Jessica T's Saturday Sewing Suggestions! Week 4 Dresses!

"Pillowcase dresses are a wonderful beginner pattern and this one from Skip to my Lou.org looks so cute!"

Pillowcase style dresses are wonderful addition to you doll wardrobe and they are easy to make! They do not use too much fabric and do not take long!

Click here for the pattern tutorial from Skip To My Lou. Org 

Thank you Jessica T for this wonderful suggestion and thank you to Skip To My Lou.org for this great tutorial. 

We would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com 

Madelon's Fantastic Friday Finds!-Huge Savings On Lori Ballet Studio!

Madelon found us a great deal this week, check out the savings on the tag for the Lori ballet studio! Half price at her Target! Such a deal!

Hard to resist at this price!

So much to love about this playset!

A special savings on the dolls too, time to pick up and put away for the upcoming holiday season!
Thank you Madelon for sharing this amazing find with all of us!
We would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com

Adorable Etsy Finds- Steampunk Inspired

This week as you may know I have been promoting an upcoming book and series that I have been reading called Maddie Hatter and the Gilded Gauge. I have been so inspired and have had so many Steampunk craft ideas going through my head that this week I wanted to invite you all to the up coming book party on Facebook on July 26th and share some Etsy favorites that are also steam punk inspired. But first here is your party invitation....

I am co-hosting this wonderful and fun interactive event and I have some fun craft tutorials and games you are not going to want to miss! I hope to see you there! Click here to learn more. 

I have shared this wonderful Tea Time Fabric Panel before and was reminded of this easy and fast way to add a little steampunk excitement to your doll wardrobe!

Click here to see how you can make this fun outfit for your dolls. 

If you are not into sewing your own outfit take a look at this sweet ready made outfit from Cozy Country Quilt Etsy Shop. Click here for shop and listing.

Perhaps you would like to add a ready to ship Steampunk Inspired doll with outfit to your doll family! Check out Rika's Needle and Thread Etsy Shop. I was so impressed with their work and their details! Click here for this Etsy Shop! 

I love this doll and outfit also offered in Rika's Needle and Thread Shop. This is a steal at $76.34 CND at time of posting! 

If you are looking for an outfit for a boy doll you have to check out  The Nutty Needle Etsy Shop and this Steampunk inspired look! Click here for shop and listing.

Learn more about this exciting adventure series for ages 10+  by visiting Author Jayne Barnard's Website by clicking here. 

Thank you for joining us here today and I would love it if you could join us at the online Facebook Party on the 26th of June, just stop by and join in the fun! 

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 

Get Your Craft On With Brandy A Bathroom For Your Wellie Wishers!

Today we are getting our craft on with Brandy and creating a super cute Wellie Wishers Bathroom! 

We love the Wellie Wishers and This super cute and easy playset is one you may wish to make and put away for the upcoming gift giving holiday.

This fun and creative inspired by,  the wellie wisher line will have you getting your craft on for sure!
Thank you Brandy for such a fun and inspired craft! Find the tutorial on Brandy's Happy Home by clicking here.
Thank you for joining us here today we would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Hitting the books with Karen The Lonely Doll Series by Dare Wright

This weeks book series is the Lonely Doll and the first is called The Lonely Doll by Dare Wright. Once you see the covers of these books you will see why they are so popular with doll lovers!

Once there was a little doll. Her name was Edith. She lived in a nice house and had everything she needed except someone to play with. She was lonely! Then one morning Edith looked into the garden and there stood two bears!

You can find the Lonely Doll on The Book Depository by clicking here

Holiday for Edith and The Bears...

Edith, the doll featured in Dare Wright's best-selling "The Lonely Doll" book series, together with her friends, Mr. Bear and Little Bear, leave their city home for a vacation on Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Their summer is spent playing on pristine beaches, discovering the seaside wildlife, getting acquainted with wild ponies, and imagining adventures on the high seas. Little Bear ignores Mr. Bear's warning never to go on a boat without him, and he and Edith soon find themselves drifting dangerously out to sea. Luckily Mr. Bear comes to their rescue, and the two learn a valuable lesson before their vacation ends.

The Doll and The Kitten....
Edith, the doll featured in Dare Wright's best-selling "The Lonely Doll" book series, together with her friends, Mr. Bear and Little Bear, spend a summer vacation on a farm in the mountains of upstate New York. They explore the nooks and crannies of a very large barn, and find the barnyard and hillsides an irresistible playground. It is not long before Edith falls in love with an adorable calf. Mr. Bear, however, will not give Edith permission to bring the calf back to their home in New York City. Edith then tries convincing him to let her keep a newborn colt or a baby lamb, but Mr. Bear will have nothing to do with the adoption of a large farm animal to keep them company in their apartment in New York City. When Edith discovers a tiny kitten living in the hayloft, she's certain that she has found the perfect pet, and waits for the right moment to ask Mr. Bear if she can keep it. But before that happens, the kitten gets stuck on the highest beam in the barn. Edith's plan to rescue the kitten by having Little Bear hoist her up in a basket goes awry when they both end up dangling over the straw. Mr. Bear comes to their rescue, lowering Little Bear gently, and making sure that Edith and the kitten get safely down in the basket. He agrees that Edith can keep her kitten, and the vacation ends happily.

