Ready for Spring!

I am failing at decorating for the holidays this year! I missed New Year’s, barely did anything for Valentine’s Day, and didn’t do anything for St. Patrick’s Day… I can’t let another holiday go by without decorating!!

So, I’m starting early for Easter and getting my dolls ready for spring!

T A L I A

Flower-filled Braids!

I saw these paper flowers on sale at Michael’s today and they instantly reminded me of the flowers Rapunzel wears in her braid when she spends a day in the village. Each of these blooms is connected to a thin wire, so it made it easy to weave them into her hair and adjust them.

Let’s go exploring!

I should take a picture of her like this with the Disneyland backdrop. She looks like she’s “Disneybounding” as Rapunzel. ;D

C É C I L E

Ready for a nature walk

I love how Cécile can pull off casual clothes as well as she can fancier outfits. I haven’t found anything yet that doesn’t look amazing on her. I thought it’d be fun to dress her like she’s ready for a spring day out and about – maybe on a nature walk or visiting the zoo. I’m really happy the green belt from Lea’s Hiking Outfit isn’t attached to the capris. I like it better with the pair that come with Maryellen’s Play Outfit.

A R I S T A

Tenney who? 😉

I finally got to see Tenney and her collection at Kohl’s! It’s strange – in person, Tenney’s eyes didn’t seem as reddish as they often photograph. I did notice that some of the Tenney dolls had slightly off lips (like one side was painted taller than the other), but for the most part they looked good.

I was really tempted by a lot of Tenney’s items – her pjs, her dog, her guitar and banjo – but I ended up settling on her Picnic Outfit and Hat & Necklace.  I like the shorts, hat and necklace on Arista, but I’m not completely sold on the shirt. I think a tank top or loose sweatshirt would fit her style better. I want to try this set on Noelle next, but in the meantime…

N O E L L E

Light and Airy

I really love how Noelle looks in this dress – I think I might even like it better on her than on Lea! The flower she’s wearing is originally from a Magic Attic Club set (Rose’s Island Outfit). It’s too bad Magic Attic outfits don’t fit American Girl dolls – I have a blue-green dress (also Rose’s) that would look amazing on Noelle!

Looking Good!

And now that everyone’s dressed, it’s time to bust out the chocolate bunnies and pink tulips from Kit’s and Samantha’s LE sets and make everything look Easter-y! 😀

Have a great weekend!

Photo Story: Cécile Goes to Disneyland

PHOTO STORY

Cécile Goes to Disneyland

Cécile: I can’t believe I’m actually here! At DISNEYLAND! It truly is more wonderful than I could’ve imagined! …Mmm, such wonderful smells wafting from the shops on Main Street! I wonder if they sell pralines…

Arista: Hey, Cécile! We’re here! Sorry we’re late – the line to park was INSANE!

Lea: Yeah, it might get pretty crowded today…

Noelle: Oh, but don’t worry! We’ll make sure you get to see everything! Arista and I are FastPass PROS!

Sienna: Uh… Cécile? What are you staring at?

Cécile: *awestruck* Everything. This place is heavenly…

Sienna: *laughs* Well, just wait – it gets even more amazing! You haven’t seen the rides yet!

Lea: Speaking of which, what would you like to go on first, Cécile?

Cécile: Hmm… something worthy of being a first ride! Something that no one else has ever gone on as their very first ride! What’s the fastest, scariest thing here?

Noelle: Whoa – are you sure? Umm, well… there’s Space Mountain! It’s a roller coaster that’s completely in the dark! It makes you feel like you’re zooming across the galaxy, and it drops and whips around to this really cool music!

Lea: Matterhorn’s pretty fast, too! And there’s a super-realistic abominable snowman that swipes at your bobsled!

Cécile: *gulp!* Oh, t-those both sound very first ride-worthy! With outer space and the abominable bobsleds… and the dark and stuff… Uh… I-I can’t decide…

Arista: How about both? We can walk past Matterhorn on the way to Space Mountain and see which line is shorter, then while we’re at Space, we can grab some FastPasses in case we want to ride again later, but not have to wait in a crazy-long line!

Cécile: Super! *quietly* Umm… N-Not that I’m nervous or anything, but just how scary are these rides?

