The children’s crack American Girl catalog arrived in our mailbox last week and, since Graceful checked the mail that day, the girls got their hands on the coveted shopping publication before I could hide it at the bottom of the recycling bin. They took the news about Samantha and Nellie really well, although they did have a few things to say about the “greedy American Girl people.”
Not at all surprisingly, Graceful has carefully studied the catalog and made a shopping list. Here’s what it looks like:
I told her to prioritize to only 5-10 items that she really wants and told her that she might get only one or two things or she might not get anything at all. I know how much money that child has in her wallet. If she wants something from the catalog badly enough, she can spend her birthday and allowance money on it instead of waiting to see if Santa ponies up. (Santa remains undecided.)
Surprisingly, Elegant waited until this weekend to look at the catalog. Knowing that she had to prioritize, she did. It took a lot of thinking. And erasing. But she eventually came up with a list of only ten items.
My word, that girl is so stinkin’ cute when she’s being all serious and earnest.
One thing Graceful was absolutely salivating over was this.
It’s $159, not including the horse or the shipping. Utterly ridiculous.
Does anyone here remember the doll tree house?
Now, does anyone want to guess what we did this weekend?
Oh yes we did.
Just in case you’re feeling creative, here’s how to make your very own ghetto doll sleigh in 10 easy steps!
#1 – Find the perfect box and make sure that your dolls fit:
The AG sleigh fits only two dolls. Ha! OURS will fit three comfortably or more if we load ‘em up like the Beverly Hillbillies going for a Sunday drive.
#2 – Cut off flaps and other bits of cardboard.
Tip: An X-Acto knife is much better and easier than scissors.
#3 – Paint.
Wet cardboard takes a long time to dry, just so you know. This takes patience. Please note what Elegant is doing in the background.
#4 – Consult the American Girl catalog numerous times.
#5 – Create sleigh runners.
We used some shims leftover from a previous construction project. Attaching those to the sleigh was a major ordeal, I tell you. We started off with the shims taped to the bottom. As you can imagine, that didn’t work out too well, so we ended up attaching them to the sides.
#6 – Add embellishments.
We used silver paint as an accent color. Doesn’t everyone have some of that just lying around?
Sleighs need bells, which Graceful strung up for me while I worked on other parts of the project:
We used red and green bells and attached them to the front.
#7 – Make a cushion for the dolls’ comfort.
The American Girl sleigh has a quilted velveteen seat. The ghetto sleigh’s seat is made from felted wool I had left from this project, with cardboard on the inside for stability. And, while the American Girl sleigh comes with a white polyester fleece and satin blanket, the ghetto sleigh has a 100% felted wool blanket in red, green, and cream. I sewed parts of two sweaters together to create a mini Hudson’s Bay blanket — something you definitely can’t get at American Girl Co. or even L.L. Bean.
#8 – Dress the dolls appropriately. Everyone knows you can’t go for a sleigh ride in shorts and a t-shirt or a summer dress. I mean, get real.
#9 – Find a way to harness the horses.
We’ve had these horses for years and years. They’re stuffed animals, as opposed to the plastic horses that the AG empire sells — in other words, OUR horses are thoroughbreds, while the AG horses are piebalds meant for the glue factory.
For reins, we went with simplicity — red wool yarn — and didn’t worry about accuracy.
#10 – HAVE FUN!
That is too cute! Looks like you had fun making it, too.
By: nina on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 8:18 am
I’m waiting with bated breath for the ghetto Porsche 911.
By: alison on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 8:25 am
Seriously, though, it looks great. Love the lap blanket. You are very creative and I bow to your skills.
By: alison on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 8:26 am
You are a crafty goddess. I have completely underestimated your powers. Wow.
I am in awe.
By: Amy Y on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 9:30 am
Wow! I planned on taking two of my nieces to the American Girl store in NYC over the summer but we had to cancel at the last minute. I didn’t give it another thought until the end of last week when an American Girl catalogue arrived in my mailbox. Based on your commentaries on it, I had to take a peek and oh my gosh – you aren’t kidding! Wow, talk about an operation. You could go broke so easily! I’m sure if they had these when I was little I’d have been salivating over the catalogue just as much as your girls. Since my nieces are back in AZ for the school year and my littlest niece (6) isn’t into American Girl, I’m safe. I recycled the catalogue and that’s that!
