Spent on fabric/sewing : $12.25

Kind of a busy day today, too. There was a rare Thursday yard sale down the street, and the Simplicity patterns went on sale when I had money. So I was off !

The sale advertised toys, but it was mostly boy stuff. Some girl clothes, but no dolls. I still managed to spend $4. there - and we're now the owners of a vintage Game Boy ! Yup, the grey Nintendo brick, first of its kind. It was funny, because I'd been idly thinking about it yesterday...

Back when I was all about animation, I also worked part-time for TRU. While I was never a gamer, there was something oddly compelling about the brand-new, anchored to the center of the universe display model we had. I kept watching it while it demo'ed some sort of fighting game, showing a girl in a cheongsam spinning around, over and over. It hit me after about a week - while I could care less for video games, the animation was both primitive and incredibly advanced. Every tiny pixel had to be exactly in the right place for the image to move so fluidly. Yet the motion was dictated by the player -so you were controlling the animation ! What a concept !  Part of me wanted one, just so I could study it. I still had zero interest in games, I just wanted to see how the characters moved.

Of course, this was the ‘stupid with money' portion of my life, during which I also bought a slightly-on-markdown Animator 2000, from Ohio Arts. I know I shelled nearly $100. for this and a couple memory cartridges. I honestly thought it would teach me how things move in animation, the one thing I never understood, no matter how much of the technical side I studied and did understand. I thought that, if I could program the oversize pixels and achieve motion, I would finally understand.

Suffice to say, I never ‘got it'. Sure, I could roughly animate about a second of a small cluster of dots moving around a bit, but not much beyond. For an incredibly sophisticated toy, it was a PITA to use. Now, bear in mind, I was in my early 20s when Animator 2000 (1988) and Game Boy (1989) came out. Really old enough to know that the toy may say ‘photocopier' on the box, but it's carbon paper underneath the plastic !  Not to mention be a bit wiser with my money !

Well, I guess it was mostly due to my failure with Animator, that I went from ‘one day, I will discover the secret, and I WILL animate my imagination !' to ‘I can always be a fan' before 1990 dawned. Anime premiered just on the horizon, too. By the time the year odometer rolled over to '00, most of my animation books had been either sold or donated. And I'd endured several parental lectures when the dusty Animator 2000 was found under my bed - I was in college at the time - for wasting money. Yeah, I did, but I still think it was necessary in some ways. I might still be obsessed with a secret that really doesn't exist if I hadn't had that colossal, expensive failure to remind me of a few things.

So, anyway. Never bought the Game Boy, but I did get a Sega Genesis, to play Disney games on, until it too got dusty and the darn rabbit ate the cords. Ended up trading SG in at Electronics Boutique for a Star Wars ‘desktop experience' that ate most of Windows 3.11 on my Packard Bell when I tried to install it. And nearly 20 years later, I find a Game Boy, quietly playing Tetris with itself in a yard sale box, with a neon ‘$1' sticker on it. At least I didn't have to ask if it still worked ! Further digging around got me ‘Tetris Attack !' still shrink-wrapped in its box and ‘Dr. Mario' in a plastic case. A buck each. So for $3., I got something a lot more fun than a $10. handheld poker game !

Did a bit of research, and there's a few hundred games for it, and because it's pretty much outmoded, they're cheap ! I may get the Barbie ‘Game Girl' one, just for kicks. Some of the Game Boy Color games can be used on my ‘new' toy, but not all. I'm hoping to find one of the pinball games some day. If you're curious, there's lots of good Game Boy info on Wikipedia - including a photo of a GB that nearly got burned to slag in the Gulf War...but it still works !

I also got the three Simplicity patterns I wanted while they were ‘on sale' for $1.99 at Hancock Fabrics. Yeah, I'm still mildly bitter that they're not on 99c sales anymore. My list was originally six patterns strong, but I stuck with the ones I wanted most - and two were just too low-necked for me to wear. I also got a pink and gray ‘skull and crossbones' print cotton remnant, and a half yard of ‘ballerina' print lavender flannel - I'm thinking of making Princess Dorrie some pajamas. Fact is, I just couldn't resist that lovely design. Also scarfed up all the $2. packs of 8 ‘Made With Love By' labels they had, while they were 80% off. Maybe around Thanksgiving or so, I'll have 48 more personalized clothing labels ! They still had more, but they were $3., and you know how cheap I am ! Should have ‘em in the mail on Monday.

Both GoodWill and Salvation Army were serious disappointments. GW looks as though they haven't received a donation in months, and SA has always been kinda cheap and expensive at the same time, ya know ? I hardly ever go over there, even though it's in the same strip as Hancock's.

