Barbie's Winter Vacation-Leaving the cold behind!

While we may not all be able to hop a plane to warmer weather right now... Barbie and Joe headed to Cabo San Lucas for a week of toes in the warm sand and cold cervezas! Sunny days and temps hovering around 80 degrees. Yes, doll life is good folks:@) I've only been to a fancy resort in Mexico once but I have to say, if you get the opportunity to go, I encourage you to take it!

(Joe making sure the beach volleyball doesn't bother Barbie.)

I love sharing a peek behind the pic:

• Background is a calendar page.
• My sand is an old fat quarter of fabric from Walmart years ago.
• Folding beach chair was $1 from now closed AC Moore.
• Bathing suits from a Mattel fashion set. There's a shirt for Ken too, but when you look like Joe... You really don't need it😉

Here are links for a few quick ribbon or bathing suit tops: Diamond Mesh Top, Ribbon bathing suit or quick Ribbon tied top All cute ideas that come together in no time.

And if feeling really tropical...

Hula Skirt and Coconut Top:@)

Meanwhile back in Cabo...

Joe feels like the luckiest guy on the beach💕

It's 17 degrees in Philly right now...

🌴Think warm thoughts and Have a Happy Day😎

Jelly Belly Candy Corn & Candy Corn through the years...

When I was a kid, my two favorite candies were jelly beans and candy corn... My co-worker found Jelly Belly Candy Corn! And it's good stuff folks, kind of like a higher end candy corn:@) And I like the size too, just a little smaller than traditional candy corn, making it great for decorating treats.

And then I was curious, what else have we done with Candy Corn here at PIM through the years? Plenty:@) Click for recipes and ideas...

Candy Corn Cake ~ Sugar Cookies

No-Bake Sweet and Salty Fall Snack Mix

and Candy Corn Deviled Eggs

Barbie Candy Corn Dress Free Pattern

$ Store Candy Corn Container Recycled Tea Light:

End of Season-use it up: 

Candy Corn Fondue and 

Turkey Toes Thanksgiving Place Settings

📌My Candy for All Seasons Pinterest Board here.

📌Halloween Food Pinterest Board here.

Make something just for fun and

Have a Sweet Weekend:@)

Barbie Throw Pillow Crafts Round Up -14 Free Patterns

Little decorative pillows are a breeze to make and help turn a house into a home. Even a Barbie Dollhouse:@) I've made quite a few for the dolls and thought I'd gather a bunch of simple projects in one place (14 as of this post), and we'll expand upon them as time goes on. Since it's fall, let's start with this 3D Yo-Yo Pumpkin Pillow... 

My fabric yo-yo pumpkin picture tutorial can be found here, it remains one of my most viewed posts to this day. 

I used a 3 1/2" circle of fabric for the Barbie size and added a cotton ball to the center. Then shaped the creases in the fabric to try to loosely represent the ribs in the pumpkin:@)  Felt and a dab of glue helps create the stem.

Little red trucks are still a popular design theme, and now Barbie is right on-trend too... And to add to the fun (and save storage space), you could make each side of the pillow a different print. Maybe Christmas here and Harvest Season above. Both cute prints were fat quarters from Walmart through the years.

✂Small Square Pillow:

1. Cut two pieces big enough to show truck detail, but small enough for 1:6 scale.
2. If you aim for an approximate 2 1/2" square, you'll end up with about a 2" pillow, that's a good Barbie size😊
3. Right sides together, sew 1/4" around the sides leaving an opening to add batting/stuffing/cotton balls.
4. Turn right side out, be sure to poke corners out, fill pillow, sew hole closed. 
5. Sew or glue decorative trim to edges if desired-I desired pom-poms:@)

My pillow round-up:

✂Craft Links: Ribbon Pillow ~ Pencil grip pillows (simply glued together) ~ Peeps pillow ~ Selvage Edge Fringe ~ How to make fabric yo-yo ~ Crochet heart pillow or purse ~ Double sided pillow ~ Football Pillows ~ Gnome pillow or ornament ~ Knit a square or rectangle ~ Use an oversized pom-pom

✂Ribbon Pillow with Black Haired Barbie or Selvage Edge Pillow:

I started with 2 1/2" wide white satin ribbon that had gold glitter and garland wired edges. I cut my ribbon long enough to fold in half and fold the raw edges up about 1/4". Then I hand sewed up each side. I cut the Barbie outline out of fabric and glued her on using Elmer's Craft Bond Spray Adhesive. Stuffed it with some batting and sewed the bottom edge. Glitzy and fun, what diva wouldn't love this:@)

