The Barbie Hair Dye Project

Hello!

I am glad to say that I am back to blogging! Been kind of crazy. I got a new PC and I had to figure out how to use it (Windows 8 is kind of difficult at first!) and then after being sick for 4 days, i'm back! *finally!*

I know last time I posted I said I would have some new dollies to show you all. I'm going to postpone that till the next post. I'm going to share with you a project that I tried today.

Dying Barbie's hair. 

Barbielea over at Barbie Beauties was talking about making a dolls hair brown. However a reroot would be problematic with the particular doll. She thought about dying the hair instead and I thought it would be fun to try with real hair color. So before you run out and buy a box of color, read this. 

I started with a cheap box of hair color. Since it was an experiment this particular color cost a whole $2.95. It did not contain ammonia so that also factored in. 

Deep Rich Brown. Perfect!

I picked a doll I really didn't care much for. The one arm bent/one arm straight new body type. She will be our subject. 

To protect her face. I am SO sorry Barbie but it's for your own good! I also gave her hair a good brushing before the project started.

Then I had to BEG the hubby to take pictures for me. He wasn't happy about photographing this project but I gave him "the look". HA!

The dye begins.

Brown color showing up. The liquid coming out of the bottle isn't brown but it doesn't take long for the color to show through. 

What a beautiful color!

Can't wait to see what it looks like finished. If it looks like this, I'm going to be happy. 

I started at the top roots and then added more product here and there to turn every strand brown. It was a little difficult to get all the roots but it's not like I had a shortage of hair color. :) I went sparingly though and the entire dye process took about 30 minutes. 

I let Barbie sit in the sink only 10-12 minutes. The box said to leave color on 25 minutes. I felt with synthetic it didn't really matter but didn't want to leave it on too long. So total with the color process, dye was left on about 40 minutes.

Next it said to add a little warm water to mix in the color. 

Then rinse till the water runs clear. 

And how did that work out? Beautiful rich brown color? 

NOT. A. THING.

Color washed right out. Not even a little streak of brown color. Boo! However I did not have any trouble with the hair dye staining the vinyl of the doll. Everything washed right off with ease. Barbie does have some nice soft hair from the conditioner from the box! 

So human hair dye does not work on synthetic. I'm not sure if letting it sit for hours would help but the house was starting to smell so I figured just throwing the bottle out would be a good idea. 

Barbielea read that RIT dye or even acrylic paint works with doll hair. I do have tan acrylic paint but not sure how that would work! Wouldn't it make the hair hard when it dries?

So friends, anyone try the dye experience? Let me know in the comments! 

And I promise, the next post will be my newcomers!

Until then!

Barbie Shelf Woes and Collection Showcase

So last week I walked in and found a rather unusual sight.

My Barbie shelf is in my office and sits about about a foot from the door jamb. It's really hard to run into it actually because it's not that deep and doesn't stick out in the room too much. But I'm telling you. There is NO way all this could have happened without someone running into it. I'm thinking either the hubby or I were sleepwalking (which I have been known to do in the past) or an earthquake.

Total Barbie dogpile!

At the edge of the shelf on the very end I have Splash n' Color Kira. Next to her (moving toward the inside of the shelf) is my Really Rosy Kayla. The only thing I can think of is that Kayla fell over knocking down Kira then tumbling to the bottom below where I have Stacy, and my Easter Bunny Fun Barbie. Stacy must have been knocked off balance at the very end. I have had the Kayla in the same spot for over 2 years. Wonder why she just NOW decided to fall over!

Leaning Tower of Barbies. This however is nothing new but for some reason ALL of them seemed to be tipped over rather than just one or two. I have no idea how to get them to keep upright. They don't have shoes on, you'd think their vinyl feet would be just "sticky" enough to keep them planted. Guess not!

Then when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I look up to the top shelf to see Superstar Ken has taken a tumble backwards. Good thing Barbie was holding onto him!

Luckily all Barbies came away without a scratch. What a sight though! See what I mean? Someone must have bumped into it in the night (or an earthquake.)

All are back in their spots and upright now.

And I did have to share this display as well. To the left of the shelf is a TV stand where I have the most beautiful Fashion Photo PJ with my collection of vintage Barbie Hallmark ornaments. LOVE.

The little white box to PJ's left is a Barbie and Ken wedding day ornament set. I have the single blonde ponytail doll ornament in front and in the box is a beautiful brunette ponytail ornament along with Ken.

www.ebay.com

So readers, show me your awesome dolly displays! I would love to see them. Mine is by no means the best or most organized that's for sure. But it was the only shelf I had at the time so I will make do. But when I build my new house I will have an entire office dedicated to my awesome collection! Can't wait! But yes, post pics in the comments!

