Customizing doll shoes

If you’ve purchased a dress from me recently, you know I always include a free gift with your purchase — usually a pair of shoes for your doll. I prefer pumps for that classic look, but I’ve settled for sling-backs, which are readily available to buy in bulk on Etsy. Black sling-backs are the cheapest and easiest to find, and recently, I’ve also been able to purchase red, pink, and purple in bulk (although at a slightly higher price than black). But what about for those of us who want blush, taupe, blue or green? I have been known to glue colored resin/rhinestone bows onto shoes, but lately I’ve been experimenting with painting black shoes with nail polish. I stuff a Q-tip into a shoe and start painting. My high-tech drying solution is to place the other end of the Q-tip into the hole of some stacked reels of ribbon. It generally takes 5-6 coats of polish and then I seal it with a topcoat. Not sure how these will wear over time, but so far so good. Hoping someone will make white sling-backs available in bulk soon!

Hallmark Kiddie Car Classic

A couple of weeks ago, I found this Hallmark Kiddie Car Classic in an antique shop. I thought it might be about the right size for a Chelsea or Kelly doll, and discovered it fits Chelsea perfectly! I’m not sure if Hallmark still makes these, but you can find plenty of options on eBay.

Mini shopping bags for Barbie and friends

I’ve been so busy making things to sell at the Grant A Wish Barbie Convention in April, but I’m also looking forward to room shopping. To get in the spirit, I decided Barbie needed her own shopping bag.

All you need is a printer, some glue, and a bit of 1/8” wide ribbon.

Make your own mini shopping bags by downloading this file. Fold under along dotted lines and white tabs. Put glue on the white tabs and assemble. I used a small hole punch to punch out the white circles on the sides of the bag. Then thread ribbon through the holes and tie knots on the end or tape to the inside of the bag to secure.

mini-hankie-chic-shopping-bagsDownload

1:6 scale furniture makeovers

A little while ago, I wrote about some doll furniture I repainted for a friend. I just finished a pair of chairs for the same friend and thought I’d share those as well.

Before … plastic Mattel Barbie chair

After

I hand painted the chairs in brown, cream, and gold and glued on brass stampings I found on Etsy.

Minis and makeovers

Every now and then, I browse the toy aisle at Walmart. I’ve seen the Mini Brands food items before, but this is the first time I’ve noticed the Mini Brands fashion and Disney store items. They come packaged in a plastic ball, so what you get will be a surprise. I decided to try out the Disney and fashion balls. I would have purchased more of the fashion balls, but I could only find one. I was pleasantly surprised with the contents.

The Disney package included dolls that will fit perfectly in Barbie’s toy shop.

The fashion package included a purse that closes with a magnetic clasp (fancy!), a mini dog, and sunglasses to fit Barbie.

In other news, on eBay I found this cute chandelier from the 2015 Barbie dream house and decided to give it a makeover by painting the candles and flames. I picked up some black chain in the jewelry making section of Walmart to hang it with. I have a couple more on order to try out some other color combinations. Gold might be nice …

Getting ready for GAW Barbie Convention

If you’ve been wondering why I haven’t been posting many dresses lately, it’s because I’m busy getting ready for the GAW Barbie Convention in Livonia, Michigan, next month. I have about 25 OOAK dresses set aside to take with me (and hoping to get more made!), plus I’ve been working on 1:6 scale miniatures and some custom orders. (I won’t show you the dresses now, for fear you’d want to buy them before I get there and then I’d have none to take!) I’ve been trying to package up the miniatures as I go so I’m not frantically packing the day before. Here’s what I have done so far. More to come! Come visit Hankie Chic during room sales and in the sales room. Hope to see you there!

Magnetic brooches for Barbie

1:6 scale framed Barbie photos, pillows, and vanity sets

1:6 scale Barbie books and paper doll sets

My sister’s been knitting throw blankets and faux fur stoles for your favorite doll

My sister also made a bunch of Barbie tote bags

I’ll also have printed copies of some of my exclusive Hankie Chic sewing patterns available

Barbie bargains at the dollar store

Our local Dollar Tree store just got in a bunch of Barbie merchandise. Get them while they’re hot.

1:6 scale furniture makeovers

I’ve been working on refurbishing some Barbie furniture for a friend. I finished the first two pieces today. I used FolkArt multi-surface craft paint. I first painted everything white to get a solid base. While the paint is thin, it adheres well to plastic, and having a white undercoat allowed the brush strokes of the brown paint to appear as wood grain. Then I used FolkArt Treasure Gold as an accent.

Before

After

Berry Argyle for Barbie and friends

I imagine most people decorate for Christmas in the traditional red and green. I, however, decorate for Christmas in pink and green. So when I found this vintage pink and green Burberry argyle handkerchief, I thought “Christmas.” Although, some may think “Easter” instead, but either way, it’s a versatile dress. Available now in my Etsy shop.

Also available are these doll size throws hand knitted by my sister in Christmas green and Evergreen.

New Hallmark Keepsake ornament: 1:6 scale crayon box

This weekend, I went to my local Hallmark store to see the new Hallmark Keepsake Christmas ornaments for 2021. I bought a bunch that I’ll share later, but one of my favorites is the mini box of crayons. They’re the perfect size for Barbie and they look great with my 1:6 scale Barbie paper dolls! (Paper dolls are available to download from my Etsy shop.)

I didn’t have any real crayons in the house, so here’s a pencil and scissors to show the scale of the paper dolls and crayon box ornament.