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:24 PM CDT

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I have a new lead on a dressed Jasmine LDP, but it'll have to wait until I can get a few more bucks into PayPal. By that time, I probably won't even do it. Seriously, after yesterday, I really have about given up. Tired of finding one, being willing to settle for the blue one - not the purple outfit mine was issued in  - and not having her shoes, much less the other props, then waiting five or six days for the blasted auction to end, and just as it gets close, someone else bids...and I realize that I was about to shell $15. for a fistful of nylon satin and shipping. I really should be grateful that these dolls are in such heavy demand that I haven't been able to overspend, but I'm getting tired of the constant searching. Not to mention always being just thiiiiis close to having the LDP obsession over with.

So, eff it. I'm tired. At this point, I've put thrice as much energy into taking the ‘cheap' way out than it would have taken me to make a prototype and a finished one with all the beads and trimming. I may take tomorrow to finally get off my shopaholic rear and just sew already. I mean, heck, I made a purse and three bag dispensers this week, and they all went fine. Why not take the chance ?

Plus, I found a website that catalogs every outfit Jasmine has ever worn, in movies, the TV series, various licensed paper products, dolls, you name it. So I think I'll have plenty of ideas to sew. Time to put the checkbook down and pick up the thread !

Got to hit Community Thrift today. I very nearly bought a Barbie-scale ‘Hannah Montana' beach club/ tiki bar prop thingie. After thinking about it for a minute, I put it back. I was mostly buying it because it was still on Mal-Wart shelves for $15., yet here was most of it for $2.50. Too bad I didn't really want it, honestly, it was even too tacky for my ‘backyard' diorama. I'm sure someone will enjoy it.

If you're curious, here's a link to it. If the director's chair had been included, I might have bought it anyway, I'm a sucker for those. Oh, and the ‘working lights' on the thing only work while the switch is being held down. How cheap is that ? Plus, it was so flyweight, I don't know how it stood upright on its own.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2864745&siteID=fDklYaGulKY-N6IMKWLQrB5UWajQ.nl7dA

Instead, I bought a beige Barbie china cabinet, with a white counter between hutch and cabinet, and a gingham floral sticker by the legs. Counter part slides right out, so it'll be easy to paint if I decide to. It has a cardboard back printed with images of plates and serving pieces. I love those. They pop right off, and I can leave it open-backed or make my own back, even by just reversing the original one. Dated 1996. Can't beat it for 79c.

Also found some beautiful nylon satin. Royal blue, a half a yard. For 50c, I just couldn't refuse. I already have it serged - like any cheap satin, it was fraying badly - and bundled. The thrift secures their single fabric remnants with tape, bigger lots go in recycled plastic bags. I'm sure it's cheap and easy, and gives a spot for the price, but the last thing I want on any of my material is tape residue.

Once home, I picked apart another little girl's party dress while waiting for the bus. I swear, half the ‘luxe fabric, cheap' bits I buy are used girls' dresses. By coincidence, it was also blue - Midnight blue stretch velvet, with a flower design in iridescent glitter on the front of the bodice. It also yielded some gorgeous wide blue ribbon and some ties for doll belts. There's maybe eight or so more garments in the box in Molly's trunk. Maybe I'll have it empty by month's end !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:24 PM CDT

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Another busy day. Last week, I made Dearest Son's teacher one of those elasticized tubes ya store Mal-Wart-type sacks in. The tube has elastic at the top and bottom - the top is bigger, to allow maximum stuffage, and smaller at the bottom, so ya only get one bag when ya pull. She liked it so much, she took it home ! So I made her another one. Dearest's resource manager was there Friday, and she said she'd been looking for one of those at craft fairs, but no one makes ‘em anymore.

Well, I do ! Since I had several other errands to run today, I knocked out three of ‘em - one for Dearest's teacher, two for his resources mgr. - and left ‘em at school with a note for them to decide who got which. They're both such nice ladies who do wonders for our son, it feels good to do them a bit of a favor in return. Hope they like them.

Picked apart a simple pink girl's dress while waiting for the bus. I mostly got it because it was a ‘stuff a bag' deal, and I liked the unusual ribbon flowers on the bodice. Instead of roses, these look more like chrysanthemums ! And the sheer pink ribbon on it was pretty, too. I also got some nothin' special fabric and a nice pink zipper. The box in Molly's trunk grows steadily emptier...

I've been outbid on an effort to buy LDP Jasmine's costume. Again, for about the tenth time. It was really annoying this time, because the auction was a relisting. I didn't bid the first time it was up because we didn't have the funds. The auction is now higher than it was the first time it was listed and ignored.

I know darn good and well I can sew harem pajamas myself, I just need to get off my lazy butt, yet, I really want to get her original outfit anyway. Every last LDP I have, even the ones bought used, have their issue clothes. All but Jasmine. So I know I'm being silly and probably wasting money I should spend on charity or something besides overpriced doll clothes, although, for some reason, it hasn't slowed me down at all. I search, I bid, I lose, mostly because I'm too cheap to pay ‘new doll' prices for a barefoot messed hair one with no props, when all I want is her costume. I need to give up already.