Arista: *laughs* Don’t worry, six-year-olds go on them all the time. I don’t think anything at Disneyland could really qualify as scary.

Lea: What about Monstro the whale on the Pinocchio ride? The way it jumps out at you from behind that rock? That thing TERRIFIED me as a kid!

Arista: Oh, me too!

Cécile: I-I was thinking – we shouId probably eat breakfast first, non? I mean, better to not have our stomachs growling louder than the snowman!

Noelle: Sounds like a plan! Ooh! I could go for some beignets! Café Orleans has those Mickey-shaped ones! What do you guys think?

Cécile: Oui! A few tasty beignets are sure to calm my nerves! I-I mean – to the café!

—

It’s been awhile since I made a photo story! Five dolls is definitely a record… and it made for some interesting issues. When one doll falls, she takes everyone else with her! I also realized I don’t have as many amusement-park-worthy outfits as I thought. I’ll have to change that! 😉

OOTD – Layered Looks

Outfits of the Day – Noelle and Arista

Let me start by saying THANK YOU to Meg from Canadian Doll Notebook for nominating MINI MAD for a Blogger Recognition Award! I’ll be making my post soon! 🙂

Man! It’s only been two weeks since I last posted, but I feel like a lot has happened in those two weeks!

I’ve made some changes to my doll collection. After a lot of thought, I decided to sell my Isabelle doll. I really struggled with the decision because she was my very first American Girl doll. But at the same time, I’ve realized that I was drawn to her more for her collection (and probably the excitement of the Girl of the Year) than the doll itself. I mean, even going back and re-reading the entry where I talked about getting her, I can tell that’s the case. Anyway, I’d been feeling bad that I hadn’t really used her in a display or a photoshoot in months, and I thought this would be a good solution. I was able to put the money from selling her, as well as some other money I’d saved up, towards another doll – one that I’ve been wanting to get for awhile now – Cecile! I can’t wait until she gets here!

I’ve also been attempting to take more photos of my dolls outside of the display case – which also means figuring out how to setup and photograph my dolls while a certain needy kitten is demanding my undivided attention lol. I think Darcy gets a little jealous! But then I turn my camera on him and he suddenly has other things to do. 😉

Anyway, I managed to get a few shots of Arista and Noelle this past Sunday – my brown-eyed girls!

Selfie time in our Layered Looks!

Tops: Arista – Truly Me Lilac Dress; Noelle – Grace’s Meet Shirt, Truly Me Denim Jacket

Bottoms: Arista – Playful Print Skirt with pink tights; Noelle – Skirt from the Love to Layer Accessories set, Grace’s black shorts

Shoes: Arista – Truly Me turquoise ballet flats; Noelle – Grace’s silver bow sandals

Accessories: Arista – Kanani’s flower hair clip, poodle necklace from Magic Attic Club, Brownie Ombre Glasses; Noelle – headband from Grace’s baking outfit

Perfect for Twirling!

I know I already had Noelle in this outfit in the previous post, but I absolutely LOVE how she looks in it! Magenta and indigo look so good with her medium skin tone, and I like pairing such a sporty-looking jacket with a girly skirt. It’s amazing how photogenic #62 is, too! I’m so happy I have her!

Blooms and Bows

For Arista’s outfit, I actually started with her glasses. They’re so subtle, I wanted to make sure they didn’t get lost by anything too bold. I knew I wanted to use the print skirt, but couldn’t find anything that really went with it… until I tried Noelle’s Truly Me dress! The colors work together perfectly!

I’m hoping this weekend I can put together a better photo setup. I bought a foam tri-fold poster last weekend (yay for 60% off coupons at Michael’s!). It’ll either become a better den or maybe even a kitchen! XD

OOTD – Double Trouble

Outfit of the Day – Arista

Ahhhhhh, it’s been FOREVER since I posted! A lot has happened! My mom-in-law moved up to the mountains and my husband and I helped her get her three Maine Coons – and one new, very young rescue kitten – up the mountain (and drove back down the winding road while it was pitch black at night – I don’t think I ever want to do that again). I bought a Disneyland Rose and it’s been struggling to survive since it arrived (/CRY). My mom found us a $20 entry table that’s at least $180 cheaper than anything I’d found and is exactly what I was looking for – and we found a cheap La-Z-Boy chair for our den (so now people don’t have to use uncomfortable folding chairs hehe…).

