Baby Shower Centerpieces: eBay Black Friday thru Cyber Monday 2015 - Buy 1 G...

Baby Shower Centerpieces: eBay Black Friday thru Cyber Monday 2015 - Buy 1 G...: Right Now Until the end of Cyber Monday -  Buy 1 Get 1 30% OFF - ALL OUR BABY SHOWER ITEMS! That's right! All our Bassinets -...

So far K-Mart has the only Exclusive 2015 Holiday Barbie!

We're well into October and still no change in Wal-Mart's line up.

There's still a little over 2 months to go before Christmas Day so they may add an exclusive by then but so far just the Caucasian Blonde and African American we all know and love with their beautiful garnet dresses are lining the shelves!

I'm actually hoping for a Black Friday surprise - or in Wal-Mart's case - Brown Thursday as they tend to start their 'Black Fridays' just late Thursday nights.

If, by the end of the year, we're just left with the K-Mart Brunette exclusive, then we always have 2016 to look forward to!!

Now that the 2015 Holiday Barbie is out I'm already trying to imagine what Matell will come up with next year!  As this is the 27th anniversary for the series, next year will be the 28th... and in two short years - 2018 - it'll be the 30th anniversary for the Happy Holiday series! They always come out with a bang on their big anniversary dates too and I can't wait to see what they have in store for us then!

In 2008, they released the beautiful silver Holiday Barbie, and in 1998 they released the stylish velvet black dress Holiday Barbie.  Both elegant and one of a kind, just like the first 1988 Holiday Barbie, no exclusives for their years.  I'm personally hoping for a Gold look for 2018.  I know they like to accent the dresses with a little gold here and there and focus a lot on the reds and greens, but why not try the opposite instead?  Make Gold the primary color and accent it with a beautiful red lining? 

Only time will tell!! In the meantime keep checking for those sales!! K-Mart likes to do their 'buy one get one for a penny!' and I personally jump at those sales to get the exclusive and primary dolls for the price of 1!

Happy Holidays everyone - and happy hunting for those, like me, looking to gather the whole series!

2015 Holiday Barbie - Auburn K-Mart EXCLUSIVE!!

Available now at your local K-Mart, or online, the 2015 Holiday Barbie Exclusive Auburn design!!

We'll be updating her into our list shortly, but just like her sisters, she shares the same beautiful new box design, red, silver and white dress and diamond accented accessories!

2015 HOLIDAY BARBIE IS RELEASED!

Finally, the day has arrived where the 2015 Holiday Barbies are on the market and available to everyone - everywhere!!

And I have to say, I'm LOVING this new box design!

Every year Matell tries to push their line a little bit farther, but it looks like this year, they've taken the time to revamp their whole image to a classy clean look!

From the beautiful green Christmas look in the background of the box, to the sleek white box itself - it's perfect down to the last detail! 

Also, those looking for that 'special' doll in the line, need not look any further - K-Mart is once again the holder of the specialized exclusive AUBURN doll!!

No word yet if Wal-Mart will be holding exclusive 2015 Holiday Barbies with the special ornaments that they have been carrying the last few years, but time will tell as we get closer to Christmas!

So grab yours now, I've already seen many reviews from collectors who are looking to get their hands on this new and improved Holiday Barbie for the 2015 Holiday Season!

I'll be updating the list here shortly and you can bet I'll be looking to grab this doll myself for my daughter's collection!  What a treat this year has brought!

Still awaiting the official release of the 2015 Holiday Barbie

As we near the end of July, I can't help but wonder where is the 2015 Holiday Barbie...

Yes it is July and we still have just a little over 5 months before Christmas, BUT Mattel has been known to release the Holiday Barbies starting way back in July..

I'll personally be surprised if the 2015 Holiday Barbie is found on the shelves starting in August or even September, but it won't be without realization...

Many are upset as our Black Friday gets pushed back into the Thursday and Wednesday of that same week... that being said, this late release of the 2015 Holiday Barbie may in fact be due to Mattel trying to go back to the old ways of releasing their items within the Holiday season, instead of trying to beat the heat of the bustling world of sales that seems to revolve around Wal-Mart.

The big dominant co-operation has been pushing the envelope for years, and now Easter is being put on the shelves as soon as the next day after Valentine's, and Christmas is being set up before Halloween even arrives!  While they're trying to get sales and encouraging buying ahead of time instead of last minute, we all stare and grumble because we're trying to focus on the Holiday around the corner, not the one 5 months away.

