Newborn Posing Beds

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Friday, September 24, 2010

American Girl Doll Furniture and Stackable doll beds~A perfect gift for Christmas


The Crafters Nook

Quality handmade doll furniture for the 18" American Girl and 23" My Twinn dolls. Our Doll Beds include a wonderful feature, they are stackable. Buy more in the future and add to your collection. Create a variety of different combinations of bunk beds.

Stackable doll beds: Bunk Bed, Triple Bunk Bed, Quad Bunk or Quadruple Bunk Bed, Quintuple Bunk Bed, Sextuple Bunk Bed, Trundle Beds and Canopy Beds.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Getting to know the American Girl Doll ~ Historical Characters

Historical Characters

The Historical Characters product line aims to teach aspects of American history through a six book series from the perspective of a nine year old girl living in that time period. Although the books are written for the eight-to-thirteen-year-old target market, they endeavor to cover significant topics such as child labor, child abuse, poverty, racism, slavery, alcoholism, animal abuse, and war in manners appropriate for the understanding and sensibilities of the company's target market.

The first dolls in the American Girl/Historical line (Samantha, Kirsten and Molly) shared the same face mold but had different hair and eye colors. The first dolls were created with white muslin bodies, but these cloth bodies were changed in 1991 from a white muslin to a matching flesh tone. This accommodated the low necklines of Late Colonial/Revolutionary period gowns produced for the Felicity Merriman character (also introduced in 1991). Additional face molds were later developed for other dolls, and the line to date includes ten characters covering the period 1764 to 1974.

The "Best Friends" line was introduced in 2004; supplemental characters from the core book series were created in doll form and marketed as 'best friends' for some of the Historical Characters. These 'Best Friend' dolls share the collections of the main characters, but each has her own book, and additional products are marketed under their names.

Kaya, 1764

Kaya (KY-yah) is a young Nez Perce girl. Her books feature stories about leadership, compassion, courage, and friendship. Two of Kaya's six books are award-winning. "Meet Kaya" was a 2002 New York Times Bestseller. Chronologically, Kaya's adventures are the earliest of the 10 historical characters. Kaya is the only Native American Historical doll. Kaya has a different face mold than the other dolls.

Felicity Merriman, 1774

Felicity Merriman is a red-headed, horse-loving colonial girl in Williamsburg, Virginia, who is caught between Patriot and Loyalist family and friends at the onset of the American Revolution. Themes in her core books include loyalty and staying true to one's ideals. Felicity was introduced in 1991, and was the first new doll introduced after the initial three characters. Many items from Felicity's collection were retired in the early 2000s but following the success of the made-for-TV adaptation of Samantha's stories, Felicity's core books were dramatized for Felicity: An American Girl Adventure, starring Shailene Woodley, aired on the WB on November 29, 2005, and new items were introduced in her collection.

Elizabeth Cole

Elizabeth Cole is Felicity's best friend, despite her Loyalist family leanings during the American Revolution. The Elizabeth doll was introduced in August 2005 as the second Best Friend doll, with a book written by author Valerie Tripp. The character, played by Katie Henny, was prominently featured in Felicity: An American Girl Adventure. In the original Felicity book illustrations, Elizabeth had brown hair and eyes. The character's appearance was revised to that of blue-eyed blonde with the release of the Felicity DVD and Elizabeth doll. Later editions of the Felicity books were re-illustrated to reflect these changes and edit Elizabeth's physical description.

Josefina Montoya, 1824

Josefina Montoya is a young Mexican girl living in New Mexico with her extended family. She and her family must adapt following the death of their mother and the introduction of their mother's sister Tía Dolores to the family circle. Themes include adjustment to loss, day-to-day life of the Mexican people, and the cultural and societal changes and influences that occurred once Mexico opened trade routes with the US. Josefina's family speaks Spanish and there are Spanish words and phrases in her books which are defined in the glossary.

Kirsten Larson, 1854

Kirsten Larson is a Swedish immigrant who settles in the Minnesota Territory with her extended family. She faces the hardships, challenges, and adaptations necessary to adjust to life in America such as learning to speak English. Kirsten was one of the first three dolls produced by American Girl in 1986. Unlike many of the dolls, Kirsten's books have maintained their original illustrations (with the exception of the covers). On September 25, 2009, American Girl customers began receiving letters from the company announcing the pending archiving of Kirsten and her collection, which was subsequently announced on the company's website on September 28, 2009. Kirsten was officially 'archived' on the AG website on January 1, 2010.

Addy Walker, 1864

Addy Walker was the fifth doll added to the Historical line and remains the company's only African-American character. Her character is a fugitive slave who escapes with her mother from a plantation in South Carolina to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the American Civil War. Addy's stories explore themes of freedom, familial love, prejudice and racism. The six book series was written by Connie Porter and originally illustrated by Melodye Rosales and Bradford Brown, but were later redrawn by Dahl Taylor.

