AmericanGirlFan

Doll Craft: Make a Patriotic Pinwheel Hairclip!

America's Independence Day is right around the corner and I'm so excited! I love celebrating the 4th of July and everything that comes with it--the delicious food, fireworks, and swimming! Today I'm going to show you how to give your doll's style a little red, white, and blue...

These patriotic pinwheel hairclips are so cute and super easy to make too! Let's get started!

First you'll need some supplies:

• Red Felt 
• White felt
• Scissors
• Plain hairclip
• Blue Button
• Glue or Hot Glue Gun (Look, I got a new pink one! haha)
• Sewing Needle & Thread
• Star rhinestones or stickers (optional)

When you have everything you need, cut out two squares of your red and white felt. They need to be 2 inches long and wide.

Then, stack the white square on top of the red one. (If you use red felt with glitter on it, make sure the glitter side is face down on the table)

With your scissors carefully cut through each corner towards the middle, but don't cut all the way. Leave about a half inch from the middle.

When you're done, you will have four triangles and it should look something like this.

Now fold down every LEFT corner of the triangles, this will make the pinwheel!

Poke your sewing needle through the middle to hold all the pieces in place.

Here's a little trick to make sewing this easier: Thread & knot your needle while it is still poked through the pinwheel, and then pull through.

Continue sewing down the pieces of the pinwheel until it is secure.

Then sew on the blue button!

As a final touch, I put on one of these star sticker rhinestones I found at Michael's Craft Store. I thought they were so cute!! :)

Finally, glue the clip onto the back of your pinwheel. Make sure the glue is all dry before putting the clip in your doll's hair.

>And, ta-daa! You've made a beautiful patriotic hairclip so your doll can show her American pride!

Rebecca loves it and can't wait for the 4th of July to get here!

I hope you have fun making one for your doll! If you do I'd love to see! Feel free to send me a picture at [email protected] 

Happy crafting!! :)

Sponsor Spotlight Sunday: Generation Grit!

I'm so excited to introduce you all to one of my new sponsors, Generation Grit! Generation Grit is a new company that brings to life a collection of characters, inspiring boys to live their best adventure. Each character has an adventure figure, books, and accessories—all created to spark hours of reading and imaginative play. Their currently on KickStarter to jumpstart their business.

I got to talk with Laura, the founder of Generation Grit and can't wait to share the interview with you!

How did you get the idea for Generation Grit and Mac Mason? What was your inspiration?

The idea first hit me while I was sipping pink lemonade at the American Girl Café with my then eight-year-old daughter Ella and her doll, Kit, from the Great Depression era. Our conversation hopped between historical norms during Kit’s life to more personal thoughts on Ella’s hopes and dreams. I love how the American Girl stories have inspired all three of my girls over the years. As I relished the sweet time with my daughter, I began to wonder about similar toys for my son.

There is a welcome new trend in toys for girls: fantastic toys and books that encourage young girls to reach for the stars, like Roominate, Goldieblox, IamElemental, and of course, American Girl!

But where are the toys and stories that encourage and motivate boys to be their best? I decided to make some.

What is the mission of Generation Grit?

Generation Grit aims to fill the gap by providing male character-based toys who show their strength through adventure, empathy, imagination, and grit, instead of big muscles or superhero powers.

Don’t get me wrong–I love superheroes, but I also long for my son to have heroes who are adventurous, regular boys willing to try, fail, learn and grow. All boys deserve to see themselves in the messages behind Generation Grit, and we want to teach them that there is more than one kind of strong.

Can you tell us a bit more about the Mac Mason story and his character?

Fourteen-year-old Mac Mason’s story takes place in 1943 on the home front during World War II. Although Mac is an avid baseball player, he feels overshadowed when his athletic British cousin William comes to California to escape the London bombings. Things change when the two uncover clues to a fraudulent rations ring, and they have to work together to save a friend from being falsely accused. Mac's adventures include dealing with smugglers and ciphers, solving mysteries, and taking an epic camping trip.

While the book revolves around Mac’s adventures and the ration mystery, it also walks through important issues of friendship, ego, and courage. The World War II context provides visibility into an important time in American history through the eyes of a boy. The book is intended for middle grade readers, ages eight to 12.

Did you have a favorite doll or toy growing up?

I loved my Cabbage Patch doll. Her name was Hettie Felice, and my parents braved quite the line one year to get her at Toys R Us. I also loved Legos growing up. American Girl didn’t launch until I was in high school, and when I first saw one (Kirsten), I wished she had been around when I was a girl!

Is there anything else you’d like to tell my readers?

Just as girls deserve more options than Barbie, boys deserve more than Ken or G.I. Joe.

Let’s celebrate that boys can be strong through more than just muscles. If you love American Girl, you’ll love Generation Grit for the boys in your life. Click here to reserve your Mac Mason and other rewards from Generation Grit. (Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing platform, so if we don’t reach our goal, no funds are collected at all. Your credit card is only charged if the goal is reached.)

Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us, Laura!! Be sure to go check out the Kickstarter and the Generation Grit website and take a look at their great products!

Hope you all enjoy your Sunday! :)

Mary's Remedies Gift Shop Doll Treats Giveaway!

Julie and Ivy were the first to arrive at the picnic and couldn't wait to show each other what yummy desserts they brought!

Julie brought a lemon meringue pie and it couldn't look more delcious (or realistic!).

It's made out of clay, inside a metal tin. It can't be removed or cut, but it still looks amazing!

Ivy brought brownies covered in delicious green icing!

They look soooo good! :)

These were made by Katie from Mary's Remedies Gift Shop, a shop filled to the brim with extremely realistic doll food! We love them! Katie makes lots of yummy treats by hand for American Girl dolls, each one unique.

Julie and Ivy love their treats so much, they want to share them with one lucky American Girl Fan!

We're giving away 4 Brownies and 1 Lemon Meringue pie, generously provided by Katie! (Plate isn't included)

Are you ready to enter to win?!

Here's How:

-First have a Parent's permission (if you are under 18)-you will have to give me your home address if you win.

-In your comment say that you would like to enter

-Go visit Mary's Remedies Gift Shop. (<--Click the link) Then come back to tell me what other treat your doll would love!

-Say your name or nickname (tell me in the comment or sign the comment with your name)

-Make sure that the email address you use to publish your comment is the one I can contact you by.

Be sure to follow those instructions! Also, I can ship only to the U.S.A. and Canada. You can only enter once, one entry per person.

The last day to enter is July 4th, 2014 Midnight EST. I will pick and reveal the winner on July 5th 2014. I will pick the winner randomly.

When you write your comment to enter it will be saved until I approve your comment. This means you won't see your comment right away, but it will be posted. Please be patient and it will appear after I approve it.

If you are unsure of how to comment or have questions about my giveaways you can find the answers in My Frequently Asked Questions Page. Also, feel free to ask me by comment or email.

Julie, Ivy, and I wish good luck to all who enter!