I also finally saw all the Lea and Wellie Wishers stuff at Kohl’s! A big THANK YOU to Jen and everyone on Instagram for spreading the word! I’m not usually around that section of the store, so I would’ve never known otherwise! I snagged Lea’s Celebration Outfit – which I’ve been meaning to get for awhile now.

And since Lea is now rocking her Celebration Outfit, I decided I should change up Arista’s look as well – to something a bit more Halloween-y!

All the colors of Halloween

I might eventually swap everyone out into historical stuff, so it at least looks like they’re dressing up in costume. I really need to get more holiday outfits! I decided to use the butterflies last second, and gave Arista tight braids that I could shape and make it appear like one of the butterflies was lifting her hair up.

Double Trouble

Top: Grace’s Sightseeing Top, McKenna’s Warm-Up Jacket

Shorts: Grace’s City Shorts

Accessories: Lea’s earrings, Grace’s striped bow and headband, Samantha’s meet necklace, butterfly hair clips

Shoes: Isabelle’s meet shoes

I’m also finally catching up on all of the rumors, leaked photos, and new details! It really does look like Felicity will be next out of the archives, which is super exciting! I think I read her books the most as a kid – probably because we both LOVED horses. ❤

All right, back to getting ready for the week ahead. These weekends go way too fast! Happy Sunday!

Mini Finds Galore!

FAVORITE FINDS: OBJECTS

Mini Wiimotes, Plushies, and Ariel “necklace” |  found at an anime convention

Fun Finds Galore!

You never know what you’ll find in an anime convention’s Dealers Hall! Last year I was able to find a Sailor Moon plush and this year, I found even more fun things to spoil my dolls with!

Wii would like to play!

First up – Wiimote keychains! I’ve seen these a few times at past cons, but have usually passed on getting them because I primarily play games on PS3 and PS4. But that said, I do have good memories of the Wii, and when I worked in the games industry, I even tested a few games for the system.

Controllers Ready!

I decided to get two in case I want to make scenes with multiplayer games, like Super Smash Brothers Brawl. For now, I had to start with one of my favorite Wii (and DS) games, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (it’s such an amazing series!!!).

Tiny Creatures from the Sea!

Next up – these tiny sea creature plushies! They’re meant to hang from a backpack, but they’re just the right size to be beanies for dolls (I might cut off the elastic later to make this more apparent). A lot of booths were selling these and there were a variety to choose from – sea creatures, dinosaurs, cats, dogs, jungle animals, farm animals, birds, and more! I got the jellyfish because it reminded me of “Clara” from Princess Jellyfish (one of my absolute favorite anime series), and the pink one (kind of reminds me of Pearl from Finding Nemo) had such a cute face, I couldn’t pass it up!

Pikachu! I choose you!

There were so many different Japanese Pokemon plushies floating around, but this one was so ridiculously cute and soft, I needed to bring him home with me! As you can see from the first picture, he’s about the same size as Chat, so he’s not a bad scale for the dolls.

Disney Store Japan has all the cute things!

And lastly, this “necklace.” I originally bought this Ariel bracelet for myself, but it’s kind of delicate and if I snagged it or something, it’s not like I could easily replace it. So instead, I thought I’d use it as a necklace for my dolls and enjoy it that way. Looks pretty good on Lea!

I’m pretty happy with everything I found! I honestly didn’t expect to see so many things that worked well for AG doll scale. There were a few things I ultimately passed on because they cost more than I was willing to pay (e.g. some other styles of controllers, plushies, etc.), but it’s nice to know such a variety of things exists.

I’m hoping this weekend I can photograph some new scenes using a few of these new items. 🙂

Semi-Easter-y!

Lightning quick post! I was going to post earlier, but our router is being a rather large poop and it took a while for my husband to get it working again (it’s a few years old, so I’m not completely surprised…).

