Storage Solutions

Since I re-ignited my passion for Barbie—or, at least for the repainted made-to-move dolls like Eve, Anne, and Willow—I’ve accumulated quite a few outfits. I can’t believe I’m about to share this with you, it’s so embarrassing, but this is how I’ve been storing most of the clothes:

Cringe!

Yes, it’s just a large, hard plastic box.  Some things are in different plastic baggies, but for the most part it’s simply chaos, and it makes things nearly impossible to find.  Remember that shoe I’d thought lost?  It was hidden at the bottom of the box, inside a hat of all places.

Recently, after knocking the box down off the table for what feels like the millionth time—which comes with the added bonus of having to snatch the contents up before my dog can swoop in and sneak them off to his bed, I have a hoarder dog—I decided it was past time for a change.

I contacted Mihail, the talented artisan behind Furniture for Dolls, who also made this cute reading window for me and asked him what he could do.  I sent over a sample picture, and within a week, I’d placed my order.  Without the insanity of the holiday season holding things up, it got here with no fuss whatsoever, arriving in its new home early this morning:

Like the reading window, the wardrobe is nice looking even before I’ve stuffed it full of clothing and accessories.  It’s also sturdy, which is a good thing as I really packed it tight - a cardboard container would never stand up to the rigors this piece will have to endure.  

The fully-functioning drawers are adorned with those cute little knobs, giving it a matching feel with the reading window.  The scale is ideal; roughly the same height compared to Eve as my actual wardrobe is to me, though Eve doesn’t need to share hers.  Yes, I’m a little jealous of all the space she’s got.

I’m happy to have somewhere not only stylish, but also practical, to put her things.  No more knocking things down, no more shoes hiding in hats, no more clothing found in my dog’s bed; everything in it’s place and easy to find.

An hour after arrival, everything was organized and neatly snuggled in. 

Originally, I’d intended to relegate two of the drawers to various diorama bits and other props that are easily misplaced; but, it turns out, Eve’s clothes needed every inch available, and then some.  I still have a few, larger, less-often used pieces in a small plastic box - maybe I should order a coat-rack? Hmmm.

While I like the ability to display Eve’s handbags shoes on the open shelves, the process has highlighted the lack of footwear for her, in a big way.  It’s funny, but I was certain when this arrived I would set it up and think “uhg, I have too many doll items”; turns out, it had the opposite effect!

Thanks for stopping by to check out Eve’s lovely new wardrobe, and I’ll see you next time :)