And in other stupidity news, I accidentally washed my cell phone Sunday. I make a point of checking all of Beloved and Dearest's pockets, but since I hardly ever use pockets for anything, rarely check mine, and it bit me in the butt. I'd heard that, if you let a cell phone dry completely before you attempt to use it, sometimes, it'll still work. Didn't this time. Well, it sort of works, it just won't hang on to the network, and will drop ya right in the middle of a call - assuming it let you completely dial the number before it lost connection in the first place.

So, while he was home for lunch today, we hit our service provider's store. Now, I'm a little less than six months from renewing my contract, so I knew we wouldn't get the best deal. But when I was quoted higher than ‘no contract' prices, I hissed at Beloved that I wasn't getting bleeped over like this, and we left. I'm not kidding - I found a $70. ‘no contract' phone. With a contract or renewal, it was a freebie. Salesman told me the phone was $95., plus a transfer fee. This phone was about the bare minimum, which was fine with me, but Dollar General has phones nearly the same for $20., in the prepaid section. It was the same with every phone I asked about - all of ‘em were at least $30. more than the price on them.

What made this really bitter was, we got home and looked up the provider online. They just rolled over my six months, and renewed my contract. I didn't get a free phone, but the $180. one I really liked - it's green ! - that the local store didn't have was only $110. with them. No transfer fee. And I could have green, not settle for ‘eggplant', ‘azalea', or ‘onyx'. I still feel bad about us having to spend so much for my stupid mistake, but  Beloved insists that I have a working cell, just in case. And that $70. "cheapie" was not good enough for me, he wanted me to have what I liked. Well, here's hoping it's an expensive lesson that won't have to be repeated !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:24 PM CDT

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Today was one heckuva day ! Once Dearest Son saw his ‘Hot Wheels' shirt back in his closet, that was all he wanted to wear. He noted the patch, and said it was ‘cool'. What a sweet guy I have !

Sweet big guy in my life, too. Beloved Hubby was home today, and we did a bit of shopping. We got Dearest a Cars sticker/coloring book, much like the DPrincess one. But his stickers were awesome ! He's gonna let me scan ‘em, so we can make more when those are gone. There's some that look like vintage ads, some that look like ads for soft ‘my first' toys, and some that are just plain awesome by design. Others are nothin' special, but Dearest loves ‘em all.

Sam's Club - we're members, it's worth it ! - is starting to put out some toys. Mostly Hannah Montana junk, nothing I wanted, but they had some lovely porcelain Tinkerbell dolls that caught my eye. I'm sure that the closer we get to December, the more stuff we'll see in the ‘seasonal' aisle.

We also hit Borders bookstore. They had zero, zilch, nada darn doll book in the whole store. No new magazines, either. They have an exclusive paper doll DPrincess calendar that was OK... I liked Belle's green underwear, but then I saw something really unusual. By the UPC code, a small printed legend warned of the calendar's exclusive nature, and that all other uses were strictly prohibited.

Um, what ? I'm to believe that if I shell waaaay too much for this overpriced stack of papers, I can't use it in any other way but a calendar ? I can't even use the paper dolls without it ? What if I want to use cuttings from it in my personal family scrapbook ? Or on a photo frame in my own house ? Are owners required to burn it in a solemn ceremony at midnight Dec. 31, 2009 ? If I don't, are Disney Stormtroopers gonna plow down the door, glittery bayonets at the ready, clearing the way for the might of the Borders Patrol ?

Shoot, now I wanna buy the thing and do all sorts of horrible, disgusting things with it, and then sell it on eBay, in pieces. I know, I'm probably taking things overboard the way I invariably do, but sheesh. Don't tell me how to use a *&^%  paper calendar, people. It just brings out my creatively evil and downright nasty side. If your legal dept. has nothing better to do, I suggest ya put ‘em to work stocking the shelves. You know, maybe with something besides Transformer and Hot Wheels books in the ‘collectables' section. Hmpft.

After a nutritious and tasty fast food lunch, we ran a few more errands and headed home for Dearest's approaching arrival. I fetched the cat-embroidered kids' jeans from Molly's trunk, and began cutting. I was planning the line of attack, to get the most useable fabric with the least waste, when it hit me. I really, truly, all-of-a-sudden, wanted to make a jeans purse. Out of these jeans. These little-girl size-8 black with tiny kitties in white and hot pink, bought for a quarter at a yard sale jeans.

That made the line-of-attack much easier. I cut off the legs about an inch past the intersection of inseam and front/back center seam. That left the pockets, front and back, intact. I hadn't much studied the ‘jeans into purse' designs I'd seen, but I remembered bits and pieces. I'd probably use the inseam of both legs as the shoulder strap, but the rest would still be available for doll clothes. Win-win, in my book !

The bus snuck up on me, so I was soon inside with Dearest, who loved his new sticker/coloring book. After getting him a snack - we'd bought tons at Sam's ! - I was online looking for directions. Hm. There were legions that all said the same thing, but I wanted to line mine. The reverse of black denim and embroidered cats just wasn't as pretty as it sounds. I know I'd seen lined ones before, but darn if I could find the directions.

