Adventures in Barbie- Bringing home the boat

Friday my niece PB and I were at the Thrift store and she spotted the Barbie Boat, she was insisting that this come home with us. I could not help but say yes and was very thankful that I have a minivan so we could get it home. She held it the entire way, also!

 She was so excited listing off who would drive her boat when we got home and she is very into Pirates right now so this was fun to tie in her love of pirates and Barbie.

Even though this was a great find we realize that pieces are not with it that should be but she doesn't care and for $6.99 she will get a ton of playtime out of it.
Happy to Sail the Seas of my living room with her, we hope you have some fun adventures with Barbie today too!
Thank you for joining us here we would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com

Crochet This Bearcrafter.com Dress for your Barbie Dolls!

I was looking for some inspiration to motivate me into learning how to crochet and I loved what I saw on the Bear Crafter . Com website. This Crochet Fashion Doll Tank Dress has me so impressed. This dress is not my grandmother's crochet I remember for sure. I love the skirt and was thrilled to find this free pattern.  If you would like it too click here.

Thank you for joining us here today we would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com

The Search for Dentist Barbie, rescued by Amazon.ca

My niece PB has spent some time at the dentist in the last few weeks having landed on her face at Easter Dinner and knocking lose her front tooth. At almost 4 she is one of the biggest Barbie fans I know and she made it very clear that she wants Dentist Barbie. Once we looked on line I could not believe how cute the Barbie Dentist Sets of today are! I went to walmart but could not find one so my search locally was on but I could not find it anywhere. I only have a few weeks before I need to get this for her birthday so I was thrilled to find that as I am truly stuck I can get it on Amazon.ca fairly easily! If you are like me and want to bring this set home click here. (I am not an amazon affiliate) 
So looks like Aunty will be able to fulfill her promise after all!
Thank you for joining me here today I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Memories of Midnight...

Have you ever loved something so much and completely forgotten about it, until reminded by a smell or a photo? My birthday is this week and I remember loving my Midnight Barbie Horse more than just about anything. I played for hours with her and my western Barbie. I still remember how the horses hair felt, the sadel which was really hard to put on and how much I loved the muzzle of my horse.

I was extremely delighted to find these beautiful photos and this listing in an Etsy Shop called Polly Pocket Plus.  The horse is priced just under $40 CND and about $20 for shipping. It is very tempting especially because of how great a condition she appears to be in.

I had such a wonderful trip down memory lane with seeing this listing. While I do love that Barbie's new horse walks on it's own there is just something so magical for me in this Midnight horse. Take a look for yourself at the listing on Etsy by clicking here.
Thank you for joining me today I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Toy Traders Barbie Adventure.

Yesterday my family and I headed to one of our most favorite toy stores in a place called Langley BC. The store is Called Toy Traders and they have a huge store that sells both new and used toys, vintage and hard to find items. It is always an adventure back in time and so much fun.

I headed to the Barbie section first, in the second hand part of the store. I quickly found one of my favorites from the 1980's and had a hard time resisting purchasing her. I am not a collector that does boxed toys, I prefer instead to play with them. So it was hard not to want to rescue this one. The ruffles on the skirt and the stand, I can remember how it felt and the hours I played with this particular Barbie. It was fun to see her again.

In the newer section of the story they had some wonderful Barbies! This one is a new release of an old favorite. I still remember the tv adds for her!

I think this is a very stunning Barbie! 

The selection was wide on many of these Barbies but this one caught my eye! I have always wanted to make my hair look like hers! Too much curl in mine.

I love the new Ken's and the Fashionistas line.

I was also thrilled to see these outfits from the Life in the Dream House Show. If my nieces were with me I think we would have left with these. 

Behind glass they have some wonderful vintage finds a Sindy still in package, some collector Elvis Barbies and James dean, as well as the Mcdonalds drive through window and other odds and ends from the 80's and 90's Barbie era. I really had fun looking at these pieces and tried not to bring anything home with me. 

If you ever get a chance to visit Langley BC, check out Toy Traders. It will wow you!

Thank you for joining me here today I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

Barbie patterns Free!

I just discovered this great site called The Spruce and they have some great patterns that are free for Barbie. The above is a photo of the easy skirt pattern then have shared and they have stuff for modern Barbie and vintage Barbie and Sindy! It is a great find! Check it out by Clicking here.

