May 26 2013

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!…Connie Francis – 1962

P.B.D.S. Client File – #0006

From the collection of Robin!

You never know what can happen when you finally get to go on a vacation! Just ask Robin’s Swirl Barbie!

This is her story, as told to me, straight from my styling chair.

When Robin’s pretty Blonde Swirl heard she was going to a real Barbie convention, her head started swimming with thoughts of Connie Francis, fun, new friends and a chance to finally get out of the house and live!

Plane trips, hotel rooms, room shopping, everything sounded so dreamy! Swirl Barbie couldn’t wait to hit the convention floors and mingle with other dolls. It was going to be so amazing, so exciting! Things were going to happen to her that she had only read about in the pages of Barbie Bazaar.

She waited and waited. Finally, it was time to go! She was lovingly packed away in Robin’s suitcase with the other specially selected dolls and she was off!

Swirl Barbie loved being at convention, and was super excited when Robin took her to her very first workshop!

“Re-styling and re-painting 101” “Yay, …..I think!” thought Bab’s.

Everything seemed fine at first. Everyone got out their Barbie’s and listened carefully as the instructor told the crowd what to do. Paints and supplies were handed out and everyone was so excited!

Robin, always looking out for others, noticed someone sitting there without a doll to re-style and readily offered up Swirl Barbie!

“Hey, wait a minute!” screamed Barbie “I don’t want to go…..” But it was too late.

“First, we carefully comb out all the tangles!” said the instructor. “AHHHHHH!” Barbie screamed as the comb was pulled through her hair, root to ends by the clueless workshop attendee holding her. “Be careful!” she cried. She could feel her beautiful hair strands snap and tear, being pulled from her head. This went on forever, or so it seemed to Barbie. The comb was full of blonde hair when they were done and Barbie’s scalp was on fire! When Robin looked over, she was as mortified as Barbie!

Looking like someone had styled her hair with their feet, the disastrous hair lesson was finally over. It was now time for a make-up session!

“Oh my Lord!” Barbie tried to scream for help, but the crazed first time artist slathered her lips with the sticky goo they had mixed on the plate. Unhappy with the first attempt, it was wiped away roughly only to be re-applied again and again, staining her face. “How can this be happening?” Barbie thought, “Is this a dream? Is this a nightmare?”

So overtaken with grief, Barbie thankfully passed out and doesn’t remember any thing else from the workshop.

When she awoke some time later in the hotel room, she ran to the bathroom mirror and shrieked in horror at her own reflection and then fainted again!

When she came to for the second time she started to cry and refused to leave the room for the rest of convention.

She has been in this state ever since.

Till now.

She’s finally been booked at The Pink Bubble’s Doll Spa!

The nightmare has ended.

Here she is…..the refreshed and renewed, Miss Blonde Swirl Barbie…….

Robin’s blonde swirl started her morning at the spa with our luxurious Pink Bubble’s Beauty Bath for Face & Body. Her hair was then de-tangled, washed, set and styled. A pretty yellow replacement ribbon was added. Her eyebrow and lip make-up was refreshed and afterwards she visited with Beatrice in our gift shop to replace the dangerously rusting stick pins with “Safety-First” earrings.

Thank you Robin and Barbie for visiting The Pink Bubble’s Doll Spa!

May 26 2013

I just washed my hair…

P.B.D.S. Client File – #0005

From the collection of Kym!

“I just washed my hair and I can’t do a thing with it!” Kym’s Barbie seems to be saying in this photo. Except she hadn’t, and her face either it from the looks of it! Poor thing, she was desperate for a day of beauty at the Pink Bubble!

First things first though. As always with girls in this state, our beautician recommended our patented Pink Bubbles Beauty Bath for Face and Body to her new client.

After her refreshing cleanse, P.T. (Poor Thing) was sent on to the hair department. I always pity the stylist who has to extract remnants of fifty year old rubber bands from a clients hairdo! After her wash and set, P.T’s hair was re-styled to its former glory.

Faded brows and lips were restored to perfection by our skilled make-up team, giving her that youthful glow thought long-lost. Her unfortunate “nose nip” couldn’t be helped, but Beatrice in our gift shop, who BTW, is no stranger to a little nip n’ tuck, gave her a tip on a few good surgeons in the area!

