Noemi and Curtis

This was suppose to be up on St. Patty's Day but my iPad got screwed up after I updated it. Finally got it back to normal. So here we are a week late for the ball.

Noemi is a secondhand doll (I'm still trying to tame her mane). I made her gown, it has a slight fishtail hem in the back which you can't see.

Curtis is actually Perfume Lovin' Ken. I didn't make his outfit but I am working some Ken outfits.

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Louie

Since this blog is suppose to be about fabric, food and fido....but lately it's been the Barbie show...I thought some fido pictures were called for.....









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February Sweethearts

What's Valentine's Day without a few special sweethearts.



Ponytail Barbie (aka Evelyn) and 65' Bend leg Midge (aka Joan) have new dresses for Valentine's Day made by me.






Both of these are vintage dolls added to my collection about 15-20 years ago. They are gorgeous.


Ken (vintage) escorts Evelyn to the Valentine Dance.



Midge (vintage) is decked out in # 939 Red Flare. Waiting for her date for the dance.



Allen (vintage) and Midge make a lovely couple.



Here is my original Francie again, wearing the skirt and top from #3448 With It Whites and the raincoat from #1255 Polka Dots n' Raindrops. The other Is Grow Pretty Hair Francie wearing the other pieces of the With It Whites outfit. I haven't renamed her yet, nothing seems quite right.



What name would you give her?

Happy Valentine's Day

Life, Death and the Pursuit of Happiness

One of my nephews passed away suddenly 2 weeks ago at the age of 37. It was a shock.

I hadn't been back to Chicago in 10 years. I needed to go.....in the middle of one of the worst winters in ages. The airfares were astronomical so we drove.....1800 miles round trip in 3 1/2 days. We spent 24 important hours with family and the rest on the road.......some on black ice in Indiana.

We are still exhausted from the drive but luckily the weather gods saw to it that conditions were not too hazardest and we made it home safely (although the weather did follow us home). But I am so glad we were able to go.

Our family is not a close one but it is the kind that even though you don't see each other a lot when you do get together you have a good time. No arguing or yelling, no drama. Maybe it is the fact that we don't see each often then when we do, we spend our time on pleasantry and not passed perceived wrongs.

I was glad to be there for my sister.



After the snow, ice wind and cold we returned to this.......it was great to be back home.






Our weather was beautiful, in the 60's, which lasted all of 2 days.

Monday was my birthday and The Husband made me breakfast, sausage gravy and scrambled eggs....yum.



Doesn't look pretty but oh so good. Since we just got back from our trip the night before I had to go to work but I got to open my presents before going.



I scored 3 Ken dolls and 2 Skippers. Happy Birthday to me!

By Tuesday morning weather was starting to turn, It appears to have followed me from Chicago. I left work at 2:30 to freezing rain and we had an official Florida 'Ice Day' yesterday.



That is ice covering everything. The patio was so slick Lou came running across the yard and slid across taking down the flower pots like bowling pins.

I spent my day like I did when I was a kid.....playing with my dolls. I freed all my new ones from their boxes and decided give some others a cleaning.



A few months ago I bought a couple lots of Barbies on eBay. Some I will keep and the others I will clean and dress for charity. This one is getting a Downy hair bath to get the frizzy out of her hair.

I cut out doll dresses and did some sewing, read and napped. It was a wonderful 'Ice Day'. I felt like a kid again.

Today it's back to work and reality. But there will be other play days......I think we all need them, to play and be a kid again. Life, as we all know, can be so short. So play, do what puts a smile on your face.
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Gift for a Friend

We had our neighbors over for a game night before Thanksgiving. I was showing her some of my Barbies and clothes that I made. She got very excited and started talking about her Midge doll and how she was always her favorite. She was heartbroken that her mother had given all her dolls to her niece years ago and they were gone.

