Comparison Pictures

 I took a couple of comparison pictures with the MCM dolls.

Here is Maritza with Joss.

It's just interesting to me because they have the same face mold, but they have very different facial expressions. 

I think it's in the eyebrows. I originally thought that Maritza's eyebrows were further down on her face, but this picture just shows that they are a very different shape.

Her lips also seem to be painted a slightly different shape.

I also took a picture comparing my Kaya, on the left, with the new Kaya, on the right.

They look very different! The shape of their faces even seems different. The new Kaya seems to have a much rounder face.

MCM Dolls 2022!

 I picked up my MCM dolls on Saturday. The benefit sale actually asked us on social media not to come Saturday morning if we didn't have to. I didn't see that post. I just got up and went. My GPS actually died on me, and I had to go buy a new one.

I got there about 9:30 am, and didn't have to wait long. I was surprised that I had to park in the street and carry my items across the parking lot to the car, because I hadn't seen the post.

I picked up my items and the items for a friend who couldn't do the pick up this weekend. I am going to meet with them in September to give them their items.

The dolls that I got are Maritza and Makena. They were both brand new, never been taken out of the box, no X on their bottoms.

I was amazed at how long Maritza's hair is! It's past her bottom! It has pretty red highlights. It is really beautiful.

Makena is super cute too!

My friend got Kaya, who was also in perfect condition.

As usual, I had a really good MCM experience. I feel guilty about going on Saturday morning when they were asking people to stay away. I thought the morning would be less busy than the afternoon.

After picking up the dolls, I went to Clausen's Bakery, the India House Grocery store, Joann, St. Vincent de Paul thrift store and Portillo's for lunch. Since I live in a very small town, it was really special to have all of these great shops so close together.

Here is a link to my blog post on the MCM sale in 2023- the very last MCM sale ever.

Introducing Caitlin

 I never posted Caitlin!

Caitlin is a Kaya doll whom I rescued from Goodwill.

Her hair was badly chopped in the back, although it took me a while to notice how bad it was.

You can see pictures of  what she looked like when I got her in this post.

I got her a Chrissa look-alike wig. She is very happy now that she has a better haircut.

And here is a picture of her together with Mara.

She's a cutie!

Yes, I really love the Kaya mold. Kaya has such a sweet face.

Exploring Wisconsin History

 I love the Wisconsin Historical Society. They have such great historical sites to visit.

I recently visited both Old World Wisconsin and Circus World, and I brought dolls to take pictures.

I took my new Kaya to Circus World. I have decided to name her Caitlin. She is probably going to get a new wig, as this one is very choppy.

Caitlin with an antique circus wagon.

Caitlin with a circus wagon wheel.

Caitlin looking at circus wagons.

I am still thinking of a personality and name for my Just Like Me 80.

Yes, sometimes I am really bad at this.

So I took her to Old World Wisconsin, thinking that we need to spend some time together to get to know each other.

She is so beautiful... and I still don't know her name.

*sob*

Is there an easier way to keep glasses on an AG doll?

These kept falling off.

I thought Danielle had this problem because of her hearing aids. Now I think it must be all AG dolls that have this problem.

Anyway, I got some really good pictures, as well as loads of outtakes, so I wanted to share!

More Doll of Color Month Pictures

 Here are a few more pictures that I have taken this month.

My Asian and Pacific Islander dolls

Kaya

Melody

I didn't realize that Josefina's notebook has writing in it, in both Spanish and English. It's so special!

I really should have looked at it more closely before now.

I can't decide which picture of Josefina at her loom I like better. I wish I could have taken this picture inside, though. That would have made better sense.

They are all such pretty girls. I am loving these pictures.

Doll of Color Month

 It's Doll of Color Month on Instagram! 

It's always fun to see diverse dolls being celebrated.

I have taken a few pictures to post so far: 

My Native American Girls

My African American Girls

These are the dolls that I got from the thrift store in the last year! Yes, Felicity is not a doll of color, but I thought as a group, they fit the theme of "diversity."

Beautiful Addy

I look forward to seeing everyone's #docmonth posts!

Thrift Store Fun!

 On Thursday, I found, not one, but two American girl dolls at the thrift store.

One was American Girl # 26, and the  other was Kaya with a hair cut.