Small sequin stuffed hearts from Dollar Tree,

they make cute accent pillows:

Barbie says every girl loves throw pillows:@)

Make something just for fun and 

Have a Happy Day:@)

Over One Shoulder Barbie Dress from Paper Napkin

The idea for this Over One Shoulder Barbie Dress from a Paper Napkin is, it's a quick craft to help keep the kids busy. I used a standard white every day napkin here. What I love best about it is, it's great for any occasion or holiday, and a good way to kill a little time while waiting for dinner... Simply use a napkin with a seasonal design, thinner cheaper ones work best, and wa-la, Barbie would be dressed to match the event:@) All we need is a square lunch/dinner size paper napkin (approximately 6-6 1/2" square), yarn or ribbon, and scissors. 

✂What I did:

1. Open the napkin to create a rectangle.
2. Gather the fold in the middle and tie with yarn or ribbon. You can scrunch it up or try to neatly fold it like an accordion.
3. Place over one of Barbie's shoulders. 
4. Open the napkin to cover her front and back. Bring sides together and overlap a bit so her body is covered. I suggest having the front overlap the back on the sides.
5. Tie or tape yarn or ribbon around her waist to secure the dress closed.
6. Invite Barbie to dinner:@)

Fits Standard Barbie and our model,

 gorgeous Bubble Gum Pink Hair Curvy Barbie:

Make something just for fun and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Ham & Peach Kabobs, Lemonade Cucumber Salad & French Beret for Barbie

Peaches are abundant right now and these Ham and Peach Shish-Kabobs make a fun and very tasty meal. I also like that folks don't generally think of ham for the grill. But I promise you, it's seriously a match made in heaven:@) 

How's your garden doing (or neighbor's, or farmers market), got cukes? This Fresh Lemonade Cucumber Salad was truly different, and very refreshing. Every lemon lover will approve:@)

Google tells me that the two months most traveled to France are July and August... Let's send our Barbie off for vacation in style with this Felt Beret free pattern here. I think she'd like it:@)

Have a great weekend:@)

Barbie 4th of July Crafts Round-Up 2024

When I was a kid, folks would decorate their bikes with streamers and balloons for the 4th of July and join the local parade. Do people do that any more? I think I even remember baby strollers being decorated. Here's my little wink and nod to what seemed like simpler times:@) 

We're only days away from the 4th of July and I thought it might be fun to post a Barbie crafts round-up of ideas... Most are no-sew projects that come together quickly using scraps and items from your crafting stash. Let's celebrate the holiday ~and~ help keep the kids busy:@) Click the links for tutorials and free patterns.

Hairbands:

**A round-up of all Barbie headband crafts, with instructions, can be found Here.

Clothes:

Headband Top with (or without) Dangle Earrings ~ No-Sew Hankerchief Top 

 Crochet Dress ~ No Sew Swing Top 

Bathing Suits:

Balloon Bathing Suits ~ No-Sew Ribbon Bathing Suit

Miscellaneous:

No-Sew Aprons ~ Felt Tie 

Uncle Sam Hat from Recycled K-Cup

These silly Pipe Cleaner Glasses whip up in minutes and you can glue on any desired embellishments. I used star sequins, you could use beads, rhinestones, buttons, felt, glitter, stickers or anything else from your craft stash.

 *You know it's hot outside when it looks like even Barbie is sweating😓 ...or is she melting???

✂What I did: 

1. Wrap pipe cleaner around a pencil or knitting needle (size 13 here), and twist to secure the circle.
2. Move over a bit and create the second lens.
3. Fold each side back to make the arms of the glasses and trim to size. 
4. Glue on decorations.

 A quick side view:

Links to Other Crafts:

Oversized golf hat  ~  Free shorts pattern for Ken  ~  Barbie glasses embellished with glitter  ~  Simple skirt from ruffle  ~  Barbie necklace

From all of us here at PIM,

We Wish You a Very 

Happy 4th of July -Enjoy!

Barbie Summer Hat or Beach Hat -Free Sewing Pattern

Barbie says it's getting warm out and every girl needs a few hats to help protect her delicate skin from the harmful rays of the sun. But more importantly (in Barbie's world) she says hats can be super cute too:@) Use any cotton fabric, in any design or color, maybe make a few to match different outfits. Now, life is funny folks, and things don't always turn out to match our vision... I started with a great bucket hat pattern for humans from Hello Sewing, and thanks to my marginal sewing skills it turned into a beach hat for a Barbie doll. ~But~ in the end, I did end up with a hat, and I do like the look of it. I'm also pleased with myself that I didn't give up on the project and actually completed this itty-bitty hat! 

