The Darling Doll Blog Award!

Hello Folks! Today I have yet another award post! Thanks to: Hope from 'All Things Doll!' For nominating me! Let's get this award post started!

Here are the rules!

1. Nominate at least 5 doll blogs.

2. Copy and paste these rules to your award post and put this award on your sidebar/award page.

3. Ask 5 original, fun questions for your nominees.

4. Tell your nominees why you like their blog!

5. You are not obligated to do this award, but you can't take credit for it if you don't do an award post.

Hope's questions!

1. What doll looks most like you?

Well I'm a bit of a mixture between 2 dolls. I have bright blue eyes, medium brown hair, and it's just shorter than my shoulders. I'm not very computer savvy so I don't know how to photoshop to dolls together but here are 2 MAGS, that if combined, would look similar to me! 

Ok so the hair colour,eye colour, skin colour, freckles of this doll.

And then the HAIR LENGTH of this fine young lady :) But I have a few natural blonde highlights in my hair and its like thick,boofy and curly! Hard to contain sometimes! LOL!

2.  What's the best part about being a blogger?
Heaps of things! But for the sake of this post I'l just say one :) I think just getting to express myself and my love of dolls! :)

3. If you were to make a custom, who would it be?
Well on my usual wonderings through different,amazing blogs I came across a cool blog called: Audra's Elements of Style. On this blog she has a few friends, many of them are custom dolls. I took a real liking to Tamsen. She is so pretty!! She's #55 with Marie-Grace eyes. I love her so much I'm seriously considering making her as my first ever custom! I'm not going to post a photo of her because I haven't asked for permission but if you would like to see go check out her blog! :)

4.  If you had to get rid of one of your dolls, which one would you get rid of?

I'm not even going to answer that question. All of my dolls are extremely special to me and I can't imagine parting with any of them :)

5. What is your favorite AG book?
Well I haven't read many of them but I really liked Josefina's Meet book :)

Now for the people I nominate!

For this award I looked at blogs I maybe hadn't visited before (some of them i have but most I haven't ) and then selected 5 that I really liked! :)

~ Ginny & June: Small Town American Girlz

I love Ginny and Junes blog! They are so nice and comment on my posts and also their photography is so cool and creative! :)

Dally L.: Saige's Locket 

As soon as I saw this blog i fell in love with it! One word to describe it is Elegant! From the header down to the font, it's so beautiful! Dally's photography is so amazing and is quite the inspiration :)

Charlie: Candidly Charlie

Charlie goes on so many cool adventures and they are always super fun! Her blog is so awesome!! 

 Zoe: Glowy Zoe

Zoe's blog is so fabulous! I her photography is so good! I love her style of photos :D

Kiki: Kiki's Korner

These dolls get up to so much fun and have been blogging for quite a few years now! I love reading their posts :D

Now for my questions :)

1. What are your thoughts on the new GOTY Grace Thomas?

2. What's your favourite AG historical character?

3. If you could have any retired AG doll what would it be?

4. When did you start your blog?

5. If you could make a custom what would he/she look like?

Hope you guys enjoyed this post! And thanks again Hope for nominating me!!!

-Lydia

Shopkins Season 2 has reached New Zealand!!

Hello! I've been meaning to post this announcement for a few weeks now but I'm so excited because around the first day of February I went to my local toy store and discovered that SHOPKINS SEASON 2 HAS FINALLY REACHED NEW ZEALAND!! *pauses for air* I AM SO EXCITED!! Around November/December last year it was released to the US and now its finally here! Some of the other toys got excited and wanted to show you the different, new features that come with SEASON 2! Take it away :)

Hi! The name's Natalie and I'm a Lammily doll, I just love the new baskets that come with the new Season 2 Shopkins :) The pink and purple is just so fabulous! 

This toaster is so adorable :) 

Howdy it's Maddie Hatter here! I think the new purple bags are so cool :) The totally match the purple highlights in my hair!! 

I really like the new range of shopkins to choose from! Including shoes!

This muffin is so cute I could just eat it! Wait what?!

Hey guys it's Isabelle! And i love the teeny size of Shopkins!! To us 18 inch dolls they are just so small and charming :D This sparkly oil is super cool!

Haha it matches my shoes! Mmmm so many to choose, which is my favourite?

Well this corn is just so cheeky!

