According To Emma, A Tween Friendly and Refreshing Etsy Shop!

Today I am sharing a shop that I am really enjoying called According to Emma, when you check out the photos and outfits in this shop you will see why I am excited!

The outfits in this shop are truly adorable and exactly what tween doll lovers are into, fun colors, patterns and mix and match items that make doll play more realistic.

 

Looking through the more then 50 items in this shop is truly a pleasure. The photos do each outfit justice and make you consider buying another American Girl Doll!

 

Stylish, fun and affordable outfits for 18 inch dolls are a wonderful find and I love the 3 piece sets offered in this shop.

The separates in this shop are also not to be missed! I love these yellow shorts don't you?
Items in this shop offered between $7 and $35 dollars. Worth making one of your favorite shops and one to keep watching! Click here to visit According to Emma's Etsy Shop
I hope you are enjoying a look at the different Etsy shops and designers I have been featuring this month! Look for more behind the scenes visits and reviews of more Etsy Shops this summer!
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

Madelon's Summer Swim Suit Fun Find For The "Dog Days" Of Summer!

The amazing Madelon has done it again this year and has found a wonderful bathing suit set for the "Dog Days" of summer! This adorable set is actually for a small dog!

This set includes the visor, sunglasses, swim top and skirt! Which is a steal at $9.97

You can find this set and others like it at your local big box stores!

With small adjustments you can make this xx-small dog outfit work for your dolls! Thank you Madelon for such a wonderful fun find and I know many doll lovers and parents are going to Flip for this fun set!
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

Sewing To Make A Difference, Elaine's Story Of A Call To Help!

 

As many of you know our on line dolly world is made up of more then just talented doll lovers who create items and sell them on Etsy for more then just profit. Many of the motivation's behind what Etsy shop owners I have worked with and interviewed have felt a "Call to Duty" and create items for dolls to benefit charities and what I like to call "Doll Ministries" one of these people who has heard the "Call" is Elaine of My Grandma Sews Etsy shop.

 

Elaine shared with me her reason for creating for 18 inch dolls...

"I used to be a high school English teacher, so I really enjoy writing.  That's the main reason why I also blog about other non-sewing stuff at http://www.mygrandmaknows.com . 

 Thanks to a junior high home economics class and my mother, I learned to sew when I was a young teenager.  My mom sewed to save money, and she often combined leftover fabrics to make play clothes for my nieces and me.  I credit my mom for instilling in my a love for mixing prints together on the same garment."

 

"It wasn't until December 2013 that I got interested in sewing for 18" dolls.  My sister asked me to make something for her granddaughter for Christmas.  I enjoyed that project so much that I immediately began my pattern collection.  I've sold some doll clothes locally and in my Etsy shop."

 

"Recently, I was thinking about a way to use my passion for doll sewing for a greater good.  One morning as I was reading my Bible and praying, I had the idea to sell my doll clothes and donate the money to an organization called Forward Edge International and their ministry, the Villa Esperanza, in Managua, Nicaragua.  I'm familiar with this mission and their work in Nicaragua because one of my former students serves there as a field worker.  The Villa Esperanza means Village of Hope, and their mission is to rescue girls who live in a nearby dump and are vulnerable to drug abuse and sex trafficking.  I thought it would great to use my passion for sewing and girls' passion for doll clothes to help girls in another part of the world."

"For the next three months, I will be donating all of the money from my doll clothes sales to the Villa Esperanza to be used to help the girls buy Christmas gifts for their families who still live in La Chureca, the village in the garbage dump."

 

More then just an Etsy shop owner Elaine is has a wonderful blog and website.

Her blog My Grandma Knows is a delightful read!  A great way to see what wonderful things Elaine is up to!

Check out her sewing site at   http://elainesearer.com/ to see all the wonderful items she is creating and sharing!

Visit Elaine's Etsy Shop by Clicking 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

  

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MyGrandmaSews

Starabella Doll Design A Wonderful New Addition To Etsy!

