Current Mood : Self Indulgent
Current Image Notes : I just felt like DPrincesses, since half of today's culls were DP-related
Today started off with a roar - namely Beloved Hubby's. We had no water ! After a flurry of checking fuses and the well pump, still nothin'. So we had to call our absentee landlord who really tried to pin whatever blame there could be on us somehow, but still called a well service company. Hal the well guy was here two hours later, and ten minutes after he arrived, I heard an odd noise in Beloved's Studio. Water ! We hardly ever use that sink, but had left it dripping since we heard about the snow forecast.
Turned out the well roof bent in from the weight of the snow, which pressed down on the already damaged switch that we knew nothing about. Hal replaced the switch and reinforced it. We'll make a new well roof soon. I tell ya, running water is magical when you lose it and get it back !
We also found out that Hal dug that well, forty years ago. And it's 400 feet deep ! Beloved enjoyed talking to him - my lazy butt was inside flipping breakers and faucets, and reclaiming the living room from Christmas. Called the landlord, so she'd know we were good to go now - and now she wanted to blame the issue on the horses. (sigh)
In the lull after the storm, I actually got a bit bored. So I opened up the ‘Generations of Dreams' Barbie, and found several surprises. First off, she was double-boxed. In order to include the necklace, the doll's original box was placed inside a second larger box that included the necklace display, and a second Certificate of Authenticity. Seriously, the doll's original box had its own UPC and item code, both different from the new box information. I also noticed that the printing on the second box wasn't as sharp.
The necklace's chain is actually long enough to fit my thick neck, and I'm wearing it now. The front image is enameled over what feels like tin - or whatever they make fashion dog tags from - and the back is flat silver, with the Barbie signature in pink, and Mattel © 2009 under it in black. I love it.
The doll has the ModelMuse body, and includes a plain white platform stand that probably won't work with any other doll body. It's at an odd angle. The dress is actually two pieces, and both snaps on and is sewn on - removable, but you have to cut a couple threads. The skirt has built-in panties, and a full crinoline. The ‘Red Flare' patch on the skirt's front is actually sewn to the package platform, and a lock of hair is sewn to the bodice. Keep good scissors handy if you decide to debox one of these !
Her left thumb, on her bent arm, was pinched a bit from her packaging, and for some reason, her hands look rather large. Maybe it's the dusky pink nail polish. Let's see...Nope, I just compared hers to Claire's, and Generations has much larger hands. The bodice was taped to her with double-sided sticky. On both sides and both...well, her bust. It came off the doll much easier than it came off the bodice lining. Light pink strappy sandals completed her outfit. And her silver dot earrings are held in with those safety barbs, so I left them in. Once the ice and snow melts enough for me to get out of the driveway - right now, Molly has snow up to her axles - I'll probably give her away on ITP.
The second box also repeats some of the ‘50th Anniversary' fabric design on the cardboard, so you know I'll be salvaging that ! Possibly also the black with pink pinstripe platform the doll stood on, but I don't see me saving an illustration of the doll I don't want to keep.
Plus, in my current clean-out mode, it's far easier to not cling on to everything. Went through the Elphie-and-larger sized doll furniture, and got rid of four benches and a chair. Since I still have three benches and six chairs, I think I can let those go. Eliminating all the furniture cleared off a whole bookcase shelf, so I moved the standing Little Disney Princess dolls there, and... more floor !
It also left me with a bit of a problem. The Barbie vehicle fleet used to sort of hide the large doll furniture storage, but I didn't want to hide the LDPs. Relocating the cars in front of the fabric towers didn't look good either. And they stuck out too far. So, I slid the slab closer to the door, moved a box of fabric scraps I forgot about, made sure the door could still swing freely, and moved the cars to the newly opened space. They look a lot more natural next to the castle - it's like a little parking lot over there. Only problem now is, there's another blasted box of fabric to deal with. (sigh)
I also started to cull through the dolls and separated out eight that need ‘to go' clothes.
So far, the goal is ten, and from now on, one comes in, two go out - and I have to have an idea of which two before buying the newest one. I finally ran a quick census. 115 Barbie-scale dolls remain, and there's 32 other dolls, from Elphie to the MSBs and Baby Crissy. Much as I'd love to get the count down to under a hundred total, I just don't see it happening right now. I like having several versions of Midge - vintage, Happy Family, Florida, Bedtime, California Dream...I love seeing them all together. Sure, I have three Malibu Barbies, but one's going brunette, and the other two have different bodies. I can rationalize keeping every one of them, so letting ten go is OK for now.
I'm considering dumping the six-inch Musical Disney Princess dolls, too. It's another scale I don't need, and while it's been fun to play with them, I doubt I will much longer. So I may put them aside, and when it's time to talk trade with Brenda at the Flea Market, give it one last think-over. But I pretty much already know.
That leaves Props, and another look at Barbies, for tomorrow or Monday. I finally figured out what the holdup was on furnishing the Dollhouse. Y'see, I've been hoarding doll props since...well, let's just say much of the collection survived The Big Move of ‘02, and they've been joined by a metric ton more over the years. While I've done occasional thin-outs, the herd has only grown. Once I drag everything out and down, and when the Dollhouse is fully furnished, I have little reason to keep what wasn't used. I didn't want to know how much I've hung on to for so long - or give it away. And I wasn't ready in November. I think I'm ready now.
That, and I still don't know how I wanna do the floors and walls, but heck, once there's furniture, what's there is fine. I'll get to play, and that's the point. Right now, I have too much to play with, odd as that sounds.
Plenty to write about, though...
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