Mood:  quizzical

I got a 'Dream Date' Ken yesterday from GoodWill. Only $2., and still in his original tux, right down to the shoes. His velvety jacket's Barbie-pink boutonniere is missing and the all-in-one pants and shirt need cleaning, as well as some minor repairs. After 15 years in the same outfit, he didn't complain about the more casual outfit I put him in. Besides, the outfit - or more likely, sunlight through the outfit, since the MIB ones I've seen aren't like he is - seems to have stained his neck and two strips down his chest an odd shade of yellow. No biggie. I actually prefer dolls with some imperfections - they're more fun to play with that way ! We are our scars, after all.

Spent a good chunk of yesterday evening and today cleaning yesterday's acquisitions. Dearest Son loves his new blue Beetle, it's rarely more than a few inches from his hands since he chose it. The green one had three plastic Easter eggs in the trunk, almost exactly the same shade of green. None of them had seat belts, keys, or the side mirrors, and only one had the rear-view one inside. Two had the 'hidden keyhole' license plate cover, but without keys...Taught Son how to open the trunk by putting his hand inside and gently pushing it up. That's how I'll be doing it !

Baby Ariel's hair, while still in the factory set, was tangled and a bit wooly, so I took it down and brushed it. And brushed it and brushed it...ad nauseum. Whoo. Toddler Belle's hair was also wooly on the ends, and I never took her hair down, either. I cut about an inch of the dolly equivalent of split ends off Belle, and may need to do the same with Baby. In my opinion, shorter hair suited Belle !

I sort of wondered why I had such a need to brush out Ariel's 'do. It was OK the way it was. But I know that it's too easy to give away a doll when you have no interest in playing with her hair ! Once I got it down, it was easy to style - and it went down to her butt ! And folks say Baby Crissy's hair is unrealistic ! I say, for dolls, both are typical. Ariel's hair is fairly easy to take down and put up - the rooted part is easy to find, but doesn't limit styling - and maybe with a bit of conditioner, I can tame hers a bit. It looks more like a fire-engine red mane right now. Didn't have time to sew for her, she's wearing one of Mia's little shift dresses. Almost fits her, just too tight at the neck and the armholes could be a bit bigger.

Did two more pages of pattern reference sheets. I'm into the L part, only 39 more files and 11 books to go. I should have it done by the time Son's school starts. I've spent so much time on it, I got paranoid and backed it all up on CD-R. I'll probably take a complete copy, once it's all done, to the library or a Kinko's to print it out. Library uses laser printers, at just 10c a page. I know our inkjet is much more expensive. Dunno what Kinko's charges, but I may find out in the next few days.

Not a lot else going on - I slept in, and now I'm wiped out. Cleaned the kitchen to start the week right, and did a couple loads of laundry. I think I'm still behind from May ! Oh, and the surgeon who did my recent operation has pronounced me healed and ready for Life. But he wants me to wait 'til August before I attempt skating again. Well, he's the expert ! What's funny to me is that my navel has changed. It's a different shape and depth now. Odd how you go through your days, figuring your belly-button will always be the same, and one day you notice it's different.

Lot of things are like that...

Posted by dorriebelle at 11:46 PM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 10:00 AM CDT

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Mood:  bright

Yes, it is. I was completely innocent of ulterior motives when I left the house for a quick yard-sale run. I knew that Dearest Son wanted another Barbie VW New Beetle - the one my DMIL got him from a yard sale was quite literally played with to death. Which kind of ranked, it was silver, and I sort of wanted to play with it, too. But he loved it, and played with it. Not overly rough, it was the mileage Son put on it that killed it, not accidents and abuse. He loved the doors off first. Then the rest just came undone. Sometimes too much love can be fatal, especially for toys.

Looked 'em up on eBay. While they're pretty cheap, shipping isn't. So, when I found a sweet green one at a yard sale, I snapped it up. Only one problem. I love green. How were we gonna be able to share it ? I packed it and the $2. in 25c kid's books I got him in Lightning Molly's trunk and drove to the next sale. And GoodWill.