 Today I am sharing a new and promising Etsy Shop Called Starabella Doll Design. Opened in April of this year Starabella Doll Design is offering some fun outfits for 15 inch, 18 inch dolls and Girls alike! 

 

You can always tell when an Etsy Shop owner is a doll lover too, the outfits and photos in this shop show that love!

I asked  Stacy of Starabella Doll Design to share a bit about her shop, her passion and herself with us today. I love getting to know doll lovers, designers and really think it is an important part of our on line doll community!

 

"I started sewing when I was about 7 years old (I'm 30 now). I spent (and still do spend) a lot of time with my grandma and she taught me how to sew, crochet, and bake. We would make blankets, doll clothes, clothes for me, and household items like pot holders and dishcloths."

" I've continued my love of sewing and crafting through my life and I love making handmade gifts for new babies of friends and family. A couple years ago my niece got her first AG doll for Christmas and I decided to make some clothes for her. I bought a Target Our Generation doll for a model but was amazed at the much, much greater quality of the AG dolls. I bought my first one....and now I have way too many  and am hooked And besides, the company was created in my home state of Wisconsin!"

 "I have a 2 1/2-year-old daughter and just recently quit working nights so I can stay home full time with her. I also recently started a local sewing/alterations/embroidery business. I  have a Bachelor of Science degree in both Biology and Spanish but I can't bear to leave my baby all day long So, I decided to do something that I love and which allows me to stay home with my family."

 As a Mom of Three myself who works from home I can understand and appreciate Stacy's situation and I find that when you follow your passion good things happen!

 

Be sure to check out Starabella Doll Design on Facebook as I know she has some exciting give away's planed! Be sure to let her know I sent you  clicking here. 

Visit Starabella Doll Designin their Etsy Shop by clicking 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

 

Turning Life's Lemons In To Lemonade, Peggy's Prozac Etsy Shop, Truly Inspiring.

We all go through dark times in our lives and we are constantly tested. How we deal with adversity and how we "keep calm and carry on" shows our personal strength. For this Etsy Shop owner, life took a dark turn and when faced with adversity & injustice she took to her sewing room and Peggy's Prozac began.

"Sewing allows me to let go of the 'stress' by allowing me to focus on being creative, taking my mind off of the problems of the day" says Peggy,

 

Peggy's 82 year old Mother was scammed out out of  $47,000 in 2010 from evil predators that pray on more then just the elderly and dupe them out of their money and forcing them into bankruptcy, Peggy and her family went through an incredibly difficult time.

 "When my mom was scammed, I did go in a depression and used sewing as my therapy and never went on medication, thus the name of my shop. Since the scam, I've become an advocate on this topic, and use any avenue I can to educate people of all walks of life about the biggest rip off of all time-scams. The scams come in all sizes and shapes, seek out all ages and education levels and do not care of the mess they leave behind. There is a domino effect on a family when a loved one gets caught up in this crime."

 "When I found out about it, I went into a depression-I only had two feelings, complete sadness or rage for months and so I would lose myself in sewing as a way of coping. I did not want to go on medication. When my daughter came home at Christmas, 2010, she saw all these doll clothes hanging up in a bedroom and told me I was obsessive with my sewing and asked how many outfits I had"

 "I did not know at the time. The next morning she said "Mom, I counted over 200 hangers with doll clothes, don't you think that is obsessive?" I said, "Robyn, I also have things in buckets." I explained to her that was how I coped with her Grandma's scam (my mom had to file bankruptcy), Then she said, "The clothes are adorable and would sell, you need to get on etsy". So she helped me get the site going and named the site peggysprozac. The site opened December 31. 2010 and it has helped me heal"

 "In March of 2013, I testified at the Minnesota state capitol about scams and Minnesota passed a bill with some protections against wire fraud. http://www.kare11.com/news/money/article/1014513/329/Anti-fraud-bill-targets-scam-artists-preying-on-older-Minnesotans"

As a result of Peggy's Tireless efforts Minnesota passed a bill that went into law, August 1, 2013!
Peggy showed incredible strength and courage to over come the adversity she and her family faced and she was empowered to help others not suffer the same fate. Along the way she learned about her own resiliency, how to use creativity as an outlet to heal and how to inspire others.  Peggy has some wonderful items in her shop that are on my personal favorite list and with more then 1,000 sales since 2010 Peggy proves she has staying power! Take a look at her shop by clicking here and check out some of her 100+ items today.

