A Dutch Braid for Addy

My friends and I are going to a fancy dress party on Tuesday and, since one of my friends has incredibly long hair, I jumped at the opportunity to give her a fancy up do to match her dress. Of course, I have to practice before Tuesday. So, out came the dolls!

First step: take out the braids in Addy's hair.

Second step: Dutch braid it. A Dutch braid is a normal braid, except instead of braiding the strands over top of each other, you braid them underneath each other. You also add in strands like a French braid. If that made no sense, here's a Youtube tutorial (if the lovely people who did this tutorial ever see this post: thank you SO much for teaching me how to Dutch braid!):

Third step: Stand back and admire your work.

For this particular hairdo, I did something called a "Dutch flower braid." Again, apply to Youtube for further instructions.
I hope you enjoyed!

Live long and prosper.

SOMEBODY STOP ME!

SOMEBODY STOP ME BEFORE I TAKE A HATCHET TO AMERICAN GIRL!

Not only are the completely RUINING my childhood, they are setting themselves up to completely FAIL! At least, that is my deepest wish.

Once upon a time, American Girl was a company dedicated to teaching girls about history. They came out with quality dolls, quality books, and quality outfits that accurately portrayed the time period that the girl came from. (Not to mention that the company also explored the color pallete and deviated from something other than PINK.)

Now... ARGH! I am so angry, angry, angry.
"Historical" is too complicated and old fashioned a word, so American Girl has decided to rename their Historical dolls "BeForever" dolls.
Okay, first of all, "BeForever" isn't actually a real word... Second of all, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with history!

But that's not it...
They are retiring Marie-Grace and Cecile who, pardon me, only came out TWO years ago! Also, they are retiring Ruthie and Ivy. No more best friend dolls! Oh no. Because it today's society, it's not good to have friends. No, alienate yourself! Become best friends with the internet! Don't make friends! No, that would be weakness! (Okay, maybe that's not the reason they are getting rid of Ruthie and Ivy...)

That's not the worst part...
THEY ARE GETTING RID OF THE BOOKS!
YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT!
THEY ARE GETTING RID OF THE AMERICAN GIRL DOLL HISTORICAL BOOKS!
Oh, not completely, of course... Instead, they are going to CONDENSE the six books (which are already only what, five chapters long? Oh yes, that's way too long) into THREE.

And they are changing the outfits too, oh I'm sorry, did I hear you correctly? Into LESS historical outfits!
Just look at Addy's... Does that dress look like something a former SLAVE girl would wear during the CIVIL WAR?

 

A CLUE, NO! (And, by the way, that poor shawl totally doesn't go with the rich, royal blue fabric)

And here's another outrage...
Remember a few years ago when we received the devastating news that Samantha, the beloved favorite, and one of the original three dolls, was going to retire?
Guess what? She's coming back!
In American Girl's Email they basically said... "Oh, by the way, Samantha Parkington will be coming back too."

THIS article tells you more about the change. I agree with almost everything the person has to say.

ARGH.
Partly because of the changes, partly because it was so unexpected! Any warning? No! None what so ever! There were rumors, evidently, but I didn't hear any of them.

Well, American Girl, I have been a loyal customer for about ten years now. No longer. You have lost my business. I am completely fed up with the way you are botching the history of our country with your so-called "historical dolls" - ahem, I'm sorry... "BEFOREVER dolls." Your decision to get rid of the books has totally and completely made me lose the last shred of respect I had for you.

I've gone from being furious to wanting to throw up to crying.
American Girl used to be a company of integrity that cared more about teaching girls about the history of our country, about being polite, about caring for people, even about God. Since Pleasant Company was bought by Mattel, those morals have slowly begun to wobble, and now, I believe, they have completely toppled from their perch.

Now comes the part where I sit in shock.

Nightstand Books #2

Notice any similarities between this month's Nightstand Books (click the link for info) and the last one I participated in?
3 of the 4 books are the same! And the 4th from last time is the same author as a book on this month's pile.
So lets take an in-depth look at this month's Nightstand Books.