So although we may be disappointed as July moves on with no 2015 Holiday Barbie on the shelves, there is a brighter side to it.  The later the release, the fewer dolls that WILL be released, and with that can come rising demand prices from collectors after the year comes and goes!

So keep your eyes peeled for that red and white dress but don't be frustrated if you don't see it right away, it just means a higher value for your doll in the end!

Hallmark reveals 2015 Holiday Barbie Ornament!

Even though the 2015 Holiday Barbie isn't on the shelf yet, Hallmark released just last month the look of the Ornament to come!  This only reassures us that the release pictures of the 2015 Holiday Barbie are indeed correct on the outfit to come!

Hallmark has stated they will be releasing the Ornament for purchase in October this year (2015)!

But keep an eye out for the 2015 Holiday Barbie to also hit the shelves soon.  Although I do not have a due date to give, history has shown that Mattel has been known to release their Holiday line mid to end of summer for those looking to get a jump start on their Christmas shopping!  (Like me! lol)

Baby Shower Centerpieces: Buy 1 Get One 40% Off Til the End of June!

Baby Shower Centerpieces: Buy 1 Get One 40% Off Til the End of June!:   To celebrate our transition from Spring into Summer I've decided to go ahead and throw in a BOGO Sale for all our Baby Shower Gifts...

New Look to our Blog

So, after some fidgeting, I've decided to update the look to our blog here!
Seeing as the original was so narrow, I decided to widen out the area to make current blogs easier to read, and older blogs easier to scroll to!

I also went ahead and added an extra section to the left of our blog site!  It might seem out of place, but these Handmade Diaper crafts were made by me personally and are being sold online on eBay and I accept the secure Paypal payment with all of them.

Please let me know what you all think of the new layout and of course, any questions, comments or concerns leave them below here! Have a great day!

2015 Holiday Barbie Revealed!!

2015 Holiday Barbie is revealed! 

Although I haven't found the design listed on Matell's collector website, the Barbies have been viewed on many other well known websites who have been very accurate in portraying the new year's design!

So it's safe to say, these will be the Holiday Barbies for 2015... and most likely there will be an exclusive release as well, however we can probably expect to see that in either May, June or July 2015!!

For now we will at least have the design of the dress to admire.  I lacey deep red dress, typically designed for the Holidays, with a beautiful white snow flake design under layer.

Tis the Season for Clearances!

For the next few months you might have noticed all your local stores are putting EVERYTHING on Clearance!!

This includes the remainder of their Black Friday items, stocking stuffers, holiday items, and of course, the seasonal toys! A.K.A.  Holiday Barbies!

Soon it'll be time to put out all the Easter items (Easter this year is April 5th 2015) so sold or not sold, they will be empting those shelves to make room for all their left over Valentine's and after Easter, Easter items!

Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Toys R US, Target, etc... they all do these sales at the same time because they're all competing to get the next items on the shelves FIRST.  You might be annoyed when you walk into your local Wal-Mart and see Easter already on the shelves and it's not even the end of February (I know I always do) but it's out there for a reason.  The reason behind this is because, even though the economy is slowly recovering, people are still buying things ahead of time because they're going pay check to pay check and they want to have things bought and packaged BEFORE the Holidays, rather than wait until the last minute to find out they don't have the time nor the cash.

I personally am just as annoyed as the next person to walk into a store and see Christmas stuff out in August... BUT I'm usually buying my Christmas gifts starting back in June... so really the actual annoyance is knowing Christmas is on it's way and it's like the stores are literally rubbing it in your face that you have 'this' much time to get everything for your kids before Christmas arrives.

I never used to be a Black Friday person, I'd sit at home on that day and wait until the morning... the same goes for sales, I never would actually look into who's having a sale and when, and even though someone was having a sale, I'd say "Well, I don't 'really' need it, I'll get it when I do."  I have a completely different outlook to this now being that person who lives check to check... now I say "I'm going to need that in 4 months, but if I wait I'll have to pay $40 more! Might as well get it now and keep it until then!"  I am also the person who goes out to Wal-Mart and waits to get the best deals... not that I want to and I feel terrible for the workers, but me staying home isn't going to make Wal-Mart change it's Black Friday sale times no matter how much I want it to... there will be others excited for the deal and Wal-Mart knows this, so I have to huff it out for the deals or lose out, those are the choices... whining about the time isn't going to change anything.  (Trust me I wish it would but all I can do is send in my complaints to them and cross my fingers next year they'll do something different).

