Etsy doll food from Willi Fustus & Co. a review

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/45723045

I ordered some doll food from a company called Willi Fustus & Co on Etsy two weeks ago, what drew me to ordering was the price and the fact that Wili Fustus & Co is a Canadian company. Shipping was very reasonable as was the price of the doll food.

I am thrilled with the order I got and recommend highly that if you are looking for doll food and not someone who wants to make your own, order from these guys. Not only do you get great value in your order but you get to choose what food  you would like! For less then the cost of the clay you will get a great lunch and adorable napkin for your doll.

 

The plate is mine but the food is great. The doll can hold the sub in her hand and the doughnut while very small is really detailed and cute. The orange is large and inviting.

I think this is a great investment in some fun and quality made doll food. Especially if you are not overly crafty!

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

Make your doll a Stella and Dot inspired Necklace

I was introduced to Stella and Dot jewelery and love the items they have for girls. One of the new necklaces they offer is the Tatum Necklace for girls. It is $32. ($29 in the USA)

 

http://www.stelladot.com is where you can find this and other great jewelery pieces.
So I thought it would be fun to try to make a similar version for my doll. I used items I had on hand but i you want to match it exactly you will have to take a trip to the craft store.

I used 11 beads, in pink and clear, pink yarn, and pink ribbon, a flower bloom from the dollar store as well as a bead that I could sew in the middle and a needle and thread. If I was to make this again I would use ribbon all around and skip the yarn. The reason is that it is easier to make the right sized knot in between the beads. Really to make this necklace you need some imagination, the ability to tie knots and sew the bead to the flower. To sew the bead remove all the plastic from the flower bloom and sew the bead to the flower, then attach the flower to the ribbon with very small stitches. I placed the necklace around my dolls neck and then positioned it to where I thought it looked best and tied the back into a bow, it slips over her head very easily.

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

A review of Springfield Dolls

I believe that everyone should have access to an 18 inch doll like American Girl dolls, the price however holds many people back from picking up these dolls for their daughters and friends. If you have an American Girl doll or an Maplelea Doll, you know that they are a great investment. If you are a parent however it is hard to justify the cost at first. When I started to buy these type of dolls for my nieces, I bought Laura a Springfield doll from Michael's, she originally had a different name then she is sold by now, she is now called Emma. I believe the doll was called Amanda a few years ago when I first purchased her. What drew me to this dolls first is the price, here in Canada they are $29.99 but with my Michael's coupon of 50% off these dolls are more affordable then any other 18 inch doll on the market here in Canada. Second, like the American girl doll they have a soft look to them, and teeth!

I also like their long brush-able hair. The doll hair on a Springfield doll is not  the same as that of an American Girl doll, however it should be treated the same way, lightly mist the hair before brushing with a wire wig brush.

* Dollar store gem* You can pick up wire pet brushes that work great for $1.25 at the dollar store.

Comparing AG dolls with Springfield dolls they are very similar in height and body however the legs on the Springfield doll are slightly longer and thinner.

The feet are almost the same size, with the Springfield dolls feet being very slightly thinner. You will notice that the hands on the Springfield doll is longer and larger then the American Girl doll, but the doll bracelets and anklets you can make with the directions on this blog will fit on either doll.

These dolls are a really great addition to any "doll family" and will make a great friend or starter doll for any girl. Michaels also sells very comparable shoes and accessories for these dolls and you can use your coupon for additional savings. They also sell clothes which are not as well made as American Girl Doll clothes but a very good buy!
As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so leave a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Making Goalie Gear for an American Girl Doll

My Niece Trinity is a hockey player. She lives in Montreal. She wants to be a goalie, so does her AG doll. Here is the problem we could not find  goalie hockey gear anywhere to buy, so Aunty Karen got asked to make some. Here is how I did it. We did order the hockey helmet from Maplelea here in Canada and are waiting for it to arrive. Here is what it will look like.

You can order this helmet and the player gear from Maplelea at
http://www.maplelea.com/product_info.php?products_id=487

I made the goalie pads first using a large sponge from the dollar store I cut it into three peices. Using the outside pieces of  the sponge as the pads and the inside sponge I cut down for the blocker. the sponges for the pads should be 2 1/2 inches wide by 3 1/2 inches high.

 To make the outer casing for the pads I cut out of black broad cloth 4 5 1/2  inch X 3 1/2 inch rectangles. Out of 1 inch elastic two 4 inch strips. I attached the elastic on two of the pieces of broad cloth as shown about half way down the rectangle and about 1 inch in. then I put the other rectangle broad cloth on top with right sides together and stitched it around three sides, turned it right side out.I then placed the foam in side and then slip stitched the pads closed.