The top two books are books that I'm hoping to start in the next few weeks.
On the tippy topis The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle. I got this out of the library on impulse before we went on our trip, knowing that I could read it when I got back. Now, however, I'm not sure if I'll get to it before it has to go back.
Second down is Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. For my Church History course, I'm supposed to do projects. The course comes with project suggestions but so far I've mostly just made up my own. I'm just coming to the Crusades right now, and since Ivanhoe takes place during the Crusades, I thought why not read it for a project? It's kind of intimidating though... Especially with all those other books stacked up with it. There's a lot of big books in the pile!
Third is Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I actually finished this one a few days ago, but felt like I missed a whole pile of stuff because I was focusing mostly on plot and characters. Also, since I was reading it while on vacation, I wasn't reading it as critically as I would normally read a book for literature. So, on Monday, I did a whole pile of research on Great Expectations, looking at themes and character analysis and such, and then started the book again. Wow, I'm finding more and more reason to be amazed at this story! Look forward to a very detailed review in a few weeks time.
After that is The World of Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse which is an omnibus of all the Jeeves and Wooster short stories. I've read them all (and very recently too, because I only discovered wonderful Wodehouse in February!), but since they're light, fluffy reads, I figured why not read them again? Plus, these are all in chronological order of how they happen story wise, which I didn't have the first time 'round. Plus, the first time, I didn't have a beautiful omnibus version to read, but separate collections.
And after that is Agatha Christie's Autobiography. I think I'm going to take my time finishing this one, because of the other things on my reading list. Right now I'm at the point in her life where she's beginning to go out in company, and is thinking about courtship and marriage.
American Girl Doll Josefina's stories are next. This is a bind up of all six of her books. I've gotten through three of them now and am just about to start Happy Birthday, Josefina! I read the Josefina books once a long, long time ago, and could only remember bits and pieces of the plot. Before we left, I felt like I needed something light to read, along with the "heavier" books I was reading at the time. I'm so glad I picked Josefina! I'm really enjoying her stories, and I'm super, super impressed with the writing and the inclusion of God and moral principles in the story. Josefina and her sisters are taught to be polite to their elders, hard workers, to trust God in times of hardship and fright, and to dedicate their day to God in the morning. Who would have thought it possible from a secular company! Of course, Josefina's stories were written 15 or 20 years ago, and even in that small space of time, lots has changed in this world.
If you have little girls or know little girls, go forth and read them America Girl stories (at least Samantha, Kit, Kaya, Josefina, Kirsten, Molly, and Felicity). There is so much history packed into the stories (with the exception of Marie-Grace and Cecile) and, in the earlier books (I haven't read too many of the newer ones; only Marie-Grace and Cecile and Julie), good principles. The girls in these stories are truly role models!
At the bottom is Jane Austen's Letters which I'm about ready to give up on. I'm enjoying them, but what with a fast approaching due-date, and so many other books to read (on top of schoolwork and blog work and going to bed earlier), I think I might step away from Jane Austen's Letters. I wish Goodreads had a I'm-giving-up-on-this-book-no-I-don't-want-to-add-it-to-my-want-to-read-pile option. Maybe I just haven't looked far enough.

What are YOU reading?

Live long and prosper!

P.S. I still fully intend to post about our trip! I'm just finding time to write up long, thought-out blog posts a little scarce right now. Which is also why I haven't written up a review for Wuthering Heights, my last literature book. And I was doing so well being caught up...

My thoughts on the new Girl of the Year, Isabelle.

New year, new American Girl of the Year.

This is Isabelle. She's a dancer and also enjoys sewing costumes and clothes. When she's accepted into a prestigious dance school, she struggles with comparing herself to the other, better dancers. She must focus on her individual talents and gifts.
As far as American Girl's recent stories... this pretty much fits in right with their core message "follow your inner star." I like how the focus is on individual gifts, and not comparing yourself to others. I think that that's something that lots of girls struggle with. I know I've struggled with it in the past.
The doll herself has layered, caramel-colored hair and hazel eyes. She also comes with a pink hairpiece that you can clip underneath her hair to give her highlights. From what I've read/heard from reviewers of the doll, the hairpiece doesn't work that well and it's really hard to put in, and once it's in you can't see it that well.

