I personally believe that all children can benefit from doll play, regardless of gender. I also feel that children need to explore male characters in a wider context than is currently offered by most common toy options. While female dolls represent a wide range of ages, characters, and roles, male dolls tend to be depicted as adults (fashion dolls and action figures) or babies/toddlers (baby dolls). American Girl includes some great, multi-faceted male characters in their historical books, so I am disappointed that none of them have been depicted as dolls. 
     Most major retailers offer limited options, but there are some nice boy dolls available online. Here are a few of the ones that stood out to me. I have not purchased products from any of these retailers, so my comments are just general impressions rather than reviews. 

If any of you know of other good doll lines that sell boy dolls, please comment below. I know there are several custom options on Etsy and Ebay, and a few of the major doll manufacturers have created boy dolls which can still be found on the secondary market. American Girl also offers their Bitty Twins line in a variety or hair and eye colors with different skin tones, but I didn't include them because I tried to pick dolls that look the same age as the main American Girl characters. Good luck to those of you seeking to add a boy to your doll family.

In honor of my new twin nephews who were born yesterday, I decided to declare an official Boy Week here at Dolls on a Dime. I will be posting boy-themed activities and ideas, as well as product reviews for boy dolls and clothing. We'll also take a look at some of the young male characters in the American Girl books and other historical fiction and non-fiction stories.

Click here to learn more about my custom boy doll, Emmett. Click here to find his clothes from Springfield Collection.

A few weeks ago I submitted a picture for the a camp memories post over at Camp Doll Diaries, and I won a mystery prize! It came in the mail yesterday, and Saige was so excited to open the package. Look at all this great loot from the Doll Diaries Etsy shop. I will post more pictures of the items in action later this week. 

I got a package of Laura Kelly buttons, two Camp Doll Diary pins, and a doll breakfast kit (complete with a sign, a sticker, two place-mats, two plates, and four fried eggs). Even the included business card is beautiful and perfect for doll play. All these items are for sale in the Doll Diaries Etsy shop, and you can find awesome craft ideas and more at dolldiaries.com . Thank you Doll Diaries team for this fun prize!

So, this isn't really doll-related, but my family attended a local hot-air balloon festival this weekend, and I wanted to share this awesome picture, which my 6 year-old son took all by himself! I have always dreamed of going up in a hot air balloon, and it was really fun to see them inflate and then launch. My daughter loves the American Girl character Saige and her stories, which involve the Albuquerque balloon festival, where she gets to celebrate her birthday each year. Now my daughter and I are both even more jealous of Saige. Maybe some day, I will get to fly in a balloon (and then if I can just get my own horse, all my childhood dreams would come true!). 

This week's activities over at camp doll diaries have focused on fancy, frilly looks from the Victorian era. So I grabbed the frilliest, laciest thing I could find and made it into a quick mini dress.

I just folded a round doily in half twice to form a triangle with four layers, tucked the point under, and wrapped it around the doll's waist. then I added some bits of ribbon for sleeves and tied the whole thing together with a ribbon sash.

     When I was growing up, I somehow missed the whole American Girl phenomenon (probably too busy making tin foil clothes for my second-hand Barbies). Even so, I find myself feeling nostalgic toward the original characters. While I didn't get the chance to "meet Samantha," I did meet and fall in love with similar characters like Anne Shirley, Mary Lennox, and Sara Crewe and their fascinating time period. Though my daughter is thrilled about the pink-clad "new" version of AG's beloved Samantha Parkington, I prefer the original. So I decided to to add her to my mini-doll collection while she is still readily available. The new Beforever mini comes out later this month.
     Mini Samantha is currently sold on the American Girl website for $24, but I actually purchased mine for about 19$ on Amazon, since I had free shipping. When Samantha arrived, she was a little off-kilter inside her box, so I was afraid she might be disheveled, but she came out looking lovely, though her hair does lean to one side.
     I had already purchased Samantha's Play Scenes and Paper Dolls book on sale for $5. It is no longer available, but some of the other historical paper dolls are still on sale. I love these sets, and at $5, they are an incredible value. The actual paper dolls are a little large for the play scenes, but the mini dolls are a perfect size! Here are some pics of my new "old" Sam.      

Samantha gets ready for back-to-school time with this fabulous classroom scene from her paper doll book.

Samantha plays with her new birthday teddy bear in her room (bear and play scene are from the paper doll set). The first chair is made from a free printable available here, and the second was purchased with a coupon from Jo-Ann craft store.

When I first saw this mini doll, I immediately thought of the beautiful Diana Barry from L.M. Montgomery's books. Naturally, I had to create her kindred spirit and bosom friend, Anne Shirley. Saige is borrowing Marie-Grace's dress and Cecile's boots with a mini straw hat to complete her costume. This picture just makes me giddy. I loved Anne of Green Gables so much, and I was even in a junior high production of the play, where I played Diana's sister Minnie May.

