Pool Party

 Cooler weather arrived here in Northeast Ohio right around the beginning of September, but of course in doll land, it can be warm enough to have one last pool party. Before I take down my summer backyard diorama, I wanted to set up a little diorama with my Little Tikes miniature pool. For that matter, I couldn't think why I hadn't done a photo shoot a long time ago, until I remembered none of my little Kelly dolls had swimwear! Well, I was tired of that being an excuse. Off to eBay I went, and found two vintage Fashion Avenue sets, one a matching set for Barbie and Kelly, and one a set of beach clothes and accessories for three Kelly dolls.

Here are Barbie and Kelly in their matching outfits. It included the matching beach robes, swimsuits, visor hats, and sandals. Barbie's sandals are made so that only flat-footed dolls can wear them, which is fine, except that they don't fit any of the flat-footed dolls that I have very well. You might notice that this Barbie does not have the Made to Move body. On that body type they fit less well. The pink Adirondack chair is one of a set of two made by Mattel. It matches their neon looks.

And here are three of the Kelly dolls wearing what came in the set for three, including the little accessories and the beach chair. Only one of the clothing pieces is really a swimsuit, but they would all be cute for the summer. I would have liked to have a beach bucket and shovel with the clothes, but there were several summer swim sets from the Fashion Avenue line, and it seemed Mattel wanted to have different accessories in the various sets. Not a bad idea, really. The little beach chair is nicer quality than I thought it would be.

I'm so happy with how the pool party pictures turned out. I think the two little friends look so cute.

Now I want to work on something for the autumn, and/or something for Halloween. This time of the year is my favorite. I love the red, orange, and yellow colors of the leaves, the pumpkins, cornfields, cooler air after the blazing heat of summer. My dolls also need warm weather clothes, and for the most part, I can sew and knit those. Making Kelly-sized swimsuits, though? I saved myself the aggravation and bought those. I'm glad Barbie got a new bathing suit too, because I think I only have one other of those. Do you have any projects planned for your dolls this season?

Lil McDonald's

 In July, McDonald's had a series of blind box toys for their Happy Meals called Lil McDonald's. Doll collectors and people who collect McDonald's toys went crazy for them. (I did not know there were so many people who collected McDonald's toys.) Fortunately, many restaurants would sell you the toys without having to buy a Happy Meal, although I don't think they suspected how popular these were going to be. Without including duplicates, here is my final haul, posed with vintage Kelly and Stacie sized dolls for size perspective.

I knew most of these would only be suitable for the dolls to use as toys, although the food trays are not a bad size. The red and gold Happy Meals boxes are too big for these dolls. Sadly enough, the pumpkin bucket is too. McDonald's has been offering human size pumpkin, and other Halloween character, buckets for decades, and they are very popular. The bucket did look okay with a Shadow High doll. I think her big head helps offset the bucket proportions.

The register and the drinks dispenser are a fine size for the kid dolls to play "store." The white sign is apparently a place to order your own food, which is definitely too small. It should be as tall as an adult doll. It could work as an ad sign, maybe. The drink dispenser has a button on the top, which when pressed down activates a blue piece of plastic that looks like "water" coming down into the cup.

The miniature McDonald's booth would be a fun place for children to pretend their dolls are eating in the booth. I have some mini Polly Pocket dolls that came with Polly Pocket Janet in the 80s or 90s, that might fit in the booth, if I can find them.

The trays are a little small for actual one sixth scale, but they look good enough with the smaller dolls. Kelly thinks her apples look yummy. Stacie finds the milk mustache on her bottle funny.

I don't really even like McDonald's very much, but I like minis! I remembered after taking this picture that I also got a mini fryer, but it's not that exciting. It might even be a bit small for pretend kitchen play. The only toy I want is the mini restaurant. Facebook is alive right now with people buying, selling and trading Lil McDonald's pieces, so I should grab one soon if I want it. Is there a restaurant or store in your area of the world that you would like to see make mini versions of its products?

Mini Brands Retro and Little Tykes Minis

I've been overthinking photography ideas for the post that I want to make, featuring Barbie Basics Number 4. Mr. BTEG surprised me yesterday with a couple of the mini item balls, so I'm blogging about these, and then I'll settle down to get some good pictures of Number 4.

First is the Little Tikes toys mini ball. I got the dump truck and the recycling truck, in their own boxes.

I could have sworn that I took a picture of Kelly standing next to Barbie, to show another viewpoint of Kelly's size next to the toys, but I couldn't find it when I uploaded the pictures. I was having a difficult time with these tiny pieces. When the little people go in their seats in the trucks, they don't fit in firmly. They still roll around, so when you have one person in the truck, he can still fall out while you're trying to put his friend in. I gave up and laid most of the people flat.

As you can see, these toys are way too small proportional to Kelly, who can still possibly put things in her mouth and swallow them. They're not made to be necessarily one sixth, so it's not an issue. I do have smaller dolls who will love new toys.