Edith and the Duckling....
It was springtime on a farm in the hills and Edith and Little Bear were thrilled to see the ducks and geese floating on the pond. They were waiting as patiently as they knew how, for a mother duck's eggs to hatch. They visited the nest every day. One day, though, when they checked the nest, they found the mother was gone. Mr. Bear knew that something must have happened to her and she would not be back. So it was up to Edith and the Bears to try to hatch the eggs. Carefully, they moved the nest to the house, kept the eggs warm, and sure enough, one little duckling was born. How Edith and the Bears care for the duckling until it grows big enough to care for itself is an enchanting experience for all.

The Lonely Doll Learns A Lesson....
Edith ("The Lonely Doll") brings a kitten back from the country, and her friend Little Bear feels very left out as Edith focuses all of her attention on her cuddly new playmate. It's only when Edith is confined to her bed with the measles, that she begins to realize how much she misses Little Bear's companionship. Little Bear sneaks in for a visit that turns into a disaster when he tries to cut Edith's tangled hair. When Little Bear gets the measles, too, Edith uses her savings to buy him a puppy. Much to Mr. Bear's delight, the two agree to share their pets and harmony is restored.

These are just some of the amazing books in The Lonely Doll Series Find them all by clicking here. 

We hope you like today's suggested book series! We would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com

*Mommy Monday Moment with Jenny

Kate always graciously shares her dolls with me.  She dresses them and prepares them for photos.  Sometimes, for days at a time, they hangout in my office.  I always place them off to the side and away from the window.  If you have a more expensive doll, no matter the brand, you will most definitely want to steer clear of direct sunlight for long periods of time.  When I was out thrift shopping with my best friend over the weekend I found a doll, similar to American Girl Dolls, and the vinyl "skin" actually appeared to melt and take on this deformed look.  There is really no undoing that damage.  So, while we are in the summer heat, here are a few heat tips:  do not keep your doll in full sunlight for hours at a time, keep your doll out of hot cars, and if you have your doll around the pool, make sure to keep the body and eyes dry.

  Doll eyes can actually get ruined when exposed to too much water and will change the color and overall appearance.  This has made me more aware of where I place Kate's doll, when she is not "working."  On a parenting side note, we have been working with potty training Natalie.  Incorporating the doll her is a great idea.  Started out fantastic, sat right down, went potty, slapped her undies on and within the hour she peed four times.  Once in the foyer, once on the stairs, once in the kitchen, and in the garden.  Mine you, we placed her on the potty every fifteen minutes.  On another parenting side note, Kaitlyn is having a huge friend/ bonfire/ game party tonight.  One of her friends are going to spend the night, now Kate is entering the 6th grade and will play periodically with her dolls, but not where she pulls everything out.  Does anyone else see this?  Where the play is more focused on the dressing and brushing opposed to "house" play.  I would have literally hurt someone to have the setup she has, and I make her anything she wants, then it saddens me when she doesn't play with it?  Thank goodness I have two more small girls coming up. 

 I am excited for the new piece I will start crafting today for my shop.  I am going to make a sewing/ craft table for a doll.  I can't wait to put it together.  Also, I just finished a huge custom project that has been in the works for over a month, with 50 joint emails back and forth, I am glad I am putting it to a close.  It is a really neat process to see someone's vision through words only and make it come to life.  Keep creating memories and special moments with your children through play and exploration...

Thank you Jenny! Learn more about Jenny and her work in her Etsy Shop the Rita Pita Boutique by clicking here.
Thank you for joining us here today we would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com 

Sunday Yarn Craft Spectacular Suggested Dolly Fun!abc-knitting-patterns.com's Sailor dress or Tunic Pattern

This weeks Sunday Yarn Craft Spectacular Suggestion is this pattern from abc knitting patterns for a Sailor Dress or Tunic. I am a big fan of this knitting website and of the patterns offered for knitting doll lovers like us! 

Tween doll lovers will love this tunic and the idea that you can do it in any color makes this a great pattern. Think of how this would look with dolly jeans and skirts!
Click here for this free pattern on abc-knitting-patterns.com 
Thank you for joining us here today we would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com