A fun Springfield Dolls themed Blog to check out

I love Springfield dolls and I was on their Facebook page recently and was thrilled to find this wonderful blog all about Springfield Dolls called Springfield Collection Dolls this blog is run by Miss Maggie who is not affiliated with Springfield Doll Collection but has a profound love of these dolls.

I loved her post about head coverings and how to make them for our dolls. Her post about how to make a Hijab for dolls is truly wonderful! I personally believe that doll play with 18 inch dolls should represent all girls and their beliefs and cultural clothing. This post not only showed the Hijab but also offered other head coverings and an explanation "Lots of different cultures advocate head coverings for girls and women. Amish, Muslim, some Fundamental Baptists, some Primitive Baptist, Charity Gospel, Mennonite, some Catholics, German Baptist, some Methodist, Jews, some Hindus, Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, the list goes on and on. For most head covering cultures it's a religious mandate, for others it's a matter of modesty. For dolls it's matter of matching one's dolly mommy."
I could not agree more with Miss Maggie.

  Click here for the free pattern on her blog.

 

Miss Maggie also has some wonderful links to free patterns, You tube Channels  and personal photos of her Springfield Doll Collection like this one

Showing her Olivia and her Springfield doll from 1997! Such an interesting post check it out by clicking here .

So if you are a Springfield Doll lover like me, or you want to add to your doll family, check out Spring Field Doll Collection's Website by clicking here. To follow Miss Maggie's wonderful blog you can visit her blog by clicking here and she has a wonderful follow by email option which I am happy to say I am now receiving !

Miss Maggie was kind enough to share enough to share a bit about her background with us today...

"I've been Miss Maggie on the Internet since 1999 when I first created Hillbilly Housewife, a frugal food website. I owned it until 2008 when I sold it to it's current owner. I'm the creator of a free K-12 homeschool curriculum that uses online resources and texts. It can be found at OldFAshionedEducation.com.  It has thousands of users worldwide. I think it's been online since 2007. After selling Hillbilly Housewife I created FrugalAbundance.com, which focuses on making a Gluten-Free, Casein-Free diet affordable, among other things."

"I've been interviewed on Public Radio, and written extensively on making healthy food more accessible to all families, especially those with lower incomes. I've had articles and patterns published in a variety of magazines and anthologies."

"I've been sewing for dolls for over 35 years. I've always collected dolls, but became more interested in them when I discovered the internet, and my collection has increased accordingly. One of my favorite doll families is the Springfield Collection. I discovered them at a craft store in 1997 and have been a fan ever since. Springfield dolls make doll ownership accessible to children in all income brackets which I think is vital for a child's education. Kids learn so much playing with dolls and it gives them a way to work out their understanding of the adult world. When a child grows up with limited financial resources there are additional stresses which may not be readily apparent, but which certainly affect the child. Owning a good play doll gives children an outlet for expressing themselves, helps with creative problem solving and allows the child control over one aspect of their lives all of which increases self-esteem. In this sense Springfield Dolls are almost doing a public service, providing good quality playdolls, that all families can afford."

"I find it a great pleasure to sew for my dolls and hope to create an additional website where I'm able to offer some of my creations for sale, but that's still months away. I've sold doll clothes at art stores, craft fairs and church bazaars and on ebay intermittently and always had good response to my doll designs."

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

The Amazing Inky...

If you are new to the doll world there are some very famous doll sites you should check out, my personal favorite has to be Inky. Who is a fictional character who will make you believe she is a real girl.

Inky's blog is Super Inky and her stories and adventures can be found on this wonderful blog. Click here to visit Super Inky

Inky lives in New York and has many wonderful doll friends like Piper

and her best friend Violet

Inky  even has her own Facebook Fan Page click here to join in the fun!

Inky and her friends have so much fun year round and I always look forward to Inky's holiday photos

Inky is also a Ballet Dancer

As well as a Girl who loves Science.

 

So if you are looking for some wonderful summer fun reading and inspiration check out Super Inky and her blog and Facebook Fan page today!

