Cleveland woman takes Barbie upcycling skills to next level

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Barbie lover Dawn Arrington of Cleveland has been collecting Mattel dolls for 40 years.

"It gives me a lot of time to problem solve and step away from my very busy life," Arrington said.

She says it's hard to choose a favorite doll. She loves them all!

What Arrington loves most is what Barbie means to her -- a reminder that she can be and do anything she puts her mind to.

"I just love the idea of being able to play and imagine a world where everything that I want and everything I want to do is possible."

After seeing the new Barbie movie at the box office, Arrington was inspired. Now, she's stepping her Barbie game up a notch.

She's cleared off a shelf off in her kitchen to make a little more room for her collection with a dollhouse.

Over the weekend, Arrington visited Cleveland Recycles "Zero Landfill" event and immediately became even more inspired.

So she's been trying her hand at homemade miniature fixtures to add to her own version of Barbie's world -- using scraps of recycled fabric, carpet, tiles and vinyl.

"Being able to invest in this part of me allows me the space to just be me and just imagine and just have fun," Arrington said.

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