But once I sat and thought about it, a lining would be darn simple. Hemmed at the top, and formed as a tube the same size as the jeans, I could just sew it along the inside of the waistband, while I was sewing in the shoulder strap, then sew the bottom together just before I sewed the denim's bottom seam. Not a huge undertaking.

Finding a good fabric for the lining though, was. I went through every box of fabric in the Lab, wanting something cute, but not overly pink. Something sort of cat related, but not necessarily. Something that'd look good with the jeans, but not anything I wanted to use up completely, or wanted to use on something else I had in mind... Something...

Well, shoot. All I could think about was this cat-themed bandanna I'd seen a few weeks ago at Hobby Lobby. I could go get two of ‘em Tuesday, it'd be less than $2. and a few minutes... Inconceivable ! With the metric length and weight of a ton of fabric in here, I was gonna hafta buy more for this cast-off project ? Uh, no. Surely somewhere in this massive mountain of material, I had something that would work...

Bonk ! I could have hit my own head. Didn't I buy a knit shirt with the same design as the jeans ? Cream, with black and pink cat silhouettes ? At the same yard sale, also for a quarter ? A quick trip to Molly's trunk again, and I had my lining. Sheesh.

But before I could sew, I had to cheap-serge the three weekend -new fabrics, so I could get ‘em washed. And before I could cut anything out, I had to clear the other fabrics from the cutting table, so I got them bundled up, finally. I've learned that, if something's tucked away for me to do later, it won't get done. At least, not until I need the space for something else. If it's something I can't do now but need to get done, I have to put it in my way - or it won't happen.

My little project purse went together fairly well, but the lining is far from straight. I really hate mixing a stable fabric like denim with a stretchy one like knit, because they just don't mesh well. Had a lot of problems with stretch when I didn't want it, even with stabilizer. And it's kinda small. But I rather like it, and hey, it used up most of a shirt and a pair of jeans from a yard sale ! Took about two and a half hours, but 20 minutes of that was spent turning the shoulder strap right side out.

And, hey, I went from idea to finished in about three hours. Perfect or not, that's something notable ! I even have the leftover pieces bundled up and stored. Now, if I can just hone in on a doll idea...

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:24 PM CDT

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After a nice lunch and antibiotic - I'm being a good girl about those ugh things ! - I started to sort and play with all the stuff I fetched home Friday and Saturday. I sometimes wonder which is my favorite part of Yard Sale Weekends, buying a buncha goodies, or getting it all sorted out at home. I can never decide, I enjoy both when I'm doing ‘em, a lot !

I was surprised to learn that, once brushed out, the Happy Meal ‘Totally Hair' miniature doll had crimped hair, just like the full-size one. Wow. These were very tiny crimps, too, completely in scale. I wonder how they did that. The Ken's hair was neater, but in its own way, even more of a mess. Both sides are brushed back, but one side is brushed down, then back, the other is brushed up. So it always looks lopsided. You could try to brush them both up, or down, but they always reverted to the original set. I tried some small trim work, but I may end up using hair gel on it.

There's Pretty in Plaid, in today's image. Evidently, her hair's been in a high ponytail for quite some time. That yellow thing on her hip is the hair elastic I took off her. If I was trying, I couldn't get her hair to do that. I'll probably give her a boil perm treatment tomorrow. Sorry for the loose hairs all over the photo, I have the fan going in the Lab. She's a lovely doll - to me, she's PiP Midge ! I may call her Pidge, if I can figure out how she got that as a nickname. Can always say she was a huge Lady and the Tramp fan as a kid.

From there, I really went to town. Cleaned up the silver box - turns out, it's a make-up case, with those pop-up shelves on each side ! - and it's now holding ‘shoe feet' from the beach dolls, My Scene girls, and my Catwalk Kitties doll. It also has all the skates and helmets, and some of the larger boots my other boxes didn't have space for. Rounding up all the MS skates meant I had to get all the loose bits and prop pieces together in one place, so I got a few dozen earrings, bracelets, jewelry findings, ‘soda' cans, and ‘grocery' items put away, too. Some of that stuff's been sitting around since last winter !

I also got all the new trims and ribbons together, and later, I'll get ‘em bagged up and stored. The new-to-me patterns are put away, except for the Holly Hobby one. I still wanna scan that one first.

The silver case had a long black shoulder strap that it won't need where it is - on top of two more doll shoe boxes ! - so I detached it. When I'm done making three more ‘bag of bags' for some teachers at Dearest's school, I'm gonna make the tripod carrying case, and sew on D-rings, make the black strap detachable. I may even line it with some leftover fleece, for kicks.

The bag of Barbie clothes I got yesterday was a treasure trove ! I got a Ken shirt, blue gingham with an attached beige vest, and a pair of ‘acid-washed' jeans with a really huge horseshoe buckle. Got a ‘Eating Fun' Kelly doll in there, still in her issue outfit, along with a Matching Styles Fashion Avenue - the white blouse-green skirt-pink jacket one.

