Review and Special Offer: Mini Me Paper Dolls

I remember playing with paper dolls when I was a little girl.  Even at 3 years old, I felt Kieran was ready to have a paper doll of her very own.  I knew she would take care of it, as she is generally careful with her toys and books.  We recently received a Strawberry Blonde “Kieran” paper doll set from Lily & Thistle Mini Me Paper Doll Boutique, complete with several outfits for the spring (The Standard Paper Doll Package).  They also sent with it additional outfits to try out from their Summer Line, Girls in Literature Line (like, Anne of Green Gables), and from their “Outfit of the Month” Club (we received June).  Additionally included was a CD of our custom Kieran paper doll and all the outfits that were sent in the packet, just in case any should tear or to use for scrapbooking purposes.  My thoughts on how Kieran would take care of the doll were right!  Even as I was cutting each outfit out, she would peer over my shoulder, saying “Mommy be CAREFUL!! Don’t cut her clothes!”.  We also printed out a free miniature doll from their blog and I was immediately notified by Kieran that “the Kieran doll is sooo excited to meet her new friend.”

I love that Lily & Thistle includes so many customizable options for the dolls.  The hair colors come in all the standards, but they also offer a hard to find strawberry blonde option.  Kieran was very excited to have a doll with her hair color!  You can also customize hairstyle (8 options, from straight to wavy, bangs to braids, long to short, pigtails to ponytails), skin tone, and eye colors (including hazel).  Lily & Thistle also offers additional options such as Asian eyes, glasses or freckles.  All of the colors are very natural and the doll itself is sweet and innocent.  And I also like that the outfits are something I would put my real Kieran in–very realistic!

Kieran definitely had fun playing with and dressing up her new “toy”.  Her favorite outfits were the one where the doll is holding a balloon and the one where the doll is wearing ballet flats.  Balloons and ballet slippers, two of Kieran’s favorite things!  Lily & Thistle also offers a “Fairy Tale Line”, which I know Kieran would love as well.  Kieran would lay out the cut-out doll outfits on the table and remark that she was “hanging her Kieran dollies’ clothes up in the closet”.  She would also constantly change the paper doll outfits and just rattle on about what the doll was going to do in that particular outfit.  We continue to have a lot of fun playing it.

The sets also come with “the amazing sticky strip”.  It is a double-sided adhesive strip you stick on the torso of the paper doll, and then the outfits are placed on the strip.  It was really easy to use for Kieran (I showed her how to be careful when I peeled off the outfits).  The outfits peeled easily off the strip, even when left overnight.  The sticky strip allows you to place the outfits on without using the tabs.  However, I opted to leave the tabs on anyways so Kieran could practice.

This is a unique gift and fun playtime activity.  The Standard Paper Doll Package sells on their website for $18.50 and comes with the following items:

• Paper doll (can be customized)
• A set of 6 adorable outfits (Spring Line)
• Amazing reusable adhesive strip (for tabless play option)
• “All About Me” pages (four pages for your favorite girl to fill out and keep as memento).
• A CD with custom doll, outfits and “All About Me” pages for reprinting.

All pages are printed using high quality archival inks on beautiful premium grade textured art paper.  If you wish to go a step up, they offer a an “Ultimate” package that includes all of the above items plus a special “Keepsake Doll Set” signed and dated by the artist.  Lily & Thistle also gives you an option to purchase a Print It Yourself Paper Doll Package for just $10.00.  Outside of the play realm, they have Party Packages, which you can also order preprinted or do-it-yourself.  She has a few lines of clothing for the dolls, too, and is currently working on additional outfits for the site.

Hanna Stevenson is the artist behind Lily & Thistle Mini Me Paper Doll Boutique.  She opened shop in May of this year.  The name is inspired by her three daughters, whom she is doing her best to raise to be pure and authentically beautiful like a lily and strong and courageous like a thistle.  These dolls celebrate the beauty and innocence of girlhood.  She notes that she has also begun creating a boy doll by popular request that will be available soon.

Lily & Thistle is generously offering ThatsITMommy readers a FREE set of Summer outfits with your order of any one of the packages they offer.  Just put “THATSIT” in your notes to the seller and they’ll include the outfits for FREE.  Thank you, Lily & Thistle!

That’s IT Mommy friends, Heather & Kieran

* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. That’s IT Mommy received the Paper Doll items mentioned in this post to facilitate this review.
 This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service.
The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.