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More About Me
1965 - My new Charmin' Chatty Cathy doll
Christmas 1969: I am on the right with my new
Talking Barbie and Talking Stacey.
If you have an old picture of yourself with your childhood
Barbies, I would love to add it to my Gallery of Memories, so
please email me, and I will give you the
email address to which you may send it.
"You were born
to restore Barbies. They are so gorgeous!"
(a quote from a happy collector
who had just received her dolls back)
Christmas 1969
When I was young, a neighbor friend had the most beautiful vintage Barbie dolls and clothing! I did not get my first Barbie until the 'Mod' era, but the dolls I remember most fondly are the vintage Barbies and friends.
When I started collecting in 1995, I found
that restoring sad, old dolls to their former and well-deserved beauty was a
talent I really enjoyed and was pleased to offer to others.
Vintage Barbies are my favorite hobby.
I began college as an art major (painting, design and graphic arts), but then found my other passion was art history. I graduated from UCLA College of Fine Arts with a Bachelor of Arts, and a major in art history. I then completed my multiple subject teaching certification at UCI.
As for Barbie, I am thrilled to combine my love of history (by making sure that the dolls are historically correct) with my background as an artist.
I have been restoring vintage Barbies and 'friends' since 1996, and I have worked with collectors, dealers and original owners from around the world.
I have also had the opportunity to demonstrate my restoration skills at doll conventions in many countries, including Italy, France, The Netherlands and Belgium.
Recently I have begun to create my own series of OOAK (one of a kind) Silkstone Barbies. Each doll has been meticulously restyled and repainted into my own interpretation of a vintage beauty.
...But should you have your doll restored?
Here are my thoughts on this issue:
It is true that a properly
restored doll is more valuable than a dirty, played-with doll.
But for those dolls that still look nearly new, I have always felt that restoration is only warranted when the ability to truly enjoy
them is compromised by their current condition.
I believe in maintaining the dolls in
as 'all-original' condition as possible, and I therefore take a conservative approach to my restorations.
I use custom-mixed, original vintage paint colors. It is also important
that I re-create the original facial
feature shapes.
If re-rooting is necessary, I do my best to match the original hair color and
texture, and I restyle the hair back to the original vintage style.
There is nothing I do to a doll that could not be completely reversed (Except
when I must remove damaged, original hair before doing a re-root, of course).
During my restoration process I do not alter or remove any original face paint,
nail paint, etc.
Your doll is thoroughly cleaned, her hair is neatly and correctly restyled, and
her original make-up is flawlessly enhanced, using only the highest quality paints.
Any factory face and nail paint that has remained through the years is left, untouched and unharmed,
underneath.
If just a very tiny touch up is warranted, I am usually able to
flawlessly match the original color and simply touch up a tiny corner or edge as
necessary.
Barbie was meant to be a beautiful fashion doll, and it is a proper tribute to restore her back to her original glamour!
It is also important to consider that
the vintage Barbies and friends are 40 - 50 years old. These were
well-loved (and often very played-with) "toys!" Therefore they may
possess certain "flaws" that cannot (and should not) be corrected.
I will
not attempt to do anything to a doll that permanently alters it or may
potentially harm it in any way.
More important information can be found on the Beauty
Spa page on my website. And should you have any questions at all, please
email me anytime.
**My home is SMOKE-FREE!**
.
Please take a look at my many before and
after photos. I am sure you will agree that my restoration services
will greatly enhance the value of your doll as well as your ability to enjoy her!
Email me at RestorBabs@aol.com
copyright D.Agostini 2003
Here I am demonstrating Barbie restoration at the annual Doll Collector's Club
Italia convention, Florence, Italy
November 2005, Venice, Italy
Italy is my favorite place on the entire planet. I love everything Italian!
This is my handsome guy.
He is an extremely talented musician..
My lovely Grandma Rose (affectionately known as 'Bubba') Nov. 1910 - June 2005.
Her favorite hobby was playing the piano, and this was something she enjoyed until just days
before she passed away.
Bubba, we miss you SO much!
This is sweet little Buzz (a domestic long hair 'blue'). Buzz lived a
long, happy life.
Here is the newest member of our family. His name is Murdoch
(but we call him "Kitty").
We rescued Kitty from our city's animal
shelter on November 11, 2006 (He chose us). He is a
very handsome domestic tabby.
In Loving Memory...
Pietro, our very dear friend!
Mi sento la tua mancanza
piu' che posso dire...Ti amo sempre!
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Click HERE for an amazing brain teaser.
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"Life, moreover, is composed of the most dissimilar things, the most unforeseen, the most contradictory, the most incongruous; it is merciless, without sequence or connection, full of inexplicable, illogical, and contradictory catastrophes." -- Guy de Maupassant
"The biggest problem confronting the world today is the illusion that our differences matter more than
our common humanity." -- Bill Clinton
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” -- Benjamin Franklin (1706–90). This quotation is inscribed on a plaque in the stairwell of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.
"If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have that
money can't buy." -- Anonymous
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