More Pics from Marcotsgirls

Hey guys!  Just wanted to add another quick post.  Ebay seller marcotsgirls, the creator of my beautiful Regency dress from the last post, sent me a link to her Flickr album that shows some of her past dresses.  Note:  these dresses are not currently available, but they give you an idea of the type of work she does.  Also, she has three new dresses listed on eBay right now, so be sure to click the link above and check them out! :) 

Click HERE and HERE to see marcotsgirls Flickr.com photos.  I hope you enjoy browsing through them as much as I did. :)

Updates, Goodies, Etc.

Hi everyone!  Wow, what a week it's been.  Just wanted to share some goodies and give you a few updates. 

So, first off, we didn't end up having a birthday party yesterday.  As of Thursday night, my youngest daughter still wasn't sleeping through the night.  Friday morning, I felt nauseated unless I was laying down, due to lack of sleep.  My lunch Friday was a slice of cheese and half of a Sprite.  :}  I had been trying so hard to make the party work, but I knew on Friday that there was no way I would feel well enough to pull it off. 

It ended up being a really good decision.  Friday afternoon, my mom came down with the same virus I'd had last week.  Since she always makes the birthday cake with my aunt and is a huge help to me on party days, it would have been disastrous to do a party without her. 

My hubby took time off of work on Friday and let me pretty much sleep the whole day.  I'm finally feeling like myself again after 2 1/2 days of taking it easy.  And I know for a fact that I would have overdone and relapsed if I had tried to throw a party. 

It was all for the best.  My daughter got to open her present from us and pick out whatever dinner she wanted.  That was enough of a celebration for her for now.  The party is tentatively scheduled for next Saturday.  So, Lord willing, if we're all feeling well enough, we'll have our Toy Story party then.  :) 

Moving on, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I won one of the contests connected with the Literary Heroine Blog Party hosted by A Maiden's Musings.  Last week, my package with my fun literary buttons came in the mail.  Thanks so much, Kellie! :)

My other fun item to share with you is this beautiful Regency dress I purchased on eBay.  I know, I know, technically I didn't NEED another 18" doll Regency dress.  :)  But, I had sold a few things on AGPT, so I had some Paypal money to play around with.  It was one of those things where I saw it listed, put in a low maximum bid, and didn't look again.  I was sure it would go for a higher amount.  I ended up winning it for right around $12, though, including shipping!!  So here's Hailey, wearing my newest Regency doll dress, sold by marcotsgirls:

A fancy "do" :)

Beautiful Hailey! :)

I am so pleased with this dress!  I've noticed that a lot of the Regency dresses made for 18" dolls have very close-fitting skirts, which, in my opinion, make their heads look way too big for their bodies.  I think this type of Regency gown, with a fuller skirt, looks better on them.  [Note:  I'm feeling a slight sense of "Deja vu" here.  Sorry if I mentioned this point in my earlier post about Emma's Regency dress.  It's going to take me a while to get back into the swing of things. :}]  

The quality is excellent on this dress.  The material is sturdy and well-sewn.  The hems on the sleeves are very fitted, which concerned me when I first tried the dress on Hailey.  Marcotsgirls obviously did her research, though.  Just when I couldn't get the sleeves any higher on Hailey's arms, I realized that they were in just the right spot for the Velcro to close in the back.  The result is a nice, tight look around the hem of the sleeves.  The little details like ribbon trim add an extra beauty to the dress.  And for those of you wondering, yes, the pretty golden bead necklace was included. :)

I would highly recommend this eBay seller.  I don't believe she has anything listed at this time, but keep checking back.  She always has some great items to offer when she lists. 

Well, that's all for now.  Sometime this week I'll have a new post.  I have a package coming in the mail and it's...a NEW DOLL!! (Well, new to me, at least.)  This will be the last one for a long time, so this is a big deal. :)  Who do you think the newest member of our doll family will be? ;)

  

Doll Clothes of Yore: New Items and Clearance!

I almost forgot...I got an email from the Doll Clothes of Yore website, saying they have some new designs and several outfits on clearance for 15% off.  I had fun taking a quick peek and thought I'd share the news with all of you.  Maggie was very excited to see that one of the new dresses is an Eowyn dress from "The Lord of the Rings". :) 

I've included a direct link to the clearance items HERE, and a link to the main website HERE.  There are new designs in the Medieval, Renaissance, Colonial, Civil War, and Edwardian categories.  Have fun browsing!! :)

I'm Still Alive!! :}

Hi everyone!! Yes, I am still alive! :)  I was beginning to wonder after last week, though.  I'm feeling a lot better, but I'm still really wiped out.  Just the thought of sitting and typing a post or doing a photo story has been exhausting.  Of course, it doesn't help that my youngest daughter has a milder version of the same bug and hasn't been sleeping well for the past 4 nights.  My body just isn't getting enough down time to get better.

