Aloha, Island Update from Karen, Spotlight on Blue Turtle Collections!

Aloha, from the Island of Oahu. It is 8:20 Island time and for me it is really 11:20 pm. I am beyond tired but excited to share my first Dolly Find on the island for 18 inch dolls.
Today we found ourselves at the Dole Plantation.

I was so pleased to find that their were booth's selling handmade Hawaiian items and even more thrilled to see on display Springfield Doll Collection Dolls Abby, Maria and Emma! American Girl Saige was also on "Vacation" and decked out in her Hawaiian clothes. Barbie and all her Friends were there too! This was truly a highlight of my day!

These ladies were wearing beautifully handcrafted outfits made in Hawaii by  Blue Turtle Collections.
Located at 64-1550 Kamehameha Hwy in Wahiawa, Hawaii.

You can email Blue Turtle Collections at blueturtlehawaii@gmail.com to see about off Island and international orders. I truly wished I had picked up an outfit or two for my dolls today. I am hoping to make it back there before we leave Oahu. Naomi was very busy at her booth and I did not have a chance to interview her but I had to share her work with all of you.
I will write with more Island Updates as I have them.
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 Recent Trip to Williamsburg! A Doll Lovers Delight!

 

Madelon recently took a trip to Williamsburg and is  sharing with us today some of her Dolly Fun Finds.

"We took a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia and visited colonial Williamsburg's Visitor Center gift shops. The shops celebrate the colonial history of the area with a section of doll clothes."

 Madelon was thinking of Felicity when she found this outfit!

 

The outfits were beautifully made and some where priced more then $40!

 

 The back of one of the outfits.

The doll hats were priced at $15

Madelon bought a doll sized tea set for $8 on her visit

I love tea sets so much! $8 is such a wonderful price! ~ Karen

This was an ornament for $5.95 which makes a great doll plate!

This dish, shown in a stack in a previous picture, has pictures of famous Williamsburg sites, including Bruton Parish, a famous church. Not bad for thirty percent off $6!

Madelon was surprised at how affordable the dishes with historical scenes on them where, truly a great fun find!

The store had a large selection of Felicity's Books!

In addition to the doll items they also carried girl sized outfits as well.

From Google Images

From Google Images

Thank you Madelon for sharing your photos from your trip with all of us!
To learn more about Williamsburg please visit  http://www.history.org
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

Happy Birthday Molly!

Today is American Girl Historical Doll Molly's Birthday.

 Mini Molly is currently offered by The Book Depository shipped to your door for only $22.79
Molly is one of my most favorite dolls! Her glasses are a great feature and her stories are among my favorite!

Molly's Birthday set on the American Girl Website offered at $68 is a doll lover and collectors delight.
Click here to see the listing on American Girl .

I hope you will join me in wishing Molly a very happy birthday!
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 Spring Hair Clip Craft Tip!

Madelon recently found these fun felt flowers at her local craft store and thought they would make great hair clips.

Each costing only a few cents makes them a truly great find!

 You can use sticky back velcro too, just be sure to trim the access from the side you attach to the bobby pin!

Use a glue dot, hot glue or sew them onto a metal hair clip, bobby pin, elastic or plastic comb and you have a fun spring hair clip! Make them for your dolls, your friends or as a sleep over craft!
Thank you Madelon for this great fun find!
As with all our posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

Earth Day Special This Week From Aunt Bees Old Sew N Sew!

I am in Hawaii at the moment but wanted to let you know of an Earth Day promotion this week in Aunt Bees Old Sew N Sew . Purchase $25 or more and receive a green machine embroidered recycle tee free.

 I love the items in Aunt Bees Old Sew N Sew and order regularly from this fun and affordable shop. I love her socks and dolly undies, great must have wardrobe pieces!

 If you are looking for fun pieces to add to your dolls wardrobe be sure to check out Aunt Bee's shop this week and take advantage of this wonderful gift with purchase! Click here to view her shop!

Enjoying Earth Day in Hawaii....As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com

Happy Birthday Felicty and Happy Late Birthday to Rebecca and Addy!

Did you know that today is Felicitiy's birthday?

Madelon has kindly put together a list for me so I don't forget and that we can celebrate each birthday!
While Felicity is now retired from The American Girl Collection you can still find her on the Secondary Market through Ebay and through doll lovers who are happy to sell her to the highest bidder.

 

You can still bring Mini Felicity home to your collection through American Girl and their Mini Dolls click here to see the shop listing offered at $24 

I am also so excited to see you can purchase the Felicity Audio CD from the Book Depository for only $19.98! Click here for listing on The Book Depository. This one is in my Wish list!

Be sure to check your library's to find the movie and books from Felicity's collection.

April is a busy month for American Girl Doll Historical birthdays, I missed Rebecca's Birthday April 4th!
I am sharing Rebecca here as a mini doll because as many of you know I love the mini dolls for their play potential and their affordability.  Offered on the American Girl Website for $24

I also missed Addy's Birthday on April 9th. You can find her right now on The Book Depository's website as a min doll on sale SHIPPED TO YOUR DOOR for $22.79. Click here for listing on The Book Depository.
I love The Book Depository because I live in Canada and their prices include world wide shipping!They are usually priced less then it would cost me to get in store at American Girl and I do not even need to leave the house!


I hope you will join me in wishing them a very Happy Birthday!
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

Etsy Spotlight on Vintique Designs

 

Graphic T-shirts are so popular right now and I am so excited when I see them offered in doll sizes.

Today I wanted to share with you the Etsy shop of Vintique Designs.Who's Shop is currently offering some really fun Graphic T-shirts.

