Holiday shopping at the American Doll Boutique!

With the anticipation of the holidays, I have been busy creating lots of exciting styles to help your favorite playmate look her best all season long!  For special occasions, consider adding a Christmas print skirt paired with a snowy white jersey ($12) or a fancy taffeta dress ($19) to your collection.

Are you planning to bake cookies?  A new holiday print apron and accessory set ($12) might be a special surprise for this yummy activity!  Holly print slumber shirts with a mini stocking and traditional Christmas poem ($14) are sure to spark dreams of Santa with a sleigh full of toys!

In addition to all these Christmas designs, I have festive Chanukah print skirt and shirt sets as well as pretty velveteen-and-taffeta Chanukah dresses.  Don’t forget to bring in the New Year with our special New Year’s Eve sets!

Thank you to everyone who has offered suggestions for themes for my new “I Heart” collection of comfy pants and hoodies ($19) that show off what girls "love to love!"  Currently, we "heart" unicorns, peace signs, penguins, Mickey, Minnie, snow, dogs, horses, cats, Christmas, frogs, shopping, PB&J and cupcakes!


This is the last weekend of our holiday shows for 2010.  What a season it's been!  This weekend, we'll be in Rochester, NY and in Hamburg, NY.  This is a fun opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of the malls and shop among some of the finest artisans around!

Yuletide in the Country is at the Hamburg Fairgrounds in the Agri Center on Saturday, December 4 & Sunday, December 5, 10am-5pm.  This fabulous show offers a selection of some of the same fine quality crafters that you saw at Christmas in the Country but in a more intimate environment - one building with a open floor plan.

My space location is not yet available, so please check back to this link, and I will add the information as soon as I have it.  I'm excited to announce that we will be offering a free doll hairstyling at at Yuletide in the Country on Sunday, December 5 at 2pm!  Bring your favorite doll, watch a demonstration of hair styling and enjoy a complimentary "new do" for your doll as well as a free pretty charmer necklace to all those who participate in a "makeover"!

Rochester's School 46 Holiday Bazaar, on Saturday, December 4 from 9am-4pm, provides the atmosphere of a school from days gone by with many local and out-of-town crafters.  For easy location, I will be in the gym on the left side.

Don't forget to come to my Holiday Open House from Wednesday, December 8 until Saturday, December 11, 10am-9pm.  Step back in time to a seamstress's 1830s home bedecked in Christmas splendor!  Also, if you find yourself on your way out the door for some holiday errands and you wish to stop by, feel free to call ahead at (716) 998-9662 and come over.  Last-minute appointments are more than welcomed!

I'm looking forward to sharing in your holiday preparations this season!

Two weekends: Three locations!

 

What a whirlwind November has been so far!  We were thrilled to see so many friends at Christmas in the Country and we made lots of new ones as well!  With the holidays fast approaching, these beautiful autumn days are the perfect time to get a head start on your shopping!

Over the next two weekends, the American Doll Boutique will be found in three great locations - Erie, PA, Lancaster, NY and Rochester, NY!  Click on the links below to be taken to a page on my website with directions to these locations as well as show maps so you'll know how to find us once you get there!  Look for new additions to our "I Heart" collection - full of things girls love to love, as well as elegant holiday dresses!

Sat., Nov. 13 - Sun., Nov. 14: Come welcome the Yuletide season at the exciting debut of "Christmas the Country in Erie," put on by Premier Promotions, the same group that brings us the quality artisans of Christmas in the Country.  Located at the Bayfront Convention Center, we are thrilled to be bringing our boutique to Pennsylvania!

Enjoy a return to yesteryear's holiday splendor at the Lancaster Opera House.  We are excited to be bringing a choice selection of our favorite items - we'll be highlighting our new "I Heart" collection, as well as our popular "Eco-Friendly Coat & Tote" and matching jeans and tees from our Everyday Essentials line of budget-friendly, boutique-quality clothes.

For a festive holiday shopping experience in the city, come to the Rochester Science Museum for two buildings of fabulous crafts (I'm in the Bausch & Wilson building, up the stairs to the 2nd floor to the right).  This show marks our first return to the Rochester area since last year - come see all we have to offer, including croc-like shoes, new sleepwear styles, elegant dresses, snappy casual wear and the "I Heart" collection!

Remember, if these show dates aren't convenient for you, you can always call to make an appointment to shop at our home-based boutique in Orchard Park!

The holiday season has come to the American Doll Boutique!

This is my favorite time of the year!  I love the anticipation that fills the air along with the magic of that very first snowflake!

Here is a sneak-peek at some of the materials that I had shipped to me from various distributors of fine fabrics from around the country!

I'm pairing these colorful, crisp taffetas with soft, black velvet jackets and bodices.  It makes me so excited to think that each dress I design might help a girl like you to create special holiday memories with your doll!

What do you "heart"?

One of the most exciting parts of being a business owner for twenty years is watching how styles and trends change.  For example, when I first started making my popular polar fleece hoodies, I paired them with colorful knit leggings, which were all the rage in the early 90s.  Then came wider-legged jeans, which young girls had to have for their dolls in the early 2000s.  Now, I pair them with "skinny-leg jeans," and they are a beloved wardrobe essential yet again!