Which do you prefer, the new version of Samantha, or the old one? 

When I got my first AG mini doll, Felicity, I set out to find some cheap furniture for her, so I turned to Pinterest and looked up Printable Dollhouse Furniture. I was not disappointed! Here is one of the pieces I found, which is from a set of vintage postcards with art by W.H. Ellam.
     You can find more of these pieces on TuckDB.org, a free online database of antique postcards published by Raphael Tuck & Sons. The images are now in the public domain and free to use as you wish. Click on the pictures below to get the full-sized versions from the Tuck DB website. Be sure to look around for more vintage printables for your dolls. Click on the Full Sized Image link in the upper right-hand corner and save to your computer.

Here are some more links for printing or making miniature dollhouse furniture:

• The AG Minis of Snickerdoodle Street: This is my absolute favorite mini-doll blog. Under the Mini Furniture tab, you'll find printables and tutorials for making your own inexpensive furniture. Check out the Printables and Scenes and Setting sections too.
  
• Small Stuff's Print Minis: This great site has lots of free printables for your dollhouse, including posters, furniture, wallpaper, and more. 

A few weeks ago, my daughter participated in a Special Kids Rodeo with awesome activities for children with disabilities. She even met Miss Rodeo and got this Breyer model horse to take home.

Here's the horse in her box, which also doubles as a really cool stable scene.

Autumn (mini Saige) was not at all shy to meet a new friend. She quickly found a saddle and blanket so she could go for a ride.

Add an Easter egg helmet and pipe cleaner reins, and we're ready to go.

The AG mini dolls fit ok on the horse, but they seem a little too big for scale. The little rider figures from Breyer have better proportions. Autumn doesn't mind, though. She loves her new horse already!

What a great horse, and great memories of a wonderful night!

A few days ago, my daughter's beloved Mooshka Tots doll had an unfortunate accident and ended up having to go for a spin in the washing machine. She turned out good as new, and I figured now is as good a time as any to finally post her review. 
     This spring my son received some money for Easter, so I took him to Toys R Us to pick out a toy. He saw this little doll and insisted on buying it for his younger sister. I told him he didn't need to spend his Easter money on someone else and could buy something for himself, but he insisted that was what he wanted to do. 
     I was impressed with his generosity and kindness, and his sister was delighted at the gift. The doll came with a free e-book for my tablet, and all my kids love it. They are all enthralled with the Mooshka Village world, and my son was super excited that one of the dolls shares his birth date. 
     We got our Mooshka Tot for 8$ on sale, and it is still available at that price at Toys R Us and Target. There are also larger Mooshka Dolls available and a wonderful website with free activities and printables. 

Overview: This lovely set comes with a cloth-bodied doll, a cloth finger puppet, a beautiful box with carrying handle, and four paper double-sided paper dolls that are attached to each other. The story behind the dolls is that they are paper dolls that all held hands and came to life. The tots are little sisters to the full-sized Mooshka dolls, and each has a distinct personality and back story. 

Quality: The doll is very well made and looks like it will hold up to years of play. It has already been machine washed once, and it came out very clean and did not show any extra wear. The hair accessory is attached very securely, so it's appropriate for young children. 

Cost and Play Value: The tot dolls retail for about $13, which I think is a little bit steep, but the sale price of $8 is reasonable. The little accessories definitely add to the play value, and I love that the company offers a free e-book along with online activities and printables. I think these dolls are priced appropriately for the target age range, which I would say is 2-5.

Clothing and Hair: The little dresses are so bright and beautiful, and I love that the shoes and stockings are not detachable. The hair is drawn on with cute little pigtails. It does not allow for hair play, but it will stay looking great for a long time with no maintenance, unlike dolls with wigs or rooted hair. 

Recommendations:  I would definitely suggest this doll for a preschooler. The finger puppet and removable dress allow for imaginative play, and the rest of the doll is very low-maintenance. The online components and downloads enhance the play experience, and the characters are lovable and relate-able. I like the back story and character details. These are great dolls!

My daughter has been planning her American Girl birthday party forever, and she has been harassing me about making her birthday cake for weeks, even though her birthday is not until NOVEMBER!! So I decided to make a "practice cake" with mini Saige just for fun. We even ate a pizza and made a party of it. 
     I thought it turned out pretty cute. I used a ceramic mug for the top part of her skirt and a small class bowl for the bottom. I used a small box of cake mix from the dollar store, and it was the perfect size for our little practice cake. 
     The bodice and belt is made from a Laffy Taffy rope, rolled out and shaped by hand. I pressed some shiny silver sprinkles into the bodice and sprinkled them onto the skirt, and I added candy stars and a large candy heart. I wrapped mini Saige in  Press N Seal wrap first, and she did not get any candy or frosting on her. 
     I dressed big Saige in a fancy dress from Springfield Collection, which was purchased from Joann with a 40% off coupon, making it $6. Her flower is from an old dance costume.