Skipper and Stacie

Dear Readers,

I posted previously about Only Hearts Club clothes which are a perfect fit for my Licca and Dal dolls. One of my follower asked me about the fit on Skipper dolls.  So I did a quick try this morning (baby woke up at 4:30am). 

I am very pleased to say that both dolls seem to wear the clothes well, except the pants are too tight for Skipper.  The shoes fit too both doll very nicely (without socks).

A view of their back.  The skirt is a snug fit on Skipper.

She is such a pretty doll!  I should take more pictures of her!

I wished Mattel would release more clothes for Skipper and Stacie.  Thank goodness for the Only Hearts Club fashion packs though!  They came in really handy for my little dolls.  

If you are interested, I am giving away this nifty rocker outfit from Only Hearts Club.  It comes with a guitar, long-sleeve shirt, a jacket, pants, scarf and shoes!  Ideally, I should have tried it on my dolls so you can see more clearly but it was already 6am when I finished the photos and I had to go to work!   

Let me know if you are interested in participating in your comment below.  You have to be a follower of my blog to join the giveaway.  Deadline is next Friday November 21st at 9pm CET.  I'll announce the winner on Saturday.  Good luck and have a wonderful weekend everybody :)

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own. I was not paid or received gifts to write this or mention any stores or website. You may find a better store in your area.

Barbie Fashion Fever Build a Room Kit

Dear Readers,

I have been wanting to build a roombox for quite some time so I can take pictures of my dollies.   I even chose the wood planks at the craft store but I am no good at this.  Fast-foward 4 months and still no roombox so I decided out of desperation to try the Barbie Fashion Fever Build A Room Kit.  It was a whopping $25 dollars on Amazon.  I told you I was desperate >.<

The outside box looked so promising.  It included two different wallpapers and ridges on the floor (which means I could re-use it for other wallpapers of my own),   There was also a thin shelf and a few accessories like yellow stickers for the floor and other non-memorable plastic items. 

The walls are made of two cardboard pieces that you can insert in the ridges you see on the floor.  One side is covered with a rather hypnotic and annoying pattern of pink and red roses. The shelf is super thin and could probably carry only a frame or other light objects.

On the other side of the wall is another equally hypnotic pattern composed of white, green and blue diamond.  Notice the gap in between the two walls?  That's a design flaw.  The miWorld mall store solved that issue by providing a small triangular plastic piece that connected the top of the two walls.  I used tape on the back to do the same trick in this case.

The Barbie doll shown on the front of the box looks small but I think it's because she is standing in the middle of the room and the angle of the shot made her look that way.  In reality, a Barbie doll is very tall for the walls of this room.  See below for a comparison photo.  From left to right: Barbie, Liv, J-Doll, and Licca.

I think the J-Doll and Licca dolls would be suitable for the height of this room because Barbie and Liv would look awkward in the shots unless they sit down. 

In the picture below is J-Doll Marche.  She is a beautiful doll with an awesome outfit.  I changed her into a more comfortable attire.  She is dressed in a white and green summer dress made by Re-ment.  She was blessed with gorgeous soft hair so I did not have to rewig her like I did for J-Doll Esplanadi Katu.  

The chair, footrest and table are from my Hannah Montana Malibu Beach House.  The flower and vase are accessories from a Barbie blue kitchen set. 

J-Doll Esplanadi Katu was invited for an afternoon tea.  Her grey shorts and white top with blue polka dot are also made by Re-ment.  Shelf, chairs and table by IKEA and all tea cups and plates by Re-ment.  The scones and muffin are from Re-ment  Bread and Butter Collection.  They look amazingly real and the texture was even well done!  It was just too much fun to set up this scene!  But that red line on the wallpaper corner annoyed me to no end!  

I had to take a shot from another angle to hide that red line.  Don't you think it looks less distracting now that it is no longer there?  That's another design flaw.  The red line is from the other side of the wall covered with the roses.  What an unprofessional finish to leave it there for the other wallpaper! 

The floor is meh.  The yellow stickers were ridiculous and I would have preferred another cardboard insert to show a proper wood floor or carpet or something actually less tacky than huge pink tiles but hey, this is Barbie stuff so getting pink is rather the norm.

I do love that Mattel actually came up with a roombox but it could have been so much better.    Sadly, they didn't improve on the initial design and it fell out of production.  I hope they will eventually release something close to that idea but with better walls and floors and maybe allow for a window or door to be added.  That would be AWESOME!  

I think I overpaid for this and it is really not worth the $25 I spent.  I am still biting my hands over that but it may have possibilities and I will look into creating my own wallpapers... preferably without hypnotic patterns or a red line smack in the corner of the room!

