October 1st at Cousin Rube's Farm -Barbie Diorama

As with most nurseries, early fall is all about pumpkins at Peace and Pancakes Farm. It also means cooler weather and heartier appetites for the -all you can eat- pancake breakfasts on the weekends:@) This helps draw in big crowds as everyone stops by to pick up their prized pumpkin, and anticipates Rube's Halloween decorations and events. Barbie decides she'd like this huge beauty for the front yard...

So the guys rolled it onto a blanket to carry it to the Jeep... And Ken thought he was only going out for a nice breakfast:@) He sure hopes someone is around to help unload it when they get home😉

Jack-O-Lanterns have a long history and have been carved from many things. I've included a little background below... One of the guys grew habaneros and brought some of the peppers into the office. This lone little orange one was left on the counter in the kitchen, so I brought it home to draw a silly face with a Sharpie, and knew it would be a great size for some Barbie pictures:@)

Looks like two pumpkins are coming home after all:@)

Barbie says, 

that's one spicy jack-o-lantern😂

Wikipedia:

A jack-o'-lantern (or jack o'lantern) is a carved lantern, most commonly made from a pumpkin, or formerly a root vegetable such as a mangelwurzel (beet), rutabaga or turnip. Jack-o'-lanterns are associated with the Halloween holiday. Its name comes from the phenomenon of strange lights flickering over peat bogs, called jack-o'-lanterns (also known as, will-o'-the-wisps). It is suggested that the name also has ties to the Irish legend of Stingy Jack, a drunkard who bargains with Satan and is doomed to roam the Earth with only a hollowed turnip to light his way.

🎃Make something just for fun and

Have a Happy Day:@)

1:6 Scale Barbie Pumpkin Pie from Bottle Cap & Clay

Barbie asks, are you ready for pumpkin season? Pumpkins are big business, and a fall essential to many people. She got a couple little beauties in her last CSA box from Cousin Rube's Farm. And while it's way too early to think about Jack-O-Lanterns, she got her knife out with something different in mind...

Pumpkin pie:@)

While these Bottle Cap Pies aren't a new idea, this is the first time I've made one for my Barbie World. It was quick and easy, I like that in a craft:@) I took a standard bottle cap, filled it with clay, and let it dry. Then just painted the top to look like pumpkin pie. You can be as detailed as you'd like, make a lattice top, or a top crust with a pretty design. I made good ole standard pumpkin pie. 

I'd like to thank my son for planting the itty pumpkins and gourds in his garden the last couple years. This Barbie size one is from him, and the smallest in this pic. They have been fun😉

Another easy idea:

Lattice pie from masking tape here.

Make something just for fun, and

Have a Happy Day:@)

Cousin Rube's End of Summer Staycation-Barbie Diorama

Things slow down at Peace and Pancakes Farm towards the middle to end of August. Customers are scarce as everyone uses up some vacation time, and it's still too hot for mums... So Barbie's Cousin Rube decided to close the store for a long weekend before fall, and just relax at the farm house with his girlfriend Reenee. A Staycation of sorts:@) It felt good to just sit with toes in some cool water, catching a breeze for a while...

And Reenee was thrilled to spend a little quiet time with Rube. They've been so busy with the farm, and harvest season will bring in a ton of people for pumpkins and Halloween fun. Just a few days where the only decision they have to make is what's for dinner...

And with a belly like this... Rube takes dinner ~very~ seriously😎

After much deliberation...

Decision made😉

Details: How to make a no-sew Handkerchief Top here. House backdrop, pool, and chair from Dollar Tree. The food came in a Zuru Mystery Ball:

The ball was loaded and every item is substantial plastic, no little cardboard boxes of air... The pizza and sandwich box lids do close. The pizza can be removed from the box, the hot dog comes out of the foil wrapper, and the sushi lid opens and the plate comes out. Everything is ~very detailed~ and as the label implies, all items are real restaurant name brands. Fun stuff folks...

 We here at PIM hope that you too, can take a little time off as summer winds down. It's good for the soul:@)

Because,

Fall is coming folks...

🌻Have a happy day😉

Barbie's Christmas In July -Arriving at Cocktail Party

Barbie and Ken were invited to a ~very fancy~ Christmas In July cocktail party... Oooh la-la:@) Much like the holidays, the occasion gave folks a chance to get just a little dressed up for an (air conditioned) evening of wine tasting and appetizers. And since nobody likes to show up empty handed... Ken brought a classic summertime favorite, Jersey Shore boardwalk salt water taffy.

And Barbie took a drive to Cousin Rube's farm store for a treat to bring. Rube made sure Peace and Pancakes Farm was ready for Christmas in July fun (and hoped to sell a lot of marked down Christmas trees)... A local bakery provides pastries and candy for the sweets cart. I'm telling you folks, that elf is everywhere...

