Fun With Dress Up Games

Even though your children have probably talked about playing dress up games you may not know exactly what that means. You probably think it refers to wearing your mom's clothes like you used to do with your friends. That is one form of a dress up game but dress up games today are often played online and are a lot more advanced than the ones you used to play.

Understanding Dress Up Games

Paper dolls were probably your favorite form of a dress up game when you were a child. They cardboard doll wearing only a swimsuit or her underwear came with clothes you could clip on her. You might have even made your own outfits to fit the doll by tracing her shape and designing new outfits for her to wear based on her shape.

Paper dolls are different today because they are on the internet. There are at least a few hundred different online dress up games on the internet today. The websites offer a large variety of outfits and dolls to choose from unlike the paper dolls you played with when you were young. Many of the games are based on a theme like a wedding theme, a school dance theme or a celebrity theme. All you have to do is drag the clothes to the doll.

The Modern Version of Paper Dolls

You might have gotten tired of your paper dolls when you were young but that won't happen with online games because they are always changing and adding new clothes and dolls. This means the dress up games will never get old!

There are themed or specialty dress up games that do not offer a lot of clothing and accessory variety. There are also sites that have over a thousand choices or more of dolls and clothes. There are themed or specialty dress up games that do not offer a lot of clothing and accessory variety. There are also sites that have over a thousand choices or more of dolls and clothes.

How Can You Use Paper Doll Dress Up Games

What exactly is the point of the dress up games? Just like you loved dressing up your paper dolls and pretending with them, online dress up games work the same way for your children. The online games provide new opportunities as well.

Avatars - Online dress up games allow children to choose and dress a doll and save their work. They can use this image as their avatar, or the image that represents them, on a variety of different websites. They can also simply save the image and start a collection of their favorite dolls and favorite outfits. Having a doll as an avatar is much better than having a picture of yourself.

Creating Illustrations - Online dress up games allow children to illustrate their own stories by saving and printing their dress up game dolls. You can find dolls that are mythical creatures like mermaids, dolls that are modeled after Disney characters and plain dolls so you can get creative with the stories for these dolls.

Autor: Vlad Stivenson

Vlad Stivenson, creator of numerous dressing up games

Added: July 18, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Dress Up Games- Modern Day Paper Dolls

You might wonder what there is about those Dress up Games that your daughter keeps talking about. You might dismiss them as mother versions of the old fashioned dress up games that you used to play with your mother's clothes. It's a bit like that, but dues to the nature of Internet, it's become a world wide sensation.

Just what are those Dress Up Games?

The best way to understand them is to remember the paper dolls that you used to like so much. They had a paper or carton base, with a girl or a doll in undergarments. There were several paper dresses and clothing that you had to cut out as well so that you could dress your doll. The most creative of girls would make their own paper clothing so that they would always have new outfits for their dolls.

With technology and Internet available, those paper dolls have become virtual dolls that require clicking and dragging rather than cutting and pasting. With people from all over the world creating new ones every day, the number of sites with dress up games has increased enormously. And with each site having at least a few dozen games, there's really not a limit to the number of dolls that your daughter can play with.

Virtual Dolls; the Descendants of Paper Dolls

Although the game mechanic is the same, virtual dolls have a far wider range of clothing styles. While paper dolls came in a set that had only a few pieces of clothing, Virtual doll's pieces of clothing are limited to the imagination of the designer.

In addition, paper doll's clothing was rather conservative and conventional, with only a few variations of dresses, skirts and blouses that didn't really defy the imagination. Virtual dolls can become students, teachers, policewomen, astronauts, pirates, singers, actresses and pretty much anything your daughter wishes to be when she grows up.

What's the point of Dress Up Games?

The same as with paper dolls; just to have fun by dressing up a doll. Girls play them for the same reason that you played paper dolls in your childhood. However, because they are in their most basic of nature, digital information, you can save them and give them other uses.

Avatars

An avatar is a representation of yourself in an online site that features social interaction. While a lot of people use pictures of themselves as avatars, this is not advisable, for safety reasons. Much less in the case of your own daughter! Saving a virtual doll as a picture and then loading the picture as an avatar will keep your daughter safer from strangers.

Illustrations for Stories

Most of the girls that play dress up games have a lot of imagination and creativeness. Her virtual doll could be the main character for her first story. Having a visual image of a character will make it easier to develop a story. Friends and enemies of the character can be created through a dress up game as well.

Autor: Vlad Stivenson

Vlad Stivenson, creator of numerous dress up games

Added: July 16, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Inexpensive Spring Crafts

Those who enjoy making crafts often like the craft making process so much because they have the satisfaction of being able to make something unique without having to spend a lot of money. Most, if not all crafts, can be made less expensively than if you were to buy a similar craft that was manufactured by some business. Many avid crafters find enjoyment in all of the money that they save by collecting raw materials and creating crafts themselves. There are millions and millions of inexpensive craft ideas and chances are that you have a few of those ideas in your head right now. Put that imagination of yours to good use and start thinking of an inexpensive spring craft that you can make today!

Melting snowman

One of the signs that spring is here is the obvious change in the weather. The snow melts and the weather gets warmer. Why not make a craft that plays off of this idea of changing seasons, by making a melting snowman. Making a melting snowman is easy. All that you need are some small twigs, a black marker, glue, white paper and a couple of cotton balls. Take two cotton balls and gently stretch them so that they are a little bit more flat. Glue the two cotton balls in top of one another. For the base, cut out a piece of paper in a random circular pattern (it should look like melted snow). Glue on the base. Decorate the melting figure as you would a traditional snowman. On the top cotton ball, give the melting snowman eyes and a mouth by using your black marker. Break the twig down into two small arms and glue those in place. Display your melting snowman in the window or wherever else you feel he will be most appreciated.

Foil family

Spring time is also a time when you start thinking about how you can entertain kids who may be itching to go outside but are forced indoors on a rainy day. Taking household materials, like tin foil, and using them to make something new and unexpected is an inexpensive way to celebrate spring. Making foil people is easy. Simply use the foil to form the various parts of the body and then assemble your fold people together, or you can use a sequence of different layers to gradually build your foil people from the inside out. Be creative with how you dress your foil people. You can also pose your foil people and have them act out a favorite scene. For example, you can have the football enthusiast in your family make a foil football player in a running position, clutching the football and running for the goal line. Use your imagination and the possibilities are endless.

Paper dolls

If you have a pair of scissors, some colored paper and some markers, you can make paper dolls. Little girls love the traditional paper doll making crafts. All that you do to start is form the body of a little paper person and then trace out appropriately sized paper clothes that can then be used as clothing. To incorporate the boys in this craft, have the paper dolls wear costumes or sports gear. Maybe your child really likes dogs. In this case you can make a paper dog and make paper hats, a cape, and a suit for that paper dog. Do not feel limited to making only a little girl's doll, you can use paper to create virtually any thing! Hopefully these simple and inexpensive craft ideas have given you some things to think about and you can now be more confident that no matter what your budget is, there is a spring craft waiting to be made.

Autor: Beverly Frank

For more kids crafts, visit http://www.makeplaydough.com

Added: July 14, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Collecting Paper Dolls

Snip, snip, snip with the scissors; around the base, along the curves and finally the last snip. The dolls, clad in colorful swimsuits, stood near by awaiting the final cut of their wardrobe. The hours invested in their story panned out while little fingers bent tabs to change attire.

Are you old enough to remember the joy of paper dolls? If not - all is not lost, paper dolls are still on the shelves of bookstores and super centers or available via the Internet. Although their numbers are not as great as they were in the pre fashion doll industry era .... They are still around. Many people value them beyond the playfulness associated with childhood but as the most desired collectible on the planet. Paper doll collecting needs very little room for storage only rivaled by stamp collecting for minimal space required. The dolls are an inexpensive pleasure that is not a lost art. Some publishing companies have even undertaken the replication of older dolls from by gone times making it possible to own even some of the most dated dolls affordably.

The two-dimensional figures accompanied by the best wardrobe for the time period was a considerable luxury during the 1700's. Many of the outfitted dolls were designed for adult entertainment with stages included. By the mid 1800's paper dolls were manufactured in Europe and the United States but were still considered a luxury until paper became more readily available and affordable. Magazines would even offer paper dolls within their pages. This practice appeared as recently as the 1990's with Sue Shanahan creating a new, modern version of the beloved and wildly popular Betsy McCall.

The popularity of paper dolls was not lost on the marketing branches of several industries during the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's. Some of the product leaders of the time that took advantage of this phenomenon were Pillsbury, Baker's (chocolate), Singer (sewing machines), Clark's (threads), Lyon's and McLaughlin (both coffee). Later magazine advertisements that would use the dolls would include the sales of children's clothing, fabrics, cars, nail polish and soaps.

