“Now I’m crying”: Woman shares her grandma’s handmade Barbie furniture. The internet calls it “museum-worthy”

A TikTok video showcasing heirloom Barbie furniture has struck a nostalgic chord online. Momfluencer Jen Elmore revealed that her grandmother had handmade an entire set of Barbie dollhouse furniture 35 years ago, a set of lovingly preserved pieces that included furniture for a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom.

“A lost art” in miniature form

“Crying because I’m about to hand down my 35-year-old Barbie furniture to my daughters, hand-made by my grandma,” Elmore wrote in her onscreen text. She got down on the carpeted floor to show the treasured doll furniture up close and admitted, “As a kid, I never realized or appreciated the incredible detail in every piece.”

Elmore panned across a living room set complete with a loveseat and its tiny removable throw pillows, lamp, and armchair. There was a bedroom set with a twin bed covered by an intricate quilt and a decorative headboard, a bureau with a mirror made from tinfoil, and a color-coordinated rug.

The kitchen furniture included two high-backed chairs and a table with floral details, and a vintage oven and hutch. Elmore’s grandmother even made a sink with gemstone water taps and a tiny drain plug, a tub, and a tiny toilet for the bathroom.

In the video’s caption, Elmore lamented that her grandmother may have been part of “the last generation to really make things like this anymore.” But she added that handing the furniture down to her daughters will keep her grandma’s spirit alive.

@jenelmore My late Grandma probably put so much love and time into creating this set, and she created one for my sister and cousin too. Sadly, I feel like that was the last generation to really make things like this anymore, and it makes me so sad and nostalgic. I am so excited to watch my daughters love this furniture and keep her spirit alive! #tinythings #miniatures #miniaturestiktok #tinyfurniture #dollfurniture #barbie #barbiefurniture #nostalgia #nostolgic #grandmacrafts ♬ Slipping Through My Fingers – Declan McKenna

She also included a video of her sister’s set—equally as intricate and “magical,” if not more. (One of the top comments jokingly read, “I’m afraid to say, I think your sister was the favorite.”)

@jenelmore Replying to @peas they really were. Truly a lost art! Our Grandma loved us so much and it shows in every single detail ❤️ #miniaturestiktok #miniatures #tinythings #tinyfurniture #dollfurniture #barbie #barbiefurniture #nostolgic #grandmacrafts #plasticcanvas #plasticcanvascrafts #plasticcanvasdollhouse ♬ Magic Glockenspiel – DOMANSED

TikTok gushed over a grandmother’s handiwork and labor of love

“Maybe I’m dramatic but I feel like these are museum worthy. You rarely see work like this these days without it being tarnished or broken.. it’s practically a lost art..”

“There’s so much love in those pieces 😭.”

“This is truly the most amazing, heartfelt thing I’ve seen!”

While others in the comments warned Elmore to beware because kids “smash all their toys together with impunity.”

“They’ll wreck it. You keep it.”

“No don’t do it! My mother was a seamstress and she would make all sorts of outfits for my Barbie. I hated that she didn’t buy me the clothes from the store. Looking back, I realize how much effort it took for her to do that. Great! Now I’m crying 😭.”

“Some children are just a little heavy-handed, I was a very careful child, my siblings and own children are not. They smash all their toys together with impunity.”