DOLL CUSTOMIZER GALLERY
Barbie and Ken in Sleigh, customized by Diane Barsottni; whtrose@sgi.net
Some months ago I was looking through a SFMB catalog. I found a
musical sleigh figurine, with a couple inside that played Sleigh Ride. I thought I could
use dolls. At first I thought I could use the porcelain dolls I have on order, but they
have straight legs. I decided to use Barbie and Ken dolls. They were to get new clothes
anyway. For Barbie I used one of my daughter’s old dresses. I used scraps for Ken. I
bought him a hat at Pat Catan’s. The clothes patterns came from Brown House Dolls. I
made a blanket from the left-over bunny fur I bought at the Maple Syrup Festival last
spring. Now I have to decide if I want to make a horse, or buy one.
Here’s what we’ve done with my sleigh so far. I saw
this wooden sleigh first, but didn’t want to spend the money. I bought a vine sleigh,
and wasn’t too happy with it. When this one went on sale, I bought it. My husband
painted the blades with some black paint I already had. We’re going to stain the rest
a natural wood color, so not to clash with Barbie’s dress. I’m still deciding
weather or not to put decals, or stencils on it.
Here is my finished sleigh. I took it outside today to get a picture with the snow.
The wood sleigh is stained a pecan. We used Perm Enamel Gold for the trim, and gold
leaves to accent it. The blades are pained black. The horse is paper mache sprayed black.
Brown and cream paint give the horse some depth. Red ribbon with bells surround the head.
Balsa wood harnessing will attach the horse to the sleigh. It plays "Carol of the
Bells. My husband insisted it be Christmas music, and that was all I had.
Diane Barsottni
