Finally got the weather and time to tackle my project again and it was great! Having learned from my previous mistakes, I decided to string up the possible pieces for sealing. It went well until I discovered on two chair bottoms the paint was bubbling in big pieces. I’m not sure if it was because I used too much paint before or if it was too much spray sealant but I freaked and debating doing the rest. I was able to fix it about 85% once it hardened and I couldn’t leave some pieces unsealed so I kept my distance and kept the can moving. No other pieces reacted this way thankfully. Those I couldn’t hang I lay out on cardboard so they wouldn’t stick and it worked perfectly. As pieces dried I brought them in and rearranged the sets to get maximum coverage. I used both a matte (on cushion pieces) and gloss sealer. This time I worked from my back patio and it was so much better. Besides the humidity being lower, I was able to capitalize on the sunlight and breeze. *Clicking on any picture will enlarge it for better viewing
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Hasbro has released their first line of action figure-esque dolls in their Forces of Destiny series! The dolls are a good mix of both action figures and standard dress up, with varying degrees of molded clothing to removable. The deluxe Endor Leia is the only one without molded clothing so far. They include: Deluxe Endor Adventure Leia ($34.99), Rebel Rey & BB8 ($24.99), Hoth Leia & R2-D2 ($24.99), Jyn Erso ($19.99), Sabine Wren($19.99), and Rey($19.99). They can be found online and in-store at Amazon, Target, Toys'R'Us and Hasbrotoyshop.com so far!
The second run looks like it'll include Ashoka ($24.99), Chewbacca ($19.99) and Luke with Yoda ($24.99). No word on these release dates! All the pieces more than touch dry were collected on my table, and armed with a nail and tooth brush, I set to work buffing off the excess spray paint clumps. Some came off easily, and I switched to just the nail brush as it wasn’t harming the paint and was better at buffing. I discovered a few of the wood tables had paint runs across the top from being turned upside down too soon but after a second coat they were minimal enough to mimic natural imperfections. The older Barbie furniture took to the paint very well, minus the white paint that’s still tacky more than 24 hours later. The aluminum looks the best and aside for a bubble spot or two the black couch really looks nice now. The brown comes off darker on film than real life and looks really good with the ivory cushions. Next is sealing and while I did do a few pieces, I want to save them for the next post when I have more done. Materials Needed: rubbing alcohol, Goo-Be-Gone, painters tape, scissors, spray paint, spray paint sealer, drop cloth, fingernail brush, mask, gloves, floss or fishing line*
Saturday morning, having awoken very late at 11am, I arranged my pieces in groups according to color being sprayed. Then I donned my disposable latex gloves, face mask, crocs and went to work! Spraying was super fun and I stopped to take a picture after my first round. It was then I noticed a lot of furniture had been left on the couch so I grabbed those and sprayed some more! The heat and humidity was insane and even with brief 15 minute periods outside, I was drenched with sweat running down all over. I waited over between an hour to two until the items weren’t tacky anymore, before flipping, rearranging and spraying again. My mom visited me and was kind enough to bring me another can of kona brown and white as I burned through mine quickly. At this point, the humidity wasn’t helping the paint dry or me from getting nastier, so I set up our box fan atop the deep freeze. Not only did it create a breeze over the pieces, but it also helped blow the paint fumes away from the door into the house. A few pieces, including almost all the white, needed to be touched up so all day was in, out, stand up, squat down, spray, lift, etc.
I was miffed to discover the excess spray paint on the drop cloth was lifting up in flaps and sticking to the furniture. For my touch-up round, after bringing everything inside to cool and set for a few hours, I folded my drop cloth in half to give me a clean slate to work off. Still, the excess paint clumps didn’t make me happy and led to an expected process that took up my evening along with the round three of spraying. Friday night, I spent an hour at Home Depot debating between colors and even texting options to my mom for her opinion. I settled on these colors: aluminum for appliances/accents, black for leather/piano, Ivory silk for seat cushions, kona brown for wood furniture, and white for ceramic/fiberglass pieces. I also grabbed satin espresso for cabinets, stone sienna for countertops & floor edges, and soft iron which I’m trading in for midnight black glitter for the roof. I’m very excited over the stone sienna spray because the color has a texture to it! I even used it for the kitchen countertop, which incidentally the paint matches our own counters, and it came out sooo cool! This will also go on the house floor edges and certain sections of the front and back to give it a unique look. Paint and drop cloth purchased, I began the arduous process of retrieving all the furniture from my Barbie crate, opening the Gloria sets, and breaking it all down. I removed any stickers and residue using Goo-Be-Gone, cleaned the old furniture with Clorox wipes and lastly, gave everything a good rub down with rubbing alcohol. Any stickers I wanted to retain, I covered with blue painter’s tape and sliced with scissors to get a clean cut. Several pieces will consist of multiple colors, so as sections are painted and sealed, I’ll have to tape those before spraying the rest. This took from 9pm to around 1am as I also swept out the usable portion of the garage and folded my 9’x12’ drop cloth in half, securing it from lifting.
