Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Madelon's Fun Finds for Saige


Madelon has been finding some wonderful items for her Saige doll an today shares with us some of her fun finds.
"I have been looking at baby skirts with detail to remake into skirts for Saige and other 18 inch dolls. This skirt has three tiers. The turquoise color matches Saige's hair beautifully! I liked the small waistband the manufacturer put into the original skirt, so one tip would be to look at the size of the waistband on your garment. Another tip would be to look at the size of the embellishments on your fabric. The gold dots and ruffles are the right size for Saige."
":All I did was put the skirt on the doll and pinned it where the skirt became too big on the doll. Look for the seam line where the manufacturer sewed it together and try to use that as one of your seams down the back. Once it was cut I cut off another piece leaving enough room for the two sides to overlap. I used velcro to close it"


Madelon also used a patch with a simple AG dress to create this Sagie themed outfit
 "I purchased an iron on appliqué set because I really liked the decorative boots. Originally, this craft was going to be used for a nightgown, but I think that the finished product could be either a dress or a nightgown.This dress/sleep dress was purchased at AG a while back at a sale."


Re-purpose and Reuse! Take a look at this fun skirt!
"I found this tiered corduroy skirt in my collection. It has no labels, but it may have been Build A Bear. I treated it as a wrap skirt adding Velcro closures in two places."

Remember to keep your eyes out for for items you can reuse and re purpose for your dolls like Madelon does!
As with all our posts we would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Yarn Shop Play Set For Your Dolls! A Madelon Fun Find!

Madelon's found an adorable dolly accessory at Jo-ann's. These little doll sized balls of yarn would make a fun Yarn Shop Play Set!  Madelon said she was inspired to pick these up because I had been doing so many knitting posts lately and it got her thinking!

Originally priced at $7.99 Madelon used a coupon for 40% there were other color combinations as well!
 These little balls of yarn look great in a basket and cost about 60 cents each...
These little yarn balls would make a great dolly party favor for a knitting themed birthday party don't you think?


 Thank you Madelon for this fun find. These are truly adorable!
As with all our posts we would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Monday, July 29, 2013

Mini Monday Outfit Give Away! From The Crazy Doll Lady!



I am so excited for our Mini Monday and to share with you today a give away from The Crazy Doll Lady.
New at The Crazy Doll Lady Come Check it out by clicking here!
One lucky Mini Doll Lover will win an outfit from The Crazy Doll Lady
To enter to win your own mini doll outfit from The Crazy Doll Lady please visit her Etsy Shop by clicking here  and then email me at karenmowen@gmail.com telling me what you liked most about her shop and your mini dolls. You will be entered into a random draw on August 7th.

Thank you so much to The Crazy Doll Lady for Sponsoring this Mini Doll Outfit give away!
As with all our posts we would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Mini Doll Monday ~Knit A Sweet Dress For Your 6 inch Mini Doll


I recently asked one of my favorite Knitting Pattern Designers Jacqueline of Jacknits Etsy Shop to create a pattern for the 6 inch mini dolls. Jacknits shop offers some knit wonderful patterns for 18 inch dolls and Jacqueline was up to the challenge, she ordered Mini Cecile from The Book Depository and created this sweet dress and pattern for the 6 inch dolls! Jacqueline decided to release her 6 inch doll dress on Ravelry for free. To get your free pattern simply click here and follow the directions to down load your free pattern for this sweet dress for your 6 inch dolls today.
Thank you Jacqueline for creating such a wonderful dress for our 6 inch dolls and for all the wonderful work you do in creating beautiful patterns for our 18 inch dolls as well!
check out some of Jacqueline's latest patterns for the 18 inch dolls by visiting her Etsy Shop

To visit Jacqueline's Etsy Shop Jacknits please click here.
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Check out Jessica's First Craft Tutorial On Just Because Crafts!