The two balls are supposed to stack together with the shelf pieces provided, to make a display center. I can't get the top shelf into the holes to hold the two balls together. :(

 

Next are the Mini Brands Retro line. By retro, it looks like it means mostly the 70s and 80s. You get five mini pieces. I got some Energizer batteries, a floppy disc, a one-time use camera, a can of motor oil, and a box of candy. It seems the box of candy is an Ultra Rare item, which is too bad, as I would have liked other items from the Ultra Rare group better if I was going to find one. (A floppy disc was an 80s version of a thumb drive, kind of.)

The box of Mike and Ike candy is too big. As I remember, the candies themselves aren't much bigger than jellybeans. That would be a lot of candy! I guess it would look okay on a store shelf or at a movie snack bar. The floppy disk is a bit too large, but not as bad. I actually used these, so I have vague memories of how big they were. This kind was smaller than the ones before it, which actually were kind of floppy and could be ruined if you folded them accidentally, but the one I have would still look okay on a desk in an 80s computer lab. Time for a LAN party! (Now get off my lawn.) Everything else looks close enough to one sixth scale, considering we do have big batteries like these, and the camera fits her face reasonable well, although I didn't get a picture of it. To be honest, I don't know how big a old-school can of oil would be, but it looks okay. It would work on a shelf in a garage.

I know these aren't available everywhere. Anyone else out there who likes to collect these mini brands balls?

I've figured out how I want to photograph Barbie Basics Number 4, but then it occurred to me that since she is petite, I should see how other dolls' clothes fit on her, which will take more time. She's next on my list; however I didn't want to wait too much longer to get a post up. Hope you all in Tornado and Dixie Alley, especially RagingMoon, and all my other readers are faring well.

Family

 

Another Instagram challenge photo. I'm not completely happy with it, but it's cute. It was a pain to tuck all those dolls under the blankets, and I'm also sorry that I didn't get a chance to put some items in the background.

Two Kitchens

About a month ago, I acquired the 1/6th scale Kenmore kitchen, and I got it out to photograph for a theme on Instagram. I want to take more pictures for this blog, but I have some other things that are taking up some of my time at the moment, so I'm just going to put this picture up that I also used on Instagram. The theme was "Kitchen," and I thought it would be cute to include my Little Tikes kitchen, which is small enough to be a toy kitchen for the 1/6 scale little ones. It's kind of special to me because it's exactly the same as the play kitchen that my daughters had when they were little.

Twelve Days of Christmas - Day One: Barbie

Family

100th Post!

I'm terrible at remembering blogiversaries, but since Blogger shows you what number post you're about to write, it's easy to keep track of numbers. Since this is my 100th post, I decided to create collages of pictures from previous posts. I also have a small list of things I'd like to do as the blog moves forward.

1. Be creative! I want to sew doll clothes more often, but I also also want to try painting furniture, and even building a few kits that I have. (They're a secret!) Some disappointing results in the past, and fear of trying new things, have put me off painting and building. I'm ready to try again.

2. Get outside! Now that I have a travel doll, I'd like to get more outdoor shots, and also take her along to places that I visit.

3. Better pictures! I'm almost done clearing out my sewing area/doll display space (they're in the same room.) I still won't have a dedicated space to pose dolls for pictures, but I'm hoping I'll be able to set up backdrops without so much shuffling things around. I could also use some lights specifically for picture taking, but I don't see those in the budget anytime soon.

I'm thankful to all my readers/commenters for reading my posts! I hope that you will all stick around for the next 100!

In Which I Review a Lottie Outfit and Lottie's Horse, Without Owning a Lottie Doll

When I ordered my Madame Alexander Travel Friend dolls from zulily, there were also some Lottie items available. I didn't really want to be ordering yet another small doll at the same time I ordered the MA dolls, and the MA ones seemed more appealing to me. However, I thought the pony might work with dolls that I already have, and I ordered an outfit because, why not? I chose the blue velvet party dress.

Wow, that Lottie is a small girl! Would you like to see what doll I found that could wear her outfit?

Welcome to My Online Garage Sale! --Updated

I'm going to be putting up a "real" post, hopefully tonight, but in the meantime, I wanted to get up some more things for sale, especially since I found a Monster High doll at a garage sale today! It's a Cleo de Nile, with one top that doesn't really cover her fairly well, in case you don't want to scroll down.
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I am finally starting this! I took some pictures today so I can start getting stuff online. Be warned, this is not a super fabulous sale! I'm putting up now (May 18th) a little less than half of what we have. However, since a lot of you bloggers that I read seem to enjoy picking up a deal or two at the thrift store, I thought I'd throw this stuff up here cheap and see if anyone finds a little gem inexpensively. I'm also up for trades

Just a few things: 1. Anything that is not labeled as being from my collection, or an actual garage sale, is from my daughters' toys. That means that very often these items were lying on a daughter's bedroom floor. We Have Cats. That means that anything that comes from my girls' toys was exposed to cat fur and dander. The cats are not allowed up where I keep my toys. :) Also, the "toy" dolls' hair will be a mess, matted, and often rather dry. However, it hasn't been hacked up, nor are there huge plugs missing.

