Ruthie's Blog ~ Diary of a Would-Be Princess

Yup, we made another blog. And (hopefully) it's going to be updated just as often as Crazy for Cali is. :)

Ruthie is really excited about the new blog, and she's actually a pretty okay writer. I really only have one problem with this newbie- she's OBSESSED with princesses. I guess it's not exactly a bad thing, but it can get a little over the top.

Please check out Diary of a Would-Be Princess by clicking here or looking over at our sidebar. I know she'd love it if you commented or followed. It would mean the world to her, and I know Ruthie will fail to disappoint. Thank you so much! (Btw- this is TOTALLY not Ruthie, hacking into Cali's account...)

Happy holidays!

Princess Ruthie- I mean Cali***

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas, one and all! I hope all of you had a WONDERFULLY WONDERFUL holiday and got lots of amazing presents. You deserve it!!! :D

I'm writing this with two new friends peering over my shoulder: this new girl Addy Walker and her friend, Ruthie Smithens, who're both from New York. Apparently they know Jane distantly and wanted to attend school here at FMSG. It worked out quite well because Sunny wanted both Ruthie and Addy so it was a win-win for everyone.

Anywayyyyyyyys, all these new dolls and new clothes are keeping me in that holiday spirit, even though Christmas is over. Sunny's mom got us dolls an outift from Sitara's etsy shop, and everyone here is dancing around in the beautiful teal tank top and the olive green skirt. It's SO gorgeous. Unfortunately, Ruthie has already claimed it as her own couture and she just got here. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm going to like this girl or if she's just going to be a pain in the neck like Nellie. I'm just SO glad Nellie's not Sunny's doll but her sister's. Because if she was Sunny's, I think I might D.I.E...

So the outfit is pure AWESOME. Sunny's going to post some pictures of Ruthie in the outfit soon, maybe on Monday or Tuesday. She's thinking about giving Ruthie her very own blog to ramble on but I'm not very keen on that. We tried that once with the couture blog but no one followed, and we only posted on it once a month or so. That blog was somewhat of a failure so trying another blog might turn out just the same. However, it would be nice having someone here who could share my love of writing...

I'm having mixed feelings about this Ruthie girl. I wonder if her friend Addy is similar...

Well, enough of my ranting! Hope everyone has a great holiday and enjoys the winter break. :)

Cali***

Not-so-good CAGD Pics

Don't know what to get the special American Girl doll in your life? Well, fret no longer! Crazy for Cali is preparing a two-part holiday special featuring gifts that cost little to nothing to make or purchase for your AG doll this season.

COMING SOON

Until then, it's about time I show some pictures of our custom Rapunzel doll. Since she's not yet fully customized, Sunny photoshopped her eyes green on Picnik. The freckles and straightened hair are real however.The photos below aren't the greatest since it's been veryyyyyy rainy and cold here in Florida, and I haven't had the courage to risk getting my doll wet outside. So Sunny grabbed the camera and shot the photos in her bedroom, which unfortunately has not-so-good lighting. When the skies clear up, we'll definitely have some better photos to show you all.

Hope you enjoy them nonetheless!

This enchanteddesigner dress is a beautiful two-piece set that looks wonderfully realistic! It's exactly like the dress Rapunzel wears throughout Tangled.

Cali***

-Check our Flickr for Walt Disney World pictures! We'll be posting more soon.-

Disney World Bound!

(picture courtesy of Google Images)

Hey, everyone, it's Cali! If you're reading this, Sunny, her family, and our new custom Rapunzel doll will be on their way to Walt Disney World! She's bringing her laptop since her room has Wifi so a post with WDW photos and photos of Rapunzel will be posted later this evening. Also check our Flickr because lots of photos will be uploaded there, as well. Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Cali***

December and Rapunzel CAGD Updates

Well, everyone, it's officially...

DECEMBER!

