American Girl 2015 Girl of the Year Grace Thomas

As most of you know, my mom and I tend to buy used dolls, especially when it comes to the American Girl line.  Neither of us has the type of budget to buy brand new AG dolls every time we add one to our collection.  However, there are times when we get to splurge.  My mom had some extra play money and decided that this year, she really wanted to get Grace Thomas, the new Girl of the Year for 2015.  It was the best of both worlds for me.  I got to hold her and take pictures, but I didn't have to buy her or find a place to put her. ;)  

So the other day, when I went over to my mom's before she took my daughters to Awana, I did a little photo shoot of Grace.  I know it's late enough that most of you have probably already seen plenty of photos of her, but hopefully you'll still find this post enjoyable. ;)

Here she is!  I can't state enough how gorgeous this doll is.  I love her coloring. :)   

She has the Josefina face mold, dark brown hair with lighter brown streaks and side bangs, and what appears to be the regular blue eyes (not the really dark blue ones like Kit's).

She also has a unique eyebrow design and a brand new freckle pattern.  Her lips are the brighter, pinker color of other newer AG dolls. 

Here's a look at the variation of color in her hair. 

Her hair should be pretty nice for play.  It has just enough wave to hold a style but isn't so curly that it will take a lot of upkeep.  

She does have the braid in the front that will probably get messy after some normal play, and her side bangs might end up getting mixed in with the longer hairs if the braid is taken out.  But other than that, I think her hair should be rather low maintenance.  There are a lot of styles you can do with the braid in, so even though her hair is partially styled, there's still a lot of play that could happen here.

Grace has a white Paris-themed shirt with sparkly decals and Velcro closure in the back (sorry I didn't get a picture of the back of her clothing!). 

She has a little charm bracelet that is super cute.  According to my mom, it was really hard to get on because the fit was so tight, so it probably wouldn't be something you'd want your kiddos taking on and off all the time.

Her skirt is made of a soft, pink material.  If I remember correctly, it just slides off and does not have Velcro.

Her slouchy, grey boots are adorable.

They have cute little bows on the sides. 

Since Chrissa (the Girl of the Year from 2009) has similar coloring to Grace, my mom wanted to see them together.  She dressed her in Grace's Baking Outfit for the photo shoot.  

As you can see, the two dolls are very similar but unique enough that having both in one's collection wouldn't feel like having two of the same doll.  I think they would make great sisters, don't you? :)

Since I was already taking pictures, I figured I'd take some of the Baking Outfit itself, too. 

We'll start from the top and work our way down. ;)  The Baking Outfit comes with a cute, pink ribbon headband.  I'm assuming it's stretchy, although it was already on the doll when I arrived and I forgot to check. :} 

A brief detour here. ;)  This necklace was not a part of the Baking Outfit, but was a bracelet my mom found on clearance at Claire's a week or so ago.  We thought it would work well as a chunky necklace for the dolls.  It even has a little Eiffel Tower to go with Grace's Paris theme! ;) 

Okay, moving on. ;)  The rest of the outfit consists of a light blue shirt with cupcake motifs, a black and pink apron...

...and pink leggings.  I didn't get a picture of it, but the leggings have a little tag that says "Grace, American Girl" on them.

The outfit also includes these adorable blue flats with little black bows. :) 

Here is a look at the apron from the back.

The straps attach with Velcro at the top of the "skirt" (which is actually part of the apron), making the apron easy to remove. 

While we were doing the Grace photo shoot, we thought it would be fun to include some pictures of Nellie as well.  She has the same Josefina face mold as Chrissa and Grace.  Nellie also has the typical American Girl freckle pattern, so you can see the differences.

Nellie looks a bit taller than Grace in these photos, but I believe it's primarily because she has slight heels on her shoes.  

Here are all three girls together.  Mom's thinking about making all three of them sisters. ;) 

As you can see, Nellie got into the baking theme with Chrissa.  She's wearing an apron from the "My Life As" line from Walmart.

Here's a closer look at all three girls.  It's really hard to tell from these pictures (I'm not used to the lighting at Mom's), but Nellie's eyes, which are the same darker blue as Kit's, are slightly darker than Grace and Chrissa's.

Nellie 

Grace (sorry this one's a bit out of focus!)

Chrissa 

My mom and I both have the Grace Mini Doll which was released along with Grace. 

Mini Grace has soft, silky hair.  Her outfit is all one piece.  She also has the new, all-vinyl body they've started using for the mini dolls.

I'm not going to rate Grace.  I've done enough American Girl doll reviews that you guys know I'm a fan. ;)  I do love her coloring and think she'd be a great addition to any American Girl fan's doll family. ;)  My mom is very happy with her, and my girls think she's gorgeous. ;)  I think she's adorable too, but I'm completely maxed out on space for any more 18" dolls, and I have other things I'm saving for instead.  And to be honest, if I were to get a new AG doll, I think I'd go for #61 instead since I already have so many brunette girls.  I still love her, though, and I'm glad my mom got her so I can enjoy her too. ;)

How about you guys?  Are any of you tempted to add Grace to your doll collection?

You can see Grace and all of her clothing and accessories HERE on American Girl's website.