Alleluia ! Another Beetle ! How wonderful - we could each have one ! But...there's another one ! A yellow one and a blue one ! In decent used shape, too. Not as cheap as the yard sale one, but not expensive, especially considering these were around $20. new. Which one do I get him ?

Well, we all know how it turned out. Yes. I bought both. And it's all Dearest Son and my DMIL's fault that I have three Barbie VW New Beetles beside me in Easter-egg colors. I had no intention of buying a fleet of the darn things ! I'll let Son pick out which one he likes, but they all need cleaning and sticker (and sticker goo) removal. Green one's mine, though.

I also had no intention of bringing home any new dolls. I have plenty, thanks. But...there was a Dream Date Ken, still in his complete outfit, even shoes. His neck and waist were a bit loose, and his chest had some yellow to it...whaddya expect for $2. ? I asked myself.

But truly not playing fair was the nude Baby Ariel doll. Her little arms reached up from the 'donations to the sales floor' cart, asking for someone to pick her up, play with her, maybe get her some clothes. She's also by Playmates, a line extention of their 'Before Once Upon A Time' todder versions of Disney Princesses. I just couldn't leave her there ! Hair still in the factory set, not a mark on her, but some smearing of her butt markings. This makes the sixth Ariel doll I own - and I'm not a big Little Mermaid fan ! If I were buying off the shelf, I'd probably get Belle, but I didn't really like her infant version.

Hmm. A quick tour of eBay shows numerous Baby Ariels. From stuffed to porcelain to miniature. Here's a good photo of the one I got - http://www.amazon.com/PlayMates-72503-Baby-Princess-Ariel/dp/B000HFQRV4 . While she didn't come with any of that stuff, she's one cute baby ! I'll probably get her measured for Doll Shop Deluxe tonight, unless Beloved Hubby's hunting Napster for more music. Now that she's home, I've noticed she kind of smells like baby powder. I couldn't tell that at the GWill.

I also scored a brand-new ring binder (I have a use for it already !), a wicker loveseat that'll fit Elphie and Fiyero, a starburst trophy (good doll backdrop), a local calendar (more scenery), some storage boxes, and a kids' meal Shrek The Third baby girl ogre. I wanted that one for some 'Elphie Baby-Sits' photos, but I'd already embarassed myself getting the Madame Alexander Wizard of Oz Witch of the West when those were out.  So when we didn't get 'em in Son's once-a-week treat, I figured they'd turn up at yard sales. And they have ! I have two of the three, so I'm happy.

Man, I just wanted to go out for a bit. Instead, I come home with Ariel, Ken, and a baby Ogre, and a fleet of Beetles. At least I didn't spend much, it was all less than $20. total. And it's all Dearest Son's fault ! Those darn Beetles - and all those new dolls ! Wheeee !

It's my fault...but I'm too busy having fun to regret a thing ! :)

Posted by dorriebelle at 1:33 PM CDT

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Mood:  a-ok

Well, I finally got to see some of the Birthstone dolls. They look just like the promo photos, possibly a first for Mattel. Aaaand....the ones I saw are still on the shelf. For one, they didn't have the one I might have purchased - not my birthstone, I'm looking at hair colors more than stone hues - and for second, I didn't really like them. Sure, they have lovely hair and the much-loved-by-me Steffie face. I even like their dresses, although I could do without the oversize necklace and the dumb 'Tinkerbell' inspired tiara-wearing dogs. But the facial screening is too 'Bratz' for me.

No kidding. She's a lovely doll, and I don't want to say anything bad about them, or those who love theirs. But with the rail-thin Model Muse body and the stylized face, she looks like a Barbie Bratz...more Bratz than My Scene. The lips look like she's whistling, or teasing some poor Ken with her professional acumen in certain adult activities. And the sidelong glance doesn't help. I kept wanting to pose her by a streetlamp ! It's a shame, because it's the first Barbie I've been interested in for months. But, no sale.

