Kirsten's Scenes & Settings - The American Girl's Collection VIDEO

I felt so lucky when I found this gently used at Goodwill for $26.00. It has such beautifully painted images.

Kirsten's Scenes and Settings were originally sold by Pleasant Company 1996 - 2000 and sold for $50.00. Inside there are five different scenes: Docks of New York, the Larson Family cabin, Powderkeg School, Berkhoff's General Store, and the Northern Woods. The front cover shows Kirsten's log cabin and on the back is a map of her 1854 world.

 

 

To see the interior:

VIDEO

*REVIEW* Samantha's Scenes & Settings - The American Girl's Collection

I had been looking for Samantha's Scenes & Settings for quite some time. Ebay auctions typically began at $99 + shipping and ended somewhere in the hundreds. I was lucky to find this one for $40 + $8 shipping.

Samantha's Scenes and Settings originally cost $50 and was sold by Pleasant Company 1996 - 2000. It has five scenes - the kitchen, Samantha's bedroom, Miss Crampton's Academy for Girls, Tyson's Ice Cream Parlor and Piney Point. Included on the cover is her Grandmary's Mount Bedford home along with an overview of her world 1904 on the back.

To see the interior -

VIDEO

How To Make - Doll Tea Cozy + Sponge Cake

When I saw Karen's post on Doll Diaries on HTM a Tea Cozy I flipped out! It's absolutely adorable!! Nellie and I decided to make one for her and Samantha to use.

 

Supplies:

• Felt or fabric 
• Plain sheet of paper, pen 
• Buttons, trims, Ric rack 
• hot glue or needle and thread

Directions:

1. Lay your tea pot onto a sheet of paper and trace around it. 
2. Cut the pattern piece then pin it to your felt or fabric. 
3. Cut your fabric and either sew or hot glue the two side together with good sides facing. 
4. Turn right side out and decorate!!

 

 Nellie wanted to add buttons!!

 We also made a cute sponge cake.

1. Tear off the green scour side of the sponge, discard. 
2. Cut basic yellow sponge in half then trace a circle using a cookie cutter or drinking glass for size. 
3. Hot glue the layers together. 
4. Cut a triangular piece out of your cake. 
5. Paint the top and sides with 3D puff paint. 
6. Decorate!!

 

You can use different colored sponges for different flavored cakes too!

"Cheap" AG Dolls?

I was reading an exchange over Marie Grace and Cecile being considered "cheap" or sale dolls. This troubled me. First of all neither Marie Grace nor Cecile are cheap as they are made the same as any other AG doll and they have a very beautiful NOLA collection. I love their furniture pieces and accessories. But did American Girl do Marie Grace and Cecile a great disservice by offering them 61% off on the Today Show?

It's been rumored girls in the 10-12 age group consider Marie Grace and Cecile to be for poor people or "steal and deal" dolls. I bought both of my dolls full price. The dolls are the exact same quality whether purchased online, from eBay, in stores or on promotion.

Which leads me here..in September 2010 QVC had an American Girl event and sold Lanie, Ivy, Rebbecca and Kaya along with BB. These dolls haven't fallen in value or status. 

I sold both of mine simply because I was downsizing and felt that I could let them go. It wasn't because I thought of them as cheap. I guess because I had a stronger bond with other dolls within my collection.

Other complaints include a dislike in the lack of quality of a few outfits. And the over priced monstrous canopy bed is being compared to a Target quality bed.

What are your thoughts on this idea of "cheap dolls"? Did AG mar Marie Grace and Cecile's reputation with too many sales? (First 25% then 61%)

*Opening* New Doll Nellie

Confession!

I actually had a Nellie doll back in November and for some reason just didn't bond with her. But now Nellie's time has come! My interest in Samantha's world and collection has grown. My first Nellie arrived with no clothes and no accessories. I never really purchased any clothes for her, later I bought her holiday dress and eventually sold her in that dress just before Christmas.

 I am ready to collect for Nellie now. 

This story is quite an ordeal. First Nellie was lost in the mail and though I paid priority shipping she took much longer to get here. I spoke with two different USPS and no one knew where she was - tracking # problem. But now she is here! 

Welcome Nellie!

OPENING VIDEO

DOWNSIZING My Doll Collection

I know I am among doll friends here and I enjoy that we share of love of many dolls.

I have TWO confessions to make!

1. I am currently overwhelmed with my collection and feel the need to downsize.

2. I was forced to look with honest objectivity where I would be willing to purge.

That being said I have an EMBARRASSING video (LOL) of my moment of clarity. This is a difficult thing for me to admit. Every doll collector has a limit. Every doll collector's limit is as different as the dolls they collect.

At first I thought 12 would be a lot. It wasn't. So I began collecting and collecting and soon it felt like I was just consuming, for lack of a better word.

I was preoccupied with adding more items or dolls that I was failing to enjoy the dolls I had. I not only have 24 - 18" size dolls, but several 13", 11", 6.5" and 4" dolls totaling 52. Whoa! I realized not only was I running out of room, I was running out of hours in the week to maintain them. Because with every doll there are clothes, accessories, props, furniture, books and possibly a BFF doll. Hey it doesn't take a genius to figure out that's a lot of stuff.

You may ask what brought me to this conclusion of downsizing. I would say that when any hobby begins to feel overwhelming, "weighted" or just not so fun, then it is time to re-think.

Over the next few weeks I will be considering what to "let go". I will never stop loving dolls, I just need to downsize and consider which dolls are my absolute favorites so I can devote more of my attention to them.

*DOWNSIZE VIDEO*

Please let me know if you have ever had this experience.
Part Two