My neighbor has been having some serious health issues and is waiting to have more tests done next week. I wanted to do something for her to take her mind off things and reminder her of happier days, so I took to Ebay and found her this beautiful Midge doll..........for a steal.







The seller was fairly new and only had one picture of her. There were only a few hours left on the auction and I had to get to work so I put in the starting bid (no other ones were entered) and set a small limit just in case someone else came across her.........but no one did.

I kept my fingers crossed that she would be in decent condition for the low price. Well, she turned out to be in very good condition.....all fingers and toes, all polish and face paint. Hair just in need of a brushing.....well it might need a washing to freshen up her do.

She came dressed in just the dress from the Barbie in Switzerland outfit. I made her this simple strapless dress and stole that will take her from Christmas parties to New Year's Balls. Slip on a pair of vintage shoes and she was all set.

Needless to say my neighbor was thrilled and I was thrilled to put a smile on her face.

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The Food of Christmas

We always start our morning with a variety of smoke fish and lox and bagels. And we can't forget the Bloody Mary to wash it all down.




Pre-dinner cocktail was a Pomagrante Martini.



Dinner was filet with lobster tails, baked potato and asparagus. And we can't forget a glass of wine to wash it down.

We had a Mixed Berry Tart (store bought.....oh the horror!) But I forgot to take a picture.

Ugh! Lucky I got the Wii Zumba workout for Christmas !!!!!!!!

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Merry Christmas

Original Barbie in gown handmade by my Aunt Virgie for me for Christmas almost 50 years ago.






Brenda, 1964 brunette bubblecut is wearing vintage outfit #977 Silken Flame. Veronica, 1964 ponytail swirl is wearing vintage outfit # 986 Sheath Sensation. These dolls and outfits are vintage but not original to me. I have added several dolls and outfits to my collection in the past 20 years. Both dolls have had their lips retouched.




Stephanie, 1967 - 1968 Hair Fair and 1966 Francie, Barbie's MODern cousin. The Hair Fair was just sold as a head with different hair extentions. This one has had some re-rooting done as you can see by her cowlick. Francie is original to me and is as close to perfect as a played with doll can be. Both outfits are made by me.



Look at that face, perfect lips, no missing eyelashes, beautiful hair and her body is excellent. Yes, Francie is perfect to me.

May your Christmas be merry and bright..........- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My Original Barbie

Her name is Barbie. I got her when I was 7 waaaayyy back in 1963. For a much loved, played with doll she is in very good condition. Her pale pink lip color is almost rubbed off but still noticable even in this photo. She has no neck splits but does have greening on one ear. The outfit is original to my collection from 1963 #955 called 'Swingin' Easy'. It came in this green and a darker green of the same print. The ribbon sash has faded to a purple from a dark green! Aside from that it also is in good condition.



If you look closely you can see the ear greening on this side. It is oxidation from the metal earrings she came with and is common on older dolls. Some people have had success with removing it but.....it doesn't bother me enough to risk it.  I love her the way she is and I think she looks darn good for 50!




Here she is with Jeanelle, my reproduction 1961 ponytail. Jeanelle is dressed in a green cotton dress that I made from a vintage pattern.




Barbie and Jeanelle are getting ready for Christmas!

'Cone on' the Rottweiler

Poor Louie has a hotspot on the side of his head and is relegated to the cone of shame. The Vet said we caught it in time and should heal with help of antibiotics and a topical spray to dry it out.
I guess these things can turn really nasty, real quickly. We noticed it Weds. evening and thought it might have been a small cyst that broke. Cleaned it up but couldn't see anything. Thurs. it looked the same, cleaned it up again and decided if it was the same on Fri he would go in. Vet said his ear on that side was black and blue (really......how can you tell?????) I mentioned he did hit his head pretty hard on the kitchen cabinet earlier in the week in his zeal to eat dinner. Vet said it was possible that open a small scrap that got infected. This type of bacteria infection is similar to the flesh eating bacteria in that the skin dies. Fri. morning his skin did look different in the small spot he had scratched fur off so we got him in in time to halt it.

