18" Doll Swimsuits from EBay Seller mikyle207 :)

My mom discovered another great eBay seller who makes adorable swimsuits for 18" dolls.  I fell in love with the swimsuits she bought, so I purchased a couple for myself. :)  The seller's name is mikyle207.  You can view her items for sale HERE.  She has many other adorable bathing suits available for very reasonable prices.  

I'd never really considered getting bathing suits for my dolls before this, partially because they can't be submerged in water, and partially because most of the doll swimsuits I've seen are not very modest.  I was very pleased to see how cute and modest these ones were, though, and I figured I could use them for some summertime photo shoots, even if the dolls can't actually go swimming. ;)

Here are Hayden and Emma, modeling their new suits.

I love the pink polka dots on this suit.  It looks great with Hayden's coloring, too. :)

Front view (sorry for the faded colors...I'm still trying to figure out how to fix that on my camera; the coloring is like the colors in the first 2 pictures).  

Back view

Hayden's shoes are the garden shoes from the Friends Boutique doll line at Walmart.

Beautiful Hayden!

Here's Emma's suit.  This one makes me think of taking a Hawaiian vacation! :)  I bet Kanani would love this.

Front view

I love the fact that both suits are made with actual swimsuit material.  While Hayden's is smooth, Emma's has ribbing in the material.

Back view

Emma's shoes are from one of the Madame Alexander Friends 4 Life clothing sets from 2009.

Lovely Emma!

I would highly recommend these swimsuits, especially at such an excellent, reasonable price.  Be sure to follow the link above and see her other items.  There are many different colors and designs to choose from. 

New Hearts For Hearts Girls Revealed!!

I almost forgot to check back!!  Today, the 3 new Hearts For Hearts girls (and one horse!) were revealed on the Hearts For Hearts Facebook page (click the link to got to the page, then click the pics at the top of their Facebook page).  I don't have a Facebook account, but I was still able to view them. :)  UPDATE (3/18/12):  I just checked this link again and now Facebook is not letting me access the page without a Facebook account.  The video links in the paragraph below still work, however.  Sorry for the inconvenience! :(

The Hearts For Hearts YouTube account also some video footage from the 2012 Toy Fair revealing the new dolls.  You can view the video HERE.  There's also a video revealing the "Deluxe Editions" of Dell and Consuelo, and some new outfits for all of the dolls! :D  You can see that video HERE.

So, what are your thoughts?  I love all three of them, but my favorite from the new dolls is Mosi, the beautiful Navajo girl.  I think she's adorable!  Her horse is really cute too.  Which new doll is your favorite? :)

Activity 2 Photos Up on The Doll Wardrobe! :)

Arrgghh!!  I am in the middle of TRYING to post one of my review posts for you guys, but Blogger is being INCREDIBLY slow right now.  It's taking about 10 minutes to upload one picture!!  Really, Blogger?

So, while I was waiting and waiting for my pics to upload, I checked my dashboard and noticed that the Doll Wardrobe had put up the Activity 2 Photos for voting! Yay!! :)

I've gotta say, I was lacking any sort of creative inspiration on this round, so my picture is quite boring compared to some of the others.  But considering I had one of the worst colds I've had in a really long time, I'm just thankful I got something entered. ;)  My photo, such as it is, is number 47.  I would show it to you in this post if my computer weren't acting up right now (I may add it later).   My mom participated again this time as well and did a great job.  Her photo is number 38.  I love all the detail she put into it...good job, Mom!! :D

There are a lot of great entries again this time around!  I loved seeing all of the different holidays people chose to portray.  Hats off to everyone! :)  You can click HERE to see them all and cast your vote! :)  Voting ends on February 19th.

Now I've got to get going on my Activity 3 Photo!!  I hope I can be a little more creative this time around. :}

Slight Change to my Username and Other Random Factoids

Hey guys!  Just wanted to let you know that I've officially switched my username from "beast'sbelle" to just plain "beastsbelle", without the apostrophe (just in case anyone cares!).  The main reason for this change is that I'm really tired of being labeled as "beast&39;#sbelle" (or something along that line) on some blogs when I comment...it's rather annoying! ;)  It also keeps things simpler for me, because I have the username "beastsbelle" on several other sites, so now everything is the same.

