Apr 8, 2012

Spring- Breaking and Cleaning!

Hey Guys! Sorry I haven't posted in, well, FOREVER! I've been Super busy (yes, capital "s" super busy) with getting ready for spring break, and the spring holidays! It feels great to be posting again!

As I mentioned before, I am currently cleaning and organizing my AG stuff- everything from the living space to the clothes to the separation of modern clothes vs. historical clothes (slightly OCD about keeping them separate...) and all of their furniture and the likes! With having almost no time because of school/ holiday prep, this has been a shockingly S-L-O-W process.... but I am proud to say I HAVE TAKEN PICTURES!!!!!! (Yes, thank you, thank you, I know- a proud moment indeed)

 This is all of the shoes, clothes, and accessories I could find up until this picture was taken (about and hour and a half's worth of searching through bins and boxes galore) in addition to a few hangers. Very little was actually organized at this point, just piled into different categories. The shoes were already paired up, however.



 This is a full view of the chaos that was surrounding a small part of my basement- you couldn't walk through the area without stepping on a teeny-tiny shoe or doll dress! In the upper right corner, you see my storage tower- but more about that later. In the meantime, try and absorb this delightful display of utterly organized chaos (okay, well kinda, sorta, a little bit organized chaos)



 These are my dolls! (Sorry about the nudity- but, c'mon, there dolls, right?) anyways, from left to right: Rivkah (JLY 26), Samantha (JLY 44), and Rebecca (Historical). I thoroughly brushed all their hair, and straightened the hair of my two JLY's. My JLY's also got trimmed, as the ends were bugging me. Rebecca didn't get a trim or straighten, but instead I hand-re-curled her hair. They look MUCH better now...!!



 Furniture and pets. I have Coconut (JLY dog), Licorice (JLY cat- discontinued) and Penny, Felicity's horse (Historical- discontinued) Most of the furniture is from Target (I don't know where there stores are. I know America, and possibly Canada?) from an AG Doll knockoff brand "Our Generation", except for the locker (gift from friend), wheelchair (AG) and suitcase (AG).



This is my organized AG storage tower. I have the triple bunk bed (JLY- discontinued) with the pouch organizers that came with it, as well as the beds made using the bedding that came with it. The thing you see sticking out of the top pouch is AG brand sunscreen (no idea when/what it came from/with). The banner hanging of the right side of the middle bed post came with the beds.
Under the beds are the purple storage boxes that also came with the bunk bed. They all contain various items and accessories, mostly hair stuff and the likes, although I haven't put away most of the accessories I showed you earlier.
Underneath that is the white drawer. All of my JLY clothes are stored in here (and trust me, there is a lot in that drawer!)
The bins I got from Target a LONG time ago, but they fit under here, so I figured "why not!" The yellow one (not shown here, but in my 1st and 2nd pictures) holds shoes- there is nothing organized about that bin, bit I know that every shoe in there should have a match, because I already paired all of them up. The green bin holds Rebecca's clothing, accessories, and shoes, all folded neatly to fit. The Purple bin is filled with extra bedding and stuffed animals for the beds. I do like to change the bedding, and have extra just incase.
TIP: Knockoff brands carry bedding really cheap- I got a fold-out bed (4th picture, under the suitcase) with a blanket and three pillows for around ten bucks. The bed is very good for when another doll stays over, or for dolls that are staying with me temporarily, as I often fix/style my friends' dolls' hair and the doll stays the weekend.

I hope that I will be finished with this process very soon, and when I am I will take detailed pictures of everything! (Inside the bins, the layout, you know...) I also hope that I will be able to get McKenna's entire collection and include it with my organization!!
TIP: Parents will be more likely to spend money/ allow you to have more AG stuff if you take good care of what you already own! That's part of the reason I organized; I want to show my mom how much my AG stuff means to me, and how well I take care of my stuff, as well as my (hopefully) future AG stuff.

Well, hope you guys enjoyed this post- can't wait to post with more!! Bye for now!

Mar 16, 2012

AG store visit!!

Hey everyone-
Went to the AG store about a week ago, and had a blast! I got to see McKenna for the first time, and she is absolutely gorgeous!! Seeing her makes me want her (and her collection) even more!

(Sorry about no pics, I can't believe I forgot my camera to be able to post pics to the blog! I was SOOOOOOOO upset!! I'm for sure gonna bring it when I go next time (hopefully that will be when I get McKenna!)