 

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

Dolly Disaster Averted, with Doll Wiggs from Blythaholic

Blythaholic    's Etsy shop has come to my rescue recently and I wanted to share with you just how so....

My niece Laura recently decided to give her AG doll Tianna a new hair style, with scissors. **GASP** I know, but as Aunty of this dear little girl I could let her doll spend the rest of her growing up years with a doll how was the recipient of a less then fashionable hair style so I went to the Etsy shop of Blytholic, whom I had purchased wigs for my AG doll in the past.

Blythaholic Shop owner Joey creates hand sewn wigs that fit not only Blythe  Dolls but also are large enough to fit our American Girl dolls.

As you can see with the help of Blythaholic's wig Tianna is party ready with her new auburn hair which has been styled by my 4 year old niece in this photo.

This is the wig I bought shown on  Joey's doll. Click here for the listing.

You may be wondering why I choose this option rather then send Tianna off to the doll hospital. The truth is price. My wig from Blythaholic was less then $25 shipped! As I live in Canada to send Tianna to the AG hospital would cost me almost as much as a new doll in store. So for now until Laura is older, I love the idea that we can use these affordable wigs and change up her dolls hair by swapping out the doll wigs.

I have so many of Joey's wigs in my wish list, the above is another of Joey's wigs I have purchased.
Click here  for the link to this wonderful and fun wig, priced at only $16 and only $5 shipped world wide. The photo of my Chrissa wearing the wig was taken in my early blogging days.
This wig was also featured on Liberty Jane and Cinnamon was actually the person who introduced me to Joey's work.

 Click here for Liberty Jane's Pattern site.
Here are my Before and Afters of Chrissa

and After

 

It is so much fun being able to switch back and forth!

I love Joey's Lady Gaga inspired wig click here for listing.

I contacted Joey and let her know I was going to write about her shop and I asked her some questions I would like to share with you now...

 When did you start making Wigs?

"I started making them around 7 years ago when was 19. I was still in school, didnt have that much extra money for new dolls, the only difference i noticed about different blythe dolls were that they had different hair styles. I started buying wigs online, but slowly... the ones that i can find no longer interests me... Then i started making my own wigs, ordering wefted hair online to sew my very own wigs."

What inspires you to create so many colorful and stylish wigs?

"I just try to pay a lot of attention to hairstyles... from TV, Magazines, people around me.. even cartoon characters! I just tried to combine bits and pieces of styles and color that I like together"

How long does each wig take to create?

"Not very long, it takes me about 10 minutes to sew one wig right now. And around another 5-10 minutes to cut and style them after its been sewn."

What is your favorite thing about the dolls you create your wigs for?

"I have to say their changeable eye colors. Each Blythe doll has 4 sets of eye chips. One looking on the left side, one on the right side, and two looking straight. They come in 4 different colors and Blythe lovers always tend to change their eye chips allowing them to look more unique."

Also if there is anything you would like my readers to know about you or your work please let me know.

* "I would like my customers to know that my wigs are not heat resistant, please do NOT try using a flat/curling iron or anything similar on these wigs. The wefted hair are made by a mixture of silk and plastic. I did not choose to work with heat resistant hair because they are mostly made with real human hair.. and also they do not look as shiny and silky as the ones I work with"

"I would also like to take this chance and explain why I don't take custom orders online.  I was once contacted by Etsy that they suspect my wigs are not handmade because some customers reported to them that I do not accept custom orders... however, I did prove it to them that it was handmade by me.

I do not accept custom orders due to a TWO reasons:

1) I do not always have the exact materials that customer wants.
The wefted hair is ordered from China, they come in different color, different length, and different curls. I do not dye the wefts myself, and I do  ALWAYS cut to the style myself. It is very difficult for me to stock up ALL colors and ALL style and length at home."

This was my second choice for Laura's Doll, I loved the colors and curl in this wig.
Click Here for listing

Joey has more then 86 different Blythe wigs that will fit our AG dolls currently in her Etsy shop
click here for the shop section that contains these fun and fashion forward styles.