For the blocker I cut two pieces of black broad cloth 2 1/2 inches by 4 inches and repeated the steps as above.

For the glove I traced the dolls hand and allowed 1/2 all around and cut out of broad cloth to make the glove. I finished the wrist edges of the glove before stitching together.

I then decorated with paint the pads and gloves. I also made some hockey shorts and a NHL Jersey. I bought the pink stick at the dollar store for $1.25, though I understand that build a bear has a perfect stick and has great NHL uniforms that can be altered to fit 18 inch dolls.

 

I am really happy with how this turned out! I need to still figure out hockey skates but what I think we will do is go to Micheal's and buy the Springfield  doll figure skates and use a black sharpie to make them Hockey skates. 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

How to make your doll a bag from material scraps

 

In a previous post I showed how you can embellish an outfit with  flowers, and the photo I showed had a Easter Bag I had made. I had a follower ask for the pattern and I thought I would share it with you today. It is really easy to make your doll a bag with left over material scraps. In the photo above you can see two versions of this bag. You can hand stitch this or use a machine, I used a machine for this one.

Here is the pattern

I started with a scrap of material. I measured it 5 inches by 4 inches and cut two 6 inch strips of seam binding bias tape I had left over from another project. First Finish the top seam of the bag, next attach the bag handles. Repeat on both sides. Then place right sides together and stitch the bag together and turn right side out. Really very easy, fast and a great way to use up material scraps. You can also use ribbon for the handles.

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

This is the first bag I had made from scrap material.

Make her a doll bracelet to match one of her own

Stella and Dot parties are very popular where I live. If you are not familiar with Stella and Dot they are a home jewelery party. I went to one my friend Paige hosted and ordered my niece one of their bracelets. I love pearls, I think they are timeless, so I ordered her the above bracelet. I thought it  would be fun to pair it with one for her doll that looked similar.  So a quick trip to the craft store and I made not one but 61 bracelets.I got carried away as they are so much fun to make, I made each one different with the beads I had bought. I bought 1 1/2 pounds of beads at Micheal's the craft store for $6.99 -40% coupon as well as a separate pack  of just pearls $2.99. I had stretchy cord at home already for beading left over from the bracelets I made in a previous post so this was an easy and fast craft $6.99 -40% coupon. These would make great party crafts or additions to any loot bag. Including the cost of the cord I made all 61 bracelets for under $12, with enough left over for at least 30 more.
To create the above pearl bracelet I cut 7 inches of Stretchy cord as I like to have lots of room to tie and then trim. I used 14 5mm pearl beads and one sparkly bead, tied them off and sealed the cord with clear nail polish. If you have a doll that is not an American girl doll you may need to measure as you go along with the string of beads. Mapelea Dolls, Our Generation Dolls and the Springfield Dolls have thinner wrists and require less beads. If you finish and your bracelet is too big you can make it be an anklet for your doll and make an new one with less beads.
If you are wondering what I am going to do with the other 60 bracelets I made, it is easy, I will use them as gifts with purchase in my Etsy store and make them available to others in my Etsy store as ready made party favors. I will also use them at my craft parties as I like to let the girls have a little something to take home as a thank you for coming gift.
Well that is all for now. As always I would love to hear from you so leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com
http://home.stelladot.com/ 
To find out more about Stella and Dot parties please go to the above website.

S'mores you have to love them!

I love S'mores, way more then I should. Many years ago I found a recipe for indoor S'mores in a magazine and have made them ever since grade 11, which was in 1991. I was pleased to see they have reprinted the recipe on the Golden Grahams cereal box. I want to share it with you.

5 cups of Golden Grahams Cereal
4 cups of marshmellows
1/3 cup of margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup of chocolate chips.
Melt the margarine in a large pot over med heat add the marshmallows and stir, then add vanilla once the marshmallows are melted add the cereal and then the chocolate chips. Stir and then put the mixture onto a greased cookie sheet or a greased 9X13 pan. Cool and then cut and serve. I love these bars and they never last!

I also have come across a great blog 
http://americangirlcraftiness.blogspot.com/2010/08/mini-snacks.html
Where the blogger made the mini s'mores from the AG magazine and they look fantastic too!
I think I will make "s'mores" for my dolls from polymer clay so they can share in the fun, below is some ready made ones for sale on Etsy.

If you wanted to order your dolls some great s'mores etsy has some great ones for sale

 these doll sized  S' mores are available at :http://www.etsy.com/listing/61543423/smores-food-for-18-inch-dolls-americanalible 

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