Journey Girls London Outfit

Kayla's Green Dress

There are four outfits that came out in May of this year for the London line of the Journey Girls.  Out of the four I picked three that I liked, the third one I hated…not disliked…hated.  It is a red leotard top with short black shorts and black tights.  It looks a lot like an older outfit that I already have.  That isn’t the reason I didn’t buy it though.  It just didn’t look age appropriate for the girls.  So that one stayed at Toys R Us.  The other three came home with me.  Today I will be reviewing one of those three outfits. 

One of the mid-season London outfits.

Kyla is modeling this beautiful teal green stretch dress with a fleece sweater and animal print furry purse.   This is a heavy dress, made with a material that has ribbing in it that allows it to stretch.  It is form fitting on Kyla’s top, but flares out at the waist keeping its bell shape in the skirt.  The dress has a relaxed jewel neckline with a criss-cross fabric pattern across the chest.  The dress is very plain…but somehow very pretty.  I think the color helps.  To me this looks like an older girls outfit.  A sophisticated, designer type of outfit.  This would be perfect for outfit for Callie since she is the fashionista of the Journey Girls.

Kayla looking cute in the new teal dress.

The sweater that comes with the outfit is one of the best I have seen.  It is simple, but very well made.  The fleece matches the heaviness of the dress.  I like the gray with the bright teal.  There is part of me that would have liked it to have at least one button on it, but I like the way that it shows off the dress in this design.

I love the look of this dress without the sweater.

The purse feels like an after thought.  It’s cute, but the strap is kind of cheap.  It’s just not as great as the rest of the outfit.  Kyla get another pair of black low healed dress shoes.  Wow...creative!  I’m glad that the outfit comes with shoes…it’s just that you Journey Girls made a very stylish outfit and put the same boring shoes with it that every other outfit comes with. 

Where are the underwear?  And what is up with that purse's strap?

One last thing that bothers me is the lack of underwear.  It wouldn’t be so bad if all of the Journey Girls came with underwear when you bought them…but only a few have (Jordanna, Chavonne and Callie) and Toys R Us does not sell an accessory pack with them.  American Girl does…but they are huge on the Journey Girls.  In my opinion every dress that is sold should come with underwear.

Rating

All ratings are out of 10

Value 8 –  This outfit is one of the higher quality Journey Girls outfits.  It’s made of a really nice material and just feels higher quality.  It has about what you would expect with an outfit as far as accessories.  My complaints would be the purse strap, and the lack of underwear (but that is with all of the dresses).

Fitment 10 –  This outfit is an awesome fit.  The stretch material is really neat.  It fits well on the new dolls (which are just slightly bigger…only about 1/8^th of an inch) and on the old dolls.  The sweater fits wonderfully.  It is exactly what you would expect for something made specifically for the Journey Girls.

Versatility 8 –  I think that the outfit itself has some versatility.  It is not as fancy as the Celebration outfits so it can be used for more of an everyday outfit.  But with the right accessories, the dress is a very classy outfit.  The shoes can be used with any outfit as well as the great sweater and fuzzy purse.

Cuteness 10 – I liked this dress in the package, but I loved it on Kyla!  The dress is very pretty outside of the package.  I love that the skirt flairs.  I like the way that the dress looks without the sweater and with the sweater.  It’s just a very cute dress.

Overall 9 –  This is a dress you should have in your dolls wardrobe!  It’s versatile, cute, and is an awesome fit.  The outfit is usually around $20, but keep your eyes out for Toys R Us’s buy one get one free sales. 

Kayla is adorable in the new teal outfit!

Kelsey Roaming Around Chicago

Museum's and More with Kelsey

Ohhh…sad face.  Kelsey is a little bit bummed that it is her last day in Chicago, but she is excited to spend her last day going to the Museum of Science and Industry and the Art Institute of Chicago.  The weather is warmer today, it actually feels almost warm with the sun out.  

Kelsey is excited to see what is at the museum.  There is always so much to see at museums.  She wonders what she will find at this one.

The museum is huge!  There are three floors of art.  Kelsey starts out in a room that has miniature rooms.  Each room is only a few feet by a few feet.  They are not even big enough for a Barbie doll.  The rooms are amazing…they have chandeliers, chairs, couches, food, books…everything.  There are even rooms with little tapestries.  Kelsey's favorite is a little room that has a lit up Eiffel Tower out the window.  Kelsey hopes that some day she will get a chance to go to Paris.

Kelsey walks through the museum until she comes to a room of impressionism artists.  One of her favorite artists, Monet has some paintings displayed here.  She loves looking at his lily pad paintings.  Her favorite paintings are of a bridge in London, called "Waterloo Bridge" and one of some people walking by  seaside cliff titled "Cliff Walk at Pourville".  They are such beautiful paintings.  Soft and light…Kelsey is sure that Kyla would love to see these paintings.  Kelsey just hopes she can travel more and see some of these beautiful sights.

Kelsey sees as much of the museum as she wants to, before heading out to the Science and Industry Museum.  As she goes, she stops at a church.  Kelsey loves the arches of the entryway.  They are gorgeous.  "I wonder how they built this place?  How did they make those arches?"  Sometimes some of the most beautiful things aren't in museums. 

