Too Old for Dolls?

Journey Girls from Toys R US

I read an interesting article this morning about children "growing out of dolls" at a much earlier age, some as early as age 7!!!  I couldn't believe this when I read it, but I have to agree that it's probably true.  Being in the doll business, I have noticed 9 - 11 year old girls will stop and oooh and aaah over the items, but most of the time they will not purchase.  I have had parents come up to me almost apologetically, to say their preteen is no longer interested in dolls.

I've been a doll "collector" since I was 37 years old (about 8 years or so).  As an adult I find that doll play is relaxing, stimulating (to my imagination) and fun.  It's an activity that I love to share with my daughter.  I love naming my dolls and creating personas for them!  No I'm not a nutcase, it's just something I enjoy doing and my daughter does as well!

So I'm wondering, what are your thoughts on this? How old is too old to play with dolls?  In the article, it says that companies like MGA, Disney and Toys R Us are creating more mature looking dolls (preteen/teen rather than baby/toddler) to appeal to 5 - 11 year olds.  Do you think mature looking dolls is the answer?  I'm really curious to know your thoughts!

If you would like to read the whole article please look here.

Love and Blessings!
Margaret

We're in the TOP 20!!

I'm sooo excited!!  It was recently announced that Emily Rose @ Home is in the top 20 for The Start Up Nation's Leading Moms in Business!  Wow!  We only had a month to work in and for us to reach the top was amazing!!

Here's an excerpt:

"Thanks to the success of Emily Rose, in 2009 Lisa-Marie was able to fulfill her dream of helping other Moms (just like her) create businesses of their own when she introduced Emily Rose @Home, a home party network for Mom/Daughter entrepreneur teams. Emily Rose @Home has quickly become popular due to the high quality affordable products, as well as the "no recruiting" policy and single level structure. "We focus on building businesses, not recruiters", said Lisa-Marie."


If you'd like to read the complete article, here is the link: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/10/prweb4648094.htm

Like Lisa-Marie states above, we do not recruit for our own businesses, the goal of our company is to help YOU build successful mother-daughter businesses that will last a long time!

If you are interested in trying out our business, first check here to look at all of the great benefits! Then use this code: LXNI55LW to get 10% off your starter package!

Disclaimer: When you use the code above, I will get a percentage of the cost depending on which package you choose.  However, you will not be on "my team,", you will have  your own business and be your own boss!

Love and Blessings!
Margaret

Question for my readers...

I'm going to be doing a series on dolls, how to purchase them, what to look for, what does quality look like.  Also doll clothes and furniture and what kinds of things to look for.

Is there anything specific you need to know as we approach the big gift buying season?

Thanks for your opinions!

Love and Blessings!
Margaret

A Giveaway for a Cause

Hello Everyone,

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and I have a very dear friend who is a 4 year survivor!! So many women are affected by this disease daily, it's time to stop it for good before it takes anymore of our mothers, daughter, sisters or friends! To help the American Cancer Society find a cure, I would like to do a giveaway for those who donate to this worthy cause. I've picked two of our pretty pink outfits from Emily Rose @ Home and the winner can choose one of the outfits as their prize. These outfits fit many of the 18" inch dolls on the market like American Girl, Madame Alexandar, Our Generation, and many others.

Ballerina outfit which includes Leotard, Tutu, and cloth ballet shoes.

Pretty Bow Dress

• You must be 18 to enter this giveaway.
• Please go to this link: Pink Platoon - IFF Family and Friends and make a donation of any size (minumum $5), or support your own team but please make a donation. Then come back here and tell me you did it. Make sure you leave your email address so I can contact you. Edited to add that I will NOT be checking to make sure you donated, this is an honor system giveaway.
  
• If you tweet this giveaway and send me the link, I will give you another entry!
• This giveaway will be open until 8 a.m. October 18, the day of the walk in our area.
• I will use a random generator to select a number from the total amount of entries. There will be ONE winner announced Mondy October 19th..
  

Please note that this giveaway is not sponsored by Emily Rose or it's affiliated companies. Also there is no direct affiliation with the American Cancer Society.

Thanks for reading and participating!

Margaret

Around the Doll World Part II

Hi everyone,

This is the first time I had to sit down and finish my News Around the Doll World. There's a lot to talk about this week.

First, if you are in the market for some cute cloth dolls, check out this site:

Bamboletta

These dolls are so cute, I'm thinking of ordering one for my friend's grandbaby. Can you believe she's almost FIVE MONTHS old and doesn't have her first doll?!?! Oh the horror!! The company is not doing custom orders until December but they will be doing uploads of these adorable dolls!

I mentioned the Avon Dolls last week, then I found out Sears is also coming out with a line of 18" dolls. Yaay! More dolls to dress. Here is a link to the cuties! This one is my favorite!

I'm pretty sure these are Madame Alexander dolls but I'll have to check when I go to the store. I wonder if Kmart will have them as well since they are essentially Sears?

Great news on the Emily Rose at Home NJ front. We will soon be offering paper doll parties!! I think paper dolls are so fun for the attendees and they will get to cut and color their own dolls. More details will be coming soon!!

Hope you enjoyed News Around the Doll World!

Margaret

Tuesday Around the Doll World - 10/6

There is so much news around the doll world that I'm going to spread it over two days! I wanted to dedicate today to a special artist I found through my google alerts. Her name is Faith and this is her site: Sundrip

You know how something catches your attention and you know it's special but you are not quite sure why? Well that's how I felt when I first came across Faith's dolls. I saw this little cutie in a red hat, her name is Lisa:

Something about her eyes and the serious lips that want to smile, really captured my attention. I HAD to contact the artist and then I knew... she is one special lady.

