AmericanGirlFan

Q & A With Liz: Christmas Excitement!

Hi Girls! I'm back with a brand-new Q & A video to share with you...and guess who joined me again today? Hope and I had a lot of fun answering your questions, thanks again for sending them!

{You can also watch on the AmericanGirlFan Youtube channel! Like and subscribe!}

Q: What do you think of the Girl of the Year 2015? How would you want her to look like? ~TheLittlePauline

A: Awesome question! In the video our answers drifted to what we'd like other Girl of the Year dolls to be, haha. But, we are very excited about the Girl of the Year 2015! Not much has been officially said about the doll (and I tend to not read into a lot of spoilers unless AG says it), but we can't wait to see! We'd love for her to have a new facemold, just any kind of different look to her. :)

Q: What doll do you want to buy next? ~Flower Girl

A: As for me (Liz), Caroline is on my wish list! She's so pretty, and I just love her blonde hair and want to to do styles on it. Unless, I like the GOTY 2015, I hope to get Caroline. Hope says she's content with the dolls she has now, but you never know! ;)

Q: What are you most looking forward to this Christmas season? ~Jaclynn

A: EVERYTHING!!! haha I love the whole time of year and the unique feeling of Christmas that isn't like any other time. We're excited about making homemade gifts, giving to our friends and family, making Christmas cards to send to people (and maybe even you!), wearing winter clothes, and watching Christmas movies on the couch with a nice cup of tea and wrapped in a blanket. Ahh! :)

Q: Do you recommend Mia? I really like her and would like to purchase her off Ebay someday. ~Shelby-Grace

A: Yes, I definitely recommend her! She's one of my favorites and her hair is the most easiest of all my dolls to care for, it hardly tangles. She is so photogenic too and can pull off any fashionable look! She's a great doll! I hope you can find her for a good price on Ebay! :)

Q: How do you get such good lighting on your photos when you're inside? ~Carli

A: What I do, is always take photos near a window to let natural light shine through. I never use the flash on my camera, I love natural best! I also position my doll a certain way so there aren't any shadows, don't be afraid to turn your doll's head or move her arms to pose her in a realistic way. :) Also, the lighting depends on the background of your photo, like the color of the walls. Certain colors will darken or brighten a doll picture. Hope this helps you!!

Well, that's a wrap for this Q &A! Thanks for your questions! Feel free to comment below with more questions you'd like me to answer. 

"See" you next week! ;)

Q & A With Liz: Doll Hats and Sneaky Cats!

Hi Girls! I'm back with a brand-new Q & A video to share with you! Thanks again for all your questions, I loved them! (You can see the answers below too)

{You can also watch on the AmericanGirlFan Youtube channel! Like and subscribe!}

Q: What is your favorite blogging category, photoshoots, crafts, ect? ~Kathryn

A: I absolutely love photoshoots! I sometimes spend hours taking doll photos, because I like it so much and lose track of time. I also love making my crafts, I've always enjoyed crafts. My mom would pull out lots of craft supplies when I was younger and I thought making something out of a few materials was so cool! Whenever you all share your opinions and we have discussions, that's fun too. Really everything I do here on AmericanGirlFan, I love!

Q: What are some tips for saving up for an American Girl doll? ~God'sGirl

A: Yay, that's so awesome you are saving up! The #1 way to save is to not spend. Put that extra money away in a safe place so that your not tempted to use it. And, this is silly, but don't have any money in your purse or wallet. If you don't have it with you, you can't spend it! Some other ways you can save money is by keeping the money you get for your birthday or christmas, or ask for money instead of an item. Ask your parents or family if you could do extra chores or things around the house that could go towards your savings. It's great to learn how to save now! I also did a post awhile back on this, you can see it here: http://www.americangirlfan.com/2012/02/ways-to-save-for-american-girl-items.html Hope you have fun with your new doll, saving will be so worth it! :)

Q: Have you ever returned an AG product? What was it? Did you get something new instead? ~FlowerGirl

A: I've never had to return an American Girl product through the mail. But, back in 2006 on my first trip to the Chicago AG store, I had bought Elizabeth's Holiday Gown. Though, when I opened it up in the store, I saw I had Felicity's instead! So, we went up to the counter to exchange it, but one of the workers had told us that Elizabeth's Holiday Gown wasn't available. (I freaked out a little inside since I wanted it, haha) That person had been wrong though and I eventually got the dress...whew, how tedious! I know my parents have had to return AG items they had gotten me for Christmas before. That makes sense though, since American Girl is extremely busy during the holiday season!

