Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Christmas Goodies and Another Emma Photo Shoot :)

Hi everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful time with your families and friends this past weekend. :)  I had a great Christmas at my aunt's house.  We enjoyed food and fellowship and gifts together and stretched out the holiday for as long as possible (we just came home yesterday). :) 

I wanted to do a quick post to show you some cute 18" doll outfits that my mom found for my girls.  She found these at Big Lots for their off-brand 18" doll line.  The outfits were only about $8 a piece, but were really cute for what they were, especially considering the price.  Jen at "Dolls and Nachos" did a post on these sometime in the last month, so I had heard about them before.  It was really fun to see the girls get them for Christmas.

Okay, enough babbling...here are the pics! :)

Hailey, Maggie and Ella modeling my daughters' doll outfits (and yes, I did ask their permission before I played with their Christmas presents).  :)  

First up is Hailey, modeling a mock turtleneck in blues, greens and pinks, with slightly faded denim blue jeans (which include floral embroidery on one pant let), brown suede ankle boots, and a blue, fur-lined vest.  The shoes and vest probably won't last very long because of quality...it's probably good that this outfit went to my most careful daughter. :)

Next we have Maggie, wearing khaki pants, a white, long-sleeved shirt with rose embroidery on the front, a pink fur-lined hoodie jacket, and pink plastic Mary Janes.  Something to be aware of with this outfit:  the pink shoes didn't fit on my Gotz dolls, but I was able to get them on Maggie.  I think the Alexander Girlz dolls have slightly smaller feet than some of their 18" sisters.  So for those of you with American Girl or Gotz dolls, you might want to avoid this outfit if you want a fully functional one.

Finally, we have Ella modeling my favorite outfit of the three.  I especially love the cute corduroy jacket!  The striped mock turtleneck is really nice too.  The stripes are kind of a peachish-orange, tan and off-white.  This outfit also includes a denim skirt and suede boots trimmed in fur.  When I saw this on Ella, I thought, "I bet that would look really cute on Emma,"...

...so of course I had to try it! :)  I absolutely fell in love with this outfit on her.  She looks adorable!  Then, I just had to take more pics because she is so stinkin' photogenic. :)

Here's a close-up of the cute jacket...and Emma! :)

I love these boots, even though the quality is definitely not up to American Girl standards.  But still, aren't they fun?

Details of the skirt.  You can see from this pic that the stitching is not all it's cracked up to be, but hey, for $8, I'll take it.  It beats me having to attempt to sew! :)

Here's Emma without the jacket, so you can see her cute stripes.

Hmmm, I may just have to go by Big Lots and see if there are any more of these left.  This is definitely a perfect Emma outfit. :)  Either that, or I'll just have to sweet-talk my youngest a lot so I can borrow the outfit for photo shoots! :)


UPDATE (12/29/10):  These doll clothes are from the "Friendship Kids" line, done by a company called Kingsgate.  I went to Big Lots today to see if I could find the outfit for Emma and they didn't have it. :(  They did still have the outfit Hailey modeled, with the blue vest, so I went ahead and bought it.  The cashier said that it's possible they could get more of them in.  Their trucks come on Monday, so I might try again next week.  I think I'll keep the outfit I got in the package until then, just in case. :)

19 comments:

AlexAndrea said...

Other than rather somber expressions, their faces are really quite lovely. Hailey's hair is really cute.

When picking a doll from the shelf, try to find the copy with the best workmanship, then decide wether your skills can clean up any flaws.

It looks like you could trim some loose threads on the denim skirt. Use small sewing sizzors or a sharp x-acto knife. When using a knife, slip a thin piece of cardstock behind the thread and make several gentle passes . . . and don't blink.

. said...

Exciting!! I love all the outfits, but I only have A.G. Dolls;) So, it was really nice that you tired yours & my favorite outfit on Emma!! I will totally have to take a trip up to Big Lots & pick up one of those outfits!! Can you kinda tell by just looking at the shoes that the shoes are too small? Just because I'd prefer the outfits be fully fuctionable;) Once again, thanks for posting about these adorable outfits!!
Sincerely,
Rachel Noel, Emmie's Edition

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks for the comments, guys! :) AlexAndrea, I love the Gotz doll faces too. It's funny, sometimes they look really somber, and other times they don't, depending on the picture. Maybe the lighting has something to do with it. Hailey's hair is a rewig job. It's a "Denise" wig in auburn from the Monique doll company that I got on eBay. Thanks for all of the tips on fixing the threads, too.