They also had the High School Musical dolls out. I don't know jack-all about the movie (?) or whatever they're based on. We don't have cable, satellite, or even broadcast TV. But they are nice, attractive dolls. I'd buy the set - the guy and girl, don't know names - but the singing feature makes them $38.-something. Kind of high for me. Besides, you know me, I'll be looking for them next year, nude and with dead batteries, at GoodWill for $2.

I'm still obsessing over pattern-cataloging. I'm in the 'E' section ! And we joined Napster To Go, so I have a musical buffet to go with my tedious new hobby. Beloved Hubby got his 'free with a year's membership' MP3 player, and bought me a compatible one. Wow. I can listen to so much stuff ! It's easy to use, too. It's just funny that they'll have really obscure stuff like Joshua Kadison's "Postcards From L.A.", but don't have half of Janet Jackson's 80s output. Or several of my faves from Robert Palmer. (sigh) But what I got is ultra-cool. I feel like I have my own radio station now, no commercials and all my favorites, from childhood, my years as a DJ, and now.

And now you know why it's been taking me so long to write the Blog ! If I'm not looking up some nobody's-ever-heard-of-it song and getting distracted by three other songs, Beloved Hubby is ! He can spend hours almost motionless, on the musical hunt. I need to start writing this at noon...

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

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Mood:  irritated

Well, we've moved into the single-outfit patterns and the foreign ones. I've worked it out fairly well by now. The 'new canvas' in PaintShopPro is a little smaller than a piece of paper in 'Landscape'. I cut the image - sometimes images ! -  from each pattern, change it to greyscale. Then I remove the background with the 'line', 'shapes', and 'fill' tools, and sharpen it. After that, it gets resized to 250 pixels high. A 'cut' and 'paste as new layer' on the new canvas puts it in place, and I add the pattern name beneath. Then it's off to the next image. I can get anywhere from eight to twelve on a page. Like I said, this is gonna take a bloody long time.

But I'm actually enjoying m'self, and that's the good thing. And I sure don't have time to trawl eBay lookin' for more patterns ! Shoot, with all I have, there shouldn't be much more to want anyway.

Speaking of patterns, I've done more research. Seems Simplicity is quite fond of selling the same exact pattern under various numbers. The one I was looking at, for the Jem-sized part mostly, has been sold as 5356 (1981), 6363 (1983), and 8333 (1987). Another cute one, just for the Barbies this time, is 5637, sold first in 1982. It got reissued as 6369 in 1983. Another pretty Barbie-only was 1986's 7928, which was sold again in 1991 as 7270. Even their vintage reprint is a bit of a cheater. It shows, on the reprint envelope, that the original pattern had the same number, 5785. Nope. The original pattern was 1962's 4700, not 2002's 5785.

Now, I can understand when the pattern's being reissed after a few years that it may have a different number. The old number may be in use on another design, or something. But when it's got different numbers from one year to the next, you have to wonder. Are they trying to get doll sewists to buy the same pattern over and over ? More than once, I've checked my inventory by number, not image. But I remember most of what I have, so I haven't bought twice yet. That may be why I'm in such a hot rush to get it all cataloged.

Sometimes the envelope changes a lot, too. So ya can't even go by that always, either. (sigh) It's a rakehell business, doll sewing.

Washed and bleached a lovely white-star-on-white-cotton print that mice from our previous address...um, used. I think you know why I bleached it. Yuck. Luckily it came out, and the stars are still so pretty. And a couple of Dearest Son's shirts are cleaner, too !

Well, back to the ole cut-and-paste. Wow. So. Many. PATTERNS !!!!!1!!

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

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Mood:  not sure

Still no sewing, yet I am consumed by a doll sewing related project. I have no idea why I'm so suddenly obsessed with this, it's taking all my time and no money, that is, until we need a new black inkjet cartridge and a big box of document protectors.