As you can see he is not a happy camper. Heard him several times during the night bouncing off a few things in the bedroom but he is learning to navigate the house with it.

He is suppose to wear it until he sees the Vet on Weds........oh joy.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Thankful every day for family and friends!


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Location:Sarasota FL

Game Night Dinner

We had game night tonight with our neighbors, The Husband usually does all the cooking in our house but tonight I thought I would take the helm. I am not a great cook but if I had to fend for myself I wouldn't starve.

The Husband did do the appetizer:



Shrimp Mufungo, doesn't look like much in this pic but is quite tasty. a Cuban dish made with grilled shrimp and fried green plantains.





Okay my plating isn't as pretty as The Husband's but here is my dish. Puerto Rican style pork, Cuban black beans and rice and sauteed plantains. It was good, not a knock you socks off dish but presentable to company.

I made this for dessert........







This is a Snickerdoodle Cheesecake. It WAS a knock your socks dessert! I am not a cheesecake person and this is the first I ever made and it was like eating a giant creamy snickerdoodle cookie..........YUMMY! And it was simple to boot.

There will be more Snickerdoodle Cheesecakes in my future.

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Saturday Cocktail

The Bible Belt, a little cocktail to enjoy on a cool (finally) fall evening. Southern Comfort, a bit of Triple Sec and Sweet and Sour mix.....simple and tasty. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Halloween Trickster

Our local Petsmart, aka Louie's favorite hangout, had their Halloween doings today.  They had a costume and tricks contest.  And guest what....Louie tied for 1st place in the tricks contest!

He was super excited to be there and could barely do the 3 tricks The Husband got him to do.  But he performed flawlessly.  I thought he looked pretty darn cute as a Ladybug too.........but there were some awesome costumes that just took the show.

He got a goodie bag just for going and another for winning the tricks contest AND he got to meet a lot of dogs.....which is his favorite thing...next to treats, of course.  So he had a GREAT day!

Halloween Ensemble

I love this outfit on Stacey. I think it looks fabulous with her red-orange hair.



The dress is a simple princess seamed strapless sheath. The cape provides protection from the chill of an autumn evening.










This is a vintage Stacey doll from 1969. She is not part of my original collection. I picked her up over 10 yrs ago. She has not been retouched, but shows some discoloration on her arms and face. But isn't she a cutie?



Stacey is a mod era doll and think this outfit is both modern and mod.

I won't be doing an outfit for Thanksgiving as I am working on a jacket for myself and hope to make several doll outfits for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Hope you enjoy!
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Location:Destin, FL

Saturday Cocktail

The Midori Sour is one of my new favorite cocktails. Simple to make just equal parts of Midori and Sour mix with a lemon garnish. Delish!

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Harvest Moon Ball

I love dolls. I still have my original Barbies from my childhood. I have also added to those over the years and now have a modest collection of Barbies and Ideal Miss Revlons (from the 50's).

I go through periods where I pull a few out for display and/or to make clothes for them. This is one of those times when I wish I was 10 yrs old and didn't have a care in the world..........because the world is a very scary place at times.

So I've decided to make a few outfits for some of my Barbies (and they can't all be named Barbie, so yes, they have names). Now it's been awhile since I have made anything for the Vinyl Goddess and she is quite small so I am starting out with simple but pretty outfits.



These two lovely ladies, Jeanelle (reproduction 60's ponytail) and Courtney (early 2000 doll) are attending the Harvest Moon Ball tonight in coordinated fall dresses.




These are simple strapless dresses but getting that full skirt attached to the bodice did take some doing. One of the hardest parts of making doll clothes on this scale is finding fabric prints that are appropriate and have enough drape or are not to stiff. These are made from cotton and I think worked out good. The leaf print is really pretty.

I have decided on the next outfit to make.....something along the lines of Halloween but not a costume.

Hope you enjoy!

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