Actually it has been for almost a week and I haven't even posted yet! Tsk tsk, Cali. Anyways, things have been getting busier and busier as we, meaning pretty much everybody at FMSG, have been preparing for or enjoying the holidays whether it be Christmas (like I am) or Hanukkah (like Rebecca). I hope all of you are enjoying the festivities and if not, then enjoying the wintry weather!

Also, many of you saw that we've been working on a custom doll, Rapunzel, from Tangled and we're getting a lot accomplished! So far our Elizabeth doll has been given an array of light freckles and her hair has been straightened and then put in braids to give it a silky slight curl. We also purchased her signature pink/purple dress from enchanteddesigner, an etsy shop you need to check out! Right now I believe there's one Rapunzel dress left and an assortment of other stunning princess, fairytale, and character outfits at an affordable price and exquisite quality.

The dress looks identical to that of the dress Rapunzel wears in the movie. Pictures of this stunning outfit will be available soon, I promise! Our main and currently only problem is that our Elizabeth (soon to be Rapunzel) has blue eyes... not green... and Rapunzel's green eyes are a kind of important aspect of her look. However the whole eye-swapping thing gives me the shivers. We don't know if we should go through with an eye-swap or just leave our Rapunzel unique with blue eyes. Please let us know how you feel about this! We'd love the feedback because the problem has been eating at us for a while. Thank you(:

So Rapunzel will be done quite soon and when she is pictures will be mandatory! We're going to Disney on Saturday and Rapunzel will be accompanying us quite hopefully to at least Downtown Disney or to one of the parks. We'll try our very best to post some pictures and to have a post while we're there because Sunny will be bringing her laptop. It's going to be very fun! I sure hope I'm allowed to come along...

Cali***

Custom Doll Teasers!

A new custom doll? Perhaps... ;)

Gorgeous emerald-green eyes. Blonde hair. Hmmm...

Could FMSG be getting it's very own Disney royalty???

I'm going to keep this post short and sweet to add to the mysteriousness and surprise of the whole thing. Comment below on your custom doll thoughts and opinions, as well as about any custom dolls you have had or have. Once our custom is finished (which will hopefully be soon) a photoshoot/video/post will be vitally necessary. :)

*None of the pictures included in this post are mine, all are property of Disney Animation Studios*

Cali***

Happy Thanksgiving

Thank you for inviting us,

To your Thanksgiving dinner,

A day spent in your company,

Is invariably a winner.

Thank you for the time you spent,

Preparing all the food;

For making us feel welcome,

You have our gratitude!

-By Joanna Fuchs-

Pictures courtesy of Google Images

Hope everyone has an amazing (and delicious) Thanksgiving! Eat lots of turkey, enjoy the company of family and friends, and be thankful. :)

Cali***

A new holiday look!

Since the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's are fast approaching, I thought it would be nice to spruce Crazy for Cali up for the holidays! The new bokeh-type background is from Blogger and the Christmas tree countdown widget is from Spring Widgets. The new header was edited courtesy of Picnik.

Also, Sunny got around to doing one (ok, I know it doesn't sound like that much but it took her twelve tries of the same shot to get the perfect photo) of our holiday portraits! It was Chloe's and she was modeling one of my favourite Christmas dresses, the Fancy Flower Outfit minus the faux-fur shrug. The grey and silver colors in the dress suited Chloe well and almost gave her cocoa-eyes a silvery-tint. The portrait is also featured on our Flickr (see sidebar) and is in a special Holiday set. The rest of the portraits when we get around to them will also be in the set.

Tomorrow's Thanksgiving! I hope to post about my Thanksgiving either tomorrow or by the weekend. Happy holidays!

Cali***

Samantha's Winter Stroll

My friend Jane's cousin Samantha Parkington (she's also a student here at FMSG) is just loving the wintry weather here in Florida. Sam was born and raised in New York where the temps can reach below zero during the holiday season so the chilly weather was very familiar to her. She just loved modeling her new evergreen winter coat and elegant velvet hat as she strolled through the FMSG campus. Luckily, Sunny had her camera handy and was able to take some beautiful photos of Sam in her winter wear.

