The American Girl dolls premiered in 1986, when I was at the ripe age of six. Needless to say, I've been a fan for a long time. When I hit my history fascination about the age of six, our local librarian introduced me to the series, and Felicity, Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly became my best friends. We couldn't afford the expensive dolls when I was young, so I often designed replications of the doll clothes for my own dolls. I had a "Hot Looks Mimi" doll that became my version of Kirsten, and I used my little Barbie knitting spool to make her scarves similar to Kirsten's winter scarf.
In graduate school, I specialized in early American history. During my first Christmas in graduate school, my parents surprised me with my favorite doll, Felicity, and her Christmas ballgown. And the next Christmas, her friend, Elizabeth, joined my collection. On a school teacher's budget, I surely can't afford the expensive clothes and furniture, but I have found frugal ways around it, which brings me to my "Saturday Savings" edition!
Living the Frugal Life
A couple of years ago, my mother called me from a yard sale. She'd found Molly, Kirsten, and another Felicity doll for $25 each. I told her to buy them, and I would pay her back. Now, I have all three of my favorites! A rocking chair purchased for $2 at a yard sale makes a nice seat for Kirsten, and a fancy settee purchased for $10 at a crafts store makes a period seat for Felicity and Elizabeth. This morning, I made a major score at my neighbor's yard sale. I got Molly's stage and movie seats for $20 total! They are both retired pieces, and if you check Ebay, the stage alone is listed at over $100 and the seats at nearly the same price! I was so excited! A little vacuuming and dusting, and it will be as good as new! Plus, I can use the stage with its "Movietone News" background as a teaching tool for World War II. I'm thinking of having students write their own "Movietone News" scripts and use puppets or the dolls to talk about them.
Here are a couple of pics from Ebay to show what my stage and seats look like:
What bargains have you found at yard sales lately?
i'm really hoping that claire doesn't get into the american girl world - from what i hear it can be pretty pricy.
ReplyDeleteevery trip to visit the inlaws is like going to a yard sale with a "free" sign outfront. sometimes i leave with stuff i'll never use. this past time we left with a silver tea set that use to belong to his grandmother.