For whatever reason, I am completely involved with printing images of all the Barbie-size patterns I own and pseudo-own (from the pattern exchange group I used to be a member of, some time ago). You'd think having 3GB of patterns on the computer and backed up onto CDs - five of 'em ! - would be enough. But, no, I want paper-and-ink images for my album. So I can leaf through it when I don't know what I want to do next. And when the computer's tied up.  

Add this to the lunacy -> because I don't want the thin pages to tear in the old photo album DMIL gave me - it's soft and padded and lacy - they're going into those document protector thingies. I also use 'em to store patterns. Today I spent an unholy amount of time editing images of commercial patterns (Butterick, McCall's, Simplicity) , resizing them so I could get 'em two to a page, eliminate most of the backgrounds to use less ink, printing them off in grayscale so I won't use the more expensive colored ink.

Sad to say, all the commercial patterns are edited, printed, and stored. Now I'm starting in on the patterns from books, from overseas magazines, from eBay, from various undefined sources, most from the pattern exchange group. Dearest Son's school will probably start before I get it all done. There's thousands of them. I'm looking into printing 'em at the library, where it's cheaper. When you're dealing with about 100 pages of graphic-intensive printouts, ya start lookin' around. I don't want to drain our resources just yet.

On the plus side, I'm getting better with digital manipulation. I've mastered the 'layers' command, as well as the 'line', 'fill', 'airbrush' and 'shapes' keys on PaintShopPro 5, and can do a capture like a pro. Will this make my doll photos look any better ? Well, as long as toymakers use decals for doll eyes and the flash always catches the reflection off one, there'll always be room for improvement and new skills !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

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Mood:  a-ok

Didn't get any sewing done at all today. Instead, I went to Dollar Tree and spent a few bucks. Got the document protectors I needed for the loose pattern pieces, the new toothbrush Dearest Son needed (he wears one out a month), a small poster of a flower-bedecked window, a purple lunchbox with stars and question marks, and a cardboard triptych designed for school project displays.

As you can tell from the lunchbox - with coupons inside, but no Thermos - and triptych, back-to-school supplies are once more gracing store shelves. This year, I am buying at least $3. worth of glue sticks and whatever else is 5 or more for $1. Bought about $5. in glue sticks last year, but only 5 20c sets went with Dearest Son on his first day of school. The rest were bought during the year long after the sale was over, at his teacher's request. And we can always use office supplies 'round here.

The science-project cardboard was a real deal. It's a little smaller than the one I bought from Hobby Lobby a few months ago, but I'll be glad to pay $1. instead of $4. (although I did get mine from HL at half price). We have gallons of paint to use up, so each one will get at least three colors - two on the inside, one on the outside. They make great doll 'rooms' and they fold up and store well. Provided the paint is completely dry !

The soft-side lunchbox was also a great deal. It's too feminine for Dearest Son, but it makes a great storage place for the clothes I made Princess Leia. All the stars and the colors really make it stand out. It's certainly better than the Whitman's Sampler box her wardrobe was in. I always meant to decoupage that thing. We'll probably spend $8. on a lunchbox for him in a few weeks - his Cars one is so trashed, I threw it in the laundry and gave it to him to keep toys in. No way would I use it for food again. Vinyl inside started tearing when it was about six months used, I patched and taped it repeatedly so it could limp through 'til the end of school.

I earned a hug for the new toothbrush. Son has his own 'toiletries' drawer in the bathroom, so I stored it there without saying anything. He found it a couple hours after he came home from summer school. He's really enjoying the relaxed 'classes', and it helps him keep a routine. I wonder if he'll have that option next year. Put the document protectors to good use, and I still have a few left. And the 'window' poster will soon show up in a doll photo near here.

