Waiting for Grace: Treasure Chests Galore

We are down to single digits! Only 9 more days until GOTY 2015 arrives.

Deciding to blog daily the entire month of December as part of my "Waiting for Grace" series has been both exciting and challenging. I have a new appreciation for the hard work that goes into a daily blog--I made a promise to have a post every day and the work behind the scenes to make that happen has been eye opening! What began as a lark of an idea has turned into a true labor of love.

While the "Waiting for Grace" series was created entirely for the fun and pleasure of playing with dolls and sharing it with others, I have also developed several of my skills. In the process of creating new content every day I have become even more familiar with Photoshop and InDesign and I am just beginning to scratch the surface of discovering what it takes to compose and capture the charming essence of the 18" doll so many of us adore.

I have also begun looking for new ways to pose my poppets for photoshoots and have started experimenting with making my own backdrops and sets. In service of this quest I ended up at my local craft store. And look at what I found!

I love photo boxes. I use them to store everything except photos. These Paris themed memory boxes ($3.99 each by Recollections) seem perfect for storing Grace Thomas' to-be-discovered accessories.

There are two complementary design styles, one with an ornate black and off-white design that seems to be inspired by the fleur de lys and the other which features more of the parchment and letter writing theme.

Sneak peeks of Grace Thomas' mini doll show her wearing an Eifel Tower tshirt, and considering both box lids feature the Eifel tower, one could hardly choose wrong.

Roaming the craft store I also came upon a complete treasure of treasure chests--and I was transported to being eight years old again. I wanted an Elsa or Anna doll right then and there if only to have an excuse to bring home one (or two! or five!) of their little chests.

The three chests pictured below are part of Disney's Frozen Nested Dome Trunks and at the craft store were sold separately--but they are designed to nest. They are part of a 5-trunk bundle which includes two smaller chests (one for Sven and the tiniest one again featuring Elsa and Anna). 

For those who have been dressing up their AG dolls in Frozen inspired clothing or customizing their own Elsa, Anna, or Sven from AG dolls, these trunks are an adorable way to store their outfits and accessories.

The Frozen treasure chests are made out of very sturdy cardboard with a glossy coating. The latch is made of metal for a very solid closure.

Each chest comes with satin look-and-feel twisted rope handles which elevate the overall quality of what is essentially a fancy cardboard box.

Even the interior of each chest is lined with patterned paper.

At the craft store the prices range from $15 - $25 depending on the size. I found the entire 5-set of nesting trunks online with a bundled price averaging around $65. I consider this to be an inexpensive set of trunks for the sheer volume of storage they offer for the price and especially when comparing them to many AG storage options.

I love Frozen and will be perfectly thrilled if the popularity of the franchise continues well into next year or even into the 2015 holiday season if only to be able to enjoy both the darling official merchandise and perhaps even more the customizations of AG dolls into Frozen characters by other bloggers, collectors and doll enthusiasts. 

The trip to the craft store really inspired me to consider some new projects for Poppets & Posies well into the new year. I will be returning to the craft store soon!

Waiting for Grace: Ooh La "La Mariniere"

Today for Waiting for Grace we are speculating about Grace Thomas and her wardrobe. Grace is visiting Paris in her first book, but will she also be wearing Parisian or French inspired clothing? There is always the beret, which is almost a given especially considering her book cover. But how about La Mariniere known more commonly as a French sailer shirt?

This classic striped shirt has its history with the French Navy when in 1858 it ordered all mariners wear a uniform top with these distinctively spaced stripes to better be able to spot a sailor who had fallen overboard! By the turn of the century the stripes had moved beyond the sailors and they could be found at the French beachside in items such as the canvas tents and chairs. The stripes stepped into fashion history in 1913 when Coco Chanel used the stripes in fashion for women. Later La Marinere would become associated with French actors and artists.

The stripes are still popular today. Below is a Me & You outfit (for a girl and her 18" doll) by Our Generation found on sale last week. The shirt is a definite nod to the French sailor motif with its blue and white stripes, the stylized sailor collar, and its small decorative tie which is reminiscent of a sailor's scarf.

Below is Mini Kendra wearing the same Me & You outfit. From this view, especially in light of the giant blue bow at the waistband of the skirt, one can not help but think of images of GOTY 2015 Grace and her skirt which sports a very similar giant bow.

Considering the French inspired elements of the Me & You outfit, the giant bow on the skirt, as well as OG Kendra's blue eyed and freckled face, one wonders exactly who is leading and who is following in the competition between AG and OG. Kendra has been around since mid-2013 (if anyone has an earlier sighting, please let me know!) but it seems like there are too many crossovers between OG Kendra and AG Grace to ignore.

Were sailor shirts were already on the fashion horizon for a comeback and OG got the first jump on a travel and Parisian theme? Did AG just join in late? Or did early AG product research and design for GOTY 2015 get scooped? Or is all of this a giant coincidence? 

I would love to see a classic La Mariniere appear in Grace's wardrobe on January 1st. As it is a classic wardrobe piece, its inclusion would go a long way to supporting another Mix & Match collection like we saw with GOTY 2014 Isabelle. 

What do you think? Would a beret and a mariniere be too much Parisian flair for one collection? Or do you want more of a good thing?

Waiting for Grace: A French Connection?

The countdown begins!

While we wait not-so-patiently for GOTY 2015 to arrive on January 1^st, I am going to post 31 days of speculation on Grace Thomas’ world as well as bring out all my girls to play with their Christmas and other seasonal clothing and accessories.

The speculation for today is question of whether or not Grace Thomas, whose first book describes her trip to Paris, will be learning any French and if her books will feature any lessons in the language. Will there be more than a “Bonjour” and “Au revoir” sprinkled among the pages?

Interestingly, a peek ahead at the new Samantha Mystery titled Danger in Paris by Sarah Masters Buckey could give us hint. Samantha’s book, due out February 28, 2015 also features a trip to Paris—and the book itself will include a glossary.

Samantha and Nellie are thrilled to visit Paris with Grandmary and the Admiral! But what could be behind the Admiral's secret government meetings? After a suspicious accident and a break-in at their hotel suite, the girls are worried. Is someone trying to harm their beloved grandfather and stop his secret mission? Includes a glossary of French words and an "Inside Samantha's World" essay about tourism and international tensions in Europe in the early 1900s. 215 pages.

Will Grace’s first book (titled simply Grace according to the Library of Congress) also have a glossary of French words? Or how about separate miniature/doll size French book? Or would those ideas potentially overlap too much with Samantha’s book? Either way, there is a decidedly French flavor to the early 2015 offerings!