In an effort to spread Christmas cheer throughout the year, I decided to post these pics from a mini holiday doll scene I set up last year. 

The house is a toy barn I found at a yard sale. The fireplace, bench, and chest are all from Fisher Price (purchased at a thrift store). The tree was from the Dollar Store, and I just decorated the scene with little odds and ends. 

Now is a great time to start looking out for great holiday finds at thrift and discount stores. Have a very merry day!

During my latest thrifting expedition, an unusual doll caught my eye. When I checked to find the manufacturer's name, I was surprised to see Pleasant Company stamped on the back of the head and an American Girl tag on the side. This is a Hopscotch Hill doll, which AG made for a few years to appeal to younger girls. The dolls are 16 inches tall with articulated elbows and knees, and they are meant to be early elementary age. Meet Skylar. I got her for $1.40.

One of my Daily Deals purchases from American Girl was Samantha's frilly frock. I've read several well-written, thorough reviews of this outfit, so I won't do a lengthy review, but I wanted to show how it looks on my different dolls.

I don't have Samantha, so Saige got to be my AG model. The dress fits really nicely, but I don't like the way the wide neckline looks on this body style. I also don't think it is appropriate to the era, as all Samantha's former outfits seemed to have a higher neck. the boots fit well but were difficult to get on.

I love how the bow looks with her curly hair. Saige had slightly loose limbs, so I was happy that the tights and boots actually help her stand up better.

Dana, my Journey Girls doll, rocks a more modern look with Addy's snood worn like a beret. I think this would style would look really good on the new GOTY, Grace. The vinyl breastplate looks a little better, but the dress is too wide for her narrow shoulders and a little baggy at the waist. The boots were also loose, but the tights improve the fit and look.

This dress does not look at all Edwardian to me, but it does have a vintage feel. With a quick wig change and the snood worn in the classic style, I think Dana has a bit of a 40's or 50's vibe.

I think the Madame Alexander body style works best with this outfit because of the vinyl breastplate and fuller waist. I used the wig with bangs and let the curls hang loose below the snood.

So, who do YOU think wore it best?

I popped in for a quick peek at my local thrift store,  and look what I found!

An authentic Bitty Twin doll from American Girl! Ok, so she looked more like this when I got her:

When I first saw this doll, I picked it up and quickly set it down again. I'm not too interested in this style of doll, especially with that wild paint job on the toes. But then I caught a glimpse of the tag and picked it up again. Could it be? Yep! Sure enough, the tag said American Girl, so I checked for the neck stamp, and there it was! I've never seen an official AG item at any of the thrift stores, so I was pretty stoked. At $4, I decided I had to bring her home and see what I could do.

The doll didn't come with any clothes, so I put her in my new Espari plaid outfit for pics. These clothes are designed for slimmer dolls, so the dress won't close at all in the back, but I think it still looks cute. She can't stand on her own, but she sits quite well on this little wooden bench.

Bitty babies and bitty twins are sort of an odd size, so finding affordable clothes to fit can be tricky. At 15 inches, they are shorter and wider than typical 18 inch dolls but bigger than standard 12 inch baby dolls. The outfit above is a conglomeration of pieces from different doll lines. The shirt is from AG, the tutu from Walmart, the shoes from Springfield, and the socks from Espari. 

Here she is next to Saige for a comparison. The Bitty Twins aren't scaled right for the 18 inch dolls, but I think they have realistic toddler proportions and are a perfect size for little ones to carry around. Saige even let our new little friend borrow her t-shirt. I'm not sure I would pay full price for this doll, but I do think she is a cutie. I noticed that AG now offers bitty twins for sale individually for $75, so you don't have to pay $125 for a set if you only want one. I think that is a smart move. Bitty Babies are pretty easy to find on the secondary market for a reasonable price, and who knows? You might even run across one in a thrift store or at a garage sale.

No French bakery would be complete without a fancy cake and some lovely macarons. This is a project we've be saving for a long time. The cake is a trinket box from this set my daughter got from her uncle a couple years ago.

I was thrilled to find this little wooden ark set at my local thrift store, and with my coupon, it was just over $2. It is a perfect size for doll play, and the hand-crafted, primitive look reminds me of Felicity's special toy from her American Girl stories. 

It didn't come with any people, but I like the variety of animals: elephant, giraffe, gorilla, lion, and Zebra. Only the poor elephant was missing a partner.

The top deck can be removed to reveal a little storage compartment. Not all of the animals can fit inside with the lid closed, but several of the smaller ones can.

Rachel loves her new toy! Rachel is a Battat doll in a Heidi Ott dress, also found at the same thrift store. I love Savers!

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.

Saige is getting ready to sleep over at her grandma Mimi's house for her birthday. She has her mini doll, her new backpack from Doll Diaries, and a new Saige book just her size!

I scanned in images of of the front, spine, and back cover of my full-sized Saige book to make the pattern for the mini book. As a gift to you, I would like to share the template I made so you can make your own mini books. Just download the pictures, paste into a word doc at original size, and print on shiny photo paper.

Use this pattern to make a softcover book. Just trim around the cover, cut pages to fit, stack, staple, and fold.

Use this pattern for a hardcover book. Use a small notebook or an existing mini book. Cut out the cover, leaving enough space on each side to make a flap. Wrap the cover around your hard-back book and fold the flaps inward.

Have fun making mini books for your dolls, and check out this post for another fun template.

Happy Birthday Saige!!

According to her books from American Girl, today is Saige Copeland's birthday! Saige was the Girl of the Year for 2013, and she's the only official American Girl doll I have ever purchased. My daughter absolutely loves this doll, and Saige has helped her through some tough times, including hospital stays, doctor's appointments, medical tests, and just rough mornings. In Honor of her birthday, here are some of my favorite posts featuring our favorite GOTY, Saige Copeland!

• Mini Saige Cake
• Saige goes to Comic Con
• Mini Saige as Anne of Green Gables
• Saige as a Pioneer
• Saige as Princess Leia
• Saige's Modern Doll House
• The Power of Dolls
• Saige makes me breakfast in bedFabulous 50's Saige
• Patriotic Bandanna Dress

I had so much fun making the Beforever mini books that I thought I'd share the template I made so you all can make one too. All pictures are copyright American Girl and come from author Kathleen Ernst's Website. Please only use these files for personal, non-commercial use. If you want to share the templates, link back to this post. Click the links below to access and save the template files.

Hardcover Book Jacket (for use with an existing mini book): PDF file, JPG file
Paperback Cover (to make softcover copy with inner pages): PDF file, JPG file

Tips: 

• Be sure to set your printer to print on 4x6 paper.
  
• Print on photo paper or card stock.
• Use a butter knife or thin coin to score lines before folding.
• Place a heavy object on finished book after assembling to help it lie flat. 
• Tape the flaps of the book jacket to the edges of the cover, not to the actual book.
• Write words or draw pictures on blank pages of paperback book if desired.

Thanks for reading my blog. I hope you enjoy this fun and easy craft!