Barbie came home with...

A gingerbread lighthouse...

Perfect for summertime festivities:@)

Barbie's Cousin Rube is a self proclaimed old hippie, a passionate farmer, and master marketeer who greets every season with childlike enthusiasm. He genuinely hopes ~you~ always look for something to celebrate too:@) And um, stop in if you need a new tree...

Details: I found the $1 lighthouse ornament last year at the thrift store and immediately knew I'd use it for Christmas in July. My door scene is a cardboard foldout from Dollar Tree. There are several room scenes to choose from, they can be fun:@) The barn is from the Sweet Orchard Farm playset. Cousin Rube is a 12" Rubeus Hagrid doll from the Harry Potter series. How to make a Barbie necklace here. Big man doll overalls free pattern here.

Previous Barbie Christmas in July:

2020 -Double Sided Pillow

2021 -Stocking Cap from Sock

2022 -Disco Ball Light from $1 Ornaments

2023 -Resort Vacation-Frozen Hot Chocolate

🌴🦩🎅Happy Christmas in July!

Barbie's Trip to Christmas Tree Farm and Holiday Party -A Short Story

Very early one snowy morning Barbie and Ken (and furry friend) hopped into the Jeep and headed north to Cousin Rube's farm to pick out their Christmas tree. While the weather was iffy, Ken was confident the Jeep could handle the trip. Everyone dressed warmly, and was looking forward to seeing Rube's farm.

It was a couple hour drive out to the country, and the scenery was beautiful as the sun began to come out. Everything was frosted and sparkled...

~Someone~ was very excited about the road trip😉 As for Barbie... She was ready for a cup of coffee!

Cousin Rube bought his property a few years ago and the first thing he did was plant evergreen trees. The saplings thrived and grew, and are finally large enough to be harvested, so he opened the gates of his nursery to the public. He's thrilled to see his vision of a sustainable homestead slowly coming to life:@) 

Rube says "Welcome to Peace & Pancakes Farm"...

While Barbie has heard stories of the farm, she really didn't know what to expect... Other than, on the weekends there would be an all you can eat pancake breakfast for a nominal fee. Rube says, even Hippie farm boys have to pay the bills😉 

Barbie found the perfect tree!

Look closely folks...

I'm telling you ~he's everywhere~:@)

There was a great assortment of fresh wreaths, and some handcrafted gift items from local artisans. *Free gift wrapping too... Rube is very detail oriented and thinks of everything🎅 

After a few hours of cold fresh air, a yummy breakfast, and the tree's on top of the Jeep, it was a great visit! Ken waves goodbye as they head back to the city.

Cousin Rube wishes everyone a wonderful Christmastime😎

After they warmed up and the tree was decorated, Barbie and Ken decided to have a small holiday gathering. So they sent out invitations to some close friends for a Theme'd Cocktail Party... Barbie thought it might be fun if couples were encouraged to wear matching outfits. While in real life guys might grumble a bit at such an idea... The Kens seemed to be on-board and willingly dressed up:@) Some wore ~very~ formal wear, while others... Well, others were a bit more playful, while sticking to the dress code of course...

Ken straightens a few ornaments on the tree before the guests arrive. And Barbie's having a little sip in anticipation of a fun evening.

Appetizers were served as the guests arrived.

(Ken's best 'don't hate me because I'm beautiful' pose...)

Jazzy instrumental Christmas music played all evening, which encouraged a little holiday dancing by the glow of Christmas lights.

And of course there's one in every crowd...

Santa Ken with photo prop beard and mustache. He encouraged all the girls to sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas... (Long Santa dress from wine bag DIY.)

Barbie wished for more time with good friends, 

and the peace of Christmas to last all year.

Oh and, to get off of those boney knees:@)

And we here at PIM wish ~you all~ 

a little silly fun this holiday season!

Have a happy day🎅

Barbie Pumpkin Picking & Walmart Multi-Cultural Fashion Dolls

Barbie was tickled to bring her new friend Anthony to Peace and Pancakes Farm to help pick out her Halloween pumpkin this year:@) It was a gorgeous fall day, sunny, breezy, and just a tad on the warm side. After a pancake breakfast they walked around the farm, fed the animals, and watched the kids running around. When they finally made it to the pumpkin patch Barbie couldn't make up her mind...

So many to choose from...

Anthony suggests a beauty:@)

Um, he's glad he ate a hearty breakfast...

Apparently a girl can never have too many pumpkins:@)

Walmart started stocking a few new offerings in the Barbie isle. The doll brands themselves have been around for a while, just new at Walmart:@) I'll start with The Fresh Squad. I've always liked the look of this Anthony doll, but he started at $40 on-line. Ah, no. $12.97 at Walmart now. Much better! He is the same size as the Kens, has 13 points of articulation, can wear Ken clothes, and I love the shaved head.  My only disappointment, the neck only moves side to side, not up and down.