Now the collection showcase. There was one more doll featured in my Barbie vacation photo shoot that has not been featured on the blog. She is...

The 2005 Beach Fun Barbie!

Not really a whole lot to this doll. I got her about the time I started this blog. She was in nice condition so I kept her on my shelf. The perfect braid in her hair and the still "on" toenail polish tells me she was not played with a whole lot.

And loving the cute little tankini!

This doll does not come with a whole lot of accessories. A pair of sunglasses, a lace cover-up and a bottle of suntan lotion (all pieces I do not have.)

In addition to Barbie there were Summer, Lea, and Christie.

kensuperstar.blogspot.com

And dudes Steven, Blaine, and Ken.

kensuperstar.blogspot.com

Do you have any of the Beach Fun collection? Let me know!

I am ashamed to say that I have NOT been working on the Benny doll project. I guess i'm feeling a little uninspired right now! But I have been working on knitting a scarf that I started 9 years ago. (Yeah, I know...... I just get inspired NOW to finish it??) So needless to say if I continue to be inspired to knit I will have it done just in time to look at it for a few months until winter rolls around again. ha!

Next time I post I will be featuring some fun dollies I hope you will all enjoy. Until then!

A Little Prelude to Easter

Greetings friends!

I'm glad you all enjoyed Barbie's Vacation Pictures. You were right about Glitter Hair Barbie being the one not featured on my blog yet. There is one more doll that I will feature but that will be my next post. I have a very special post for you today.

I love Easter. Do you? I love that spring is in the air, I'm a Christian so I am blessed that we have a God who loves us and I can't resist Cadbury mini eggs and jelly beans. Any one else obsessed with those two candies as much as I am? :)

But keeping in the theme of Easter, Avon put out two Barbie "eggs" which I have treasured over the years. I present to you the Countess of Rubies and the Empress of Emeralds.

Barbie Resin Eggs. I know, you're dying to know what they look like. But first, a little history.

You know my mom sold Avon (still does!) and she picked up these special treasures that Avon sold relating to Barbie. These are so so cool. Unfortunately these were the only two of the set. How cool would it have been to have, oh, the Dutchess of Diamonds or the Princess of Pearls?

But I am lucky to have these two.

We start with the first in the series, the Empress of Emeralds.

That's a very pretty egg. Lots of detail.

Top down.

And our little egg opens up to show Barbie!

Love that gown! Don't you just love this?

And of course, the back is awesome too.

So much detail and it looks perfect! Did anyone notice a little key on the bottom of the egg? Yes, these eggs are also little music boxes. Barbie spins around as the music plays.

Here is the excerpt from the back of the box.

"I am the Empress of Emeralds and the gift I bestow is the splendor inside the emerald's glow."

"From this shimmering egg of resin, set upon a golden stand, beautiful Empress of Emeralds Barbie proclaims her royal heritage. Bejeweled with exquisitely sculpted tiara, necklace and earrings, and wearing a long fitted emerald evening gown and matching floor length wrap, her beauty and regal bearing captivate all who see her. Gently wind the key at the egg's bottom and she will twirl round and round as 'Minuet by Mozart' plays."

Now I present the Countess of Rubies.

Does this one remind you of a little stagecoach? How cute!

A little more detail went in to this egg. But no more pretty than the last.

The top is awesome too!

This one opens up a little different. Two doors open to reveal Barbie!

This dress is just as pretty as the last.

You can see how much detail went into creating these beautiful keepsakes.

The back.

So pretty.

Here is the write up from the back of the box.

"I am the Countess of Rubies, precious and rare; a deep red brilliance is the gift that I share."

"From this shimmering egg of resin, set upon a golden stand, beautiful Countess of Rubies Barbie proclaims her place as the second addition to the sumptuous court of the Royal Jewels Collection. She is resplendent with sparkling ruby-hued accents adorning her sculpted tiara, necklace and earrings. Her majestic splendor is reflected in a regal, ruby red gown. A matching stole lends an air of sophisticated elegance and completes her ensemble. Gently wind the key at the egg's bottom and she will twirl round and round as 'Swan Lake' plays."

I want to know who does these write-ups. Using words such as "resplendent" and "sumptuous" is just cool. (Not going to lie, I looked them up on dictionary.com)

The two eggs together. Empress and Countess, Emeralds and Rubies.

Beautiful Brunette Barbies.

Unfortunately I don't have a place to display these beautiful pieces of art. I will someday when I have an entire office dedicated to my dolls!

It's been such a long time since I have had these out of their protective boxes. I love them now just as much as I did when I first got them.

