Now Playing: "Futurama" - 'Mars University', Beloved bought the first season !
Current Mood : Happy, and much more lighthearted
Spent on dolls today : $15.32
It never fails - I go for a bit without spending much, or anything at all, and wham ! I spend money like a wild woman ! I'm sending '07 out with a bang !
Dearest Son did better at the flea market than me. He got a snack baggie full of 18 Lego people figures, plus a Lego monkey, still-packaged kids' meal Millennium Falcon and landspeeder toys, a Phantom Menace melmac plate, and another R2D2 action figure that, at first, I thought was identical to the one we got him for Christmas, without the little accessories. Turns out, it's an older model, about ten years older. He's just different enough from the other two R2s squeakin' around here to be extra fun for Son. Score !
I found a four-piece set of that always-available Barbie size wicker furniture - I just can't resist it. I remember having enough allowance for the single chair for Princess Leia as a kid, and saving for the table and loveseat, but it was sold out. A month later, TG&Y was in bankruptcy, and our local store was closed. I bet I've bought pretty much the same chair a dozen times, yet I only have four of ‘em. And now, I have the loveseat and table ! Funny how things work out sometimes.
I also found another Malibu PJ. Her face has a bad ink stain, but her body was in good shape. Few months ago, I bought a set of Malibus, and one Barbie had a wrecked body. Bought PJ and ‘re-headed' Barbie, so now I have two Malibu Barbies, one Malibu PJ, and a spare MPJ head. I still intend to reroot one of the Barbies as a brunette, but now I can still have the blonde of my youth, too ! I found a Malibu Ken at another booth, and considered him, but someone had given him an ear-piercing, and the green was already spreading. It was (shudder) fuzzy around the earring. He also had very loose joints and paint (possibly white-out) splashes. And that high-white grin that's somewhere between ‘sleazebag' and ‘village idiot' that I've never really liked.
The Malibu seller is my old ally/nemesis with the car sets. Aggravatingly, she had a brunette New Ken, who'd be a nice brother to the blonde beach New Ken I got for Christmas, but he was in a blah plastic car for $14. Even the usually car-obsessed Son wasn't interested in it. And I can buy the dude new for $15. So I might later. Found a plastic ‘oil drum' in a dime box - probably from an action figure set - that might get used if I ever do the ‘used car lot' photos I imagine ! Or in a ‘struggling artist' loft as a table base.
Ran some errands, including the donations - a box of kid videotapes and a few outgrown but in good shape clothes. Outgrowns in bad shape end up in the Lab ! The thrift store connected to the donation drop is where I hit it big ! Found a doll pale enough to work as a body donor to the Casey head I've had for a couple months, and another wearing a super-cool sweater. That sweater came from ‘So Excellent Earrings Summer', from the Cali Girl line, and it's just gorgeous !
Housewares had a cute sort of window waiting for me, and in Toys, a My Scene Vespa. It's missing the matching helmet, seat belt, rear-view mirrors, and kickstand, but for $2., I can't complain much ! From research, I learned that the seat also opens for storage. Cool ! Older dolls don't quite sit right on it, but the flex-hips newer ones look great driving it.
Books held an American Girl paper doll set (Molly, 1944) that I snagged because it had two nice backdrops in it, and it was super-cheap. And sometimes, paper dolls can be fun. This set had all sorts of historical details and a small storybook. A 50c grab bin had the pink ‘mannequin in a box' glitter shaker thingie I've seen before. What the heck. It'd be a fun display, I could use it in photos or a store diorama, and I sort of have a mannequin collection going. What's the old saying, ‘More than two's a collection' ?
I sometimes think that the other reason I love to thrift stuff is because I really get a kick out of the research. I couldn't get the mannequin box open, the dial wouldn't turn, and there was no visible hinge. So off to Google we go ! Soon found out through trial and error using variations of ‘Barbie', ‘beads', ‘2001', ‘glitter', and ‘shaker' that I had the main selling point of "Bead ‘n Beauty Barbie" in my curious hands. The set came with a doll and clothes that kids could customize with the also-included double-sided stickers. Once applied, they'd go on the mannequin to get beaded/glittered in one of three colors. Sort of a fashion ‘Shake ‘n Bake'.
Of course, all my glitter beads were mixed together, but Mattel, bless ‘em, still had a PDF of the directions on their website. (http://service.mattel.com/instruction_sheets/52745.pdf) A quick reseating of the chamber, and it aligned so I could dial it to the ‘unlocked' position and access the mannequin. Could be useful - especially if I ever wanna glitter something up without making the Lab look like Christmas. I still have quite a bit of glitter left from those snowflakes ! And it'd easily work as a store display window. It also had a purse and bag stand so owners could glitter those up, but it wasn't included with mine. I'll have to see if the mannequin post will fit into a doll stand, ‘cause it'd be nice to have the versatility.
It's kind of embarrassing that I needed a PDF to figure it out, but I'm just glad it was there. Came home, head-swapped the dolls - they're in the photo above - and played a bit. I like the blue blouse Malibu's wearing, it's nearly the same color as her issue swimsuit. Found a couple of spots on the sweater that'll need cleaning. Beloved Hubby made the front doors and designed the hinges for my dollhouse, and says he'll get those on, and probably start the windows tomorrow. Wheee !
While cleaning the office area yesterday, I found the old bottle of Bondini gel. It's so light, I figured it was empty, but just in case...I fetched down the black Barbie case I got last month and squeeeeeezed heck out of the bottle. There were just a few drops left, but it was enough to repair the broken handle. All right ! Much better than the yards of surgical tape that was there, and it looks so much happier now that the handle's back in one piece. I've used it three times now, to fix doll plastic stuff - this, a split railing on a doll playset, and a playset table, and it's worked all three times. Beloved used most of the bottle on a General Lee model for Dearest. Car was flimsy and came apart, but not where the glue was !
He's trying so hard to make sure I'm OK and comfortable with the new situation. He also bought a locking doorknob for the Lab, which I'm grateful for, but it reminds me of how terrible I am, so I feel rather bad about it. Yes, I did want the lock. I'm petty, selfish, and mean, but he already knows all that, and still loves me. Still makes me feel like a jerk, but he's willing to do what he can to make this easier for everyone. I'm housecleaning and getting rid of stuff, hoping that helps. So far, it's all been good for me, except for the whining and wailing. I'm glad I had a few days to get over myself.
Tomorrow, Dearest and I tackle his bedroom. It's a jungle and a zoo in there ! But I feel better about stuff, and it's never a good idea to clean a room angry.
Thanks again for the encouragement and for listening. I do get wound up and frustrated easily - I wish I was Bugs Bunny, but I'm really Daffy ! - so I may start volunteering at first, and then go for the payin' gigs. Beloved says it's fine if I don't go back to work, but I can't sit around at home !
In a few days, though, I can lock myself in the Lab...(evil grin)
You lucky girl you. 