These fabulous pieces of paper were not always colorful nor always of people. Some dolls required the addition of coloring which kept many children busy designing their own fashion couture. The dolls included inanimate objects and animals too. Popular dolls that were available over the past two hundred years included royalty, public leaders, movie stars, fantasy fairy tale style characters, family groups, stuffed animals and even cherubs.

During the 1940's and 1950's a new kind of marketing arrived in the comic book industry. Publishers took advantage of the love of the paper dolls and created complimentary dolls for some of the comics. The appeal went beyond drawing in a new customer base - girls. The publishers encouraged people to submit original ideas for the clothing / costume designs for the comic characters. The comic books would display the designer's name with each outfit chosen. This ingenious strategy appears in the books through the 1950's.

The public popularity waned during the 1960's with the rise of the three dimensional fashion doll industry but that has not deterred many from creating and collecting paper dolls. A quick search of an online auction will prove this fact. Dig a little deeper and do a search at www.google.com, www.yahoo.com or www.msn.com and you will find many very talented artists still creating beautiful pieces of art. The search will even provide you with many free resources for starting you paper doll collection.

Autor: Narcissa Summerfield

Narcissa creates curriculum for use with the early childhood level student - Including preschool, kindergarten and special needs. Specializing in accessibility for the home school parents, daycare providers and classroom instructors via a download membership site (Peanut Butter Crunch) located at http://www.Resource4Preschool.com

Added: July 13, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Measuring Spoon Puppets - A Fun Scripture Activity For Your Preschoolers

I love puppets! But I've never had the time to become very talented at using them. So, it's a good thing preschoolers are very forgiving. They don't care if your lips move. They just want to have fun. Measuring spoon puppets are perfect first time puppets.

Go to your local "dollar" store and get enough measuring spoons for every child in your group. Most measuring spoons come in groups of 5, so you won't have to spend too much money for this activity. Next, make them look like Bible characters. Add eyes, nose, mouth, yarn or felt for hair with the cute little headband across the forehead for the boy spoons and a little hair scarf for the girl spoons. Finally cut out some clothes, paper doll style, to glue on their fronts. Try to make them as durable as possible so you can reuse them several times.

Another idea for creating your spoons into people is to go online and find pictures of Bible characters that you can print off onto cardstock and then laminate before gluing them onto the spoon. By the way, this same idea works really well with wooden spoons also. You can usually find these at your local "dollar" store as well.

Now it's Bible story time. Assign "parts" to each of the spoons. If your story only has 3 main characters and you have 8 kids, let the other 5 be part of the townspeople. As you read the story, encourage the children to raise their puppets up high when their Bible character shows up on the scene.

Another fun idea for your puppets is to create a family member out of each spoon. The tablespoon can be Daddy, the teaspoon is Mommy, the 1/2 teaspoon is brother, the 1/4 teaspoon can be sister and the 1/8 teaspoon can be baby.

Once you have your family created, sing this sweet "piggy back" song to the tune of "Buffalo Gals". It goes like this:

When Jesus lives in Mommy's heart, Mommy's heart, Mommy's heart

When Jesus lives in Mommy's heart - Happy is the home!

Sing the song again replacing each family member's name into the song. And you thought measuring spoons were just for cooking!

Autor: Kathy Vincent Kathy Vincent
Level: Platinum
Kathy Vincent is the director of the children"s performing ministry, The Scripture Lady, and has been traveling around Southern California for the past 13 years ... ...

If you liked this Sunday School/Homeschooling idea, then sign up to receive Scripture Lady's Free Email Newsletter packed full with creative ideas and receive 6 FREE Bible Review Games to help get the kids you minister to excited about the Bible!

Just click here: http://freebiblegames.webs.com/ to receive your 6 FREE Bible Review Games.

Kathy Vincent is the director of a performing ministry for children called The Scripture Lady and has been traveling around Southern California for the past 13 years ministering to preschoolers and elementary aged children with the Word of God through musical, thematic presentations.

She is also a regular seminar speaker, author/creator of over 30 products for the Christian children's worker and a veteran homeschooling mom of two.

Added: July 11, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Making a Paper Doll Chain With Your Kids

Making a paper doll chain is a perfect activity for dads and children on a sleepy afternoon. It is simple and does not require either time or money. Most importantly, it will be an exercise in creativity that the children will surely enjoy.

Things you will need:

Some cardboard or hard paper
A pair of scissors
Pen, crayons, markers, and color pencils
Glue
Colorful paper or fabric scraps, buttons, beads, ribbons, sequins, and stickers to decorate the dolls

Steps to make the doll chain:

Cut out a broad strip of the cardboard or paper. This could be about 10 cm high and as long as you want to make your doll chain.

Fold about 6 cm of one end of the strip. At the point where the folded end overlaps, fold the strip again, but in the other direction. Go on making similar, alternating folds, so that the entire strip is folded into accordion style panels.

Hold the folded panels bunched up tightly, with the top panel facing you. Help your children to draw the outline of a doll on this top panel, with the hands and legs spread out so that these extend to the panel borders.

Carefully cut around the doll, taking care to retain the folds where the hands and legs touch the borders.

Now unfold the strip to see your chain of dolls, joined by their hands and legs.

Let your children decorate the dolls using the crayons, markers, color pencils, pieces of fabric, beads, ribbons, etc.

You can even help your kids cut out little shapes from fabric scraps that they can use to create colorful dresses for the dolls.

You can use this chain to decorate the walls of your living room. You could even stick it around a lampshade, hang it as a mobile, or use it to decorate your child's door.

Hand-made crafts are an instant hit when it comes to gifts-they not only are beautiful but also appreciated more because of the effort put into creating them. Introduce Valentine's Day craft ideas in your family and convert your home into an activity center.

Autor: P. Banas

Paul Banas is a founder of GreatDad.com. He writes articles on crafts and kids, camping with Kids, traveling with kids, skiing and kids and many more topics related to dads.

Added: July 10, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

The Forgotten Demographic - How Female Gamers Can Make Your Games a Success

Rarely do you walk into a video game store and see many game titles catered exclusively for the female game audience. There is virtually no big box support for such titles as they spend millions of dollars catering exclusively to male audiences. After all, conventional wisdom would suggest that since only games for males are being made, that only males are interested in playing video games. This couldn't be further from the truth, a fact often overlooked by larger game publishing companies such as EA, Activision or Take-Two. The statistics alone disprove the notion that girls are not interested in spending time playing video games. The Sims is the best selling game of all time and a large amount of its success can be attributed to its loyal female fan base. 40% of all girls in Australia that participated in a survey admitted to spending time online playing video games as well. This is a global trend that as more game enabled devices are available, so does the potential audience for your products. From personal experience I can attest to the power of focusing on the female gamer audience and the amount of success it can bring to your game portals. Hopefully this article can shed some light on what you can do to acknowledge the female audience and entice them to use your product.

Understand Your Audience

This would be common sense regardless of any type of video game or interactive content you would develop but due to the lack of exclusively developed girl titles how would you go about starting? The answer isn't necessary waiting on a shelf of a game retail store but rather online on a games website or games portal.

Depending on the age range of the female audience you will find some games more popular than others. These games usually have simple and easy to learn game play factors that most professional game developers would consider basic or even in some cases downright primitive. Don't be fooled by this or dismiss this fact. Its a mistake that many game developers make and hold against working on such games that would otherwise be something the female audience would be interested in.

One of the most popular games website with young girls would be StarDoll.com which is essentially a online paper doll website. Moving various clothing items on a 2d doll is a very simple thing to develop if you have any professional game experience. It is this very simple game mechanic combined with variety of various current celebrities and other incentives that encourage millions of users to return every day to that website.

Dress up games are some of the most popular games with girls with thousands of web game portals devoted exclusively to this genre of game. Other game categories that are popular with female gamers include pet games, makeover games, cooking games and room makeover games. Some of the most popular games with girls may have combined elements of these game categories providing an even more compelling game experience. Almost all of the games popular with the female audience would be categorized under Casual Games.

Doing your homework on what works out there currently on the Internet will help you understand an audience that might be decades younger than you personally and completely different than your own personal preferences for games. It is a challenge you must embark upon to fully capitalize on this market segment and achieve success.

The Online Factor

One of the game categories not mentioned previously are quickly becoming the most popular. Online worlds provide an experience where they can socialize and meet new friends. Important game elements of online worlds would include; the ability to have avatar customization, personalize user rooms and the ability to chat and meet new friends. Some examples would be Club Penguin, Habbo Hotel, There.com and IMVU.

Major companies are taking notice of the immense popularity of online worlds with the female audiences and now feature many similar game elements. The key for anyone looking to compete in this field is to come up with a compelling game mechanic that entices this key demographic of female users.

