Today was a beautiful fall day, so I decided to take the dolls outside for a photo shoot. I bought this cute tutu kit at Tuesday Morning and made it for my daughter today. I was so excited to see that (with a little tweaking) it fits her doll too! The jack-o-lantern face is just cut from black masking tape. Mini Caroline wanted to join the fun too in a smaller-scale tutu.

The minis are ready for some costume fun with Caroline as a pumpkin princess, Saige as a witch, and Cecile as a fairy queen. They even brought along one of the babies from the orphanage where they volunteer.

I purchased Mini Kirsten from Barnes and Noble online, and she arrived today. Kirsten is one of my favorite American Girl characters because she reminds me of my own ancestors, who traveled by boat from Scandinavia and then walked across the plains with the Mormon Pioneers.

I just love her looped braids, which have golden highlights. Her apron and shoes are very detailed and well made. I think this one is definitely best for collectors or older girls, as her hairstyle might be difficult to maintain.

Here's a back view. You can see her highlights, which really give her hair nice dimension and realism. I think I prefer the older mini dolls to the Beforever versions. They are a really great alternative to the more expensive big dolls, allowing children to explore the different eras and characters.

It's time to stock up on stocking stuffers! The holiday season is a great time to buy mini dolls from American Girl, and some of them are on sale for $18.

Here she is: my finished Princess Anna from Frozen. The only thing I had to purchase was green fabric paint. I threw this look together with items I had on hand and no sewing!

The skirt was a repurposed tutu skirt, and the bodice was made from the sleeve of a child sized black shirt. I added sleeves with scrap fleece. I painted the design with fabric paint, following a template I found online. I used gold ribbon and adhesive felt to embellish the dress, and the cap and cape were made from felt.

Here she is without the cape, wearing a tiny party favor crown and her hair pulled back for a fancier coronation look. I love how she turned out.

We've all been affected by the Frozen frenzy! Today I wanted to show how I made this simple felt cap and headband for Anna (a Battat Rachel doll). Also be sure to check out my Elsa dress here.

Here's what you need: 

• Pink felt or fleece (This standard sheet makes a short cape. Use a longer piece to make a full length cape.)
• Strip of white fleece or felt for lining
• Fabric Paint and jewels
• Ribbon or elastic cord
• Scissors
• Fabric glue, hot glue gun, or needle and thread
• 2 decorative buttons for clasp (not shown)

You should know by now how much of a penny pincher I am. I absolutely hate spending lots of money on something only worn once, so when it comes to Halloween, I am all about repurposing. My daughters wear their old dance recital costumes, altered pajamas, or hand-me-downs. I love repurposing for dolls too. Here is another princess costume I made from a toddler's Cinderella dress-up skirt.

The necklace is a bracelet. I gathered the extra material at the shoulders and fastened with clear elastics to make puff sleeves. I put another clear elastic around the waist and added strips of tulle for embellishment. I put a puffy skirt underneath to add to the fullness. I like how it turned out. Hope you all have a fun Dolloween!

Can't stop the swirling storm that is Frozen. Elsa and Anna will definitely be the hot costumes this year for girls, and the same goes for dolls. I have seen some wonderful offerings at Harmony Club and other online doll shops, as well as several Etsy shops. Some of the new American Girl holiday offerings also seem inspired by the sisterly duo. 

I hit Pinterest for some DIY ice princess costume ideas for both my girls, and I figured I could come up with something for their dolls as well.
This frigidly elegant gown was super easy to make, with no sewing and only three main "ingredients." I used a Disney Princess (Ariel) dress-up skirt and tied it in the shape I wanted with a strip of white tulle. Then I tied another piece of tulle at the neck and embellished it with some decorative snowflake brads I had on hand. I added more snowflakes to her side-swept braid and topped it off with a tiny tiara (from the party section at a dollar store). 


My daughters had a few of these princess dress-up sets, and I love using them for their dolls now that they have both outgrown them. The Cinderella skirt would also work well for Elsa, and the Ariel skirt could make a great doll-sized mermaid, fairy, or princess. Try playing around with pieces you already have for great Dolloween fun!

I made this quick witch dress and cape from a sleeve of a girl's shirt. (Stay tuned to see what I made from the other sleeve). Saige is wearing Cecile's boots and a mini hat from the dollar store. Come back for more fun Dolloween ideas in the next few days.

Halloween is just around the corner, so I want to squeeze in some last minute Dolloween ideas for you. One of the easiest ways to create a quick costume (for dolls or people) is to put together an easy cape. Let's face it, we've been tying towels and blankets around our necks for ages. Here are some quick, easy (no sew!), and inexpensive cape ideas for your dollies:

Photo Details:
The purple leotard and white leggings are from Walmart. The pink boots are from K-Mart and the white boots are from Springfield. The black super-hero outfit is made from a sock and a dollar-store tutu skirt. The gold headband is a piece of sequin elastic.