reblog and make a wish! this was removed from tumbrl due to “violating one or more of Tumblr’s Community Guidelines”, but since my wish came true the first time, I’m putting it back. :)

I 💜 Art! Day 14 of Daisies and Daffodolls is what will you miss about school now that it's ending for summer? Gabby is going to miss all the really cool art classes she's been able to take now that she's in middle school. She's really branched out in trying different mediums this year.

The Power of Encouragement! Day 13 of Daisies and Daffodolls is mentors and heroes. Melody remembers what it's like to be little and not feel like anyone was listening to you. Her biological parents died when she was three and she was shuffled around a bit before she landed with the Abubakar-Valencias. So, she always takes time to patiently listen and mentor her little sisters and cousins. Here she is explaining Hannaukah and all about different religions to her little cousin. Ndanaka is full of questions about all the different faiths that exist in her aunties' family and friends. Kehkashan is a Muslim, Andi was raised Catholic but is a Unitarian Universalist.

Spring In New England! Day 12 of Daisies and Daffodolls is Weather! Zinnia has managed to find the perfect sky for spring here. This morning it was beautifully clear, sunny and warm, this afternoon it was overcast and rainy, and this evening it's overcast, rainy, bright and sunny!

She's also wearing my favorite spring outfit, a hoodie and rainboots! You have to dress in layers to be ready for spring here!

Cousins Forever, Friends Always! Day 11 of Daisies and Daffodolls is parties! Etty loves to have sleep overs with her little cousin, Ndanaka (from the Sibahle Collection. They make absolutely amazing dolls, top notch quality, Black owned business. I can not recommend enough!) It's always a party when they're together! They have wonderful imaginations. Right after this picture was taken it turned out these "pretty princesses" were actually spies in disguise and the girls dived under the table to their "secret hideout)! Turns out Alexei (the purple bear) was up to something shady!

Fly Sweet Butterfly! Day 10 of Daisies and Daffodolls is Bugs. Sweet little Justine posed so nicely for this photo.

Obviously Justine isn't actually an AG doll but I think she's a great scale for them well looking much more realistic than other mini babies inculding AGs own. She's a La Newborn Mini by JC Toys.

A Quiet Moment! Day 9 of Daisies and Daffodolls is Mother's Day. Here's Mama Andi enjoying a rare quiet moment with her two youngest (baby Justine, and Alice) before bed. Happy Mother's Day to everyone who celebrates, and love to everyone who has a hard time with this day!

Inspiring Awe! Day 8 of Daisies and Daffodolls is career day! Addy is volunteering after school to share the wonder of science with some elementary schoolers (Zeke and Annie) so she can practice teaching!

My love for AG was inspired by my love for learning. I was a voracious reader and a history nerd so obviously I devoured the AG books. It was my love for them and their incredible stories that made me love the dolls (and what made picking which doll to get so very difficult). As you know I picked Samantha and loved her immensely but if I'd gotten to get a 2nd one I would have picked Addy. Much like Addy I always wanted to be a teacher (and now I am one). When my family got our first computer I used to make miniature versions of the worksheets I got at school in word for my dolls.

Without Addy I don't think I would have read as many stories by black people and about black struggles in the US. She made me racially conscious at a time and place in my life where it would have been easy not to be. I went to overwhelmingly white schools in an area that is still to this day deeply segregated (officially along economic lines but practically racially). I never had a black teacher. My parents are unfortunately quite prejudiced. My world was made so much larger by these stories.

Addy Inspired me and I will always love her. But, I know now how harmful and painful the choice to have AGs only black historical character be a former slave was. She was unfortunately designed to teach little white me and not to be inclusive to children of color. And, it greatly saddens me that even now AG is barely doing better. We need more characters to inspire all children. I want every one of the little kids I teach to be able to see themselves and their stories/histories reflected in their toys and books. They deseve this, not just the painful parts but the whole picture.

Aimi! Day 7 of Daisies and Daffodolls is Happy Birthday Mary Ellen or what makes your doll unique. I figured I would take this time to introduce my second CYO, Aimi Elizabeth Diaz. Aimi is half Japanese and half Peruvian-American. Her parents met while her dad (a history professor) was doing graduate work in Japan and her mom (a novelist) was doing some guest lectures. After a long struggle with fertility Aimi was born, with the use of her aunt as a surrogate, prematurely. Aimi has cerebral palsy. The thing that makes her unique is her sense of humor. She wants to be a comedian, and always has her journal with her since inspiration can strike any time. She spent most of her life living in Japan and has only recently moved to the U.S. She's having some trouble adjusting, especially to different senses of humor. She's really fun and pretty funny but can be impulsive and is known to pull pranks without always thinking them through.

Family Walk! Day 6 of Daisies and Daffodolls is outside activities. The Abubakar-Valencia family love to take evening walks after dinner this time of year. This is my first photo of the whole family altogether and it was incredibly annoying to get every time somebody fell over they took everyone else down with them. From left to right Melody walking Samoa, Kehkashan wearing baby Justine, her wife Andi pushing little Alice on her trike, and Etty slightly losing control of Grace.