 

Along with graphic t-shirts this shop has some amazing historical designs, (Just check out the Sold items in her shop!)

Linda Blaker was kind enough to share a bit of her sewing background with us today.
I asked Linda how she began sewing and came to sew doll clothes. Here are her replies.

"My first sewing experience was Home Ec class in 8th grade - 1965. No one had a choice then to take the class or not - girls took Home Ec/Boys took Shop. I, at least was interested in learning to sew - there was no one to teach me at home. We selected an "A Line" skirt, with a zipper. I couldn't possibly SEE how we were to get the zipper in the skirt, and my Teacher just kept saying, "Linda, follow the directions - just do what it says!" . I was So frustrated because I wanted to understand and remember this, but it didn't make much sense to me, and I SO wanted to learn to sew! Well, because I had no choice, I followed the directions, and when the last seam was taken out ( if you have ever put a zipper in a skirt or dress following the manufacturer's directions, you will know WHICH seam I mean ) and WHAH-LAH - It Worked!! - I was completely astonished, and felt like this was JUST MAGIC! I was completely hooked on sewing and clothing construction from that moment on!"

"My Mother bought my first sewing machine used, from a friend, and I babysat and mowed lawns to have the money to buy fabric and a few patterns that summer, and learned to follow directions in the patterns, and to experiment...it never occurred to me that there were whole books on nothing but sewing, so I learned from pattern directions and trial and error!"

"I am completely self-taught and have been sewing now for 46 years! While I have learned to make many things over the years, sewing is my First Love."

"Through High School, I made a lot of my own clothes, wanting the latest "Carnaby Street of London" look; after I had 4 children, I made most of their clothes when they were in grade school, and all my own clothing for Maternity wear, as what was available to purchase was simply AWFUL for a young woman! I did a lot of unique sewing for close friends, and had a shop in downtown Springfield in the early 1970's, featuring vintage clothes & jewelry, and as well as custom designing and up-cycling a lot of bellbottom jeans, vests and custom hand embroidery. I had more guts than brains in those days, agreeing to do whatever a customer asked, including making 5 cowboy Shirts from velvet for my friend in the Ozark Mountain Daredevils! (Flat-felled seams? What are those??). After the birth of my first child, I and two close friends were asked to sew for a local shop that sold clothing made from the Folk Wear line of patterns almost exclusively!"

"I didn't start making doll clothes until 2006, after having seen my first American Girl doll the year before. I opened my etsy shop in 2007, and the rest, as they say, is History! (I was making vintage fabric handbags and home decor items, at the time, and selling them on ebay.)"

"While I still make clothes for my granddaughters, I enjoy making doll clothes tremendously - no fit issues; no one complains about standing for fittings; no one screams when getting stuck with pins, and no one asks if this "makes my butt look big?". "

"My favorite doll clothes to make are the really complicated, Historically accurate pieces, the more trims and intricate little details, the better I like it! I also like making things no one else has made yet- such as replicating a period piece from a Museum photo. One of my best sellers has been the corded Civil War era Petticoat, which I saw in a museum online and figured out how to make for America Girls! I have also sold many Regency era dresses for the last 5 years, with patterns I designed long before AG produced Caroline. A little over a year ago, I emailed a seller on etsy who had a marvelous Historically accurate doll dress in her shop. I asked her if she had ever thought about selling the pattern, and we began to chat. Turns out, Shari Fuller, of Thimbles and Acorns on etsy, had always dreamed of designing and producing patterns for American Girls and other dolls. With a little encouragement from me and a few other people, Shari has been in business doing just that for the last year! She, in turn, encouraged me to make a pattern to sell from the Regency designs I'd been producing for some time, and I am working with her on my second Regency pattern, to be released in the next two weeks or so! (It is a Stovepipe Bonnet, 1814 Regency Pelisse, and Spencer jacket. The inspiration for the Pelisse is in a Museum.)"

"Over the last few years, I have given all gf my granddaughters America Girl dolls, and a few dolls to friends' children who cannot afford them, so I have "owned" many. I love to get used/abused dolls and restore them to their former beauty!"

I always want to know which dolls designers have, I think it shows the love the designer has for the dolls! So I always asked my Etsy Shop designers what dolls they have...

" I currently own Felicity, 2 Elizabeths, Lindsey, Nellie, #53, #21, Rebecca, Nicki, Caroline, Emily, and, just this week - Addy and Cecile' I have just customized my first Boy AG (from a Felicity), and sent my green eyed Felicity for a brown eye swap! I'm totally addicted to American Girl dolls and making clothes for them is my "excuse" for playing with them and owning so many!"

 

I also love the personal service and attention to detail that you get when you buy directly from the artisan. I think that you get much more for your money and help supporting cottage industries such as Etsy Shops and sellers on Ebay who hand craft items is something truly special.~ Karen

I asked Linda what she likes most about being an Etsy Shop Owner and what she likes to do most for her customers...
"I especially like doing custom orders - working up the designs or desires that other doll lovers have dreamed of owning. It's detailed and specific work, but I am well suited to that. I can work from a photograph, or a drawing. I love bringing to life what someone has visualized for along time!
Finally, I love being a part of the many doll seamstresses that sell on etsy! We chat frequently, and there's such a sense of "comeradie" rather than territorialism and competition! We work to enhance what each is doing, as there are plenty of buyers/collectors to go around" 

 

I could not agree more! I am so enjoying the items I see in this Etsy Shop and you can visit Linda's shop Vintique Designs by clicking here

I hope you enjoyed today's post. I just love this Etsy shop!

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