Today I wanted to share with you a craft tutorial by one of our readers Jessica's site called Just because Crafts. She recently did a craft tutorial on her blog for a reversible doll skirt inspired by Eda Ava's Free Summer Pattern of the reversable halter top. Her skirt is such a great idea!
I love the idea of reversible outfits for doll play as they are great scrap busters for sewing and they add an extra dimension of doll play.
I think Jessica has done a great job with this tutorial and I know I am going to down load this pattern and make a bunch for my nieces for the holidays! 

As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Doll Sized Calender Fun. A Madelon Fun Find!


Madelon has come across the cutest mini calenders  at her local craft store for $1.49 and they are perfect for doll play .
These 2014 Calenders are a great Doll Play Accessory and Perfect for snatching up now for this years Dolly Advent Calender! Remove the little hooks and these calenders are perfect for doll play.
I love the little boxes where you can plan dolly's year! Put Her birthday, your birthday your friends and more!
One for Dog lovers!
One for Cat lovers...
I think I am partial to the Cat one myself!
Even one with inspirational quotes!
Check your local craft store for these wonderful little calenders and be sure to tuck some away for doll play or the up coming gift giving season!
Thank you Madelon for this wonderful fun find!
As with all our posts we would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 





Friday, July 26, 2013

A Visit From Fellow Crafty Blogger Christa of Sophia's Sundries


Today I am pleased to share with you an interview with Fellow Blogger Christa of Sophia's Sundries. 
 Her incredibly inspiring blog has some fantastic ideas for 18 inch dolls and the Bitty's too!

Christa kindly agreed to share with us today a bit about herself, her family, passion and talent and I hope you will get a chance to visit her blog and see for your self the wonderful sewing, knitting and craft ideas she has for dolls.
I was drawn to her knit work as well and her free pattern for this basic seamless pull over for Bitty Baby! I really would like to give this pattern a try, I also think it will fit the 18 inch dolls as well!

Sophia's Sundries author Christa's is a very busy and talented lady who kindly shares her ideas, crafts and talents regularly on her site.
Click here for a cabled version of her basic sweater


Can you tell me for the interview a bit about yourself, your family and how you came to create for American Girl Dolls?
I'm a 35-year-old stay-at-home-mom who is married to a pastor. I keep busy by homeschooling and pursuing creative projects. The creative projects are my hobby, the thing that helps me unwind. My mind is always whirling with project possibilities, and I'm endlessly curious about how things are made, so I don't usually run out of things to make. I started sewing and knitting for the American Girl dolls when my daughter got the Bitty Twins. My interest in their clothing and accessories has been renewed since she got her first 18" American Girl doll this spring.
Click here for her v-neck sweater


Did you have American Girl dolls growing up?
No, I didn't even know that they existed until a few years ago. I'm sure I would have loved to have one, though!

When did you begin making doll items for your daughter?
It was just recently that my daughter got AG dolls. She has always had a slew of baby dolls, though! We started with the Bitty Twins the Christmas that she was six. It was more than we usually spend for dolls, but when I saw her poring over the catalog for days, I knew we had to get her the dolls, even if it required a lot of saving. The Twins were perfect in many ways. Fraternal twins run in our family. My husband is a twin, and we're told that our kids' chances for having twins are quite high (especially my daughter). The fact that the brown-haired, brown-eyed Twins look so much like my daughter just clinched it for us. Of course, that was the beginning. I made almost a whole wardrobe for them as part of her Christmas that year, and they haven't lacked for clothing since.


When did you begin selling your items on Etsy ?
I started actively selling in 2011 when I was quilting with vintage sheets. A lady saw my quilts at a link party and asked if I would be interested in making eleven quilts for her bridesmaids. I took her up on it, and my business really took off. I haven't quilted in awhile, but I'll always be grateful for those opportunities.

What do you enjoy making most?
While I enjoy making almost anything for the dolls, I really enjoy making things for "our" boy doll Alex. There aren't many boy clothes out there for 18" dolls, so I've been having a lot of fun adapting things, making my own patterns, and generally making things boyish.


I also enjoy poring through the AG catalog with my kids and figuring out what we can make for ourselves for much less. It's fun for me and a good lesson for them.

