Barbie Home Accents -Making a dollhouse a home...

Last year we received a gift card at work for one year without a safety incident, so... That meant I had some free money to play with:@) I decided I'd use part of it to get something a little extravagant for the Barbie dollhouse and nosed around Amazon. The pretty gold birdcage caught my eye immediately...

I love the colors in the bird, it almost looks like cloisonné art. I will either make a stand for it or hang it from the ceiling, but really think a stand would be perfect so it can be moved to any room for pics.

The fish bowl is real glass, has gravel and greenery, and is so small it's hard for me to get a good pic, but I think you can see that the fish even has scales here:

It's also fun to use things in imaginative ways... On the mantle I stacked three large wooden beads to create a vase for the summer holidays, and the XO 'art' is from a child's tic tac toe party favor pack. 

And it's been a long time since I picked up a Zuru Mystery Ball, so the other day I thought I'd see what was in one from the Create Series. Each ball could hold a potted plant or vase of flowers... I ended up with a Barbie Size Bonsai Tree, it's pretty substantial and I think it adds some nice greenery to the livingroom. 

The ball:

The succulent on the shelf was in the ball too:

Silver beer stein and coffee pots 

are thrift store salt and pepper shakers.

Barbie says,

it's the little things that make a house a home:@)

Poodle is a Christmas ornament from Walmart, bought years ago. World map is a sticker from Dollar Tree.

Dollhouse Evolution & Renovation thru the years.

📌My Barbie Pinterest Board here.

Have a Happy Day:@)

My Barbie Dollhouse Evolution...

I thought you might get a kick out of seeing the progression of what I've used for quick dollhouse diorama pictures through the years... At least I know I did:@) The dollhouse has been a fun addition to my Barbie World. Much like real life, it provides a space for gathering and conversations, and lends itself to seasonal decorating. Clicking links will lead to more details. Why not pour a cuppa and let's take a look, shall we...

From the curb on trash day:

Circa 1970...

It was hard to get inspired and I really didn't get too far with this idea, but did use it for my first Super Bowl party:@)

Then I bought a shelving unit:

It was lighter, brighter, and airier, but again, I really only got one good post from it... I will say this is still one of my favorite pictures, I rarely get decent natural light in my house because of the roof eaves. 

And then Ma found a free Barbie dollhouse... This is a Kid Craft Supermodel House, 47" tall and 30" wide. The floors are about 11" deep. 14 1/2" from floor to ceiling on the first two levels, up to 17" on the top floor with the tilted roof.

Good structure and room (once I removed the elevator and stairs), but man, those colors be cra-cra... So the renovations began... I went through many attempts during the DIY Barbie Blog years, and some were truly pretty awful... But in the end, I am pleased with my final layout and the wallpaper colors I chose. I've had a lot of help and support, and the doll house still remains a fun prop for Barbie pics. One day I'll figure something out for better lighting, that is still my biggest challenge.

I count no less than 22 items from Dollar Tree in this house...

My three main rooms: 

Bottom floor is the kitchen: Still a lot of pink, but honestly, there comes a point where you have to stop fighting it and just work with it:@) I do look at pink as a neutral color too, it kinda works with everything else. I used a Gloria kitchenette as the main work area, stove, sink and counter space with seating. I'm still working on the table and chairs...

My son does a little wood working and built the partial wall. It adds visual interest, room for trinket storage, and lets more natural light in. I appreciate his attention to detail, the vertical slats can be adjusted and moved to accommodate any width:@) But most importantly, it replaced a load bearing wall, so it's for structural stability too.

Update: Dining area furniture just got a fresh spray paint of silver... I likey:@) At least it's cohesive (and works better for now).

Before and after:

Middle level is the Livingroom: The main focal points are the great world map from Dollar Tree, and the redesigned Gloria fireplace. My original thoughts about the fireplace were, it's beautiful, but the scale was more for a Barbie Mansion, not a Barbie Dollhouse:@) The rug is a placemat trimmed to fit, and I'm always looking for Christmas decorations in 1:6 scale... Yep, the poodle, guitar, and bookcase on the mantle are ornaments.

The original room:

That little cutout on the left became a small office area, you can see it in the overall house pic. Barbie has a desk and special lighting... Still on the to-do list is to cover the mirror with corkboard, turning this repurposed vanity into a proper work desk.

And the top floor, The Fan Cave: Constantly evolving and can change for the sports season or occasion, and furniture gets moved or removed as necessary for pictures... I still have a pool table I'd like to work into a scene:@)

A great space for fun!

Before and after:

You ~know~ I'm very fond of the 

Eagles Fan Cave:@)

So there you have a little walk down memory lane. Lot's of money, ideas, crafts, and projects through the years. If you've ever thought a dollhouse renovation might be fun, I encourage you to give it a try! The hardest part is finding the room to store it... Mine lives against the wall in my craft room, there as a reminder that blog fodder is always only a few feet away😊

Make something just for fun and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Strawberry Salsa & Barbie Dollhouse Kitchen Renovation Update

My little strawberry patch did well this year and the first big round of fruit is winding down. I had fun coming up with new ways to enjoy the berries. This Strawberry Salsa was bright and fruity and and truly a little different. We enjoyed it as a dip with tortilla chips. I can see it served over grilled chicken too. The only thing that could make this any better would be fresh garden ripe tomatoes... But we have a way to go before that will happen:@)

Strawberry Salsa-adapted from Taste of Home

1 pint strawberries, washed, dryed, hulled and chopped

4 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped

1 small sweet onion, chopped-I used scallions

1-2 medium jalapenos, seeded if desired, chopped

2 T fresh lime juice

1 T olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1. Mix all, cover and let mingle in refrigerator for 2 hours.
2. Serve spooned over chicken or pork, or as a dip with tortilla chips or crackers.