Hi, Rachel Noel. I'm glad you enjoyed the post. :) I don't remember how easy it is to tell from the packaging about the shoes. Basically, if the outfit has plastic shoes, I would avoid it. The suede-looking shoes worked just fine, though. Hope this helps! Happy shopping! :)

AlexAndrea said...

I stopped a Big Lots yesterday . . . Nothing but empty shelves . . . everywere!

Odd, but Toys R' Us had nothing 18 inches tall except dozens of the Disney Princeses ($50). Very odd, indeed!

I found an Our Generation doll ($3) at my favorite thrift store . . . She has an odd face (I think it's the eyes) . . . and bad hair. I also found an OG Vespa and an AG bathtub . . . A BATHTUB?!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi AlexAndrea! Sorry you didn't find anything at Big Lots. I've had the same problem with a lot of the local stores. I think everyone bought everything out before Christmas! :)

I saw an OG doll at my thrift store for the same price. She's still there. I don't care for their faces and hair either. :)

. said...

Thanks so much for the tip!! I haven't got around to shopping yet, but now I know what & what not to look for!! Plus, I bet the suede-looking shoes last a bit longer than those of plastic;)
Sincerely,
Rachel Noel, Emmie's Edition

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

No problem, Rachel Noel! :) Hopefully your Big Lots has more in stock than mine did.

Jen said...

There's just something about the orange-striped shirt and corduroy jacket, paired with a black-haired doll, that makes the cuteness factor go up exponentially!

I might have to go back for the pink & khaki outfit, too - I bet the shoes would fit my daughter's doll.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

I agree, Jen. I loved this outfit on your Jess doll, too. I'm hoping Big Lots will have re-stocked when I go back next week! :)

Dubem said...

Hello Dude,

Wow! What are sweet dolls looking so smart wear their dresses.
18 Doll Clothes

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks. I like your website. :)

AlexAndrea said...

Sigh, you were right . . . I just bought an AG Samantha on e-bay and have a bid on an AG Emily.

I also did a 'Buy Now' on an AG Ruby Ballet Outfit (NIB).

Someday, I'll explain the Ballerina thing.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Lol...I was only speaking from experience. I'm currently watching some stuff on eBay myself. It's a dangerous habit to start AG stuff on eBay! :)

I'll look forward to hearing about "the ballerina thing". :)

AlexAndrea said...

HELP!!!

I may have to start selling Barbie 'stuff' on e-bay to support my newly acquired addiction.

I just purchased a new pair of AG lace-up leather (hiking?) boots. They are just so cool!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Man, you've got it bad!!! :)

Shari said...

I really like the blue vest and the outfit with the corduroy jacket. It's too bad the quality isn't that good. Emily Rose used to carry dolls by Kingstate, but now we carry the Favorite Friends line from Madame Alexander, and I think they're much nicer.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Shari! I like the blue vest too, although, like you said, the quality isn't the greatest. The Madame Alexander line is nicer. Good to hear from you. :)

AlexAndrea said...

Pardon my ignorance, but what are 'TLC' Dolls?

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

No problem, AlexAndrea. :) A "TLC" doll is a doll that is NOT in mint condition and needs "tender loving care". It can refer to anything from cut or frizzy hair to silver eye to missing or detached limbs, among other ailments. The nice thing about TLC dolls is that you can usually get them for a better price than a doll in nicer condition. A lot of people will either fix them up or do custom dolls (doing an eye swap or re-wigging them). Also, if it's an American Girl doll, you can send them to the American Girl Doll Hospital to be fixed up. If you go to Americangirl.com, you can type "doll hospital" in the search box to get more info on the hospital. There's even a link with all of the prices. Another great place for more info on this type of stuff is at agplaythings.com. They have a forum and message board you can join with everything you could possibly want to know about AG and other 18" dolls. Hope this helps! :)

P.S. If you're thinking of getting a TLC doll with a detached arm or leg, it's very important to ask the seller if there is a little white plastic cup shaped piece still in the detached limb. If there isn't, you won't be able to re-string your doll without finding more replacement parts. Also, if your plan is to send the doll to the AG doll hospital, you have to have all the detached parts. For example, if the leg has come off, you have to send the doll and the leg to get it fixed. I don't think you have to have the cups inside for the Doll Hospital, though.

Okay, wow, that was a long comment. Hopefully you have the info you need now, though! :)