Camelot's Treasures

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

What's New Wednesday: Retro Jacks

I know, I know, I skipped a week in the "What's New" series. I had finished the outfit that I was working on for it, but I just wasn't completely satisfied with it. So I didn't want to share it...I wanted to work on it a bit more. I'm sorry.

However THIS WEEK I have some uber cute little outfits perfect not FEATURING American Girl Dolls, but their little sisters, the Bitty Baby Twins! Last fall I found a super cute bundle of fabric from Worthy Goods Textiles on Etsy, and I started imagining some cute things I could make with them. It took me several months to actually sit down and create them, however I think they were totally worth the wait! I have two versions of the Bitty Baby Girl outfits (both come with a dress-style shirt and cropped pants) and then decided that their big sister needed a matching outfit also. But that still wasn't enough....although it didn't make it into the photo shoot, I have a Bitty Baby Boy outfit perfect to go along with the rest of them.

These outfits will be listed in the store sometime this week; I need to tweak the pictures a bit and finish the blonde's headband to make it just right. But be on the look-out for it!

Since I skipped it last week, I thought I would add a little bonus to this week's edition. The outfit that I WAS going to feature last week is one for the BFC Ink doll. Camelot's Treasures will start carrying clothing that fits these dolls also, in the next few months, but here's a sneak peek of what's in store! I'm so excited!

As a side note, I'm working on convincing my not-so-silent partner (you guessed it, my husband) to let me invest in one of the Karito Kids dolls, so I can start carrying clothes for them also. We will see how it goes; cross your fingers for me!

Keep checking back for my updates on what's going on in Camelot's Treasures!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

What's New Wednesday - Casual Sophistication

Who doesn't love Clearance racks? Well you can't keep this girl from trolling through the racks, perusing through some interesting items to find the treasures. A few weeks ago, I was doing just this and found some great finds, despite the questioning doubts of my husband and my daughter who kept letting me know that those were not my size (thanks, I know I'm not a size 5, Mallory, thank you very much for reminding me!). The other day, I decided to finally sit down and start on repurposing these pieces into some sophisticated outfits.

This week's new item is this pretty, sophisticated yet casual outfit. The trousers are a silvery gray, and the 3/4 inch length sleeved shirt features a pretty plum purple with a flower doo-dad for a little more pizazz. I ♥ it - I could totally see myself wearing this concoction!

Unfortuantely, just about an hour ago, it struck me: Cripes! It's Wednesday! The pants were finished yesterday, but the shirt was giving me a headache so I had put it aside. So I quickly finished the shirt, to stick to my plan of getting this blog post out. Hence the fact the picture is not "listing-ready". I think I'll add another accessory to, maybe a headband, maybe a purse - who knows now. That means this outfit won't be posted in the store for a few more days; but you can definitely check out all the great outfist already there!

Check back next week, the plans are to have some BFC Ink doll clothes done next week! Our Addison is in dire need of more outfits, she's kind of sick of her purple pants and blue tee.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Mini Valentine Cards - Free with any purchase

Who doesn't love recieving Valentine's Day Cards? This year, I decided that we HAD to make mini Valentine's Day cards for the girls. So I did. And they came out totally cute!

(By the way, I made them using some pretty graphics that I purchased from Etsians Peach Pops Clipart and Mystic Pixel.)

Well, being the unselfish person that I am, I wanted to share this cuteness with ALL of my loyal Camelot's Treasures' fans...so anyone who makes a purchase from today until February 14th, will recieve a complimentary mini Valentine's Day card to share with their American Girl Doll. This includes ALL clothing, not just the Valentine's Day-inspired outfits. And if you have more than one doll, and need a couple more, than just let me know and they will be on their way!

♥ YAY for Valentine's Day! ♥

Check out all the fun new outfits at Camelot's Treasures so you can get one of these super cute cards yourself :)

What's New Wednesday - Valentine's Dresses

Hearts can be found all over the place in Camelot's Treasures right now - I just finished 4 fun Valentine-inspired dresses! Plus, there are 2 more that are just as pretty, and perfect for the upcoming spring!

The girls had a great time during the photo shoot - and were such troopers in the cool temps - that I had to throw a little fun into the mix. Can you spot MY American Girl in the mix?

Monday, January 10, 2011

What's New Wednesday - Fabulous Felicity Frocks!

Although Felicity and Elizabeth are gone from our American Girl Catalogs, they are forever in our hearts! Mallory was lucky enough this past Christmas to recieve both Felicity and Elizabeth, and we honestly believe these are the prettiest American Girl Dolls EVER! So what better way to commerate our favorite girls then making some pretty colonial dresses to share with you.