Anyway! I think my Easter scene needs more… Easter. Chocolate bunnies – check, tulips – check… (I admit the palm I got yesterday may be a tad out of scale haha!) Maybe I’ll make a banner or something. 🙂

It’s a start…

Our backyard is finally starting to get a little bit of color, too! My husband and I decided to start with something a bit harder to kill (hopefully). These succulents only need to be watered once a week. I added a little pop of color to the smaller pot (if you do add paint to a clay pot, you have to seal it on the outside and inside (I used a clear matte spray) or moisture will cause the paint to bubble).

Operation Keep These Things Alive! has commenced!

(And if anyone has any tips on caring for succulents – or just plants in general – I’m all ears! ;D)

OOTD – Edwardian-Inspired Easter

Outfits of the Day – Arista and Lea

It’s hard to believe Easter is so soon! St. Patrick’s Day was just last week! I don’t know about you, but I like when Easter falls in April (a little more spread out, y’know?).

But, with one week until Easter, I decided it was time to get at least a couple of my dolls ready. They’re my decorations this year, since most of our holiday stuff is still packed.

A Modern Take on Edwardian Easter

Dresses:  On Arista – Samantha’s BeForever Meet Dress with Maryellen’s crinoline underneath, On Lea – Samantha’s Special Day Dress with the skirt from Grace’s Sightseeing Outfit underneath

Shoes: On Arista – Shoes from Samantha’s Special Day Dress, On Lea – Sandals from Grace’s Sightseeing Outfit

Accessories: On Arista – Necklace from Samantha’s BeForever Accessories, Kanani’s Meet Flower Clip, Lace Bow from Samantha’s Holiday Dress, Lea’s Logo Earrings, On Lea – Grace’s Bracelet, Lea’s Logo Earrings, Ribbon Headband from Samantha’s Special Day Dress

Pink with a bit of burgundy.

Arista makes a pretty good Samantha stand in (though I’m sure her winged eyeliner would probably cause a few fainting spells in 1904), so I’m not surprised that Samantha’s Meet Dress looks pretty good on her. And since the dress is a cooler pink, Kanani’s flower clip and Lea’s earrings work well with the outfit. For her shoes, I could’ve just stuck with the black mary janes that come with Samantha’s meet outfit, but the cherry red shoes from Samantha’s Special Day Dress tie in well with the burgundy velvet sash.

Bows from head to toe!

Lea looks so good in mint, Samantha’s Special Day Dress was an easy choice for her. And since I was already using Grace’s sandals for her shoes, I thought I’d try the matching skirt to kind of fluff up the dress (it added a tiny bit of volume, but not much). I know in the stock photos, the day dress headband is shown worn with all of the ribbon loops falling in the same direction, but I kind of like it better as a double-looped bow (and more like a hair tie than a headband).

And now I’ve got Arista and Lea acting as our Easter decor in the den, with Kit’s chocolate bunnies, Samantha’s tulips, and a few other odds ‘n’ ends. 🙂

Happy First Day of Spring, Happy Spring Break (I’m so jealous!!), and Happy One-Week-Til-Easter! ❤

Grace’s Sightseeing Outfit

Grace’s Sightseeing Outfit | American Girl

American Girl recently added some of Grace’s remaining items to their sale section, and my mom and I managed to snag her Sightseeing Outfit before it sold out. They arrived a few days ago and I’m already loving how nice it looks on Arista!

Ready to see the sights!

The outfit comes with a black and white striped 3/4 sleeve top, with a sequined front yoke finished off with a white grosgrain bow; a white skirt that looks like it has the same polka dotted overlay as Samantha’s new meet dress; and white sandals topped with cute silver bows.

The skirt’s white and red elastic band is flat at the front and gathered in the back, which removes the threat of Velcro snagging the overlay. In the stock photos, the shirt is worn untucked, but I kind of like letting the waistband show. It adds a little pop of color.

I love the outfit as is, but I also really love how well the pieces can be mixed and matched with others!

Sharing the Outfit

The top looks just as great with jeans and the white skirt adds a romantic, springtime feel to any top.

I was really regretting not getting this outfit last year! I’m so glad they brought it back for the sale!

Bonus!

Marinette is ready to show Arista around Paris (with matching bracelets)!

OOTD – Better Brighter

Outfit of the Day – Arista

Just a quick post for today! I really liked this OOTD from back in January, but was curious how it’d look with some brighter colors. So, I took Lea’s meet dress, added the Love to Layer Accessories (and a few others), and voila! I think I like this look even better than the original!