Happy Sewing!
Thanks for joining us here today we would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmial.com

Easter Monday Oops! Barbie's 1962 Dream House...

Hi everyone I am so sorry I did not post on time today. I have been at a hockey tournament with my boys and was so tired last night I forgot to post! So here is my post today.

Amazon has put up a new Barbies dream house from the 1960's that Is such a fun retro play set. Lots of great details in this revamp and doll collectors would love  this as much as today's Barbie lover.

There is so much to love in this set! As well I read the doll comes with!
Here is the Amazon link and the listing of what you get. I wish this would come live at my house!

• The year is 1962 and Barbie doll has moved into her swell new Dream House
• The custom-designed, mid-century modern décor includes a hi-fi stereo and self-assembled slim-line furniture
• Barbie is included too, and she's ready to entertain friends or spend a quiet evening relaxing in her living room
• Fold the walls and the house neatly stores the furnishings and becomes a portable carry case for on-the-go fun!
• Doll included. Assembly required. Colors and decorations may vary

I AM NOT AN AMAZON AFFILIATE so if you click I don't make any money. I just want to share my love of this set with you. Click here for Amazon listing. 

Thank you for joining us here today we would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com

Karen's Adventures Back To Barbie...Dolly Swimsuits from Balloons!

This weekend three of my nieces are staying with me and we have spent lots of time crafting. The Barbies I bought my niece PB all had bathing suits but the one I bought this summer who is curvy and the ones we got second hand of Skipper, Stacie and Chelsea (Kelly) did not. I do know how to sew but I am an impatient crafter so when I told the girls we could make bathing suits for the other dolls with party balloons they did not believe me.

I have to say after showing them youtube videos of how too I was myself a bit not sure if it would work but the investment of $1.25 on a bag of balloons proved to be a good investment. We fit all the barbies, regular, curvy and the smaller dolls using the same bag of balloons and lots leftover to make more outfits for future dolly swim parties.  The girls were very impressed and so was I. I also like that we can leave these on the dolls and put the clothes over !
This was a fun adventure back to barbie and a trick I wish I knew when I was growing up.
Thank you for joining us here today we would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Karen's Adventures Back To Barbie- Three ideas for your Barbie Lover this Spring Break...

This week three of my 8 nieces are going to be staying with us for a few days and I was looking for some Barbie themed activities to do and craft with them. LB is 10 and very much into knitting so I found this one on Craft Gossip to do with her. You can click here for the tutorial.

All my nieces are crafty, they get it from their aunt and we will spend some time looking at this Craft Gossip site as well. Click here for 21 Do it Yourself Furniture and Accessories from Craft Gossip.

My younger niece PB loves to put the Barbies to bed and sewing so we may try our hands at this one too! Click here for the tutorial. 
Thank you for joining us here today for our look at three things you can do with Barbie fans this Spring break!
We would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com

Karen's Adventures Back To Barbie

This week I surprised my niece PB with an outfit for Ken. Now I find that the $7 Walmart Canada Charges for this outfit a bit high but I will say I was actually impressed with how well made it was and that the shoes and clothing were easier to put on,  (for my niece who is 3) than I thought.

Our Dollar Store Ken was $4 if you remember and he came in just his swim trunks. I thought it would be fun for him to have shirt, pair of pants and a change of shorts. PB agreed that this was a good outfit for him.

Mind the mess in the back ground but we think Ken looks rather good in his new outfit!

A very happy adventure back to Barbie play time this week. Thank you for joining us here today we would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com

Karen's Adventures Back To Barbie Skippers Babysitters INC baby pack...

Friday I had Miss PB and I surprised her with one of the new Skipper's Babysitting Club baby packages. She has been playing with the Barbie Baby that I have had since the 1980's. She was so excited!

I could not leave this little one behind at Walmart and at $3 it was really hard not to buy all the different ones they had there.  This kit comes with baby in a diaper, the bottle and a burp cloth.

Once we got the new baby open she allowed me one quick second to take a side by side before she snatched them both back to play with.

