These Barbies may not cater a luau, but they will waitress!

My good friend, Stacy, is expecting her first baby very soon, and I had the privilege of throwing her a baby shower - the first one I've ever put together. The shower was co-ed, and - much like Stacy herself - not entirely "traditional." In the spirit of bucking tradition, I decided to enlisted my little Mattel army to host the snack table.


To fit with the Hawaiian luau theme, they needed a little dressing up. So, to my sewing machine I went and whipped up 10 "simulated grass" skirts. I made them each from a rectangular piece of yellow cotton, folded in half, and top-stitched a 1/4-inch from the fold to create an elastic casing. After threading some thin elastic cord through (enough to stretch around Barbie's hips) and tying the ends together, I used my rotary cutter to cut straight up from the bottom hem to just below the elastic casing, creating the fringe...I mean...grass.

Although it was a non-traditional shower, I knew that displaying topless Barbies would still be a little too scandalous, so I also fashioned 10 tiny bras out of colored ribbon and pistachio shells (completed in record time, thanks to my low-temp glue gun).

They were all beautiful and gracious - if not silent - hosts: holding bowls of chips, guarding the fruit tray from hungry kitties, and waving people over to try the veggie dip. I couldn't have done it without them.

Mine are available for hire, but you just may find some in your local doll stash to waitress at your next event. Trust me, you'll be glad to have the help, and I don't think you're required to pay workman's comp.