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Post by Main Admin Account on May 22, 2006 15:52:16 GMT -5
Lawn Party Dress $24 SKO Grade: A  Sorry for the blurry picture! I really like this outfit. It is light and breezy and soft and feminine! I really was excited to see it released and even more please when it arrived. It is so wonderful in it's detailing and is simply beautiful!  I love the details of the trims and ribbon flowers. The sleeves have the inset lace ribbon. It's really a nice detail! That same inset is in the bodice top in a vertical pattern. The whole outfit has plenty of ruffle that I would expect a girl from her class and family to have had.  I love the hat! It is totally cute and covered with eyelet and most of the ribbon rosettes!  Included is also one croquet gate and a mallet and ball both made of wood. |
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 22, 2006 4:23:16 GMT -5
Lawn Party Shoes and Socks $8 SKOA They are pretty nice and made to mimic some kid leather shoes of the time. I hate that the leather frays on the bows. I Love the little low heel of the shoe! ADORABLE! They actually are cream like her dress.  |
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 22, 2006 4:03:59 GMT -5
Accessories $20 SMA Grade: A The accessories are just adorable and dainty! I love all the textures of the ribbons and cording on the velvet hat!  Her little pink velvet purse is fully lined and closes with a brass clasp. It has a golden chain strap. Included is also a small embroidered handkerchief. She also have her heart locket on a pin.  Her small Indian head penny is also included.  |
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 22, 2006 3:57:12 GMT -5
Samantha's Limited Edition Bathing Costume $28 SLO Grade: B Pretty little set that I really enjoy for her. I love the life ring and straw hat. the polka dot slippers have a hard time fitting my white bodied doll. The outfit fit just fine except that it shows her white body at the neckline. Lovely still!  Skirt is detachable.  |
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 21, 2006 16:53:48 GMT -5
*This outfit was worn by Samantha in the 1986 and 1998 editions of the books Samantha’s Surprise, Happy Birthday Samantha and Samantha Saves the Day*Nightgown $20 SNO Grade A  I have both a 1989 and a current 2005 version of this night gown and will show you the very subtle differences. I am not convinced that a PM version is any real difference in quality at all. Both versions are lovely and almost identical! When it comes down to it the lace is an EXACT match on the Mattel and the PC versions of this dress. I was very pleased to have seen that. There is a very slight difference in the ribbon. The older PC version is a bit slimmer.  Mattel Dress front  PC Dress Front The real difference I can find is in the stitching and sewing of this garment. I can get those kind of differences in my own surger and finishing by the calibration of the machine.  Mattel Stitching  PC Stitching
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 21, 2006 16:39:00 GMT -5
Christmas Music Box $18 SCAC Grade: B  Over all it is pretty cute with a few minor things that I feel should be changed. I have a PC version of this music box. I bought it right from AG not more then a year ago and still got a PM version. Pretty cool. I got it on sale which was nice. I am not sure I would go and pay full price. The music box is contained in a book style box. The outside is leather with gilded and embossed lettering on the cover and spine.  Inside the cover the book has a gilded finish. And the ribbon page marker is glued in. I was actually surprised to see the set being stitched together. On the title page it has a signature from "Uncle Gard" but it's in the same colour as the writing on the page. Would have been far nicer in black so it looked like a signature not just a print of the book.  The main pages of the book have different Christmas carols from the time and even now. I was really surprised not to have seen "O Christmas Tree".  the last page of the book is an image:  Behind the last pages is the music box. It is actually made of metal and grey plastic. But it's fun to see the moving parts of the tines on the drum. What I really hate is the rough cut finish inside where the music box is contined. It wasn't sanded at all and makes it look really trashy. If other boxes out there aren't like this please let me know and I will send this one back.  |
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Trunk
May 22, 2006 4:09:05 GMT -5
Post by Main Admin Account on May 22, 2006 4:09:05 GMT -5
Grade: A Review: Actually Nellie has taken it over(shhh don't tell Samantha)  The trunk actually holds alot of items,currently I've got six outfits hung up and it closes shut just fine. Granted there's no room for any furnture or Nellie herself but that wasn't my concern,I wanted a place to store her clothes. The other side of the trunk has three drawers that pull out,a good spot to store small items like shoes or dress accessories. There's a small shelf at the top that's good for the short story books or her steroscope. A leather handle at the top of the trunk makes it easy to carry and it closes with two locks(though dosen't actually lock). There's a brass name plate on the back that says 'american girl' which I assume in real life would have held the owner's name. All in all worth every penny and since it stands on end,makes a good fit for small spaces. -Sarah |
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Trunk
May 19, 2006 20:32:52 GMT -5
Post by Main Admin Account on May 19, 2006 20:32:52 GMT -5