Do you work any of the American Girl Book Series into your home school program?
I hadn't thought of it, but thanks for the great idea! We are currently studying history in chronological order. We ended last year at the Greeks, so we have a way to go before the founding of America. When we get there, though, I'll have to do that.


Do you have any advice for other moms who are considering homeschooling?
My best advice is to stick to one across-the-board curriculum for your first year. It makes everything so much easier when you're just getting started. I taught in a traditional school for four years before I was married, but I still found it helpful to stick to one publisher our first year of homeschooling. As I got to know my kids' strengths and weaknesses, as well as the curriculum's strengths and weaknesses, I was able to fine-tune our curriculum to meet our needs the next year.


My other advice is to study your children. Not every child learns the same way, and that's perfectly acceptable. A friend's daughter is doing fine with the original publisher's math program. My kids, however, were overwhelmed by the way it was presented, with a new concept almost every day. I switched to another publisher with a different approach, and they are doing much better with it. We'll still end up at the same place, having learned the same things in roughly the same amount of time.
What motivates and inspires you?
Like-minded people inspire me. Some of my best ideas have come from seeing what other people have made and thinking about how I could adapt it or improve it with what I have on hand.


I'm also inspired by a window shopping trip through my local Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby and Michaels stores. I have often seen things in those stores and thought, "I can make (such and such from the catalog) with that!"
What accomplishment are you most pleased with?
In terms of doll items, I think I'm most pleased with the boy doll (Alex) that I made-over from a Springfield Maria doll. I approached the project with fear and trembling. I hate wasting money, and I really didn't think my hair-cutting skills were up to the job. But my husband watched and helped me figure out where I needed to cut - and when to stop - and we did it!



When did you learn to sew, knit, or crochet? 
I learned to crochet first, in sixth grade. It was one of those creative "classes" we had right after lunch. I've done it steadily ever since.


I technically learned to sew in sixth grade, but my sewing teacher was very uptight and made me nervous about everything, so I didn't take to it right away. I think I really "took off" with sewing in my ninth grade year. I got interested in it and made tons of bunnies, bears and dolls. It kept me busy the whole summer between my ninth and tenth grade years, and my dad insists that it was some of the best money he ever spent. My high school graduation gift was a sewing machine of my own, and I still use it regularly nearly twenty years later. I went on to sew a lot of my own clothes, curtains, you name it. I still enjoy sewing a wide variety of things.


I have always wanted to learn to knit, but I just couldn't seem to "get it" until New Year's Eve 2011. We were spending the evening with friends, and my friend and I decided to learn to knit before the year was out. I came armed with Youtube videos and books, and between the two, I finally figured out the basic knit and purl stitches before midnight. I've been knitting ever since. I've done a little bit of everything - hats, scarves, sweaters, mittens, gloves, socks, dishcloths and doll clothes.

Any advice you have for young doll lovers out there wanting to start learning to sew or knit or crochet?
First of all, keep at it. Your first attempts might be frustrating. You might not even be able to recognize your first few projects for what they're supposed to be. That's okay. If you keep at it, your skills will improve. Look at mistakes as a learning experience, and don't be afraid to take something apart if it's not working out right.



Secondly, start with simple projects. I'm notorious for starting a new skill with difficult projects, and it's caused me more frustration than I can begin to tell you. (My dad has a few funny stories to tell about me and a seam ripper when I was beginning to sew.) Having said that, though, don't feel like you have to work with only easy projects. As soon as you have a good grasp of the basics, challenge yourself with something a little harder. That's how you get better.


Lastly, if you're running into a specific problem or are confused by a particular technique, do an Internet search (with your parents' permission) for the technique. I'm a very visual person and have found Youtube to be a goldmine of knitting technique videos. (There's a lot of garbage on Youtube, though, so be very careful and always get your parents' permission first.)


 Thank you so much to Christa from Sophia's Sundries for her time and wonderful answers today. I know many of you will be thrilled with the ideas and patterns on Sophia's Sundries Site you can click any of the highlighted words in this post to visit Sophia's Sundries or click here and I would love to see any of your completed projects! Email me at karenmowen@gmail.com
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com