What I Bought: July 13th-18th

Here is a listing of my purchases from this week.

1. Only Hearts Club Ballet Theater

I have Mara choose the names (most of them) and create the back stories for the dolls in her collection. It makes it easier to come up with meaningful play scenarios later. I love how all of the back stories relate to her personal experiences and interests. She decided to make Bella a ballet instructor. Every ballet instructor needs a studio, right? I was wondering when I’d have time to make one, and then I found this one while perusing the doll merchandise at Tuesday Morning. It’s perfect! And at $19.99 the price was right.

2. Liv Hayden House & Doll

This was a clearance buy from Toys ‘R Us. TRU might not be the go-to spot for full priced purchases, but man do they know how to have a clearance sale. This set with a doll in a super cute dress plus a house was marked down to $7.49. I wasn’t sure what I’d do with it, but at that price I was willing to figure that out at home. A google search led me to this post where the author, Becky, turned hers into a beach house. How clever! I don’t plan to make a beach house. Our dollies live in a part of Georgia that is far from the coast, but I will be transforming it into a studio apartment for one of our college residents.

3. Baby Phat Grace

None of the promo pictures of this doll made me want her. In fact, I ordered Chandra and Marisa from this line and skipped right over Grace and Kara. It wasn’t until I saw her in some of Vanessa Morrison’s photo stories that I realized how pretty she is. And I love that her facial screening is more sophisticated than some of the other versions of Grace. I needed a wife for the good doctor (AA Dr. Ken) and I thought she might work. They look great together.

4. AA Barbie I Can Be a Doctor Playset

I can’t remember where I saw this AA set first, but I’m almost 100% positive that it wasn’t in a store, because this version is nowhere to be found in my local stores. I wanted it for the toddler. None of my usual haunts (Walmart, Target, TRU, Amazon) had the African American version at a reasonable price, but I found it at Kmart.com for $18.99. I’ll post a review tomorrow.

5. Mexico Barbie DotW

By the time I saw this doll on sale at Barbie Collector.com, she was already sold out. I really didn’t think there was a chance I’d get her somewhere else for retail price or less, so I never bothered searching. Well, she found me instead. I decided to visit a Tuesday Morning location I’d never been to and guess who was there priced at $14.99- a better price than BC.com because I didn’t have to pay for shipping. She reminds me of a student I had several years ago. I think I'll name her Linda and make her the Spanish teacher at the elementary school.