Q: Where do you want to live when you grow up and why? ~Kate

A: Kentucky! haha I'd like to stay in Kentucky, since this is where most of my family lives and where my people are. If I did move far away, I'd live in Tennessee, since that is one of my favorite states...so gorgeous there! But, yes, I'd like to live not too far away from my parents so I can still talk with them and visit when I'm married and have my own kids. :)

Q: Would you reccommend Josefina? Me and my friend want her for Christmas? ~Lainey

A: Yes, totally! Josefina is such a beautiful doll and her hair is so silky. Hope has an older Josefina and I know the new one is just as pretty. I hope you have lots of fun with her if you get her!

Q: Do you have any tips on keeping your doll clean during photoshoots? ~AJ

A: For outdoor photos, bring an American Girl doll hairbrush with you. Dolls can get a lot of fly aways, especially if it's windy. Also, be careful if your doll falls in the grass, because sometimes grass stain can get on your doll's skin. That can easily come off with some soap and water though. :) For indoors, my dolls don't usually get too messy unless I'm using some crazy props (like pumpkins for instance.) Just keep your doll's hair looking nice since that can really enhance a photo. The doll's face is the first thing we see and if she's having a bad hair day it can effect the picture. Hope this helps! :)

In the video I talked about my mom's new crochet hats you can buy on her Etsy shop. They are so cute!! Be sure to take a look at them here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/smilingrabbit

Well, that's a wrap for this Q &A! Thanks for your questions! Feel free to comment below with more questions you'd like me to answer. 

"See" you next week! ;)

Q & A With Liz: Photography Love!

Hi Girls! I'm back with a brand-new Q & A video to share with you! Thanks again for all your questions, I loved them! (You can see the answers below too)

{You can also watch on the AmericanGirlFan Youtube channel! Thumbs up and subscribe!}

Q: I'm looking for a new camera to buy to take better pictures for my blog--any suggestions? ~Jaclynn

A: Ooh, I like this question! My sister Hope has a Canon Powershot A4000 IS (Similar to this one) and I totally recommend the powershots! They are so portable and easy to take along with you. For a long time I used a Canon Powershot (similar to this one) to take my doll pictures and I LOVED it. Beautiful quality with Canons. Other than that, I've only used Kodak which wasn't too great. I know a lot of people who like Nikon Coolpix cameras as well. It just depends on what you want you want in a camera, each one has different kinds of settings, zoom, and megapixels (the higher number, the sharper quality). I've bought all my cameras at Best Buy and they occasionally have sales, so watch out for those! At the moment I use a DSLR camera, Canon Rebel T3i which has many settings and removable lenses. I had to wait a few years and saved up graduation money to buy it and it was well worth the wait! I've always believed the saying that it isn't the camera, it's the photographer! If you have an amazing eye for photography, any camera will be great. Hope you love whatever camera you get :)

Q: What time of day do you think is the best time to take pictures of dolls outside? ~Christian Homeschooler

A: I think you can take doll pictures at any time of day, just make sure to find a shadowed spot! Direct sunlight can make your dolls face and eyes look really dark. My absolute favorite time of day to take photos is what photographers call "The Golden Hour", which is the last hour of sunlight before the sun sets. It is gorgeous and I take most of my pictures at 5 or 6 o'clock during the Summer. It's different during the winter with the daylight savings change (that always confuses me!). But, yes, sunset is beautiful! If you're an early bird the first hour of sunlight is pretty too! 

Q: What doll do you most recommend? I am saving up! ~Hannah

A: That is so good you are saving for a doll! The one I recommend the most is Rebecca. It's funny because I didn't like her much at all when she came out, but she has grown to be my favorite doll! (Shh don't tell my other dolls). Kit is always a great choice if you don't have her too! Caroline, even though I don't have her...haha. I want her. I'm not as familiar with the My American Girl line of dolls since I only have Abbey which is an older "Girl of Today" (way before it AG changed it up). (EDIT: I forgot to mention Kenley, My AG with brown curly hair and hazel eyes! Oops! She is Hope's doll though. I LOVE her and recommend her.) I like the newest My AG that looks a bit like Saige, I saw pictures recently of her and wow, she's gogreous. I don't think you can't go wrong with any doll you choose. Hope you have fun with her!

Q: What are some of your hobbies? ~Sara

A: I have a lot! I love photography, writing, reading, shopping, watching movies and Neflix (the addiction is real haha), crafts, making handmade cards, and spending time with my family (forgot to say that in the video, but that I do more than anything else!) :)

Q: What is the Girl of the Year doll you regret not getting the most? ~Julia

A: Probably Kanani. I love her face mold and long curly hair! I'd love to do some hairstyles on her hair. Also, Jess. I have Ivy with the same face, but it's my favorite style of AG facemolds. So cute!! 

Well, that's a wrap for this Q &A! Thanks for your questions! Feel free to comment below with more questions you'd like me to answer. 

"See" you next week! ;)