All the rest were for Barbie - I got the fluffy pink dress that transforms into a gym bag - it's a weird little piece ! Also the ‘Happenin' Hair's outfit, ‘Pearl Beach's bikini, the pink ‘Hip to Be Square' minidress, a knockoff burgundy Christmas gown, another blue lab coat/ hospital gown, green floral Capri pants, a matching skirt and jacket from the ‘Made In China' toy company, a pretty white ‘leatherette' jacket and pants set that, unfortunately, is already flaking apart, a glittery pair of tights, a lacy set of hosiery, a pair of long pink gloves, a wedding gown that looks like a Dollar Tree special, but is actually from Mattel, a lovely black with pink hearts blouse, star spangled blue shorts, a green and red halter top, a camouflage skirt, a blue corduroy jumper with a red vinyl belt, a Fashion Avenue leopard-print blouse, a weird pair of purple shorts, a Sailor Jupiter costume, ‘Rose Princess's skirt, and several other no-tag blouses and skirts, with a double handful of purses and tote bags. I've pulled about ten pieces - plus most of the purses - to donate, once they've been washed.

Oh ! Just looked up the leopard print blouse - it goes with the flaking white pants and jacket set. What a shame. It's really well-made, and stylish, but if you ever saw a ‘Barbie and the Sensations' letter jacket's sleeves, you know what'll happen eventually. Wish there was a way to save it. Guess I'll take a picture of it instead. 

And I got another pretty blue cardigan, identical to the one I got last month ! This one even had the slightly-too-long cuffs still rolled up !  I'd love to know where that came from. There's no tag at all. I've looked all around, can't find it, not under Barbie or Skipper or even the Olsen Twins, but that's twice now it's shown up in a bag of Barbie stuff.

Come to think of it, that blue lab coat/ hospital gown was in last month's and this weekend's lots, too. I wonder if that's connected. I now have two of each, but not one idea of where either came from.

I then tackled the laundry basket I'd put all the ‘needs more attention' stuff from last week's laundry lollapalooza. Got the newly-washed fabric rolled up, got the clean doll clothes placed, and got down to the repair work. Dearest Son has three t-shirts that are too good to toss, but have developed tiny holes. A fourth, with a Spiderman design on the front, he'd evidently spent most of one summer day picking off. Too small for him to wear, too wrecked to donate - rag time ! By the time I, the scissors, and the seam ripper were done with it, I had six new rags, two doll-size Spiderman patches (tags from the collar and a side seam), one reusable Dearest-size Spidey patch from the sleeve, some neck ribbing, and two strips of belt-like blue trim with a white stripe down the middle.

Then it was time for repair work. I like to edge those tiny knit holes with some Fray-Check first, so they don't expand under the patch. And, doing so used up the last of my second bottle of the stuff. Now I have a fresh new one to break in ! While those dried, I went through my patch stash. The car decal shirt had a small ‘Hot Wheels' tag at the hem - easily removed, the tag is now a patch. The grey sports-themed shirt got a "Varsity Division" patch, complete with gold stars, from a pair of jeans he wrecked years ago. The patriotic flag shirt got a red and white iron-on star that I picked up on markdown from Hobby Lobby a while back. Since Dearest has a tendency to pick at his clothes, even when it irons on, I sew it. More than once he's come home with an iron on peeled off ! To add in the ‘don't fray' hopes, and keep it from moving, I fuse the patch down before I sew it. Several things I've patched have ended up being good enough to donate when Dearest outgrew it.

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:23 PM CDT

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Spent on fabric/crafts : $3.50

Spent on dolls : $5.20

Oh, this is so funny. I found a yard sale ad last week, promising a ‘two story Barbie house' for sale. Intriguing ! I wondered which one. Unfortunately, the ad on Craigslist had one date on it (last Saturday), and the online ad in the local fish-wrap had another (this Saturday). Figured out it was this weekend, and made a point to be up and dressed and there at the start time.

Yup, sale was on. And there was the house. Um...Hmpft. It was the Victorian one, but the trim and one of the support columns was damaged, there was serious sun-fading to the front, and most of it was bright pink. Even the really juvenile sticker sets were peeling and worn. Not really what I wanted, but since I'd made the effort, I asked. $20., I was told. Well, I had $15. on me, so I shrugged. She asked what I'd be willing to pay, and I offered what I had, and she didn't say anything, just wandered away. So I wandered back to the grey truck. Oh, well. Can't get a $130. castle for $5. every week !

