On September 10th, 2012, I sat in front of the computer, trying to decide on a username for the YouTube channel I was creating. I had seen stop motions and other videos with American Girl dolls all over YouTube, and I had fallen in love with the idea of making my own videos. So I told my dad about what I had seen other girls doing with their dolls, and he showed me how to use his camera and create a mini-movie in iMovie. I thought of a unique story line, which included my dolls playing the video game "Lego Rock Band", and I taught myself how to make a stop motion. It was hard work, but in the end I loved it and I knew I had found my love for video making.
I then uploaded my first video to my dad's personal channel, which he didn't really use, and waited for my video to gain views. A couple of weeks later my video had gotten over 70 views! By that time I had already made my second stop motion (A Day at the Pool- an American Girl Doll Stop Motion) and I decided that I wanted to make my own channel where I could upload more videos. I deleted the video off of my dad's channel and I started to set up my own account.
As I was brainstorming my username, I thought that I wanted something catchy, unique, and that was memorable, just in case I ever became popular on AGtube (yes, I was planning ahead. I had no idea... haha). I didn't want it to be something with "AG" in it, because there were already many usernames like that. I wanted something that sounded as cool and unique as "Basilmentos" or "girloftheyearstudios". I finally settled on "FiveDollStars", since at the time I had five dolls and they were all stars in my videos!
I remember having so much fun creating new ideas for my videos. When I got my first subscriber, it was the greatest feeling in the world. Someone that I don't even know found this video that I made, enjoyed it, and pressed the subscribe button. I loved checked my channel every day for new subscribers and comments. Over the next few months, my stop motion skills quickly progressed after watching many other stop motions by some of my AGtube idols. I would take note of every little detail, and try to re-create those stop motion techniques. I kept gaining new viewers, and that inspired me to make even more videos and have more fun with my dolls.
Now, two years later, I'm sitting in front of my computer thinking about how far I have come. Not only do I still have my first subscribers who I would get so excited about, but THOUSANDS more. It blows my mind that almost sixty thousand people have seen a video or two of mine and clicked the "subscribe" button because they actually enjoyed that video, and wanted to see more. Sometimes I have to stop and remember that that number at the top of my channel isn't just a number, it's many different people who have taken their own time to click that button. I remember searching on YouTube "american girl doll videos" and I would see all of these popular videos come up. Now when I search that, I see many of my OWN videos, which is kinda crazy. I don't know how so many people have found my channel or wanted to subscribe, but I do know that I am forever grateful for all of those people. I never, ever thought I would succeed this much online with my simple doll videos. When I created my channel I thought I might have a chance of becoming slightly popular, but I never thought that I would be almost as big as Basilmentos. I mean, she was like a real celebrity to me at that time! I watched her videos almost every day.
Anyways, I know people always feel the need to make big cheesy speeches whenever they reach a certain goal on YouTube or whatever they do, and I'm SORRY that this post is just like one of those, but I really do love all my followers and you all inspire me every day. I've made so many new friends and had so much fun with AGtube. Making videos has helped me discover my love for dolls, photography, video making, and more. I've met so many new people. I never dreamed that I would actually be able to meet THE Anna Basilmentos, let alone make a stop motion with her. I've had such an incredible experience with American Girl Youtube, and I hope it never ends. Thank you so much for everything, and I love you all. ❤
P.S. I was thinking about making some kind of video for 2 years, but I didn't really have time so I'm going to have a giveaway! In a few days you'll have two chances to win some very special prizes...
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Saturday, August 23, 2014
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge!
Hey everyone! So as you may have heard... many people on the internet are doing the ALS "Ice Bucket Challenge". If you don't know what that is, it's basically a challenge where you can donate money to help fight a disease called ALS, but then you have to pour a bucket of freezing ice water on yourself! You can choose to do it yourself, or someone else can nominate you. To find out more about it, click here: http://www.alsa.org/fight-als/ice-bucket-challenge.html
Anyways, many other AGtubers have been participating, and I thought I should donate and take the challenge too! I will do the challenge myself but to make it more fun, one of my dolls is going to do it too! But the thing is, I can't decide which doll I want to nominate to take the challenge. So, I have a poll to the right of this post with 4 of my dolls you can choose from. Vote for which doll you want see doing the Ice Bucket Challenge, and I'll get them to record it! xD ->>>>>>>>
If you're on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click "view web version". Then you can take the poll.
