The next time a certain horrible little creature makes a mess that results in me to having to use the washing machine, the carpet cleaner and the bathtub, all before breakfast, she’ll be sorry.
She may look smart, but it’s just an act.
*I suppose not, but I would give one a very stern talking to. Very stern!
And I might neglect to rub a belly, no matter how pleadingly it presents itself.
When I was a little girl, I had a rather unusual friend and playmate.
Dawn Riley was an older lady, never married. Sometimes I would hear my parents refer to her as a spinster. I always called her Dawn Riley, never Miss Riley, and certainly not Dawn. She lived with her elderly mother, her aunt (another spinster), and several mean cats. Dawn Riley had touch-me-not doilies on the furniture and wore the brightest lipstick I’d ever seen. I remember thinking that she was rather fussy about a lot of things.
But Dawn Riley was my friend.
Why? I can name two reasons:
She was never too busy to play with me and we both liked paperdolls.
I could often be seen carrying a shoebox full of dolls and their clothes to her house on the next block. We spent hours cutting out fashions and dressing up our little paper ladies.
I’ve been thinking about Dawn Riley lately. My girl, Newt, has begun to outgrow and give away many of her toys: Barbies, Polly Pockets, Littlest Pet Shops… I view this mass toy exodus with mixed emotions. On one hand, I’m thrilled. I really don’t enjoy playing with those things, but as an only child, I’m usually all she’s got. On the other hand, my girl is growing up so fast. She’s no longer a little girl, but not quite a young woman. How did that happen so fast? It seems like just last week, she still had all her baby-teeth…
A few weeks ago, while searching for something else online, I came across this adorable paperdoll.
On a whim, I printed it for Newt and while cutting out, I told her about my girlhood collection. She was intrigued and excited to build a collection of her own.
Since then, we have added many fun dolls to her collection. And every time she asks to play, I remind myself that this might be our last time. The Barbies and Pet Shop Pets are gone; paperdolls won’t last forever.
So, I’m trying to make sure that I am never too busy to play. I think Dawn Riley would be proud.
No, my dear readers, your eyes are not deceiving you: this is truly a brand-spanking new post on Frantically Simple! Contrary to what you may have suspected, I am not a) in a coma, b) touring with the circus or c) recuperating from a terrible accident in which has rendered all ten of my fingers useless for typing. I’ve just been juggling too many balls to keep the old blog updated.
Remember these:
They weren’t really for me – although a few of the boxes managed to find their way to my thighs cupboard. I am in charge of cookie sales for Newt’s troop. The last month I have been literally up to my ears in cookie sales. Thankfully, this is the last weekend. Many of our unsold boxes will be sent to soldiers serving overseas. Anyone want to sponsor a box for $4? Leave a comment or email me and I’ll give you instructions on paying via paypal.
One day, while driving to pick up even more cookies, Newt screamed at me to STOP THE CAR! Have you ever had your child do that? I almost pooped my pants. What was wrong with my little lovely? She had seen the great white whale this:
Do you find it odd that most people go their whole lives without ever encountering the WeinerMobile, yet we have seen it twice by accident? I guess we’re just awesome like that.
Newt has added Hotdogger to her career goals.
And can you blame her?
She has quite extensive plans including an education at Oregon State and dual triple quadruple careers in physics, zoology, linguistics (for the military), and hotdogging. When she likes something, she loves it. Can you tell?
It’s been so long since I’ve blogged that I can’t quite remember how to end. So I think I will just stop typing.
Now.
Wait – I almost forgot! I’ve got a great review coming up next week. Be sure to watch for it.
Okay, now.
Sometimes, Newt and I like to look at blogs about re-purposing or re-designing clothing. I see all of the fabulous things that talented bloggers have done to create a fun, custom look and think “I could do that!”
And then I think about taking a nap instead.
As much as I like sewing, I just have too many other obligations and interests in the way right now. But that doesn’t keep Newt and I from dreaming. That’s why, when I was asked to do a review of Fashion Playes, a “virtual design studio for girls ages 6 -12″, I happily said yes. This was a chance for Newt to design her own clothing and for me to have someone else sew it. Win-win!
I logged Newt on the the site and she got started designing. Big surprise, she chose a dress. Then she added an understated, non-girly ruffle at the bottom and a large silver dog across the chest.
When did pink and sparkly become, and I quote “evil”? I remember when she used to sleep in a tiara…
Anyway…
I did have to admit that her design, though lacking in bling, was cute.
She even got to design the label:
Her dress was cute, but there were so many other fun things to choose from. Ribbons, rhinestones, appliques! I booted my girl over and took my own turn.
Here’s what I designed:
Newt said it was too frilly (what?!) and she wasn’t digging the purple.
We ordered her design. with shipping, it came to $35.50. It arrived about 3 weeks later.
It was fun to see her design brought to life, though the silver dog didn’t show up very well on the blue background. She still liked it; it was understated. I liked it too. Very cute.
She tried it on and it looked great and fit well. However, she had no growing room – we should have ordered up a size. My fault, not Fashion Playtes. Unfortunately, before I could take her picture in it, she washed it. Probably in warm.
Sidenote: How can I get it through to her, that putting clean clothes in the hamper, washing and drying them, and then putting them away are really a lot more work than just putting it away to begin with?
Newt put the dress on today and… it was a bit snug. I didn’t check the washing instructions, but I’m willing to bet they say “cold”.
Next time, I’d recommend going a size up to ensure that shrinkage isn’t an issue (or perhaps I could just read and follow the washing instructions.)
All in all, this was a fun experience. The site was easy to use and we both enjoyed creating our different fashions. Thirty-five dollars is more than than I would normally spend for a play dress, but I think what you’re really paying for here is the entertainment value. Compare it to going to a paint-your-own ceramics studio and the price doesn’t seem unreasonable. I’d consider giving a gift certificate to Newt for a special occasion like her birthday or a Christmas gift.
Newt’s review:
Me: What did you think of Fashion Playtes?
Newt: It was fun.
Me: Do you have any suggestions for them?
Newt: They should have stripes. And pictures of newts.
Me: If you could, what would you like to get next?
Newt: A backpack. Can I get a backpack?
Me: We’ll see.
Newt: Please?
Me: This interview is over.
Disclosure: Fashion-Playes sent me a $25 gift card to use on their site in exchange for this review. However, they did not tell me what to say. If I had hated the product, I was free to say so. Lucky for them, I didn’t.
