Not a Pokemon fan, but I understand Psyduck...
Now Playing: blessed, beautiful silence...

 

Today's Mood : My head hurts...

 

Ironically, I've had a massive sinus headache all day. I finally have the time and will together, and I go to sleep last night, ready to sew as soon as the bus' turn signal fades from view, but I wake up and my body hurts. At least the laundry got put away, the dishes were washed, and during a lull, I cleaned the sinks and toilets and mirrors. Beloved Hubby installed new lights in the main bathroom, and they're so glamorous ! But it left a real mess behind. All taken care of now !

 

So about all I did today was rest and putter. Mostly in the Studio. Added the latest washed fabric to the bins where they belong, and swore again to not buy more. Same with the three recently scanned patterns. Beloved knew my head hurt, so we got McDinner. He's so sweet.

 

I'm hoping to feel better tomorrow, as the flea market's back in town. I still haven't decided if I'm getting the Toy Story 2 Jessie doll, but I probably will snag the Poison Ivy doll - she's still in her original costume, but her lime-green fishnet hosiery needs a resew in the back seam of her left leg. And you know how much I enjoy a dig through a bin of dolls !

 

If my head will cooperate, at least...

Maybe I'll get to sew tomorrow...
Now Playing: Wii Play - 'Cow Racing', for Dearest Son

 

Current Mood : Flighty 

I always kind of liked Winx, a kind of Sailor Moon-meets-Harry Potter cartoon series for girls. It was cute and pretty, had some romantic elements, some fantasy and lots of ‘believe in yourself', and everything was color-coded. The ‘you can do anything' message was well-received, but like a lot of folks past the age of twelve, I wondered why the empowering rhetoric had to be delivered in butt-duster skirts and FM boots. I'd have gone for the dolls, but their impossibly long legs (yes, proportionally longer and thinner than Barbie's) did not encourage sewing efforts.

 

It's easy to find Winx coloring pages online, although I never saw a coloring book, and the biggest collection of them was on a French site. Snagged a couple I liked and merrily went about changing the one I'm using for ‘Flighty' above. She had a belly-baring blouse, complete with bust marks and a navel, as well as sky-high heels. I removed the shirt's hem and the belly button, erased the ‘b**bs straining against fabric' lines, and took about two inches of heel off the shoes. So now she has a dress and flatter boots. It's sort of empowering to me, changing it the way I'd have rather seen it, but it's rather sad that I had to.

 

Dashed into Ross while I was out running errands. Surprisingly, they had a Winx doll playset that included a sofa, cheval mirror, coffee table, and open wardrobe. And a few dozen tiny vanity-type props. It was only $7., but I decided against it. I'd have to alter the mirror - it has an image of the lead characters in it - and the sofa's too low for anyone besides a Kelly doll to use. Liked the wardrobe, though.

 

Still no time for sewing. I'm nearly caught up on housework, though, and establishing Dearest Son's new schedule. We were doing his homework in the morning, but it was always rushed, and often I didn't read directions clearly. So now it's tucked in to before I start dinner. Keeping to a schedule is a real boon to Asperger's kids.

 

Wish I could keep a sewing schedule. I'd go to bed, but there's four loads of sorted laundry on it ! (sigh)

Tuesdays. How I hate them...
Now Playing: "Herbie Rides Again" - Dearest Son's DVD rental

 

Today's Mood : Searching 

 

Dearest Son had another seizure today. I was about six inches away from him this time. It was less severe than the first - or I reacted better, possibly - and he recovered quickly. Still kept him home today, just in case. His doctor's getting a referral to a pediatric neurologist, and kicking some butt about the never-analyzed EEG.

 

So I didn't get any sewing done. But we did yesterday's and today's homework, and I taught him how to color on the computer, using PaintShopPro. I think he already does something similar at his grandparents', but I still had to teach him a bit. He soon mastered finding colors in the palette, using the mouse wheel to enlarge/shrink the image, and the all-important ‘undo' key. He did two Hamtaro images before he got bored with it, but I'm proud of his computer savvy.

 

He's emerging as a reader - turns out, he can read already ! Sure, it's your basic three letter words like ‘cat, mat, sat', etc., but we all started with that. I figured he was memorizing, but his teacher says she quizzed the whole class, and in a way that no child can memorize, and Son did just fine. I'm so happy !