2. If you see something you want, but want to see what else I put up before you buy it, I can put it on hold.

3. I think for the most part Paypal will be the easiest way to deal with payment. I would consider a check, but is it worth writing a check for such a small amount?

4. I will ship the cheapest way possible, or however you prefer. I have several small boxes saved up, and a huge wheel of bubble wrap, so I won't charge for handling or packaging or anything similar. I will only be charging exact shipping.

5. I'm going to be super lazy with my descriptions. I'm assuming that you have a general idea about the world of Barbie. I'm also generally going to put up just a picture of the face, unless there's marks on the doll or something else worth noting. If you want to see a doll's entire body, let me know.

6. I'm going to keep a bookmark either at the top or the side of my blog, so as I post more, this will still be findable.

7. All monies raised by the sale of the toys will go to my daughters. Or perhaps just my youngest, who is too young legally to work yet.

DOLLS

A blue-haired fairy. I'm also including a picture of her body, as her legs are permanently light blue with blue flowers. I didn't realize she had crud on her face until I looked at the picture! I'm going to wipe what I can off. I'm also including the one shoe of hers that we could find. Maybe you'll find the other at a thrift store someday, or you could use this one as a template to make her more? $1.00

Gabriella from High School Musical, aka Vanessa Hudgens. Will come wearing her red bathing suit. Gold paint on her earrings is wearing off. Her body is smaller and shorter than the Barbie body. She has flat feet. She has paint on her leg, and possibly some ink. $1.00

Sharpay from High School Musical, aka Ashley Tisdale. Will come nude. Gold paint is also coming off of her earrings. Has the same body as Gabriella. Has some glitter on her upper legs from her dress. $1.00

Gymnast Whitney, friend of Stacie. Joints aren't exactly loose, but the best word I can think of to describe this body is floppy. Kind of like a puppet, perhaps? $2.00

Gymnast Teresa. She has a crack on the seams of her upper right leg, front and back. $1.00

Cali Girl Teresa. Don't think this was the bathing suit she came in, but she rocks it. If you would like just the bathing suit or the doll, I'll split them up. Legs curve a bit strangely down by the ankles. $2.00

Monster High Cleo de Nile. Found her at a garage sale. She doesn't seem to smell like smoke or anything, and her hair seems intact. Comes in the "top" that she's wearing, which doesn't really cover much. Seems like it is an overblouse. $1.00

My Scene guy. Jointed elbows and knees. $2.50

My Scene Barbie. Jointed elbows, rubber click knees. Mark on right breast. $1.00

 CLOTHES

Fashion Fever jacket. One plastic snap at the top which is still intact. Ribbon belt is gone. One ribbon belt loop is intact, one is broke. $1.00

Esmerelda's dress from Hunchback of Notre Dame movie. One piece dress with attached shawl. Doll that wore this was not standard Barbie body. May have been like Gymnast Teresa's body, as the doll was jointed at elbows and knees. Tagged Disney. $2.00

Neon is back in style this year! I think this fits the Barbie belly button body. $1.00

My Scene boots, purple with blue laces. $2.00

My Scene purse, one solid molded plastic piece. Also throwing in matching boot. Again, maybe you'll come across the other one some day. Showing the purse next to Teresa for proportion. $2.00

My Scene high-heeled shoes $2.00

My Scene boots. For some reason, one of the boots has the number 7 drawn on it in ink or marker on the side sole. $1.00

Accessories and Furniture

2-liter bottle and bowl of pretzels. $1.50

Soda fountain. $1.00

Footstool. Probably could use repainted. I have Gabriella sitting on it to show size, although the picture is unfortunately at an odd angle. Her feet are not touching the table, although her legs aren't bent very far either. $2.00

Two starfish. Have included a Barbie hand in the picture for proportion. Will split these up. $1.00

Pink bathtub. Has slots on the side of the tub where something probably clipped in at some point. Has little "jets" in molded gray plastic on either side of the tub on the inside. You can see one by Barbie's right hand. $2.00

Treasure chest. Pink with a clear pink sparkly lid. 2 inches (5 cm)  high. $1.00

Plastic pinata. Has a little door that opens on the bottom so the loot can come out. Perfect for your Cinco de Mayo celebration next year. Pictured with older Stacie and Kelly dolls so you can get an idea of proportion. $1.50

Kelly size bumper car. From amusement park playset. Rolls. $1.00

Boomboxes. Smaller two $.25 each. Larger one $.50

 
 MY PERSONAL DOLLS AND ACCESSORIES

Spring in Tokyo doll comes as you see her, in suit with attached gold chain necklace. Her hair is pulled back into a hard gelled ponytail "bun." $5.00

I think this doll was a holiday Teresa. Her hair is rather static-y right now, but the twisted braids seem to be intact. $2.00

Fashion Avenue skirt and matching cloth purse. Front of skirt is wrinkled because I had my doll sitting down while wearing it. $1.00

Only Hearts Club shoes and tights. I bought the outfit and kept the other pieces. These have never been played with, never even been on a doll. $.50

This is all as of Thursday, May 22nd. I will update this with more items as soon as possible. Thank you for looking!