Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Thrift Store Find!!! :D

Today, I happened to pop into my favorite thrift store and found a bag of doll-sized clothes marked at $2.50.  The clothes were really crammed into the bag and it was stapled shut, so I couldn't see everything that was in there.  I did notice one of the little paper American Girl magazines that comes with the My AG dolls and what looked like a bike helmet marked "American Girl", so I figured the clothing should be around the right size.  Toys were 25% off today, so I spent $1.88 total.

I had a few other stops to make (plus, someone was getting arrested in the parking lot as I came out of the store...I decided not to stick around!), so I waited a while before opening the bag.  My first chance to do so was in the parking lot of the local library.  My youngest daughter needed a snack before we went in, so I let her munch while I dug through my loot to see what I'd ended up with. :)

There were several Battat clothing pieces, 2 American Girl helmets, 7 American Girl hangers, and a few really cute handmade doll outfits.  One appeared to be a replica of Elizabeth's riding outfit.  I started getting really excited when I pulled out a beautiful handmade colonial-style white dress and matching handbag that looked like something off of Etsy. :)  And I almost started hyperventilating when I pulled out...Ruthie's Christmas Dress!!! :D

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good haul for $1.88. :)

Here are some pics of everything:


And here's the official complete list of everything that came in the bag:
1.  A handmade floral print dress with matching bloomers
2.  A handmade colonial dress and handbag
3.  Ruthie's Christmas dress from AG
4.  A handmade replica of Elizabeth's riding outfit (jacket and skirt)
5.  A handmade blue gingham jumper
6.  An unmarked long-sleeved white shirt
7.  A Battat tagged leather purse
8.  A leather satchel
9.  A mini AG catalog
10.  Seven AG hangers
11.  An unmarked t-shirt that reads: "Naples, Florida"
12.  Two short-sleeved Battat shirts
13.  Two Battat skirts
14.  One pair of handmade cutoff denim shorts
15.  One long-sleeved Battat shirt
16.  American Girl of the Year 2006 Jess's Scooter helmet (reddish-pink)
17.  American Girl Just Like You Island Scooter Helmet from 2007 (green)
18.  An unmarked bathing suit that appears to be too short and too wide for an AG doll

Here's a closer look at the purse and satchel.  Both have Velcro closure.

This is the handmade floral print dress.  It's really cute, especially with the matching bloomers.

Ruthie's dress!!! :D

Here's the lovely colonial dress.  

This is the jacket part of the replica of Elizabeth's riding set. 

Jess's helmet

Island Scooter helmet


A closer look at some of the other pieces (sorry they're sideways!)

Finally, one that uploaded correctly! :)

Of course, it's always more fun to see the clothes actually on a doll, so Hayden's here to oblige us. ;)

This is the floral print dress again.  Isn't it cute?

I love the detail on the bodice.

A peek at the matching bloomers (sorry, Hayden!).  This dress was not tagged, so I'm assuming it was purchased at a craft fair or made by a family member.

Here is Ruthie's Christmas dress.  I cannot get over how ADORABLE this is on Hayden!!!  I mean, it was nice before, but it looks great on her!

A closer look at the detail on the collar.

This reminds me a bit of some of the dresses I wore as a little girl, when my mom used to make all of my school dresses.

And here is the stunningly beautiful colonial dress.  This is nicely made and looks gorgeous on Hayden too!

I think white is definitely a good color for her! :)

Some of the incredible detail on this dress.  I'm sure I would have paid at least $25 for this on Etsy!

Here's a closer look at the pretty matching handbag. 

Finally, here we have the replica of Elizabeth's riding outfit.  I actually didn't connect that the skirt went with it until I was trying it on Hayden.  Then I realized that the lace trim on both pieces matched.  This outfit and the colonial outfit were both tagged "The Doll Clothes Store, Silverton, OR".  I looked them up online and found their official website.  You can view it HERE.  It looks like the colonial dress is no longer available, but this one is still there.  Apparently, it originally had a pink over skirt to match the jacket, just like Elizabeth's original outfit from American Girl.  

I know some people don't care for handmade items meant to look like the originals from American Girl, but I personally don't have a problem with them, as long as they are advertised as replicas and not originals.  I love finding dresses that look like the real deal that are much more affordable!  From what I've seen of the clothes I got in this lot, the products from The Doll Clothes Store appear to be well-made using good quality material.  

Okay, that's enough of that...moving on! ;)

I was a little disappointed by the length of the sleeves on this.  It almost looks like Hayden is trying on her older sister's jacket that she hasn't quite grown into yet. ;)  

The black ribbon is also frayed on one side, so I will probably try to replace it.  One exciting thing about this is that I was able to find a used Elizabeth doll on Craigslist that I've set aside for my oldest daughter's birthday in April.  I think this riding outfit will go with her just perfectly. :)

22 comments:

Jenny said...