 

I puttered around with the image you have tonight - it occurred to me that I could make my own ‘mood' avatars with the coloring pages. Since the Tripod one is seriously lacking in it's smiley list, I might as well do my own. Besides, I hate using ‘lazy' when I mean ‘exhausted' and ‘chilled out' when I'm relaxing. This way, I can have fun making brunette Ariels and Jasmines and Cinderellas, and use them, too. I altered the one tonight, too, it used to have an image of Prince Eric in the heart-shape. I thought it expressed ‘longing' pretty well, maybe ‘dreaming' and 'yearning', as well. Since I'm in a sort of seeking mode, it's appropriate for that, too.

 

Gosh, I hope tomorrow is normal and boring !

Why do I do such bizarre things sometimes...?
Mood:  lazy
Now Playing: a very loud car visiting the too-close-at-times 7-11.
 

I also don't know why I spent two hours downloading coloring pages from websites tonight. Then spending another hour editing an anime mermaid's hair from ‘not on this planet' long to ‘somebody's momma' short. 

 

It was silly. I was still hunting on my mystery guy doll's origin - more later - when I found a site with coloring pages and a click-to-color interface. I was soon dissatisfied with the available palette and the fact that some spots remained white, no matter how careful I was clicking colors into it. So I copy/pasted the ones I liked and used PaintShopPro to color - much better ! In PSP, I could enlarge the picture and get at those tiny spots. And get a few million more colors.

 

Sifting through the Sailor Moon images, I saw one that looked like Molly/Naru, but in a sailor costume, not the school uniform. It was an edited Sailor Venus, but it got me thinking...if someone could alter that, maybe so could I, on any image I chose. So I downloaded all the ones I liked, and soon had quite a selection. Even found some Dearest Son might like to color, and he could use the computer skill practice.

 

But anyway, that was the high point of my day. Computer coloring. At http://www.thedollpalace.com/coloring-pages/ .

 

I have a strong lead on who my mystery Adam is. He might be Prince Phillip ! There's an eBay auction ending in two days for a ballet-themed Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip set, a Disney Store exclusive that resembles my doll enigma. Hands are palms-to-side on both, but the photo's quite blurry, and doesn't really show his hair. Since there's no reason for me to bid on the set, I wouldn't feel right asking the seller for more photos. Further research has yet to yield results, but I feel as though I'm on the right track.

 

Right now, though, I'm more tired than anything else. G'night !

Paint fumes, maybe.
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: "Casino Royale" - violent, but the best Bond film I've ever seen ! DVD rental.
 

Reading over, I'm not sure where Friday's words came from. It's true that the main reason I don't visit doll chat boards very often is because I grow weary of the ‘Look what I got today' stuff, and the ‘I'm gonna pre-order these twelve things, how about ya'll', and that doesn't even count the ‘Isn't absolutely everything X Company makes the best in the universe ?' hype. Sometimes I think various doll/toy companies infiltrate boards to pump up interest, but then I feel cynical for thinking such things.

 

Bear with me - this'll be short. I'm still kind of wiped out from Saturday. Dearest Son's school asked parents to come by yesterday, help repaint the US map on the playground. Well, Beloved Hubby's a pro, so this volunteer opportunity was right up his alley. If turnout was as thin for this as it was for photo day, every person was necessary. We went.

 

Only to be told that Big Phone Co. had sent over about 20 staff members, and THEY were gonna do the map, not us inadequate parents. We could amuse ourselves by painting everything else. I know, I know - sounds petty to be ticked by this, but the little paper they sent home four times just mentioned the map. So when we get there, being told otherwise was kind of a short slap.

 

But ya'll don't know my Beloved. While the 20 Big Phone people, the 10 Hardware Co. folks and the 5 PTA members (and a grand total of 10 parents, not including us) stood around because no one knew what to do, Beloved handed me a scraper out of his tool bag and we tore up the old paint on the swing set, monkey bars, baseball backstop, and soccer goals. It was kind of rough going, because we were scraping off at least three years of paint that had never been properly primed before. If supermodels get stared at more than us, I don't know how they put up with it. I saw at least five women who never bent a knee except to sit their butts down with another soda or unidentifiable treat within their well-marked cups from the Starbucks across town.