Anyways, just thought I'd post! I currently am working on a project: organizing all of my American Girl Stuff! It's a big project, as I've accumulated quite a collection over the years, but I PROMISE to have pics of during and after, as well as a description of how everything is organized!

Post more later!

Feb 23, 2012

New American Girl Spring Release!

As Spring is approaching fast, American Girl has put out their new Spring items! There are items available in all doll categories (American Girl, Bitty Baby, Bitty Twins) as well as items for girls! I'm going to be showing you ALL* of the new items for ages 8+ American Girl Dolls! (Historical and JLY)

Julie:


Julie's Treasure Tote


Kit:


Kit's Treasure Tote


Rebecca:


Rebecca's Treasure Tote
The Crystal Ball: A Rebecca Mystery

Cécile & Marie Grace:

Cécile's Treasure Tote
Glassware and Treats
Lacy Parasol
Courtyard Furniture**
 Cécile Summer Outfit**
 Marie-Grace Summer Outfit**
 Marie-Grace's Treasure Tote
The Cameo Necklace: A Cécile Mystery
 The Hidden Gold: A Marie-Grace Mystery
(** These items are available for a limited time only- while supplies last!)

Molly:


Molly's Treasure Tote
Josefina:

Josefina's Treasure Tote

Samantha:


Samantha's Treasure Tote

Just Like You:


Great Outdoors Tent
 Hiking Accessories
 Hiking Outfit
 Lacrosse Outfit + Gear
 Pet Hiking Set
 Petals and Posies Outfit
 Tankini and Sarong
Hope you love the new spring items as much as I do! Post again Later!

Feb 1, 2012

CUTE HAIRSTYLE!!!

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted in like FOREVER, but with homework and my school musical it's been crazy as ever! Just thought I'd do a quick post!

I know Valentines Day is just two short weeks away, so I thought I'd give you a cute hairstyle now so you can practice and perfect it for the big day!

This hairstyle may seem daunting at first, but this was actually the first time I've ever done it, and I think it turned out great! Here it is:

Front View!

Back View!

Right Side!

Left Side!

Top! This is the intricate weave I will be explaining!

Okay, so I know it's a little hard to see because my JLY doll's hair is black, but is you look closely, the top of her hair is actually weaved and separated into pigtails! Here's what you do! (Sorry I didn't take step-by-step pics! I will next time!)

1. Take the front part of hair (where the "bangs" area would be around) and separate that in half.

2. put one half aside. Separate one half into three (about) equal sections.

3. Separate loose hair in back of head into two parts; these will be the pigtails. Tie off loosely.

4. On a diagonal, twist each section one at a time and add to the pigtail on the opposite side (example: If I was twisting the hair from the left side, I would twist it diagonally into the right pigtail). Continue until all three sections are twisted and in the pigtail. (It doesn't have to be perfect, you'll be fixing them later!)

5. Repeat steps 2-4 with the other side until all three sections of hair are twisted into the opposite pigtail.

6. Take out the second pigtail you did. Weave the twists through the twists of the first pigtail. Re-twist tightly, and create final pigtail.

7. Take out the first pigtail you did.  Re-twist tightly, and create final pigtail.

You're DONE!

Hopefully, this won't be too hard to replicate on the first try, but remember: Practice makes perfect! Keep working on it! Also, don't rush! Take your time! This style takes approximately 15-30 minutes, so make sure you have enough time to really work on it!

If you follow the steps and look at the pictures, you should have your own twisted hairstyle in no time!

Thanks fo reading, and please comment a) how this hairstyle worked/ didn't work on your doll, and b) if you would like to see more hairstyles!!

Jan 18, 2012

Nail Post!

Hey guys! I know this has NOTHING to do with American Girl.... but I just did my nails and want to show you guys! This is my first time EVER doing anything more than painting my nails as solid color!! I know they're not very good, but I'm SO excited!! Here they are:

Best hand (left! I'm a right-y!)

Best individual finger (left hand; ring finger)

Best pair of fingers (thumbs)

 
I know it's a little hard to tell the design- it's a blue base with pink and orange plaid. So cute! Hope you enjoy!

Jan 12, 2012

GREAT CONTEST!!

Here's a great way to win the GOTY McKenna Brooks! Go to:

http://inquisitivegirls.blogspot.com/2011/12/lets-get-into-swing-of-things.html

This girl Georgia is giving away a GOTY McKenna Brooks doll for FREE if you comment on her page or enter to blog for her! I entered for both, hoping I'll win McKenna!

