Here are our new designs arriving in September for your favorite 18 inch doll!

Hi all…Lisa-Marie here. So I spent the last couple of days making personal phone calls to the few folks who signed up for more information on the Emily Rose @Home – Home Party business for Mom/Daughter entrepreneurs but didn’t join us. I wanted to understand if there was anything we were missing. The unanimous response I got from those calls was – “I’d love to do it – but I don’t have the money to invest right now”. It made me worry about all of those fabulous Mom entrepreneurs who are out there itching to get started but just weren’t in the financial position to do so.

Here’s what I decided to do… I am going to give away 2 Economy Starter Packages and 3 months of websites fees to 2 Moms who really want to start their own businesses. The two winners will receive the following:

The exclusive Emily Rose @ Home 30 Day ‘Good Start’ Business Builder Program. Daily lessons with guided action plans for your first 30 days in business. It’s like having your own personal business coach! – ($349 retail value)

20 – @Home Catalogs ($12 retail value)

3 Sample Outfits
INS795 – Cool Ballerina ($17.99 retail value)
INS897 – Satin Jewel Dress & Hat ($18.99 retail value)
INS826 – Candy Cane PJs and Teddy ($15.99 retail value)
100 Order Forms ($25 retail value)

3 Months of a Personalized Website with shopping cart functionality ($34.99/month retail value)

Home Party Scheduling and Customer Management System ($24.99/month retail value)

Extensive training database

FREE downloadable marketing materials (including professional designed templates for business cards, t-shirts, car magnets and more)

Private and exclusive access to @Home online community

How To Enter:

Comment below letting us know why you would be a fabulous consultant… that’s it!*

We will choose randomly from all entries on August 30th (contest closes at midnight on the 29th) and announce the winners here and on our Facebook Fan Page.

That’s NOT ALL…

If we can get the word out about Emily Rose @Home we can give away even more. If the Emily Rose @Home Facebook pagehas 1,000 “likes” by August 30th we will give away TWO MORE FREE STARTER PACKAGES.

So please click the share button above, tweet it, blog about it – and you will even have more chances to win!

*Legal Stuff – This contest is open to US residents only. Website membership fees are mandatory for continued membership in the @Home program – we will contact you after the initial 3 month period and you can let us know if you want to continue.

It got me thinking about my social experience during school. The social complexity of high-school hallways is frightening – and as far as I can tell that complexity is starting much, much younger. A friend of mine’s daughter explained it me like this. School is like the royal court during the time of Henry the Eighth. You have the king and the queen, who are obviously at the top, then you have extremely high ranking nobles, then you have the ladies in waiting, then you have the merchants, then you have the farmers and lower class citizens – and then finally at the bottom you have the plebs. Please keep in mind that she was 11 years old when she explained this to me…11.

When I was in the midst of this social nightmare I swore to myself that when I had a child I would do everything in my power to make sure that my kid was popular. I would buy her the right clothes, make friends with the right parents, etc… That is how important it all seemed at the time. But guess what? I don’t feel that way anymore. The most popular kids from my school days seem to me to be the most unhappy in adulthood. The least popular are successful, independent and confident.

Now I’m not sure I have a role in any of this for my daughter. What do you think? How do you prepare your daughter for the mean girls, the cliques, the feeling that the world is going to end when your friends decide not to speak to you anymore?

And while you’re at it give me some tips for the conference

Thanks so much for playing everyone – look out for another review and giveaway soon.

This review is also a giveaway – scroll down to the bottom of the post
for details…

If you are looking for something fun and creative to do with your
daughter, niece, or granddaughter, Fashion
Playtes is a great website for you. This website was created
by mom Sarah Mcllroy. She created the
website so that girls would have a creative outlet, and a fun way to
express themselves while building self confidence. Sound familiar?