On to Isabelle's clothing!
Isabelle's got lots of outfits... and the ridiculous thing is, nearly every individual piece of clothing is sold separately! Every piece costs $8-14.

You can mix and match the clothing up at the top for many unique looks... But $8-$14 for one of the above pieces of clothing? That's a lot of money... Especially for stuff that could you could easily make yourself. That plain pink shirt right in the middle, for example. $14! For a plain shirt!
She does have a few other outfits...

 

I don't understand this one... It looks like the dress is falling off (thank goodness for the shirt-thing underneath!). The belt, however, is very cute.

 

Then there's this outfit, which I think is adorable. I love the ballet-type shoes.

Finally there are Isabelle's pajamas. The pants look comfy, but who sleeps in sequins? I would imagine that would be very uncomfortable.

Now the furniture and accessories:

Isabelle's accessories come with a very cute jean jacket, a gold sequiny purse, some wrist warmers, a hairpiece, an ID, and a Metro pass. I these are pretty cute accessories (except for the purse. It looks like something from Build-A-Bear).

This is Isabelle's cat Tutu, who's pretty cute, though not handsome enough to tempt me.

This is a little case full of hair accessories and, it looks like, slippers in the pocket. This set costs a whopping $44! I can't believe it! Most of these things I have already... like the hairbands and bobby pins. I can't imagine paying $44 for a case of stuff that you could buy at the drug store.

This is Isabelle's dance barre. I don't even want to know how much it costs... but it's a pretty cool set.  2012's Girl of the Year, McKenna, had a balancing beam, which didn't seem very doll-appropriate, because all you can really do is stand the doll on the beam and hope she doesn't fall off (though for littler girls, they could twirl the doll around and pretend she's doing gymnastics).
This set seems a lot more doll-friendly. I saw a picture in the catalog of Isabelle standing with one foot on the barre, like ballet dancers do, and it looked pretty real! Plus, the accessories that come with the barre are pretty cool too. Though it's kind of weird that you have to buy the set just to get the ballet shoes... A money-making scheme, I deem. (You see, I am a poet, and you did not know it, what!)

Last but not least, you have Isabelle's sewing studio, which costs $275. It has a nice cabinet, which closes and has mirrors and a barre on the outside. It also has the mannequin, and a sewing machine and a poof (aka a tuffet... or a chair, depending on who you're talking to). It looks like there's nice storage and some nice accessories that come with set. I think it's super cool to have a doll that's into sewing, because today, it seems like girls are doing all they can do be less feminine.

So that's Isabelle's collection! Overall, it's an okay collection... I really like the basis for her stories, and the sewing theme. As for originality in the actual pieces of the collection... well, I don't think American Girl did a very good job.
Isabelle, for example, looks like a mix between 2010's Girl of the Year, Lanie (for face mold and eyes), and the Just Like You/My American Girl doll #39 (for face mold and hair).

(Sorry for the blurriness. The three pictures were all different sizes. Also... another thing to note... On American Girl's website, it looks almost like Isabelle has Felicity's bright green eyes. She doesn't. They are hazel.)

I also had this problem with McKenna... who had the exact same face mold and eye color as Chrissa, Girl of the Year 2009, and Saige, last year's Girl of the Year, who had nearly the same face as Nikki (who, I believe, was from 2007?). Also, the newest historical character Caroline, has very similar features as Lanie and several of the Just Like You/My American Girls.
What's up American Girl? There are plenty of different face pigmentations and eye colors and hair shades to chose from. Why keep choosing ones that look like other dolls? There's only ever been one dark-skinned Girl of the Year - Kanani from Hawaii. Why can't we have an African-American Girl of the Year? I think an African-American dancer named Isabelle who likes to sew would be an adorable addition to the world of American Girl.

Another problem I have with Isabelle's collection is all the pink and purple! You look at all of American Girl's outfits and accessories and nearly all of them have something pink or purple in them, and often both colors. Just take a look at Isabelle's pajamas. They're all a nice shade of purple... and then there's a random pink bow thrown in. Her black and gold tutu set looks very professional and smart... and then there's the pink flower. Her sewing room is all pink and purple. I'm getting very tired of the same colors in every single outfit.
American Girl's motto is "follow your inner star" and "be yourself."
What I really think they're trying to say is "be yourself by being like everyone else."