Thanks so much for voting everyone!
~FiveDollStars
Anyways, many other AGtubers have been participating, and I thought I should donate and take the challenge too! I will do the challenge myself but to make it more fun, one of my dolls is going to do it too! But the thing is, I can't decide which doll I want to nominate to take the challenge. So, I have a poll to the right of this post with 4 of my dolls you can choose from. Vote for which doll you want see doing the Ice Bucket Challenge, and I'll get them to record it! xD ->>>>>>>>
If you're on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click "view web version". Then you can take the poll.
Thanks so much for voting everyone!
~FiveDollStars
Monday, July 28, 2014
American Girl Place DC Meetup 2014
Hi everyone! Today I want to share with you my experience at meetup I recently had with some AGtubers at the American Girl Place Washington D.C./Tyson's Corner. I was planning on going there on my birthday to do the bistro birthday package with my family, so I posted on Instagram (http://instagram.com/fivedollstars) that I would be there from 12:30 to 1:45 if anyone wanted to stop by and say hi. It turned out that about 10 people were planning on coming (which may seem like a small number compared to many other meetups, but it's a big number to me!), so I guess it turned into a meetup!
Fast forward to the day of the meetup. I had just turned thirteen that day. That morning, I put Crystal and Cecile into a bag along with my camera to bring along. Then I grabbed my violin and headed to church to play a few pieces. Church ended up running about 10 minutes late, so it was 12:10 and we still needed to head to the AG store! I was a bit late, but everything was fine. My mom dropped me off in front of the store, and I headed to the front entrance. There are many windows near the entrance of the store and just as I was about to walk in, I saw a group of girls huddled in the corner of one of the windows. One of them spotted me (they could tell by what I was wearing.) and pointed in my direction. All the other girls around her started jumping up and down excitedly. "Well, I think I found my group," I thought. I hadn't even entered the store yet and I was already spotted! I smiled and walked into the store. All the girls in the meetup group immediately surrounded me saying things like: "FiveDollStars!!!" "I love your videos!" "Can I get a picture with you?" It was all so incredible. I hugged and greeted them and even recognized a few of my AGtube friends that I had met at past meetups. I chatted with everyone for a while, took pictures, signed notebooks and doll feet, and recorded some videos on my camera. We all lined up our dolls to take a photo, along with a group photo of all of us. A few girls handed me birthday gifts, which was so sweet. I opened a few in a corner of the store, with many cameras and cell phones pointed in my direction capturing the moment. xD One of the girls also showed me a stop motion she made about the meetup, which was so creative and cool.
We were having so much fun, time really flew by! It had only felt like I had been there for 20 minutes, but time was creeping closer and closer to my reservations at the bistro. I was feeling very disappointed about having to leave, when my mom came up to me with wonderful news. She had talked to the person in charge of the bistro, and since it wasn't being occupied at the moment they let me and my meetup group hang out in one of the private party rooms for about 30 minutes! I even got extra time before my reservation. We didn't eat in there, but I got to hang out with my new AGtube friends a little longer. We hung all of our dolls on the doll holders that were on the wall. It really felt like an actual birthday party! I had always wondered what it would be like to have a doll-related party with friends. I don't have any close friends at my school that love dolls, but that's the beauty of AGtube and meetups. You can find new friends and people in your area that have the same passions as you! It was the best birthday party I could ever ask for.
While we were in the party room, one of the girls came up to me and said something that really made my day. I don't remember what all of her words were, but I know she said that whenever she felt discouraged about dolls or making stop motions, she just watched one of my videos and immediately was inspired. She thanked me for being such an inspiration and for making my videos. I get a lot of messages like this through social media pretty often but hearing someone actually say it to me was really quite eye-opening. It made me feel very thankful and lucky for my fans and viewers. I now realize that what I experienced that day was something that not many other people get to experience. I felt like an actual celebrity! But seriously, I am very grateful for all of the kind people that watch and comment on my videos. Whenever I feel discouraged about a stop motion that's not going well, I think about how many people are inspired by my videos and I realize that I have to keep going. I find it amazing because I'm just a normal person, but the moment I log into my YouTube or Instagram I am surrounded by fans who, not even knowing me in real life or what I'm like, are inspired by me just because I make videos with my dolls. I am not any different than the rest of you: I'm not popular in school, I don't have a ton of friends, I'm kinda shy around people I don't know, and I spend a lot of my time reading or listening to music in my room. But I also have a hobby that most people don't have, which is making stop motions with American Girl Dolls. And because I decided to try that hobby, I now have many fans who support me. I just wanted to give a big thanks to whoever is reading this, to everyone who came to my meetup, and to all of my subscribers/followers. I love every one of you and you all inspire me every day.