After spending some time exploring the outside of the church, Kelsey heads off to the Museum of Science and Industry.  The museum building is huge.  It's four times bigger than the Institute of Arts building.  She can't wait to see what is inside the museum.

"Oh my gosh!!!  Look at those planes!" Kelsey exclaims.  She points in awe at the bi-plane hanging from the ceiling.  "Those are amazing!" She decides to look around before going up to see the planes.  Kelsey forgets about the planes as she comes around the corner and sees a huge train display.  There is a replica of the city of Chicago, complete with an elevated train and subway.

The train goes into the Chicago train yard, then out into the country, tracing the train's route all the way to Seattle.  Kelsey loves all of the detail in the display…the little towns, the cars, the people in kayaks on the river.  So cool!  She feels like she could stay here all day, but there is way more to see at the museum.

Kelsey explores the other wings of the museum.  There is an area about the human body.  Kelsey is fascinated to see the displays showing the real human bodies that had been plasticized.  She can see all the muscles and veins.  It is neat…and a little creepy.  Kelsey takes some extra time looking at an incubator with chicken eggs in it.  There are little beaks poking out of some of the eggs.  In an adjacent incubator there are some chicks that have been born recently.  They are soooo cute!  Kelsey wishes that she could hold one of those fluffy little chicks.

Kelsey's last stop in the museum is the science area.  This area is so much fun!!! She can actually do some experiments about magnetism, or learn about gravity, or how elements behaves.  She loves the water experiment.  She can control the bobbing motion that effects the ripple pattern in the water.  It created a beautiful pattern on the floor below.

The other thing she thought was really cool was two hour glasses that had different particles in them, with different density liquids.  Kelsey loved watching the particles swirl down through the liquid.  It is mesmerizing and fascinating.

Kelsey looks around a little more, then heads back to the hotel.  Tomorrow will be time to go home.  She has really enjoyed her time here in Chicago.  She has seen so many amazing things.  Kelsey hopes to come back sometime in the summer, maybe see more of the city, go by the lake.  Kelsey is so excited to travel more.  She wonders where she will go next.

Kelsey on the Miracle Mile

A Trip Down Miracle Mile

Kelsey is excited about the day she has planned.  She is going to spend the day seeing the many wonderful shops on Miracle Mile.  Once she's ready for the day, she walks down to Michigan Avenue, and starts on her way.  Her first stop is the American Girl store.  Kelsey loves the display of Grace in their window.  She loves all of the new outfits that Grace has.

Kelsey would love to buy some of Grace's travel items, or all of the baking things that Grace has.  Kelsey can't get over how cute the city display is.  "Wouldn't it be amazing to have an apartment in Paris?", Kelsey thinks.

After looking around the American Girl store and making a list of all of the beautiful things she would like, Kelsey buttons up her coat and heads out on Michigan Avenue.  Kelsey walks to the old water tower.  It is amazing to see such an old building in the middle of all of the these brand new skyscrapers.

Kelsey continues on down the road, looking into the windows of the shops.  Most of the shops don't have anything that Kelsey is interested in.  She does stop at the Disney Store.  How can you not stop and look at all of the Frozen items?  Plus the Star Wars and Avengers stuff is really cool.

She doesn't end up buying anything this time, but Kelsey sure has a great time looking in all the store windows.  Kelsey stops to take a picture in front of Sacs Fifth Avenue.  She is ready to see some more sights.  She decides that it would be a good day to go to Navy Pier.

As she goes towards the Pier she walks past the Chicago Tribune building.  The building is amazing.  It has bricks and pieces from buildings all over the world.  Kelsey finds a brick from Minnesota, from the Alamo, even one from Norway!

Kelsey walks the few blocks to Navy Pier.  She stands out front of the big Navy Pier sign.  "I wonder what this place is like in the summer."  She bets that it is quite a bit busier than it is now.

"I want to come back here in the summer!  Maybe ride the Ferris wheel."  Kelsey runs towards the Ferris wheel and the rest of the pier.  There is a carousel too!  "Oh…it would be so fun to be able to ride one of the rides.

Kelsey starts to get cold, she sees that the pier has a indoor arboretum.  She walks inside and instantly feels warmer. Oh it's beautiful in here.  Big palm trees reach to the ceilings, round shallow ponds are spread through the arboretum, and beautiful yellow and red flowers dot the gardens.  Kelsey takes some photos of the gardens and send the photos to Kyla.  She would love to be here.  Maybe she can paint a picture of the pretty flowers.

As Kelsey sits on the bench for a photo a little sparrow lands by the pond behind her.  She looks back and smiles.  "Hi little birdie."  Another sparrow lands by the pond.  Then another…then another.  Pretty soon there are half a dozen birds sitting around the pond.

Kelsey leans over and all of the birds fly away.  She bundles up and heads outside.  As she leaves the pier she sees a snowman that someone built.  She waves good-bye to snowman and to Navy Pier.