Band Practice! Day 5 of Daisies and Daffodolls is friends forever! As promised here's most of the dollhouse band. Jamie on keyboard (you might notice his service dog Smore hanging out under the keyboard), Addy on bass, Lilliana on drums and featuring a guest appearance by my best friend's Josefina playing her violin. There are two more members of the band not pictured (Elisa plays guitar, and Gabby sings lead). These guys love hanging and rocking out!

Meet Jamie! Day 4 of Daisies and Daffodolls is May the 4th. I had a whole complicated picture involving homemade light sabers planned but the dollar store didn't have anything I needed. So instead here's a picture of Jamie in his "meet outfit." This was the very first outfit I ever got for him before he was even finished. He's a massive Star Wars fan!

Chilling out! Day 3 of Daisies and Daffodolls is textiles. I got home super late today and am getting this post in just under the wire before bed. Here's Melody curled up in bed in a handmade sweater (not handmade by me the only thing I knit is scarves lol.) I bought it from someone who made it for their child and wanted it to have a new life. I did make her galaxy comforter (I am much better at sewing though I still need practice).

Etty's Big Adventure! Day 2 of Daisies and Daffodils is spring is for new beginnings. I knew immediately what I wanted to photograph. I just customized this AG bike for Etty by breaking the tab under the seat so it would go all the way down. It's still a little big but she fits much better now (bonus the seat will still stay up for 18 inch dolls if tightened enough).

Unfortunately it has been gray and rainy here all day so I couldn't take the picture exactly how I wanted. I had to take it on the porch. As mentioned before I live with numerous invisible disabilities inculding bipolar disorder and it was so tempting to just give in to my frustration at not being able to take the picture I wanted exactly. You may have noticed I had a flurry of posts at the beginning then nothing. I'm trying to challenge myself to just show up every day this month. Even if my pictures aren't perfect, even if I only have a few minutes each day I want to post something I'm at least okay with everyday. I love my dolls and love sharing them with this incredibly supportive community so this spring I'm trying to stop getting in my own way and stop turning my hobby into another stressor.

So here's Etty conquering her fears and trying out riding a two-wheeler with her Um (Mom) supporting her. Etty and her sisters were adopted from foster care by their Um (Vannah from Vanage Dolls) and their Mama (not pictured but is a Karito Kids Gina doll). They each have traumas and challenges. For Etty in particular trust is difficult and it took a lot of time and patience for her to get on this bike and know that Um wouldn't let go until she was ready.

Sisters In Sundresses! Day 1 of the Daisies and Daffodils Photo Challenge is favorite spring outfits. For the Abubakar-Valencia sisters (Melody, Loriette "Etty" and little Alice) spring means bright colors and swishy skirts. It's a little too cold for their actual favorite outfits of sleeveless dresses and sandals (or preferably for little Alice barefeet) but they still love this time of year!

May Photo Challenge!!

Our next photo challenge, #Daisies and Daffodolls, will begin on May 1st! It’s a creative, for fun, non-competitive daily challenge for you to share pictures of your doll(s). There will be a new prompt each day, listed below to give you a month to prepare, and you can participate in as many or as few days as you’re interested in. There is no judgement whatsoever, so please share regardless of how complex your props are, and don’t worry about posting a prompt late.

First of all, thank you so much to @desertdollranch​ for helping with the prompts, especially those surrounding AG birthdays and holidays, and for getting this whole photo challenge thing started back in September! And a huge thank you to @lesbianelizabethcole​ for designing all 5 banners!

The ground rules are the same as in October and December, but I’ll reiterate them for anyone that might be new. Tag all of your prompt posts with #daisies and daffodolls - all three words, complete with spaces. This will allow us to better find and share each other’s posts. You can organize your own posts however you want, but I recommend including the day’s prompt somewhere for context. Also feel free to post on other social medias if you want.

This is not a competition, and there are no prizes, but it should be a lot of fun. Feel free to use any size and brand of doll that you have! American Girl is very popular on doll tumblr, but all other types are welcome as well, including both established (historical or modern) characters and OCs. This could range from 18-inch dolls to Barbies to handmade dolls or porcelain dolls or even paper dolls.

I’ll reblog this post weekly until the beginning of May, and then begin each week of May with the prompt list for that week. Please find a list of all prompts below the cut.

Keep reading

Dyeing a doll’s rooted hair

Hey guys, I have a doll (so far not introduced) and I have a book character in mind, but I’d need to change her hair color for the doll to be this character. She’s a carpatina doll, so she has rooted hair, not a changeable wig.

Has anyone tried dyeing a doll’s rooted hair? I found a recommendation for using acrylic paint, but it seems like that would be difficult to brush through/clumpy/dry?

https://howtoadult.com/dye-doll-hair-4457311.html

on a somewhat-related note, I ***love*** the Dear America book series. They should have made dolls for their characters oh I can do that.