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

Cupcakes a give away from Jessie Raye's Miniatures Etsy Shop

I have never seen a cupcake, cookie or cake that I could not pass up. Jessie Raye's cupcakes are no exception, even though these dolly sized treats are not for human consumption, they look good enough to eat!

One of our readers wrote to me about Jessie Raye's creations and I am so thrilled to share them with you today.

 These wonderful creations are offered in so many wonderful colors and textures.

More then just cupcakes this designer has other eye catching treats for 18 inch dolls and even has sets together for birthday parties!

from individual sliced cakes, whole cakes, cupcakes and more you are sure to find so many wonderful delightful dolly treats in her American Girl Miniatures Shop Section.

These doll sized sugar cookies look just like ones my sister makes for us during the holidays! Priced at $5.49 these cookies are a steal! Click here for listing.

My niece loves these doll cookies and I think they are just delightful!

As a child of the 80's this cake is a trip down memory lane and a Rainbow Brite Birthday Party I went to where the mom made a cake just like this! I love this cake!
Click here for the listing.

Now this very busy shop owner was kind enough to offer my readers a chance to win a cupcake from her shop for their own doll play collection.

CUPCAKE GIVE AWAY CONTEST DETAILS

Prize number 1 is a beautiful pink American Girl Love cupcake just like the one shown in the photo above. (click here for shop listing)

Prize number 2 is a beautiful chocolate cup cake with red and green sprinkles perfect for not just Christmas, but every dolly day! (Click here for shop listing)

Now if you would like to enter for your chance to win one of these two cupcakes from Jessie Raye's Miniatures  visit her shop today by clicking here and then email me at karenmowen@gmail.com and tell me what you like best about Jessie Raye's Shop and you will be entered into the random draw on June 30th. You must have your parents permission if you are under 18 and the contest is open to residence of North America at this time.

I had a chance to get to know Jessie the "New Fashion" way over email messages and did a small interview with her here is part of our interview....

How did you get started creating for AG/18 inch dolls?

"I initially began creating miniatures 3 years ago in dollhouse and play scales for my two young daughters who wanted specific types of foods for their dolls.  It became less of a hobby and more of a career after I'd listed some things on Etsy and was surprised at how quickly I began making sales.  I quit my old job after working for 7 years for a company creating educational software using Flash, and decided to see how far I could get with my own business creating miniatures!  As my oldest became more involved with her dolls than her barbies, I decided it might be a good time to try a larger scale, so I began making American Girl doll size miniatures.  I really enjoy creating in American Girl size as I can add much more detail in that scale!  I have learned a lot about decorating cakes and cupcakes along the way as well, since I get so much practice with the miniatures!  Now I make all of my daughters' real birthday cakes and cupcakes too - something my Mother always did and I never felt capable of doing myself... until now!"

Do you have any AG dolls and if so which ones?

 

"I currently only own 1 American Girl doll, Jess.  I always had an attachment to Samantha as a child, and by the time I could afford my own doll I was an adult and Jess had been released!  After noticing that Jess has the same hair/eye color as me, along with my name, I decided she was the one for me!"

What is your favorite thing to make ?

"My favorite thing to make for the American Girl dolls is cupcakes!  There is something I find outrageously adorable about cupcakes!  I can't see one without smiling, so naturally I love to create what makes me smile the most!  It's always very rewarding to hear my girls response when I come out with a new cupcake, as they are also very big on cupcakes!  I may have a slight obsession with cupcakes (that might be an understatement) as I have been dubbed by family and friends as "the cupcake queen"!"

How many cupcakes you make on a regular basis,and how long do they take to make?

"I make somewhere between 25-50 cupcakes a week (not including edible ones!).  Each cupcake from start to finish takes between 20-25 minutes.  I usually do batches of 10-15 cupcakes to cut down on time."

"Creating miniatures has been a wonderful learning experience for me!  It's also been the most fun I've had with a "job" in all of my life!  I absolutely LOVE making toys, and doing so has completely transformed my life!"

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