Love,
FiveDollStars
Fast forward to the day of the meetup. I had just turned thirteen that day. That morning, I put Crystal and Cecile into a bag along with my camera to bring along. Then I grabbed my violin and headed to church to play a few pieces. Church ended up running about 10 minutes late, so it was 12:10 and we still needed to head to the AG store! I was a bit late, but everything was fine. My mom dropped me off in front of the store, and I headed to the front entrance. There are many windows near the entrance of the store and just as I was about to walk in, I saw a group of girls huddled in the corner of one of the windows. One of them spotted me (they could tell by what I was wearing.) and pointed in my direction. All the other girls around her started jumping up and down excitedly. "Well, I think I found my group," I thought. I hadn't even entered the store yet and I was already spotted! I smiled and walked into the store. All the girls in the meetup group immediately surrounded me saying things like: "FiveDollStars!!!" "I love your videos!" "Can I get a picture with you?" It was all so incredible. I hugged and greeted them and even recognized a few of my AGtube friends that I had met at past meetups. I chatted with everyone for a while, took pictures, signed notebooks and doll feet, and recorded some videos on my camera. We all lined up our dolls to take a photo, along with a group photo of all of us. A few girls handed me birthday gifts, which was so sweet. I opened a few in a corner of the store, with many cameras and cell phones pointed in my direction capturing the moment. xD One of the girls also showed me a stop motion she made about the meetup, which was so creative and cool.
We were having so much fun, time really flew by! It had only felt like I had been there for 20 minutes, but time was creeping closer and closer to my reservations at the bistro. I was feeling very disappointed about having to leave, when my mom came up to me with wonderful news. She had talked to the person in charge of the bistro, and since it wasn't being occupied at the moment they let me and my meetup group hang out in one of the private party rooms for about 30 minutes! I even got extra time before my reservation. We didn't eat in there, but I got to hang out with my new AGtube friends a little longer. We hung all of our dolls on the doll holders that were on the wall. It really felt like an actual birthday party! I had always wondered what it would be like to have a doll-related party with friends. I don't have any close friends at my school that love dolls, but that's the beauty of AGtube and meetups. You can find new friends and people in your area that have the same passions as you! It was the best birthday party I could ever ask for.
While we were in the party room, one of the girls came up to me and said something that really made my day. I don't remember what all of her words were, but I know she said that whenever she felt discouraged about dolls or making stop motions, she just watched one of my videos and immediately was inspired. She thanked me for being such an inspiration and for making my videos. I get a lot of messages like this through social media pretty often but hearing someone actually say it to me was really quite eye-opening. It made me feel very thankful and lucky for my fans and viewers. I now realize that what I experienced that day was something that not many other people get to experience. I felt like an actual celebrity! But seriously, I am very grateful for all of the kind people that watch and comment on my videos. Whenever I feel discouraged about a stop motion that's not going well, I think about how many people are inspired by my videos and I realize that I have to keep going. I find it amazing because I'm just a normal person, but the moment I log into my YouTube or Instagram I am surrounded by fans who, not even knowing me in real life or what I'm like, are inspired by me just because I make videos with my dolls. I am not any different than the rest of you: I'm not popular in school, I don't have a ton of friends, I'm kinda shy around people I don't know, and I spend a lot of my time reading or listening to music in my room. But I also have a hobby that most people don't have, which is making stop motions with American Girl Dolls. And because I decided to try that hobby, I now have many fans who support me. I just wanted to give a big thanks to whoever is reading this, to everyone who came to my meetup, and to all of my subscribers/followers. I love every one of you and you all inspire me every day.
