A bedside table is one of the easiest pieces of doll furniture to make. Just take a candle holder or cup and flip it over. Then tape your foam circle onto the flat surface. To make it more sturdy, layer several foam circles or attach the foam to a circle of cardboard first. Try different shapes like stars, hearts, or cars, I decorated my table with this cute glow-in-the-dark mini lamp, also from the dollar store.

     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.

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.

     This morning I received an email from Zulily announcing that they will be offering AnnLoren clothing for girls and dolls on sale for a limited time. If you are not a member of Zulily, you can find out how it works here. And if you join through my link here, I can get credit for future purchases. There are some really great products and deals on Zulily, and it is so fun to see what's new each day.
     AnnLoren makes beautiful matching girl/doll outfits, and they are really nice quality. The last time AnnLoren was on Zulily, I purchased a patriotic doll outfit and a pink and brown horse outfit for my daughter. I just love all the ruffles and the cute appliques. I also purchased some Dollie and Me matching outfits, and while AnnLoren is a little more expensive, it is definitely higher quality. The seams are all very well done with no loose threads, and the velcro extends all the way down to make dressing easier for little hands. Right now, they have several holiday outfits for Halloween, Christmas, and Thanksgiving, as well as everyday styles. They also have doll carriers and bedding sets. Zulily does take a little extra time with shipping, so now is the perfect time to do your holiday shopping. Go check out AnnLoren and the other great brands available!

One of my favorite doll blogs, Living a Doll's Life, recently featured 18 inch boy doll options, so I wanted to share my custom boy doll Emmett. My son is 6 years old, the middle child and only boy, sandwiched between two sisters who are both avid doll lovers. He started asking about a boy doll last year, but I just couldn't find the right doll for him. He wanted the 18 inch size, one that looked about his age, not a baby. I thought about AG Bitty Twins, but those have more of a toddler look and are still quite expensive. I didn't really like the other options I saw, so I went on a mission to create the perfect boy doll for him. It was easy to find the base body doll, an old Kingstate Friendship Kids doll whose wig was in terrible shape. I finally found the perfect wig for him on a thrift-store doll I got for $4!

The original doll came in a pretty gender-neutral outfit, so I just had to swap out the floral t-shirt for a plain white one. He is a bit smaller than American Girl and Our Generation dolls, with a slightly smaller head and feet. His clothes can fit other 18 inch dolls, but his shoes are a little snug. He fits well in most typical 18 inch clothes, and I especially like the Springfield Collection from Joann. He has a soft body that extends to his upper arms and legs, so he can't stand on his own and doesn't look good in super short sleeves (especially since his arms are prone to come off, so they are wrapped at the top in medical tape. My son chose the name Emmett after the hero of the Lego Movie. Emmett likes all the same things as my boy: cars, ninjas, sports, Legos, and dogs. My son says he would give him 4 out of 5 stars. Not bad for under $20, huh?

Living in Utah, I have always enjoyed celebrating Pioneer Day. This year, the dolls are celebrating too. 

In keeping with the 50s theme from Camp Doll Diaries this week, I put together this quick and easy 50's look from a baby dress. I really like the square neckline decorated with tiny pink embroidered flowers to contrast with the lovely minty color. I put the dress on the doll and overlapped the sides in the back so the neckline was not so large. Then I tied a ribbon around the waist to hold it closed. I arranged the pleats in the front so the skirt poofed out more, and I also used a tulle underskirt (from a thrifted porcelain doll) to make the skirt look nice and full. I finished off the look with a high ponytail tied with a satin bow. The pearl necklace is made from a decorative eyeglass chain from the dollar store. The shoes are from Paradise Kids. Saige is ready for a sock hop!

I check the AG sale page often, as they are clearing out old items to make room for new. I was tickled to see several of Saige's retired items available, relabled and on sale! If you missed out on something in her collection, now is your chance to snag it! My daughter finally earned Saige right before the GOTY retired at the end of the year, but she did not have enough to buy any of her accessories or clothes, so now she may be able to purchase some things for her Saige doll. I am excited to see what other items might end up on sale before the big Beforever rollout next month. I am hoping some of the historical outfits may go on sale, and perhaps the mini dolls since AG is introducing new meet outfits and minis for their historicals.
Many other great items are on sale too, so check it out now!

The other day at Toys R Us I saw some great FAO Schwartz stuffed animals on sale. This Shen the Panda really caught my eye, along with the Zylie and Friends bear from the same collection. These toys are a mix between an 18 inch doll and a Stuffed animal. They have plush fur and traditional animal faces, but they are slimmer and stand up more like a vinyl doll. I love the outfit on this one and think it would fit perfectly for my son's custom boy doll. It also comes with a book, a backpack, and some drumsticks and passport. The current sale price is about 30$, and the regular price is about $50.

These toys follow the adventures of Zylie as she travels around the world and meets friends from other countries. The Zylie toy was also available on sale, and you can purchase more outfits for these dolls online at the Toys R Us website. There is a great Chinese style dress for Zylie that could easily turn this panda into a girl, and it may fit other 18 inch dolls as well.

Another draw to this toy for me is that it reminded me of the Perkins Panda bear designed to teach young children Braille. You can purchase just the bear with his packpack for about $23 or the entire set with books and cassettes for $60). Last Christmas I purchased a Perkins Panda braille book for my blind daughter, but I didn't feel I could afford the bear, so I bought a mini plush panda to sub for Perkins. Shen would make a wonderful toy to go with the Perkins products. It even has a backpack like the "real" Perkins Panda. I think the clothing really enhances the play value as opposed to the naked Perkins Panda. Learning to dress this doll would be great for blind and sighted children to develop hand-eye coordination. The body style also makes it easy to mix and match with 18 inch doll clothing and accessories. I think it could also wear infant or preemie baby clothes. 

Either of these products would be fun and educational for children of all abilities. You can purchase Shen and Zylie at Toys R Us here, and you can get the Perkins Panda products from the Perkins online store here. 

One of our lucky dolls got to come along to our family party on the Fourth, and she even got to star in her own photo shoot.The doll is a retired Battat doll, and the outfit is from Ann Loren.