Sam looks just lovely in green. It really brings out her brown eyes and hair!

It was a cloudy day today but the colors of the late fall greenery and the damp soil below made great contrast for photography.

All of these photos were edited using Picnik's Orton-ish effect and the text effect. Since the weather was overcast, the lighting wasn't phenomenal so editing helped a lot- especially to bring out the rich colors.

I can't wait for the holidays to arrive! What do you guys plan on doing over the Thanksgiving and winter breaks? Any family traditions you love? What's your favorite thing about the holiday season? Let me know in a comment- I'd love to hear what the holidays mean to you!

Cali***

We need a little Christmas now

Hello, everyone, and happy holidays! Today's the first day of Thanksgiving break for us dolls here at FMSG. This not only means a whopping 9 days off of school and the start of the Christmas season but also more time for posts!

Sorry I haven't been posting as much lately but, with the arrival of break, I'm hoping I'll be able to post more often. Maybe even everyday!

Anyways, since it's Thanksgiving break Sunny's been preparing us dolls in our holiday finery for our Christmas portraits in front of the Christmas tree. My dress is brand new and it's just dazzling. I can't wait to model it in my portrait! Once we get every doll's portrait taken, we'll post them here and also in a special holiday album on our Flickr. If you want to know what we've been up to in the past weeks check our Flickr. We update that often, even when we don't have time to post here on Crazy For Cali.

Check back here for more posts soon! :)

Cali***

When life flies bye...

I can't believe the last time I posted was 2 weeks ago! I'm so sorry. Homework, tests, the usual- just tends to get in the way nowadays. Don't worry- although, I'm not posting as much as I did over the summer, I'm still thinking of you, my followers, commenters, and readers, who make this blog possible! Thank you guys SO much and I'll try my hardest to keep the updating up to a maximum in the next few weeks. After all, Thanksgiving and fall break is only one school week away and then I'll have lots of time to post!

So, what has been going on to Cali Hazelwood in the past week or two? Not much- other than hitting my 12th birthday! It was a small gathering with only my closest friends (Jane, Shannon, Piper, Chloe, and Lanie) but it was really nice. We all went to a fancy bistro up the street and then got icecream sundaes at Karlssons' Kandy Shoppe afterwards. I opened my presents there and got a pair of light blue doll-sized Uggs and a Breyer to add to my ever-growing collection. It was a fun time and a great way to celebrate my 12th birthday and a year and a half on Crazy for Cali! :D

Well, enough about me! What have you been doing in the last few weeks of fall? Leave your answer in a comment below ~ I'd love to hear what's going on with you guys too!

Cali***

Halloween Weekend

Hey everyone! Cali is excited. Cali is very very excited. Cali likes to talk in third person :) Well, aside from being weird, I am extra wired because Halloween is only a day away! Everyone has been getting prepared for this holiday by decorating, making spooktacular recipes, and (of course) eating candy.

Today I'd like to share with you some photos of a handmade doll dress bought at a local doll boutique in our area. The dress screams 'fall' and the warm browns and oranges go great with Mia's red hair and hazel eyes. The woman who sold us the outfit said the dress was called "Thanksgiving Dinner" but I think it works well for any time during autumn. What do you think?

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! Stay tuned for a Halloween post tomorrow :) BOO!

Cali***

Halloween Costumes, Part 2

Welcome, witches and wizards, to the second edition of our two-part Halloween Costume Special. Today we'll be talking about two other costumes that are definitely some of our favorites- our Fairy and Trick-or-Treater costumes.