Tomorrow is her last day in Chicago.  Kelsey plans on going to a few museums.  She is excited to see the art museum and the science museum seems like it is going to be really fun.

Kelsey at Millennium Park

Kelsey's Adventure Begins at Millennium Park

Kelsey wakes up early (a little too early) in the morning, excited to get out and see the great city of Chicago. She eats breakfast and suits up for the day.  It's only 20 degrees out, so she makes sure that her coat is zipped all the way up and that she has her scarf be fore she heads out. 

One of the first things that Kelsey sees at Millennium park is the band shell.  It is awesome!  "I wish it was summer, so we could hear some music," she says.  

But as quick as the thought comes on she is off to the next sight...the big bean!!!  The Bean is so simple and so wonderful at the same time. 

It's a huge jelly bean shaped mirror, that reflects the city and everything in it.  It is Kelsey's favorite place of the whole trip.  She takes a picture in front of it, then sends it to the other girls with a "Miss you!" text attached.

"Wow...how cool is this thing!" Kelsey is in awe of the bean as she reaches up to touch her own reflection.  "Oo! It's super cold.  Do not lick that...your tongue will totally stick to it," she says laughing.

Kelsey admires the huge video faces.  Some of them make her laugh.  These huge faces are projected onto clear glass blocks that look like ice.  I tell her that in the summer these sculptures shoot water at you, but that right now they are turned off.  Very cool!

Kelsey stops by the entrance to the park to get her picture taken with the city in the background.  Then it's off to the garden area.  A lot of the garden's are closed off because of the cold, but she gets to see a little bit of it.

The walking bridge to the other side of Millennium Park is a windy silver bridge.  Kelsey loves the design of the bridge.  It's so different and neat.  I snap a photo of he walking down the bridge.

One last stop at the bean before we head back to the hotel.  21 degrees is okay, but the city is living up to it's windy name...and that wind is bitter cold!

Kelsey takes a few photos of the bean and of Millennium park then it's back to the hotel to warm up.  Plus she's got to stop and try some Chicago deep dish pizza!

Kelsey is excited to see what tomorrow will bring…but today she is ready for some food, some rest, and some warmth.  Chicago is a lot colder than Kelsey thought it would be.

Check back later for more of Kelsey's Windy City adventure!

Kelsey Goes to Chicago

 A Journey Girl's Trip to Chicago

The Journey Girls love to explore and experience new adventures as they travel.  Kelsey took her first trip to the Windy City.  She is so excited to go on a trip.  She starts packing days in advance.  

"What should I bring?" she thinks.  "Probably plenty of warm things….it is after all winter,"

 She packs some sweaters, jeans, pants, some warm tights, and a skirt (optimistic that there might be some warmer weather).  Everything fits snugly into her suitcase.  She even has extra room in her suitcase for some new things she hopes to buy on the Miracle Mile.

Once she has everything packed, Kelsey takes her suitcase downstairs. waves good-bye, and heads out to the car for the six hour trip to Chicago.

All strapped in for the ride.  Kelsey loves road trips.  She loves seeing all of the scenery.  It's beautiful seeing all the trees, rock faces, and even the farm land is amazing to see.  She plays on her iPhone and texts Meredith to see what she's up to.

Eventually, Kelsey makes it to the hotel.  She unpacks her suitcase and settles in for the evening.  She is so excited to go see the sites of the city.  She wants to walk the Miracle Mile, see the shops, and hopefully find some neat things in the shops.  Then maybe go to Millennium Park…see the bean, the sculptures, the gardens, and just walk around the park.  If the weather is okay Kelsey thinks she may even stop by Navy Pier.  Tonight, she has to sleep….and that seems like a really good idea.  Kelsey yawns, puts her head down, and falls asleep.

Check back this weekend for more of Kelsey's Chicago adventure!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Jordanna Wishes You A Happy Valentine's Day!

Jordanna wanted to wish everyone out there a Happy Valentine's Day.  Plus she wanted to show off her new dress from the "My Life As…" collection from Walmart.  

Jordanna is so cute in her Valentine's dress.

This is a really cute dress.  It has a satin black top with white polkas dots.  The skirt is plain black satin with a tulle like over skirt, with a red ribbon trim at the bottom.

Jordanna posing for Valentine's day.

There is a wide red ribbon around the waist of the dress, accented with a ribbon rose.  I didn't like the shoes that came with this outfit, so I gave Jordanna some of the red Journey Girl dress shoes.

Jordanna's Valentine for you.

As you see in these photos the tulle on the skirt gets hung up on it's self sometimes.

The bow in her hair is for a toddler, but it fits Jordanna perfectly.

Overall though the outfit is really cute.  It came in a three pack for about $20 on sale.  Great price for a dress like this…plus there are two more outfits.

Jordanna poses so beautifully.

The dress is not the highest quality material.  There are loose thread on the red ribbon.  The underskirt has a few loose threads.  And the top part of the dress is almost blue now (I washed it in just cold water to make sure that it didn't stain Jordanna) because of color fade.

 But for the money…it's a great dress.  I actually feel like the quality of the dress (besides the fading) is higher quality than a lot of the "My Life As…" outfits.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!