*Review* OG "It's All in the Box" Lunch Set

Linda bought the OG "It's All in the Box" lunch set.

Included:

• 1 Lunch box with deer scene on it
• 1 bowl of fruit
• 1 bowl of salad
• 1 carton of milk
• 1 sandwich
• 2 cookies
• 1 fork

Lunch box came with 2 cookies.  I dropped one on the way to take pictures. The salad and fruit do not come out of their containers.

*Review* OG Retro Joy Doll

I recently purchased OG's retro Joy on sale. Although neither  the box nor the OG website say what era she was, I am guessing a ten year old in the Fifties.

I didn't realize that the plastic was sewn onto her hair to keep it laying flat. It was hard to remove the stitches.

The headband was attached to her scalp.

The dog doesn't know what to think.

I think she is a lovely doll once you get past the hair.

I really like the quality and style of the dress.

I plan to use many of the modern OG dresses as fifties dresses.

Stockings and shoes.

Very pretty doll!

-Madelon

Lydia In the New World 1760 Novel

March 17-18, 1760 Lydia's family arrives in Boston (the New World). 

Lydia's story is due out 2016 and by her traveling to Boston from Bristol, readers will get to explore both sides of the Revolution.

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"Ouch and botheration!" Lydia Peyton had pricked her finger and a few drops of blood dripped onto the pale yellow of her skirt. She was sitting in the walled garden of their new townhouse and she was feeling strange. Even stranger than usual. She had got used to the idea of  probably never seeing home again.  England and Bristol, were they still even home? She supposed Boston was home now. But even now that her legs had stopped rolling with the memory of being on board ship for weeks and weeks, here she was in the New World and still feeling strange. No friends and nothing familiar  - even the star-shaped flowers in the pretty garden were strange. She tried to concentrate on trimming her new yellow hat for church on Sunday and to carry her thoughts back to pleasant things...

After doing a bit of historical research, once Lydia's family is off the ship and in Boston, a terrible fire breaks out just days later.

Boston was founded in 1630 and the first colonial city to get a paid fire department in 1678. Before that the city had only volunteers created in 1671. For the citizens of Boston being a volunteer member of the fire department was a great honor. Several prominent members of the Sons of Liberty served as fire wardens, including Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Tomas Atkins was appointed the first foreman of the Boston Fire Company. 

In 1711 the fire organization expanded to ten fire wards given the authority to organize fire fighters and arrest looters. November 14, 1759 a large fire burnt over 20 buildings on Water Street and Milk Street. March 20, 1760 The 'second' Great Fire of Boston destroyed 349 buildings, both dwellings and businesses; 220 families homeless. It burnt along Washington Street, extended to Long Wharf and Fort Hill, burning one large ship and nine smaller ships, and the Quaker Meeting House on Congress Street. 

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 A 1760 fire bucket of John Rowe, a Boston Selectman, Fireward of the 1760-70's and a member of the Sons of Liberty. 

Boston in 1760 was essentially a wooden city, rebuilt as such after a terrible fire a half-century earlier "because the cost of rebuilding in wood was lower than the cost of fireproofing" and because it was in the interest of real-estate developers to rebuild quickly. The conflagration that swept through the city in March, greatly aided by a powerful wind, "the ally of urban fire [that] bears the fire on its back and throws its embers into the sky so that the fire can be reborn over and over," killed no one but destroyed a 20-acre tract in the Old South End of the city and left hundreds of its poorest residents homeless. (source)

March 24, 1760 Thomas Pownall, the governor of the province of 'Massachusetts Bay in New England' issued a proclamation regarding the fire of March 20, 1760.  Nine fire companies were established and the city was divided into fire districts.

 The legislature voted three thousand pounds for the relief of sufferers. The Pennsylvania and New-York legislatures also voted liberal sums. Gov. Lawrence of Nova Scotia sent four hundred and eighty dollars, while merchants of New York and London sent large amounts. The great preacher Whitefield sent two hundred and fifty pounds from England. Then the legislature passed an act providing for the exclusive erection of brick and stone buildings.
(source kellscraft.com)

By the French and Indian War (1756 – 1763) the ensign shown  (with the red St. George’s Cross and a green tree in the white canton) was the one most frequently flown by the ships of Rhode Island and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Those two colonies dominated trade to and from the English New England colonies. Thus, by the time just preceding the American Revolution the flag identified by many with New England as a region was that ship flag.

WeGirls of the World - Just Like You Dolls (Poland)

Poland has their own Just Like You dolls! Launched in February 2014. They are so cute and have some great accessories.

