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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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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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!

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

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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