Rain or Shine?

     One of the cutest dolls in my opinion, is the 2000 Rain or Sun line of dolls. I think it's the braids, but the make up looks adorable on them as well! This line consisted of three dolls, Barbie, Teresa and Christie. They came wearing a rain jacket, rain boots, floral print capri pants and tank tops. They also came with a bathing suit bottom, an umbrella, which you could make "rain" with an included squeeze bottle, a backpack which turned into a beach chair that the umbrella could be hooked onto and a "magazine". 
    In the 2000s, Barbie veered away from pink, so she actually was in light blue, while Teresa had purple and blue and Christie wore hot pink and yellow. All three dolls wore braids and they were adorable! They also had the "Belly Button" style of body, which was the smaller bust and larger hips. Their right arms were permanently bent, to hold the umbrella. 
    One of the unfortunate things about late 90s - early 2000s dolls is that their legs start to break down. They get sticky wet beads on them. When I pulled out these dolls to take their pictures, both Barbie and Christie had this. One solution I've come across (although who knows how temporary this is) is to use baby powder on the legs to help control the stickiness. So, I washed away the stickiness and used baby powder on their legs. I've had to do this with other dolls from this era as well. Such a shame.
     Anyways, on to the pictures!

Barbie in her rain gear

Barbie on the beach

Teresa in her rain gear

Teresa on the beach

Christie in her rain gear

Christie on the beach

     As you can see in the picture with Christie, she has baby powder residue on her legs. I'm hoping this will stave off any future leaking, but I have my doubts. I have a feeling this is just a temporary fix and I will either have to find another body for her or just get rid of her altogether. Only time will tell!

A Childhood Dream Realized

     So this post is going to be a little different. It's not about a line of dolls, but about a Barbie playset. Ever since I was a little girl, I've wanted the Barbie A Frame Dream House. This doll house was HUGE! It divided into three parts and was just so neat! I never got one though. 
      Fast forward to a couple of years ago. My husband and I were helping out my mother-in-law with some yard work. It was a hot day and we did a lot of work. I noticed she had a Barbie Dream House in her screened in front porch, so my husband asked if we could have it. It was incomplete, pieces were broken and faded, but it was something I could redo. I'd finally have my Dream House! She said yes, so we loaded it up in the car.

You can see how dirty and faded it was as well as the broken roof. 

Another view of the dirt and roof

A final view before it went into the car

       To be honest, I thought it might be the original 1978 Dream House, which was yellow and orange. That is how bad the fading was, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the 1985 version, which is pink. I am now working on restoring it.
       So far, I've had to buy new roof pieces and a couple of floors, due to them being broken. I've also had to buy a couple of the walls and railings, the balcony and the closet. I'm also looking for the windows, doors and planters as well as the coverings for the corners.
       I'm in the process of repainting them. I've got the walls, railings and balcony painted. The floors will actually be a very light pink as I couldn't find the right color to match the original color, but I like the new color. Besides, this will make it my creation. I'll post more updates as they happen!

One of the walls being repainted

The floor prior to being repainted

        

The floors repainted a pale pink