Sweet Roses PJ

Sweet Roses PJ, originally uploaded by alington.

Another Ebay find, I got her for a song. She needed some hair work, and still isn't quite perfect. But here she is after a bath.

I think her shoes aren't the right ones, and she probably needs earrings. But I find her adorable.

I'm pretty sure she was a rose-scented doll--I never owned her as a girl. My neighbor did, and I coveted her something awful. (Great grammar for a blog, don't you think?) At any rate, I'm thrilled to have her in my 1980s collection now!

Jasper, after hair wash

Jasper, after hair wash, originally uploaded by alington.

My six year-old daughter's doll, Boogie Beach Jasper, was a special Christmas gift. She sees a lot of play and was overdue for a spa treatment.

She got a nice shampoo and fabric softener soak recently. I think she's pleased with her After look.

Superstar!

Superstar!, originally uploaded by alington.

Another shot of one of my Ebay lot Barbie purchases. She has straight arms, and the blue eyeshadow of the original Superstar Barbie, but her hair is too light, and her arms are straight.

Here she is dressed in Day to Night's bodysuit and Dream Date's convertible skirt with stole.

Dream Date Barbie in Springtime Magic

Dream Date Barbie in Springtime Magic, originally uploaded by alington.

One of my favorite outfits of the 1980s era, Springtime Magic, is being modeled by classic 80s icon, 1982 Dream Date Barbie.

I grew up in Germany, and when I originally owned this outfit, it was actually sole on a dressed doll. Neither the doll nor the outfit is in my collection anymore, unfortunately, but I'm trying to rebuild the collection I once had. Without, of course, digging too deeply in my BJD pocket. It's not going too well, as you might imagine!

At any rate--a lovely outfit, in the spirit of a Easter dress. Happy spring!

1980s ID help?

Maybe Dream Glow?, originally uploaded by alington.

I found a lot of dolls for cheap on Ebay. I believe many of these may be 1980s dolls (I hope), but I'm not sure. The only one I'm pretty sure of is Dream Date (not the one shown here, which might be Dream Glow (?), but this photo).

Can you help me ID any of these lovely Barbies? If so, leave a comment on my blog or on my Flickr photostream? Thanks ever so much for any help!

1970s era PJ

1974 or 1975 PJ, originally uploaded by alington.

She was a $5 thrift store find, who needed a little help with clean up and some hair restyling. She is a little loose at the torso, and has a bite mark on one of her legs. But I couldn't pass up her sweet face.

My second ever Barbie "restoration," and my very first "real vintage" Barbie. It hardly counts, as she cleaned up so easily, it was almost scary. I had a blast! I'm totally going to be stalking yard sales now.

For ID purposes--maybe you, dear readers, can help:

• She has "Mattel 1974 Taiwan" (or possibly 1971) printed on the inside rim of her head. 
• No pull tab on her back torso, so unless she's been rebodied, I don't think she's the Free Movin' PJ (1975), though she looks a lot like her.
• Her hair curls easily, but it doesn't feel very wiry, even though she also looks like a Quick Curl Deluxe PJ from 1975.

She's dressed in a Dressmaker Details gown here (Blushing Bride). You can see more of this photo shoot on Flickr.

Oh yes, and her before photo here:

1983 Fabulous Fur

1983 Fabulous Fur, originally uploaded by alington.

Fabulous Fur Barbie, restyled and cleaned-up. I'm so happy with how she's turned out. (My first attempt at restoration!) She's a doll that's been in my family since 1983, when my sister bought her with her own money (when she was... seven maybe?). I don't think I can save much of her outfit--just a few pieces. She still has her ring, though. And her body is in great shape, and her hair--wonderful!

And I think she loves her new look, courtesy of Jason Wu of Fashion Royalty (Integrity Toys). Details are:

• Dress is from Paparazzi Bait (Adele)
• Earrings and trench from Bewitching Hour (Luchia)
• Shoes from Flight Pattern (Kyori)

Check out her before photo here (I hope she's forgiven me all these years of neglect, in my mother's closet):

So, which do you prefer? You can check out the rest of her photo shoot on my Flickr photostream.