Oh, and the other day, I dug into the stepstool toolbox - for some reason, it really stinks inside - looking for a three-pin to two-pin plug adaptor for the lightbox. Every outlet in the house is two-pin, everything made since 1987 has three. Didn't find one there, but there was a single bulb on a power cord in there. Still in the packaging. It was designed to light up Christmas Village houses, but I'll use it for my next doll photo session. I always need more light. Lucky ! Not sure where it came from, probably a craft box from a yard sale, or how long it's been in there, but I've got a use for it !

Beloved Hubby heard me whine about the posters not sticking to the foamcore board, and got me spray adhesive. Industrial spray adhesive. You could glue wood trim to your walls with this stuff. I'm a little nervous about using it. Since the 'ironing rippled posters' project wasn't a wild success, I'm timid about doing anything more with the posters in the first place. Tomorrow, before my (hopefully final) doctor's appointment, I have to spray all the new ones with the Krylon (Matte Finish) while the humidity is low. Have to do that before I use the adhesive, because I know the Krylon ripples the foamcore board.

Don't ask me why I'm so obsessed with photo backdrops. It's weird !

Oh, and I may be putting the doll sewing on hold for a bit. Son is lately obsessed with penguins, and I found a cute pattern for one in an old craft magazine. I already have everything except a pound and a half of stuffing. And I want to make m'self a new blouse. I'll probably finish the Rio project first, though. I've never made a stuffed animal before !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

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Mood:  irritated

It's raining again. After several days of no rain and pretty weather, I got spoiled. Our front yard will be a lake in the morning from all-night thunderstorms, but I got to see some beautiful lightning strikes from the Studio while sewing. And my 9th grade English teacher would be proud of the "Farewell To Arms" reference.

Finally got going on Rio's pattern. Dug out the lightbox Beloved Hubby made me and traced it off. It's a European pattern, and they like to put all the pieces on one page - sometimes less ! -  in a confusing-at-first-glance jumble. So it's easier to print off one cleaned-up copy and trace the pieces. I even relabelled them in English with PaintShopPro. I think it's in German.

While I enjoy using foreign patterns, there are some problems. Rio's finished jeans are a prime example. They're too tight down the legs. Hips and waist and crotch fit perfectly on both Rio and Ken, so I must've gotten the pleats and the darts and the seam allowance correct. Since the directions are in German, I have no way of knowing for sure otherwise. They went together well - I used the same basic directions that came with Rick's green pants - and the inseam was a perfect match. But even on Ken, the finished item was simply too tight from just past the hips to the feet. Had a heckuva time getting them past Rio's slightly larger feet.

And that was with redoing the seams so close to the fabric's edge, it's probably only Fray Check holding them together ! Luckily, I did a test fit with just the outside seams sewn. If I'd had to redo the inner and outer leg seams, I'd have probably trashed the whole thing. Even though I did great with those pleats ! :) I powdered both dolls' legs for ease of dressing, and it was still struggles and pulls. Not sure where I went off the rails on this one, I even tried them on the same Ken shown modelling the pants on the pattern page. I thought it was maybe because the corduroy used in the article had some stretch, but it's doubtful it stretches more than the denim I used. But, again, I have no way of knowing, since I only know enough German to get me in trouble. And most patterns don't employ the words I know. Heck, most bar brawls don't employ the German I know...

Added about a third of an inch to each side of the 'pants back' part and according to my sometimes shaky math, that should allow me to sew a more conventional-size seam and still have the leg width Rio needs. He does have larger calves and feet than Ken. So does Rick. I made the same mistake again - I assumed that if Doll X fits/doesn't fit this one pair of pants, he/she fits all this doll's clothes. Um, the pants I used to check for fitting might be generic, or from another doll, there's no label. You'd think I'd know better by now ! Rio does fit shorts and a Fashion Avenue suit, so he just needs a looser fit, like what's on dressier male doll clothing. In any case, I like the pants I made, and I'd love to sew 'em to fit Rio. I hate to alter patterns, though.  Unless I'm just adding length to the hem, it often throws the fit off. It's fun, though, to change what ya got. Makes me wonder if I've changed it enough to publish it m'self, for free.

