Calico Critters Country Market

I got this from my favorite thrift store for $6.99. A great price. I definitely couldn't afford to pay regular price for this. I saw it on www.amazon.com for $173.00. Calico Critters are even expensive at ToyRUs. You do get what you pay for with CC. The quality is excellent. 

On the bottom of the box it says International Playthings, Inc. and made in China. 

Target has Woodzeez. Which are basically the same thing but cheaper. They look cheap, too. 

These are the cute little critters that were in the box. I think they're raccoons. There's a mother, father, sister and brother. The baby twins look like mice. The raccoons heads move from side to side. Their arms and legs move up and down. They can sit down. Only the babies heads move from side to side. The girl is sitting. The boy is crawling. 

Here's a photo from the side. There are stairs that lead up to the patio. 

The father raccoon is working the cash register. 

This market comes with 75 pieces. Only one piece was missing; a yellow purse. The picture of it on the box looks cheap so I don't miss it. 

Most of the pieces are very small. I don't think this would be an ideal toy for young children. There are too many small pieces to lose or swallow. I don't think older kids would be into this type of toy. Older kids are into Monster High or action figures. 

This set would also be hard for small hands to set up. Every time I bumped against it everything tumbled over. I think playing with this market could be frustrating for a young child. 

This is the other side. 

This is the patio outside. There is a small table and two chairs that go here. 

I got this because it's a great bargain. I didn't have to buy anything extra to go with it. My Polly Pockets, Mini Lalaloopsies, and LPS Blythes can shop at this market. It's the perfect size for them, too. 

I can use all of these pieces in dollhouses or dioramas. It was a very good deal. But like I said, I'd never pay regular price. Calico Critters is just too expensive. Even if it ever went on sale, it would still cost too much. 

If I see anymore of this stuff at the thrift store I'm definitely going to get it. 

Robotica 

GI Joe & Liv Dolls At The Beach

GI Joe is an action figure made by Hasbro, Inc. There are soldiers, pilots, firemen and more. He's been around for a very long time. I'm sure most people are familiar with him.

I found my GI Joe at the thrift store. He was $4. I got him because I need more male, articulated dolls. His articulation is great. I don't remember what I did with his dog tags. It doesn't matter to me, anyway. I didn't buy him to be a soldier. He's just another companion for my girl dolls. 

His head moves up and fine and from side to side. His wrists, fingers, elbows, knees, and ankles are articulated as well as the usual shoulders and hips. I think his head is too small for his body. 

I had to cut a slit in the back of his boots to get them off and on. 

I couldn't get the camera to focus on his hands. I really like how he can grip things and his index fingers can move. 

My brothers had a GI Joe when we were kids. He had the same articulation as a Ken doll. He had action grip and his right arm moved up and down. I used to borrow him so he could date my Barbies.

My Joe can wear Ken's pants and shoes but not his shirts which means I'm going to have to make shirts and jackets for him. I'm not looking forward to that. My sewing skills aren't that good. 

I also found this at the thrift store. It cost $2.50. I threw the white head mask (it was creepy) and the rifle away. 

This is the stuff I kept. The white boots are way too big. I guess that's an ice pick, knife, rope, canteen, boots, and white, vinyl jacket. 

Before I changed Joe out of his army fatigues for good, I took him to the beach for some fun. 

Here he is with a Liv doll, Alexis. 

Katie came along, too. She's holding her wig down because it was very windy at the beach. 

Goofing around. Joe is very strong. 

Alexis and Katie. 

Katie made it. 

Katie couldn't relax with her wig on because it was just too windy. 

Joe's hanging from a tree. 

Climbing the side of a mountain. 

Joe is a bit of a madman. He took his pants off and ran down the beach with his pick and knife. He looses it every now and then but he'll eventually settle down and put his pants back on. 

The girls make a getaway on the scooter while Joe chases them. It's a Barbie scooter I got from a thrift store. I painted over the pink with black and silver because I'm so tired of pink. I wish Mattel wouldn't make all their Barbie crap pink and purple. I didn't even like it when I was a kid. 

There are two GI Joe action figures I'd love to get someday. They are Miss Fear and Madamoiselle Marie. I saw them on Amazon. I didn't even know there were female GI Joe action figures. They're articulated and come with different outfits, wigs and accessories. They look like great fun. Right now, they're out of my price range but maybe someday. 

Right now, I'm having a lot of fun with my GI Joe. 

Robotica

American Girl - Kirsten Larson

She is a hot mess. I found her at a thrift store. I paid $3.99 for her. The elastic in her pantaloons is shot so they keep falling down. 

Her name is Kirsten Larson. She is an historical doll. She's was born in Ryd, Sweden in 1845 and moved with her family to the Minnesota frontier. She's wearing her original meet pioneer outfit from 1854. This doll was released in 1986, retired in early 2010. 

I learned some of this from the American Girl/Our Generation Dolls an (sic) Accessories Facebook group and www.americangirl.com. 

Right eye is cockeyed, giving her that crackhead look. 

Her hair is a wreckage. I heard it can be fixed with Downy Fabric Softener and a wire brush. 

She doesn't have a tag on her body. Her skin is tan. Her limbs are very loose. 

I don't know what's going on with her shoes. They're in rough shape. 

I called American Girl's 800 number to find out about their doll hospital. It's located in Wisconsin. It would cost $44 plus tax plus shipping to get her head replaced, general cleaning and limbs tightened. 

I was told that there are a lot of tutorials on www.youtube.com for fixing American Girl dolls. I'm going to try that option. 

This is my first AG doll. I think she was a great find. I'm glad I finally have one. I also found a lot of AG clothes at the thrift store. She'll have a nice wardrobe. 

It's going to take me awhile to restore her to original state. If her hair can't be saved I'll get her another wig. 

If anyone knows anything about restoring AG dolls, please leave a comment. I'd appreciate any help I can get. 

EDIT:

I watched YouTube tutorials to learn how to fix this poor doll. I learned a lot so I wanted to share with everyone the process so far. 

I learned how to remove the head and tighten the limbs. It was real easy. 

At the same time, I let her hair soak in Downy fabric softener overnight. 

These are my hair supplies. Braid and wig spray $1.99, a wig brush and a flat iron. 

I went to several beauty and hair supply stores but couldn't find a steel brush. I wasn't going to the city to the AG store to pay $8 for a hair brush. 

This is how her hair looks now. Big difference. I trimmed it a little to make it even. Her hair is so soft, shiny and straight. 

The roots didn't come out so well but they don't look as bad as they did when I got her. 

Her bangs came out like this. It's very disappointing. 

Here's a video I made about my progress so far. http://youtu.be/0Uml7AzcerU

Now I have to work on her bangs. I will not rest until this madness is straightened out. 

I washed her clothes by hand and ironed them. I need to replace the elastic in her pantaloons. That's going to take awhile because I'm in no mood to pull out the sewing machine. Wiped off her shoes with a damp rag. So far, she's looking good. 

More progress:

I took Kirsten out to get some air. I washed and pressed her clothes. I still haven't replaced the elastic in her bloomers. Will get around to that someday. 

That's the best I could do on her bangs. 

Her hair is still super dry. I think I will re-wig her at some point. 

Here she is having some fun and hanging out with a few friends on the boardwalk. That's Heart 4 Heart Lauryce and Doc McStuffins. Doc is wearing Lauryce's sweater. She was a little chilly. 

Robotica