By: erin on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 10:00 am
I especially like the cushion for the dolls’ comfort.
By: Lemonysarah on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 10:08 am
Okay, I think you need to get a little terrier to pull the sleigh around now…
I love reading these stories about your daughters–such a clever duo!
By: green girl on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 10:13 am
I like your sleigh much better.
By: Smalltown Mom on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 10:31 am
Ok…you so need to market those!!! PB would be drooling in jealousy!
By: Sarah on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 10:39 am
Brilliant. The new American Girl Recession Line! I love you guys.
By: Heather G. on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 11:16 am
Dear
SantaJen,Please send this to my house.
Thank You,
EvaJun
By: kristin on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 11:20 am
Stop showing me up already, would ya?
By: badness jones on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 11:32 am
Love it! The three of you do terrific work.
My girls have been poring over the catalog since it arrived, as well. They were ambivalent about the Samantha/Nellie “retirement.”
By: barbra on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 11:57 am
This is brilliant! And so much more creative than AG purchases.
Your girls will have some mad skillz if they join the Drama Club and get on the Prop Squad!
By: Little Miss Sunshine State on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 11:59 am
You are the world’s most creative mom. I was telling someone the other day about how awesome your birthday parties are. You rock out loud.
By: Lori Anderson on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 12:18 pm
I totally want to be your bff. Please? Please can I? Please?
Everything you did about that sleigh, including naming it what you did, is exactly how it should be. You. Are. Brilliant.
By: Cheri @ Blog This Mom! on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 12:19 pm
Absolutely fabulous! I love how you show your daughters that they can look at something and create their own. What I REALLY love is that your girls think this is a great idea and dive right into it.
By: Kirstin on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 12:39 pm
Is there NOTHING you can’t make with cardboard? I’m waiting for when G&E’s dolls go modern and you make a mock-up of THE couch.
Great job!
By: daysgoby on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 12:39 pm
Wow, you guys are amazing! That is … just… WOW.
My mom always refused to get my sister and me doll specific accessories but when we had our “twin” AG dolls she would get us some things for them. I think I have the computer set and a ski set. I am a nerd.
The more I think about it, the more irked I am over the Samantha retirement. Samantha was my first AG doll. Ah sigh. Now I am wondering if I should get a Nellie doll so that I can have one someday if I have a daughter.
By: tobymine on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 1:12 pm
Looks good to me! seriously. $159? Why not just send them your leg in a box.
By: MomBabe on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 1:25 pm
I think it looks awesome!
By: Lacey Bean on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 2:30 pm
So cute! Bunnie pored through her AG catalog over the weekend and let out a scream. Maaahhhm! They changed the dolls’ faces! Now they all look exactly alike! When I pointed out to her that it is probably less expensive to make all the doll heads in the same mold, she was appalled. Why would anyone want two dolls that are identical? Who would buy these? It’s certainly not like when I was little, she sniffed. Aaahhh, the good old five years ago days…
By: TX Poppet on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 2:42 pm
Good lord you ladies are crafty!!!
Absolutely love the sleigh and think it looks a lot better than the one in the catalogue.
Glad you guys had soo much fun making it:)
By: snowflake37 on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 3:46 pm
So glad the AG days are in our past. But the sleigh is cute AND clever.
By: Fannie on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 5:24 pm
Fantastical !!!
By: Carol on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 6:44 pm
clever!
By: hotfessional on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 6:44 pm
That knock on your door? It’ s my daughter who ran away to live with you.
What an awesome project!
By: jenny on Monday, October 27, 2008
at 9:57 pm
Too freaking adorable!!!!! I love this line of craft projects : ) Just wait til Lily is old enough to covet such things and I’ll be one helluva crafty grammy!
By: country mouse on Tuesday, October 28, 2008
at 2:40 am
um. that’s FAR too fabulous looking to be a ghetto sleigh.
By: blackbird on Tuesday, October 28, 2008
at 8:26 pm
That is not ghetto at all! I like it better than the original! This one has STYLE!
By: Kristabella on Tuesday, October 28, 2008
at 11:49 pm