Happy Halloween!

Today is the BIG DAY- it's Halloween! Tied for first place with Hanukkah & Christmas as my favorite holiday(s). I can never decide, but I've learned to accept it. Last week I promised a special review post and I'm happy to follow through on that. Today I'll be reviewing a regency ballgown created by Elizabeth over at Pemberley Threads on Etsy. Her shop specializes in historical and fantasy clothing for 18" dolls.

The Regency era includes some of my favorite fashions, so I immediately knew that I wanted this outfit for Caroline. I've been looking at ways to supplement her collection since her retirement. The outfit includes the dress, a necklace, and a ribbon headband.

The necklace is threaded with gold seed beads and has a jeweled pendant hanging in the center. It fastens with a lobster clasp. There are two main things I love about this piece. One, that it accents the outfit without looking gaudy. There have been plenty of bejeweled items offered by AG, a lot of them too big or too cheap looking. Felicity's Gala Gown monstrosity is the first item that comes to mind here. Two, it is the perfect length for this outfit. Necklaces that are either too short or too long for the outfit they go with is another pet peeve of mine. An example is the pearl necklace that comes with Cecile's Special Day outfit. This necklace avoids being both of these things and thus earns a solid A from me.

The headband is pretty straightforward. It's comprised of a black and gold ribbon twisted around each other and banded with elastic on one side. You have to monkey with it a little to get the colors and twist sitting right, but otherwise the elastic keeps it secure and it's easy to get on and off. It's a beautiful accent and I like it. A.

The dress itself is a black silk ballgown and a sheer net overlay. The dress fastens with snaps, which I have to say is so nice when dealing with Caroline's hair. No matter how careful I am it always finds a way to the velcro on her other outfits. The sheer layer features a dotted print as well as elbow length sleeves and a train with hand sewn beading. The bottom of the sheer layer is sewn with a gold trimming. I have no other words for it- it's intricate, it's gold, it trims the gown. I'm sure there's an actual word for what it is. Needless to say it is beautiful and really brings this dress to another level. I actually sat drifting Caroline over my coffee table to see how the train 'moved' with her. The colors of this dress are gorgeous and perfect for Fall, the handiwork is incredible. This is a piece that will definitely hold up in the hands of a collector. A+.

The bottom line? I couldn't be happier with this outfit. It's a safe bet that Caroline will stay in it until it's time to change into her holiday dress. I cannot recommend Pemberley Threads enough and already have my eye on some of her other offerings.

Hope you all enjoy this Halloween!

Shannon

Meet the new addition: Willa James

It's hard to believe it's been over a month since I last posted. Things have been pretty busy on my end. We spent half of the last month assisting in moving my mother in law and the second half moving ourselves. While I'm farther away from an AGP, I am closer to the city and that makes me happy. It also helps that our new apartment has huge windows and fantastic lighting for indoor photographs.

If it wasn't already obvious, the past couple of weeks were incredibly stressful. In addition I've been seeing a therapist for the first time since college to start the hard work on my anxiety, depression and PTSD. (I'm going to take a quick moment to say that it is so important to spread awareness on mental illness and there is no shame in seeking help.) This leg work has left me exhausted and has been bringing forward memories and feelings I've been locking up for a long time.

During this time I saw that a fellow collector was selling her #49. This doll has been on my wishlist for some time, and so today I am introducing Willa James Hart! She is the closest to being a mini-me personality wise. Her interests include Disney, reading, catching up on her favorite TV shows, fairy tales, history, and Harry Potter. Right now her and I are both enjoying anything to do with zombies- we even started watching the Walking Dead last night. She is the dancer in my group of girls. Three words to describe her would be introverted, studious, and passionate. I'm thrilled to have her in my gang and thankful that I could give her a second home within the AG collectors community.

You'll be seeing more of me! 

That's all for now, but I hope to be back this week with a special post for Halloween featuring Caroline. Hope you all are having a wonderful start to this fall season!