapsies involved.

Blonde Little Bitty Baby

 I got the blonde Little Bitty Baby.

I feel that her head is a slightly different shape from the others that I have. It is rounder. And her eye placement feels different to me.

I kinda like the face of the brown eyed baby better, but they are SO SIMILAR, this makes me feel crazy.

Here's a picture with Erin in the garden as well.

Maya in the Garden

 Maya's getting more pictures! Luckily, it was a cloudy day, so it was perfect for doll pictures.

She had to take her coat off as it was too hot outside. I did not realize that she has long sleeves on under her coat.

As I keep saying, I love long sleeves on doll clothes.

Maya Goes to the Library!

 Ruby Red Fashion Friends is doing a spotlight on Maya this month, so I took her to the library for some fun pictures! 

I think she really enjoyed it!

Secret fact: I left her hair net on so her hair wouldn't get mussed while she was carried in a bag.

New Wig For Camellia

 I got Camellia a new wig from Zazou Custom Dolls.

Well, originally I meant it for a different doll, but I think it's hers now.

The wig is a blonde French braid with loose wisps of hair, and it just makes her look younger and sweeter.

Here is her original wig.

And here is the new wig.

I am just seriously in love.

Apparently the Diana mold has a larger head than some Ruby Red dolls, and this wig came with a warning that it was slightly larger and needed a wig cap, so it's perfect!

Sundress for Fern

 Fern was one of the dolls I bought at the 2021 MCM sale.

She is a stunning Jess mold with freckles and grey eyes. I love her.

She came in a hot pink princess dress. I cannot state enough how much that dress did not suit her and how much she hated it, and how much I hated it on her.

She hasn't worn a dress since she came to my house, until now.

I finally made a dress that suited Fern.

I made the Bunny Bear Endless Summer pattern in yellow gingham.

It's so cute on Fern!

My friend said that she looks like a yellow daffodil, and I love that comparison.

I guess Fern likes gingham and plaid. I will have to keep that in mind.

She might need a slip with this dress, as you can see her undies if you look closely.

Meanwhile, I am enjoying this summer look on her.