Thank you for joining us for this week's adventures back to Barbie I look forward to sharing more of our Barbie Adventures soon!
We would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com

Karen's Adventures Back To Barbie

This week I am sharing my niece PB and my dolly dress no sew creations. While visiting me recently she thought that the dolls all needed new dresses and she wanted to do everything herself.
At three there is only so much she can do so I gave in and brought out the scrap fabric I had, ribbons and she used safety scissors. I was only allowed to help with the scissors when they got stuck and I was allowed to help roll the dresses on the dolls as well as tie the bow but everything else she did herself.

Far from professional but she was very proud of herself and her dollies new dresses. It was a great activity with her as she learned and played. 

Thank you for joining me for this weeks Adventures back to Barbie.

I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

Karen's Journey back to Barbie...Crochet Pattern Purchase for Barbies littlest Sister!

I have never tried to make anything so small for a doll before and while looking for something to make for the Chelsea doll I came across this wonderful crochet PDF Purchase pattern from Doll House Kiosk. WHat i like is that you can make age appropriate tiny outfits for Barbies little sister!
You can find this pattern by clicking here. 

We will be back with more fun for Barbie and her sisters soon.
Thank you for joining us here we would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com

Karen's Adventure Back To Barbie

Karen here and my nieces have been here a few days this week playing with the Barbies and we were talking about making doll clothes. I want so much to be able to crochet and this would be on my list of things to make. I am going to try to figure out this free pattern from redheart yarns and I am sharing this pattern link with you incase you want to try it too. 

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/crochet-fashion-doll-snuggle-sleeves

Thank you for joining us here today we would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com

Karen's adventures back to Barbies

Well as ones favorite aunty I took it upon myself to grant my very young nieces wish of having Barbie and all of her sisters. Now I started this journey at  Walmart and while I love my niece and Barbie, when I priced out the three sisters my bill would have been just over $60 before tax.

I knew I could find these sisters as once loved dolls and spent the better part of three weeks looking in the various thrift stores near my home but without too much luck.

I did however manage to not only locate but bring home all the sisters after a serendipitous trip to a thrift store last Saturday morning post hockey. I remembered one near the hockey rink that I had not yet checked out. It proved to be a very good stop! 

I first spotted the little sister now known as Chelsea who used to be Kelly
I got 4 for $3.99, one in a non removable bathing suit, two with legs that swing wildly and one that is in great shape but has permanent panties and nothing else.

 Next I was thrilled to find Skipper, now with Brown hair and a purple streak just like my niece asked for. she had her clothes on thankfully but no shoes. Still a great deal at $3.99

I was over the moon when for $1.99 I found sister Stacie. She was with ut any clothing but I knew we could fix that at home.

For good measure I picked up a Barbie, who was dressed and had her glued on shoes, for an additional $3.99, she was the one my niece had looked at online Friday and decided she was tops on her wish list.

I set them all up on her Barbie pool and when she came in she was so happy and excited, she said "Auntie this is wonderful!" and she was so thrilled to play.

This has been another wonderful and successful week in my journey back to Barbie. Thanks for coming along. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com 

Karen's Adventures Back To Barbie

This week the Barbie fun continues at my house, with niece number 6 (number 7's older sister) who spent the day crafting and playing with me all by herself!
Our neighbor gave us an amazing gift of a Barbie playset that opens into a bedroom with a bath tub. It was hard to say who was more excited me or my niece!

We started out day at the dollar and craft stores for our day of crafting and we picked up these fun foam sheets that have a towel like surface. My niece who is 7 had remarked earlier that the dolls needed towels for the pool playset.

These were so easy to work with and very inexpensive!

We folded the foam sheets in half and then cut a straight line and this was one of the easiest crafts we have ever done!

A great time was had on our special Auntie and Niece day, and much fun was had creating for Barbie.
Thank you for joining us here today we would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com

Karen's Adventures back to Barbie!

Well I held off in sharing the new barbies with my youngest Niece 4 days. But the reaction I got was well worth it!

#thatfirstbarbiefeeling there is magic in that first doll of your own. Capturing that feeling was worth every penny. She was over the moon with the pool and throughout the afternoon I brought out each of the 5 Barbies I had bought at the dollar store for her. It was better than Christmas.

All in all the pool exceeded my expectations too, it was very easy to put together, had easy to access play options and made this Auntie and little one very happy!

A great journey back to that Barbie Feeling I had growing up. 

Thank you for joining us today, we would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com