Love,
FiveDollStars
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Making a Stop Motion With Basilmentos!
Hey everyone! For this week's post, I have decided I'm going to talk about making a stop motion with Anna Basilmentos. It was such a great experience, and I had so much fun. Anna and I met at the Stanford University campus (which is gorgeous, by the way) the day after the meetup to shoot a quick video. While I was waiting for Anna to arrive, I took a few pictures of Crystal by some trees and gardens! It was so warm outside and the plants were so green.
While I was taking pictures, Anna ran up to me! She had a big AG bag filled with her stop motion props, including a retired AG table (featured in the video) and her doll bike. We walked to my mom's car so I could get my other doll and my props. Once we had everything, Anna, my mom and I walked around to some of the gardens to find a good spot to film. We eventually found this awesome stone building that had a big ledge sticking out from it. It was in the shade and by some lovely bushes, and we thought it would make a great restaurant scene. After we set up our props, Anna realized that she had forgotten to bring her camera AND tripod! I had my camera, but how were we going to film without a tripod?
Then we decided to get creative. We realized we were going to make this video, no matter what! I propped my camera up on ledges, iPhones, boxes, and even a granola bar to get the right angles. She did most of the stop motion, while I took the photos. It turned out so well, you can't even tell we didn't use a tripod! We filmed for about 3 hours, while talking about school, dolls, and videos. I learned so many great tips from Anna, and she loved trying out my camera (we did a mini photo shoot after the video)! It was like a dream come true to be able to make a video with THE Basilmentos, and I will treasure those memories forever.
I hope you enjoyed the stop motion we did! Anna and I put our ideas together to think of one storyline, it I love how it turned out. Make sure to check out the video here:
To see the photo shoot Anna and I did, check out her channel! Don't forget to subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/user/basilmentos
Also, when we were filming, there were many other people walking around the campus, too. Sometimes when we left our stop motion site to walk around, people would stop and even take pictures of it! A girl and her mom snapped a picture with the set, and I quickly took one of them! I thought it was so cute!
Oh, and guess what? I'm leaving on my spring break trip today! My family is going on a road trip to Vermont. I'm bringing my new doll Libby, my camera, and tripod so I can take plenty of photos and make a stop motion! It's going to be a relaxed, nature-filled trip. I'm so excited! Thanks for reading this blog post!
Sincerely,
FiveDollStars
P.S. make sure to check out my instagram feed for pictures and updates! My account is public, so you can view it even if you don't have the app.
Monday, March 31, 2014
American Girl Place San Francisco Meetup- Saturday March 15th, 2014
Hello everyone! I am aware that I have not posted in quite a while, and I do feel bad about that. I've been thinking about this blog, and I want it to become more active. So from now on, I will be posting more frequently about various things. These things could include: reviews, opinions, behind the scenes, tips, ideas, doll finds, or even about things that are not doll related. But at the moment, I would like to explain in greater detail about my trip to California!
Let's start from the very beginning. A few months ago, Anna Basilmentos (@annabasilmentos) posted on Instagram about how she would be having a meet up sometime in March, held at the American Girl Place (AGP) San Francisco. At first, I was a little disappointed because I knew it would be impossible for me to attend the meet up, considering that I live near the opposite side of the country. But when I told my mom about Anna's meet up, she said to tell her when I knew the exact dates so she could look at plane tickets. I was shocked when I was told this- I didn't expect my mom to be interested in taking me there! But she explained that she knew how special meeting Anna would be to me, considering her videos were some of the first AG videos I'd ever seen, and that she inspired me to make my own videos. My mom would be willing to take me to the meet up (if the date worked out, of course, and if I paid a bit of the plane ticket).
A few weeks later, Anna direct messaged me on Instagram (I was so excited!) to tell me the exact dates to see if I could come. My mom researched the plane tickets, and it turned out that we could go! I was absolutely ecstatic. Anna said how excited she was to meet me, and that we should meet up (sometime after the actual meet & greet) to make a little stop motion. Filming a video with the best stop-motioner on AGtube, in one of my most favorite places in the country? That sure sounded great to me!
