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!

The other day at JoAnn Craft Store I saw this adorable tiny chicken coop I thought would be perfect for mini kit. It even has a little chick inside.

Of course extra chicks are available. These guys are even on sale right now for Easter.  Wouldn't this make a wonderful scene for Kit (AG's spunky depression-era character who sells eggs to help her family)?

After looking at my sister's amazing Valentine's projects,  I was feeling rather creatively deficient,  so I decided to challenge myself to come up with a quick and easy Valentine's Day doll idea. All I used was a plain red dress, some decorative tape from the dollar store, and some scraps of craft foam. I just lined the collar and bottom of the dress with the tape and then made some simple matching sandals. Voila! it's a great temporary embellishment to turn an every day dress into something special.

Here's a view of the back of the dress and her simple hair style. This doll is Cinderella from Disney Princess and Me. I think she looks adorable in this casual modern ensemble.

You can find lots of fun patterned tape just about anywhere and for any season. This plain red dress would work great for Christmas or Independence Day too,  and the tape is easy to remove without leaving residue on fabric. Go see what you can create!

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. 

I found these adorable mini hats at my local dollar store. They come in packs of three for a buck, and they work well for 18 inch dolls or minis. the dollar store is a great place for doll sized Halloween finds.

The hats have a solid piece of felt on the bottom and are attached to an alligator clip. They look cute on any size head, so all your dolls and girls can match each other. I can't wait for Dolloween!

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. 

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!

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

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.