Friends, what do you think of these Barbie eggs? Do any of you have them? Let me know in the comments!

Next post coming soon. Until next time!

February Fools?

Hi Friends,

I had thought about this post for April Fool's day but already had my Glitter Hair Barbie post all ready on the docket. (Do you all love her as much as I do? Isnt' she fabulous....) Anyway, today's topic will be about...

Dun Dun Dunnnnnnn

The Barbie and Ken Breakup.

When I heard about this back in 2004 I was like "No way. Barbie and Ken have always been a couple! What in the world!"

She had apparently left him for Blaine, a fresh young sufer-dude from the Land Down Under.

Here are two very interesting articles describing the breakup. One from Bloomberg Businessweek and the other from Fox News.

Now there were a lot of theories going around about why the couple split. I think the most surprising one was that Ken was gay. Others were things such as Ken didn't like playing second-fiddle to Barbie and that they were just tired of each other.

Funny that this happened the day before valentines day? Any ladies or men out there been dumped on or just before valentines day? It SUCKS. However there was no dumping here, apparently it was an amicable split and both chose to go their separate ways.

A while later we were confronted with this.

www.nerdlife.com

www.nycprgirls.com

www.likeable.com

Okay...wait...what??

Because I was out of the dolly scene for a while back then I never heard that they got back together or released this "She said Yes" gift set.

barbieobsession.blogspot.com

 

 

And this set was ONLY $5! Why did I not see this back then?

So Barbie and Ken got back together, she wears a black and white swimsuit that tries to match her original suit and all is happy.

So why all the hub-bub with the breakup? I think it was marketing tactics by Mattel. Trying to put Barbie back in the spotlight. Any of you have the same theory?

And do any of you have the special "She said Yes" gift set? I think it's cute to be honest. I know some collectors were disappointed that it was not a "quality" gift set (as in there were some doll imperfections) but for $5, that's what you get. And anyone have the Blaine doll? I have never seen one.

So readers what do you think? Tell me in the comments!

Until next time!

Collection Showcase: Glitter Hair Barbie

I'm back! I had a great vacation and honestly, not yet ready to go back to reality. But vacation has to end sometime right? (Unfortunately.)

Last post we saw some photos of the Barbie's vacation to Hawaii. There are two dolls that I have not featured yet on this blog. One of them will be featured today!

A doll from my childhood collection. The most fabulous Glitter Hair Barbie. And she loves the sun for sure!

As cute as this dress is (loving the glitter skirt!) the picture on the top is a representation of a logo that we don't see anymore.

www.kookykitsch.com

LA Looks Styling Gel! Do they even sell this anymore? So contrary to what some might think, she is actually Glitter Hair Barbie not LA Looks Barbie. But the fun part of this doll is she actually came with her own bottle of LA Looks Glitter Gel to use for styling her hair. I put streaks down her hair which are barley visible anymore but I tried to photograph anyway.

Then I never used it again because I was meticulous with my dolls! (And it was never ever okay to use it up, haha, can't believe I was like that!)

I love palm trees. I've always been fascinated with them. Which makes me especially fond of her awesome earrings!

And even though she is wearing a dress, she comes with pink sneakers.

Glitter Hair Barbie came with 3 different dolls. All named "Barbie" yet they have different hair colors.

www.bangersandnash.com

A blonde, brunette, and redhead. You might recall last year I scored the redhead at the thrift store. You can check out the post here!

Here is Barbie and her sister posing in the warm sun.

Beautiful dolls. I actually had some fun with the redhead. When I got her I put glitter in her bangs. :)

Glitter Hair Barbie came with the accessories shown. Tube of glitter gel, the comb that screws onto the gel tube, and a visor. I think I'll keep the visor on for now. It's actually really cute on her!

And I am mistaken! Upon researching this doll the trial size of the LA Looks Gel did not come with this Barbie. It came with a Happening Hair Fashion that I cannot find a picture of. I did find a picture of the back of the box though. I can find the other three fashions but not this one. It's second from the right with the cute little half top and jeans.

www.ebay.com

When I saw pictures of the other three outfits I knew I had that top with the fun stripes.

As before, these dolls with the long hair are seriously after my heart. I was so lucky to find the redhead doll with her original length hair as some little girls love playing beauty parlor! Maybe someday I'll be able to pick up the brunette doll.

Side note: I went to the thrift store before I went on vacation and did not find ONE doll! Sad times!

Do any of you have Glitter Hair Barbie or these super cute Happening Hair Fashions? Let me know in the comments!

Our other mystery doll from the Barbie Vacation will be featured soon! Also some updates from the Benny sewing project!

Until then!