Oh, and my poor little bottle of Fray Check is almost empty. Learned that the reason applying FC takes so long is because I had the tip cut waaay too small. Had to recut it today, because it kept clogging, and it flowed out nicely, took next to no time to apply. I'll have to remember that for the next bottle ! The next trial pair of pants will use it up, I'm sure.

Yeah, you know I have to try again. Probably tomorrow. At least I know how to sew front-closing male doll pants with pleats now !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Tuesday, 10 July 2007 5:00 PM CDT

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Mood:  chillin'

Boring Sunday. So I got busy. With all the newly-washed fabric ready to be stored and the brighter lights in the Studio showing all the clutter, I decided to putter today. Dearest Son was creating Lego masterpieces based on Stuart Little and Garfield, Beloved Hubby was editing animation to music on the computer, so I was free to do whatever I wanted to.

Most of the new fabric - including the stuff that sat around for months waiting for the washing machine - had stars on it. What can I say, I'm a sucker for five-point stars. While trying to squeeze it into a 'Cotton Prints' milk crate, I thought it might make it easier to find if I had a crate of nothing but star prints. This involved shuffling all 9 (!) crates around, and soon, one was filled to near-capacity with nothin' but stars.

After that, I put all the holiday and florals in another, then all the 'fun' print cottons, then solids, etc. It took two hours to sort and store it all, but I can find darn near anything now. I also emptied one crate, so now it holds all the little scrap pieces that used to be in a bedding bag. You know, the kind of zippered bag that nice bedspreads and high-end shams come in ? I have two of those that hold large fabric pieces, the ones big enough to make 'me' clothes instead of doll's. I then stored all the bedding bags we have in my closet. Those do come in handy.

I then turned my attention to the numerous bits of paper scattered around. Patterns. Got those sorted and stored - with some odd pieces left, not sure where they go. I tuck pattern pieces into document protectors, then file 'em. The 'cling' helps keep them inside, and they can be filed into old ring binders or envelopes. I also have an old photo album that houses pattern photos. It sounds weird, but sometimes, I like to look through what I have, especially when the computer's tied up. It gives me ideas for the next project.

Cut up a pair of torn pants my DMIL gave me - some dolls will get lovely black peachskin clothes soon ! - and an old tablecloth for rags. Donated some clothes that I couldn't cut up. From there, I started sorting the CDs, ditching cracked cases and empty boxes. Donated some of Dearest Son's 'baby' music. Gotta get all the donations together and out, I have two overflowing boxes.

With all I have - new stuff arriving by mail, new fabric and recent patterns, my new Fiona doll - it's easy to get a 'what's next ?' attitude instead of a 'thankful' one. Our Dearest Son illustrates this perfectly. If he gets several new toys a week, he doesn't play with them. He bugs and nags for more. With just one new goodie, he's content and plays with it for hours, even if it's just from a Happy Meal. I think most of us do the same, it's just that we nag and bug ourselves silently for more, better, newer.

However, a day spent sorting, storing, and cleaning soon cures that !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

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Mood:  not sure

It's silly, but even though I'd already bid on it, I'm still at war with wanting that Barbie case. I know I want it, but it just seems so much, and I already have excess of everything. All I know is, I'm spending waaaaay too much time thinking about it. Lost the auction I bid on, but it's fine. I bought something else instead ! I both love and hate 'Buy It Now'. Beats waiting a week to see if I 'won' the right to buy it. To be honest, I'm getting tired of getting my hopes up over and over to get sniped at the last second. Tired of the BS on eBay. I know you've been there, too.

I've been reading old doll magazines. I have some that date back to the late 70s. Back when wanting a doll or a tiny accessory entailed placing an ad, sending SASEs for sales lists, or writing a longing article and hoping for a response. Long before auction sites and doll boards made it easy to find what you wanted, as long as you could pay for it. The world I used to know seems so different, almost foreign now. I remember almost buying a Timey Tell in sad shape - torn neck, dented-in face, faded legs - because I didn't know when I'd ever find another. Of course, this was back in 1992, the Internet was still three years away from being a major part of my life. The near-perfect one I have now was $10., including shipping, off eBay, purchased in 1998.  