 

At least I got a good workout. After some upper-arm conditioning (otherwise known as scraping) for two or three hours, we switched off to other arm exercises (also known as painting) for another three. Yup. We were there from 8am until after 1pm, and maybe took about 30 minutes in breaks. It wasn't too bad, and the principal and the PTA Prez did come talk to us, but Big Phone seemed to avoid us like a plague of work. The Hardware Co. folks were wonderful...but we still kinda felt banished by the rest of the PTA and the other parents. So we busted azz, because it felt better than getting upset over it.  

 

In the end, it all got painted. Frankly, the map looks like crap, and maybe in six months, the playground stuff will, too. But our playground looked 200% better. Two little girls came over while we were working, and their Mom told them to be careful around wet paint. After all, we were repainting it all for them. One girl looked at me and Beloved, and her eyes went wide. ‘For us ?' she asked. ‘Of course,' I told her. Her eyes shone. ‘Thank you !' burst out of her, and she ran off to play. So yeah, it was worth it. We were quite well rewarded.

 

Dunno if I overdid it or not, but my stomach's all ticked off. So I'm gonna go lie down. And know that some things I do matter.

Who, who ? Who ? Who ?
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: "Who Are You ?" - The Who, from the Sound Cube
 

Sorry about yesterday's entry - I get like that every so often. Y'know, I got more enjoyment from the folks who bought the yard-saled Star Wars goodies than I ever got out of owning the actual stuff. Just wish I'd saved the cash instead of spending it so frantically back then, but that's youth for ya !

 

Despite all of yesterday's meanderings about enjoying instead of buying, I went to a flea market today. Didn't buy much, even though there were lots of fairly recent dolls I've thought about acquiring before. Megara (Hercules) is quite a pretty doll, and if she's still there next week - yeah, for some reason, the same flea market group will be around Friday - I'll probably grab her. Her face just seemed rather sharp in person. Also, I'm not sure if Dearest Son would want a Jesse (Toy Story 2) fashion doll - out of costume, her hair was sort of messy, but there was no doubt who she was !

 

Found another Midge, this one using the Diva mold. May snag her, so I have the three ‘main Midge faces' all together. She's a pretty doll. Also found a ‘Cool Times' Steffie-faced Midge - her legs weren't quite as bad as my Cali's, but I like the ‘California Dream' hair and eye colors better. There were also several blonde Maxie dolls, but I already have the one doll in that Hasbro line that I wanted. I'm also reconsidering that Poison Ivy doll - her costume was torn, but I could fix that...

 

Dug through some doll clothing of about the same vintage, but it was too hot to go through thoroughly. Most of it was torn and worn out, so I made the dealer an offer on the whole shoe-storage size box. Nope. Fine with me - it was evidently too low an offer for her and I know it was a bit high for someone who makes her own darn doll stuff, so it was a good thing I was refused. But her booth partner (husband ?) thought she should have taken me up on it, and they were squabbling about it when I paid for what I did buy.

 

This guy. He's a mystery. At first, I thought he was a Disney Beauty and the Beast Prince, but his hair doesn't look cut, and Prince Adam (that's what one of the licensing approved books calls him) usually has a ponytail. Beloved Hubby thought he was a blonde using an Aladdin head-mold, and he may be right, but darn if I can find an image of a blonde Al. And most of them are close-mouthed. Plus, most Disney Princes are dark-haired, and in dolls, that normally equals molded hair, not rooted.

 

Despite several hours of searching, I still don't know who he is. Or even who made him. His head reads ‘© Disney/Made in China' and his back has an embossed rectangle that also proclaims his country of origin. But that's it for his markings. I think he's possibly a Disney Store exclusive, which would mean he's probably a Simba doll, but it's odd that he's not maker- marked at all.

 

He has soft arms - not hollow, just rubbery, instead of rigid like Tony's -  that pose, like a bendy doll's. No joint, it just bends, and the palms are to the side. Nice muscular arms ! His legs have four strong clicks at the knee, and he can wear Ken clothes. His ankles seem thicker than Ken's though. Clearly, he's not Mattel, but I can't find a similar one despite hours of searching. Guess I'll just enjoy him ! It's not everyday you can buy an enigma for a buck !

Just today, right here on this planet...
Mood:  quizzical
Now Playing: "Cars" - for the Wii, with Beloved and Dearest playing
 

Guess I'm reminiscing a bit. Beloved Hubby was home today, so I didn't get near the Studio - but I got to spend time with him, and the sewing machine will be there Monday. Never get near the place on weekends, either  !