This type of game might be out of the reach of many small time developers but any game starts modestly so this might be a long term goal for you to reach. Never discount any game idea entirely especially as it can help you in developing some uniqueness. Sometimes combining existing game ideas in a online setting can help set it apart from what is available currently.

Making It Unique

Regardless of the size or scope of your game websites, an important aspect to realize is that uniqueness will help stand you apart from the competition in a very crowded market. My games portal for example specializes in browser based online worlds which require no registration. The benefit of this is you can immediately introduce your user to your game product without having them register or download anything. Consider introducing a unique element such as this into your game or website and you will of taken the first step to capturing some the fastest growing gamer demographic out there.

Utilize The Female Gamer Demographic

Accepting and embracing the fact that your games website caters to female gamers is a very important and strategic move that should be planned for in any games portal website. The market share is so large that the chance you will find success and as an independent developer raises if you do so. This is not the first choice for most professional game developers but I am one hundred percent certain this is the right direction to take a small games website if you want to attract a larger audience. The games you make don't always have to be exclusively made for a female audience but I think they deserve some consideration.

Hopefully this has shed some interesting light on the often neglected market demographic of female gamers and brings about some success in your endeavors.

Autor: Derek T Young Derek T Young
Level: Basic
Currently co-owner of Switchin.net a casual games portal that is popular with 1.5 million global users per month....

Derek Young co-owns Switchin.net which receives 1.7 million unique visitors a month. With over 5 years of professional game development experience he can always point you towards some good online girl games

Added: July 8, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Tips on Online Dress Up Games For Kids

Have you heard about the Bratz games wave lately? First of all, the Bratz dolls are these 10-inch dolls with 'a passion for fashion'. They are the current craze among tweens and teens around the world right now. The first few Bratz back in 2001 were called Cloe (Angel), Yasmin (Pretty Princess), Sasha (Bunny Boo) and Jade (Kool Kat). People cannot also help drawing parallels between Barbies and Bratz. Maybe its the flashy outfits, but whatever the reason, Bratz is indeed the biggest global hit right now!

On the web, the most inexpensive way to play with Bratz dolls are through Bratz games. These free dress up games located on hundreds of websites can provide children players of all ages some ideas about fashion in a fun way. And tinkering with dress up games online can help a child practice their hand-eye coordination. Younger children can also learn to avoid technology phobias and practice patience while playing these dress up games even with just a few hours per week.

Free dress up games can be a big boost to your budget considerations when it comes to finding activities for your kids. Kids like to have games they can play that their parents approve of and won't get them in trouble.

Mya-Free Paper Doll Dress Up Game

In this game, you get to choose any style of clothes in Mya's wardrobe and dress her up in those. Of course, hairstyles can also be changed with each outfit.

Glitter Dress Up Game

In the case of this dress up game, the doll dress up game lets the user to play with the names of their their character doll. If you wish, you can even download some of the games into your own computer. But downloading must of course be supervised by parents.

Fun Dress Up Games.

Did you know that in the other games, you get to play dress up with animals too? Another dress up game comes as inspired by Build a Bear, another site which is a certified hit among youngsters. Hours of enjoyment are guaranteed as you dress up these furry friends.

Dress Up Games with custom scenes

With scenic dress up games, you can customize your own background, decorations, characters, and food for each of the scenes. When you click on the link for the dress up game itself, check out "props" when you see it in some of the pages. Otherwise, try also looking for for the themes of the scene under the leading background picture. That is where you will find instructions for the dress up games.

Other Bratz Dress Up Games.

Still other Bratz games on some Internet websites not only have dress-up games, but also let you try out creative thinking and imagination challenges that test your sense of style. For example, in the case of the Bratz, Cloe and Sasha may have a hard time getting their living room to jive according to the current season of the year. Were talking about a game-cum-crash course of interior designing. Unleash the creative genius in you!

To end, Bratz games are really aimed towards younger girls, but who says adults who are fighting boredom can't enjoy them too?

Autor: Mai Roberts

Mai Roberts is a doll lover and a die hard fan of Bratz.She is obsessed to any kind of Bratz Games. She is also a part of the http://www.bratzgames.biz, the game wherein you can make your own Bratz.

Added: July 6, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Dress Up Dolls - Remember the Dolls You Played With When You Were a Child?

Remember when you were a little girl, and you would spend hours to play kids dress up dolls? Back then, there was no internet or computer to add more choices or creativity to your dress up doll activities. You could buy paper dolls with matching outfits and different facial expressions to choose from to layer over your paper doll. There were only a few popular brand names back then, the most popular being Barbie paper dolls. The only problem with that nostalgic play era, was the tabs usually ripped at some point, so your paper dolls didn't last too long.

Of course, girls back then also had their fun with Barbie dolls. Girls would spend hours searching for the perfect dress or gown to dress up their Barbie with. The highlight of any girls day was to play kids dress up dolls. Today that is still a popular activity, but thanks to the internet, there is so much more to do. Here are just a few of the fun dress up activities are available online:

* Internet paper doll - There are dozens of characters to be found online, that you can print and cut out to make your own paper dolls. Barbie is still a popular and much loved play character, but there are many more to choose from. There are Berenstein Bears for example, where you can choose which character you would like to print (Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Sister and Brother) and then you can select which outfit you would like to dress them in, and print it.

* Internet dress-up games - There are some websites in which you can play a dress-up game online. Some of the games involve a much larger choice to work with. You can play kids dress up dolls, or even decorate their houses. Some of the houses can be decorated inside and out, so you can create the scene for your dress up dolls to hang out in. You can also add accessories to dress up your dolls, such as jewelry, makeup, and much more.

* Dress-up Themes - Many websites offer themes you can choose from, such as wedding, birthday party, beach party or special events. And you can dress up so much more than just dolls. You can make ice cream sundaes, or background scenery. Dress up dolls has gone to a whole new level.

With all these choices to pick from, it's easy to play kids dress up dolls for hours online. But some things are never the same on the internet. What happened to the good old fashioned fun of getting out your dolls and dressing them in cute little outfits? You had the added pleasure of saving up your money to buy outfits and accessories for your dolls, so it felt like a real accomplishment. Sometimes it feels good to go back in time, even if only for a little while.

Autor: Wendy Pan

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about play kids dress up dolls, please visit Collectible Dolls for current articles and discussions.

Added: July 5, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Finding Halloween Costumes to Help You Win a Contest

To find adult Halloween costumes that are of the caliber to win a costume party, many websites have a good selections of kids Halloween costumes. Whether you want something scary, sexy, funny or just plain original, there are many ways to stand out this October 31st. If you're languishing over the fact that you only have a couple of weeks left and you still have no idea what you're going to wear, then check out frightcatalog.com, "Hot Topic" and "Buy Costumes" for super time-sensitive, last-minute express shipping.

Some of the cleverest costumes are the ones people devise and make themselves. For instance, some kids paint themselves all black and dress in black (with red or blue colored sleeves and iPod accessories), while carrying matching backdrops, to go as the classic iPod ad! Other kids dress up as the "Koolaid" man and have two friends dress as pieces of the wall he was busting through. You can dress as a "Holy Cow," as the late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson or as one of the "Royal Tenenbaums" in a red cord track jacket, sweatband, faux fur and eyeliner.

You can go as "Nick Nolte's Mug Shot" by wearing a Hawaiian shirt and messing up your hair, or you may want to use that Hawaiian garb to go with your moustache and sunglasses, as in "Weekend at Bernies." Imagine the laughter at the costume party when you arrive as a lawn gnome, pine tree air freshener or paper doll!

At "Zoogster Costumes", you will find a number of clever adult costumes, plus-size costumes and kids costumes to peruse. Adult movie Halloween costumes for women include Super Woman, Sandy from "Grease," Trinity from "The Matrix," Uma Thurman from "Kill Bill," Princess Leia, a geisha, a 5th avenue girl, or get Marilyn Monroe's famous white dress for just $25!. Men can choose a costume design from Edward Scissorhands, 300, Willy Wonka, Pirates of the Caribbean, Predator, Ghost Rider or the Monty Python Black Knight.

Additionally, there are a number of excellent time period costumes. You can be a 1920s flapper, Gatsby girl, Bugsy Malone or zoot suit dancer. You can be a 1950s greaser, rocker lady, car hop, pinup girl, jitter bug dancer, cigarette girl, prom king, bowler, Buddy Holly, beatnik or Elvis. You can choose a number of 1960s characters, including Gilligan, The Beatles, Woodstock hippies, Janis Joplin or a go-go girl. From the 1970s, you can get ready to disco dance, whereas the 1980s bring old school rappers, nerds, heavy metal rockers and pop stars. It should also be noted that most of these costumes go for far less than $100!

