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Dorrie's Doll Diaries
Friday, 2 February 2007
I Sewed Something !!
Mood:
 energetic
Now Playing: "The Best of Benny Hill" - a $5.50 one from the Mart bin, but hilarious
Maybe it was the caffeine. I've been enjoying my morning coffee - which often becomes my afternoon coffee - these last two weeks, but maybe I need to scale it back. I could barely sleep last night, but I felt better this morning. Or maybe the multivitamin helped, who knows ? But anyway, I really felt like sewing. There's a friend on the Disney Dolls group who wants me to sew something for him, and I just haven't gotten to it yet. That may have been part of the block. Aside from a swap here and there - which made me anxious enough to not repeat lately - I've never really sewn for anyone else. I know I can do it, but I was completely lethargic about even trying. And much as I'd like to say that's what I sewed, it isn't. I wanted to make two somethings for another group, one as a give-away in a contest, and the other for a dear member who made me something. After having a nice afternoon with Dearest Son and Beloved Hubby, it was time. The finished item is shot full of errors. I hate it when I have to hand-sew in a zipper when the dress is finished. I always end up with it off-center. Amazingly, I can do it right when I use the machine, but I always boot it by hand. I didn't have thread to match the fabric very well, and it shows, horribly. I also didn't see the 'place on fold' when I cut the skirt part out, so it's not as poofy as it should be. On the whole, it's not my favorite dress. But it's OK. And I see my mistakes, and can improve on the next ones. For one, the back will have snaps ! And the skirt will be the right width. Third, I am getting better matching thread ! I've tried several times to take a photo, but they didn't come out well at all. So I hope to get a decent one tomorrow. Then, I'll get some darn thread ! It actually felt rather good to sew for Barbie again. I was nervous - the pattern showed a 1/8" seam allowance, but it hung like a bag that way. With a standard 1/4" seam allow, it fit great. (sigh) I get so tired of that kind of bonehead mistake in doll patterns... Well, it's late, and I'm falling asleep typing. 'Til the morrow !
Posted by dorriebelle
at 12:01 AM CST
Thursday, 1 February 2007
Dearest Son's feeling better...
Mood:
 not sure
Now Playing: "Who Framed Roger Rabbit ?" - DVD rental, again - but it gets returned Friday !
...but the darn van wouldn't start ! So we called in sick and stayed indoors. Nearly drove Son nuts, it started to snow and he was too sick to get out in it. Other than that, not much going on. I reorganized the doll jewelry findings box - big fun, that. I want to sew, but it's weird. I just can't sit there and do it. When I have time, I sit around on the computer or do housework. It's like I'm afraid or something. It's been a while since I sewed Barbie-size clothes, true enough, but I was still sewing Leia's new stuff just weeks ago. I don't know what the problem is. There's miles (if not parsecs by now) of fabric, decades of patterns, lots of fun dolls to dress. But I just haven't been able to make the leap to actually sew something. Maybe I'm just in a slump. I'm gonna get to bed early tonight - my insomnia's come roaring back - and see if lowered caffeine and raised sleep help. I feel so...out of sorts lately.
Posted by dorriebelle
at 12:01 AM CST
Wednesday, 31 January 2007
Dearest Son's sick now...
Mood:
 a-ok
Now Playing: "Who Framed Roger Rabbit ?" - DVD rental, again
...so it's another short entry. No time to sew or play, about all I got done was cleaning the kitchen and doing some laundry. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. He's still coughing really hard though. And it's snowing. I will probably have company at home tomorrow. But this weekend, I am getting some ^%$# doll time !
Posted by dorriebelle
at 12:01 AM CST
Tuesday, 30 January 2007
Evidently, there is a minor virus...
Mood:
 lazy
Now Playing: "Robin Hood" - Son's DVD, once more
...making the rounds at Dearest Son's school. He wasn't feeling well this afternoon, and stayed with me during my volunteer hours. It was fun, but I was glad to come home. All of us napped the early evening hours away. Those two dresses I wanted came in ! I'll have to snap some quick pix tomorrow, I'm still tired and a bit worn...and there's an odds-on chance Son is home all day tomorrow. Got a pair of glittery green socks at Dollar Tree today - hoping to also find time to make Elphie yet another sweater. I just love making those things ! But that's about all that's gone on. Sorry the entries haven't been very interesting lately. We're expecting snow again soon, so they'll probably pick up ! :)
Posted by dorriebelle
at 8:25 PM CST
Monday, 29 January 2007
Not feeling too well tonight...
