So I just happened to be at Hobby Lobby picking up some craft foam and fabric when I spotted this adorable resin chair for 50% off – making it $9.

It is the PERFECT size for 10″ Madame Alexander Cisette (more on her later this week).

And doesn’t Monster High Operetta Doll just look too cute for words relaxing in the chair?

The resin chair would be perfect for dolls 10-13″ and makes for a great display piece. I didn’t look to see if they had any bigger ones, but I am definitely going to look next time as the American Girl dolls and the Ellowynes are just a little jealous.

One of the new companies I was introduced to at the Toy Fair in February was the Laurent Doll company. Laurent Doll carries heirloom quality hardwood furniture and cotton bedding for 18″ dolls. While Laurent Doll is a new company with just a few key pieces that they offer right now, what they do offer is classic, well-made and a good value.

This is their new Day Bed for 2012. It is not yet on their website and this is actually a photo of the prototype – the finished product will be white.

I love their doll dresser – what a great way to store doll basics like socks, underwear, t-shirts, shoes and other accessories. Plus it gives you a horizontal surface for a doll alarm clock or lamp, a place for your doll to put her book or glass of water for the night. The doll dresser is another new piece for 2012.

Another nice piece that Laurent Doll has coming out this year is their doll storage tower. Finding creative storage pieces for dolls that server multiple purposes is a challenge. I love some of the Laurent solutions like the dresser, this tower and their Doll Chest is perfect for keeping track of doll accessories too.

Laurent’s Triple, Detachable Bunk Bed was selected as the top Doll Product at the Toy Show by ASTRA-the American Specialty Toy Retailers Association.

If you are looking for high-quality furniture for your dolls – add Laurent Doll to your list of resources to check.  I look forward to seeing more products from Laurent Doll as they continue to grow.

Toy Fair 2012 was amazing! The shear number of toys I saw in one day was over the top, but even more exciting than seeing all the new dolls and toys was meeting everyone – especially the Doll Diaries sponsors. If you look to the right you will see the big ad for My Doll’s Life – that is the retail side of Sophia’s Heritage – one of the largest wholesale suppliers of doll clothes, furniture and accessories. It was so much fun talking with Cynthia and Carlyn and getting to put a face to the name and emails.

From the wooden dress rack (which I love because you can pick it up and move as well as store shoes and accessories in it) to the vanity and bunk bed, Sophia’s goes to great lengths to make sure their items are of the highest quality, are designs kids will love and are safety tested. (Note – The heart pjs in the photo are new for 2012 and are not yet available.) Retailers who sell Sophia’s Heritage items were at Toy Fair to see the collection – complete with the new items and place orders.

I had not seen these adorable Back Rest pillows for dolls yet. I know they are not new, but I just thought they were the cutest thing. Don’t you just love the stripe detail in the vanity, too?

Sophia’s has their own line of 18″ play dolls as well as lots of fun furniture and accessories perfect for hours of play time. Each of their dolls comes dressed in an outfit of their own and retails for $67.50. Their little faces are just too cute.

Here is another photo of the bunk bed from another angle. All of their furniture is so cheerful and very contemporary. They have clothing and accessories for every style that are affordable, too.

So many of the Sophia’s doll clothes and accessories are inspired by today’s trends – like these fun totes for the dolls that remind me of a Vera Bradley bag or two I may have. Some of the new items that I can’t share with you yet are very similar in style to outfits my own girls wear and love.

Look for more on new outfits and items from Sophia’s in the weeks to come and be sure to follow Tori on their blog for the outfits of the week and any special offers they may be running.

PS. Sophia’s is the company that is supplying all the t-shirts for the exclusive Doll Diaries t-shirts this year – a big THANK YOU for them!

I have really been in the mood to sew lately, but I just have not had time! Between getting all three of my kids to their afterschool sports (yes, I have three kids – my oldest is a 15 year old boy, then my 13 & 9 year old girls), working on Doll Diaries and my other websites, and doing all the other things we Moms have to do, sewing just had to wait. I declared today Pajama day in our house and decided that everyone could sleep in as long as they wanted and we were not going anywhere – it was all part of my plot to make sure I could find time to sew today.

This afternoon I flipped through the patterns I had received from Liberty Jane Patterns and narrowed it down to two patterns – the Bubble Skirt and the Square Chair. I wanted to make the Bubble Skirt, but I need some stretchy fabric for the waistband and I didn’t feel like hunting down one of the girl’s camis that has seen better days to cut up, so I figured the Square Chair would be a fun alternative.

I picked out two coordinating fabrics from a set of “fat quarters” we had on hand and cut out the patterns. The instructions were clear and easy to follow and it wasn’t long before the doll’s new chair started to take shape! My daughter helped out by stuffing the chair’s base while I worked on the arm rest and then stuffed the arm rest while I hand stitched the base opening closed and tufted the cushion.

The chair turned out so cute!  What do you think?

Nicki was the first one of the dolls who got to test it out and she approves.

Here is another view but without the doll. I used two wooden buttons I found in my sewing box from years ago to create the tufted pillow look. I think the buttons were from my Grandmother’s sewing notions that I inherited somewhere along the way.

And here is the chair from one more angle. I really love how it turned out and would recommend this pattern to anyone who wants a quick project that is not too complicated.