"AFTER THE STORM PASSED, FLOWERS GREW"
  -Paul Harvey
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 

Don't Forget to Enter Maplelea's Photo Contest!

Maplelea, Canada's 18 inch doll has a wonderful photo contest going on. This contest is open to all Canadian Girls!

"We want pictures of girls from every province and territory exploring, playing, learning, celebrating, helping, discovering and just having a blast!
Each person may submit up to five photos.   Winning photos will be published in one of two different issues of the Maplelea Girls magazine to be distributed this fall and to use for other promotional material.  A $50 Gift Certificate will be sent to each entrant who has a photo selected as a winner."

 

This contest is open until July 8th!

Click here to find out more information.

 I can not wait to hear from those of you who are entering! Be sure to let me know!
As with all my I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com
 

Welcome Alexis! My Via E Doll!

I just picked up Alexis my ViaE Doll and I could not be happier! What a fun doll. I was so excited when she arrived as for months I have admired her and wondered about what she was like in person!

I did a very quick intro video when I got her and she has been such a great addition to our doll play family!
My niece Laura was over last week and we have plans to take Alex swimming the next sunny day we can head up to her family pool.

 

This photo is one of the reasons I wanted to bring Alexis home. The idea of a doll that can get wet is fantastic! Now there are some very important care tips for a doll like Alexis. One is that you need to blow on her eyes after water play just like you would a birthday candle. This is very important to keep Alexis is great shape and keep her eyes working!

" Alexis is not a bath toy…she is a dollfriend ® that can get wet.  This statement is meant to make it clear that Alexis needs care after water to remove all the water and to make sure mold does not become an issue.  A bath toy does not need care…a rubber duck can sit in the water for long periods of time and does not need to be dried off.   Water play is fun, but it does come with responsibilities to Alexis."

Many of you wonderful readers always ask me for a side by side comparison here it is. This way you can see Alexis amazing features next to her doll friends. Alexis has arms and legs that can bend and as they are strung you can remove any water that builds up in her limbs after water play.

here is a close up of Ivy's hand and Alex's hand. Lots of detail in the skin tone and nails of the fingers and toes on the ViaE doll.

 Alexis looks great in 18 inch clothing and with her vinyl body Alexis looks great in summer dresses as well!
my over all impression of Alexis is that she is a truly remarkable doll and I can not wait to take her swimming!
We will be back to share more of our on going review of Alexis in the coming days! We are having so much fun playing with her!
As with all our posts we would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com

Check Out Sew Like Betty Etsy Shop

I love this Cherry Themed Chef Set offered in Sew Like Betty's Etsy shop. If you are curious about the shop name, the shop owner named her shop after her own mother Betty who taught her how to sew. This time honored tradition of teaching your children to sew is one I hope many of you are passing on to children in your lives! What an honor to be able to pass this on to a child so that they may teach others!

 

Sew like Betty is a very full Etsy shop with 100 items currently instock and ready to ship!

 

The doll photography in this shop is top notch and really adds to the shoppers delight!

 

This is one of my favorite items in the shop! I love the hat and that this set has the perfect scale of print!

 

I also love the nod to Military Families with this fun and fashion forward set, the hat is fantastic!

 

I really enjoyed go through each listing in this shop and love the photos so much! I know the outfits would find a happy home in any of your dolls wardrobes!

Check out Sew Like Betty's shop by clicking here

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