In the following weeks before the trip, the meet up was all I could think about. I even made a little countdown-to-Cali calendar! I kept thinking about how I was going to meet Anna, how many people would be there, and even what I was going to buy at the AGP. Speaking of AG purchases.... there was something that I really, really wanted to buy at the store, but I wasn't sure about it.
And that was a new doll.
You see, I go through many thinking processes before I decide to add on to my doll family. I list all of the pros and cons, and I think about how much I really want that doll. I don't like having too many dolls. In the past few years, I had gotten multiple surprise dolls out of nowhere (raffles, thrift stores, Christmas, etc.) and my collection was building up pretty quickly. I wasn't sure if I needed another doll, considering I already had 8 (which is a LOT to me!). But on the other hand... I realized that I had wanted this doll for over a year. I had thought of her name, personality, and even video ideas for her in November of 2012.
Another thing about buying dolls.... I have to have some sort of "special occasion" to purchase a doll, or anything really "big" from American Girl. I had only saved up for one other doll before, which was Molly. Then I realized..... meeting Basilmentos was one heck of a special occasion to me!! I decided to buy the doll. She is My American Girl #43, and I named her Liberty.
Fast forward a few weeks: it was finally time for the meet up! I had everything planned out, and I could hardly contain my excitement. My mom and I boarded a plane early Saturday morning, and got ready for a long 6-hour flight. When we arrived in California (I read most of the flight! Percy Jackson RULES!!!), I was surprised at how delightfully warm and sunny it was there. The quote of the trip became "I can't believe how green the grass is!!!". We picked up our rental car and headed to Palo Alto, where the AG store was located.
On the car ride there, I was starting to get excited. I mean, REALLY excited. I kept telling myself to keep my cool, but that was hard since I had waited for that moment for so long! I then reminded myself that I was allowed to be excited (since I was meeting my inspiration!), but that I had to realize how many of the other girls there would be looking up to me, getting excited over me just like I was getting excited over Anna. It's pretty hard for me to believe, but I always have to remind myself about that! After that, I calmed down a bit.
As we pulled into the parking lot, I spotted a few clusters of girls with dolls and cameras, and I thought: We must be here! My mom and I got out of the car and starting walking to the plaza. I was holding Crystal and my camera. I starting walking around near the clusters, and people started to recognize me! In a few minutes, I had a little group around me. Everyone wanted me to sign their dolls' foot, paper, catalogues, doll t-shirts, and even take a picture with me! It was so exciting and overwhelming, but in a good way.
I finally met Anna, which was super exciting (I got a picture with her too!). She was so kind, funny, and cool to be around. After socializing with more AGtubers and meeting with some friends, we all went inside the AG store for a bit. I picked up my new doll along the way. I looked through about 4 different doll boxes before I picked out the right doll.... I'm very particular, haha!
For the rest of the meet and greet, I took pictures and videos, opened my new doll, and had a great time. The plaza outside of the store was so wonderful! It was a warm, spring day. There were big trees with little blossoms in the center of a garden filled with flowers and green bushes. Light pink petals fluttered around in the breeze, and everything was vibrant with color. It couldn't have been a more perfect day.
Looking back, I realized how blessed and thankful I am to have been able to go on that trip. I had a wonderful time meeting everyone, driving around San Francisco, taking photos by the ocean, driving through the mountains, and seeing the Redwood trees.
I would like to give a huge thanks to my mom for being so cooperative and encouraging- none of this would have happened if it wasn't for her. I can't thank her enough for taking me on that wonderful vacation.
If you haven't seen my video about the meet up yet, make sure to check it out below!
If you're awesome enough to read this far.... here are some fabulous pictures from the meet up!
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more blog posts!
~FiveDollStars ✯
Let's start from the very beginning. A few months ago, Anna Basilmentos (@annabasilmentos) posted on Instagram about how she would be having a meet up sometime in March, held at the American Girl Place (AGP) San Francisco. At first, I was a little disappointed because I knew it would be impossible for me to attend the meet up, considering that I live near the opposite side of the country. But when I told my mom about Anna's meet up, she said to tell her when I knew the exact dates so she could look at plane tickets. I was shocked when I was told this- I didn't expect my mom to be interested in taking me there! But she explained that she knew how special meeting Anna would be to me, considering her videos were some of the first AG videos I'd ever seen, and that she inspired me to make my own videos. My mom would be willing to take me to the meet up (if the date worked out, of course, and if I paid a bit of the plane ticket).