American Girl says to be yourself and follow your inner star... but underneath all of that... all of their dolls and outfits are starting to look exactly the same. Even their stories are all starting to sound alike. I recently read the Marie-Grace and Cecile books and was saddened to find out that they were mostly about character development, and not as much about the rich culture of New Orleans. Sure, the author told us about New Orleans, but it wasn't much more than that.
Marie-Grace went into the market and passed fruit stands with colored women in bright turbans selling their wares.
That was about as descriptive as it got. I wanted more history! More description! I wanted to feel like I was there with Marie-Grace!

Anyway, I should stop my ranting about American Girl. Every time I talk about them, I get just a bit upset and very sad. They were such an amazing company when their focus was on the historical characters, and making everything unique. Now, the focus is on the modern girls, and everything is pink, purple, and plastic. American Girl Dolls are turning into giant Barbies.

xD I'm kidding. Sort of...

So what do you think of American Girl's newest doll Isabelle? What about their change from historical and unique to Giant Barbie?

Live long and prosper!

Snow?

No.

 

Only frost.

The good things about American Girl.

Despite it's decline (see last blog post), American Girl still has a lot of endearing qualities.
First of all, the dolls are the most lifelike/beautiful that I've seen from a selection of eighteen inch dolls. There are so many different dolls to choose some - lots of variety - which is pretty cool. There's a doll for everyone!
The curly blond-haired MAG looks totally different than Felicity who looks totally different than Kaya.

The stories/accessories/outfits of the historical characters are so... historical! You can really learn a lot! Plus, the books are very well-written (including the mysteries and the history mysteries).

The dolls are so photogenic...

Plus, you can do all sorts of fun stopmotion/live action video things with them.

(from the episode City of the Edge of Forever)

 

Mostly, though... their stories are amazing.

 

Live long and prosper!

A (small turned big) rant directed towards American Girl.

Ever since 2006ish, American Girl have gone downhill in my opinion. For one, the dolls have become EXTREMELY expensive. They've always been expensive... $82 in the 1980's, when Pleasant Company first came out with Samantha, Molly, and Kirsten. But now prices have raised to $110 for just the doll and her first book.
Secondly, I feel like the company is less about "letting your inner star shine" and teaching history, and more about appearance and selling things. Nearly every single outfit has some sort of pink in it, even the historical outfits. Plus, the quality (not to mention quantity) has gone down as well. Now, you can buy pants, a shirt, shoes, and a hair clip for $30.

 

(My mom made me pants like that for free! $30 is a lot for a plain shirt, and a plain pair of pants. I could buy myself a new outfit for that much money! Either that or 3-10 new books, depending on the thrift store/second hand bookstore)

 

Pleasant Rowland, who started American Girl back in 1986 did so for two reasons: One, because there weren't any dolls on the market at the time specifically for 8-12 year olds. Two, to teach history to girls of that age range on a personal level, through stories told by the point of view of eight-year-olds.

I love American Girls for their stories. I think that they are incredibly historically rich for the projected age-range, and even for older people like me. I feel like the American Girl company of today is more about selling the products of their My American Girl (Just Like You) dolls, than giving us wonderful historical dolls.

After all, they have retired two of the dolls that come from some of the most important time periods in American history.

I'm talking about Felicity, from THE WAR FOR INDEPENDANCE! The creation of our nation as we know it! Sure, her stories still live... But the doll and her outfits, the visual aids that go with the presentation, are gone.

The second doll I'm talking about it Molly McIntire. American Girl is retiring her within the next few months.

 

 

(My Molly)

 

Molly comes from World War Two. Her stories, too, will live on... but I wonder, how many girls still read the historical character books? I'm sure lots do... But I'm also sure that a lot of girls would rather read the My American Girl books, and just play with the dolls.