The sale down the street was more my speed ! Spent $12., and got a ton of goodies. The kittens now have a plush cat retreat, Dearest Son has a Thomas case and a small TIE fighter waiting for him, and I got a cool silver case (gonna use it for big Barbie shoes, like skates and tall boots), a nice rooted-hair Ken, a lovely Pretty in Plaid redhead Barbie, a gallon bag of Barbie clothes, a doll-size notebook, and a Happy Meal Totally Hair Barbie miniature - I use those as Christmas tree decorations. I also scored a cute ‘Fashion Mall' - inside a Barbie-size case are four small ‘stores' - a pet shop, a candy store, a jewelry boutique, and a Café. There's drawers and shelves to fill, even a cash register, a hanging rack, a fold-down table, a mirror, and an ATM and Mall Directory. I could easily cover over or remove the stickers and make my own single ‘store', and I might just do that. For now, though, it'll be cute to use as-is.

And as the morning continued, I was repeatedly very glad about not buying the dollhouse. I got stamp pads that I can probably sell on eBay for 20 times what I paid for ‘em - they're very nice, and apparently never used. Gleefully, I set upon a box of patterns and selected three brand-new but years-old ones! Simplicity 7018, dated 1975, makes hobo bags and belts. One of my most favorite purses ever was a denim paint-splashed hobo bag, and I always wanted to make one. Sure, ya don't really need a pattern for that style, a cut-up paper grocery sack would do, but I just couldn't refuse a vintage version for 25c !

The other two are Simplicity Crafts, from 1995. 9817 is an ‘At Home With Mary Engelbreit' pattern. It makes all sorts of things, from aprons to chair cushions, curtains to canister covers, but I got it for the ironing board cover. The $8. one I got from Mal-Wart has a lump in the foam layer that just won't flatten out. And I hated to shell $15. for their next grade up one to replace it. Maybe now, I won't have to, and if I make it, I'll get to choose the fabric ! 9825 is mostly cozies - paper towel holders that look like birdhouses, a drawstring tea cozy, watering can and plant pot covers. Snagged it for the sofa and chair tissue box covers that'll probably work as Barbie furniture.

There's a more recent ‘kleenex box sofa' pattern out there, probably by Simplicity, but I figured, if you just made a rectangle to cover the tissue box, then a closed-ended tube to bend around the back, you wouldn't need a pattern to make Barbie a sofa, or a matching chair. You'd just sew tube to rectangle, shaping as ya go. Although, for the chair, I'd cut the height of those cube-type tissue boxes down some, so the sofa and chair are at the same height, but that's just me. Again, I felt powerless to resist the ‘work's already done' version for a quarter.

I also got a yard of cream felt - I have plans for Dearest's class Halloween party for it, and spending 25c instead of $3. makes me happy - as I need three, maybe four more colors. On impulse, I picked up what looked like a drawing surface, with a roll of paper attached. But it wasn't paper - it was Avery sticker paper ! Yaay, instant stickers ! Dearest and I will have fun with that ! I also picked up a set of four blank-inside cards for a dime. I can always use those. I've found that I really enjoy writing notes to people when I have nice stationery.

Hit a couple more on the way home, but I was down to my last dollar, and after three hours, was getting tired, a bit sticky, and thirsty. I must've hit ten sales in that time. And you know me, I'm not a drive-by. If I've made the effort to follow the signs, I get out of the car. Even if it is just to look at the neighbor's Karmann Ghia collection.

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:23 PM CDT

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Spent on fabric/trims : $2.00

Spent on lunch : $4.50

Busy, fun day. I had volunteering at Dearest Son's school this morning...but first, a couple of yard sales ! More fabric has followed me home, but it was ‘Flags of the World', so at least it was educational fabric ! And only a quarter...

Yard sales weren't really that good today. No dolls at all, and the ones I went to advertised toys. I always give those sales priority, in hopes that I can find something good for me or Dearest. Evidently, if you have two Happy Meal toy leftovers, you should say you have toys in your ad, I guess it brings in the guppies like me. Found a few goodies - a pretty candle in a glass star, a CD for Beloved Hubby, some lavender tulle and matching gingham, two small wooden drawer sets, a picture frame I hope to make into a Barbie room screen, an Irish linen and lace handkerchief (needs washing), a bag of various trim, and a 70s bandanna.

Got to chatting with one of the sellers - he was lots of fun to listen to ! - and he gave me a ‘Barbie and the Sensations' audio cassette. Said he wished he had dolls for me, but he'd get a kick out of knowing I had the tape. How sweet ! Haven't had time to listen to it yet, though.

On the way back to the house - wanted to change and grab a bite before school - my poor Molly made an odd sound, and it was all I could do to get her home safely. If my foot wasn't on the clutch to the floor, or the gas, she'd sputter and try to die. Shifted easily, though. Even then, she sputtered a lot and was extremely noisy, like a lawn mower or a go-cart. Still not sure what happened. Beloved Hubby says he'll look at her this weekend. Lucky for me, the grey truck was home, so I took that to the school.

I had such a great time reading to Dearest's class. They're such great kids. Did some other small, but time-consuming, work for his teacher, and then it was lunchtime. I'd skipped breakfast due to Molly trouble, so I was ravenous. Actually spent more on my lunch - taco salad, yum ! - than I did at the yard sales ! Very rare. I would have had lunch at school, too, but Dearest was already expecting me to take him home when I left. I had to tell him he needed to stay, but it was only a couple hours to go ! His teacher has invited me back any Friday I care to read, so I might be there more often...