If you're going to a costume party with a group of friends, then why not try to coordinate your Halloween costumes? At "Zoogster Costumes", you can grab a number of diverse gangster, fairy tale, super hero, and pirate or hippie costumes. Or, you can go as characters from "Grease," "The Addams Family," "Star Wars," "Austin Powers," "Wizard of Oz," "Scooby Doo," "Flintstones" or "Gilligans Island."

At "Halloween Adventure" you will find a number of funny and creative couples costumes as well. Go as bacon-and-eggs, nuts-and-bolts, Adam and Eve or plug-and-socket. Visit "Halloween Express" for a fantastic selection of costumes for kids, offering breakfast cereal characters, as well as characters from Bratz, Alice In Wonderland, DC comics, Disney, Hellboy, Harry Potter, High School Musical, Lord of the Rings, Power Rangers, Star Wars, Saw, Shrek, Scooby Doo, Spider Man and many more!

Autor: Mike Selvon

Are you planning a Halloween party and need Halloween monsters ideas to spark spectacular fun? Then visit Mike Selvon portal and also learn more about Halloween costumes.

Added: July 3, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

The History of Toys Over Time

Toys sure have came a long way since the first doll made literally thousands of years ago in ancient Egyptian times. Imagine this, the first doll was made with basic fabrics and paper pulled together with some string! Nowadays we have complex toys made of plastics, alloys, rubbers, and so many other materials too many to mention. But not only have the materials advanced, now toys can transform, move on their own, and even speak!

Let's look back at some of the original toys back in ancient times. The first doll was made somewhere around 2000 B.C. Sure, try to hand a child a paper doll in these times. They probably wouldn't appreciate it like children back then would. With so much time and effort it must have taken to make these by hand I'm sure they would love to play with those paper dolls. Other than the doll there was kites and yo-yo's and real basic board games that resemble our modern day chess.

Now we're going to skip ahead a few thousand years into a more recent period. Not many more toys where invented until the 1800's. Within such a small span of time so many toys became popular such as stuffed animals, toys cars, and even speaking dolls! Did you know the first talking doll was made almost two hundred years ago? Alphabet blocks also became a popular learning toy during this time.

On to the 1900's now. Pretty much by now every toy has been made at this point. But the 1900's is when all the major technological advances started coming to life. Early in the century there where battery operated toys, Legos, balloons, the View Master, and of course I can't forget Barbie, probably them epitome of all girl's dolls and toys in general. The stuffed bear became popular during this after being name the Teddy Bear after one of our presidents Sir Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt.

OK let's bring it back recent times now. The only one thing left to do now really do now is to make the toys even better by implementing some real technology into the toys. Toys that walk on their own, toys that can talk back to you?! OLD NEWS! Try motion sensory technology, voice activated, and terrain adaptable toys. Ancient Egyptians would be scared of some of these toys we have invented nowadays. Yes, toys have advanced quite a lot over the years, and remember in their own time they were always fun to play with as toy were meant to be. Fun.

Autor: Victor Epand Victor Epand
Level: Platinum
Victor Epand is an expert author for a variety of subject matters, including clothing, jewelry, computers, toys, and flowers. Please visit KrishnaDesign.com to browse a ... ...

Victor Epand is an expert consultant about kids toys, stuffed animals, and dolls. You will find the best marketplace for kids toys, stuffed animals, and dolls at these sites for current toys, stuffed animals.

Added: July 2, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Paper Pleasures in the Technology Age - Paper Arts and Crafts

In the midst of the largest technology boom the world has ever witnessed, it is interesting to find that there are still those among us who participate in the seemingly outdated pastimes of our forbears. Before Secondlife and The Sims, before Gigapets , Tamagotchis, and even Barbie, there were paper dolls.

Paper dolls have never been a typical sort of toy. They embody, simplicity - familiar fashions and faces printed on a barely two-dimensional, flat object. While many historians locate the origins of paper dolls amongst the ancient civilizations of the Chinese, Japanese, and Western Europe, the modern manufacture of paper dolls began in the late 1700s, accompanying popular children's literature in Europe and America.

The Click and Print Age

What is the appeal of the paper doll? While classified as a toy, it is certainly not an amusement limited to adolescents, or even girls. Activities known as "dress-up games," which now includes the printable paper doll, are a popular internet pastime in contemporary America, possibly cultivated by our ongoing cultural obsession with both fashion and virtual reality. "Dress-up games are an ultra-simplified version of the virtual reality phenomenon, which caters to our escapist desires, but also offers a measure of control that is impossible to maintain in realistic life.

The paper doll fascination has never completely disappeared from youth culture in America, but the annual release of PC games and video game consoles, liberally-equipped cellular phones, and virtual reality simulations has produced stiff competition in a developing entertainment industry that thrives on the desire for unlimited options.

Luckily for paper doll fanatics, this delightful diversion has not been utterly abandoned by the technological age, but has been absorbed into the throng of information now appropriated by the internet. Once the rare possession of wealthy families, this paper pleasure has reached the height of accessibility in the form of the printable paper doll.

The images have changed from prima ballerinas and Victorian nobility to Disney princesses and media starlets, but the sentiment remains the same. In fact, paper doll culture has expanded to accommodate the multi-social world of America, responding to the vast and innumerable combinations that make up our individual interests. There are paper doll figures of Audrey Hepburn and Rita Hayworth for Grandma, right alongside cut-outs of Naruto and Paris Hilton for little Tommy and Jessica.

The use of paper dolls has been optimized, targeted even towards more specialized groups - the science fiction and fantasy crowd, Goths, historians, Wiccans, Fetishists, Anime, Biblical, and countless others. Websites like Gail's Paper Dolls, Marilee's Paper Dolls, and Spacestation42 compile a list of printable paper dolls that are sure to offer appeal to anyone and everyone - for Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa, eccentric Uncle Leonard, and the kids.

Instead of disappearing into the abyss of lost amusements, paper doll fanatics have revived the paper doll and solidified its place in entertainment culture by becoming participants in the production process, as well, putting the printable paper doll only a click away from other internet users.

Autor: Wendy Pan

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about printable paper doll, please visit Paper Crafts Store for current articles and discussions.

Added: July 1, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Where to Find a Doll That Looks Like Your Kid

Have you ever looked at your child and thought, "If only I could capture that beauty forever," and desire to have a doll that looks like your son or daughter? Well, now you can capture those wonderful moments and have a keepsake to forever remember your child's youth without a camera.

MyTwin allows parents to capture a child's beauty in a doll that looks as if it is the child's twin. Parents can either upload or mail in a photo of their child, and then choose hair, eye coloring, skin tone, clothing, and all the characteristics that match their child; these features will be placed onto the doll. For instance, if a child has freckles, these speckles will be added to the doll's face.

For a good price, children can have a twin doll. Before purchasing, MyTwin allows consumers to personalize a doll online and get an idea of how the doll will turn out. These beautiful, life-like looking dolls will be sure to please both parents and children.

Paperkids is a site for those who enjoy paper dolls. These paper toys were fun pastimes of early years, and now have been remade to be enjoyed with a familiar look to them.

Allowing parents to order a doll resembling their child, Paperkids has a portrait artist who uses a photo of the child and makes a paper doll replica.

There are many packages ranging from $60 to $105, which include paper dolls, outfits, and accessories. Paperkids saves orders allowing parents to order more prints and more clothing at a later date for $18 and customized outfits for $15.

Bishonenhouse is for a spectacular porcelain custom doll, this is the place to purchase a look-a-like doll. This company offers exquisite looking dolls and is usually booked two to three months in advance.

Starting at $1200, a molded porcelain doll is created by artist Donald Kinney. Kinney painted costumes for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3, designed puppets for Fox Clubhouse, and animates plays giving Donald Kinney notoriety for his outstanding ability to design and sculpt.

If a ceramic recreation of a child is desired, Behonenhouse is the place to order this more lifelike custom dolls.

These three unique companies bring lasting memories to families. A porcelain doll, a paper doll, or a play doll made to look just like a lovely child can be made bringing lasting and unique playtime to children and are now easy to find and purchase.

Autor: Victor Epand Victor Epand
Level: Platinum
Victor Epand is an expert author for a variety of subject matters, including clothing, jewelry, computers, toys, and flowers. Please visit KrishnaDesign.com to browse a ... ...

Victor Epand is an expert consultant about kids toys, stuffed animals, and dolls. You will find the best marketplace for kids toys, stuffed animals, and dolls at these sites for kids toys, stuffed animals

Added: June 30, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

A Fun Magic Trick For Kids to Perform

Magic tricks are a lot of fun to watch and they're also fun to perform. Many kids especially love magic and they also would love to be able to perform some tricks. Many tricks are too difficult for kids to perform. However, there are some tricks that are easy to perform. Sawing a Lady in Half is a fun magic trick for kids to perform.

For this trick you will need paper, an envelope, a pen, and scissors. With the paper you want to make a figure of a lady and then cut it out. Then y tube you want to make two slits with the scissors. You want the slits to be big enough so you want to seal the envelope and cut off both ends. This will create a tube. On the bottom of the that the paper doll can fit through them.