Samantha's Trunk ST $175 Grade: B  LOVE having this to store all of her items in....well, what I can shove and manage to fit in it. And I do shove quite a lot in ours. the trunk is quite sturdy and made of wood with a fabric overlay. There are leather belt and trim accents with brass hinges, lockes, and corners.  Inside of the trunk has a paper finish. On the right there is space to store a doll or hang her clothes.  When you store just her dresses it leaves enough room on the bottom to store taller and chunkier items. We keep Sam's parasols and croquet set there.  The lefts side of the trunk has two open shelves. They are nice but seem to be a bit of a waste of space. I would far rather have had more drawers or one larger drawer. The trunk comes with a brass finished mirror.  Below the shelves are three drawers covered in a paper.  Each drawer has a small pull of brass.  Each little drawr holds all those wonderful little pieces you worry about loosing.  A girl needs a palce to keep her "unmentionables"  And all of her shoes!  |
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 22, 2006 20:01:45 GMT -5
Just wanting to add in the ice skates that came in my set as well....  |
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 19, 2006 20:16:34 GMT -5
Winter Amusements $18 SWAF Grade: B The set is rather nice and pulled together from a bunch of outsources, non-PC providers. I was lucky to get this in a huge lot for Samantha including her trunk and a white bodied doll. It is fragile and really cute. The valentines come in a pink envelope:  They include, little flower shaped doilies, 6 heart shapes valentines, gold cord, white string, 50 inches of pink ribbon, heart, flower and cupid stickers, and little heart confetti.  Then included in the set was also her paper dolls that came in this envelope:  Inside was her paperdolls from the edwardian era. Pretty darn cute.  The set is nice but what I really like the best is her skates which I have yet to photograph. |
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 19, 2006 0:14:40 GMT -5
Samantha's Parasol Price and Code Unknown Grade: A I am sooooooo glad I was given this before it totally disappeared! I love it! Originally it was sold in a set with her stereoscope. Mine was bought when it was sold separately. It really is a pretty accessory to have for Samantha! It is surprisingly tall so I am not quite sure how to scale it really is. But I love it and it's ruffles and fine detailing. Here you can see how tall it is when collapsed.  The parasol is covered with ruffles and has a large silver ring at the handle to hold it all up. I'm not real sure how she is suppose to hold it so I wedged her hand in there and it held it just fine. each tip to the spokes in the parasol have little ball ends so you don't have your kiddo dealing with sharp pointy things.  |
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Post by Main Admin Account on Sept 14, 2006 14:45:23 GMT -5
Yep, hat is suppose to sit up like that. I had mine turned to the side but from the actual images form AG I guess the upturned side is suppose to be in the front. ooops. My bad.
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 19, 2006 0:01:27 GMT -5
* This outfit was worn by Samantha in the short story "Samantha’s Ocean Liner Adventure." *Travel Duster And Hat $24 STO Grade: A I really love this set! It is light and breezy and fresh in it's colours and details. The duster is made from a light soft sueded cotton fabric. Like a great pair of chino's. It is set for a double breasted look. It snaps to close. The sleeves have a slightpuff at the shoulder than drop to the wrists and have a rolled cuff with a matching button from the front of the coat.  The scarf and hat are lovely. The scarf is an embroidered ribbon just long enough to tie and tuck into her jacket. The hat is OK but made of a kind of foam. I have no idea how to explain it. I like the set alto. The hat is a little weird but still pretty with it's taffeta ribbon and brooch.  I just don't know if I do the outfit justice in my pictures.
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 18, 2006 23:17:10 GMT -5
*Samantha wore this outfit in the DVD Samantha: An American Girl Holiday.*Samantha’s Holiday Coat for Dolls $26 SROC Grade: B I really like this little coat. I find the quality is "OK" but then I already have the Sugarplum Coat and Sam's Cape and Gaiters. This is kind of a filler coat. wasn't something all that necessary to a collection. still it is nice and really soft and lovely with it's curly white faux fur. It snaps closed and then has the mandarin little knots to close as well. A cute touch. It fits my white Bodied Sam nicely with room for an outfit underneath. The cutest touch is the two black knit mittens that are attached together with a braided string just like my mother did with mine as a small girl.  The felt/velvet hat is nice and stiff shaped about the same as her meet accessories hat. A little large on her head though. I really like the two black ribbon rosettes on the velvet banding. 
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 22, 2006 4:16:48 GMT -5
*This outfit was worn by Samantha in the 1998 edition of the book Meet Samantha*So you wanna see my pretty Samantha in her meet outfit?  Shameless plug for such a pretty girl! Meet Outfit Grade:A It really is prettier in person. It has a beautiful sheen and soft silky texture. I love the way that the belting detail comes down in the front. Quite a nice feature.  It's kind of interesting to note that the original tag for the outfit wasn't a fabric ribbon tag. It is kind of a plastic-ish paper feeling tag.  This outfit comes with the WORST shoes! I hate them! They are ugly, cheap, and are the exact same as Molly's. YUCK! She also comes with a pair of white gathered undies and a black pair of thick tights. 
