All Things New Again

One of my hobbies is rescuing Barbie from the thrift stores. A second hobby emerges from that hobby, and that is returning a trashed-up, dirty Barbie with whacked out hair muddled into knots Houdini himself couldn't get out of, into her former glory. I scrub them down, and wash, condition, and comb their hair. I trim the ends so that they are even. I wash whatever clothing they may have come with, and do whatever else needs to be done (gluing broken parts, etc.).

I love seeing the transformation, and the more dramatic, the better. I didn't think to take pictures when I started doing this. I wish I had, because I don't have any photos of the worst cases. Still, the photos I'm including should give a good idea. Most of them are from a couple of years ago, when I bought several 'last chance Barbies' on ebay.

This last Barbie is a bit off topic. She was purchased new, from Big Lots (for 5$). When I removed her from the box, I discovered that the lower half of her hair had been ruined from some kind of pre-packaging heat exposure. I didn't get a before picture, because I didn't think I'd end up with a good result. Most Barbie lovers know that when you cut Barbie's hair, it tends to stick up at odd angles and just look overall horrid. Fortunately, this was not the case for this girl. I had to cut off most of her hair, but there was enough left for a cute bob that I decided to make asymmetrical. I love how she came out, and am astonished that I was able to cut her hair so short and still have an appealing result.

See you next time!

2010 Couture Angel Barbie

Today I am featuring my 2010 Couture Angel Barbie. She is a Pink Label collector's Barbie designed by Ann Driskill. She was released on June 17, 2010.

I first came across her while I was at Tuesday Morning one day this summer. I of course fell in love immediately, with her gorgeous feathered wings, celestial blue gown, golden halo. She vaguely resembles Sarah Brightman in a Harem concert costume, except with blonde hair, not brown. This is unrelated but fabulous and therefore worthy of entry.

Back to the featured Barbie... The Barbie Collector website describes her best : Couture Angel™ Barbie® doll shows off goddess style in a strapless, celestial blue gown, worn with a ruffled white underskirt. The bodice features intricately stitched detailing. Faux pearl stud earrings, golden belt buckle, and whimsical peep toe shoes are the perfect accessories. Fluffy feathered wings are the final angelic touch. Divine design delivers a devilishly delightful doll!

As I said, I came across her this summer. Money has been tight this year, so I kept saying "I'll have to get her next month" for several months, never forgetting her, but, like a true angel, she was just out of my grasp.

Then one of my closest friends, for no reason other than she loves me (and I love her too!) fulfilled my dream of having this fantastic angel in my collection. I am so very lucky to have this lady as a friend!

I immediately went to Tuesday Morning (coincidentally where I bought my Tarina Tarantino Barbie I featured in my first post) and saved this angel from the clutches of some less-appreciative shopper. My heart fulfilled, I rushed home and, of course, freed the angel from her prison of a box. I discovered that her shoes were some of the cutest shoes I've ever seen on a Barbie.

I glued them to her feet so that they would not fall off (fear not, it was merely white glue that would not compromise the shoes or the feet.).

I love that this Barbie has two 'uses'... the first is obvious; as the fabulous doll she is. The second is that, since she is an angel, one could display her during Christmas, perhaps as the Angel at the top of the tree. I would love to have a tree topped with this lovely lady. Alas, this year I have a 4 foot tall pink-themed tree, so she would not only be too large for the tree but also in the wrong color scheme. But I digress.

Enjoy!

Heidi Klum Pink Label Barbie

Today's spotlight Barbie is the Heidi Klum Pink Label Barbie.

This Barbie is based on the supermodel Heidi Klum. She is also a fashion designer, television producer, singer, actress and philanthropist. She is married to the singer Seal.

This is a Barbie that I wasn't expecting to buy. I like Heidi Klum, but I didn't know that Mattel had released a Barbie version of her until I was out shopping one night. I was at Ross with my best friend, and I went down the toy aisle as usual. I came across my Heidi at the end of the aisle, with *gasp* a clearance sticker on it. It was priced at 9.99, and I grabbed it on principle. A Pink Label Collector Barbie for ten bucks? Of course I'll buy it! I didn't only buy it for the price, I really liked the doll. I loved the dress, and I loved that it was a Heidi Klum Barbie. I've had this doll for almost a year now, and it is still a favorite. I hope you can see why!

She comes with this lovely pink and gold sequined number, wearing a ring, dangly earrings, and gold heels with pink accents.

HOMEWORK: Which supermodel would YOU like to see made by Barbie?

Debbie Harry Barbie from The Ladies Of The 80's Series

This entry features the Debbie Harry Pink Label Barbie Collector doll from the Barbie "Ladies of the 80's" series. Deborah Harry is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is perhaps best known as the lead singer of the band Blondie (one of my favorites!).

This week's accompanying story is this. (Go grab that cup of tea!)

I only fell in love with Blondie/Debbie Harry in the last few years. I've always liked their music, but I never got around to actually buying an album or anything. Then, a few years ago, I uploaded the 1981 "The Best of Blondie" cd to my computer, and I listened to it a lot. I started listening to it more and more, and now I'm a bonafide fan. I've really liked Debbie for several years, I saw her in the movie Videodrome and I've seen her in other things as well.

I found out that Barbie made the Debbie Harry doll in 2009. I came across the Barbra Streisand doll at a store, and the Debbie Harry doll was next to it. I decided against the Barbra Barbie, and was considering the Debbie doll. I chose against it for a couple of reasons. One reason was that I wasn't a very big fan (yet) and so I just wasn't sure. The second reason was the hair. I loved how the doll looked, I loved the outfit, and I loved the microphone. I love the 1980's. But her hair didn't look good. The head/hair looked like the manufacturer had glued an extra piece of doll scalp with blonde hair on top of the darker hair underneath. I wasn't sure if the head was actually modified or if the head was normal and the styling was just off. I couldn't open the doll, since I was at the store, so I 'erred on the side of caution' and didn't buy her.

It wasn't too long before I began to regret passing her up. As I started listening to Blondie more and more, and becoming a bigger and bigger fan, I really started kicking myself. Then, 2 or 3 weeks ago, I was given another opportunity. I came across the Debbie Harry Barbie at Big Lots for 25$. The hair on this doll was not odd-looking. An extra unexpected bonus was that it was 'friends and family' day, and I recieved 20% off (5$). So I bought it, and I was very happy. I discovered that the hair was normal, and that it was just the styling that made it look off.

THE DOLL:

THE DEBBIE:

Debbie Harry and Blondie are still around and still rocking. They released their latest studio album, A Panic Of Girls, in 2011. I absolutely love this album. My favorite songs are "What I Heard" and "Mother". I definitely think you should check out this album.

I've had the doll for a couple of weeks now, and I am still happy with it. I always remove the doll from the package and backing, but this time I decided not to. I just love her with the background, and I don't think I could have a better way to display her. So I'm leaving it on, at least for now. I'll have the outer box off, but the cardboard backing is really cool.

HOMEWORK: Has your favorite music artist been made into a doll? Who is your favorite musician?