On the topic of toys (since I am sure there are many still looking for good holiday gift ideas) let me share another favorite around here… Only Hearts Club Dolls. I’m not a huge fan of Barbie and there is no way I want those Bratz dolls in the house. So a while back when Fairy started showing in interest in fashion dolls, I went on a quest for suitable replacement for the mass marketed brands and came across the Only Hearts Club dolls.

These dolls are of a similar size to the leading fashion dolls but have soft, flexible bodies. They are proportioned and styled as ‘tween’ age girls (along with some baby sisters). Their fashions are acceptable (ie I would actually let my girls wear most of the clothing) and they have corresponding character building books. Ahh… much better! They only downside is that they are made in China but they are available at Target (not usually with the other dolls though – so ask), which is nice since it makes it easy for Grandma to add to her collection.