Mood:
 don't ask
Now Playing: XM something - I don't even know what channel it's on.
Sorry. Not feeling well at all, and all I wanna do is lie down. Didn't do anything doll-related today, either, and tomorrow I've got volunteer work. So I'm gonna go hit the hay. Hopefully I just picked up a tummy bug or something.
Posted by dorriebelle
at 10:37 PM CST
Sunday, 28 January 2007
OwieOwieOwie...or, Razor Knives Are Sharp
Mood:
 loud
Now Playing: XM 70s - 'Sooner or Later', Grass Roots
Found a razor-blade box cutter of Beloved Hubby's, used it to cut the keychain brackets off the miniature lunchboxes we bought yesterday. I had just thought, 'Oh, this isn't a good position (for the knife to be in)' when it slipped and dug a small chunk out of my thumb. Ow. This is gonna make volunteering at the school's book fair Tuesday interesting... washing my hair tomorrow morning will probaby be quite memorable ! Oh, well. Stupid sometimes hurts, and I was being stupid. Now I just gotta finish payin' for it. Hope it scabs up sometime soon. It's been about twelve hours since... No way was I gonna be able to sew, not that I could have with intact digits, my 'studio' was absolutely trashed. So I spent two hours cleaning it up this afternoon. Finally got all the new acquisitions put away. The scrap fabric bag I got yesterday had so much netting that I had to find a box for it all, but it allowed me to dig the netting out of the 'tulle/net' bag and store both better. While that was going on, I stored the elastic from the last few bra pick-aparts, got pattern pieces in a single pile that I'll sort out later, put stuff I bought three weeks ago away, finally. I actually ironed the lace I got yesterday, too. That should tell you two things - that lace was really wadded up, and I really like what I got ! I would rather do dishes with my face than iron. It's taken me the longest time to iron even doll clothes during sewing 'em - even though I know it adds to the finished item and even makes sewing easier, I'll try to avoid it at every opportunity. While rooting through the lace and ribbon tote, I found leftover pieces of the black webbing we used as straps for Dearest Son's 'Herbie' costume. Put the longest one aside. I've been meaning to make Son a quiver to go with his Robin Hood hat. Got the green felt here, fabric glue's over on the cutting table, the Pringles can's there. Just needed the webbing, so I know what I'm working on tomorrow. He still wears that hat.
The fabric scrap bag also had lots of satin in it, heavy, beautifully colored stuff. There was also some thin inexpensive lining fabric that's still pretty. It'll do me some good to practice with it. I also got some luscious red velvet and lots of the gold-striped black material that sold the bag to me. Most of the gold/black fabric is in small pieces, but I can do a lot with small bits ! Still, I should be using stuff up, not buying more. I just lost my resolve when I saw how pretty it was. I got a real deal ! But I need to refrain from finding any more deals anytime soon. Last week I was in Hancock's, mostly to kill a few minutes, and I didn't see a thing I wanted. Of course, 90% of their stock from the last two or three years is probably represented here...
Posted by dorriebelle
at 5:23 PM CST
Updated: Sunday, 28 January 2007 5:26 PM CST
Saturday, 27 January 2007
I had a wonderful day - but I need your help, a bit...