This week's new item is

Blue Flowers Colonial Dress

This dress is hot fresh from the sewing machine, so I haven't taken the really GOOD pictures of it, but you get a sneak peek of the next thing listed in the shop. I have some other pretty prints ready to be sewn up too, all great for Felicity and Elizabeth to feel at home in!

By the way, notice the new doll? What a treasure she is - an original Pleasant Company Felicity in great condition! Her hair is a bit loved, so I'm thinking I'll get her some fun wigs to liven her up a bit. Oh, and her name is Vivian - she'll fit in perfect with the rest of the girls (Ruthie, Lanie, and Delilah)!

Keep a look out in the store to find this dress and other new outfits to be listed soon at Camelot's Treasures!

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Hello 2011!

WOW! It's amazing to see another year come and go, seemingly more quickly than the last. And this year, was a real doozy, with our big move to Italy - but we managed to survive, 6 months later and none the worse for wear.

Unfortunately this past year I was not able to put in all that I wanted into the store, a constant game of catch up, re-organization, or waiting for supplies. But enter January 2011, and I think I am finally at a place that will be start a successful year full of fun new things for Camelot's Treasures. Some things that will be re-introduced this year are more blog submissions (at least 2 times a week) and things that are brand spanking new, are contests/giveaways every few months.

BLOG:

Ok, we all know that I haven't been very good at keeping up with the blog. I promise I try to, but it always seems to get pushed aside. This year, however, I'm setting up a special schedule that will include time spots for specific thing and the blog has made it to the list! So, every Wednesday, I will have a “What’s New Wednesday” a new post featuring some item you can find in the store - not only will this be a great reminder of the great fashions in Camelot's Treasures, but will also keep me motivated to list AT LEAST one new item a week! “Fabulous Finds Fridays” will be a post on Fridays that feature fabulous finds of things I have found online or love way – a great showcase of artisans/crafters you might not have seen before.

In the works, but not guaranteed at the moment, will also be a "Mental Mallory Monday" post, with Mallory writing - your guess is as good as mine, what might be on there! And "Teamsters Tuesday" where I will post interesting things that teams that I participate with, are doing - what a great way for you to meet the other wonderful artisans/crafters that I deem friends.

GIVEAWAY/CONTESTS:

I'm planning on having at least 3 giveaway/contests throughout this year, which gives you more chances to win great stuff from Camelot's Treasures! Actually one will start tomorrow (you'll find out more information in the next post), to help celebrate my 30th birthday! There is also one in the process (still formulating the details) starting either in February and March, which includes a fun challenge for me - sneak peek: I'll have to list one thing a day for an ENTIRE month!

NEW ITEMS:

Some of you may already know this, but I have become a premium partner with Liberty Jane Clothing. This means that some of the outfits that I make will have pieces made using doll patterns from Liberty Jane Patterns, which are trendy and fun for all doll lovers. I'm SOOO excited about this!

Also, I'll be working on more accessories for dolls, such as purses, head wear, and even pet beds!

Like I said, there will be a lot going on in 2011, and it's going to be a great year! So keeping check back, so you don't miss anything!

You can also keep up-to-date with http://www.facebook.com/CamelotsTreasures) and on Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/camelottreasure).

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

EtsyMom Holly Day Blog Hop

Check out all of the fabulous holiday-themed projects, gift ideas, and more from our wonderful EtsyMom Blog Hop Contributors from around the world!!

Here's how it works:
1. Hop through each of the blogs listed above to get fabulous holiday inspiration and leave a comment. If you are starting at a blog in the middle of the Hop, start back at the EtsyMom Blog.
2. Leave a comment on this post between now and December 11, 2010.
3. Enter to win our giveaway by doing any of the following. For each thing you do, you will be entered into the drawing one more time:

~Leave a comment on this post between now and December 11, 2010.
~Leave a comment on the Holly Day Blog Hop posts for any of the blogs listed above between Dec 5 and Dec 11, 2010.
~Join our email list (fill out the form in the right hand column).
~Become a follower of this blog! Just click the "Follow" button in the lower right column.
~"Like" the EtsyMom Facebook Page.

Share about this Blog Hop on your own blog, posting a link to this page.

Share about this Blog Hop on Facebook, posting a link to this page.

Share about this Blog Hop on a message board or forum, posting a link to this page.