You can also just visit her blog: http://inquisitivegirls.blogspot.com/ and check it out!

Enjoy!

P.S. Georgia if you see this post and are reading it now PLEASE consider me to be a blogger for your blog! I would love to, and I love to blog, as you can see here! Thank you!

Jan 3, 2012

McKenna's Games and Activity

McKenna Brooks, Girl-of-the-Year 2012, has two games and one interactive activity. I tried all of them, and here's what I think!
(The views and opinions expressed here are mine, and do not reflect the views or opinions of American Girl Inc. This blog is not affiliated with American Girl Inc.)

McKenna's Cups and Cupcakes: 
Serving Customers in McKenna's Cups and Cupcakes
In this game, McKenna helps her mom serve a few customers when their coffee shop gets busy. The customers come in with their order, you take it, prepare the food, and deliver it to them. At the end of a round, you can also get a 100 point bonus by unscrambling a word related to McKenna or the coffee shop.
This game is actually very fast-paced, and I had trouble keeping up at times! It's nothing special, but a cute game, and good for when you have an extra ten or fifteen minutes. Overall, I like it, but don't love it.
RATING: 3/5

McKenna's Word Fetch:

McKenna and her dog Cooper playing McKenna's Word Fetch
In the game McKenna's Word Fetch, McKenna and her dog Cooper try to fetch the letters to spell the word in the lower left-hand corner. You do this by aiming the arrow at the letter you want, and  clicking down to throw a stick for Cooper to fetch. If you land on the letter, you get it added to the word you are trying to spell. Whether you hit the letter or not, Cooper retrieves the stick, and you throw again. This goes on until you either spell the word and move on to the next, or run out of time.
The game was, again, quite simple, but geared towards a younger audience, of course. I did get a little bored after about five or six words, but the game has a good plot, and incorporating Cooper and playing fetch into a more-or-less "learning" game was a great idea on American Girl's part.
RATING: 2/5

McKenna's Take the Challenge!:
Homepage of McKenna's Take the Challenge! Here, you can register, or continue your challenge if you are already registered.

In the activity Take the Challenge, girls register to take a quiz and complete challenges, learning about their strengths, and challenging themselves to do better in all areas. In addition, when you register with the Take the Challenge activity, you are automatically entered into a drawing to win a McKenna doll and her first book. Once you complete all ten challenges in one areas (math and numbers, music and rhythm, etc.) you earn a trophy. You can then either continue working on challenges, or create a routine which you can send to friends and family as an e-mail. There is also a 'Bonus Challenge of the Month' where you can earn things like new outfits and hairstyles to use in your routine.
This activity was my favorite because you 1) Are automatically entered in a McKenna prize drawing, 2) compete in challenges and earn trophies, learning about your strengths, and seeing how you can work on weaknesses, and 3) Create a fun (and quite realistic looking) routine you can send to your friends and family.
RATING: 4/5

All of these games and activities are worth a try. Leave a comment with your favorite of the three and why! Have fun playing!


Pictures: McKenna's Cups and Cupcakes (http://www.americangirl.com/play/girl-of-the-year/mckenna/?page=games&popup=CupsCupcakes#page=games&popup=CupsCupcakes); McKenna's Word Fetch (http://www.americangirl.com/play/girl-of-the-year/mckenna/?page=games&popup=CupsCupcakes#page=games&popup=WordFetch); McKenna's Take the Challenge (http://www.americangirl.com/play/girl-of-the-year/mckenna/take-the-challenge.php)

Jan 1, 2012

More JLY outfits out to kick off 2012!!

Just thought I'd update on new outfits: Here's everything that's been released for sale as a 2012 kick-off!
(Copy and paste link in parenthesis under picture in your search box to be directed to the page for purchasing. I was given NO monetary supplement for advertising these products on this site.)
Blue Tank & Brief Set
(http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/html/item/id/197548/uid/91)

Flower Purse for Dolls
(http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/html/item/id/197580/uid/91)

Party Purse for Dolls
(http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/html/item/id/197576/ctc/XSCOORD)

Ruffled Hoodie Outfit
(http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/html/item/id/197574/uid/91)

Sports Top & Brief Set
(http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/html/item/id/197568/uid/91)

Sporty Sunglasses for Dolls
(http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/html/item/id/197582/uid/91)

Sporty Wristlet for Dolls
(http://store.americangirl.com/agshop/html/item/id/197578/uid/91)