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)?

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.

I am always on the lookout for new clothing ideas for my mini dolls, so I was pleased to find the Printable Doll Clothes site. Elizabeth, a talented designer and doll collector, offers a variety of patterns to quickly clothe a variety of doll sizes. She also includes plenty of pictures, tutorials, and even videos to show you how to use the different pieces to create amazing outfits. I used the free dress pattern from the sample section and adapted it several different ways.

For Felicity's dress I cut a wider inner circle from the circle skirt piece to widen the waist and make it a little shorter. I also cut a couple of slices out of the circle to remove the excess overlap. I used the waist band piece for the headband and the two straps taped together for the sash. I kept on her shift to use as the bodice.

For Ivy's Asian-inspired dress, I used the extra pieces i cut from the skirt to make long sleeves.

For Rebecca's simple shift dress, I only used the top pattern piece, leaving some white at the bottom to add length. Then I cut slits to make fringe. I cut the waist band in half to make extra strap pieces so I could use two on each side for sleeves. For a finishing touch, I cut a larger heart from the skirt piece to decorate the top.

Elizabeth provides specific instructions for using her patterns to fit a variety of dolls. You can read the instructions for the AG Mini Dolls here, and 18 inch dolls here. Head on over to the Printable Doll Clothes site to check out the other outfit collections, which you can purchase in the PDC Etsy shop.

My local Barnes and Noble store does not have the new Beforever mini dolls yet, but they did have a few of the old versions stashed on a bottom shelf. I spotted one forlorn Molly peeking out from a row of smiling Isabelles, and I knew I had to bring her home. So I used my storytelling money and purchased her as a birthday present to myself.

Here she is in Raggedy Anne's pinafore, which makes me think of Molly's birthday dress. Welcome to the clan, Molly!

I'm trying to limit my doll spending right now, but I couldn't resist checking out my favorite thrift store, Saver's. Here are some of the doll finds that caught my eye.

This Victorian beauty was selling for $10, which is worth it just for the dress and stand. It has a porcelain face and limbs and soft body. She looks about the same size as American Girl, and I think her clothing would fit an AG doll quite well. Her beautiful crepe dress is easily removable with a Velcro closure in back. It is adorned with layers of ruffles and lace, with silk flowers and a beautiful cameo brooch for a finishing touch. She even has a fancy little purse. 

These beautiful 20" boys from the Cathay Collection captured my heart right away. They have hard vinyl arms and feet, soft bodies, and wigged hair. They have a toddler-style body with curved legs and feet, so they can't stand. They are similar to Bitty Twins but slightly bigger, and they seem to be able to fit into regular infant clothing. I really had to fight myself to keep from buying that little blond. Doesn't his face just seem to say, "Please take me home"?

This little lady is so cute with her copper curls and cute bare feet, but I was actually most interested in her swing. I think it would work great for the American Girl mini dolls. She is tied to the swing, but she isn't glued down, so she wouldn't be too hard to remove. I also love the look of the flowery vines adorning the edges. 

I also found several American Girl books in very nice condition. There was the first book for Julie, Kit (not pictured because my daughter was holding it) and Lanie, and an entire set of Julie's 6 books. They were only 99 cents each, and I had a 20% off coupon from donating, so I ended up getting 7 books for about 5 dollars. My youngest daughter loves Kit, so I got her meet book, and I couldn't resist getting Julie's books since it was such a great deal for a complete set. I did leave Lanie for the next little girl, though. This was my only actual purchase. 

I'm so glad I have this site to share all my great finds without having to actually buy everything. Hope you enjoyed seeing them. Happy thrifting!

     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. 

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.

Hi, mini Saige here. I'm excited to show you my new house. Come on in!

I have my own kitchen, bedroom, and a little attic.

The kitchen is not very exciting, but I am making some yummy spaghetti for dinner.

Here is my bedroom with all my favorite things. We made these paper lanterns at the art program we started at Grandma Mimi's care center.

Mimi's friend Louis taught me how to make this dream catcher. See that cute squirrel outside my window?

I love to play with my dollhouse and toy horses.

Of course, my favorite thing to do in my room is art!

Here is my latest painting of Mimi's horses.

The attic is really small, but there's lots of cool stuff up here. sometimes I like to just lie up here and daydream. 
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you'll visit me again soon!
Love, Saige

NOTES:

The house is from T.S. Shure. It is called Daisy Residence, and it came with a bunch of wooden Daisy Girls dolls with magnetic clothing. My daughter got the set for Christmas several years ago, but it is still available from T.S. Shure and Amazon, along with some other cute wooden magnet sets that would go well with the mini dolls. 

The doll is Mini Saige from American Girl, sold at Sam's Club with two paperback books.

The art easel, palette, and sketch book all come from the Samantha Parkington paper doll book from American Girl. It is still on sale for $5 at their website, along with some other historical paper doll sets.