Look at that mops face!! Hehe =)

Well that's a lot to take in! I can't wait to get more of these new Shopkins! They are so awesome :D Which was your favourite Shopkin? Thanks for reading :-*

-Lydia

Casaleah Grace Thomas!!

Howdy all! So today is the official introduction of the newest member of the AGfernfriends family! Everyone meet: Casaleah Grace Thomas! The 2015 GOTY :D I decided to rename her because I think Grace is a bit of a plain name on its own (I'M NOT MEANING TO BE OFFENSIVE IF YOU'RE NAME IS GRACE!) So her name is Casaleah (Cass-a-lee-a) I think it totally suits her ^_^ This evening my family got take-out pizza! YUM! And went to our local gardens and have tea (dinner) This is one of my favourite places to take photos because every few weeks the flowers change and the grass is always a fresh green :) So between mouthfuls of pepperoni pizza I managed to take a few pics of Cas! There are quite a few so enjoy! 

(If you would like to see some pics of her in her original meet outfit, I made a post the day I got her showing a quick look of her outfit etc..CLICK HERE TO VIEW) :P

This photo was inspired by Maddie from DollsonmyMind header.

I hope you like them! The outfit she's wearing is actually one I ordered it arrived yesterday! Woo-hoo! It's called the: Tunic Outfit :) Currently on sale at AmericanGirl :D I hope to have her profile up soon so keep a look out!

-Lydia

'You're a great photographer!' award :)

Hey everyone! So I was nominated for the :You're a great photographer award by Ellie from: On The Other Side of Reality.Thanks a bunch Ellie for nominating meh! :-* Let's get cracking on this award!!

The rules!!

1. Nominate 3-7 blogs for this award and make a link to the blog.

2. If you are nominated, give one of your photography tips and answer the questions given.

3. Go comment on a post of the person you nominated, letting them know they were nominated.

4. Copy the above picture onto your post.

5. Link your post back to the original post.

6. Add the picture to your tool bar or page.

7. Copy these rules onto your post.

8. Have fun!

Ellie's Questions! :)

1. What camera do you use?
Well I'm not entirely sure, my dad and I share it :) But I think it might be a Nikon D5100 :D Here's a picture of it I took on my phone :P

LOL! Sorry bout the quality :D

2. Do you usually edit your pictures or post them straight out of camera?

Well, I don't usually edit my photos but I'm slowly figuring out how to work the edit app on my computer so soon some of my photos will be edited but only a small amount =) 

3. What's your favourite part about taking pictures? 

Probably seeing how much I have improved and seeing others improvement too! Also being able to do whatever you want and get as creative as you please! 

4. When did you start taking pictures?

I started my blog and started toy photography in April 2014 :)

5. Which of your dolls is your favourite to take pictures of?

At the moment Cécile but I haven't taken many pics of Grace yet so she may become my fav ^_^ 

I've chosen 3 blogs that I've seen some incredible pictures on! The photographers are:

- MissMolly93 from Miss Molly and Friends

- Maddie from Dolls On My Mind

- Shelby-Grace from Oh My Dollies

I'n not sure if I'm supposed to make up the questions for the people I nominate or they just use the ones provided... Oh well I'll give ya 5 questions anyway :P
1. Do you have a favourite place where you like to take photos?
2. Do you prefer indoor or outdoor photography?
3. Do you take pictures of anything else besides dolls and toys? For example: plants,people etc..(It's doesn't if you don't, doll/toy photography rules!! LOL)
4. How long have you had the camera you're using?
5. How has taking photos impacted your life? (For example, I see things in a whole new way and just by looking at things and think of the cool ways I could photograph it! =D )

I hope you enjoyed reading this award post! :D And thanks again Ellie for nominating me I really appreciate it :)

-Lydia

Meet Adelaide!