Samantha has also been retired. She doesn't come from a super important time period in history... There were no wars or anything in 1904. But 1904 was during the Industrial Revolution. Things were changing. Edith Wharton was either writing or trying to get House of Mirth published... George M. Cohan was in New York trying to make it big... Debussy was composing... things were being invented... Women's roles were being questioned... Lots was happening. And Samantha's stories are a wonderful representation of that era. Every one who reads her books falls in love with Sam and her character.

So what dolls have "replaced" the historicals that have been retired?

Julie Albright from 1974 came out in 2008. I've never really been fond of Julie... Just because of personal preference. She's a rather simple-looking doll, with straight blond hair and brown eyes. Plus, I'm not overly fond of the face mold... I don't like the big-lipped dolls (an exception with the ethnic dolls like Josefina and Addy).

 

 

Plus, I'm not sure that 40 years ago should be considered historical... The 1970's certainly is an interesting time, and I did really enjoy Julie's books, and her collection is sooo funky. It's super cool. But, still... the '70's wasn't that long ago. Are they trying to say that my mom is historical?

Rebecca Rubin. I see her as Samantha's replacement. For one, she's from only ten years after Samantha - in 1914. Instead of portraying an important event in history, I believe that Rebecca's storyline deals with her Jewish roots, and her passion for theater... I'm not sure, I still have to read her books.

After Rebecca, Marie-Grace and Cecile came out. They are unique in that they are friends, but they are both the main characters in the books. I haven't read their books either... but I know that they live in New Orleans in the mid-1800's during the yellow fever outbreak. They are alright... Their outfits are crazy and represent what I know of New Orleans well.

The latest doll American Girl has come out with is the one I'm most happy about... Caroline Abbott. Though, like Julie, she is a rather plain-looking doll... her story is set during the War of 1812, a war that not too many people study a lot about. I thinks that's rather cool.

 

Anyway, a lot of that is my personal opinion...

 

On top of all that opinion and the expense of the dolls and their accessories, it slightly annoys me that the My American Girl's come with codes to put them online. What are they, Webkinz? (Although I think that Webkinz is owned by Mattel too... I'm not sure).

 

And the final part of this rant...

Do they even read the books? Kit is my main example. She doesn't like pink. She's a tomboy. She says in the first book that her mom redecorated her room in pink with frills, and she doesn't like it. She moves up to the attic when they open up their house to be a boarding house... She misses her room, but she doesn't miss the frills.

Yet, somehow, American Girl has managed to retire most of the outfits from the books, and replace them all with outfits from the movie (which I don't mind so much... some of them are cute). Of course, they also replaced the outfits with PINK clothes! On Kit Kittredge!

Look at this outfit:

 

 

It's pink, and it's lacy, and it's frilly. Not to mention it's kind of fancy for the Great Depression. Kit's family is barely making it, even with the rent from the borders. They have to sell eggs for a few extra cents, and Aunt Millie's thrift secrets help them lots (such as cutting toast into triangles to make bread last longer). Sure, Kit's mother could have made Kit this dress... but material probably would have cost money that the Kittredge family did not have.

And how about Kit's new PJ's and bedspread? They are both pink. I liked her old bedspread better... It was blue and shaggy, like something that the Kittredge family would have in the '30's. Her new bedspread is not only pink, but it looks like a comforter you could buy at the mall today - not something the Kittredge's would have, unless Kit somehow stole it out of her old room (right out from under Sterling and his mother).

 

Anyway... I'm going to stop ranting now. I still love American Girl, especially the books. So...

 

Live long and prosper!

 

 

(Woohoo, for Doll Trek!)







After the Twelfth Night book trailer and cover reveal! (Thus the panic beings)

Hi everyone! I have been looking forwards to this day for the past week! It's October 1, so that means I get to show you After the Twelfth Night's trailer and cover!

So first a little bit of history, because I'm evil and want to prolong the waiting... Personally, I think book trailers are kind of odd, because it's a book, not a movie. And I wasn't going to do one. But then I thought 'hey, dolls!' and the trailer was born. I have more to talk about, but I'm going to save that for another post (or several) on how I made the trailer.
Now a note on the new cover... I had an old cover. Most of you have probably seen it. But I wasn't happy with it. It wasn't a POW cover. It was a someone-threw-that-together cover (which is pretty much what I did way back when). So I asked my dad if he could draw me a new cover and he said yes! (He's the best dad in the world, by the way.) That's where the new cover comes from. Perhaps I'll talk more about that in a later post too...