Thanks to a surprise Fri evening to Sun morning trip to the in-laws my DH took our girls too, I decided to FINALLY start a project that’s been over 6 years in the making: redoing my old original Barbie house and furniture! I received the 1985 Dream House, or the pink -A-Frame dream house, for Christmas 1990 when I was 5 ½ years old. The house is massive and features six house across three units you can push together or apart depending on play. It was and still is an awesome house! In Christmas of 1993, I was gifted 4-6 new Barbie furniture sets ranging from kitchen to bathroom. It was then my dissatisfaction of everything coming a shade a pink began. I couldn’t wrap my mind around why Barbie’s tub or fridge had to be pink when silver or white made more sense. Before I even had children, I purchased some NIB Gloria doll furniture I really liked exclusively with this intent and devised two different color schemes for the furniture and house. I plan on using various vinyl craft sheets for the floors, such as black and white checker in bathroom, faux marble/tile in kitchen, etc. One plan was more modern and the other traditional; I went with the traditional because it matched the furniture better and I’m not attempting to re-create my tastes in miniature.
At present, I have the following furniture sets slated for updating: kitchen (refrigerator, refrigerator shelves, stove/oven, sink counter & cabinet, table, 2 chairs), bathroom (tub, baby tub, toilet, over toilet storage shelf, sink counter & shelf), living room (“leather” couch & chair, storage ottoman, stereo system), dining room (table, six chairs), living room #2 (love seat, 2 chairs, “glass top” end table, 2 side end tables), a grand piano & seat, rocking chair, round end table, grand clock, chaise, and bed frame. Will also be touching up a "wicker" end table and the closet. Barbie. You love her or you hate her; there seems to be no middle ground upon which to make camp. Her body, fashions, family and careers have undergone countless transformations throughout her fifty-four years of play and she’s been the focus of innumerable critiques ranging from the lack of ethnic diversity to perpetuating unrealistic beauty and body standards for women. But where are these voices of protest springing from and is it fair to leave Barbie holding all the cards?
A mother’s concern of society sexualizing and beauty stereotyping her pre-pubescent daughter is no laughing matter, especially given the degree of body image dissatisfaction in women throughout America and the modern world. I was intrigued one afternoon, after a feverish few days bidding on Barbie doll items on eBay, why it seems everyone blames the doll but no human element. I’d read articles shaming Mattel for producing such a wicked creation and how society must demand change in order to repair the damage. Thankfully, the emergence of the Brats and Monster High dolls, with even worse stereotypical bodies, lessoned the venom hurled at Barbie. (On a side note, I find the Brats line despicable and the Monster High not much better, but I digress) Armed with my Masters of Psychology and some twenty-four odd years of loving Barbie, not stating when I got my first, the answer was both obvious and simple: presentation and attitude. First, allow me to provide background with Barbie, lest I appear one-sided. I was gifted, as most girls are, my first Barbie before I started kindergarten. My memories of that time, while hazy, show I wasn’t overly thrilled by her, my mother even less so, but I was fascinated in dressing/undressing her and prancing her along the back of the couch enacting my “stories”. STORIES: a key word. I’m certain my mother encouraged my behavior in this regard and I thank her for it, because I NEVER identified with Barbie. I was NOT her, didn’t want to BE her, didn’t want to LOOK like her, and the late 80’s-early 90’s fashions were terrifying even then, so in no way did I want to DRESS like her. Still, Barbie and I have a long-lasting love relationship, and why; because I was encouraged to view Barbie as a vessel of my imagination. Barbie was anything I wanted her to be and I made her suit ME. Granted, I was fortunate to be a child when Disney experienced it’s Classic Movie hay-day and I own ALL the Disney dolls produced between 1989 and 1997ish, or at least the principal characters. These dolls received much more play-time than the basic blonde versions, since I had a story to relive and rewrite besides my own imaginings. (I’ll admit, this may be a deciding factor to why I don’t have large issues with Barbie but Mattel made them both regardless) Now everyone knew or had a friend who was ‘that’ Barbie girl. You know the one: the girl whose Barbie spent countless hours being dressed and hair brushed, all so she could go on dates, or shopping, or out to eat. The one who played at Real Life scenarios primarily and mostly those adhering to typical gender roles they witnessed day-to-day. Don’t misunderstand, I had Doctor Barbie with the working stethoscope and Astronaut Barbie and more, and they didn’t enter my fantasy play sessions. My doll house was the coveted two-story, 3-sectioned 1990 Barbie Dream House, all my furniture was modern and of course, colored the standard Barbie Pink. When we went fantasy, that house went un-used; the two didn’t mesh. Nonetheless, in all my years playing alone and with friends, I never once heard a parent question our play or enquire to our storyline besides my mother, and she’d try guiding us down a different path with questions if what we said bothered her. This happened infrequently but