WeGirls Catalog

Link

Honorable mention in the category entertainment/toys for children aged 7-12 years old, in the 13th edition of the competition world of baby friendly.

 WeGirls is more than beautiful dolls, meaningful books, cool fashion and attractive games.

Our dolls are BEST FRIENDS.

 They have personality, they come to life in our books, they are the stories’ leading characters. They wear glasses, have freckles, and are just like real-life girls – casual and natural. Recurring themes in the world of WeGirls are respect for other people, care for others and care for nature, and an interest in culture – an approach to life full of involvement and hope. Self-confidence and an openness for change. Tolerance for what’s different, acceptance of diversity. The skill of assessing matters critically, and a conviction of one’s own impact on the world around.

We believe that you can shape yourself and the world you live in, and WeGirls is a way to say this and to show it to girls. The world of WeGirls was specially created for them – in order to inspire!

We are forming an active community of girls, of Best friends, around WeGirls. The Girls of the World Club, established by the fictional characters in the first book, will bring together Best friends throughout Poland and, in time, in other countries as well. Just like the girls in the WeGirls books, they care about animals and the environment, and in the future local Girls of the World Clubs will carry out campaigns we have initiated. We’ll encourage girls to set themselves new tasks, the inspiration for which will be successive adventure-detective stories in the “Girls of the World Club” series.

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These images are from WeGirl's Facebook page!

 

HTM - Disney Mouse Ears for 18" Dolls

Link

Supplies:

• Black felt cut two strips - 10″ x  .75″
• Stiff black felt cut two strips - 2.5″ x  .5″ and four circles 1.75″ dia.
• Thread in black and to match your bow
• Glue gun
• Ribbon or fabric for the bow
• 1/4″ elastic – cut a 3″ piece

Directions:

1. Fold one strip of soft black felt in half lengthwise.  Mark the center with a pin.  Open strip up and with small scissors carefully cut a .5″ slit in felt 1.25″ from the center point. Do this on each side of center point.  This is where the ears will sit on the headband.
2. Split the stiffened felt strips halfway to center lengthwise.
3. Cut circles to make flat bottoms.
4. Insert stiff felt strips into the slits cut in the soft felt.  Fold the split pieces, one to the front, one to the back.
5. Pin the second soft strip to the first, catching the split pieces in between the layers. Stitch along both sides of strips to create headband.  Trim pieces.
6. Fold larger fabric scrap in half, right sides together.  Stitch as seen in the picture below. Trim corners and turn right side out.  Iron flat, tucking under the open edges.  Stitch smaller scrap along long edge, right sides together and turn right side out to create a tube for the middle of bow.   Iron flat and topstitch (optional) 
7. Carefully using hot glue gun, pinch center of bow slightly and glue center strip around the middle.  I adhered the glue to the back of the bow and pressed the center strip down one at a time, glueing between both.  I applied No Fray liquid to the ends to prevent fraying.  Hot glue would do the same thing, I think.
8. Slip elastic ends into the headband about .25″ and sew to create a headband. Sew across the elastic two or three times to give added strength.
9. Time to glue the ears to the headband.  Carefully glue two ear pieces together over the strip on the headband.  Make sure to put glue on the strip and along ear bottom to adhere it to headband.  Hold the headband and ears in place for about a minute to be sure they are on good.  No worries if glue gets on soft felt, it can be gently cut away without damage.  Try to avoid it  if you can, though.
10. Apply glue top the bottom of bow center and a little bit beyond.  Attach bow to headband centering between the ears. Hold in place until set.

Retro Diner Essentials!

I found these little .25c Diner Order pads at Party City in the favor aisle. Every waitress and short order cook needs them.

*REVIEW* The Queen's Treasures Sewing Machine

The Queen's Treasures antique sewing machine is all wood and wood composite.  There are no moving parts except the treadle.  It does not really sew, but is a great prop!  I just love it! 

The drawers open and have a piece of wood to keep them from falling out.

It comes with a piece of cloth that I neglected to include with the pictures.  It also comes with wooden scissors that really open and close, but do not cut. The pin cushion is real and the strawberry actually has sand in it to sharpen needles (not included).  It comes with 3 wooden spools of thread and a tape measure and stool. I am so very glad that I purchased it!!

Samantha decided to sew so she pulled the sewing machine up to her window.  

She liked to look outside to see the birds singing as she sewed.  

Background is Samantha's Scenes and Settings. Samantha's dress is also from The Queen's Treasures. 

I highly recommend these items!