Best Friends Club Ink Fashion Pack

Dear Readers,

Did you have a pleasant weekend?  I was mostly at home enjoying my time off from work.  I took the kids to the park and we also went to the restaurant but it was otherwise a quiet and calm weekend.

I did however stop by the Dollar Store (where every item is priced at $1) and I found Best Friends Club Ink Fashion Packs.  There were five different sets.  I bought the following three.

You can see on the back of the package the five different outfits with the BFC ink dolls.  I didn't see any dolls in the store.  They were released years ago by MGA Entertainment (the same company that produces Bratz dolls and Moxie Girlz dolls) but are now discontinued.  The fashion packs shown here are for the small size dolls, not for the 18 inches dolls which were also called BFC ink dolls.

I don't own any BFC ink dolls but I bought the clothes for my small size dolls.  I opened the pink outfit.  I chose to buy this one because it has a nice pink top with tiny white polka dots, ruffle collar, and long sleeves with flower prints.  Also in the pack was pink hot pants (or very short shorts) with a pink belt and silver clasp.  A backpack, pink and white striped knee socks and purple sneakers complete the outfit.   The top and shorts have velcro closure in the back.  I tried the garments on a few dolls.

The first to try is a Stacie doll from Mattel.  She is one of Barbie's many little sisters.  It was a little difficult to dress her up because of her right arm's bent position.  The socks kept snagging over her legs while I was dressing her up.   The shoes are way too big for her.

The top looks great on her but the shorts are too big although you can hardly notice from the front.

From the back, it's another story!

The backpack is really cute and does open and close with a velcro stripe on the top.  However, the back and side pockets do not open.

I found this Stacie doll at a garage sales.  She was disheveled and naked when I got her.  She seems quite happy to finally have some clothes! 

Next to try the outfit is Hina-chan who shares the same body as Licca dolls.  It was a breeze to dress her up!  Licca dolls have such smooth body so clothes literally glide over their limbs!  The shoes are still too big.

From the front, you can see the sleeves are too long.

The back shows how tight the top is for her.  I could not close it completely.

Next in line is another of Licca's friend, Maria-chan but with Obitsu 23 cm body.

My photos do not do any justice to this beautiful doll.  She has strawberry blonde hair (that can apparently change color if you wet or heat them up... but I have not tried yet!) EDIT: her hair actually curls but does not change color!  I found the LINK HERE that shows the different hair styles!  The Licca doll that can change hair color is THIS ONE.  Takara has released a few other Licca dolls with the same hair color change ability.

I bought her head without a Licca body. It was cheaper that way (only $5 as opposed to $35 for a full body doll) and I wanted to try an Obitsu body anyway!  The BFC ink clothes fit the Obitsu 23cm very well.

The back closes perfectly for both the top and shorts.  The socks and shoes fit her well too.

The last doll to try the outfit is a Licca doll but with an Azone Pure Neemo S Body.  As it was the case with Maria-chan, I bought her head only and purchased a different body type that I wanted to try out for my dolls.

The top fits but the shorts were too small for Pure Neemo "fatter" legs.  The shoes fit perfectly though.  I gave her a skirt from the Re-ment Summer Clothes Collection.

The back velcro closes well without any problem.

Overall, I would say that I am extremely happy with the Best Friends Club Ink Fashion Packs.  They are so well made and super affordable!  For $1 only, I got an entire outfit with shoes and bag included!  They can fit many dolls and you can mix and match with other outfits!

I wished MGA Entertainment still produced the dolls who look really cute from the pictures I saw on the flyers included in the fashion packs.  There was also an iron-on picture in each pack.  

I regret not buying the other two fashion sets so I'll probably go back to the Dollar Store tomorrow to get them now that I know they can fit so many of my dolls.   

Barbie Beach Raquelle Doll

Dear Readers,

Rain rain rain! We had rain for the last 3 days.  One night, the rain came down so fast and so strongly that within an hour, the sewers got clogged.  Our neighbor called us at 3am saying the front of our home was under water and we should check if we had any damage inside.  Good thing he called because we rushed out of bed and sure enough, water had started to flood our living room.  We moved all the furniture away from the front door and front window and started scooping the water.  Nothing was damaged but the floor will eventually need some fixing if this flooding goes on. 

We actually get flooded at least twice a year during the summer but it's not too bad if we are home and can scoop the water out before it spreads to the whole apartment.

While moving our living room furniture, I realized I had a lot of dollhouses and dolls displayed in my bookcase.  I'll have to purge organize my collection soon otherwise I won't have any more space for the new arrivals!

Many dolls have been added to my dolly family during the last few month.  Among them is a Barbie Beach Raquelle Doll!  I bought her because she is so pretty and her face mold looks quite different from the other Barbie dolls I usually see in stores.