Better Brighter

Tops: Lea’s Meet Dress, vest from Love to Layer Accessories set

Skirt: Skirt from Love to Layer Accessories set

Shoes: Sandals from Saige’s Sweater Outfit

Accessories: Grace’s charm bracelet, Lea’s logo earrings, headband from Love to Layer Accessories set, Grace’s clip-on hair bow

Rocking the Red Violet

Purplish-pinks seem to look really good on Arista, so she tends to hog the Layers skirt. XD It matches surprisingly well with Lea’s meet dress and helps to balance out the brighter yellows and greens of the dress. The yellow headband also matches really well with the golden yellow of the dress.

Saige’s shoes provide a break from all of the bright colors, without losing any of the outfit’s warmth, and the silver of Grace’s bracelet pairs well with the sliver bow of the skirt.

Speaking of Grace and skirts, my mom and I both ordered Grace’s Sightseeing Outfit during the recent sale, and they should be arriving soon! I can’t wait! Did you snag anything good from the sale?

Pizza Party Set

Pizza Party Set | American Girl

About a year ago, I got the (now discontinued) American Girl Sleepover Set, which came with a miniature version of an Apples to Apples Junior card game, a bowl of popcorn, two glasses of fruit punch, Snooze-a-Palooza! book, and an American Girl magazine.

This year, my parents got me the new Pizza Party Set, which replaced the American Girl Sleepover Set in 2015. It’s pretty darn cute!

It’s Pizza Party Time!

The set comes with a heart-shaped pizza made up of six removable pieces that fit nicely into a heart-shaped pizza pan, which fits into a pink pizza delivery box. I like that the pan is included, because not only does it keep the slices in heart formation while they’re in the box, you could omit the box and pretend the dolls have made pizza from scratch (especially if you add in some of Grace’s accessories!). I was really impressed by how nicely the pizza came packaged, too! Each slice was individually wrapped to protect the painted toppings – nice job, AG!

The set also comes with two pink paper plates and two pink paper napkins – both of which I don’t think I’ll be using anytime soon. They’re cute, but kind of flimsy.

The two soda-looking cans are actually cherry-flavored sparking water – which I like to think of as being cherry soda. Not as healthy, I know, but I’m not a big fan of flavored sparkling water. The hint of fruit flavor always tastes weird to me (but I love adding slices of strawberry, cucumber, orange, or lemon to water dispensers, so go figure). What’s interesting is AG’s stock photos show the drinks as strawberry-flavored sparkling water (which I’d rather have!). I wonder what made them switch flavors…

The Snooze-a-Palooza! book has been updated to Slumber Wonders, and Apples to Apples has been replaced with Blokus. I LOVE the mini board games of both sets! Especially the fact that they’re complete, working versions of the games! And the new sleepover book is a great addition to my mini library.

All in all, I love this set! It’s perfect for a Saturday night video game and pizza party scene! 😉

Pausing from the game for pizza!

Isabelle: I’m so happy Beast is in this game! He’s my favorite Disney prince!

Arista: Ooooh! In that case, which version of him do you like best? Beast Beast or human Beast?

Isabelle: Oh! Umm… both? I think his human form is handsome!

Lea: I have to admit – the first time I saw Beauty and the Beast, I groaned when I saw his human form. But then he started giving everyone giant group hugs and he was so excited and adorable, he won me over.

Arista: He’s definitely up there on my list of favorite Disney princes, but no one can top Prince Phillip. He is the definition of dreamy.

Isabelle’s Top Five: 1. Beast, 2. Aladdin, 3. Eric, 4. Naveen, 5. Phillip

Lea’s Top Five: 1. Tarzan*, 2. Phillip, 3. Aladdin, 4. Eugene, 5. Beast

Arista’s Top Five: 1. Phillip, 2. Hercules**, 3. Eugene, 4. Beast, 5. Aladdin 

What’s your top five?

*Lea doesn’t care if Tarzan is not a recognized Disney prince. She has had a crush on him since she was little and will gladly recite a long list of reasons why he is the best Disney “prince” of them all. She also may or may not have daydreamed about bumping into him while hiking in Brazil.

**Arista decided that if Tarzan counts, so does Hercules.