 

Hit a Star Wars site, and most of it was stories about new figures, playsets, Lego, and various other stripes of collectables as they become available. Bear in mind, this was a SW-themed *news* site, not a toy distributorship. But like dolls, it's all about buying and selling and owning now, not so much remembering and creating and enjoying. About the eighth time I read ‘this variant will be in roughly 1 of 1000 shipped boxes, so good luck and happy hunting for the complete set !' I had enough. I don't really do that much anymore. Artificially created ‘collectables' and me have gone our separate ways. About all I want these days is a wide-release Enchanted guy (mostly because of the brand-new head sculpt and his clothes) doll and a video chair for the living room. Dearest Son keeps loading the sofa with Transformers and Cars characters, rendering it unloungeable.

 

But there was a time I'd have run my wide rump off, seeking, searching, hunting feverishly for a $5. miniature of a character I didn't even like - possibly didn't even know - just so I could say I found it. I thought it was fun. And now I wonder why. I ditched most of my Star Wars stuff dirt cheap to an overjoyed younger generation at a yard sale. A few special things I kept, like my Leia doll, but most of what I held on to were memories, before Episode I, when I loved perhaps differently than I do now.

 

I don't know when things changed, exactly. Was it when I could let go of all I so voraciously hoarded, because I had a better idea of what truly mattered ? Or was it leaving the theater after Phantom Menace, wondering just what the (*&^ we'd just paid $30. and stayed up all night to see exactly was ?

 

I think maybe the fangirl grew up, and realized that plotting and negotiating the twists and turns of her own life was better than fantasizing and frantically shopping in a simultaneous attempt to validate the choice and plug the holes the fantasies opened. It's tough to be a woman - even one that still plays with dolls and kind of wants to play Disney Princess : Enchanted Journey on the Wii - but the rewards are much richer than anything gained by chasing after Limited Editions and For Display Only artifacts.

Say 'Freebie !'
Mood:  lazy
Now Playing: the siren call of my sewing machine...
 

Photo volunteering only took three and a half hours, and was sooo much fun ! Only two of us showed up, which was the minimum needed, but we muddled through OK. I got to see a schoolfull of the sweetest, most adorable kids - and Dearest Son, my personal favorite ! - and it was an easy, fun job.

 

Surprisingly, they gave us a $25. credit on our kids' photos, so I ordered a small package and a calendar. We just had Son's photos done a few months ago, so we weren't up to ordering more just yet...not to mention, our school has you order and pay for the photos before you see them. I think it's backwards, but I'm sure they have reasons. Like with the book fair, another volunteering opportunity that I love, you get a freebie, but no one tells you about ‘em until you're there and workin'.

 

It's nice that they do that, but I kinda feel bad. I was there to help, not score free stuff. But it'd be more of a fuss to refuse, because the photographer and librarians are happy and pleased to offer. That's OK. I bet some of the other stuff I'm signed up for won't net me anything besides satisfaction - and that's fine with me !

 

I then came home and slept for three hours. It's been a busy week, but I didn't think I was that tired. Finished cleaning the dollhouse I bought Tuesday, and now it's ready to use. Leafed through the pattern catalog while Beloved Hubby and Son played Cars, found a simple outfit that'll look good with the confetti fabric. With material that busy, it has to be a clean-lined, no fuss, no frills garment !

 

Tomorrow, I don't have any volunteer work. Nothin' til late next week, when I officially become a Homeroom Mamma. So I'm gonna sew ! And maybe catch up on some much-neglected housework....naaah. I'm gonna sew first !

Duty calls...but so does my sewing machine !
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: Wii Play - "Tanks" again.
 

No time to sew today, either. It was my week to count folder inserts for Dearest Son's school. Several of us take turns, so no one gets stuck with it more often than once a month. Only took about an hour and a half, and that's with me not noticing a rather important detail, so I had to redo one of the three. Tomorrow, I have to be at school before 8am, because I'm also doing photo day duty. Next week, I have a ‘Homeroom Mom' meeting. The volunteer sign-up sheet asked us to pick three volunteer jobs, but I selected five. Son requires extra time and attention from his teachers and the school staff, the least I can do try to lighten their load a bit.

 

Got the last pattern scanned - all 49 pieces. Whew ! Now that all three are done, I printed images for the catalog, and posted a note in it that I needed NO MORE PATTERNS ! Main reason I got this lot was it was the cheapest I'd seen the Barbie/Jem one, and I wanted to try that one. The other two are nice, and I didn't already have ‘em, so I officially have Too Darn Many.