Now you can prepare to perform the trick. What you want to do is slide the doll into the envelope. When you slide the doll in you want to slide her out the first slit so that the doll comes out the backside of the envelope. Then slide the doll back through the second slit so that she goes back into the tube and out the other end. This will give the appearance that the doll is completely in the tube.

Now comes the part of the fun magic trick for kids to actually perform. While people are watching, explain that you will take the scissors and cut the tube and the doll in half. Then take the scissors and cut the tube. This is the most important part. When you cut you have to make sure the scissors go over the top of the center of the doll, the part that runs outside the envelope. That way when you make a cut, the envelope will be cut in half but the doll won't. (Of course the spectators won't know this.)

After you make the cut you'll have to hold the envelope together. Then pull out the doll and show that it wasn't harmed. As you are displaying the doll, quietly crumple the envelope so that people won't be able to ask to examine it. And that will complete the trick.

Sawing a Lady in Half is a fun magic trick for kids to perform. This is an easy trick and it� s entertaining for people to watch. Any kid can perform this trick using only scissors, paper, an envelope, and a pen.

Autor: R Even

If you're looking for more easy to do magic tricks as well as more impressive tricks like Criss Angel Magic Tricks, check out Master Mentalism right now.

Added: June 29, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

History of Dick and Jane Readers

Do you remember sitting in your first grade classroom learning to read from one of the Dick and Jane books? We older folks on the planet can just about mark our ages based on which Dick and Jane edition we learned to read from. Learn to read with Sally, Dick, and Jane? Then you are probably a child of the fifties. Remember Mike, Pam and Penny? Then you most likely are a child of the sixties, when black children were introduced into the readers.

The series is called the Curriculum Foundation Series and was authored by Dr. William S. Gray and William H. Elson. The Curriculum Foundation Series evolved out of a set of elementary readers called the Elson Readers. A Dick and Jane collector will recognize some of the same stories in both sets of readers. All serious Dick and Jane collectors should strive to include the Elson Readers in their sets.

The first Dick and Jane book was a 1930 Pre-Reader, a wordless picture book. New titles were introduced in 1940, 1946, 1951, 1962, and lastly in 1965. The illustrators for Dick and Jane books changed, as well as the look of the books through the decades. Mew the kitten became Puff. Happy changed from a Terrier to Spot the Cocker Spaniel. Toys changed, as did clothing, and the cars Mother and Father drove.

The books are based on limited basic vocabulary and the plot of each story is delivered through profuse illustrations. Well-known Dick and Jane book illustrator Eleanor Campbell used photographs of children at play to create vivid colorful illustrations. Richard Childress had his two young daughters model for his Jane and Sally illustrations.

Besides the paper books with staples and cloth tape spines, there were also Dick and Jane hard cover books, workbooks, guide books, posters, puzzles, calendars, napkins, valentines, mugs and teacher manuals. There were picture books without words for pre-readers, and there were pre-primers (We Look and See, We Work and Play, We Come and Go), the Junior Primer (Guess Who), and the Primer (Fun with Dick and Jane). Dick and Jane also taught basic hygiene and health in Good Times with Our Friends.

Along with reading basics, each release of the Dick and Jane series taught values such as sharing, responsibility, health, safety and helping others. Exact copies of the books were published for Canadian schools. Catholic schools also adopted the curriculum and revised the books to include Catholic teachings in the stories. In about half of the Cathedral editions, Dick, Jane and Sally have been renamed John, Jean and Judy.

In the sixties, the perfect family life of Mother, Father, Dick and Jane in their white suburban world began to be questioned. In response, the publishers in 1965 expanded the neighborhood of Dick and Jane to include a black family. Despite this major change, controversy continued to grow. In 1970, Scott, Foresman and Company made the decision to stop publishing the Dick and Jane series.

Many schools ordered all remaining books be destroyed. Teachers, staff, and some students kept some of the discarded books, and these are the books collectors seek today. Dick and Jane pre-primers and primers can still be found, but are becoming scarcer. Teaching aids such as the flashcards, the paper doll cut-outs and Our Big Book (the large easel-supported book) are commanding high prices due to their scarcity.

Millions of children learned to read with the Dick and Jane textbooks. Sally, Dick, Jane, Spot and Puff are a part of our national culture. While there are no books or stories within the Dick and Jane books series titled See Spot Run, it is a sentence used in several early stories of the series. This nostalgic sentence, See Spot run, has even become a part of our cultural background with the release in 2001 of the movie by the same name.

Many of us want a Dick and Jane book because it is a part of our past. Others want their children to learn to read from them. Many baby-boomers remember them well, for they taught us to read, they kept our interest, and they helped us become life-long readers.

Autor: Barbara Gardner

The author is webmaster of Book Brigade, where you can buy discount children's books online.

Added: June 28, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Dressing Up Your Smartphone - Cyber-Bling For Your IPhone

One of the absolute coolest new features to the Smartphone technology that we've seen in recent years has got to be the ability to personalize. My own phone, which is only two years old now, seems extremely outdated in comparison to these new phones, like your Sidekicks and Blackberries, which have tons of different features as it is. My phone only has four wallpapers you can cycle through and two different color schemes, as well as MIDI-sounding ring tones that aren't really all that spectacular, but what I knew then to be the "norm." Now? I call my sixteen-year-old sister and hear Sting's "Fields of Gold" while it's actually playing something by Rihanna on her end and she's got a built-in camera that allows her to take pictures of her kitten to her heart's content and turn it into a wallpaper.

So, when taking a look at my older phone and now looking at the brand new smartphones, which has the wallpapering options of a desktop computer, as well as ring tones you can buy in great quality from iTunes, it just seems unfair to have an older phone. In fact, this move towards customizing your phone has started several different websites, both legitimate and not, that are specifically geared towards giving your phone ring tones that are both free and have to be paid for. Either way, you can be assured that if you have a new phone, you'll be able to dress it up more than a paper doll and a whole set of crayons.

In fact, there are actual commercial sites dedicated to being able to provide you with any single sort of images for your wallpapers, themes for your smartphone, ring tones galore, and even animated screen savers. Screen savers. For your phone. Doesn't that just sound like it doesn't make sense? But, with these new phones, the fact is that you can actually have a screen saver and even play movies on these things.

Either way, the fact is that it's incredibly easy and convenient to dress up these phones with multiple forms of media that will make it personal and fun to look at. Take a look at some places, such as SmartPhones technologies, which is one of the leading content libraries for these kinds of multimedia out there today. You can surf the web and find several different websites that will offer you different ways to make your phone much more personal.

Autor: Sue Webster Sue Webster
Level: Platinum
The author, Sue Webster, provides information for readers interested in purchasing a gadget or other related accessories....

You can find a great range of smartphones up for auction, as well as many other electronic gadgets at GadgetsAuction.com

Added: June 26, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Bible Story Crafts For Kids - The Good Shepherd Craft Game

This adorable sheep is one of our Easy Bible Story Crafts for Kids for kindergarten, first grade and second grade. Creating and displaying this cute, fluffy sheep reinforces the Scripture that tells us Jesus watches over us and calls us, like a good shepherd calls his sheep.

This is one of our Kids Bible Crafts that is complimented by a game. The craft and game help children to remember the verses: "I am the good shepherd. I know each of My sheep by name, and My sheep know Me." "Those who come through Me will be saved. They will have everything they need." Scripture: John 10:1-21

Supplies

• Empty toilet paper roll
• Cotton balls (30 to 40)
• 4 Q-Tips
• Elmer's School Glue
• White tissue paper
• Brown pipe cleaner (only if a ram)
• Clear tape
• Disposable container (such as a margarine container)
• Black construction paper
• Paper punch or scissors

Directions

1. For support, stuff paper (any kind) inside the toilet paper roll, leaving about an inch empty from the end.
2. Create the sheep's legs by taping the Q-tips to toilet paper roll.
3. Create the sheep's head by scrunching up some tissue paper and stuffing part of it into the end of the roll.
4. Pour a little glue into the container.
5. To add the sheep's wool, dip cotton balls into the glue and press onto the cardboard roll. Once it is covered, add another layer or more until the sheep is nice and wooly.
6. Create the eyes with a paper puncher and the construction paper. Use glue to adhere to the front of the sheep's tissue paper face.
7. For a ram, do Steps 1-6 and then add horns, which are made by twisting pipe cleaner into two curly cues and attaching with glue.
8. Allow to dry.

Displaying the Sheep

Before children bring their sheep home, you may want to create a classroom display:

1. Begin with a tray of wheat grass you've grown and trimmed short or Easter basket grass spread out evenly.
2. Add shepherd or Jesus figurine or paper doll.
3. Invite children to add their sheep to assemble the flock around the shepherd!

