Storage Wars II: Bon Voyage Stationery Set vs Travel Case

The Bon Voyage Stationery Set for Girls offers another storage option for Grace's clothes and accessories as the stationery set is packaged in a bright red paperboard "suitcase."

The paperboard exterior of the red stationery case is sturdy and the front is embossed with an Eiffel Tower. The pebble texture of the suitcase mimics a fine leather. The suitcase also features a sturdy carry handle and the hinges of the handle and the clasp itself are made of metal. Overall, the paperboard suitcase seems as if it should hold up to gentle play and storage.

The most significant difference between the Bon Voyage Stationery Set suitcase and the Travel Case for Girls besides the materials (paperboard vs faux-leather) is their sizes. While the BVSS suitcase is as wide as the Travel Case, it is significantly narrower.

So the question of storage--how much will the paperboard suitcase hold? Below is Grace's City Outfit and Pajamas set inside of the BVSS suitcase. There is plenty of room for the two outfits and potentially room for two additional outfits.

In comparison, the zippered top compartment of the Travel Case for Girls (pictured below) also easily carries the two Grace outfits, but maxes out with three outfits in the top compartment. However, the Travel Case has a second zippered compartment which easily could fit an additional 4 - 5 outfits, which makes the Travel Case the roomier option by far.

While the Bon Voyage Stationery Set paperboard suitcase is sturdy and smart, it is limited to 3 - 4 outfits whereas the Travel Case for Girls accommodates upwards of 7 - 8 outfits. The exterior of Travel Case is made of a long lasting faux-leather vinyl which will withstand small spills and the case is much more rugged overall.

As a storage unit, I give the Bon Voyage Stationery Set a B+. The piece is well executed as a paperboard product and the handle and metal clasp are terrific. The storage capacity of the paperboard suitcase is still somewhat limited compared to the Travel Case for Girls, but the Bon Voyage case could be the perfect size for some poppet travelers.

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!

Storage Solutions!

As an AG collector, I am certain that I love the process of storing and organizing my collection as much as the dolls themselves. As my collection grows, I have to continually strategize how to store all of the dresses, shoes and accessories. I am fortunate to have some closet space (and two armoires) that I am actively converting into storage space for my collection.

The largest of these spaces is a spare office closet.

I installed and painted the wooden shelves myself. My sister assisted me in measuring and installing all of the smaller sized wooden rods and metal cups.

The wooden hangers are from OnlyHangers.com and were a great investment. Surprisingly, their cost is on par with the prices that AG charges for their plastic hangers.

The left side of the closet hides a giant stack of mini plastic drawers (by Sterilite). The tower is surprisingly stable, as it is supported on two sides by the closet walls.

The mini drawers are a brilliant find by my sister. Each individual drawer fits on average one outfit, such as a set of pajamas with slippers. 

I also use these to store outfits and accessories which do not store well on a hanger, such as swimming suits, towels and accessories.

I was able to store the majority of Isabelle's leotards, tutus, shoes and accessories in three sets of mini drawers plus her dance case.

Finally the right side of the closet has a hidden wooden rod for extra hanger space. I may also put a few hooks on the blank wall space above in order to hang some hats or other items.