On this website, girls can create their own clothing designs from a
selection of t-shirts, skirts, dresses, and more. The format is very
easy to follow and my 6 year old had no trouble following the step by
step instructions for creating her own design. Maggie chose a t-shirt
to bring her design to life. First, she picked the style of t-shirt,
and the color. Then the site directs you to add embellishments like
ruffles, under layers, and decals. There are plenty of choices so your
little girl’s design will really be one of a kind. My son Jack was a
little disappointed that there were no boy clothes or light saber
decals to pick, but Maggie had no problem finding exactly what she
wanted.

The check out and ordering process were quick and easy, followed by a
quick little survey about your experience. I chose the standard
delivery option, a flat rate of $6.00 and was informed that it would
ship in about three weeks. I was pleasantly surprised when it only took
two.

Maggie’s creation arrived wrapped prettily in paper. I love good
packaging! She was very excited and wanted to wear her shirt right
away. She couldn’t wait to show her friends her design and wore it to
school the next day.

A word on sizes. According to the charts based on weight I should have
ordered a 6-6x (45-64lbs) for Maggie, who weighs about 54lbs, but I
decided to go with the larger size just in case. As you can see it was
a good fit. Also allow for some shrinkage after washing. My advice is
to order a size bigger than suggested. Due to the custom designs there
are no returns, so chose the sizes carefully.

Now, let’s talk about price. The grand total for the t-shirt Maggie is
wearing was $30.00, not including shipping. For me, this was a little
pricey. Before adding her design options the t-shirt started at $12.00,
but with each addition the price goes up. You can also choose to
personalize the label for $5.00 but the Fashion Playtes label was just
as adorable and was included at no extra cost.

However, there are lots of coupons available to help with the price
including free shipping on first time orders! Also we received 10% of
coupons with the shipment for out next order!

The bottom line? A little pricey for everyday shopping, but that is not
really what this site is about. This is for creating a special moment
with your special girl. It’s fun, interactive, creative, and something
you can share together as a special treat. Great for birthdays or any
other special occasion. Every time she wears her design she will feel
proud of her creation, and I am a big fan of anything that helps girls
to feel more confident.

Would you like to see what Maggie thought? Watch her chat about her
experience on our new Emily Rose Giveaways channel on youtube – you can
find us at http://www.youtube.com/emilyrosegiveaways

Fashion Playtes was very kind to provide us with a coupon to pass on to
you – the coupon gives you an instant $10 off of your
first order. Just use the coupon code “american10″
(without the quotes) at checkout.

_______________________________________________

GIVEAWAY!
We are also giving away a $20 gift certificate to Fashion Playtes.

To enter the giveaway please visit http://www.fashionplaytes.com and
tell us which outfit you love in the comments below.

You can earn extra entries by subscribing to our new GIVEAWAY youtube
channel. Just click here: http://www.youtube.com/emilyrosegiveaways

We will give away the $20 gift certificate to one lucky winner on
Friday, July 2nd.

Emily: “Some of my friends have boyfriends but I don’t like boys they are too annoying.”

Lisa-Marie: “Don’t worry Em you will – they will grow-up. Boys just mature slower, they are a little behind… right Mark?”

Mark: “Hee, hee – you said behind.”

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Emily Rose TV is a little delayed this week due to the last week of school activities. Emily Rose’s crazy summer travel schedule may slow her down a little (perhaps bi-weekly episodes?) for the next few months. The new episode should come out today or tomorrow.

Not so great photography but it captures the mood.  Emily and I learn to Tango in a old dusty, steamy, smoky Confiteria La Ideal at midnight in Buenos Aires.

For more Wordless Wednesday fun visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

We post a lot of sewing and knitting plans on Raising American Girls.  Well here’s something for those Mom’s feeling a little more adventurous, or those Dad’s looking for a way to get themselves integrated in to this unknown doll world his daughter lives in

I think this 18 Inch Doll Sled plan from the Wood Workers Workshop is absolutely adorable!!  I somehow don’t see me tackling this project – and to be honest I think my husband would most probably lose his mind during the attempt – but I wish one of our readers would!  If you do please, please send us photos and let us know if it is as cute as it looks.