Stray Sheep Game

This tag game is sort of a classroom version of the backyard pool game, Marco Polo. The child playing the stranger is blindfolded and stands in the center of the circle. The others are the sheep and wander around the inside of the circle.

The blindfolded stranger tries to tag the sheep. When calling "Sheep!" the others must reply with "Baa-baa." The first sheep tagged takes the place of the stranger. This game reinforces the lesson that just like the sheep we should only answer to our Good Shepherd.

Look on our site for more Easy Kids Crafts and Bible Kids Crafts.

Autor: Magriet Du Plessis

For more great Bible story crafts for kids you can visit Bible Crafts For Kids. Magriet is a work at home "Gran" and she has sites on family matters. For more bible story crafts for kids you can go to Fun Kids Crafts. For a fun Mother's day craft you can go to Mother's Day Crafts For Kids

Added: June 25, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Girls Birthday Party Ideas

Birthday parties are forever fun to plan and arrange and if it is a party for a girl, then the party can be planned with more creativity. While planning a girl's birthday party, ensure that the party is fit for girls with the chosen theme. It's good if you have your own birthday party ideas but in case you are open to new and refreshing girl's birthday party ideas then the easiest place to look is online. Nowadays there are lots of websites offering you exciting ideas for giving the birthday girl a fabulous birthday party.

Some popular themes are Pyjama sleepover parties which are great and the glow-in-the-dark accessories can make the party extra special. If you have a digital camera, take each girl's picture and then print it out. Let the girls glue the picture to a piece of cardboard, using glue. Cut out the picture and you have a personalised paper doll.

Try to decorate everything in party. Drape and hang lots of streamers and balloons, add some feather boas. Dress up your party table with table cover, plates etc. Scatter sequins all around the table. Make a centerpiece with a bouquet of balloons tied to the handle of an inexpensive matching purse. You can arrange a special welcome party also. When the girls arrive, give them a fun, but simple make-over with the help of another adult/teen. Then let the girls select special hats, feather boa's or some other fun fashion statement. Play some kids friendly hip-hop music and let the girls do a "fashion show" announcing each girl's name.

For an all-girls birthday party, you can decide on the party favours that include little dolls, stickers, hair clips, nail polish and other things, which the little girls would find interesting.

Autor: Ricy Chacko

Be My Bear can offer some great girls' birthday party ideas. We are always one step ahead in the girls' birthday party ideas league table, so you need not look further than here.

Added: June 24, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Keep Austin Weird

Like most catch phrases, "Keep Austin Weird" has a basis in reality. Austin is many things: political, vibrant, intelligent and fun, but it is also undeniably weird.

For example, where else in the world would you find a cross-dressing vagrant who wears high-heeled shoes and runs for mayor? Leslie Cochran, a man who has been dubbed "The Queen of Austin," is one of its most beloved characters-so beloved, in fact, that local stores sell "Leslie's What to Wear Refrigerator Magnets" that act as a magnetic version of a paper doll kit.

Leslie is not the only local attraction that keeps the city interesting. There is Hippie Hollow, the only "clothing-optional" beach in all of Texas, as well as the fact that Austin, in addition to being the state capital, is supposedly the Frisbee Golf capital as well. Also consider the Alamo Drafthouse, a series of movie houses-slash-restaurants-slash-performance theatres, which has an eclectic event calendar and funny promotions to keep patrons coming back for more. There are not many places where you can attend a showing of "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" that includes all the miniature burgers you can eat.

Down in South Austin, one can visit the infamous "Cathedral of Junk," which was started in 1988 and is constructed of an array of throw-away items like bottles, bumpers and wheels (oh my!). Despite its appearance, the cathedral is structurally sound, passing inspection by the city each year. While in that part of town, there is also the Museum of Ephemerata, which has hosted such weird items as the last cigarette Marilyn Monroe ever smoked.

Each year, Austin plays host to biker rallies, burlesque shows, rodeos, political demonstrations, theatre events, street markets, live music performances and festivals, poetry readings and barbecues. There truly is never a dull moment.

And yet, perhaps it is simply the people of Austin who keep it weird. Austinites, both native and self-made, continually contribute to the city's atmosphere, full of flair, fun and energy. It is they who buy from the funky shops, they who attend the crazy shows, and they who take pride in occupying such a unique place in the world

Autor: Ki Gray Ki Gray
Level: Platinum
Ki Gray is a real estate agent working in Austin Texas. He has enjoyed helping clients look for right home for their needs. If you ... ...

Austin real estate properties works to help client locate properties in the Austin market. For people interested in the purchasing a property their website provides users a search of the Austin MLS along with his Austin Realtor Blog.

Added: June 22, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Vintage Paper Dolls - The Beginning

In Pioneer America, vintage paper dolls were a valuable treasure since paper was limited. Imagine yourself as child living in a small cabin with very little to play with. You were given a paper doll, maybe two. You know how valuable they are and want to treasure them, so you find a special book and place them between pages or in a special box that you guard always for protection of your treasured paper doll.

The paper doll provides a very broad look at the cultures from all around the world. They represent so many costumes, clothing, accessories and many other things of importance for historians. The most obvious were the vintage paper dolls representing royalty and for the children of royalty.

Paper dolls first appeared in the 18th Century in Paris, during the reign of Louis XV. This is also when toys first appeared in this French Society. On the other side of the English Channel, proper British printers printed the paper dolls. They would mix fun and virtue by printing stories with morals and values, on flat sheets of paper, and that comprised the dolls. Vintage paper dolls were then produced as a beautifully lithographed full-color collection. They represented no only the famous theater personalities but of the Royal families, which included the House of Windsor and the German Royal Family. It was from that era the paper doll was invented.

In 1866, an artist named Raphael Tuck, was perhaps the best known manufacturer of the vintage paper dolls. In December of 1940, Tuck's German Manufacturing facilities were destroyed by a bombing, and with it destroyed all records, plates and documents. But his dolls were easily identified by the trademark and series name and number which was on back of each piece. The trademark style of this company was the set of vintage paper doll costumes and interchangeable heads. He also made some "regular" dolls including Sweet Abigail, Winsome Winnie, My Lady Betty, Prince Charming, the wonderful Fairy Tale series and more. He continued to make the vintage paper doll collections well into the twentieth century.

During the beginning, having paper dolls was a privilege and only the children of the Royalty were able to have them. There were dolls representing actors from the theater, stage, opera and even television. The time when the vintage paper dolls were the most popular was during the 1930's to the 1950's. This could be called the "Golden Age of Paper Dolls." Paper toys were the most affordable toys to have during the depression even though it was of a lesser quality of paper, due to the WWII.

Collecting vintage paper dolls is exciting and can be done very inexpensively. There are enough varieties to satisfy every collector. Venture back in your memories of sitting down with your paper dolls, playing with your friends. Now you will be able to relive those memories with your vintage paper dolls collection.

Autor: Annette Jensen Annette Jensen
Level: Basic PLUS
I am the mother of Amy Bass, who is the creator of The Niche Blogger, and has taught me more than I could have imagined. ... ...

Please visit my Vintage Doll Collection to discover rare and hard to find vintage paper doll collections. You will find the most incredible paper doll collections from all eras.

Added: June 20, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Fun With Barbie Doll Crafts

Many little girls love everything there is about Barbie. They like the fashion and beauty that goes along with these dolls. They also like to pretend to be adults. Their imaginations run wild. If your child likes Barbie dolls, then you can have fun crafts that they can do in order for them to have even more fun with this popular doll brand.

One of the best things you can have your child do is be creative and use their imagination. The main theme of Barbie is pink, so you can do crafts that use this pink theme. A great craft that your daughter can do is make her own Barbie doll. This doesn"t require any plastic doll parts. All she needs is a piece of paper and some coloring utensils. Ask her to draw her favorite doll. She could even draw herself as a Barbie doll. The options are endless. This can add more fun without having to buy her a new doll. You can also have her draw separate clothing on a different piece of paper. If they are cut out, then they can be used to clothe her paper doll, adding even more fun to the experience.

If your child is interested in the clothing aspect of Barbie dolls, then you and she can work together to make clothing that resembles the type of thing that Barbie would wear. This also teaches your daughter how to sew and be creative with fabric and ribbon. This is an especially good craft if you, as a parent, already have the sewing machine and the skills to use it.

Autor: Gail Leino Gail Leino
Level: Platinum
Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies, using proper etiquette, living a healthy lifestyle while also ... ...

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for barbie party supplies and fun party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free holiday printable games and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Themes including Party Supplies to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

Added: June 19, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Reverie - Musings Of A Little Girl - How Do You Break The Silence?