But getting back to the clearances -  You all should notice that the prices have dropped to prices BELOW what Black Friday offered!  Sure you're not getting a gift for your family member, but $1 instant coffee packages is a huge deal compared to paying $8 per box!  And so are the Holiday Barbie prices which have dropped to $15!!  If you hit the right store, you might even find them for less than $15!!  That's a huge discount compared to the $50 they were charging off the shelves, almost 75% off!  So if you're looking to grab your Holiday Barbie don't hesitate to take a small detour to the clearance isle while you're picking up milk or toliet paper, you might find yourself a huge deal that you didn't think was there!

2014 AND 2013 Holiday Barbie with Ornaments - WalMart Exclusive!

 

So, just after posting that previous blog I went looking for the ornament versions and discovered the reason behind the Ornment and now see that the Ornament versions AND K-Mart Exclusive Brunette will most definately carry the higher value of the series.

Turns out that WalMart had an Exclusive Holiday Barbie too, the Holiday Barbie containing the Ornaments.

So this means that ONLY the Blonde and African American versions carry this extra ornament because WalMart did not sell the K-Mart Exclusive Brunette, only K-Mart carried her and they did NOT have one with this ornament inside.

This being said, the Wal-Mart exclusives will most certainly obtain the higher value along side the Brunettes from K-Mart.

Also, upon discovering this, I also found that last year, during the 2013 Holiday Barbie Release - Wal-Mart had another exclusive ornament release in their Holiday Barbies stock.  So if you find a pretty silver snowflake in the top left (looking at you) with a red ribbon, you have the WalMart Exclusive release!  And the same thing goes for it, only the Blonde and African American versions were released with this snow flake as the Auburn version was only released by K-Mart!  So keep an eye out on the list, I will be updating it appropriately with these Barbies in both the List and the Value chart!

2014 Holiday Barbie - with an Ornament!

Well today I acquired the African American 2014 Holiday Barbie for my daughter's collection, but I was in for a surprise when I brought her home to add to her sisters.

Right away, as I put her on the shelf with the others, I noticed an extra piece in her box compared to the Brunette and Blonde 2014 Holiday Barbie - an ornament!  A beautiful gold snowflake with a red ribbon tied at the top.

Seeing this difference, I immediately went and did some research and low and behold, Matell did in fact release - not only 3 different hair/skin style Barbies, but each of them with AND without this ornament!

So now I will update our list of Barbies to include each of these Barbies with - and - without the ornament!  So, when you go to look at your 2014 Holiday Barbie, check that top left (if she's facing you) corner of the box.  See if you have the one with or without the ornament!  I'm sure it'll eventually come up in price and seeing as the ornament set was released later in the series until the season ended, I'm actually assuming the one WITHOUT the ornament will eventually be the higher priced doll as it was the earlier released... but only time will tell!

Updates to Holiday Barbie Value List

As everyone knows, with time comes change.  This is especially true with all items of potential value.  Now that the Holiday Season is over, prices are what people make them because the stores are selling off their last bit of stock to make room for the new year's items.

Fortunately for the common collector looking to make a deal, this is good news for the 2014 Holiday Barbie as the prices have plummeted.  Not so good though for someone who went out and purchased multiple Barbies for after the Holidays to make a quick buck as they'll most likely lose out on making a profit.

The reason for changes in price have to do with a number of things, how many were made, how many were actually bought, if the product was specially shipped, how many years old the series actually is, etc... In this case, the 2014 Holiday Barbie was a hit.  I, myself, bought several variations of it for my daughter's collection so how many others did the same or just purchased it to make it a beautiful addition to their little one's Christmas collection of gifts.  After all, with it's bright red box with golden decoration you wouldn't even feel the need to wrap it before putting it under the tree.

So, after doing a bit of research I went ahead and adjusted the prices on the Barbie Collection Value List that you can access by simply clicking on the tab above.  I also went ahead and checked on the 2012 and 2013 and adjusted it to meet current demand price.

As a reminder, these prices are just estimates based on my own research.  I find these prices by searching common websites for people who are looking to sell their item, or already have and what they sold their Holiday Barbie for.  Based on their sales all over the net I put together this list with the average price I find so people looking for a deal, know what to look for and when they find that perfect price, they know they're not getting ripped off.

For example, if you went looking for a Holiday Barbie 2013 on eBay and found the Auburn K-Mart Exclusive for $80, if you checked my list you'd find with just a little bit more searching you'll find a much better price at half that price, saving you money but delivering the same Mint in Box Holiday Barbie!

So go ahead and check out the updates on the List and feel free to leave me any questions, comments or concerns you have! Have a Wonderful Day!