The Fairy costume is your typical fluttery skirt, white leotard, whimsical fairy wings, and ballet flats. This lovely ensemble was a steal from Michael's for only around 7$. Granted the outfit isn't as great of quality as AG-brand costumes, it does work nicely for Halloween and is pretty well-made for the price. Last year this was my costume but this Halloween, Jane will be using it. I have my own special costume planned! ;)

The other costume we will be showcasing is merely a set we received as a gift from one of Sunny's people friends. The shirt (which we believe is the purple tee from the Doll Tees craft kit) is given a very spooktacular look with an iron-on ghost and bats. The coordinating trick-or-treat bag is decorated with CREEPY ghost eyes and bats. This outfit is not as much as a costume as the Fancy Riding Outfit, Minnie Mouse dress, or the Fairy costume so we added a black mask for an extra scary effect.

So those are our current costumes here at FMSG! Nothing much but they aren't too hopeless. As for my amazing costume, that will be revealed on Halloween for a EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA special post. Until then- some Halloween trivia!

~Orange and black are the official Halloween colors because orange is associated with fall harvest and black is associated with death and mourning.

~Black cats were thought to be the aids and familiars of witches or magical beings.

~Halloween is the second most commercially successful holiday, after Christmas.

~Some say that if you see a spider on Halloween, it is the soul of someone dear looking over you.

~Pumpkins also come in colors such as green, white, and BLUE!

Have a great weekend!

Cali***

Halloween Costumes, Part 1

Hey, guys! Time for part 1 of our 2 part Halloween Costume special. Today we'll be discussing two of my favorite doll Halloween ensembles, our Minnie Mouse costume and our AG-brand Fancy Riding Outfit. These outfits are modeled by my friends Madi and Gwendolyn.

As you can see, these costumes are very similar to costumes we see for girls. Although they differ slightly, the same basic idea is obvious in both.

This costume greatly resembles AG's newest horseback riding outfit, the Fancy Riding Outfit. This outfit consists of a dark blue show blazer, white breeches, black show boots, and a velvet helmet. Not only does this cute ensemble work well for Halloween, it also is a great addition to any horse-loving doll's wardrobe.

This costume, one of the many Minnie Mouse costumes available for young girls, is an almost exact magnification of the Disney Girls Minnie Mouse outfit, which can be purchased exclusively at any Disney Resort & Theme Park. The classic red polka-dot dress and the eyelet slip are important elements in all Minnie Mouse costumes. Both things can be found in both the girl sized version and that for the doll.

Stay tuned for more Halloween Costume posts, coming to a Dashboard near you!

Cali***

Literary Travels- Melody Valerie Couture Fall 2010

Literary Travels, one of Melody Valerie Couture's beautiful new dresses, has arrived! It's absolutely stunning and made of the most beautiful fabric. The way the dress fits, the way it complements Shannon's rosy complexion, and its all around beauty is just amazing. We couldn't be more happier with our purchase!

The only thing I was actually upset about was that Shannon was going to model it instead of me! It's alright, though, I'll get my hands on it soon enough... ;)

Have any of you purchased MVC dresses? If so, drop me a comment- I'd love to hear about them !

Cali***

It's beginning to look a lot like autumn...

... everywhere you go...

It's true, though. The cool weather (well, for Florida) is just amazing- I'm finally able to wear my favorite sweater and new jeggings to school without sweating like a pig the entire day. And the spooky decorations that litter the front yards of the people in our neighborhood are a scary reminder of Halloween, which is only a mere three weeks away! That reminds me- I still don't have a costume picked out. Any ideas???

Anyways, as you probably already know the Melody Valerie Couture Fall 2010 line came out on September 11th. Due to my month-long absence I was unaware of the arrival of this line and just recently looked on the site, amazed by the beautiful dresses (based on a "Voyages" theme). All of the dresses are stunning and the warm, autumn-y golds, reds, navy blues, purples, and browns in the fabrics are perfect for the upcoming season. I decided to check to see if any of the dresses were still for sale on MVC's Etsy site and was happy (and surprised!) to see that the Literary Travels Dress still remained! I told Sunny about this and she was like, "No way!" and she ordered one of the two last dresses.