What a great find! Congrats!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks, Jenny! :)

anya said...

When I was a bit younger {3-10}, I used to wear dresses EXACTLY, like really exactly like the floral print dress. All of my church dresses had that smocked stretchy design on the bodice. They're cute, aren't they? :)

Congrats on that great find!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks, Spicemuffin. :) I love the floral print dress, myself. I've worn some dresses with similar design on the bodice myself, and my daughters have, too. Although my oldest always complains about it being too itchy! ;)

Lauren | Chic Éthique said...

Wow! You found some great stuff:) I've really enjoyed reading your blog over the past year or so. I only just followed recently, after I set up a blog, but I've been reading for a good while now!
-Lauren

Anonymous said...

KEWL .. great sack of clothes. I used to buy from silverton all the time for my store until they started being a pain to the little stores. The quality is really good on most of their stuff though and their replicas are really close to the real thing as they get a lot of them from the same factories.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks for commenting, gals! :)

Lauren, thanks for following! :) I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. I'll have to go check yours out now! ;)

Thanks for the info about the Doll Clothes Store, TracAn. I thought you might know a bit about them since they're up in your neck of the woods. :) I was really impressed with the quality of the stuff I got. :)

Carolyn said...

WOW! That's quite a haul! You couldn't get one AG hanger for that price on ebay! LOL!
About the handmade clothes, I agree. If I like something and it's well-made, I don't really care who made it. AG is not the only company that makes quality items. In fact, there are many seamstresses out there that do even better quality than AG.
I have bought doll clothes from The Doll Clothes Store, Silverton, OR in the past and have been very pleased with them.
So neat that you have Elizabeth put away for your daughter. She is going to be so excited. Elizabeth is one of my favorites.
:o)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

LOL...yeah, the hangers can get pretty expensive on eBay! :)

I'm really excited to give Elizabeth to my daughter. She's wanted her for a while. Of course, lately she's been talking about how much she wants McKenna...I think she'll still be excited about Elizabeth, though. :}

Anonymous said...

What an awesome find! I love the floral print dress! The white colonial dress is also stunning! Just more reason to keep an eye out for such things! I am never able to find AG outfits, but I do have quite a collection of AG books that I have found over the years. The best one is the trading card album I got from my aunt for Christmas about ten years ago. The cards are in perfect condition, in the original three-ring binder and card sleeve pages. She had found it at a community garage sale for $10, I think. Pretty amazing!
Elaine

Anonymous said...

I love the white colonial dress you found. I also have Elizabeth I got her for Christmas 2010. I know your daughter will enjoy her as much as I do.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Elaine! Hi Anonymous! :) The colonial dress is one of my favorites, too. I love the floral print dress as well.

Your trading card collection sounds amazing, Elaine! Kudos to your aunt for the great find. :)

Anonymous, I'm sure my daughter will love Elizabeth too. I'm really excited to give it to her. :)

Mickey's Girl said...

Wow! It's so awesome to find stuff like that! The dresses you tried Hayden in are BEAUTIFUL!

A couple weeks ago we went to a garage sale and we found a GIGANTIC bag of AG stuff! When I finally got home I went through it and the only things that weren't completly AG was a pair of Battat shoes and a bag of Littlest Pet Shop! (BONUS!) I still haven't finished the post for that!

(I've been really slow lately on my blog. Mainly since my laptop's internet isn't working so I can't finish any drafts because I don't have photos!)

Sorry if that was a REALLY long comment! ;)

Mickey's Girl :)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

What a great find, Mickey's Girl! I love garage sales. :) I'm looking forward to seeing your post about your finds.

I hope you get your laptop working again soon. And don't worry about leaving long comments...I love them! :)

Serenata said...

Wow oh wow, what a wonderful find, gosh we don't have anything like that sort of bargainous finds over here!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Well, keep your eyes open. You never know when something like this might turn up in your neck of the woods. ;)

Shari said...

Congratulations on your find! That white dress is a real beauty. It's a shame that more people don't put tags in their hand made clothing. If I knew who had made that, I would be googling her right now to find out where I could buy her creations.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks, Shari. The colonial dress actually was tagged. It was made by "The Doll Clothes Store" in Oregon. I included a link in the post. Unfortunately, the white dress is no longer on their website. Maybe you could find it on eBay, though.

Have a great day! :)

Kate said...

I LOVE THE OUTFITS!!!!!!!!!!!!

SUPER CUTE!!!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks, Georgia! :) I was so happy to find these!

Anonymous said...

You're always finding something cute for your dolls.They must be so happy. Can you please tell Maggie and Rachel I said hi? They are my favorites of all your dolls!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Anonymous. :) I'll be sure to pass the message along to Maggie and Rachel. They'll be flattered to know that they're your favorites. ;)

Tess and Maggie are rather embarrassed that they haven't posted anything lately, but it hasn't worked out for them to get to the computer recently. ;)