Samantha Parkington, 1904

Samantha is an only child growing up during the Edwardian period (although American Girl designated her as Victorian). Orphaned at age five and raised by her wealthy Victorian-era grandmother in fictional Mount Bedford, New York, Samantha befriends a poor servant girl named Nellie O'Malley. Eventually Samantha, Nellie and Nellie's young sisters are adopted by Samantha's uncle and aunt. Samantha book themes include women's suffrage, child labor, and classism.

Red Om Productions produced "Samantha, An American Girl Holiday," in cooperation with American Girl. The show premiered on WB Television Network, Samantha: An American Girl Holiday in November 2004 and was released to DVD soon thereafter.

American Girl introduced the concept of 'archiving' in October 2008 when it announced plans to cease production of Samantha and collection (including Nellie). Samantha was then officially archived on May 31, 2009.

Nellie O'Malley

Nellie O'Malley, Samantha's best friend, is an Irish immigrant who works for Samantha's neighbors and is befriended by Samantha. She personifies the working-class immigrant experience of the time and teaches Samantha about the conditions faced by children who are part of the work force. Nellie and her sisters are orphaned and later adopted by Samantha's relatives.

In 2004, American Girl introduced a new line of Best Friend dolls with Nellie O'Malley debuting as Samantha's Best Friend in conjunction with the Samantha DVD release. Nellie was marketed with a small collection of clothing and a book written by Valerie Tripp, Nellie's Promise, which chronicles the character's growth and adjustment to her recent adoption. As Nellie was part of Samantha's collection, she was "archived" at the same time as Samantha.

Rebecca Rubin, 1914

Rebecca Rubin, American Girl's tenth historical character, debuted on May 31, 2009. She is a nine-year-old Jewish girl of Russian descent whose maternal grandparents and parents immigrated to the Lower East Side of New York City. Rebecca is fascinated by the then-budding film industry and aspires to become an actress despite her family's disapproval. Her six book series was written by Jacqueline Dembar Greene and focuses on issues related to assimilation of immigrants while maintaining familial, religious, and cultural traditions.

Kit Kittredge, 1934

Kit Kittredge faces the hard times of the early years of the Great Depression in Cincinnati, Ohio, as her family struggles to adjust to the realities of the economy after her father's job loss and disappearance, causing Kit to spend much of the book seeking him. Introduced in 2000, Kit's full name is Margaret Mildred Kittredge, and Kit as a family nickname. Kit's core series of books was written by Valerie Tripp and illustrated by Walter Rane.

A feature film Kit Kittredge: An American Girl was released to theaters on July 2, 2008. Kit was played by Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail Breslin. Many new items were added to Kit's collection as product tie-ins to the movie. Kit is the second doll to have her own Nintendo DS game ("Kit Mystery Challenge") and is featured in a PC video game ("A Tree House of My Own").

Ruthie Smithens

Ruthie, Kit's "best friend," adores fairy tales and idolizes movie stars. An only child from an affluent family, she is generous and often tries to help Kit but sometimes wounds her friend's pride instead. Her accompanying book, "Really Truly Ruthie" by author Valerie Tripp, is set in late December 1932 and revolves around Ruthie's attempts to help the Kittredge family save their home from foreclosure. The fifth doll in the Best Friends collection, Ruthie was released July 1, 2008 with a small collection in anticipation of the Kit movie.

Molly McIntire, 1944

Molly McIntire is a young girl living in Jefferson, Illinois during the latter years of World War II. Her father is stationed in England as a doctor caring for wounded soldiers, and she must cope with the changes that the war has brought. Molly's series focuses on patriotism and the changes that come with wartime. Molly was the only doll to be sold with eyeglasses.

Emily Bennett

Emily Bennett, Molly's English friend is an English girl who is sent to America by her family to protect her from the intensity of the English battlefront during World War II. Originally a minor character temporarily residing with the McIntires in the book Happy Birthday, Molly!, Emily's character was expanded in a book by Valerie Tripp called "Brave Emily" for her debut as the third doll in the "Best Friends" collection on September 5, 2006. Emily's debut coincided with the premiere of the Molly made-for-TV movie. Since Emily is a minor character and not Molly's best friend, she was marketed instead as "Molly's English friend."

Julie Albright, 1974

Julie Albright is a young girl growing up in San Francisco, California in 1975-76. Her six book series, written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Robert Hunt, focuses on various changes and societal upheavals in American society during that time period: divorce, feminism, gender equality in school sports, environmentalism, and the disability rights movement. The America's Bicentennial celebration is also emphasized. Julie was released September 10, 2007 and is the first character portrayed from a divorced family by American Girl.