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Post by Main Admin Account on Apr 28, 2006 2:49:40 GMT -5
Samantha's Bicycling Outfit:
Grade: A
Hat: Quite nicely done. The trimmed ribbon is a lovely touch and everythign is securely on there. The weave on the straw is larger then on her bathing suit set. Quite nice though. What I really love is that they added an elastic cord to keep it in place. Nice detail that I think more of the hats need.
The blouse is quite lovely with a collar that has the creasing/layering detail. The sleeves are wonderful and have the small lace trim at the bottoms. Mine came witht he hair snagging velcro but it opens all the way down the back. I just hope they make a skirt at some point. It would be nice to have a bit of mix and match.
Bloomers: Kind of Blah. Not much in the way of details except the nifty oval shaped button. Just an elastic opening so I can only hope my Sam's fat arse can get into it. We shall see tonight. Made from a brushed cotton. Lovely colour.
Spats: Made from felt. Then maybe starched. Not sure. it is a thinker felt then I use for crafting or my blanket making. Could possible be blended with a wool to make it more substantial. All edges are nicely finished except the top edge. that is just a clean cut edge. Has the scallop detail where the false buttons are and opens in the back with velcro for easy on and off.
Overall I love the outfit and it's detailing. The bloomers leave a little to be desired but the details are in the top as they should be. Like I said before, I would love to see them make some more skirt and shirt sets for a little mix and matching. Quite lovely and exactly what I come to expect in it's details from AG.
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Post by Main Admin Account on Apr 25, 2006 23:46:32 GMT -5
Most excellent! The details on this little Tricycle are wonderful! It is fully made of metal and has white rubber for the tires. The peddals for the tires them selves are plastic. Attached to each is an elastic strap that will slip over her shoes but under her spats. It keeps her held nicely into place. Once she is strapped on you can then roll the bike with her on it right across the floor. The peddles move seperate from the tires. Yet it's funny, when you turn the peddals is can move the tire. Well done really. The seat is set onto two springs that actually flex with enough pressure. The seat is made from a molded soft plastic. Made to resemble leather I guess. The other part of plastic are the handles. Would have been nice to have had wood but oh well. The little basket you attach with two small belts are adorable! Nicely made and fits perfectly. Inside she can take her flower boquet that has some matching teal ribbon.  All in all I give the cycle an A and **** This item is the must have for her collection, in my opinion! If you are going to have one furnishing item for her, this should be the one! The Wheel Base is 8" Back Wheel 6.5" Handle Bars 8.5" Height 13" Seat Height 10.5" Length is 14" That may not help much. I can stand two dolls and they take about the same amount of space together. My guess is that Sam's desk is a little larger in the width and length. |
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 18, 2006 15:53:40 GMT -5
Shoes & Socks $14 KXOS Grade: A I love these black boots. If only her meet shoes were made to this quality! Our Kirsten wears this pair most of all! This set or boots also comes with three pairs of Kirsten's socks.....very nice if you ever want other dolls to play dress up with Kirsten, or if those little collectors in your home loose them The black and white are from her Flannel Underware Tan Horizontal stripe are from her Meet outfit Tan vertical are from her Apron Dress  |
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 14, 2006 23:49:22 GMT -5
Kirsten's Trestle Table and Chairs $75 KF Grade: B Amazingly nice and so simple. I can really imagine family having had this kind of furnishings in their home. The set does come with two chairs and one table. It is really made of wood and is pretty sturdy after we reglued some of the joints with some good woodglue and clamped it. Compared to other tables I have seen, this one seems more fragile but I do love it.  The legs on the chairs are all turned and ad such a nice touch. The legs are only glued into place. They can easily loosen with kids putting to much pressure on them. The seat and back are pretty simple in their design. The back is attached with screws to the seat and then a wooden riece is inserted so that you have no idea it is there. I thought that the thing was just put together with wooden pins.  |
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 10, 2006 23:44:53 GMT -5
Kirsten's Night Time Necessities $18 KDA Grade: A This was one of the first accessories we bought. It has been well loved. Initially we actually had to get shipped 4 sets because they kept arriving broken. The foot warmer is glued and all of it would be in pieces. I later forund out that, that was pretty typical because the glue just didn't hold. Even after having it for awhile the glue bond broke and I had to reassemble the thing and glue it myself.  The set is pretty cute and reminds me of the antiques my mother has in our old home. I too had my own foot warmer. We didn't use it for that but it became a standard to all of my siblings and I to have on in our home for a foot stool. My children use mine now. It used to be, when my grandmother was young, that the girls would carry the warmers to church. They would take some coals from the fire at home inside of it. Then upon entering the church the girls would give half of their coals for the wood stove in the church hall to be shared for heating. The other half they would keep with them and take to their seats. They would then place the foot warmers under their dresses to warm their feet. Because of their long skirts no one would ever see the warmers. The set starts with her candle and holder that is fully adjustable to three different positions. My daughter sometimes uses the holder as a flower vase. Kids do the cutest stuff!  So the set is pretty cute and comes with an abriged version of the book of fables. It is hard bound with gold lettering. Inside there are some nice line drawing illustrations.  The foot warmer it's self is made of a combination of turned wood spindels and metal with punch front panels. The main frame has a wire handle on it for the girls to carry. Open the small punch front door and inside sits a small metal bowl that the coal would have been held in.  |