Naturalistas are all about the hair, 

and wear more adult, glamorous clothing. 

I'm getting a Diana Ross vibe:@)

And totally new to me, Latinistas. 

Gorgeous colors, and adult clothing as well.

All dolls still $12.97.

They didn't have the full line of dolls at my store, but a couple variations of each. There were also one or two additional clothing packs.

I wanted to mention it because you have to grab it while it's there folks, the holidays are coming...

Have a Happy Day:@)

ReView: Bottle Cap Spiders, Cheeseburger Chowder & Barbie Ornaments

As we look forward to Halloween and begin decorating... Maybe you're looking for an easy craft for the kids, or need a few more ornaments for the Halloween tree. These Bottle Cap Spiders are a quick project that looks cute:@) Simply save a few caps from water bottles and glue on pipe cleaners for legs. Full tutorial and suggestions here.

If you'd like to try a nice, stick to the ribs, hearty soup, I think you'll like this Cheeseburger Chowder:@) As I mention in the original post, it might not be the prettiest soup, but it sure is good! Perfect as the days begin to get a little cooler.

And one of the things I love looking for at thrift stores is Christmas ornaments that can be used as Barbie toys or diorama props. Had to grab this wooden guitar for $1 the minute I saw it:@) The strings are wire and there's a ton of detail. The dolls are enjoying the nice weather and a quiet moment at Cousin Rube's Peace and Pancakes Farm...

Here's another one that's 2 for $1.25... While I do understand these ornaments are intended to resemble harps, I just love the scale as a guitar for Barbie. All I did was hot glue a strap to the back of the instrument and wa-la we have a fun toy for Barbie play.

 The ornaments I used:
I did rub some glitter off of two spots on the back before I glued the ribbon trim on.

🎃Happy Early Fall!

Have a great weekend:@)

Easy Cake/Cookie Flower Decoration & Cousin Rube's Pallet Gardening Tips

Mother's Day is next Weekend and I wanted to remind everyone of this super simple method for decorating a cake or large cookie with icing. These Swirled Icing Flowers are easy enough that the kids can do it themselves. I used a stiff decorator's icing here, but think a nice smooth buttercream would be even better. I've also included a recipe for a 10" peanut butter skillet cookie. Have fun with it:@)

And I'm not the only one with gardening on the mind... Barbie's Cousin Rube is a huge crusader for recycling, sustainable living, and keeping as much out of the landfills as possible. So he's a big fan of pallet gardening. Recently he held a class about it at Peace and Pancakes Farm. For a nominal fee, folks were shown how to turn a pallet into a garden bed, given a bag of soil and compost, got to pick out a strawberry plant or vegetable seeds, and took home a pallet from the stack behind the barn. And of course, all were treated to a pancake breakfast before class. Yep, Rube knows how to show folks a good time:@) 

Free pattern for big man doll overalls here.

He used an HT stamped pallet, and stapled fabric onto each open end to create a container. Then filled it with soil.

Pallet gardening is good for shorter plants: Peas, lettuce, spinach, beans, strawberries, cucumbers, peppers, herbs, and flowers like petunias.

Pallet Gardening Tutorial/Tips/Ideas:

1. Pallet gardening is basically treating a recycled pallet as a raised bed or planter. It's important to only use pallets with an HT (heat treated) stamp. These pallets are food safe.
2. We recommend wearing gardening gloves, there can always be a chance for splinters when working with wood.
3. Find a spot to grow your garden. Fruiting plants (strawberries, peppers, string beans) need 6-8 hours of sun a day. Leafing plants (lettuce, spinach, herbs) only need a few hours of sun.
4. Staple gardening fabric (or recycled old legs from jeans, etc) to the open sides of the pallet. You can run fabric from the top opening of one side, across the bottom and up to the top of the other side. This contains the soil inside the pallet. But if the pallet is on dirt you can skip the bottom and only cover the sides. Or even place the pallet on cardboard or newspaper for the bottom.
5. Fill with raised bed soil/compost/peat/etc, any combination you research and like.
6. Make spaces for plants or seeds between the slots and add them. Cover with soil, water well, add more soil if needed as it settles.
7. Water on warm and hot days when it doesn't rain.
8. There is plenty of information online about pallet gardening.
9. But most importantly, have fun with it😎

Personal Note: 

I encourage everyone to have a few plants.

Mother Nature is amazing, 

and kids love eating what they grow!

You'd be surprised how much you can grow in just one pot.

My Raised Bed Garden Progress Pinterest Board here.

Hippie Cousin Rube says,

there's nothing better than home grown veggies...

🌼Have a great weekend🌞