The dollhouse is coming together nicely and I feel the kitchen has it's major pieces in place, I'll only change things out when if I find something I like better... It's fun looking for little 1:6 scale trinkets and items to help make the house look more realistic. Toys, mini salt and pepper shakers, craft store supplies, Christmas ornaments, anything goes. Ken is our model today, he's patiently waiting for his morning coffee to finish brewing... Say Hi to the nice people Ken... No??? Sorry folks, that coffee will be done soon, I promise:@)

The main working area of the kitchen: Gloria kitchenette to the left, which was a very good Ebay purchase! Providing a compact stove, oven, sink and counter, with seating. Actually, I like that my expanded kitchen layout provides ample seating as needed, between the high counter seats, the stool(s) at the island, and then the table and chairs in the dining area. As for the color, ~pink~ I mentioned previously that it's so dominant in these toys, I'm not fighting it (much)😉 I may paint some things as time goes on, but for now I'm ok with the look.

A glimpse into the dining area: I like that everything is open, and the dolls can interact in the scene. What needs the most work? The table and chairs... I keep asking my son to cut different sizes of wood and buying pre-cut pieces at Dollar Tree for the table top. But so far I don't have the look I want, which is a pedestal table small enough to seat the dolls, yet big enough for plates and food. And while I'm ok with the design of the chairs, this is the only pink in the room I really don't care for. 

And the long view... I decided that far wall with the window needed some kind of wallpaper, this is just wrapping paper from Dollar Tree, but I like that the different hues of pink, in the small scale, help to pull all of the colored pieces together just a little better.

So there you have it folks,

the kitchen as it is today.

As a point of reference,

this is what I started with:

Say goodbye to the nice people Ken.

Much better, thank you Ken.

Indeed...

~Make something just for fun,

and have a great weekend😊

ReView: Barbie's Valentine's Livingroom & Pickle Dip

We're in the middle of a snow storm here on the east coast folks, stay safe if affected! Barbie did a little decorating for Valentine's Day and wanted to show off the livingroom:@) I finally found some Loctite Fun-Tak and it's perfect for sticking things to the dollhouse walls and helping itty items stay put. The best part, no holes, no pulling paper off walls, no sticky residue, and I can change out the look as desired. As you can tell, we're rolling with the pink right now, I mentioned before, it's hard to fight city hall ~or Mattel~...

A broader shot.

Looks like a cozy little space... 

Well, Ken sure seems to think so!

I lost the original printed piano when I wallpapered the livingroom. That was an important prop, so I just had to replace it with this keyboard😎 Perfect for now, but the options for placement are limitless. I might even ditch the stand and put it on a shelf on the wall to save space.

Lovin' the cute wall art-perfect for Valentine's Day♥

One last quick pic looking towards the right:

And a shot towards the left... I'm using a vanity as Barbie's desk. Love the look of it and wouldn't have any use for it otherwise... This dollhouse just isn't big enough for a dedicated bedroom or bathroom. The mirror will be covered with corkboard soon, making it a fun inspiration board. Barbie says every girl needs an inspiration board😀

I still have to extend the floor all the way to the left, need to cover the space where the elevator used to be.

And we do have a couple more football games...

How about some simple 3 ingredient Pickle Dip to serve your crowd:@)

❄Have a great weekend:@)

Barbie's Halloween Party 2021

Barbie decided the groovy greens and purples of the original doll house livingroom would be perfect for a Halloween party! So we had one before I did any permanent wall papering. It was a busy night with guests floating in and flying out...

Bones provided the music.

An accomplished musician in a past life...

Rumor has it he (oh yes, I'm gonna say it) played his fingers to the bones:@)

Costumes were welcome, some dressed up more than others...

The bat people were well represented...

And there were a couple hippies from the 1960's-70's...

Peace, love, rock and roll!

A cute flapper outfit from the roaring 20's.

She even brought her saxophone to accompany Bones for a few soulful tunes...

And every party needs some food...

Barbie's Halloween tiered tray of snacks:

Tray made from two pill bottle caps glued to beads-love the raised warning labels!

Two little gremlins are hoping nobody sees them hiding under the table past bed time... 

One curious about what the grown-ups are doing, the other hoping someone drops some food.

The party went on long into the witching hours of the night,

when camera flashes were needed for pictures😈

After a while the snack table was pushed to the side for some dancing.

This time of year you have to be careful,

is he bending in to kiss her cheek... 

Or to bite her neck!

And of course there's always time for a little doll gossip...

Is Bones trying to hold Barbie's hand? ~Are they dating??~ Where's Ken???

Only the ssssnake knows for sure😉

Previous Barbie Halloween fun... Trunk or Treating here.

🎃We wish everyone a little spooky fun this Halloween season:@)

From our house to yours, have a happy day!

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