I just thought I'd give you a few quick updates.  You won't be hearing much more from me this week, because (aside from trying to recover) I've got to get ready for my youngest daughter's birthday party on this coming Saturday.  We'll still have it even if people are sick.  It just might be an extremely small party. :}  Thankfully, my daughter is turning 3, so as long as there are presents, cake, and a few extra people there, she'll be happy. :)

Besides all of the usual birthday prep, I've got to somehow resurrect my disaster area of a house.  You know how it is when mommy is sick.  My dear husband has worked on dishes, laundry, and some basic cleanup, but the girls are like little tornadoes.  Not only that, but hubby's had a horrible sinus infection, so there's only so much he can do between feeling miserable and trying to have enough energy for work.  As you can imagine, I've got my work cut out for me to have everything ready by Saturday.  I'm sure it will all come together, though.  I'll let you all know how it goes.

I also have a couple of fun posts planned.  First, as some of you know, I was one of the winners for the Literary Blog Party hosted by A Maiden's Musings, and my package arrived last week. :)  I'll be sure to share that with you.

I've also been dabbling in some doll hospital type stuff.  I actually removed my first set of AG eyes!  Stay tuned for that post.  A warning, though.  It won't be for the faint of heart. ;)

And finally, I'm expecting a very special package some time next week.  I can't wait to share it with all of you!!

So keep checking back, because I have lots of fun things planned!  Sorry for the boring post today, but it can't be helped.  It'll just have to see you through till more exciting times. :D

I've Been Tagged! :)

Hi everyone!  Sorry it's been a while since I've posted.  We've had bad colds going around our house for the last week or so, and I finally caught it myself 2 nights ago.  Yesterday, I had a fever and was achy all over.  I spent most of the day on the couch, bundled up.  Today I'm not as feverish, but I feel like I swallowed a basketball or something.  It hurts every time I swallow. 

But, enough about that!  I'm thankful that I'm generally pretty healthy.  Getting sick every so often reminds me of the compassion I need to have for my hubby, girls, and others when they are sick.  I must confess, I'm not the best patient or nurse.  Especially in the middle of the night! :}

So, as the title mentioned, I've been tagged by Susan at American Girl and God.  So, I guess I'm supposed to mention 7 random things about myself.  Let's see:

1. One of my very favorite places to go is to the coast.  My husband even proposed to me on a beach! :)

2. I have brown hair.

3. My very favorite guilty pleasure (dessert-wise) is a dark chocolate Reese's peanut butter cup.

4. I've known my two current dearest friends since elementary school. 

5. I only exercise because I know I need to...but I do it under protest!!  Now, if I was coordinated enough to be a dancer or something fun, that would be a different matter.  My workout DVDs are just not very exciting.  No offense, Leslie Sansone!  :}

6. I also pre-ordered "Tangled", but I pre-ordered it on Amazon.com about a month ago! :)

7. I still have a secret wish to find Narnia. :)

I guess that's about it.  I'm going to tag my 4 newest followers:  Mia and the Girls, Alexandra, Natasha Marie, and Miranda.  Have fun! 

"What a Doll" Finds at Kmart

Hi everyone!  Just wanted to let you all know of a great deal I found today.  My two youngest daughters and I were in Kmart this morning and stopped by their "What a Doll" line of clothing.  For those of you who haven't heard of this, it's a line of really cute girl and doll matching dresses that go along with a line of Madame Alexander "What a Doll" 18" dolls, sold exclusively at Kmart.  I'm not too impressed with the dolls themselves.  The way their eyebrows are painted makes them look cross, and their faces aren't nearly as nice as the "Alexander Girlz" dolls from Costco, or even the "Friends 4 Life" or "Friends Boutique" dolls from Walmart.  The matching girl and doll dresses, however, are really cute.  I like these even better than the popular (and expensive) "Maggie and Zoe" dresses, because the doll dresses have more detail. 

Okay, so the whole reason I'm jabbering on about these is because the winter fashions were on sale for FIVE dollars a piece!!  If you have a local Kmart, I'd highly recommend stopping by and seeing if they have any of these left.  They were in the girls clothing section on one of the clearance racks. 

I was thrilled to find these.  I'm always looking for inexpensive dresses for my girls, especially since the school they attend (or will attend, for my younger ones) has a dress code.  But hey, at this price, you might think about going even if you don't have kids!  Finding a doll dress alone for $5 is pretty rare, at least in my experience! :) 

My youngest daughter's doll Jane (the blonde) is modeling the doll dress that matches her girl. :)  Check out that hair!  It's a "hard-knock life" when you're the doll of an almost 3 year old. :} 

Charlie is modeling the beautiful lavender dress that came with my middle daughter's girl-sized dress.  I know that the cowgirl boots don't really go (or the Buzz Lightyear necklace, for that matter), but Charlie is extremely attached to them.  Besides, my middle daughter was wearing cowgirl boots with her big girl version of this dress.  Something about being a "princess cowgirl". :)

Here is a pic of the dress we picked out for my oldest daughter.  It's not off of the hanger yet because she's still at school.  What a fun surprise for her when she comes home!