To let us know you've done these things, please come back to this blog post and leave a comment for each thing you did, i.e. one comment for posting on your blog, another comment for posting on facebook, and another comment for joining our email newsletter. If you post it all in one comment, it will count as one entry.On December 11, 2010 we'll choose a winner using the Random Integer Generator from random.org. The winner will receive this super sweet gift basket full of handmade holiday goodies, including

a pair of Turquoise Earrings from http://www.stoneymistdesign.etsy.com/

a greeting card from http://www.homemadebyamanda.etsy.com/

a lampwork bead bracelet by http://handmadewhimzy.etsy.com/

sterling silver and Swarovski pearl/crystal holiday earrings by

http://www.etsy.com/shop/signaturesterling

a cream colored cotton scarf given by http://www.zoegirldesigns.etsy.com/

a raincloud ornament from http://www.etsy.com/shop/babyjives

a matching splat mat and baby bib from http://www.babysindulgence.etsy.com/

two pair of earrings from http://quirefly.etsy.com/
a gift pack of over 30 pages of vintage paper ephemera by http://www.etsy.com/shop/countrychiccottage

a lovely sustainable stocking from http://www.rikrak.etsy.com/

a set of holly jolly gift tags from http://cinnamonspice.etsy.com/

a set of toddler pajamas in a style of the winner's choice from http://heatheregley.etsy.com/

a $15 gift certificate from http://camelotstreasures.etsy.com/

A gift certificate from http://babyswank.etsy,com/

American Girl-Sized Stocking Tutorial

This year, I wanted to add some more festive fun for the "girls" (aka our American Girl Dolls), so I decided to make each girl a fun stocking. Mallory and I took the girls "shopping" in my fabric and craft stash, and each girl came up with a distinctly different design for their stockings a good mirror of their personalities. And Theron didn't want Tyler (his Bitty Baby Twin Boy) left out of the fun, so we made a special stocking for him too.

After all the stockings were made, the girls were so excited that they thought all girls and their owners should make these special stockings. I mean who DOESN'T want special treats from Santa on Christmas morning?! So along with the motivation of this Etsy Mom Holly Blog, I am posting this tutorial on how to make your very own American Girl-sized stocking!

Materials needed:

* scraps of fabric about 8" x 8" (fat quarters would be awesome for this project!) - whatever fabric you love, your imagination is the limit
* thread
* stocking pattern (you can find the one I made here Stocking Pattern)
* needle
* pencil or thin utensil, for turning
* 3" ribbon (3/8" is perfect)
* embellishments, if you like (these can include sequins, embroidery floss, buttons, etc)

You can stitch this stocking up in 5 to 10 minutes on a sewing machine, or hand sew it in 10 to 20 minutes. This t

utorial shows the machine sewing way.
Step One:
Cut out your fabric using the pattern - you will need to cut two pieces for the outside of the stocking and two pieces for the inside/lining of your stocking. Also if you want to add the fun toe and heel design, then go ahead and do this now too.

Step Two:
Sew one front to one linig piece at the top. Repeat for the other two pieces.

Step Two and a half:
If you are going to embellish your stocking, do so now (it'll make it a lot easier); if you're not, then just skip this step. As you can see, I added a toy and heel to this one, and I attached them with a decorative stitch, the blanket stitch; you can use any stitch that you would like. Also, this is the time that I added the fun butterfly sequin's on Lanie's stocking - I just sewed through them a few times to make sure that they were on there tight!

Step Three:
Finger press the seams open on each piece, then pin them together right sides touching. Then sew all the way around both pieces, leaving a 1" to 1 1/2" opening at the bottom of the lining pieces - this is for turning your stocking right side out. Clip curves and trim seams if necessary.

Step Four:
Turn your stocking right-side out, using our pencil carefully to help push out the toe and heel. Iron the stocking flat to be sure you have the shape of it fully turned. Slip stitch the lining closed at the opening.

Step Five:
Push the lining into the stocking, carefully guiding the toe and heel into the correct spots. Keep shaping until the top of the stocking is even - where the seams is at the very top.

Step Six:
Fold down the lining on to the outside to make a cuff. You can fold it over however much you like. Then postion your ribbon inside the cuff, about a 1/4" down from the top on the back seam, and sew it in a loop.

And now you have your very own stocking! If you want to share the pictures of the stocking you made, feel free to post them on Camelot's Treasures Facebook page - I would love to see what you and your doll come up with!

Now, please take the opportunity to visit the next blog in our hop: http://homemadebyamanda.blogspot.com/2010/12/blog-hop-holiday-inspiration.html

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