Mood:
 happy
I got to do everything I wanted to ! And it snowed ! It was such a great day... Before the snow started, Beloved Hubby came through on his promise to go to the junk shop. This place isn't yer standard thrift store, it's a smorgasboard of junk, and it 's pretty cheap. I'd go every couple of weeks, but it's about a half-hour away, so I only go a couple times a year. I voiced an interest in going again sometime, and Hubby today said, 'No time like the present !'. We got six toy cars for the 'surprise drawer' (i.e., the bribe closet), including one that looks like a long-lost member of the Cars cast, except that it's about three years old, from Tonka. They're all brand-new, and dirt cheap. I scored a baggie of doll clothes - a wine colored velveteen and lace Cabbage Patch dress, a Barbie dress, two blouses, a jacket, and a Ken-size tuxedo coat, but in bright floral pink colors. I figure Leia or Jem can wear it. The dress is from the "Flying Butterfly" doll - I didn't know about this one until I went hunting for it. It's just-out-of-package new, and pretty, if a bit over-bright. The striped blouse with attached ascot and the matching jacket came off 2001's 'Travel Train Fun' doll. I'm not sure about the other one. It's pink, has floral sleeves to match, but a bodice of yellow with orange diamonds and multicolored centers, with a purple dotted line dividing it. I have no idea where that larger tux jacket came from, but it's in nice shape. There was a blonde Darci doll there, but her face had faded to the same kind of ghost white I've only seen once before, on a NRFB Candi doll in an antiques store. Rest of the body was fine, and even the hands were in good shape. I had no idea Darcies faded like that. I also got a quart bag full of tiny gathered lace. About 22 yards in seven different styles and colors. It was a packed-full bag ! I also found some gorgeous black fabric with gold stripes running through it - it was in a scap bag for $2., so I went ahead and got it. Still have to sort through it. At the register was a beautifully-winged toy bear - 50c. I de-winged, de-rhinestoned, and de-ribboned him already - you never know when you're gonna need doll wings, and these were just too cool. The bear, still in fantastic, soft shape, is already in the donations drawer. I didn't find many dolls, and the ones they had I didn't want. There was a Tomy Kimberly, and some CPKs, and about 200 nude Barbies, but many were in sadder shape than just nude. They also had a 'Little Princess' Cinderella doll, still in her original dress, hair still in the factory set. Man, that's about the sixth Cindy I've seen second-hand. Only two Ariels, and none of the others. Got home just before the snow. So pretty. It's gone already, though. And if that wasn't a fantastic enough day, we stopped in at Dollar Tree on the way to pick up Dearest Son from his grandparents - their DTree had dozens of those miniature Disney Princess lunch boxes ! I picked out four that I liked the best, and was trying to narrow it down when Hubby swept them all into the basket ! I told him I only needed two, but he said this way, I could have all the best ones at once. Isn't he the sweetest ? Also, I learned that you can celebrate every major American holiday with Cars. Hallmark had Christmas ornaments, and I've already bought Son's character Valentine's. At DTree, they had an Easter Egg dye kit with 48 Cars character stickers. I'm wondering if Lightning McQueen will get dyed green for St. Patrick's, there'll be a wedding cake topper of him and Sally, how much Cars fireworks will go for. I've already seen Halloween costumes and candy, along with back-to-school supplies and pinatas. Which, so far, only leaves New Year's, but there are noisemakers, party hats, and blow-outs for birthday parties, and those can double for the next year. Can use the plates for Thanksgiving. And Sarge is more than willing to do PSAs for Veterans and Memorial Days. (PSA=Public Service Announcement) I'm starting to think some films only get made because the merchandising is a freakin' gold mine ! Well, we're all home now, and the prizes (coughbribeshack) are stored 'til we need 'em, and I got some fabric to dig through. But I had the most wonderful day, it wasn't until we got back that I realized I never did the doll photos ! Here's hoping for tomorrow ! Ps- At the junk shop, I met a sweet young lady named Rachel. Her baby girl was born prematurely, and isn't eating enough. They may have to intubate her so she can take enough nourishment to thrive. While Dearest Son was born early, he was healthy, so I can only imagine her anguish. She and her husband had just come from the hospital - the shop owner's their neighbor - and the strain was clear on them. If you do prayers, focusing white light, or sending out good wishes to strangers, would you mind sending some out for Rachel's little girl ? I had a lot of people pulling for me when I was ill during Son's birth, and I'd like to pass it along, and I hope you can help. Never underestimate the power of simple caring.
Posted by dorriebelle
at 6:54 PM CST
Updated: Saturday, 27 January 2007 8:09 PM CST
Friday, 26 January 2007
Button, button...I got *lots* of buttons !