I'm kind of on the hunt for some of my history, so I can rework it. Gonna find a Malibu Barbie - my first Barbie, a Christmas gift that infuriated my mother - and reroot her into a brunette. When I was a 70's kid, Barbie was blonde, and that was that. Always. Her 'with it' friends were never available at the TG & Y, so I never saw a brunette one. All mine, Ken and Skipper too, were blonde.

Of course, I'm brunette. And I longed for a doll - any doll ! - that looked a little more like me. Shoot, every doll I had, from Timey Tell to those decorative ones on the dresser, was blonde. Oh, wait, Crissy's a sort of red/brown haired doll, but she kept vanishing. Years after The Big Move, I found her moldering in a water-damaged box, and she disappeared again soon after. Found her again, but I haven't seen her since. The one I have now (rerooted as a brunette !) was found at a flea market. OK, so I didn't have a brunette Barbie as a kid. Princess Leia was darn near too late to my childhood, but she alone remains. All the blonde dolls went to new homes, and even today, when I clean up and donate dolls, it's easy to let the fair-haired ones go.

I sometimes think being an adult means deciding if what you wanted and didn't get as a kid still matters. And how to go about getting what your psyche kind of needs now. Yeah, in the grand scheme of things, the white case and the brunette Malibu don't matter. But in the tiny microcosm of one life, they do. I like to believe every life matters. Even if it's currently obsessed with 'Garfield', editing anime footage to music, or old doll boxes. Believe it or not, I often have real problems with connecting 'I matter' to 'What I want matters'.

I guess Beloved Hubby sensed my weird mood, because we went to the junk shop today. The place with two *huge* plastic tubs of Barbies and a mass of toys I loved to rummage through. Well, today was rather a disappointment. Almost no dolls - Barbie or otherwise - and the remote control car Dearest Son picked out, despite the 'Working' tag on it, doesn't. I did score some fabric - navy with multicolored stars, and a glittery 'night sky' piece - for 50c each.

Also found a book. Things To Make For Children was originally published in 1960. I held a revised fifth edition from 1975. Leafing through, I noted there were no doll clothes patterns, but there was the most amazing dollhouse...with a gorgeous Midge peeking from the fourth floor balcony patio ! Wow ! This was one cool dollhouse ! Hubby peeked over my shoulder, and said if I wanted it, he'd build it. So I know what I'm getting for Christmas ! :) That's about the soonest he'd have time. Yup, that book came home with us.  I'm still kinda cheesed about Son's car and their almost non-existant toy section, so I doubt we'll be going back this year.

Once back home, I cheap-serged the new fabric. All of it. Both new pieces, plus six more. (sigh) I really need to quit buying material ! Good news is, the navy with stars print has enough to make me a blouse. Coool ! Rest of the evening was uneventful....but I did leaf through a few more old magazines.

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

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Mood:  happy

Something amazing happened. Called to resolve a problem - finally ! Shoulda taken care of this almost three weeks ago ! - only to find out that the situation's completely over. All's taken care of, and if anything isn't, all I have to do is mail out a copy of a letter. I can't say too much without getting too personal, but it involved a huge financial outlay on top of everything else. Now it doesn't. I'm so relieved, I'm dizzy. Hadn't realized how much it was affecting me until it was over. Beloved Hubby's jublilant, too.

Haven't sewn today either, or did Rio's lightbox pattern repro. Mostly wandered around the house in a daze. Dearest Son earned the trophy he's been working towards, so went out to get it today. Our local awards shop is the best in the world ! And he's so proud.

Not much going on in dolls today. Sorry. Heck, Fiona's still in her issue dress ! I'm just so happy...I almost want a nap !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

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