Designate communications to your child, lest they slip away. Precedent communications behind a door that does not want to open, but will if you keep trying. Aspergers parenting autism pdd? Or a reverie of silence? I think that ice can be seen through if you keep on trying. Reverie mind you is a dream world that oft times creates art and blesses all of our souls.

"Reverie"

Reverie.
Let me hear that distant call
a daydream
musings
a little girl
in the back seat of her parents car.
I slipped into reverie.
Who really needs to speak at all?

What else is there to do?
Parents speaking to one another
once in awhile to me.
I am happy for this pencil
and this tablet
sitting here on my knees.

Driving and driving
from state to state
I wonder
do they know where they are going?
When they get there
finally
will they be happy?
Or will we go again?

Reverie.
If I draw a paper doll
will she stand up
pull herself from my picture
and speak to me?

The road goes on and on
I look up at times to see if there are any trees.
When will we get there
I wonder
yet I do not say one single word.

Florida was nice
I think I liked the palm trees.
There was a neighbor near
I rode my tricycle there
sat in a chair
watching their home movies.

Reverie
Somewhere that cloud will hold me
I will dance on stars
tip toe on the Milky Way
find the reason stars dance
Learn the sparkle words they say.

My father made a sled of ice
He used a a garden hose
to wet down the snow.
It was very cold
but the day became warm
despite the temperatures bickering.

I stared into the icy surface
took off one mitten
felt inside my pocket for my paper doll
who really needs to talk anyway
when everything you need
is there
inside your pocket.

Reverie.

05 August 2007

Autor: Kathy Ostman-Magnusen Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
Level: Platinum
ABOUT Kathy Ostman-Magnusen I am an artist, I paint and sculpt women primarily; in their daily lives, in lives they might be afraid of, and ... ...

ABOUT Kathy Ostman-Magnusen

I paint and sculpt female fantasy art and map faery tale adventures. I dream of beautiful women on canvas and art of exotic women.

I have illustrated for Hay House Inc.,"Women Who Do Too Much" CARDS taken from Anne Wilson Schaef's book. I also illustrated for Neil Davidson, who was considered for the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing, and several other publications. My paintings are collected worldwide.

Giclee canvas art work, greeting cards & posters are available for sale on my website:

http://www.kathysart.com

Sign up for my mailing list FREE ART GIFTS: Drawings of whimsical angel pictures, legends of mermaids & fairies in art. Tiny angels & mermaids for shrink art, or coloring pages. Also a "Letter From the Tooth Fairy". Ya just never know when you might need one!

Check out my Squidoo about creativity: Unlock Creativity|Critical Thinking Creative Writing Active Reading=Great Art
http://www.squidoo.com/createart

Added: June 17, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Helpful Tips on Announcing Your Engagement and Inviting Guests to Your Wedding

The days when wedding invitations came in one size and color are long gone. Today couples invest a lot of time and effort in designing a wedding invitation that not just accomplishes the task of inviting guests to the wedding but is also a great memento.
Designing the wedding invitation and getting it printed should be one of the first items in your wedding plan. Ideally, wedding invitations should be sent out to guests at least six weeks before the wedding so that they have plenty of time to make travel arrangements. If your wedding is taking place during the holidays, send your wedding invitations out even earlier.

If you want certain relative or very important (VIP) guests to be there at your wedding ceremony and reception, you should consider sending out advance announcements so these special guests can calendar, reserve and save the date reserved for your wedding. Formal written announcements letting family and friends know you popped the question and are engaged are also a nice way to let your guests know in advance when and where you plan to get married.

There are a number of new items on the market designed just for this purpose. When you get married--they'll be sure to reserve the date on their calendars if you send them a magnet that says "This is the Day--we're getting married!" These Save the Date magnets come with mailing envelopes to make it easy for you to give them enough advance notice. There are "save the date" magnets with
elegant, three tiered wedding cake graphics or bold, black and white magnets with intricate cut out paper doll like shaped like bride and groom that announce the date of your wedding.. A classy way to announce your engagement. There are pretty pink and white magnets pink hearts, iced wedding cakes or ones with pink roses to get their attention and decorate their refrigerator in the kitchen where many family"s post and keep the family"s calendar of events.

If money is no object, you can also send your friends, family and VIP guests personalize zed "save the date" mint candies in tins decorated with beautiful, personalized labels. These wedding mints also are available in adorable designs. The mints are delicious and will be appreciated, thoughtful little gifts. Everyone buys mints at the grocery store in decorative, reusable tins. Sending these creative engagement announcements can be done before you send out the wedding invitations.

The typical format of the wedding invitation consists of the names of the bride and the groom, the invitation to the wedding, the day, time and venue of the wedding and the reception and an RSVP card and address. Within this broad format, lots of variations are possible. The names of your guests can either be written on the card itself or on the envelope. As far as possible, include the names of all the people you are inviting and avoid generalized suffixes like "and family."

The first thing that you need to decide is the tone of the wedding invitation - will it be formal or informal? A formal invitation typically starts with "Mr. and Mrs. Smith request the honor of your presence..." A more informal wedding invitation can start with something as simple as "Please join us...". You also need to decide on who is going to announce the wedding and invite the guests. Traditionally, it was the bride"s parents since it was they who paid for the wedding. However, this is no longer the case. It is up to the couple to decide whether the wedding invitation should go out from one or both sets of parents or from the bride and the groom themselves.

Remember to clearly spell out the day, date and time of both the wedding and the reception in the wedding invitation. Specify the time zone if there is likely to be any scope for confusion. Also give the full address of the wedding venue and the reception venue. It is a good idea to enclose a map as well especially for out of town guests.

The RSVP card is now an integral part of most wedding invitations. This is usually a card with a simple message where the guests enter in their names and indicate whether they will be attending the wedding or not. It is the done thing to include a self-addressed and stamped envelope as well with an RSVP card. In case you decide not to enclose a separate RSVP card with your wedding invitation, just indicate by when you expect an RSVP and give them your address, email id and phone number so that they can do so in a way that is convenient to them.

Those are the essential elements in a wedding invitation. Apart from this, it is up to you to use your creativity to design a card that is truly unique. Some couples do this by including a personalized message. Others include a poem or a quote from a favorite book. You can also play around with the look and feel of the wedding invitation. There are many different materials and designs available for you to choose from. If you are having a theme wedding, it is a great idea to include some design elements in the wedding invitation that are related to the theme. After you ask a friend to be your Maid of Honor and decide who you want as your bridesmaids, you can ask them for help in addressing and sending out your engagement announcements, save the date magnets or mints and your formal wedding invitations.

Autor: Shirley Tan

Shirley Tan is currently the owner of American Bridal Accessories, an online website that features the most popular wedding favors and new products to announce your engagement and that will help your guests save the date so they"ll be sure to attend your wedding. Visit http://www.AmericanBridal.com and have a look around!

Added: June 16, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Little Girls and Their Dolls

I have had people say to me...Little girls just don"t play with dolls any more. My response... Have you encouraged her, or played with her?

I know growing up, that dolls played a very important part of my life. Our family struggled to make ends meet, and our toys were treasured and few. So treasured in fact, that the dolls I owned as a child, are still my treasured possessions today. I rescued them from the toy box after my two younger sisters had also had their turn with them!

My dolls were babies when we played pioneers, with a wagon and trunk. They were my patient clothing models, when I began to learn the art of sewing, and they put up with countless terribly designed and sewn outfits. They were my comfort on cold winter nights.
My sisters and I played with and treasured our dolls much longer than most young girls seem to today.

Paper dolls were another huge part of our creative childhood. A few magazines of the era such as McCalls came out with a sheet of paper dolls each month. We had a neighbour who subscribed to McCalls and saved the paper doll sheets for us. Betsy McCall and her friends were greatly anticipated on a monthly basis! Carefully cut out, the dolls glued to the back of cereal boxes and cut out, they made fantastic play things. Looking at the elaborate craft sets that are presented to today"s children, it is hard for me to imagine that they really stimulate creativity any more than our own imaginations did.

Doll houses played another large part in developing our creativity. As we could only dream of owning a store bought doll house, or furniture, we industriously set out time and again to create our own doll houses out of whatever materials came to hand. A large cardboard box held infinite possibilities.

Items such as empty paper rolls, match boxes, bottle caps, to name a few became pieces of furniture, dishes and much more. Careful searching through the Eatons and Sears catalogue as well as weekly sales flyers also produced a wealth of accessories. Pictures from the food flyers glued to cardboard, were used to fill the kitchen cupboards, people cut out and glued to cardboard became the doll house families. My sisters and I enjoyed countless hours of creative fun with these simple materials.

I read an article recently that suggested little girls are tiring of dolls as young as 6 years old. What do they play with then, that can develop their imagination, creativity and nurturing instincts.