She is also very affordable for under $8.  She comes with a bikini and sunglasses.  Her hair looks great but it's super stiff.  I think Mattel had it covered in some sort of glue to keep the shape of the end-curls.  I might be able to make it more manageable after a soak in hot water and hair conditioner.

The only thing I don't like is her body. It's hollow plastic so you can't bend her knees or arms.  I will eventually swap her body for a more flexible one.   

Here she is unboxed!  Can you see how stiff she is?

She is sitting in a Hannah Montana Malibu Beach House !

Her hair is a little messy because my neighbor's daughter came to visit today and she really wanted to play with my dolls and the dollhouse.  I just couldn't say no to the little girl and let her play all her heart's content.

Raquelle held up nicely in the hands of a 4 year-old!

She deserves a little rest now :)

Do you like this Barbie doll?  I think she fits perfectly in that beach house.  I'll write a post about the dollhouse soon so you can see how fantastic it is!

Barbie 1998 Family Cottage

Dear Readers,

I was hoping I would be able to evade the cold that my husband, son and baby all caught.  But it finally won over and I am the last one to be sick.  Since nobody has complained and went on like it was nothing, I feel like a wuss for being weak and sickly.  You see, my husband and children are completely different than me when they have a cold.  They go on like it's regular business and don't fret at all.  On my side of the family, it's totally different.  My dad and brother act like they are about to die.  I am in-between.  I don't feel good at all and I want to lie down in bed and can't sleep because I feel so sick.   So I get up and work as usual except it's not the same of course and I am forgetful, unfocused and grumpy.

So I hope my writing today won't be too erratic because I just finished the photoshoot for this Barbie cottage that I meant to show you for months!

One of the advantage of living in a big city is that there are many people who will get rid of their unwanted toys.  It's not uncommon to find dollhouses in garage sales, thrift stores or personal ads.  A few months ago I found a dollhouse for sale for a good price.

It was in such good condition I was wondering if it was played with at all.  This dollhouse is the 1998 Barbie Family Cottage.  It is equipped with sounds for the microwave, radio and telephone (it requires 3 AAA batteries).  

The house is beautifully designed with reddish orange scalloped roof, blue walls, beige windows and lattice details. The outside of the house is very nice with a fountain/sink and a box for flowers.  The latch in front of the gate opens to reveal a compact but complete interior.

The back has nice windows and what looks like doors but they do not open.

The central piece rotates to display 3 different areas: a kitchen, a bedroom and a fireplace mantle.  On the left is a lounge area, which doubles as a bedroom or a bathroom.  On the right is a dining room.

The central room can be a kitchen equipped with a fridge with a door you can open to reveal a storage area.  There is a sink, a stove and a microwave.   The telephone and microwave make a sound.

The central room can also become a bedroom with 3 beds:

• one large bed Barbie size doll
• one medium bed for Skipper size doll
• one blue crib for Kelly size doll (the crib is missing so I replaced it with another one)

There is a computer with pullout keyboard and a shelf with a Radio that Plays music (it's pretty lame elevator music though).  I am missing the original cream-colored chair that comes with this playset.

This is what it looks like when the beds are pulled down.  I added a crib from another playset.

A fireplace with mantle is the third part of the rotating section.

The last side of this rotating center is where the batteries are found.  The hollow space on the bottom is probably where the original crib and chair would be stored away but I don't know for sure.

On the right is the living room/bedroom/bathroom. The room can be a living room but when you pull the wall down, you have a large bed for Barbie-sized dolls.  If you lift the lid on the bed, you have a Bathtub/Shower which comes with a rack for bathing items.

On the left there is a Table that folds down to create a small dining area.  There should be a fold-down bench attached to the wall but that piece is missing.  There should also be a baby chair that you can attach to the table but it's missing.  In 1998, Mattel created many furniture in the same blue color so I used my 1998 Barbie So Real So now furniture to complete the cottage.  It now has chairs for the dining room.

A dresser with mirror (from the 1998 So Real So Now Bedroom playset) is added to the bedroom.


I really like the door/gate.  It's so pretty and elegant.  The flowers on the front are beautiful.

The left-hand side is equally pretty and detailed.  I find this home cozy.  The cats sleeping in the front represent the cottage very well: it is a Home Sweet Home :)

One of the thing I like best about this dollhouse it that it's foldable so it does not take much space to store.  I don't think it will work for a diorama for my dolls but I want to keep it for sure for when my baby girl will be old enough to play with Barbie dolls.

Here below are my Licca dolls on the beds so you can see how a doll would fit on them.  I like how the dollhouse is meant to be a home for a family and not just for a single doll.  Still, that bed is very narrow and can only fit one doll... so dad sleeps on the floor?