With a bounce in her step she didn’t have when she arrived, she’s ready to be dressed in any one of the many fabulous frocks Kym has in her collection! No longer refered to as “P.T.” by our staff, the new Miss Robert’s looks forward to going home and showing off her new look to all the others in her doll family!

Kym’s Ponytail Barbie enjoyed a relaxing “Pink Bubble’s Beauty Bath for Face and Body” treatment. Her hair was washed, conditioned and set. Here eyebrows were refreshed and remnants of her original lip shade was reproduced and applied. She selected a pair of “Safety-First” replacement earrings with the assistance of Beatrice in our gift shop.

Thanks Kym for visiting The Pink Bubble’s Doll Spa!

May 25 2013

Come back to the Five & Dime…Midge Hadley!

P.B.D.S. Client File – #0002

From the collection of Jaime!

All dolls have secret lives as we all know. Here’s a peek into one of them!

Do you remember the story of the ugly duckling that became a beautiful swan? Well, this isn’t that story!

(Spa stylist Dot shared this story about her new client!)

“It all started when this quirky little lass showed up on our Spa doorstep one Saturday afternoon looking to use our telephone. She was real upset mind you. Seems her blind date sent her into the store next door for a pack of Dentyne and then just ditched her. She needed to call her mother to come pick her up.”

“She said her name was Midge Hadley. As she was talking to me I couldn’t help but notice her right eye kept wandering to the right while her left one stared straight at me! Spooky.”

“Anyway, she sat in our guest lounge for over two hours waiting, which was odd since she said her Mother only lived five minutes away. Well, I guess Mama enjoys her space!”

“Since it was a slow day and she really epitomized “Poor-Thing,” I offered to give her a freebie makeover, you know, to lift her spirits. I just felt sorry for her. Firstly, that boy had traumatized her. And second, where was that Mother of hers? Besides, she was broke. She had already spent her last twenty-five cents on the Dentyne!”

“After a wash & set, I touched up her brows and lips. She just loved her new lipstick color. I went ahead and just gave her the tube. She was thrilled with the changes and I was real happy for her.”

“With the embarrassing events of the blind date behind her, she told me she was through with boys for a while. She thought she’d look for a summer job instead. I told her I knew they were looking for a clerk at the Five & Ten (the same store of the gum incident by the way) and would put in a good word for her with the owner Fred, as he was a friend. Personally, I think it’s a smart move for her. She needs a career since romance seems to be trouble for her!”

“You know, her Mother never did show up, and as it was getting close to closing time she decided to just walk home.”

“As she walked towards the door I called out “Good luck with the job hunt Hon’ and say Hi! to your Mom!” (“If you can find her, Geesh!” I mumbled under my breath!”)

“Well folks, take a look at her pictures. Now I know she’s not exactly a looker, but I will say she does look a little less “freaked out.” Don’t you agree? We can’t all be a “Teenage Fashion Model” you know!”

Update: “I talked to Fred, the owner of the Five & Ten, well he did end up hiring Midge for the summer after all. He said he knew she was going to make a great clerk when he interviewed her. The reason? “She can talk to customers while keeping an “eye” on the cash register at the same time!”

Jaime’s Midge enjoyed our patented Pink Bubbles Doll Spa Beauty Bath for face and body. She had her hair washed, conditioned and re-set. Her brows were touched-up and she has re-freshed lips. She also had her finger and toe nails done. Stop by the Five & Ten and say Hi! to Midge when you’re in the area. (But don’t ask her where to find the Dentyne!)

Oh, by the way, what this girl lacks in glamour she makes up for in rarity. This Midge…has teeth, which is super rare!

Thanks to Jaime & Midge for visiting Pink Bubbles Doll Spa!

Apr 21 2013

An Apple-tini a day keeps…well you know the rest!

P.B.D.S. Client File – #0001

From the collection of Robin!

All dolls have secret lives as we all know! Here’s a peek into one of them!

Greetings from The Pink Bubbles Doll Spa! The doll featured in today’s post is from the collection of Robin. This is a childhood doll and she entrusted her to our staff here at The Pink Bubbles Doll Spa. Robin, we hope you are happy with the results and aren’t too shocked by the story our longtime stylist Trudy uncovered!