This post includes a picture of a doll head without its body.

Kaya Love

 I just love Kaya, you guys. She is an exquisitely beautiful doll with such a sweet, thoughtful expression.

This beaver was kind of a weird addition to her collection. I mean, a beaver is not a pet, so it's hard to get a natural looking picture of Kaya with the beaver, I think.

It's also not my favorite AG animal of all time, although I admit I am not a huge fan of the AG animals in general. It just has a weird feeling to its fur. I don't have sensory issues, but I would think this would bother someone who has them. Since I sew, I just pay a lot of attention to how materials feel in your hand. I think it's part of das Ding an sich, and I apologize for dragging Kant into a doll blog.

I am happy with this picture of Kaya spaying on the beaver from behind a tree. I think it's a realistic scenario. How else can I work the beaver into a picture? I am thinking about it.

I really love dolls with their dolls. I try to get the dolls belonging to the AG dolls when possible. I still need Clara for Samantha and Amelia Earhart for Kit.

However, Kaya has her doll now, and they are so cute together! Such a pretty picture.

Doll of Color Month

 September is Doll of Color Month on Instagram.

There is a new topic every day to encourage you to show off your dolls of color.

I am not going to follow every prompt, but I did try to follow some of them.

This led to taking some group pictures, which are very hard to do!

I am not totally happy with these pictures,but they do show the dolls I wanted to show!

All my dolls of color

Kaya and Steps High

Just a few pictures of Kaya and Steps High enjoying the fall weather.

Meet Mara!

I have finally made the custom I have been planning for years.

This is Mara Frances. She is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation.
She loves animals and the outdoors and outdoor activities like biking and hiking.

 She has an Ivy wig.

I have had the doll and the wig for two years and it took me that long to get up the courage to rip the old wig off.

Here is Mara when I first got her.

 She is my first custom doll, and I am extremely happy with her!

She is named after actress Mara Wilson.
Her middle name comes from another lovely Kaya custom who used to own her wig.

Saving Samantha

Both of my Samanthas have had missing limbs for at least two years now.

You may be wondering, why do I have two Samanthas?

Samantha number one is a Pleasant Company doll that I got on ebay when I was in grad school.

She was my third AG, and a childhood dream.

More than a childhood dream, I did not dare dream for more than the two dolls I had, Felicity and Anne.

Then I got the second Samantha, also on ebay, more recently, as part of a plan to give each of my cousin's daughters an AG doll when they are old enough. The girls in question are still a bit young for this and I am not sure how/ if I want to do this.

Amway, the Pleasant Company Samantha, which I had already worked on once, lost both arms and a leg, and the second Samantha lost a leg. Plus her remaining limbs were wobbly.

Call it The Curse of the Two Samanthas. It could be a Nancy Drew mystery.

Kaya in the Snow

After buying Kaya's winter accessories this year, I was very happy to get some pictures of her outside in the snow.

 I am sure Steps High was glad to get some exercise to stay warm.

It's actually really nice to have horses for the dolls to ride when taking pictures outside in the snow.
I didn't have to worry about them falling head first into the snow!

Kaya's Wardrobe: Kaya's Winter Accessories

I just added Kaya's Winter Accessories to my collection.

I wanted this for several reasons:

I live in a cold area, and Kaya needs to stay warm.

I have noticed that these tend to sell for more money on the secondary market than they do new, and they are still available from AG!

And also, I fell in love with some pictures that Maggie at American Girl Collectors took of her Kaya wearing them in the snow.

It may look sunny in these pictures, but it is pretty chilly, and Kaya is happy to have warm clothes to wear.

If you are not aware, the winter accessories include gloves, boots, and cape and a hood.
I did not really realize that it came with a pair of fur lined moccasins!

There are a lot of small pieces to lose, so that's another reason to buy this direct from AG.

This picture of Kaya and Steps High is the CUTEST. They love each other.

Fun fact: Kaya is riding Steps High in my living room right now. They look so good together.

I am really happy to own this wardrobe staple, and I look forward to taking more pictures of it when it snows.

Pretty Pictures

Here are some pictures I took of what the dolls were wearing before I changed their clothes.

They look so good!

Kit

 Anneliese

 Saige

 Kanani

Zia

 Kaya