YouTube Tuesday: Springfield Collection Sportswear

This is my Youtube Video of Springfield Collection Activewear & Sportswear. Hope you enjoy it!

All of these items are available from the Springfield Store, or Sunshine Crafts or your local craft store like Michaels or AC Moore. Since making this video there are a few other Sportwear items available, like ballet shoes and a new yoga outfit.

You Tube Tuesday: Fall Fashions

Here is my new video. I've taken pictures of the Springfield Girls modeling ensembles made from mixing and matching Springfield Collection doll clothing. I had a lot of fun shooting this series because I got to play dolly dress-up for 2 days straight. Most of the outfit are good for Fall, but a few are more appropriate for late-summer. Where I live, in the South, it's still warm enough to get away with these warm-weather ensembles.

 



While you're gearing up for fall you might want to check out these fun activities from the Springfield Style Club. They have several activities perfect for the Fall Fashion Scene:

Fall Fashion Runway Activity

Fall Fashion Collage

I hope the Style Club gets some fun new activities for Halloween or Harvest Festivals and Thanksgiving.

Show and Tell Thursday: 2012 Dresses

Yesterday I commented about some of the new items in the 2012 Springfield Collection. It turns out that my local craft store (AC Moore) finally got in it's new stock of Springfield Collection Clothing. I had a coupon for $10 off a $30 order, so I got the 2 dresses and skirt & top for just over $20. I brought the items home and used some of my other Springfield Collection items to dress the up a bit.

 

 

For this outfit I added tights and white satin ribbon to the dropped waist. In this picture it looks prettier than it does in person. This is an attractive outfit and I can see how a 7 year old would really like it. For me, as a mom, a grandma and an adult, it misses the mark. In my opinion it would have been prettier if they had left off the white printed necklace and the gauzy overlay (which tends to get caught in the Velcro and develops pulls and snags). A simple, purple knit, dropped-waist dress would have been very pretty and easier to accessorize for mixy matchys . I would have liked it better if they had left off the printed necklace and the skirt overlay, leaving a plain dress.

Here is Gina, one of my personal favorite dolls, in one of my favorite Springfield Collection dresses. The top is velveteen, the skirt and sash are good quality satin. If you have a pearl bracelet that is people-sized, it would make a great necklace to go with this dress. I've paired this dress with white tights and red sparkly shoes. It would be equally pretty with black shoes or black tights. It would be appropriate for Christmas, New Years and Valentine's Day.

 

 

 

I really like this outfit. Extra brownie points for the designer. He/She did a great job. The top is really cute, the ruffle really gives it an extra splash of pizazz. I paired it with pink capri-length leggings, silver shoes and a silver scarf that I think has now been discontinued. You can still find it however, at CR's Craft. It's a great accessory and really picks up the silver accent from the shoes. The silver purse would be the perfect go-with.



This dress is my absolute favorite this year! It's extremely versatile, as  I've tried to illustrate in the pictures above. This dress can go from casual sporty, to retro to formal chic to trendy modest. I also tried it with the full black skirt worn over it, so that only the top part shows, and it becomes a cute zebra cami. I especially like how cute this dress is when paired with a bright color like the pink top in the center. It really pops with the color combination. I hope the 2013 collection brings us some stylish, versatile pieces like this one, and some bright new colors too!

My Olivia doll looks especially beautiful in this photo shoot. She has had her bangs trimmed short and her hair was trimmed and then curled under with curlers and a traditional boiling water Barbie-perm. This doll is older, at least 5 years old, and she looks great!

NOTE: If you are a child, DO NOT cut your doll's hair or do anything with boiling water without adult supervision. Let the grown-ups manage any boiling water perms or hair cuts.

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Quick Update on the Zebra dress, while it's still a fashion favorite, it has already begun to fall apart. The ribbon strap on the right side is ravelling and coming off at both the front and back, and the bow stitched to the shoulder on the left side is hanging on by a thread. This is just after me playing with it for 2 days, dressing and undressing the doll maybe a total of 8 times. I'm an adult, and I play with my dolls like an adult. I'm very gentle. The ribbon straps should be attached more firmly so they are able to withstand more stress, or a different type of strap, one that is less prone to raveling should be used. Something the strength of shoestrings would work better than the satin ribbon. I got out a needle and thread and firmly reattached the frayed ribbon and both shoulder bows so that they won't go anywhere. It's an easy matter for me to do this and took less than 5 minutes, but not everyone is handy with a needle and thread. I hate to think that in a year this marvelous dress will be languishing in storage bins across the country because the straps have broken off and no one is able to stitch them back on.

 

    

What's New Wednesday: 2012 Fashions from Springfield Collection

 

 

 

In September Springfield came out with it's new 2012 Fashion Collection. I'm making up an order for Sunshine Crafts already because there are some really cute items here. I'm wondering if they have a new designer for this set because it has a more fashion forward use of color and shapes than the last collection. For this post I'm highlighting the dresses and a skirt ensemble because I wear dresses and skirts most often. As we all know some Dolly Mommies like their dolls to look and dress like them, so since I wear skirts and dresses, and my daughters wear skirts and dresses, my dollies do too. 

 

 

I really like the zebra print that was chosen for this dress. It's trendy, fashion-forward but since it's black and white, both neutrals, the dress can be matched with bright colors to give it a variety of looks. The way the dress is shaped, it can be worn as a sundress, or more modest dolly mommies can put a t-shirt and a pair of leggings or tights under it, or a pink or black hoodie or black bolero jacket over it. This is really versatile and the animal print gives it a big fashion impact. Since the print is so bold, the simple black flats are the ideal choice in footwear.

 

 

First I want to say, the stylist should have done better by Madison with her hair style. I know her hair is challenging to style, but with a little imagination it can look really great. Whoever was in charge of doll hair this day needs to try a little harder next time. Even pig tails would be cuter than this. As for the outfit, LOVE the gold sandals. They remind me of the Gladiator Sandals that were all the rage this summer. The top is cute with the asymmetrical neckline accented by the matching ruffle. It has a real 80's feel to it. The denim mini skirt with the ruffled hem was another classic 80's item and I think it will add a lot of new interest to Mixy Matchy outfits, besides looking great with the top it's paired with.

I have this dress already and it's beautiful! Perfect for the upcoming winter holidays, it will also work on Valentines Day, especially when paired with the red-sparkly shoes already available from Springfield. The fabric is like an acetate satin, very good quality. It really gives this dress a special feel to it. I've paired it with white tights and black tights and both look nice with either black slip-on's or the aforementioned red sparkly mary janes. Whoever designed this dress deserves a lot of credit. They did a great job.

 

First off, someone dropped the ball on Abby's hair. She needed a braid, or an updo, or something. Secondly, I'm leery of the printed pearls. They look cheap. The waistband, with the way the tulle is attached, already looks like it was rushed. When you add in the printed pearls, this dress just misses the mark. Now I don't own the dress yet, so I can't say for certain, but so far this one looks like a miss to me. Maybe I'll change my mind when I see it in person, but for now it's my least favorite of the new items. On the plus side,the purple bow-topped sneakers are the perfect shoe choice. Another plus is that it's a modest look, especially if paired with white tights, which would match the pearls. Maybe a white satin bow around the dropped waist would improve the look? I'll give it a try when I make my purchase and share the results.