“Now listen up Sweetie! You know I’m not one to repeat gossip! So you better be sure you listen close the first time!”

“I always like to keep my closest friends informed whenever someone really interesting comes in and out of here, especially someone like this little lady. She was a real humdinger!”

“Anyway, It was about 8:30 in the morning when I unlocked the front doors of the spa to start my day and I couldn’t help but notice the dirty blonde bubble peering at me from around the corner of the building. Now when I say she was a dirty blonde bubble dear, I’m not talking about the shade of her hair, if you know what I mean! She definitely looked like she could use one of our patented Pink Bubbles Doll Spa beauty baths!”

“Well anyway, she knew I had seen her, but for some reason ducked out of view. It was strange, but I just dismissed it. That is, till I saw her staring at me through the front window. Well now she was really starting to creep me out! So I motioned for her to come on in, and after looking up and down the street and then back at me again, she finally starts towards the door. Honestly, she made me so nervous I hid my pocketbook in the coat check!”

“Well she told me her name was Barb and rarely ever leaves her Dream Kitchen. She said it had been such a long while since she had booked a beauty appointment. “No kidding, you’d never know it!” I said. “Have a seat!”

“Now as you all know, my clients feel so comfortable here in our spa that within minutes they usually give me their whole life story. This gal was no exception. It’s like a form of therapy I guess. I’ve always been a good listener. Talk about a pent-up chatterbox! She spilled she was a divorced mother of two, and her daughters, though grown mind you, still live with her at home. Can you imagine! Her ex had taken up with some other doll from the wrong side of the tracks years ago and she has since spent every minute and every penny she ever has on her girls, trying to make up for him being gone, the jerk. Neither one of her girls ever got over their Fathers antics and never moved forward from the shock. One daughter, her oldest, was a beauty title winner a few years back and now won’t even leave the house. The other, the complete opposite. A bookworm, with no interest in men at all.”

“She also told me she has had a splitting migraine for the last 22 years. Coincidentally, the exact amount of time her Husband has been shackin’ up. Hmmm.”

“Barb told me she felt finally, (after watching a Dr. Phil on TV), ready to let go of the past and take some time for herself. “Freshen up a bit for her girls” as she put it “and start a new life for their sake.” Well not exactly a selfish motive for an over-protecting mother of two fully grown daughters in their late 30’s I thought, but its a start!”

“Well let me tell you! After many hours of hard labor, and my feet are killing me by the way, three requested Apple-tini’s from the bar down the street, (did you know they deliver?) and half a Vicadin she found at the bottom of her purse later, she looks at her reflection in the mirror and do you know what she says? “I can’t believe it! My migraine’s gone!” Yes, it’s shocking but true!”

“You know, turns out Barb is a real nice gal who somehow just got stuck in the past, frozen in her Dream Kitchen getting covered with dust, worrying about her girls. She was so happy with results of her makeover and “the new her” as she put it, that she says she will be sending her daughters in to see us soon. IF she can get them to come out of their rooms mind you! I was happy to hear it, cause we sure could use the business!”

“Well, between you and me, I really have to admit Barb had a lot of courage to come into such a glamorous spa like ours after all she’s been through and looking like she did!”

“Oh sweet Barb, she’s so excited about the prospects of her new life. She hugged me as she left the spa, a new doll I tell you! You know, I watched her through that window as she blew me a kiss. She looked so happy! Smiling and waving to strangers as she began spiraling down the sidewalk towards home. I guess it was that third Apple-tini! Thank goodness she wasn’t driving! I would have called her a cab!”

“Gee, best of luck to ya Barb! Come back anytime!”

Robin’s Bubble Cut enjoyed our patented Pink Bubbles Doll Spa Beauty Bath for face and body. She had her hair washed, conditioned and re-set. Her brows were re-painted as well as her lips. She chose a cheerful shade of pink lipstick which really suits her! Her new look was complimented with a fresh pair of “Safety-First!” replacement pearl earrings. Lets raise our Apple-tini’s and toast Barb! She feels (and looks) like a new doll!