A few weeks later, Anna direct messaged me on Instagram (I was so excited!) to tell me the exact dates to see if I could come. My mom researched the plane tickets, and it turned out that we could go! I was absolutely ecstatic. Anna said how excited she was to meet me, and that we should meet up (sometime after the actual meet & greet) to make a little stop motion. Filming a video with the best stop-motioner on AGtube, in one of my most favorite places in the country? That sure sounded great to me!
In the following weeks before the trip, the meet up was all I could think about. I even made a little countdown-to-Cali calendar! I kept thinking about how I was going to meet Anna, how many people would be there, and even what I was going to buy at the AGP. Speaking of AG purchases.... there was something that I really, really wanted to buy at the store, but I wasn't sure about it.
And that was a new doll.
You see, I go through many thinking processes before I decide to add on to my doll family. I list all of the pros and cons, and I think about how much I really want that doll. I don't like having too many dolls. In the past few years, I had gotten multiple surprise dolls out of nowhere (raffles, thrift stores, Christmas, etc.) and my collection was building up pretty quickly. I wasn't sure if I needed another doll, considering I already had 8 (which is a LOT to me!). But on the other hand... I realized that I had wanted this doll for over a year. I had thought of her name, personality, and even video ideas for her in November of 2012.
Another thing about buying dolls.... I have to have some sort of "special occasion" to purchase a doll, or anything really "big" from American Girl. I had only saved up for one other doll before, which was Molly. Then I realized..... meeting Basilmentos was one heck of a special occasion to me!! I decided to buy the doll. She is My American Girl #43, and I named her Liberty.
Fast forward a few weeks: it was finally time for the meet up! I had everything planned out, and I could hardly contain my excitement. My mom and I boarded a plane early Saturday morning, and got ready for a long 6-hour flight. When we arrived in California (I read most of the flight! Percy Jackson RULES!!!), I was surprised at how delightfully warm and sunny it was there. The quote of the trip became "I can't believe how green the grass is!!!". We picked up our rental car and headed to Palo Alto, where the AG store was located.
On the car ride there, I was starting to get excited. I mean, REALLY excited. I kept telling myself to keep my cool, but that was hard since I had waited for that moment for so long! I then reminded myself that I was allowed to be excited (since I was meeting my inspiration!), but that I had to realize how many of the other girls there would be looking up to me, getting excited over me just like I was getting excited over Anna. It's pretty hard for me to believe, but I always have to remind myself about that! After that, I calmed down a bit.
As we pulled into the parking lot, I spotted a few clusters of girls with dolls and cameras, and I thought: We must be here! My mom and I got out of the car and starting walking to the plaza. I was holding Crystal and my camera. I starting walking around near the clusters, and people started to recognize me! In a few minutes, I had a little group around me. Everyone wanted me to sign their dolls' foot, paper, catalogues, doll t-shirts, and even take a picture with me! It was so exciting and overwhelming, but in a good way.
I finally met Anna, which was super exciting (I got a picture with her too!). She was so kind, funny, and cool to be around. After socializing with more AGtubers and meeting with some friends, we all went inside the AG store for a bit. I picked up my new doll along the way. I looked through about 4 different doll boxes before I picked out the right doll.... I'm very particular, haha!
For the rest of the meet and greet, I took pictures and videos, opened my new doll, and had a great time. The plaza outside of the store was so wonderful! It was a warm, spring day. There were big trees with little blossoms in the center of a garden filled with flowers and green bushes. Light pink petals fluttered around in the breeze, and everything was vibrant with color. It couldn't have been a more perfect day.
Looking back, I realized how blessed and thankful I am to have been able to go on that trip. I had a wonderful time meeting everyone, driving around San Francisco, taking photos by the ocean, driving through the mountains, and seeing the Redwood trees.
I would like to give a huge thanks to my mom for being so cooperative and encouraging- none of this would have happened if it wasn't for her. I can't thank her enough for taking me on that wonderful vacation.
If you haven't seen my video about the meet up yet, make sure to check it out below!
If you're awesome enough to read this far.... here are some fabulous pictures from the meet up!
~FiveDollStars ✯
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)