Eight year old little girls love Barbie and all her friends! It seems the Barbie market has exploded with everything from the original doll to the new and very hot celebrity dolls such as Hannah Montana, Hillary Duff and the whole cast from High School Musical of course Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen are still being grabbed off the shelves as fast as they are placed there. As long as eight year old watch reruns of Full House and other great family/child friendly TV shows these Barbie characters will remain a hot item. Of course the celebrity line of dolls cost about $5.00 more just for the name but it is certainly worth it to see the twinkle in the child’s eye on Christmas morning!

Starting with the Barbie dolls every little girl wants we have the Bride Barbie and the Groom Ken doll. That magical wedding every little girl dreams of can not take place with out these two dolls. Both cost under $15.00 at all toy stores and department stores.

The Barbie Fairytopia magic of the rainbow dolls are another Barbie high on the eight year old wish list. This colorful Barbie’s come with a necklace for the child with a locket and inside the locket is a rainbow. Very cool for a little girl! You can find these little gems anywhere for under $20.00.

More on the elegant side we have the Garden Fantasy Princess, dressed in a beautiful elegant gown ready to attend the big Barbie and Ken wedding.

Of course Barbie is a career woman now so whatever possible career choice fancies the young ladies heart this Christmas will be welcomed whether it be a teacher, doctor, dentist, business executive, lawyer, updo stylist or marine biologist there is a Barbie perfect for her.

* Accessories *

These are a must for an eight year old. Barbie must have a fashionable wardrobe and a closet or two full of shoes. Her mansion must have furniture and even food for the little refrigerator.

* KELLY *

We really shouldn’t forget about little sister Kelly and all her friends either. Kelly spends a lot of time at her big sister’s mansion and jet setting across the world in the Barbie jet a Kelly is a must for all girls!

* BARBIE TOWN *

While there is no “real” Barbie town there certainly are enough products available to make one. Such as; the post office, doctor’s office, candy shop, the bank, the flower shop, the pet storm, the updo salon, the movie theater, the grocery store and on and on.

Anything to do with a Barbie will be loved by most eight year old girls. Just have fun shopping and strolling down memory lane in awe of what has been created since we were eight year old. It’s enough to make you jealous or get down on the floor and play Barbie’s again!

Making your own wedding jewelry can be both rewarding and cost effective. You can take the time to carefully plan the perfect wedding day jewelry that you can wear again and again. If it is something you like, then it will be something that you will love to show off at other parties, outings, and get togethers.

However, planning a wedding is often stressful, adding to that a large project can be a disaster. So, to help with the process here are some great wedding jewelry tips.

1) Start early.

As soon as you have your colors and your dress picked out, start planning your jewelry. If you do this early then there will be no last minute stress or panic.

2) Think about the look.

What type of look do you want? What jewelry do you want? Hair combs? Necklace? Earrings? Bracelet? All of them?

3) Enlist some help.

Whether your mom, your soon to be mother-in-law, or your bridesmaids having some help can be a wonderful and inspiring thing. If the other person (or people are crafty they may be able to help the whole way along), if they aren’t they can lend ideas and opinions.

4) While you can make jewelry really inexpensively, I suggest spending a little more. Not that you have to spend a ton or even spend as much as you would if you were going to buy it from someone else, but take the time to buy high quality materials and make pieces that will last a life time.

5) Some materials to consider are glass beads, crystals (swarovski really are of the best quality), pearls, gemstones (both semi-precious and precious though you pay for what you buy), and gold or silver findings (hooks, wires, ect.). These materials will cost a little more then acrylic beads, but can make heirloom jewelry instead of jewelry that fades, chips, and peals.

Make sure that you stay relaxed through this process, don’t let it stress you out. Have fun and enjoy making the jewelry, and saving the money. You can find beads and findings at bead shops, chain craft stores such as Hobby Lobby and Michael’s, or online at places such as e-Bay or my personal favorite www.firemountaingems.com.

If you need ideas I recommend checking out books from the library, going to a book shop and browsing their bead books, or looking at the bead books often found at bead shops and craft stores. If you find a pattern you really like it may be worth buying the book. I found a wedding lariat that I can’t wait to do! Have fun!

As a society we place too much value on television characters, sports players, performers, and toys. Where did a girls toy that some of us enjoy collecting once grown become a role model? Should we give that status to anything that is made of plastic and a permanent size two?

Barbie is not a good role model for girls because she is a toy. Toys are meant to be played with. Explore and discover new things with your toys. If Barbie is a role model in your home, eagle eye your daughter when she plays with her. Many of us used a naked Barbie and Ken to experiment what we knew about the facts of life. Don’t act shocked, at least Barbie and Ken wedding kissed once. And you put them in a bed, fully clothed or not. If Barbie is a toy that one is creative or experimental with, does that make naked Barbie and Ken good role models?

Barbie is not a good role model because she can’t stay married. How many versions of wedding Barbie have we seen on the market now? What keeps causing her to divorce blond Ken and marry brown haired Ken? Is she a Ken hopping floozy? Is this a good role model? How many weddings do you plan to pay for your for your daughter? There is a limit even to a platinum credit card and how many Vera Wang dresses one can afford.

Barbie is not a good role model for the same reason many of today’s young stars are not good role models, they have the body of a twig. Barbie does not promote an overweight girl to feel good about herself. Barbie doesn’t boost the late bloomers self esteem. She is a plastic doll that they have yet to put out in Plus size. If you love the sight of your daughter running to a restroom after every meal to purge it out of her body, then promote Barbie as a role model.

Honestly, I went for a humor angle with this category. But the fact is there are many people who place too much emphasis on Barbie as a role model in our culture. She is a toy. A historical, well rounded toy to be sure. But a toy at the end of the day. It’s because we expect her to be a role model and teach our girls things such as they can be or do anything they want, we get distressed and scream loudly when Barbie’s such as Totally Stylin Tattoo Barbie hit the shelves. How dare they! They put out a Barbie with a tattoo gun, tattoo’s, and her own little tramp stamp. What is that teaching our little girls?

That Barbie is a toy. That the world is diverse and Barbie changes with the times. If it goes against your value system then don’t buy