Mood:
a-ok
Now Playing: XM 70s - 'Weekend', Wet Willie
Had some simple, silly fun today. You may remember back on Tuesday, I was at GoodWill, and I picked up a doll. Forgot to tell you, I picked up a 'craft grab baggie' for 99c at the same time. Inside was unopened packages of star-shaped buttons, boy-themed 'buttons', and two packs of sequins. The buttons are made by the same company that makes those tiny ones I use for doll clothes, even though they're really marketed and sold to scrapbookers. No kidding, all these buttons I love are usually in with the hole punchers, 50c a page paper, and brads of various sizes. For someone who's not really 'into' scrapbooking, I get a lot of good ideas for my dolls in those aisles - and I sure spend a lot of time there ! Company's name is "Dress It Up", it's a Jesse James Company out of Bethlehem PA, says on the package. They make all sorts of plastic 'buttons', from super tiny ones that equal the dimensions of those on vintage Barbie clothes, to huge ones almost the size of your kneecap. Link to their website at the end of today's entry. I find 'em at both the Mart and Hobby Lobby, and your local craft shop will probably have some in the scrapbooking section. While many have shanks or sew-through holes, most don't. That way, the scrapbookers don't have to snip 'em off. The 'Little Boy' pack I got has flat-back non-buttons, of trains and planes, stars and dump trucks. I plan to glue 'em to Dearest Son's new jacket. They usually go for around $2. a packet, so getting two packs and some sequins for 99c was a good deal. The star package, labelled 'All American Collection/All American' had three different styles - I got three open white stars a bit bigger than a quarter, three nickel-size matte finish gold stars the size of your thumbnail, and six slightly smaller two-color ones. Those are either red or navy on the outside star, with contrasting red, white, or blue star shapes inside. All but the white open ones have shank backs, so I can have fun with doll jewelry with 'em ! I found a good boot box discarded a few days ago, and when I went to prep it for fabric covering (more later), I discovered a gold cord in the tissue paper. Strung one of the open white stars through it, cut to fit, treated the ends with Fray-Check, and poof ! Instant Crissy necklace ! The gold stars just wouldn't hang right - shank is, of course, centered, I'd need it more towards the top to work. Added a jump ring to the shank, but it still tipped forward. Oh, well. My eyes caught a little circular crystal I'd found somewhere. It must've been from an old chandelier or candleholder, from the brackets on the top and bottom. Snipped off the bottom bracket, re-bent the top one to form a loop...where to find something really small to act as a cord or necklace ? What I'd used for Crissy's was too big, it quite overwhelmed the tiny crystal. It's about the size of your pinky nail. All the cord I had was also too large...then it hit me. Embroidery floss ! Six strands, can be thinned down easily, or left intact, and I had about three dozen colors. Found a four-strand piece cut from a prior project, and it looks great. Isabella now has a lovely crystal necklace, and I can change the 'cord' with her next outfit. Coool ! So I finally found a use for that little crystal, and the stuff I bought Tuesday. Not sure what'll happen to the sequins, they're rather large for most of my uses. But I'm sure they'll fit in somewhere. The embroidery floss I've had around for years, if not decades, and I just found a doll-related use for it ! :) I'll probaby root around in the doll jewelry box for more ideas. I use one of those $2. 'floss keeper' boxes, I just love all the dividers. All my broken jewelry, various bits and pieces from damaged doll clothes, beads and sequins and such from grab-bags ends up in there. Ironically, all the floss is in a Christmas gift box, designed to look like a take out box for Chinese food. Maybe I should snag another floss box... Oh, and about covering boxes ? I'll write that up for you soon, I'm gonna experiment a bit first. The directions I have call for Mod Podge, which isn't expensive, but I wanna try to use what I already have - namely Fray-Check and fabric glue, we'll see how that goes. Here's the site - it links to a retail outlet to purchase, but you can just look around : http://www.dressitup.com/
Posted by dorriebelle
at 1:42 PM CST
Thursday, 25 January 2007
New doll clothes, coming soon !
Mood:
happy
Now Playing: Some 'You Tube' selections - mostly anime stuff.
You'd think I'd have a boring day after all the 'new doll' excitement over Christie. But I didn't ! Well, some would say it's boring, but I'm happy because I have two doll dresses - Barbie clothes - that I've wanted since 2000 on their way to me ! Wheeeee ! And really, they're nothing special, I could easily make them myself. But for some reason, I really grooved on these two, and while they're fairly common, I never saw one on my second-hand wanderings. Which is funny, because I find rarities (the red 'It's Cold Outside' coat) and unusual pieces (the blouse to 'Fun At The Fair') for loose change, but two modern and often-seen dresses have eluded me for over five years. One is a simple white dress with a pink sash and matching pink ribbon on the bodice - it came on the My First Barbie from 1984. I'm not sure why I like this dress so much, there's not a lot to it. But I've wanted it for some time. The other has a strapless bodice in pink, with a matching ruffle on top. The skirt is white with pink and green rosebuds, hemmed with a pink ruffle to match the top one. It ties with a velveteen belt, but I've never been able to tell if the belt is dark green or black. I think it's also a 'My First' fashion, I'm not sure. It doesn't come up often still in the packaging. I often see it in lots, rarely by itself. Simple dresses. I even made two versions of the pink rosebud one - one with gathered lace, one with a ruffle I made with my sewing machine attachment. They looked fine, weren't that difficult, but I still wanted the original. Even when I found them, soooo cheap, I had to fight with myself before I placed the order. I still wanted those dresses, but it was a real struggle for me to spend the money on such silly things ! I mean, I already proved I could make it myself, why on earth would I want to buy them, even if they were cheap ? Beloved Hubby saw me hesitate, and told me if I didn't place the order, he would. He'd seen me look at them numerous times before, and was glad I'd found them, so why not get 'em ? So I did, and I'm glad. Still felt a bit guilty about spending cash on me, so I had leftovers for lunch and cleaned the kitchen. I use my guilt ! I also researched patterns for Christie's Cinderella Wedding Gown, I may start that this weekend. I hope you find something you've wanted for a long time, at a great price - and you don't kvetch and hesitate the way I did ! Leap on it when the opportunity comes !!