I hope parents everywhere will realize the value in simple, uncomplicated playthings for their children. A doll house, with a doll family, furniture, and accessories can provide countless hours of decorating and imaginative fun, as rooms are changed and rearranged. Not only is the imagination developed, but also fine motor skills are honed as children learn to manipulate miniature items.

I also cannot help but feel that a little girl who cares for, changes, puts to bed and adores a favourite doll, will learn valuable nurturing instincts that will stay with her into her adult life.

Autor: Jayne Cremasco

For more useful information on doll collecting and doll houses, visit http://www.eloradollhouse.co.uk. You will also find a wonderful array of miniature dolls, furniture and accessories on this website as well. The Doll House Elora has been serving the miniature hobbiest for over 25 years.

Added: June 15, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Old Fashioned Toys Inspire Learning

Toys don't have to feature loud noises, flashing lights, and other electronic functions to be fun and entertaining to children. Many simple, old fashioned toys still please today's children as much as they did twenty, and even forty, years ago. Old fashioned toys also inspire learning. Their simplicity encourages children to use their imaginations and to discover new things.

Reading is one of the best pastimes your child can enjoy. Provide plenty of age appropriate books about a variety of different topics. It is also important to introduce your child to all the various literature genres. Read fiction and non-fiction books together and discuss the differences. Explore several types of poetry and read biographies about someone your child has an interest in.

Dress up clothes are old fashioned toys that will never cease to delight young children. Career accessories, like fireman boots and hats, policeman uniforms, and mail bags, are great for role playing. Extra costumes are also a lot of fun for pretend play and are a good way to enhance language skills by acting out stories, movies, or favorite television shows. For real old fashioned toys, fill an old trunk with old prom gowns, wedding dresses, tuxedos, and suits as well as plenty of old fashioned accessories. Your child and her friends will enjoy hours of make believe fun.

Felt boards are also classic old fashioned toys that still promise tons of creative fun and learning opportunities. Felt board figures are available to create pretend play scenarios and to recreate stories and books or you can make your own old fashioned felt toys by cutting a variety of shapes from several colors of felt sheets. Your child can build all sorts of creations with the felt shapes.

Old fashioned toys like paper dolls and puppets encourage children to pretend and enhance language and social development as well. Paper dolls can be easily created by you and your child with a printer and cardstock. There are a number of templates available online. You can encourage your child to create their own paper doll clothes by tracing around the doll and coloring.

Puppets are old fashioned toys that have seen many, many changes. Today, special puppet stages are available as well as ethnic family puppets and several other characters. Children still love the old fashioned puppets they make themselves too. Simple sock puppets, craft stick families, and paper bag hand puppets are fun and easy to make and provide lots of learning benefits.

Instruments and musical toys have been a part of childhood for centuries. These old fashioned toys have also seen a lot of changes, with modern musical toys offering microphones, electronic sounds, and recording features. Traditional musical instruments like small drums, xylophones, and kazoos are still just as enjoyable and educational as their modern versions.

Instruments are fun and easy to make from basic household supplies. Shakers and maracas can be made from small containers filled with rice or beans or from paper mache. Help your child hammer nails across a small wooden block, then string rubber bands between the nails for a fun guitar. You can make music with just about anything from sand paper to a comb and wax paper.

The love of old fashioned toys will most likely continue through several more centuries of childhoods. These types of toys are held dear because of their simplicity. Old fashioned toys invite children to take over play time, to use their imagination, and to explore the world around them.

Autor: Gary Clay

Gary Clay is an expert on Fantastic Traditional Toys and owner of stylish kids store MonkeyShine a retailer of quality old fashioned toys in the UK.

Added: June 14, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Tips on Online Dress Up Games For Kids

Have you heard about the Bratz games wave lately? First of all, the Bratz dolls are these 10-inch dolls with 'a passion for fashion'. They are the current craze among tweens and teens around the world right now. The first few Bratz back in 2001 were called Cloe (Angel), Yasmin (Pretty Princess), Sasha (Bunny Boo) and Jade (Kool Kat). People cannot also help drawing parallels between Barbies and Bratz. Maybe its the flashy outfits, but whatever the reason, Bratz is indeed the biggest global hit right now!

On the web, the most inexpensive way to play with Bratz dolls are through Bratz games. These free dress up games located on hundreds of websites can provide children players of all ages some ideas about fashion in a fun way. And tinkering with dress up games online can help a child practice their hand-eye coordination. Younger children can also learn to avoid technology phobias and practice patience while playing these dress up games even with just a few hours per week.

Free dress up games can be a big boost to your budget considerations when it comes to finding activities for your kids. Kids like to have games they can play that their parents approve of and won't get them in trouble.

Mya-Free Paper Doll Dress Up Game

In this game, you get to choose any style of clothes in Mya's wardrobe and dress her up in those. Of course, hairstyles can also be changed with each outfit.

Glitter Dress Up Game

In the case of this dress up game, the doll dress up game lets the user to play with the names of their their character doll. If you wish, you can even download some of the games into your own computer. But downloading must of course be supervised by parents.

Fun Dress Up Games.

Did you know that in the other games, you get to play dress up with animals too? Another dress up game comes as inspired by Build a Bear, another site which is a certified hit among youngsters. Hours of enjoyment are guaranteed as you dress up these furry friends.

Dress Up Games with custom scenes

With scenic dress up games, you can customize your own background, decorations, characters, and food for each of the scenes. When you click on the link for the dress up game itself, check out "props" when you see it in some of the pages. Otherwise, try also looking for for the themes of the scene under the leading background picture. That is where you will find instructions for the dress up games.

Other Bratz Dress Up Games.

Still other Bratz games on some Internet websites not only have dress-up games, but also let you try out creative thinking and imagination challenges that test your sense of style. For example, in the case of the Bratz, Cloe and Sasha may have a hard time getting their living room to jive according to the current season of the year. Were talking about a game-cum-crash course of interior designing. Unleash the creative genius in you!

To end, Bratz games are really aimed towards younger girls, but who says adults who are fighting boredom can't enjoy them too?

Autor: Mai Roberts

Mai Roberts is a doll lover and a die hard fan of Bratz.She is obsessed to any kind of Bratz Games. She is also a part of the http://www.bratzgames.biz, the game wherein you can make your own Bratz.

Added: June 11, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Online Games For Girls Only

In the world of countless games online for girls, arguably the most popular dress up characters are in Sue games, Bratz games and Barbie games. Let's check them out!

Sue Games
Avatar Star Sue games, or just plain "Sue Games," have the character Sue for both dress up and other games types. Here the player can give Sue an entirely original style in terms of her clothing and make-up. You may also want to just pick a new hairstyle that complements your own current mood or the one which you think would be fabulous on Sue.

When you have completed a new Sue game, you usually get to choose whether you want to save and keep your finished creation as an avatar or picture image on your desktop. You can also use your personal artwork for your profiles on forums or for MySpace or Facebook.

Bratz Games
Bratz are 10-inch dolls wearing flashy clothing. Going by the nicknames of Cloe (Angel), Yasmin (Pretty Princess), Sasha (Bunny Boo) and Jade (Kool Kat), the Bratz are the craze among youngsters and teens the world over. Whatever the reason for its success, Bratz is indeed a global sensation and is giving Barbie the real competition it needs!

On the web, accessories and fashion clothing are easier to match to Bratz dolls and girls by the hundreds are logging on to the different Bratz game sites to pore over the wardrobe choices and hairstyles available.

More often that not when you finish Bratz games you can't help but begin a new round rather than treasuring a single fabulous outfit forever. Aside from dress up games, there are also the makeover challenges. One version even calls for the makeover of the Bratz doll's room and her hairdo.

Other Bratz games are similar to video games that have mission objectives to them. An example is the timed search for your puppy which was lost in a huge virtual mall and the Fish Tank game, where you need to earn points to get more fish and to beautify your fish tank with new decorations.

Barbie Games

Last but not the least is perhaps what started everything we know about girl dolls: Barbie dolls, that is. There were Barbie games already too. The Barbie brand itself is close to fifty years old, with no signs of slowing down. Barbies still make good sales in toy stores because nobody loses in buying a classic. Barbies can also be found and bought just as easily on many pages of the internet. Barbie games will continue to be among the most sought-after dress up games for younger girls for years to come.

Like the sites that it competes with, Barbie games have a variety of fashion choices, and of course the player has to be a good manager in order not to overwhelm the player's dashboard. Dressing Barbie in the most up to date wear is a no-nonsense actvity online and when you find an outfit you like, you can choose to print out your completed online Barbie doll. Why not a collection of completed Barbie paper dolls in picture perfect outfits alongside your team of true Barbie dolls?

Autor: Mai Roberts

Mai Roberts is a doll lover and a die hard fan of Bratz.She is obsessed to any kind of Bratz Games. She is also a part of the http://www.bratzgames.biz, the game wherein you can make your own Bratz.

Added: June 9, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/