In other news, I hope to get some actual blogging done sometime this weekend!  I was hoping to get to it today, but I've been focusing on getting my disaster area of a house ready for my middle daughter's birthday party next week!!  Blogging is much more fun than cleaning...which is pretty much why my house looks the way it does right now! :}

Let's see, I figured it was about time to give another weight-loss update as well.  The good news is that I lost about 15 pounds before Christmas!  The bad news is that I gained it all back after Christmas (my aunt's homemade fudge and gingerbread was the beginning of my downfall, not to mention that I had absolutely NO exercise in the month of January!).  I haven't given up, though.  I'm realizing that this weight thing is going to be like dishes and laundry...it's something I'll have to battle all my life.  I'm trying to shift my focus to being healthy rather than being a certain dress size.  Hopefully, that will make the task a little easier and less depressing. :}  You'd think you'd get to a point where you could ignore the pressures our society puts on us to have perfect bodies.  Perhaps I'll get to that point someday, but I'm definitely not there yet!  And by the way, I'm sorry if I've already said similar stuff before...I'm bad at unintentionally repeating myself...which I think I've already mentioned (see what I mean?). ;)

I have not forgotten my promised posts....they're coming soon, I promise! :}  I also have a few review posts in the works that should be fun.  Blogger was being stinky the other night and refused to upload my pics, otherwise I would have had a post ready for you today! :}

I would also appreciate your prayers.  I've had an idea for a series of books in my head for over 2 years now.  I've actually typed up close to half of the rough draft of the first book.  The story involves retelling of fairy tales, which as you may have noticed is suddenly very "in".  I was actually really worried when ABC's "Once Upon a Time" series aired, because there are some similarities to my story ideas there.  Thankfully, they're not identical...but my story idea was a lot more unique before "Once Upon a Time". :(

So here's my dilemma.  My original plan was to wait to try to publish anything until all three of my girls were in school (which would be August of 2013), but my idea is perfect for the current market.  Should I forget my original plan, or should I stick to my plan and not worry about the current trends?  I want to think very carefully before I make a decision.  I would hate to rush into trying to get my book published and then find I was in way over my head.

I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a precipice, with a raging river below me, wondering if I dare to dive in or not.  On the one hand, this story is very important to me.  I've sensed the Lord's direction throughout my project and felt it was something that could be useful and enjoyable to others.  The characters are as real to me as if they were truly flesh and blood.  I would love to see them come to life, to introduce them to the waiting world!

And yet, on the other hand, I'm plagued by doubts and fears.  What if it's not good enough?  What if everyone hates it?  What if I invest hours and hours of my time on something that's a big-time flop?  Worse still, what if I have a deadline to finish the stories and I just can't deliver?  What if I can't figure out those last few elusive plot holes?  What on earth could I have to offer that would be even slightly interesting to anyone?  What if everyone just thinks I'm copying everyone else? (I'm really good at living in my imagination...can you tell?) ;)

The other downside to going ahead with my project is that I would have to majorly slow down on my blogging.  I would still try to have at least a little update post up each week, but many of my photo stories and things would have to be fewer and farther between.  I love my blogging!!  I don't want to have to choose between the two, but at least for a time, I'd most likely have to.

I do so desire to follow the Lord's leading through this.  I don't want to jump out ahead of the game without consulting Him and trusting His guidance.  And yet, at the same time, I don't want to wait and hem and haw so long that I miss the boat.  Just pray that I will be able to make the right decision...for me, for my family, and for everyone.

Okay, enough thinking out loud!  I'd better stop before I bore all of you to death. ;)  Thanks for following this rambling, random post.  I'll be in touch soon!


P.S.  I almost forgot...tomorrow, 3 new Hearts For Hearts Girls dolls will be revealed on the Hearts For Hearts Facebook page! :D  I can't wait!!!

Springfield Collection Jacket from Michael's

Hi everyone!  Thank you for being so patient.  Last week I had one of the worst colds I've had in a long time, so my blogging was pretty much nil!  It's been a week since I first came down with it, and I'm finally starting to feel like myself again!  

So, since I haven't had a chance to work on my more involved posts yet, I thought I'd tide you over with a review post I've had saved as a draft for a while. :)

My mom recently picked up one of the Springfield Collection doll jackets from Michael's for me.  I believe this retails for around $8, but as I've mentioned before, my mom gets all of the special coupons in the mail, so she was able to get it for around $5 instead. :)

Here it is as it comes in the store.

And here it is out of the packaging.

As you can see, the buttons are just for show.  The jacket has Velcro closure, which makes it very easy for little hands to manage.