Posted by dorriebelle
at 12:01 AM CST
Wednesday, 24 January 2007
Christie's hair is down ! Leia approves.
Mood:
a-ok
Now Playing: XM 150 - Uncensored Comedy (part of my Hunt for Happy !)
Here they are ! I took most of Christie's hair down today, shampooed the heavy spray out, brushed it, and let it dry. Then I curled it over my fingers a bit. I left in the 'swirl' part - it's rubber-banded at the back of her neck. I was going to undo the whole thing, but a quick examination of the rooting design showed that the 'swirl' part would just hang in her face if I took it down. So I left it. The little bun it was in yesterday was a simple ponytail with another elastic at the bottom of the 'tail that was banded to the back of her head with one of those plastic tag thingies. I hate those things. Don't dolls already have enough holes in their heads without adding more so she'll look good in the box ? I'm starting to think I know why kids leave their dolls' hair intact. It's too much of a pain to take down ! And it probably won't look good anymore afterwards. Her hair's very uneven, now that it's down, and still bears bend marks from the rubber bands. I'll probably give her a boil perm and a trim later. Took two hand-soap shampoos to get all the hairspray out. Christie's already made friends with Leia, who was also hangin' around. Leia's wearing the 'Celestial Dream' dress I talked about earlier, and Christie looks great in Best Buy #7749. At one point, I had three of these, from various Best Buy eBay lots. And I did have it as a child - it was meant to be a make-do for the Deluxe Quick Curl dress I wanted soooo bad. (snigger) I got two of them now...:) While the fabric is neat, the dress is made cheap. There's no hem on the bottom ruffle, and the hems on the neck and armholes are just barely holding on. Frays easily. Typical of Best Buys. But gosh, how I love 'em. Can't afford 'em still on the cards - they often close at $30. But in decent shape, out of the package, they tend to run about $5. on eBay. Cheaper in lots, and lucky finds at thrift stores and yard sales ! True, I don't often get the apron it came with, but I don't need any more aprons ! My Disney Belle collection gave me at least four of the darn things ! If I actually somehow *need* one, it doesn't take two minutes to make it from a square of fabric and a strip of ribbon. And it's guaranteed to not have 'glitter magic pixie dust' painted on it. Anyway, I'm still thinking of doing a Best Buy retrospective, just for fun. I didn't have a lot as a kid, but I sure remembered them. Going through the display was a blast all on its own. Best Buys were the cheap ones you'd get at K-mart with your allowance, but there was lots of fun and style in them, no matter what the vintage fans say. And it's fun to put a 35 year old dress on a brand-new doll. Speaking of fun, according to the Secret Society of Happy People, we're in the middle of the Hunt for Happiness Week. It's actually the sixth week, but the Governor of our state was apathetic about announcing it as official. Oh, well. Happiness is often private anyway. And it's been a pretty happy week for me. I got a lovely new doll, and got to share photos of her with you - that's pretty happy ! The site (link beneath) advises hunting for your happy by starting a collection and surrounding yourself with it, making a 'Happy Place', and becoming childlike. Well, I seem to have that well-covered ! I hope you've made time for some happy today - we only have Thursday and Friday left ! Actually, I darn near always have happy around, I just have to slow down a bit to see that it's right there, almost always. http://www.sohp.com/hunt_for_happiness_week.htm
Posted by dorriebelle
at 3:46 PM CST
Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 9:54 AM CDT
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