I was curious what lucky doll was going to receive the dress and Sunny informed me that it would be for all of us to share. I just hope I'm the first who gets to model it... we'll see ;)

Picture credit goes to Melody Valerie Couture

So that's all that's been going on around here. Hope everybody had a great weekend!

Cali***

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

Is it just me or does everything have that crisp, fall-like feeling all of a sudden? Even here inhot, sunny Florida the weather's been reaching a low 65 degrees in the morning and staying at a temperate 75 degrees during the day. I knew fall was coming but the arrival of cool weather makes it official. We've said goodbye to summer and we're saying hello to fall!

Fall is probably my favorite season. For one, the weather is amazing. Also, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and my 12th birthday are all in fall. And, of course, the arrival of fall means we're that much closer to the holiday season!

Anyways, enough of my rambling, time for the good stuff- Dolloween! As you can see I posted a video I created on JibJab (kind of like Monster Mash last year ;)) to the sidebar on the right. If you haven't seen it yet, take a look- it's pretty hilarious! Also, if you have a YouTube account please, please, please check out my newest video. I would love it if you could enter. Remember, the costumes don't have to be elaborate or expensive. For instance, in the newest AG Magazine (*for humans*) they have the directions for creating a quick, simple bat costume for your doll under the Doll Fun section. That would be an awesome entry!

Thanks for reading and happy fall.

Cali***

I. Am. Still. Alive...Kind of.

Arggghhhh! Sorry everyone, you probably have been thinking that I left the planet and gone to Mars where there's no internet and no time at all to post. Well, you'd be sort of right. Middle school is like Mars- maybe even worse- and there isn't any time to post. I feel ashamed. Feel free to give me a tsk, tsk because I deserve it. So much.

Well, let me just say that I will be doing much better with updating this blog after my short (ok, looooong) hiatus of boringness. Trust me on this. We have three (yes, three! (:) new videos on our YouTube channel and are preparing for our big first-ever Dolloween 2010 celebration, which will be on YouTube and on this blog now and again. Part of the Dolloween festivities include a costume contest where you can post pictures of yourself- if you're a doll- in your favorite costume(s). The winner will be announced on Halloween and will receive some very fabulous prizes. For more information on Dolloween 2010 check out our YouTube channel or click here.

So, as I said, I am surprisingly not dead. Hope you all forgive me and have an amazing weekend!

Cali***

Long Time, No Post

Yuccccckkkk, I am sooooo ashamed of myself for not posting in over a week! A WHOLE WEEK! Yikes, this is really embarrassing, everyone.

Anyways, the reason I haven't been posting mainly is Sunny's fault (tsk, tsk). Lately she's been hanging out with her friends, having sleepovers, and doing end-of-summer stuff. She apologizes.

So, like I said, I've been raising money for horseback-riding lessons at the barn where my friend Gwen and this girl Rebecca I know ride. I've been doing lots of side jobs such as dog-walking, babysitting, and my most recent job of cleaning out my aunt's attic, which I must say, was a lot of fun.

While I was going through drawers and drawers of family mementos, old photographs, musty clothing, and assorted odds-and-ends that had found their way into Aunt Trish's attic, I was surprised to find a bunch of old hats. I asked my Aunt Trish and she said her grandma used to collect them and that they're from the late 1800's to the early 1950's. I decided to try some of them on.

There were a TON of hats. My favorites were these. They looked so elegant and graceful. I decided to try the floral pink one first. Aunt Trish said that it dated back to the 1880's. As I wore the gorgeous rose hat, I imagined my self as a southern belle growing up on a plantation. I loved the pinks, yellows, and pale greens in the hat.

The next hat I tried on was a burgundy hat with a long trail of crimson, gold, and silver ribbons. It looked like a hat someone might wear in the early 1900's. Maybe a sophisticated debutante? Or a New York socialite? As I tried on the hat, I tried to imagine when and where my great grandma wore each hat she had in her collection.