Here's how it looks on a doll.  Emma was kind enough to model it for us. ;)

The jacket is a lovely shade of deep blue that looks great with Emma's skin tone and eye color.

The only complaint I have with this jacket is that at a certain angle, you can see the Velcro.  Other than that, I'm very pleased with it. :)

The material is very soft.

Emma is very pleased with her new jacket! :)

Some of you may remember that this is the jacket Hayden was wearing in the picture I used for the Doll Wardrobe's Photo Contest (and also the picture in my header).  

I thought it gave Hayden a very classy outdoor look. ;)

By the way, for any of you interested in participating, Round 2 Photos are due TODAY, so be sure to get your entry in to Nora before the day ends!  You can read the official rules HERE. :)

I'll be back later with more reviews and posts.  :)

An Update on Debonair Designs and Another Addition to the Doll Family :)

Hi guys!  For those of you who were interested in the Archipelago pattern by Debonair Designs that I had as a giveaway prize, I thought you might like to know that Deb has listed her three completed Archipelago sweater and hat sets on eBay.  You can see her listings HERE. :)

And here's a picture...just to remind you what they look like. :)

So, as the title suggests, I officially have a new addition to my doll family! :D  I wasn't planning on getting another doll this soon after Hayden, but things just kind of fell into place with this doll.  She was listed on AG Playthings, and the person selling her was willing to do a partial trade, so I got her for a really good price! :)

It was really hard being patient while waiting for my package, but it finally arrived! :)

And as the box says, my new doll is...Rebecca! :D

She came in a cute pair of pjs with a very sweet note that her former owner had written.

Here she is! :D

So, you know me...I had to take a ton of pictures of her. :)

It may be a while before she's introduced on Tess and Maggie's blog.  I want to take my time and really figure out her character and everything.  I'm pretty sure her name is going to be Jenna Rose Benson.  She'll be Rachel's 12 year old little sister.  

So far, I know she's in to carousel horses! :)  My mom found this really cute set of carousel horse miniatures from Avon at an antique store here in town.  They're the perfect size for her! :)

I also decided that she's going to be another Sanrio fan.  As you can tell from the pic, her two favorites are My Melody and Chococat (just like Piper). ;)  I found these adorable plush guys on eBay from the seller cleanitupandout.  There are still some available.  HERE is a link to Chococat, and HERE is a link to My Melody. :)  You can also get Hello Kitty, Kerropi, and Deery Lou.  

They're the perfect size!  (And yes, I snagged a Chococat for Piper, too.  He's now with her at my aunt's house.)

I've admired Rebecca since her release a few years ago.  I have to confess, though, I was a little concerned about having a Rebecca and a #55.  I was afraid they'd be too similar with their brown hair and hazel eyes. But I was delighted when I took pictures of them side by side and saw just how different they were from each other. :)

First off, their hair is very different shade.  Hayden's is much darker (and longer, too).

Here's a picture of the hair color difference with the flash.

The other thing I was concerned about was the fact that I would now have 3 dolls with hazel eyes.  Interestingly enough, though, I discovered that Jenna (aka Rebecca), Hayden (#55), and Charlie (aka Mia) all have a different shade of hazel.

Here's a close-up comparison of the different eye colors.  The order is Jenna, Hayden, Charlie, and Emma (#41), just to show the difference between the hazel and green eyes.  I tried to do these in rows, but Blogger is not cooperating with me. ;)

I wasn't sure if I'd be able to accurately capture the eye color differences, so I also did some close-ups of their faces.  Once again, the order is Jenna (Rebecca), Hayden (#55), Charlie (Mia), and Emma (#41).

It's very interesting comparing their eye colors.  Rebecca's eyes appear to have some of the bright green from the Mattel Felicity dolls with a bit of brown added.  My AG #55 has a much darker shade of hazel, while Mia's eyes are more of a brownish-green hazel.  My AG #41's are a beautiful deep green. 

Two lovely dolls! :)  

I have a feeling that Jenna and Hayden are going to be pretty close.  I've already got some ideas about some of the adventures they might share. :)

I wasn't sure if I would stick to my original idea of having Rachel and Jenna be sisters, but these pictures confirmed it.  They don't look all that much alike, but I think I can see a bit of family resemblance. ;)  Especially since they're both Josefina molds.

Rachel especially looks like an older sister in these pics because she's wearing such thick shoes. :)

I hope you enjoyed all of the pictures.  I'll be sure to let you know when Jenna makes her debut on Tess and Maggie's blog. :)