I visited three other sales and the cross-town GoodWill. Urgh. I shoulda just got lunch, the sales were not good, and GoodWill looks like they haven't had a donation in months. When someone wants $60. for a dinged and slightly scraped TV stand that's $80. brand-new at Mal-Wart... she was one of the ‘toy' sales. She had a shoebox full of baby rattles and stuff I know we got free back when Dearest was a wee one. Wasn't a total loss - I got to see three vintage-being-restored Karmann Ghias in her neighbor's driveway. They looked like the orange one here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Karmann_Ghia  . One was orange, one was red, one was aqua. A visual treat !

Tonight, Beloved has his Aikido class, and Dearest is already at his grandparents'. So I finished taking apart that green costume thingie, and it's all bundled up and stored. Got green velveteen, green glitter-dot, sliver glitter-dot, silver and white sequin trim, silver and black sequin trim, and a long green invisible zipper. Not bad for 50c ! Or was that part of the stuff-a-bag sale ? In any case, it was cheap, and I got a lot out of it. And now, I can take apart something new !

I kinda cheated, though. Since the velveteen on the dress body was badly crushed and rumpled at the seams, I just cut it at the seams, instead of carefully picking it apart to save an extra half-inch of already-damaged fabric. At least it's done.

And I have got to put a moratorium on buyin' people clothes for fabric. I got yards of actual fabric followin' me home most weekends, stuff that needs intense prep work to use really isn't necessary ‘round here !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:23 PM CDT

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Kind of a slow day today. I'm still ripping up that green and glitter dot dress/ costume/ thing while waiting for Dearest's afternoon bus. Today, I got the last of the silver and green glitter dot fabric off, as well as the black and silver trim. Material's all folded and tied up in bundles, and in the ‘ready to use' bins. Now I just have the rest of the shimmery green velveteen dress, and some silver and white trim, to pick apart, and then that outfit's ready to use. May even finish it tomorrow. Then I can start taking apart another of the ten or so irresistible ‘people clothes' purchases I have stuffed in a box in Molly's trunk. I'm thinking of those pink and black ‘cat' embroidered blue jeans as my next little project...

Few weeks ago, I learned to make an origami box. I've had so much fun with them, you can find ‘em all over the house. Dearest Son brings me one when he wants a nibble of what I'm munching, and a cardstock one is his stuffed Stuart Little's chair. I even made some from the ‘prescription papers' that came with the new inhaler and antibiotic. I thought the only way to reuse those was to pulp ‘em for recycled paper ! Happy with the success, I tried to learn a different style box - it doesn't have those little handles - but the simple ‘made for Girl Scouts' directions just didn't make sense to me. Gave myself a headache trying.

And then I found the same box, but with different directions - and I got it right this time ! I can even make little boxes with lids. Wheee ! Now I can make doll props from ads and printouts, either fold up the ad or just paste ‘em to the little boxes. I can make whatever size I like !

Here's the directions - it's for a divided box, but the divider part is a separate piece of paper you can omit. You can click on ‘next' when you're ready to go to the next step, and the pictures and text are easy to follow. Nice to know I can do it - it always ranks when the ‘kiddie' directions just don't make sense !  http://stayseemakedo.typepad.com/photos/origami_divided_box/index.html

One of Dearest's fave pairs of sweatpants has been patched twice. I think that's why he likes them, the flame patches ! Well, they developed another hole, just off the biggest one, and now I'm not sure if I should attempt another patch, cut ‘em for shorts, or just say we got our $3. out of them already and let ‘em pass into Clothing Heaven. I'll get a better look at them tomorrow.

I also did another bit of recycling. The light bulb that came with that yard sale Little Mermaid lamp I got a few months back finally died. In a poof and flash, I might add. It was then, when I went to replace it, that I realized the bulb was a 100watt one, but the UL listing on the collar socket said anything over 60w was a fire hazard. So I put in a 40w, and it barely lit up an inch of anything. Upped it to a 60, which was better, but still pretty dim. I looked around a bit, and my eyes caught the Whitman's Sampler box - the remains of a birthday gift from Beloved Hubby. Aha ! Lamp went on top, and now I can see in there. Not sure if I'll decoupage the box later, or just leave it as-is... but it's a sweet way to use it ! And it's finally off the floor. I don't know what it is, but I have the worst time letting go of a decently made box. No matter how big, small, or seemingly useless it may be. Maybe it's the constantly-frustrated organizer in me...

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:22 PM CDT

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Well, volunteering at Dearest Son's school didn't quite work out as planned. Yesterday, when I dropped off the bandanna ‘bag of bags' and a medical form I'd been requested to complete, office lady ‘Kelly' asked if I'd be back today to help count folders, they had stuff ready to go, if so. I responded that I would, it was ‘my week', and already on my calendar, so I was looking forward to it.