While I'll share the actual pattern I used for this hat, what I really suggest is that you stop by Hello Sewing, Helen shares very detailed instructions and even has a video. Very helpful indeed! And if you're feeling extra creative... Maybe make matching hats for your girl and her doll, you'll be a rock star😎

✂The pattern:

I signed up for the free download pattern, and reduced it to 28%.

What I did differently: My hat is not reversible,  and I chose to cut the outer brim with pinking shears so it didn't need a hem. I did use a sewing machine, hand stitching is certainly an option for this small hat.

📌All of my Pinterest Boards here.

Make something just for fun -if you're up to the challenge😉

And have a happy day!

Barbie Crafts from Recycled Objects -Dog Bath, Mug & Soup Pot

If there's a Barbie in your life chances are your girl also has a pet or two... We can either spend $20+ on a Mattel branded dog bath play set or make our own from a recycled yogurt container:@) These are the type of crafts I like best, recycling trash into something fun that sparks imagination and doll play. I used a single serving Greek yogurt from Walmart and the container is a little deep. Solution, add something to the bottom that won't float. I had some glass pebbles from an old fish bowl and they worked great! They also added a little of that blue color we associate with water, a drop of food coloring works too. My bubbles are literally from a bottle of bubbles. 

Tube of toothpaste headed to the trash? I washed a toothpaste lid, filled it with hot glue, worked the glue on top to give it a bit of a 'whipped cream' swirl or dollop... And wa-la! We have a mug for Barbie. Whether your doll likes fancy coffee or hot chocolate, this is a fun little craft for doll play and pictures. And the beauty of the swirl... You can keep hitting the glue with the tip of the hot glue gun to reshape it. I added a little brown and white acrylic paint to complete the look. 

And lastly, the easiest idea, the little scoops that come in Oxy type laundry cleaners are the perfect size for Barbie soup pots... Wash well, and they can be spray painted to look like Le Creuset if desired (which I did do here).

♻Let's recycle creatively and 

Have a Happy Day:@)

Barbie's Cinco de Mayo Fiesta!

Barbie loves a party and wanted to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! The dolls pushed the furniture back against the wall, turned up the music and did a little salsa dancing... She believes you never need a reason to get dressed up (although holidays do help:@) As for Ken, he's digging the alter ego his mustache is providing and has never been smoother on the dance floor...

After a couple hours of dancing, Barbie and Ken sit down for dinner and a drink. Barbie's wondering how much of that taco will end up in his mustache😄

Only to be followed by...

Yep, more dancing:@)

Barbie says es una fiesta!!!

DIY project links below:

Flag Banner/Bunting=Yarn and triangles cut from magazine pages.

Necklace ~ Maracas ~ Guitar ~ Ribbon Top ~ Taco ~ Vest

A better look at Ken's vest...

The chihuahua was a button:@)

Free No-Sew Pattern here.

📌All of my Pinterest Boards here.

We wish you all a festive Cinco de Mayo:@)

How to Make No-Sew Barbie Tops from Ribbon -Lots of Options...

I wanted to share an idea for a simple Barbie doll top. All that's required is about 6" of ribbon, some velcro and a hot glue gun. A couple folds in the back create darts and add a little shape. These tops kinda remind me of a tube top, although not as form fitting. I also like that straps are optional. Embellishments... If you have some cute trim, pom-poms, zig-zag, ruffle, etc, you could add it to the bottom. I had just enough silly 4" fringe left in my stash to make this one tunic length, yet sill look cool and breezy for a summer baseball game:@)

These tops were made with 1 1/2" wide ribbon:

✂What I did:

Standard Barbie = 6" of ribbon, Curvy Barbie = 6 1/4" of ribbon.

Fold the cut ends over 1/4" and hot glue in place.

Fold two glued ends in half, and glue together.

Place middle of ribbon over doll's bust. If you turn the folded ends up you'll see that it creates a dart on each side creating shape.

Glue velcro to each side of back.

Add straps and embellishments.

Three more variations:

Use short ruffled ribbon for off shoulder look. 5/8" ribbon with necklace as bathing suit top, and I've added a sheer ribbon capelet to the last one.

5/8" ribbon simply tied in front,

or wired ribbon scrunched up...

📌All of my Pinterest Boards here.

Barbie says, yep, 

all it takes is a little ribbon for a cute top! 

Have a Happy Day:@)