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 16, 2006 14:39:43 GMT -5
Sheeeeeeesh people can be so picky about seeing the actual outfits!  |
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 10, 2006 21:28:29 GMT -5
Kirsten's Midsummer Dress Grade: B It's cute and my daughter loves it. I guess that is what counts really. I am not all that in love with the dot fabric or the purple colour. To each her own I guess. I really like the basket and the flowers.  Her Hair flowers trimmed with ribbon.  |
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 10, 2006 21:19:21 GMT -5
Kirsten's Pottery Grade: A Finally here it is ladies! My daughter got this set for her nineth birthday. She uses it for play alot and has been in the house for 6 months. She loves it. Likely is I will never buy the Rowe pottery set but the play value of this is wonderful!  The set is heavily made but no longer hand painted. It does have a decal that is then sealed under the final glaze. There is a very light crackle finish unger the glazing as well and is quite pretty and the rim of the plates have a speckle finish.  There are two woven napkins and a set of silverware for each place setting. There is a larger milk or cream jug and two smaller mugs all with the same bird design. Also included are two turned wooden bowls. So nice! I can just imagine her father crafting them! Lastly is the table cloth. It is a two tone woven mat. I love the quality of it with small knots finishing each stripe.  |
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 18, 2006 15:46:11 GMT -5
Originally when they sold this dress they just didn't do it any justice. The images really didn't show the details of the simple dress. The fabric is thick and lovely with a great plaid of greens and plums.  The sleeve hemming is a really pleasant scallop finish. Here you can also see the fringe on the simple quilted shawl.  The front of the dress is also filled with some of those simple details that pioneers would have loved. There is a scallop at the front waist-line. It is attached to two fabric triangular pieces that go up to the shoulder. The inset has additional gathering and pin tucking.  Finish off Kirsten's look by adding two plum woven ribbons for her hair loops! I love it!  |
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Post by Main Admin Account on Jun 26, 2006 3:35:46 GMT -5
This is actually the second set of skates we have. The first set had issues. Right wear the weld for the blade attaching to the under foot portion of metal on the skate, it broke loose. Boy.....did that make sense? these did seem rather fragile. I have one broken skate that I have been meaning to fix. I was debaing on using some JB Weld or some such product. Brass can be a terrible thing to try and repair.
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 16, 2006 14:20:32 GMT -5
I actually picked this set up for $50.oo including the skates that I now have been seeing sell for $30.oo lately. I love the think warm look of this coat. It is made nice and thick with banding of red stripes on the hem, hood, and sleves.  The details are it's little hand knit scarf with a heart deatil and the button closures. The buttons are made for be a faux bit of horn pulled through a small loop of leather.  The ices skates are made of brass, wood, and leather. In each runner of the skate are two small heart cutouts. The skates strap over her shoes with leather straps and a buckle. All of this is mounted onto a thin wood platform then adhered to tthe brass.  |
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Post by Main Admin Account on Jan 15, 2007 2:08:13 GMT -5
we use our bag to store all of the millions of ribbons that Kirsten has. I really like it. It is fully lined and rather well made.
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 2, 2006 15:13:53 GMT -5
I have this set as well and I think that the hat is a pain. It sure doesn't fit on her head. I love the breeziness of the dress. It is just the weight a girl should be wearing in 100 degree weather.
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 1, 2006 1:11:14 GMT -5
Kirstens Saint Lucia Tray $16 KCAT Grade: A ***** Ours looks a little different then Robins. Ours is a newer version of the set. Our version had the raised half rounded handles.  I like the set very much and with little clear hair elastics Kirsten hold them and looks adorable! I like the little candle and agree that it doesn't look to realistic but it is cute none the less.  |
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Post by Main Admin Account on May 1, 2006 1:00:29 GMT -5
Kirsten’s Washstand $32 KDF Grade: A The washstand we have is a mattel version. I like it very much and it's made pretty sturdy. It has one drawer that opens and closes and one door front that does the same. My daughter loves this set for play and has it out on display all the time.  Here is a side view with the door and drawer fully extended:  |
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