Hello again, people! I’m back! From a very nice, relaxing “break” from the Blog. (Just kidding, it’s good to be back. 😉 ) It has been a pretty grand week, as Wren and the others can attest. Though before I launch in and elaborate on new craft endeavors, here’s a little snippet of what happened on Tuesday. (Lots of photos to ensue.)
Long story short… Mom and I decided to take a break and run some errands. Now, based on Winifred’s arrival, and other outings, you can guess where this is heading. 😉 Along the way, we saw… well, a little doll at an incredibly decent price… and she came home!
This doll is part of a line called “My Life As” by Madame Alexander. She’s a mini doll, the “Outdoorsy Girl.” There are larger, 18″ versions of these dolls, dressed in similar attire. Though personally, I prefer the mini dolls. They’re much more lifelike and have wonderful personalities. I’d seen these dolls before, but they hadn’t really “clicked” with me. Mom liked them, though, and I trust her instinct. Now this new friend is a beloved member of the family. 🙂
The moment we got home, I brought her along to the sitting room to do a review. Unfortunately, the box she was in refused to stand on its own, which meant it had to be propped up against the sill… hence the bad lighting. Oh well.
It was impossible to take a decent, more direct photograph of her in the box, due to the plastic reflecting. However, I did get some pics of different box angles:
Then it was time to help her out of the box! There was a little notch at the top of the box, in the back (secured with a piece of tape):
Once that was open, the inner compartment of the box slid out easily.
Here she is, secured to the inner compartment:
She was attached with clear elastic bands, that were in turn secured to the back with tape and pieces of plastic:
Only one of her boots was secured with elastic; the other foot was free. She tried exercising it a little:
I snipped away the remaining elastic bands, and out she came. Here’s a pic of the box “shell”:
And here she is out of her box, showing me how well she could stand:
This little doll is fully vinyl, and stands just about 7″ tall. She has a really sweet expression: neutral, but not dull in the least. Her personality seems to change very rapidly when she’s looking different ways, or holding different poses:
Her hair is rooted, soft, and separated in three sections, something I’ve never seen on a doll before (in default packaging, at least). I haven’t taken out her ponytails yet, so don’t know how dense her rooting is underneath. Based on surface observation, though, it appears sufficiently thick and vibrant, not to mention stylish:
She does have a couple little stain marks, most notably on the side of her face, near the rooting (and one on her left foot). But it’s hard to see, and I don’t mind anyway. 🙂 Just for analysis, I took a closeup of the mark:
You can also kind of see the different highlights in her hair, above.
Regarding the doll herself, I think she’s wonderful. She poses nicely (even better than the OG and Lori dolls!), and has a lovely disposition.
At this point, I decided it was best to have the other review and outfit/shoe comparisons told (inadvertently) from the dolls’ perspective. Without further ado…
***
No sooner had the new doll come out to look around, than Wren arrived. Wren squealed with delight when she saw her new “cousin,” and wanted to pose for a photo with her:
At that moment, the girls spotted something else… a pair of sparkly red boots for Emma, one of the larger dolls in the family.
“I wonder what they do…” Wren whispered, afraid to disturb the gigantic objects.
“What do you mean, ‘what they do?'” the new doll asked.
Wren shrugged. “Who knows what kind of mystery comes with these things… they could be magical!”
[Slight interjection: thought I’d post some pics of the boots themselves below.]
[They’re made of soft plastic and a soft rubbery material. They look perfectly alright in the photos, but once unwrapped, golly, they reeked of plastic! Guess that’s what comes from buying a pair of shoes for $3. 😛 After a couple days of air-drying on the ledge, they no longer smell of that awful material. Thank goodness. Anyway, back to the story…]
Wren decided to be bold, and declared, “I’m gonna see what will happen if I wear one of them. Maybe it’ll make me grow taller!” The new doll tried not to giggle as Wren stuck one foot into the huge boot, then another…
After a few minutes of waiting, nothing happened. Wren sighed, and slowly climbed out of the boot. “Okay, Orchid. You can have them back now. They’re kind of stinky anyway.”