Hey guys! Ok so recently I found an abandoned 1999 Mattel (I'm guessing Barbie doll) in a junk box in my house and decided to fix her up and introduce her to the ever growing community of AGfernfriends dolls :)

As you can see from the above picture she was in a pretty yuck condition. She didn't have any clothes  (that's why the black square over her torso if you're wondering :D ) And she had marks all over her body. (Nothing that a little bit of nail polish remover couldn't fix! ;-)

Now the main bit, how did I ever sort out that crazy mess of hair?! Well Adelaide was a weekend project. Firstly I gave her hair a massive wash with shampoo and conditioner then sectioned off very small bits of hair and then wrapped them around toothpicks (Very tedious!) And then boiled her hair, let it dry overnight and then on Monday after school I took out the picks and POW! Her hair was fabulous! :)

I took these pictures just before tea time and the light is super nice (if you're on it's good side, horrible if you're not! ) Adelaide is super awesome but one of her cons is: She can't stand on her own and can be a pain to pose :( But I can get some cool head shots! Her make-up is on point! :D 

Her is a weird picture of the back of her hair (LOL sorry about the rusty wagon she's leaning on :P) Every single curl was formed but a toothpick, that's a lot of toothpicks trust me! :D

I got her accessories, including boots, from a cheap Barbie accessory pack at my local toy store! It was on sale :) Her boots are so cool! 

So I hope you enjoyed meeting Adelaide :D I'm so proud of her :) She is very sassy and never goes out without her sunglasses onto her head! You'll be seeing more of her in the future! I hope to do this with a lot more dolls, it's so much fun! :-)

-Lydia 

'Your are Amazing And So Is Your Blog' award!

Hey guys! Here is another award post! I'm slowly catching up, I have so many posts planned but I recently started back at school after the long summer holidays :) So it's a bit hectic! Anyway thanks Mint from Abbot Doll Family for the nomination :D

The Rules:

1. Copy and paste these rules on to your award post.

2. Come up with at least 5 fun questions for your nominees to answer.

3. Nominate at least 5 people who you think are amazing and have an amazing blog.

4. List at least one reason why you appreciate the people you nominated.

5. Put this award on your sidebar or award/tag page if you were nominated.

6. Leave a comment on your nominees' blogs letting them know they've been nominated.

Questions from Mint:

1.) What was the last thing you did?

Finished curling my new barbie dolls hair and cleaning her up whilst listening to Michael Jackson! (I've never listened to his music before and it's quite good :D ) I'll have a post about her up soon :)

2.) What is your favorite season?

Um probably spring because it’s not too hot and also there are all the baby animals and daffodils around so that makes me real happy! :D

3.) When did you get your first doll?

My first doll was Josefina and I got her for my birthday in 2011 :D

4.) What is your favorite aspect of blogging?

Meeting new people who have the same passion as you but also expressing yourself in a totally new and unique way! And getting feedback on your photos :)

5.) Do you have any pets?

Well I don't have any pets personally but my family has: A deranged cat (literally is dying poor guy) his name is Mentos (Yep like the sweets/candy), 2 dogs: a Hungarian hunting dog named Sue (But she is real old and doesn’t hunt, she just likes to sleep at your feet.) And a puppy Chihuahua cross Pomeranian named Kevin.   

Sorry I only got 4 nominees :/ But enjoy! 

- Ellie from: On the Other Side of Reality.
I chose Ellie for this award because her blog is so quirky and her comments always make meh smile :D (And occasionally chortle!!)
- Gwen from: Alone in doll world.
Gwen is so kind and leaves really nice comments on meh posts! Also she takes great pics for using an iPhone! (Not that there anything wrong with taking iPhone pics) But I have an iPhone 4 and I cannot take photos as good as hers on mine! :0
- the girls from: Dolly Dorm Diaries.
This blog is so amazing because the adventures that these girls get up to are so much fun! I absolutely love reading their posts :D
-Hannah from: AGDTime.
Hannah posts quite frequently and her cool Outfit of the Week posts are really neat :) I love how she can mix and match outfits super well! Her blog is totally fabulous! 

My questions:

1.Do you prefer Disney or Marvel? (Superheros e.g. Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk)

2.Do you prefer Woody or Buzz from Toy Story?

3.Do you play an instrument(s)? If so, what?

4.Do you collect a range of dolls/toys or just American Girl (No judging here just wondering :P)

5.What is your favourite type of music to listen to? (For example mine is: Musicals and Whitney Houston)

Whew! 2 of the 4 blog award posts done! We're halfway there!! (Anyone get the song reference?) ;

;-) Hope you guys liked this post and see ya soon :P

-Lydia

The very very very long awaited: Blogger Recognition Award!