I've noticed a trend among children and tweens (and teens!) of freely talking about the things they love through the expression "I ♥".  This isn't said as "I love," or "I like" - it's clearly spoken as "I heart." 

When I was a tween, stuff I loved (like the Beatles and bell-bottom jeans!) were "groovy."  When my daughter was young, her favorite things were "rad."  Today, girls "heart" the things that make them smile - and you'll find them "♥ing" anything from shopping to cereal, from puppies to cute skulls with bows on top.

In keeping with this trend, I have created the "I ♥" collection - comfortable knit or flannel pants that match soft, white hoodies that I've printed with popular I♥ themes that include peace signs, cupcakes, skulls, and unicorns.  These outfits are all about "feeling free to say "I♥"!  I'd like to think that they're a celebration of what girls love to love - no matter what era we live in!

Recuperating from the double booking... and brewing up some new ideas!

What a fantastic weekend we had at Peek 'n Peak and Letchworth!  The two shows were successful - and lots of fun!  The unpacking was a bit exhausting - but isn't that nature of packing or unpacking from any trip?

Here is a picture of the boutique two hours into the unpacking with several hours to go...

I can assure you that the shop is now back to its orderly self, and I am hard at work on my newest idea that was inspired by requests at these last two shows...

Stay tuned to learn what new line is soon to come to the American Doll Boutique!

All ready for an exciting weekend?

This weekend is my biggest double-booking of my fall season: Letchworth and Peak 'n Peek!  These two shows capture the essence of Western New York's autumn beauty - as well as all the excitement of pre-holiday shopping!

Many people wonder how I can show at two locations - well, here's the answer!  These past few weeks, I've been working hard to make enough stock to give both shows brimming shelves and clothes racks.  

Here is my shop all ready for me to pack for the shows.  I have so many items ready that I needed to bring in an extra clothes rack to hold the overflow! The boxes to the right hold packaged items like my Everyday Essential skirt and pant sets, active wear like basketball, cheerleading and roller blading, and the dolls standing on top look all ready to go!

In keeping with my tradition of offering "Yesteryear's Quality for Today's Doll," I still do all the designing, sewing and displaying of my product myself.

Each show location this weekend offers a unique way to enjoy Autumn's beauty: Step back in time to a rustic ski resort set in the beautiful mountains at Peak 'n Peak, or come see the "Grand Canyon of the East" at Letchworth!  I hope to see you soon!

Oct 9, Saturday

Oct 10, Sunday: 10 to 5pm each day  

Peak 'n Peek                                                        

1405 Olde Road, Findley Lake, NY

A fun fall excursion-- Amanda will be at this show and can be found inside the main ski lodge along side the main staircase.  There are fun activities for the whole family!  I will only be at P&P for ONE weekend.

Directions     Show map

Oct 9, Saturday through

Oct 11, Monday: 10 to 5pm each day

Letchworth State Park                                     

A beautiful fall drive!  I will be located INSIDE the South Shelter. 

Directions

October Newsletter 2010

In the blink of an eye, September has come and gone!  October heralds in crisp autumn days and the excitement of holidays to come!

I was thrilled to see the enthusiastic response to my many new fashions that I introduced at Quaker Arts.  The chic skinny jeans have been a big hit, as well as trendy leggings-and-skirt sets.  The new basketball, gymnastic, cheerleading and "Buffalo Pride" were favorites among my young shoppers!  It is always exciting to see people's reactions to my summer's efforts.

It's hard to believe that it's been almost a decade since I launched my website, AmericanDollBoutique.com.  The web was certainly a different place back in 2002!  This past week, I decided to give my website a makeover.  Log on to check out a new, more user-friendly format, updated pages, and fun "photo albums" of styles!  If you enjoy your visit, please pass the link on to one of your friends who also shares in your love of dolls!

October is filled with many terrific shows and I hope you can get out to enjoy these events as well as the beautiful autumn foliage!  Driving directions and more details on these shows and many more can be found on the Where to Find Me page - but keep in mind these important dates!

Sat., Oct. 9 and Sun., Oct. 10 (10 to 5) Peek'n Peak

Sat., Oct. 9 through Mon., Oct. 11 (10 to 5) Letchworth State Park 

If these show dates are not convenient, please feel free to call to schedule your visit to my Orchard Park, NY home-based boutique.  We also enjoy hosting Girl Scout or Brownie visits and are now pleased to offer birthday parties!  Please call for more details.

As always, I will be continuing to add to my fashions through the fall season. For October, bundle up and hit the markets in our eco-friendly coat & tote and matching trimmed jeans with print knit shirts!  The dress section is brimming with an array of hues and designs.  Watch upcoming shows for new holiday dresses!

We look forward to visiting with you and sharing in your love of dolls!

Sandie Lohiser

AmericanDollBoutique.com

Phone calls:  (716) 662-4848 or if no answer cell (716) 998-9662

P.S.  Don't forget that Christmas in the Country at the Erie County Fair Grounds in Hamburg, NY is right around the corner on Thursday Nov. 4 through Sunday, Nov. 7!  Holiday dresses will make their debut at this exciting show!