She Plays the Violin

 When I carefully saved up to buy Anne, my American Girl of Today 6, I planned for her character to be partly like me but also aspirational. She could do things that I couldn't do, but that I wanted to do.

One of the big things that Anne can do that I can't is play the violin. I always wanted to play the violin but couldn't due to my hearing loss.

So when AG came out with a violin set for the Girls of Today, I bought it for Anne. I was really proud of it. 

Unfortunately, the violin set didn't age well. I last opened it a few years ago, noticed a few things that were broken, and put it away, kind of heart sick. I had kept it very carefully, it just came apart from age and from glue coming undone.

Then I saw a new violin set at the Mattel Toy Store and decided to buy it to replace the one I bought so many years ago.

I was actually surprised when I compared the two sets. The older one was not as in bad condition as I thought it was.

So this is the older set on the left and the newer set on the right.

Some things are exactly the same. The music stand and the music books are exactly the same.

I think that the older violin and bow are made of wood; the newer ones are made of plastic.

The older one looks a bit more realistic, but the problem is of course that it didn't hold up to aging.

The bridge of the older violin has fallen off. I still have it, but I can't get it back in place.

The chinrest of the older violin was either a separate part or has also fallen off. I still have it. It doesn't seem to fit well on the violin, so I am not sure what happened there.

One of the strings on the bow of the older violin snapped, but it still has enough strings left to look okay when the broken one was cut off.

The cases are also very similar, but have slightly different latches and hinges. They are both lined in blue velvet.

The rosin is very different. The older set now just has an empty envelope, and the one one has a plastic rosin.

So, anyway, despite everything, I was able to pose Anne holding the older violin and Ellie holding the newer violin. These pictures mean a lot to me. I wish I could display them like this, but I have no doubt everything would fall down sooner rather than later.

Ellie and Anne

Anne! She is wearing the Girl of Today recital outfit. I have carefully saved it all these years. 

Like the violin, it is finally coming into its own.

Ellie! Her personality is growing, slowly but surely. She doesn't like dresses, she wants to be a paleontologist, and she plays the violin.

I know the lighting could be better, but these pictures make me so happy.

Ellie in the Snow

Ellie wanted to play in the snow too!

Party with Inky!

Anne, Melody and I got to meet with the world-famous Inky of Super Inky!

Inky brought her friend Likolani. They are both super pretty, and very friendly!

Likolani, Anne, Inky and Melody

Anne and Inky had a long conversation. I am not sure what their topic was!

We had a great time!

Double-Bow Dress

Ellie is modelling the Double-Bow Dress from American Girl.

I bought this dress at MCM this summer. I think it is really cute. 

More swimsuit pictures!

These are just some fun pictures of the dolls in pairings of two or more in the swimsuits that I sewed.

Pattern Review: Liberty Jane Swimsuit

This is a swimsuit pattern from Liberty Jane. You can pick it up for free at Pixie Faire.

Pattern Review: Pants from Jinjia Mixed Goods

Ellie has some new pants to wear!

 These pants were made from a pattern by Windstar.  She is so talented!

You can see her blog, Jinjia Mixed Goods, here, and her etsy shop by the same name here.

These pants are very cool and were easy to make. They have pockets in both the side and the back of the pants.

Back pants pockets

Side pants pockets

I am very happy with these pants. Thanks for the pattern, Windstar!

Ellie

Here are some more pictures of Ellie wearing the Melody Valerie Bluebelle dress.

Girl Scouts, Growing Strong!

One of my dear friends just sent me this off-brand Girl Scout Juniors uniform.

I am so excited! I already had the official American Girl Juniors uniform. Now I can have a Girl Scout troop of two!

It looks so cute on Ellie!
The tab is held on with velcro over a white fabric tab sewn onto the shirt, so you can remove the tab and use it with another outfit.
The shoes did not come with it, they are Kit's.
I think some of the the insignia on the sash are in the wrong order (on the bottom half), but I haven't read a Girl Scout manual in a few years. Maybe it changed.
The skirt even has pockets!

I think she's prepared. For what? Anything!

My friend bought this off of Amazon, and the packaging said Emily Rose.

I think this is a great outfit, and am so pleased to own it!

Meet Ellie!

Meet Ellie, short for Elena. I really thought about giving her a Chinese or Korean name, but I am pretty sure I wouldn't pronounce it right, and my hearing loss makes it hard for me to learn pronunciations.

I am so happy with her! She came wearing this all-blue outfit (I added the shoes) and I am a sucker for dolls dressed in blue. She has the newer style of bangs. That makes me happy, because Anne has pie bangs, and this differentiates them in addition to their mold.

She has a dot under one eye, and I am calling it a birth mark.

Her hair is a little dry, but I will fix that as soon as I find my braid spray. I like the wave that her hair has. I love her!