Hiya All! Ok so literally like in October 2014, Hannah from AGDtime nominated me for the BLOGGER RECOGNITION AWARD!! It's my blogs first award so Woo-hoo! I'm so sorry Hannah that i took so long to create this post. It's the summer holidays over here and I haven't had the time (I've been working) to go through and scout for candidates for this award. But last night I literally spent like 2 hours and searched far and wide for AG bloggers (and other doll blogger too!) and found them!! YAY! I've actually been awarded 3 blog awards since so prepare for more award posts! :D Well lets get onto this award!!

This is the beautiful award itself! You can stick this in your sidebar, tab of awards or anywhere you like on ur blog!

Here are the rules.

• Select 15 other blogs you want to give the award to. Do some digging if you must! Find those blogs. You cannot nominate yourself or the person who has nominated you.
• Write a post to show off your award! Give a brief story of how your blog got started, and give a piece or two of advice to new bloggers. Thank whoever nominated you, and provide a link to their blog. List who you've nominated in the post. 
• Make sure to also attach the award itself! (You can do this by right-clicking, saving, and uploading the image above).
• Comment on each blog and let them know you've nominated them. Provide a link to the award post you created.
• Provide a link to the original post on Edge of Night. That way, anyone can find the original guidelines and post if needed, and we can keep it from it being.

(Ok so i got those rules from the blog that nominated me and the last rule kinda ends abruptly. So I don't know if it's meant to be like that, so who knows!! Haha)

So, as the second rule states. I should give a brief story about how I started meh blog. So here goes.

"It was a dark and winding night, all that could be heard was the trees screaming in the wind and the rolling thunder crashing over the hills.... Hello! Sorry that's the wrong story! *Guides you to the correct page.* There you go! Enjoy :)

"Once upon a time there was a girl who lived in the small country in the corner of the world named Lydia. (Fabulous name I know! Shout to all bloggers named LYDIA!!) Now there was something different about this girl. She had a teeny tiny liking, no a small loving.. no that's not right.. Oh I know: A GIGANTIC OBSESSION!!!! For dolls, specifically American Girl dolls. Sadly in New Zealand no one around her had a stinking clue what American Girl was! She wanted to share her passion with people and make friends with people who loved dolls, just like her! That past year her class had been taught how to make blogs, so after searching the web and discovering a site called: AmericanGirlFan she found that heaps and heaps of AG doll fans were linking their 'blogs' to this page. Feeling inspired she created one and decided to post stories,reviews and whatever mischief she and her dolls got up to :D"

Hope you enjoyed that little story! By the way, the girl was me! (If you were confused :P LOL) I'm having so much fun with this blog and I have made so many friends and found inspirations (and hopefully been and inspiration to others) but even though I showcase a few different types of dolls and toys on my blog AG were the girls who started with me and will always without a doubt be a huge part of my life! :) 

Now onto the even funner bit..(incorrect English I know but who cares!! YOLO :P )

ANNOUNCING THE NOMINEES!!

So apologies if you have already been nominated for this award. I tried to find people who hadn't been awarded it (from what I could see!) Also I'm sorry if your name isn't on this list. I couldn't nominate everyone even though i really wanted too! :D

1. Sissy and Jewel from: Luv of Dolls
2. The Girls from: Tea Time with Melody Q
3. Maria from: Simple Sweet Houses
4. Echo from: From Echo With Love
5. Claire from: Carrot and Claire
6. Lydia Therese M from: Silver Creek Doll
7. Shannon from: Hobbit Holes in Narnia
8. Chloe from: The Dolls of Sweet Nokia Street
9. Mama Hen and the sisters from: The Pony Tail Sisters
10. Emma from: Wack-A-Doodle-Dolls
11. Larisa from: Dolls World
12. Izzy from: Forever love Dolls
13. Megan and Maddie from: Megan and Maddie AG
14. (I'm sorry but I don't know the author of this Blog's name) from: Happy House of AG
15. Emily from: American Girl Dolls and Me

And now I'll leave you with some advice about blogging :) (As the rules said I should! :D) So my advice to you viewers would be to let your quirks and interests shine through your blog! I really enjoy looking at blogs that just show what a wacky,crazy person the author is! Every single one of you guys is FANTABULOUS!!! Your personality is so unique and would make your blogging posts and blog itself so much fun to view! From the way you design it, to what sort of posts you posts! Have fun and see you soon! :-*

-Lydia