The last hat I decided to try on was the most modern of the hats in her collection. I decided that it looked a bit like a hat from the 1950's. It reminded me like a hat worn by an ace reporter or crime scene detective. And (of course) I Picniked it with my signature font. :o)

I had such a great time helping my aunt clean out her messy attic. Besides making $20 towards my riding fund, I also enjoyed trying on the different hats and playing pretend. Sorry again about the lack of posts this month. I'll try my best to post more often!

Cali***

Meet Judy

Yesterday was Sunny's grandma's birthday and we gave her an extra-special gift- an American Girl doll that looked like she did when she was a girl! Sunny's grandma loved it, as well as the "Meet" book that came with it. Mini-Judy, as she's named her, is a customized Molly doll. We took her braids out so her hair was curly like Grandma's was and put her in an outfit that looked similar to something from the late 1930's, early 1940's.

Mini-Judy looked just like Sunny's grandma did in old pictures. It was crazy!

Yay for weird Picniking, lol! Sorry about my total lack of posts. I've still been doing a lot of side-jobs to earn money for horseback riding so I'll totally post pictures of me working on that soon. Happy August, everyone!

Cali***

One Year

On July 21st 2010, this blog was officially declared one year old! It feels like I've only been writing in it for a couple days, though. Thanks so much to all of my followers, readers, and commenters. If it wasn't for you, this blog probably wouldn't even be here today!

I loved all of your suggestions for our "One Year Celebration" but I eventually decided on taking one photo from each month since this blog began and saying a little something about each of them. Please enjoy this journey through one amazing year!

July 2009: As well as this being the first month of "Crazy for Cali", Noelle and I try out for Coach Potter's soccer team and (to our surprise) make it! I remember being more than thrilled about this. Plus, being able to post your excitement on a blog was also very fun.

August 2009: Enjoying the view at Sunny's grandparents' house is always a lot of fun! After the busy first week of school, I was more than happy to kick back and relax at the lake and enjoy some much-needed quiet time.

September 2009: During this exciting month comes Sunny's birthday! She got to go to Disney World (she brought me along, of course) and while there, gets Rebecca Rubin!

October 2009: Gwen Thompson joins the FMSG family just in time for Halloween, as does a new family dog- Gus, Sunny's French bulldog.

November 2009: My first birthday with Sunny arrives on November 9th. Besides having a fantastic birthday party with all of my closest friends, I was able to get a Breyer Stablemate for my collection, as well!

December 2009: Merry Christmas! My twin sister, Elizabeth, comes to stay for a few weeks. We had such a great time celebrating the holidays together and doing fun activities such as decorating the house with Christmas lights, raising money for gifts, and being sisters. What's a better present than building a relationship with a long lost relative?

January 2010: Sunny creates her very own YouTube account! This also meant that we were very busy with our movie-making skills during this month. This particular photo was from the first music video we ever made, "Love Story".

February 2010: Valentine's Day creeps upon us, as does FMSG's special Sweetheart Social. Great food, great friends, and lots of candy makes this February 14th extra-amazing.

March 2010: Sunny and Marigold take Felicity and I to the American Girl Boutique & Bistro in Atlanta, where they get two awesome new dollies, Lanie and Chloe. Together we all had an awesome trip!

April 2010: Spring is in the air! Gwen, as well as many of us other students, love hanging out outdoors and enjoying the fresh, springtime breeze. With this new season comes anticipation for summer!

May 2010: Shannon starts her first modeling job in the AGMA! She's a great model and friend and I am so proud of her for even making the first cut.

June 2010: School's out and summer's in! All of us here at FMSG are more than pleased to be able to relax for a couple months. After all, a month or two without homework isn't that terrible, right?

July 2010: One year can go by so quickly that you might not even know it hit you! That's how it was for us here at "Crazy for Cali". Before we knew it, that important day was creeping up on us and we were more than excited. Again, thank you all for reading, commenting, and following this blog. I hope these pictures and captions gave you a better insight on a year in the life of a doll and all of the amazing things that can happen in just a matter of 365 days.

Cali***