Here is what Faith Shared with me:

"One of the things I do with my dolls that isn't really heard of is make inner child dolls for African-American children in therapy. Therapy includes physical and emotional therapy. I've made several, some are posted in my doll gallery but others are not. If the person chooses not to have their therapy doll posted I don't. I respect their privacy. The other thing is this, each doll is hand sewn not machine sewn. The faces are hand painted, the hair chosen carefully to fit the desired look and the outfit is chosen carefully. I actually have a wardrobe for future dolls. The amount of thought that goes into each doll is extensive. I thoroughly enjoy making them. The doll you asked about is doll number 16. She's got big brown eyes with a tad bit of gold above them. Her hair is in three pony tails which is a standard black hair style for little girls. She's got little black shoes and a sweet dress. I think the addition that makes her stand out is the red beret. She's currently sitting on my shelf with my personal doll collection (I'm a collector myself) as she waits for a new home. "

I don't know if these are therapy dolls but here are more of her beautiful dolls:

What a wonderful service to these young children that need a physical source of comfort. And please please please take a stroll through her gallery! She is obviously a multitalented artist! There are several of her paintings that I have to get prints of!! If you read Faith's About Me page you'll know as I have learned what a extraordinary giving person she is. I don't know her at all... but I do. I know that she has taken her own hurts and pains and poured herself into helping others heal. God Bless you Faith and thank you for allowing me to write about you and your dolls!

**** Pictures used are with the permission of the artist!****

Outfit of the Week 10/5 (or thereabouts)

Hello all,

I wanted to make sure I shared with you the outfit of the week. This one is just SO SO cute!! I don't know about where you are but the cold weather just came in so fast for us. Jasmine was thrilled because it was cool enough to wear her new Varsity Star Outfit (link):


The jacket is made in traditional fashion with white "leather" sleeves. My tomboy Jazzy just loves it, especially since her varsity letter is sewn on the back:



Doesn't she look cute?!? The outfit also comes with her jeans and a short sleeved white top to wear underneath the jacket. Her "kicks" are also available in our Emily Rose Store.

Enjoy and be blessed!
Margaret

Life of Faith Going out of Business Sale

Hi everyone,

I forgot to include this in my post yesterday. The Life of Faith 18" dolls are are clearance. The best priced doll is Laylie at just $30!! Laylie was originally priced at $99.99 . Also, check out the wardrobe section. These are beautiful, high quality outfits!! You have to use the code wardrobe70 to get the discount. The books are also on sale and you can enter BOOK70 to get the discount. I have always wanted Laylie and I was finally able to order her!

Launch Party Planning is beginning!

Hi to all of my wonderful readers!! I'm so excited to announce that Mimi and I are planning our Launch party!!! We are scheduling it for Late August or Early September. We are thinking we will do either a dance theme or a back to school theme. Chime in and let us know what you prefer.

For the Dance Theme, we will teach you to do the Electric Slide and maybe do a fun craft!! Then of course you get to see all of our goodies up close and personal.

For the back to school theme, maybe we'll make drawstring bags for our dolls, or decorate pencils. I need ideas, let me know your thoughts!

We are off for the weekend, can't wait to chat with you guys on Monday!

Margaret and Mimi

Doll Care Basics 101

One of the reasons I love working with Emily Rose is there is a wealth of information on caring for our babies and keeping them in pristine condition. Here is some information from the Emily Rose Website :

Do’s...

1. Wash first. If you wash your hands before playing with your American Girl© Doll she will be kept clean for longer. Not even your doll likes peanut butter and jelly in their hair!

2. Try to keep your doll out of the direct sunlight. If she’s in the sun, all of your doll’s coloring will start to fade, including all her clothes.

3. Brush your doll's hair regularly. Try to do this every night. Frequent brushing with a wire doll brush helps get out tangles and frizz. If her hair does get tangled, put a little water on the brush to smooth it out. Leave in conditioner also works well.

4. Use baking soda to clean your doll's face. If your doll's face gets dirty or marked, put a little baking soda on a damp washcloth and then gently wash her face. No need to dry it let it air dry afterwards.

5. Vacuum your doll's cloth body. Keep your doll's cloth body clean and free of dirt and dust with a little help from your Mom and a vacuum. Carefully rub cornstarch in to the cloth, leave her overnight, and then vacuum it away the next day.

Hope this helps you with your little ladies!

Introduction

Hello,

My name is Margaret and I would like to tell you about a home business that I've started with my daughter. We are avid doll collectors and even in tough economic times we like to enjoy our hobby. We searched around for ways that we could make money to help us and we found the perfect solution!

We are now members of the Founder's Circle for Emily Rose @ Home. Emily Rose Doll Clothes is a company that recognizes the need for affordable doll clothes. The primary focus is clothing to fit the 18 inch American Girl and similar sized dolls. The clothing is high quality and more importantly affordable! We have two ways to provide service to you. If you are interested, we can host a party at your home, you pick the theme! Or if you prefer, you can order from our online link for a wider selection, including clothing for the Bitty Baby sized dolls: http://www.dollsclothes-emilyrose.com/?Click=6322

We have full confidence in the Emily Rose products and would love to give you the opportunity to try them for yourself! If you would like to find out more about Emily Rose Parties and sign up to be a hostess (all hostesses get free gifts!!), please email me at maggie965@verizon.net. You can check out the Emily Rose products at this link: http://www.dollsclothes-emilyrose.com/?Click=6322



Thank you for looking!