enough so it stood out. Maybe because I was the dominant player and I suggested the storylines more often than not, but I can’t be certain. Perhaps if I was into fashion more (I like my clothes flattering and comfortable) this might all be different, but even that avenue may be shaped into positive self-esteem play. My daughter is only 16 months old at present yet I cannot wait to introduce her to Barbie and bestow upon her all my toys. (Yes, I still have almost every piece of Barbie I ever played with in very good condition and safely stored) I’m customizing my house and furniture to provide a more realistic tone, as well as hide the overwhelming pinkness. I even bought new furniture sets we can use to redecorate the house for fantasy/historical storylines. My point: I’m exposing her to Barbie as a tool of her imagination, instead of my daughter as Barbie’s tool. Will it work? Maybe. I’m nothing if not optimistic, and I’ll have several years to guide my daughter in what it means to be a woman in today’s world outside the play room. For now, I can only feel pity for those young girls who want to be like Barbie and hope they have a friend of the other persuasion that will show them life isn’t all dressing sexy and dating Ken, or Ryan, or whoever he is nowadays. Perhaps after reading this article, YOU, as a parent may take a more active role in your child’s play, even if it eats into your free time. Who knows, with less Barbie bashing and more interacting, when our daughters are mothers, Barbie will have changed for the better and the world will be a more beautiful place for us both. Long time no write! Summer has been busy for me, especially work wise as I'm in charge of the Little Free Library our company is sponsoring. That meant obtaining funding, ordering unit, book drive and all the extra work that follows sorting, labelling, obtain site approval, etc.
Family has been good; my eldest is gearing up for kindergarten so I had to register her at the school, for the afterschool care program, bus pick-ups and figuring out when school even started! Daycare attempted to pull some crap due to upcoming legislature, requiring all daycares be able to provide meals for every child regardless if they eat their food. My youngest has packed from day 1, so I wasn't thrilled they were forcing me to shell out an extra $1,300 a year for a service I wasn't using. Luckily, my pediatrician agreed their meal plan was wretched and wrote me an exemption for dietary and health issues currently being monitored. Mom -1, Daycare -0! Toy news has slowed, we really haven't bought anything new worth reviewing, which is good given all the things I want merch wise from the new My Little Pony Movie coming out this fall. I did get the Belle & Gaston live action doll set from the Disney Store on sale I'll have to review as I was pleased with my version. I also displayed my PVCs at long last and will new a separate entry on that with pictures! Microheroes: I'm stuck on the last 2 from the Basilisk collab, and none of my other WIPs are motivating me at the moment. I have begun writing on my novel after a three year absence so that's burning up my available inspiration. Conclusion, B&B Live action doll review and PVC display blogs coming soon! Steve Trevor & Wonder Woman Deluxe Set Maker: Mattel Includes: Steve Trevor & Princess Diana Dolls with accessories Price: $29.97 MSRP Picked this up first at Walmart because I’d see no other announcement of any other Steve Trevor dolls in production and know deluxe sets such as thing retain their value better over time. Wonder Woman’s body and facial mold is the same as the Battle Action version I’ve already reviewed so I’m going to skip repeating myself. She suffers from the same plastic armor flaws and cheap screen printed outfit, this time of her archery or training costume. Her shoes differ and her braid is tightly woven if overly thick; a common issue for mass production. She has her sword but no bow and arrows. Steve Trevor, as played by Chris Pine, a stunning man, got the short stick. His pants, and I assume boots because I haven’t opened the box, are molded and not removable. I’m not happy with this, as it’s price cutting material wise for the set. His jacket is pieced together of different fabrics with sweater underneath, and comes with gun, belt and holster. His face is just ok; I don’t see Chris Pine nor do I see Ken. His hair is the wrong color and molded instead of rooted, which probably would’ve helped. See reference photo above. I was bummed until I saw the special exclusive set released by Mattel that costs $125.95! Omg, it’s Ken pretending to be Chris Pine. He looks horrible here!! The rooted hair is too thick on the sides and not shaved, and he’s lost the intensity in his brows and eyes. Sadly, the Wonder Woman in the pricey set is way better, evidence of the improved likeness, expressive features and thin, movie accurate braid. Conclusion
Overpriced for end results but sooo much more affordable than the alternative. If I was fair, they are priced $15 each, so for that comparison I’m satisfied, but I wished a touch more effort had been put into Steve’s pants. Links https://www.walmart.com/ip/CAI-WMT-WW-Steve-Trevor-Chris-Pine-2-Pack/55125404 ***DISCLAIMER: I only review items I either own myself or have had the opportunity to closely inspect across all aspects*** Disneystore.com is having a 40% off sale on lots of items from 4/26 to 4/28 only!
Don't miss out on some great deals! |
AuthorMom of 2 girls under 5, Disney and Doll Fanatic Archives
March 2018
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