Dolly Runway - the dolls get a makeover!

It was a quiet day at my house and I thought "Hey, it's way past time to review Linnea's cool wooden cosmetic play set from Estia. We should have a fashion show."

Linnea received this kit around Easter and I have had it on my list to review ever since. It isn't that she hasn't played with it, but that she loves it so much that she tends to get very possessive if anyone else even looks at it -- just part of being three. I thought a fashion show might inspire some cooperative play.

This is the set. It is well-made and cute as can be. I wish I had a camera with me when Linnea first opened it. Her eyes just about popped out of her head. "OOOOOOOhhhhhhh!"

wooden cosmetic play set from Estia $65.99



The set is designed in Germany and made in Thailand out of rubberwood. It includes a blow dryer, handheld mirror, 3 lipsticks with a wooden holder (attached to the box), powder box with built-in mirror and powder puff, an eyeshadow compact with 6 eye shadow colors, an applicator and mirror, comb, hair roller (we use it as a brush), a perfume bottle, and jar of magic beauty cream. Everything is pretend and requires imagination for best results.



The beauty shop...



Close-up of Linnea's absolute favorite possession (other than PooPoo).



Lipstick in the holder.



But, as everyone who watches Project Runway knows, the models have to get dressed before they put on make-up. Our models are Cassie and a selection of very much loved Haba dolls: Finja, Souri, Paola, Lotta, Lilli and Nele. The Haba dolls are available at KangarooBoo.

Time for some pretend play! Our team of stylists dresses the dolls in their dolly finery.





Oh, nice hat Finja!



Time for hair. The comb has wide teeth and the brush has imaginary bristles, so the dolls can be brushed and brushed without their yarn hair being damaged.



A bit of powder for Lilli.



Cassie gets eye shadow.



Perfume?



Yes, please! Douse it on.



Almost ready, Cassie. Just a few touch-ups.



Arielle puts lipstick and eyeshadow on Souri.





Ready to go?

Uh, oh! Lilli has wet hair! Blow it dry. Now we are ready to go.



The fashion show:

A great time was had by all. The fashion show came to a sudden halt when we saw our little friend Sidney across the street. The dolls were abandoned as we ran out to enjoy the sun and play on Sidney's swing set.



The cosmetic kit also works wonderfully on little princesses, pretend fairies and other beauties in need of imaginary cosmetics. It is the perfect gift for the girly girl preschooler in your life.

Bamboletta Raffle for Haiti

Bamboletta Dolls is raffling off a doll to raise money for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. The proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders. Click here to learn more.

Raffle tickets are just $10, and the doll (like all Bambolettas) is gorgeous. The winner will also get a $100 giftcard from Reggie's Doll and a clothing ensemble from Silly Con, so she'll be the best dressed doll ever.

A purple kangaroo?! But of course!

Kangas and Dragons and Owls! Oh my!

I was in serious need this Christmas. I needed a miracle. I needed...a purple kangaroo. You see, little Alli is obsessed with that mean old kangaroo from Horton Hears a Who. If you have seen the movie version then you may know that the evil pouched marsupial is purple. Purple!

My poor girl turned mama kangaroo was "Humph"ing around the house with a raggedy orange bear tucked in her shirt. Clearly she needed a purple kangaroo to put in her own pouch. But how? How?!?!

Well I asked around for a purple kangaroo and lo' and behold our own dear Sara found BeastieVille. BeastieVille is home to many creatures, most importantly, this custom made fellow:

This adorable creature was handmade by a lovely artisan named Sarah. Sarah was a dream and a half to work with. So helpful and quick to respond. When our roo got here I nearly cried. A Christmas miracle indeed.

The work is beautiful, the hand stitching neat and the craftsmanship impeccable. Our fellow came wrapped in tissue paper and smelled, that's right, smelled amazing. I have no idea what the smell was but it was light and fresh. I am not one to love scents, I usually don't even burn scented candles, but the smell was perfect. I could hardly wait for Christmas!

Alli was a big fan. She squealed when she saw her roo and when humphing around the house. She wouldn't even open the rest of the gifts for quite some time. Here you can see the roo being tortured by Ariel. Clearly the mermaid turned human is too large and needs to be kicked out of the pouch ASAP.

"Hop! Hop! Hop!" says Alli!



I think that roo fits right in with the princesses. He is purple after all, and maybe he likes having a pouch, though he be male. I like the way the arms and head are attached with buttons. Very cute. This also allows the parts to be moved. I love the way our roo cocks his head. Cheeky fellow!

I asked Sarah what her favorite Beastie was. If you promise not to tell the other Beasties I will tell you...shhh...it's the dragon. I tend to agree and think that my son, Jackson would have a lot of fun taming this Beastie.

I personally love this owl. This particular Beastie is reserved for an Etsy customer but I have found that the custom ordering process with BeastieVille is amazing...so do it!

Sarah has been kind enough to offer our readers a coupon code.

When you place your order, from the in-stock store or when requesting a custom Beasite doll just mention this blog and you will receive either 10% off or free shipping, whichever is greater. Hooray for Beastiville!