A Visit From Silken Flame Barbie

Mrs. Smith went to California a few weeks ago to become a grandmother (at the ripe old age of 40) but it hasn't happened yet so she came back, bringing with her a Silken Flame Barbie that I think she said belongs to her mother.

I cut off her hat, but this shows her outfit. I had one of these bubble haircut Barbies back in the early 60s. She was one of the first bendable leg Barbies. I made her a Jackie Kennedy pillbox hat out of cardboard covered with green felt.

Silken Flame Barbie accepts an invitation to have a drink.

Things start off pleasantly

Silken Flame makes a play for Ken

Sabra becomes a little tipsy

Silken Flame decides maybe G.I. Joe is more to her liking

When the empty pineapple drink rolls under the table, order is restored

I Knew This Would Get Out of Control

I seem to have acquired two more Barbies.

First, here's my Retro Barbie in her new dress. I named her Sabra (Auntie Berman's been reading Edna Ferber and we both thought it was a good name).

Before I had time to make her more clothes, we found ourselves out thrifting for a very noble cause: one of Auntie Berman's ESL students along with her sister, father, brother and baby were moving into an apartment and had nothing. Mrs. Smith contributed a bed and a small chest of drawers, we found a very nice sofa sitting on the curb near where we live, and we had to go thrifting to get things like sheets and towels for them. So we weren't just out wantonly looking for dollies.

That's just proof that good deeds are rewarded. Auntie Berman found a Kim Possible doll of her own at my store, Savers, and then we found three Barbies that we couldn't resist. One was an articulated Pocahontas, one was a Disney Jasmine, and the other was a very beautiful dark haired doll that we finally found out was one of the Princesses of the World - Japan doll.

The Japanese doll is wearing a nightclub outfit I made for Sabra that didn't turn out very well. Sabra is in the middle wearing the nightclub outfit that did turn out well, and Jasmine is wearing the dress she was in when we got her.

The Japanese doll is wearing the boxer shorts that I had for G.I. Joe before I made his jeans. They are kind of big for her and she would really like a nicer outfit.

Here they are all crowded into their room. At Goodwill we found two miniature games, Clue and Monopoly, that were keychains. There is a little drawer in each one with tiny game pieces.

I will try to make some of the hankie dresses from the Hankie Couture book. Here I've just pinned it around her waist.

Now I guess I will have to bring out the other two Kens from the shed and make them nice clothes and hope they don't look as dorky as I remember. And we'll still be a man short for the girls. It just never ends, does it?

I've Gone Barbie!

First an update about the Blue Barbie: I called Mattel and spoke to a customer service person who was totally unable to help me. She had no idea why the Barbie had been blue and then turned white. She said that Barbie was before the Color Changing Barbie came out. I am reading Forever Barbie by M. G. Lord and it says Mattel keeps no archives. So of course they don't know anything about their own dolls.

Well I started thinking about Barbies and looked at the few I have. I got this one at my store because I thought her face was really pretty and she has much redder lips than most Barbies.

Her hair had been cut but I liked it. She was wearing a tattered wedding dress. I named her Bobbie. All of a sudden I had Barbie Fever! I have made her a few clothes

like this hoodie and skirt. Then at Salvation Army warehouse we were going through a bin and another woman, who was looking for legos, found all kinds of Barbie clothes. She gave us the clothes and we gave her all the legos we found.

I had been looking at Kens too. The really handsome ones (like the James Bond one) were all very expensive. So I looked at what I had already.

Not much to work with, huh? He was naked when I got him but I had this outfit, for some reason, so that's what he wore. But our friend--I will call her Wonder Woman--cut his hair for me and I made him a pair of jeans and a sweater.

Quite an improvement, wouldn't you say?

You may have noticed G.I. Joe in the corner. I got him at my store. He was wearing his tee-shirt, dog tags, a vinyl jacket and nothing else. Fortunately it was the same day we went to Salvation Army and one of the little items of clothing was boxer shorts, so he was decently dressed when I brought him home. I made him a pair of jeans too.

Bobbie is showing of a lovely silver dress, although the bodice is torn and I may have to make a new one because I don't think I can mend it. But the torn part doesn't show in the picture.

Another of Bobbie's new dresses from Salv. Army.

And a new skirt with a blouse I made.

The room they are living in used to be the dining room at Wayfarers Inn. I need to repaint above the windows and put the curtains back up. The pineapple drink was another find from Goodwill.

And in case you think Bobbie is outnumbered, Auntie Berman bid and won a Reproduction Barbie on ebay. Here is her ebay picture.

She is on her way from Chevy Chase, Maryland. She might actually be here tomorrow! I'm not sure which one will want G.I. Joe and which will want Ken. Maybe they'll all just be friends.

I have decided I don't like articulated dolls very well because their arms and legs and elbows and knees and ankles and wrists are always turning around the wrong way at the wrong time.