I thanked Wren, picked up the boots, and placed them on the new doll’s box to air dry:
Just then, Winifred arrived. “What’s all the commotion? And what’s that smell?”
She caught sight of the new doll, and blinked. “Oooooh! Who are you?”
Wren cleared her throat in a very authoritative tone. “This here is a new doll, and our very own cousin. Her name is… well, er, what’s your name? Has Orchid given you one yet, or have you picked one?”
“I think Orchid did give me a name. She called me Efa.”
“Very cool! Hi, Efa!” the dolls chorused. Efa beamed.
“That’s a nice outfit you have there,” Winifred remarked. “Mind if I try it sometime?”
“Sure, I don’t mind at all!” replied Efa. “Anything in particular you’d like to try on?”
“Well… maybe your shoes? They look nice and pink, and would definitely go with my own outfit.”*
“Oh, of course! One moment.” Efa kicked off her sneakers. “Your boots look equally nice. May I try them on?”
“Absolutely! They’re actually not mine, they’re Wren’s. They were part of the outfit she came with.”
“Ah, I see. Here you go!” Efa set the sneakers down on the table.
Winifred followed suit, setting down the boots she’d borrowed from Wren. The two pairs look very nice side-by-side.
“Let’s begin the Shoe Challenge!” Wren announced. “I’m in charge!”
“Why?” asked Winifred.
“Well, just because. I’m not the one trying them on.”
The other two dolls shook their heads.
A moment later, Efa gasped. “Hey, your boots fit me! Hurray!”
“Really?” Winifred got excited. “Let me see if I can… YES! THEY FIT! YOUR SHOES FIT ME!”
“Awesome!” Efa exclaimed. “High five!”
After the Shoe Challenge, the dolls wanted to hold an Outfit Challenge. It was getting sweltering, so Efa took off her vest.
“You wanna trade outfits?” Winifred suggested. “Here, I’ll give you my outfit to try on.”
“Cool,” Efa said. “My leggings are a bit tight right now, but I’ll give you my long-sleeve. I’ll be back to see how your t-shirt fits me.”
[Quick closeup of Efa’s hand… it’s so detailed!]
While Efa was in the dressing room, Wren tried on the vest. It was a bit snug over her dress, but she liked the texture of the fabric, and the somewhat coordinating combination of bright with pastel colors:
“Hey, Winifred! Look! Isn’t this awesome!”
But Winifred, who had already tried on Efa’s long-sleeve t-shirt, didn’t hear Wren. She was admiring how Efa’s shirt fit so well on her.
Soon Efa emerged, carrying Winifred’s handbag. “How do I look?”
“You look wonderful!” said Wren. “The shirt’s a little bit short, but other than that you look great!”
“All set, then! I’m off on an adventure! Thank you two, for everything.”
“You’re very welcome. Come back soon!”
“Oh, I will!”
Welcome to the family, Efa! And to you, Dear Reader: stay tuned for updates on new craft projects, and Efa’s first adventure!
* The outfit Winifred’s wearing was a little project I worked on at the last knitting club meeting. As you can see, she has a new handbag and t-shirt (buttons still have to be added in the back). Wren’s dress and Winifred’s t-shirt (and a different rendition of Winifred’s handbag) are available in the CB online store, aka the Products For Sale page.
Wren’s new hairdo was a failed attempt at creating a bun. That said, I kind of like it the way it is. Wren does too. So it stayed that way. 🙂
And, as a final note… I’m so overjoyed (and relieved) that OG, Lori and Madame Alexander dolls can share clothes, and shoes (!). There are way more clothing and accessory options this way. Which also means I don’t have to worry about designing a completely new set of crochet patterns… yay! Now time to finish a few other projects. 😛
