Susy Goose Barbie vanity

Refurbished Barbie furniture

~ Sylvia Bittner ~ Leave a comment

I have a little stockpile of Barbie furniture that I’ve just finished painting and sealing. All are available now in my Etsy shop.

I believe these pieces were originally from a 2006 Barbie castle.
Notice the miniature cameos I added to the insets on the chairs
Vintage Susy Goose Barbie vanity from the 1960’s.

Shopping treasures from GAW Barbie Convention

~ Sylvia Bittner ~ 2 Comments

Believe it or not, I actually took time to do some room shopping and wander the sales room at the GAW Barbie Convention. I didn’t make it to every room, but I did find some treasures.

Susy Goose Barbie furniture to repaint
3D printed and laser cut backdrops
Miscellaneous treasures: hats and bouquets from Paintbox Designs, a pretty dress for one of my dolls to wear (many of whom were purchased nude and have nothing to wear when they’re not modeling my fashions), jewelry, luggage, a silk scarf to make into Barbie dresses, a pink poodle, and a 3D printed mannequin.
I bought one doll, a Silkstone Barbie who has had her hair restyled (so pretty!). I bought her loose, dressed in lingerie. I was disappointed to discover later that her waist is broken and she’d been taped together. She still models well for my purposes, but I wish the seller had disclosed that.

GAW Barbie convention preview

~ Sylvia Bittner ~ 4 Comments

On Wednesday, I leave for the GAW Barbie Convention in Livonia, MI. For the last few months, I’ve been busy sewing, painting, gluing, and assembling. Here’s a preview of some of the things I’ll be bringing with me.

Refurbished vintage Susy Goose Barbie piano
Refurbished vintage Susy Goose Skipper vanity
Refurbished vintage Susy Goose Barbie vanity
Barbie dresses made from vintage Gianni Vercase and Burberry handkerchiefs
Barbie dresses hand sewn from vintage Barbie handkerchiefs
More hankie dresses … from designer hankies, hand embroidered hankies, and luxury fabrics
I’ll be bringing about 30 one of a kind hand sewn doll dresses with me, along with more furniture, a wide assortment of 1:6 scale miniatures, and much, much more!
I counted and I’ve made over 75 mini pillows!
Come see me during room sales Thursday or Friday or in the sales room on Saturday or Sunday.

Susy Goose furniture repaints for GAW Barbie convention

~ Sylvia Bittner ~ Leave a comment

5 days until we leave for the GAW Barbie convention … and I’m still working on last minute projects. I decided it was time to repaint some circa 1963 vintage Susy Goose Barbie furniture. I have two vanities (Skipper and Barbie) and a piano that are getting refurbished. After removing the music box, I had to do the dreaded soak and scrub to remove the gross red flocking from inside the piano.

I settled on Willow Mist for the base paint color … it’s a pale blush color that leans a little toward lavender. Then I’m accenting with treasure gold, pearl white and pearl pink. After 8 hours of painting, I’m ready for a break. I’ll finish the pieces tomorrow with a coat of sealer and then add new mirrors and seat cushions.

The assembly line …
Lid of the piano
I added cameos in the insets on the sides of the piano.

Refurbished Susy Goose Barbie vanity and hope chest

~ Sylvia Bittner ~ 2 Comments

I’ve been working on painting this vanity and hope chest for a few weeks now. When you use so many colors, drying time is definitely a factor! But I finally finished them this morning.

If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you know how much I love the Susy Goose Barbie furniture. Manufactured in Jonesville, Michigan, in the early 1960’s, these delightful French provincial pieces are unique. Mattel hasn’t come up with any Barbie furniture quite as wonderful as these vintage treasures. Over time, however, the white plastic yellows, so a good paint job can bring these pieces back to life. Available and on sale now in my Etsy shop. Set includes vanity, bench seat, hope chest, and everything shown on the vanity top.

Waiting for paint to dry

~ Sylvia Bittner ~ Leave a comment

It’s a drizzly day outside, which makes it the perfect day for crafting. I have a bunch of doll furniture stockpiled, just waiting for a new coat of paint. So I’m starting out with a vintage Susy Goose Barbie vanity and 3 Barbie Fan Club chairs. I’ve got the first coat on everything, and it will probably take 2-3 more coats before I finish with sealer. I also just got a package in the mail with a vintage Susy Goose Barbie piano that needs some love. What color shall I paint this piano …. Previously, I’ve done blue, white, cream, pink, vertigris, black, and green. Revisit one of those colors, or try something new? Suggestions? How about lilac?