Now, the trailer!

The new cover:

Thank you SO much, Daddy, for investing the time to make this for me! And for putting up my incessant questioning whether you were going to work on it. It means the world to me.

As you can see, I have chosen the name A.G. Werff to publish under...

And now that these two big loads have been lifted (the trailer and cover) I can start panicking. Editing is far from being over with, plus I have yet to plan my NaNoWriMo novel! AH! Only 31 days! Until NaNo and publishing!

 Live long and prosper!

How did Sherlock suvive the fall? He fell on a pillow, of course!

I had another video to show you... But I can't find it! I lost it in my files. So I'll have to go searching for it another day.
Until then, enjoy this!

I filmed that sometime at the beginning of the year... January or February. I was gonna add more to it... But then decided not to. So I put it together tonight haphazard-like. I don't even think the clips are in the right order (to coincide with BBC Sherlock's version). Ah, well.

Live long and prosper!

La de da.

I have been filming scenes for my book trailer the past two days. Lots of stopmotion... It's very tricky. Here is a sneak preview:

 

BEWARE the Phantom Knee!!!

Tonight I have been re-organizing my doll cabinet while reminiscing about my childhood. Namely Thomas the Tank Engine and Shining Time Station. And Between the Lions and Theodore Tugboat. And there's always Old Bear Stories and Arthur and Dragon Tales..... They really don't make TV like they used to.
Especially Thomas. He used to be a real train. Now he's just CGI and he looks horrible. Did you know Ringo Starr (former Beatle) did Thomas' voice for the first two seasons? I think that's really cool! I was watching an interview with him where he was talking about Thomas. He said that one of the reasons he agreed to do it was because they were going to make it look good - not cheap. Well, Ringo, you predicted the future because now Thomas looks cheap. His other reason for doing it was because he's good with kids - he used to be one when he was younger.

Anyway...

Live long and prosper.

The one where I talk about my book cover.

I have gleaned from several of my friends that the book cover is one of the hardest parts of publishing. For me, it is extremely easy. Probably because my cover is already done and has been done for two years.
Two years ago, however, I remember having an EXTREMELY hard time with it.
My cover picture is a painting by Ivan Aivazovsky, a Russian painter from the 1800's, known for his seascapes.

I liked this painting because of the ship in the background. I thought it fit After the Twelfth Night very well.

I didn't just want my cover to be the painting, however, so I added a picture of me - as Antonio from a production of Twelfth Night that I was in in 2009 - to the cover (I believe I used Gimp, but I'm not sure).

 

It was too bright, however, so I started experimenting with color.

 

Too light.
Sometime in the process, I experimented with a different Ivan Aivazovsky painting (which has now become the back cover of the book; without my face):

 

Eventually I came up with this cover:

 

But, as most of you know, my computer got wiped somehow last spring, therefore losing that particular cover. Luckily, I had some uploaded onto photobucket, so I still have most of my work. Just not that particular cover. And I can't figure out what I did to make that cover look like it does. I half wonder if the publishing thing I went with last time (to get my four copies) kind of changed the color....
Anyway, I've been kind of poking around with the cover again today, experimenting with different colors.
This is what I came up with:

 

Haha just kidding. That was me being bored. (My mom's comment: "I'm so glad she can keep herself entertained.")

This is the real cover (which I'm not altogether sure about... is the lettering too dark? Is it too hard to read?):

Enough about that. I've been working on my secret project today. Here are some pictures to muddle with your brains:

 

(Dolls playing Dominion???????!!)

 

(Dolls dressed in interesting costumes?????!!)

 

(RUTHIE WITH GLASSES AND BUNNY SLIPPERS??????? [Anyone who has read the Meet the Dolls page knows that Ruthie is a bit of a fashionista and does NOT - I repeat - does NOT like appearing sloppily dressed] And is that a sword that the doll-in-white-pants is holding?)

 

Live long and prosper!