In 2008, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas reported that she was outlining a movie proposal entitled "Julie: An American Girl Musical." In December 2009, Julie: An American Girl Musical was officially announced as a planned theatrical release.

Ivy Ling

Ivy Ling, Julie's "best friend," is a Chinese American girl living in San Francisco. Good Luck, Ivy by Lisa Yee focuses on Ivy's conflict with her love of gymnastics and family traditions and responsibilities, and its "Looking Back" section discusses Chinese-American history. The Ivy doll debuted with Julie and was the first "Best Friend" doll to be released at the same time as the main character. Ivy is the only Asian American Historical character.

Oppose Efforts to Impose New Tax Burdens on the Internet | eBay Main Street - Public Policy and Breaking Ecommerce News

Oppose Efforts to Impose New Tax Burdens on the Internet eBay Main Street - Public Policy and Breaking Ecommerce News

Friday, July 9, 2010

NEW Handmade Birdhouses, Feeders and Hangers

Welcome Every Birdie!


NEW Handmade Birdhouses, Feeders and Hangers

Decorative, Log Cabin, Raised Panel


Our New Bird products are hand-finished in a beautiful stain and treated with Spar Urethane for exceptional protection from sunlight, rain/moisture and temperature changes.

Our Bird Houses are a permanent functional fixture for your feathered friends! To clean, simply swing open or take off the roof. No tools required!

Fully assembled and ready to hang or mount Looks Great mounted or hanging from a post, tree, other props or as an attractive item inside your home.

Wonderful For Any Home or Garden. Beautiful Gifts for Friends and Family!

Thank you for looking!

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Monday, May 24, 2010

Fun things to do with our doll furniture

Our Beautifully Hand Crafted Furniture
is designed to help make playtime more fun for children and enhances the way kids play with their dolls, teddy bears, beanie babies, stuffed animals and more!

Children love to take part in activities!
Picking out colors and patterns, painting or staining, adding rub-ons or stencils can be very exciting for children and it helps them to be more creative. It can also give them a great sense of confidence and accomplishment.

HaleyPainting

Our doll beds are stackable and some are reversible
All of our pieces (designed for the American Girl Doll) can be interchangeable. Buy One, two, three, four, or more beds and they can all stack on top of eachother. They can also be turned upside down and used in different ways. Our Canopy bed (bed with scalloped sides) was designed for just this purpose. It can stack on top of another bed and act as a bunk bed or it can be turned upside down and used as a (wooden) canopy bed. The two beds can also unstack and be used as 2 separate beds.
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Our Trundle beds are designed so the drawer is attached
This way, the drawer can be opened and used while the bed is stacked on top of another bed. The drawer was also designed so that the American Girl Doll could be stored in there and the drawer can be closed at the same time. The drawer can be used as a Doll Storage, a Trundle bed, or for storing Accessories. This trundle bed set is a bed and drawer combo. They are sold as one unit and not sold separately. The bed is a little taller than our standard beds to allow for the drawer to be deep enough. You can use this bed in combination with our other beds and we do offer this bed with Scalloped sides.
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FUN THINGS TO DO WITH OUR FURNITURE

Easter Bunny Bed Basket
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Other Uses for our doll beds and benches
Stackable Bench Doll Display Stackable Bench Book Shelf

Count the Tree Rings

Tree rings can actually tell you how old a tree is because the trees produce a new ring each year. A new ring forms in between the most recent ring and the bark of the tree. This causes the tree to grow wider with one ring marking each year.

Notice the dark parts of the circle and the lighter parts. These represent the seasons of growth. The lighter parts of the rings are when the tree was growing in the spring. The dark spots of the circles tell you when the tree was growing in the late summer and the fall seasons. By looking at the color of the rings, you can read what season it was created.

Learn the terminology the scientists use. Dendrochronology is what scientists call using trees to measure time. When you begin counting the tree rings, you are actually measuring time using a tree.

Start counting the rings from the middle of the tree. Don't start from one side and work your way to the other side or you will be counting each ring twice. Start at the middle and choose an end to work towards. Count each ring only once; this will tell you how many rings the tree has.

Check the thickness or thinness of the ring. Reading a tree ring this way can tell you what the climate was like each year the tree was growing. The better and more ideal the tree's growing conditions were in a particular year, the fatter the ring will be. If the tree didn't get enough water one year, you can expect to see a very thin ring.

Combine all of these things to read about the tree's life. If the tree has a light, thin ring just two rings in from the bark, you can tell that two years ago in the spring there wasn't enough water for the tree. If you see that five rings in, there is a dark thick ring, you can safely say that five years ago in the late summer or early fall, the tree had plenty of rainfall and ideal conditions for growing.