Let’s file this one under things that other doll lines have that American Girl does not! We were walking through Target the other day and just had to visit the doll section (because we always do) when this adorable laundry set for 18″ dolls caught my eye.

Seriously, how cute is that?? The set includes Includes a washer, a dryer, a laundry shelf, clothes rack, ironing board, iron, 2 plastic bins, measuring cup, spray bottle, 6 hangers, 2 dirty laundry bins, 1 big basket, 2 small towels, 2 big towels, laundry detergent box, box of dryer sheets. It sells for $50. This would be such a fun piece if you were setting up an American Girl doll house or large play area for the dolls.

The photo above is from the Target web site but shows the whole set in better detail than my iPhone picture of the front of the box. Obviously it is all plastic and quite pink, but the set is so cute. I am seriously considering getting this set if it happens to go on sale any time soon.

Now if I could only teach Julie, Chrissa, Marisol and the rest of the dolls to do laundry for me! That would be awesome.

UPDATED! Congratulations to our winner – Marysa!

It is time for a giveaway!! Don’t you think your dolls need a new bed? Leigh at American Made Girl Doll Beds is sponsoring a giveaway for an adorable Cool Hearts Canopy Bed for dolls. Whether you need a bed for Bitty Baby, your American Girl Doll or any doll up to 22″ tall, this bed is just too cute!

WHAT WE ARE GIVING AWAY

The prize is one (1) Cool Hearts Canopy Bed for Dolls ($78.50 value) that features:

• A white-painted wooden, canopy bed with a pretty canopy cover that fits 18″ and 22″ dolls.
• A super soft mattress and bed pillow for a great night’s sleep.
• Beautiful handmade reversible coverlet.
• Pretty pastel hearts adorn the headboard!
• Wide enough to fit two dolls side by side!

HOW TO ENTER:

• Visit the American Made Girl Doll Bed site and take a look at the rest of the Cool Hearts Bed photos then leave us a comment on this post telling us what you like best about the Cool Hearts Canopy Doll Bed or who would be the lucky doll to get this bed if you won.
• Get a bonus entry if you let your friends online know about our giveaway – whether it is by posting about it on your own blog, posting the giveaway on a forum, giving a shout out on Twitter (we are @DollDiaries), become a fan of DollDiaries on Facebook or your favorite social media site – help us spread the word about the My Twinn doll giveaway. Come back and leave a second comment telling us where you shared it.

RULES:

• Leave your comment(s) no later than midnight October 25, 2010.
• You must use your real name and email address in the comment form below (but don’t put your email address in the comment itself). If you don’t we can’t contact in the event that you win.
• If you are under 14, you need to get a parent’s permission to enter.
• We will be using Random.org to select one (1) winner.

So, its Saturday and you just don’t know what you might want to do today. Why not get crafty and make something new and fun for your dolls? Check out these cute patterns I found:

From the DIY Network show Creative Juice, you can make a bed for your doll very easily using an old breakfast tray. Get the directions for making your own recycled doll bed.

Don’t leave out Barbie! You can make a sofa for Barbie and her pals out of a tissue box. paper towel roll and some fun fabric. Get creative and make it fit your American Girl dolls, too. Get the directions for the Barbie sofa craft.

Got some knitting skills? Check out this super cute doll halter top and shrug that you can knit easily. The pattern is free and can be found at Soulful Hues Hobbies.

For even more doll craft ideas, check out:

• The Doll Diaries Doll Craft archive
• Emily Rose Doll Clothes has plenty of craft ideas, too.
• There are tons of doll craft how to videos on YouTube
• Or check out one of the following craft books next time you go to the library or your local bookstore (or click on the images for where to get online):

Making Furniture & Dollhouses for American Girl and Other 18-Inch Dolls Ellie Mae Sweet Dreams Doll Bed Pattern Doll Crafts – American Girl American Girl Crafts- Doll Sticker Decorations (20 pieces) Kwik Sew Craft Baby Doll Hand Puppet (3860) Pattern Melissa & Doug Create-A-Craft Ballerina Doll Kit Melissa & Doug Create-A-Craft Wooden Jigsaw Doll Kit Recycled Crafts Box – Laura C. Martin – Paperback American Girl Crafts – Bitty Beaded Rings Activity American Girl Crafts – Funky Felt Pins Activity American Girl Crafts – Paper Medallion Decoration Kit (149 pieces) American Girl Crafts – Owl Sewing Kit American Girl Crafts – Paper Posies Pad Activity American Girl Crafts Funky Felt Boxes American Girl Crafts Tech Case Sewing Kit American Girl Crafts – Mini Notepads & Sticker Kits (4 sets) Kwik Sew Dolls Clothes Pattern Kwik Sew Girls Princess Periwinkle Dress & Doll Dress (3903) Pattern

And as always, if you make something cool and creative for your dolls, snap a picture of it and send it to share@dolldiaries.com and we may feature it on the site!

I meant to post this earlier in the week, but My Twinn is having a sale on some of their doll furniture until July 16, 2010. Select doll furniture is 20% off - including the Doll’s Contemporary Chair and Ottoman (above), Contemporary Nightstand, Contemporary Table and Chairs, Classic Chair, Classic Table and Chairs, Classic Vanity, My Twinn Doll Rocking Chair, and the Butterfly Canopy set for Girls. No code necessary.

One of our readers, BonggaMom, and her girls sent in a photo of their dolls hanging out by the doll bunkbed their super cool Dad made.