So, I got there and... it'd all already been done. Evidently a group of folks swept in at 8am and did it all, then left. I can't even get anyone to answer the phone at his school at that hour. Well, shoot. Guess I should have called anyway, even though I'd talked to Kelly about sixteen hours prior. So I left, and did a bit of shopping, and it was fun, but...

I'm actually a bit miffed. I filled out the ‘hey, we need YOU to volunteer for stuff !' form twice, and no one ever contacted me. Now I don't know if they need me or not, for any of it. I'm trying to not be soured over volunteering, but if this is how they treat the folks they know are already gonna show up - I asked for the third Wednesday on the form, twice ! - I can understand why it's so hard to get anyone. I'm still wheezing, and walking from the south-40 parking lot was a bit of a stretch, but I was glad to do it... now, I don't feel needed. I confess to pouting a bit as I walked to the car...

One good thing, though. I got to see Dearest out on the playground. He was having a great time with some other kids, I think they were playing ‘Pirate Ship' on the equipment. Evidently, it was a group version of ‘king of the hill'. If you knew how much Beloved Hubby and I kvetch over his social skills and worry about his having friends, you'd know exactly how relieved and happy I was at that moment. Nothing bad without some good, I always say.

Since I was out and about already, I hit Community Thrift. Scored a tin DPrincess box, and a Barbie eyeglasses case. It's Barbie pink, and you can see inside, including the mirror and the sticker, in today's image. The top just has the ‘Barbie' signature raised slightly on it. I also got a star-shaped wire basket. I've been wanting one of those for years. It normally has some gift pack assortment of bathing potions and emollients inside, and they sell a ton of ‘em at Mal-Wart every Christmas for about $15. Kinda high, when all you want is the basket. Lucky me, I got what I wanted !

 I also found several doll patterns, but unfortunately, they were all for a kid-size doll and one outfit. Either too small for the My Size Barbie girls, or too big. And thanks to three decades of Doll World back issues, I already have hundreds of soft doll patterns ! Luck was with me still, and I scored a vintage complete Holly Hobby stuffed doll and clothes pattern, Simplicity 6066, dated 1973.  While I'm not a huge HH fan, when I checked the pattern for pieces, she looked to be about the same size as the LDPs ! And you know I can't resist some 70s stuff, just on sheer appearance.

Amazingly, that whole haul was a whoppin' big $2.28 ! I know for a fact that the DP tin is $5. by itself at Hobby Lobby. I'm hoping to have some time to get the pattern scanned later today. Isn't that always the way - soon as you do a backup, you find a new (or new-to-you), irresistible pattern !

I also stopped in to Dollar General. Looks like they got the last of the My Scene dolls. I haven't seen them anywhere else. The one I was in had ‘Club Disco' and ‘Street Sweet' dolls, all the different girls. If I remember correctly, the just-a-doll-inna-box "CD" girls were $8., and the prop-heavy "SS" girls were $12., but I'm not quite sure.

‘CD Chelsea' had a gorgeous star-print blouse, and those cowboy boots have to be seen to be believed. Most of the fabrics used are color-coded-by-doll metallic. ‘SS' dolls came with miniature desserts, with rings still attached for double use as kid jewelry. They had simple candy-hued dresses with cute little jackets. Chelsea again had my attention, with her tiny green jacket. I mean, it was a tiny jacket. The kind of jacket you have to wonder why somebody's bothering to even wear. The look was cute, though. Amazon.com has images, if you're interested. I'm kind of on a doll moratorium right now...although I confess that Chelsea's tiny jacket is still sending out its siren call to me...

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:22 PM CDT

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I was thinking today about what I said yesterday - about being poor. According to some government guidelines, we probably are. But it's hard to feel poor when you have a Wii Fit in the living room, plenty of food in the kitchen, and lots of clean clothes to wear, thanks to marathon laundry today. I've indulged darn near every little whim of mine this summer. I even got the ‘dress form' rubber stamp when it went on sale. I'd been wanting that silly thing for more than a year ! I've been able to be generous when funds were available, and help out when the call came, and I'm surrounded by roughly two parsecs of fabric, the curtain of my dreams over the window, dolls of every description around, and everything I'll ever need to make anything I'll ever want, pretty much. And it's all in a room that's entirely mine.

I have trouble finding space for all the DVDs we've amassed, about half from the $5. bins or second-hand venues, and while we only have one working VCR, there's plenty of tapes for it, too. The Wii has eight games, most of which we've never finished. We've eaten out several times over the weekend, and even the leftovers got gone quick.

In short, if this is ‘poor', I have to wonder how the other half lives ! Sure, we worry about bills, and part of why I got so sick last week was because we don't have health care, and this latest ER visit will cost us big. Groceries and gas are getting ridiculous, but all I can do is make the most of what we do have to spend.

The rest of the day was mostly laundry. I had a short mountain of it to put away. At least now, everyone has socks and shirts where they belong, not in the laundry room in piles !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:22 PM CDT

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