 

Picked up the steering wheel for the Wii, and it makes Cars more fun for Son. And a little easier for me, but I still fishtail all over the place if I'm going above 40 mph. Visited the thrift store next to the game shop, and snagged a few things. Got some white lace with split silver ovals - it was labeled ‘60" wide 2 yards, 50c'. Good thing I wasn't depending on that. It may be 60" wide, but chunks and hunks and strips are cut from it, so I have no idea where they got that measurement. Plenty for doll clothes, and the price was certainly right.

 

They have a ‘35c or 3/$1.' markdown clothes rack. Of course, I always go through it. Found a nice orange long-sleeve shirt for Son, and a gorgeous tiny print floral shirt - Ann Taylor- and a satin blouse in navy blue with bright ‘confetti' print. Both the non- Son shirts are much too tiny for me to wear, but they'll make fantastic doll clothes. I gotta stop doing that, too. I already have too much to sew with, so more because it's cheap is getting silly. I put the three I wanted together, back on the rack, and didn't pick them up until I was ready to go. Just in case someone could wear them as clothes before I cut ‘em up for sewing. No one touched ‘em. Well, I gave the other patrons a chance !

 

Universe, grant me the power to keep my own vows and promises I make about my craft supplies !

 

I have no idea how long photo day duty will last, but I'm hoping they won't need me all day. I really really wanna make something from that blue confetti shirt...

Transformers are playin' at Barbie's house...
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: "Cars" - for the Wii
 

Get this - when we couldn't find Cars for the Wii for Dearest Son locally, we ordered it from Amazon.com. On Saturday. I found it today - and Amazon left a message for me, they'd ship it Thursday at the earliest. Monday at the latest. Then it'd be five to nine working days shipping. I could expect it the first or second week of October. Oh, forget it ! Cancelled the Amazon order, and went back to get the game. Same price.

 

Got the second pattern scanned, then went to run errands. For once, I got the DVD rentals returned on time, and hit the thrift next to it. Scored a cute little Barbie house - it folds up into what looks like a quilted gift package, complete with big bright bow. Inside, it has a narrow cabinet that opens, and a bench that folds out to a canopy bed, with a nightstand next to it. The bench opens up for storage, but instead of sheets or a thin mattress, I found a pair of Barbie Capri pants inside. The rest is a sink that folds up and a bathtub with stairs leading to it. In case a doll wants to bathe in the sunlight afforded by the four windows surrounding it. Barbie, you exhibitionist ! A nice find for a mere $4.

 

I'd post photos, but I didn't finish cleaning it, and it's currently the super-secret base of a splinter group of Hot Wheels -sized Transformers. Dearest Son fell in love with it, too. He was so pleased to find the folding bed that he ran to me, exclaiming, "The bed transforms !" ! So I let him play with it for most of the evening. I can probably have it back now that he has the new game.

 

Also found some small photo frames at the Dollar General in the same strip. Two of ‘em for 50c. Their slight curve made me think ‘Plasma TV set for dolls !'. Found a silver set and made one for Elphie. It's a bit small for her, but I hung it up in her ‘living room' anyway. It's the latest image on her Photo Album page. It'll probably look better for Barbie sized dolls, so it's a good thing there were two in the pack.

 

Got the third and final pattern cut out while Son bathed. He still prefers baths - heck, so would I, if I had time ! - and I don't wanna leave him alone in there, especially since the seizure. So I save some tasks for the bathroom at 7:30 every night. Hope to iron it tonight and scan it tomorrow. It was completely uncut, but very wrinkled, hence the ironing. Ironing paper on a low setting is a specialty of mine !  

 

It's for Barbie and Jem sized dolls, so it has (are you ready ?) 50 pieces ! But actually, that's fine, all the pieces are quite small. The one I scanned today had a veil pattern that was 22' x 25" . They can't possibly just say ‘cut a rectangle x inches long and y inches wide'. Nope, there has to be an actual paper rectangle, and I'm stupid enough to scan it. Guess I should count my blessings - the Brooke Shields pattern had a veil 18" x 15" - but it was to be placed on a fold, was curved, and required gathering in two places.

 

Why does an 11.5-inch doll need a veil three times her height and about ten times her width ?