Here's a closer pic of the logo on the tag:

There were also about 5 or 6 really cute matching girl and doll purses.  They were still $10 each, so we didn't come home with any of those.  We were tempted, though. 

Hope you guys found this post helpful.  Let me know if you find any goodies at your Kmart! :)

P.S.  There's also a website:  whatadollgirls.com.  No good sale prices online, though. :)

Barbie Basics Jeans

Here's a post for any Barbie fans out there.  I'd heard about the new Barbie Basics Jeans line, but none were in our local stores.  On eBay a couple of weeks ago, these were going for $40 to $50 a piece.  So when I finally found some at my local Walmart, I picked up a few with the intent of reselling them and making a profit.  Unfortunately, when I got home and did some research, I saw that everyone else on eBay had the same idea.  Now there are so many of them listed that they aren't going for nearly as much.  I decided to return the dolls, but not before I took some pics to share with everyone. :) 

Here's a pic of the whole lot.  Two Ken dolls and one package of Ken accessories.

First, here are some pics of the accessories set:

I have to say, while I've mostly "converted" to 18" dolls, there's still a soft spot for Barbies in my heart.  I grew up playing with them.  And may I just say, I would have LOVED a set like this when I was growing up.  Ken never had this many choices in the 80s and 90s...he was basically a glorified accessory for Barbie. :}  This set includes a beanie, two belts, a shirt, a pair of socks, a cell phone, a watch, sunglasses, and four pairs of shoes!

This sells for $20 in stores, more if you purchase it online.  While I really liked this set, I just couldn't justify spending $20 on clothes and shoes for Ken. :)

Next, we have Model #16, my favorite of the 2 Ken dolls I purchased (there are 3 total):

This guy apparently has the same face mold as the Ken doll in the "Tango" Barbie and Ken set.  As such, it is a rare face mold.  And pretty handsome, I must say. 

The other thing I love about this guy is his hair.  I'm thinking he'd make a great OOAK Regency guy, maybe Mr. Tilney or Mr. Bingley?  Can't you just see him in Regency attire?

They've really done a great job on the muscle detail on these dolls...I love the way they're sculpted.  I'm not trying to sound swoony, I just enjoy the attention to detail. :)

And here's Model #15:

I must say, this guy was one of those Mattel dolls that was disappointing in person.  He looked a lot better in his stock photo.  To me, he's just a little too Edward Cullen or something.  I'm just not really a vampire fan, personally.  I'm wondering if they used the same face mold as the Edward doll. 

My husband didn't like him either.  He thought he looked like a girl! :)

I think a big problem is the eyebrows...they're just a little too long.  And it might help if his eyes weren't so narrow and elongated, too.

When I was looking for online photos of these, I saw that someone used this guy as a Prince Caspian doll (as portrayed by Ben Barnes).  He was dressed in a simple Barbie prince outfit, and he actually did remind me of Prince Caspian.

The Ken (and Barbie) dolls in this series run $20 a piece in the stores, closer to $25 a piece online.

Here are some shots of the boxes:

These are pics of the entire available line.

I didn't really care for most of the Barbies.  They were either too immodest or too sultry looking.  And I have to admit, the older I get and the further away my figure gets from this ideal, the more annoyed I am at these skinny minnies!!  How are girls supposed to live up to this standard?

The girls on the ends of these two pics probably looked the nicest.  And see how much better the brunette Ken looks in these pics?  Still a little sultry himself, but much less girly.

Some fun facts about blue jeans on the sides of the boxes:

So, my final opinion?  Realize, of course, that I can't give a truly researched opinion since I didn't open the boxes.  Nevertheless, here goes. 

Pros:  I like the variety of Ken hair, eyes and skin (there were three options, including a handsome African American Ken).  I love the idea of a whole box of Ken shoes, shirt, etc.  There are great OOAK possibilities with these dolls.  Also, here's a chance to own some dolls with very unique face molds without paying the $50 or more you might pay for more collectible dolls. 

Cons:  It's still $20 per doll, which adds up if you're planning on having more than one in your collection.  Call me stingy, but for someone who finds Barbies at the thrift store for $2.99, it's a little hard to cough up $20 for one doll.  Also, their elbows don't bend.  I really like the option of more poseability.  And they're all so sickly skinny (this applies more to the Barbies than the Kens).  Why can't we have a fashion doll out there with a somewhat realistic body size?  Finally, from a mom's perspective, I'd be a little wary about letting my girls play with some of the Barbies in this series, simply because I don't want to encourage them towards the modeling industry AT ALL.  And let's face it:  some of the poses and expressions on the dolls' faces are not exactly a good example of Biblical femininity. :} 

I'd love to find a nice, sweet-looking Barbie to make into a Jane Austen heroine, though.  Then I'd buy Ken #16 and make him into a Jane Austen hero.  That would be pretty spiffy!! :)

P.S.  The link I included above goes to part of the incredible "Keeping Ken" website.  This is a great place to research just about any Ken doll that's ever been produced. :)