I got a box o' Valentines !

 

Current Mood : Lazy again !

Spent on my stuff : $2.57, for Valentines !

Current Image Notes : Goss, I love this. Too bad it's ‘Tarina Tarantino', so it's $35. for a no-gemstone keychain and $130. for the necklace !

 

Quiet day. Cleaned up the Lab from the mess that the shirtdress made, and prepped a pink version. It was oddly relaxing to iron out the wrinkled remnant. It really was a wad before - I didn't even feel good about cutting out the pattern until it was nice and flat. The pieces are drying from the customary Fray-Check application, and I hope to work on it tomorrow. It should go much easier this time !

 

While I was tidying up, I cleaned the not-Dancerella-but-Dancerina shoes I got from this month's flea market. Since they'd been taking up space on the sewing table, I went ahead and wiped down my much-abused sewing machine, too. I've actually worn a bit of a groove around the top thread spindle. Got all the tiny buttons picked up. Recycled the longer ‘strands' of yarn hair from a wrecked doll I'd picked apart for materials over a year ago - it'll tie up fabric bundles. I just hope I don't buy that much fabric !

 

Played with stands for a bit - I still want the Mad doll stands, but they're still closed. In the meanwhile, I have plenty to choose from ! Also played with my new ‘mountain'. It'll work fine with the dolls, especially if I can find a good backdrop for it. I think I have some ‘blue sky' scrapbook paper.

 

Did the weekly grocery shopping - and Beloved Hubby picked up the Disney Princess Valentines I wanted, while I was getting the cat food. He even got the right ones, the set that came with pencils, for $2.50. I'd talked about getting them, just for the sixteen pencils. Goss, I am such a sucker for stuff like that. In any case, with the sets I bought on 90% off markdown last year, you can guess what you'll be seeing in February - when it's not Best Buy Friday.

 

And then I messed around online for a while. Found two fun videos for you !

 

I'm not gonna ruin this one by describing it too much. But it's 30 seconds of fun you'll probably share with whoever's nearby !

 

http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/stunts/Barbie_Car_Snow_Donuts/#170083

 

This one I can describe. Last year, before my first cell phone met an unfortunate demise in the washing machine - something I'm still paranoid about with my latest phone - Beloved Hubby programmed its ring tone to Aqua's somewhat annoying "Barbie Girl". He then set my password, something I in my ultimate laziness, had failed to do... so I couldn't change it. When the phone met its watery death, he jokingly said I'd done it on purpose, since I had no other way of ditching that dadratted ring tone.

 

All that has very little to do with this video. But even I have to admit, with my history against the little ditty, that it sounds much better when done by a cello quartet.

 

http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/song_dance/Classical_Barbie_Girl/

 

Hope your day was great - and that you had time to just whiz some of it away.

Welcome to Best Buy Friday !

 

Current Mood : Happy and excited

 

Spent on doll props / decor :  $1.39

Spent on fabric : $1.06

 

Welcome to the first Best Buy Friday ! I figure I'll tell ya all about the fashion du jour in the first paragraph, then get on with the rest of the uselessness !  So let's pretend this paragraph isn't here, and we'll start BBF !

 

I know, I said I wasn't gonna itch m'self too much over putting the ‘right' doll in the ‘right' Best Buy with the ‘right' accessories, but this is one of my personal favorites, one I actually owned, along with a Malibu Barbie, so I went with it. This is 1977's #9620, a long dress of mint green flower-patterned jacquard paired with a white tie-back halter top. The neckline and waistline are edged in tiny lace, and a wee black bow really set this one off.  It came with no accessories, but a similar fashion for Skipper was released at the same time. This Best Buy is fresh and cool - and rarely forgettable by any child who owned it.

 

This Malibu is my second flea market find, and the beneficiary of a body swap. If you can see it, the yellow thread by her right ear is the very same one that held her sunglasses on, over thirty years ago. I just can't bring myself to clip it off. An interesting aside - I fret about my darts not matching when I make doll clothes. These darts are waaaay off. The left one is much longer than the right - about 3/8 ths of an inch off ! But it's still a lovely dress from a nearly forgotten time.

 

Things sort of got back to normal - Beloved Hubby just had clean-up on his current job, so he wasn't bustin' butt past midnight tonight, thank Everything. Roads were clear enough for school to resume, too. So I sewed buttons and snaps on the Barbie Learns to Cook dress I made yesterday, and posted images on the main site home page and on In the Pink. But they didn't get the ‘work in progress' photo !

 

It got a lot of complements, and the first non-blog ‘do you sell your stuff ?' question I've ever received, so that was nice. I enjoyed the ego boost. And a few other doll sewists mentioned their problems with APFs, so it's great to know it isn't just me. Still have to work on my closures, they look like crud. Anyway... I'll most likely redo this dress next week, so I can see what it looks like in pretty fabric. Although I have to agree with you, Mandy, it looks somehow sophisticated in the unbleached muslin. Sort of tweedy and with a bit of texture to it.

 

Beloved got a bit bored once the job was done, and he's been looking for a nice coat, so it didn't take much to talk him into a trip to the local thrift. It's been weeks since I went ! But I didn't miss much. Amazingly, most of their Barbies are gone, but the Cinderella with the light-up feet was still there. Nothing new, really.

 

That's not to say we didn't find anything. Since school was out, we had Dearest Son with us, knew he'd find something, and he did - a great Matchbox-car size town, with stores and tiny signs. Just like his momma, he loves miniature prop stuff. He snagged a bagload for just $3.50, and I know it was at least $15. originally.

 

And, happily, Beloved found a super-nice warm jacket. With lots of inside pockets - including one that detaches and has a neck cord ! - and it barely looks worn at all. The fit is nice, too - it looks great on him. For some reason, the winter stuff was half-price ! He was happy I'd talked him into going. Not every day you get a nice heavy Giordano jacket for less than five bucks !

 

That's not to say I didn't find a few things - but I spent the least of all of ‘em ! I bought a mountain - no kidding, a plastic mountain that's probably also Matchbox-car sized, but may be cute in some doll photos - for 79c. Found some fabric, too. A package of unopened cross-stitch Aida in 14-pt size for 59c, and ¾ of a yard of a print I sort of have to explain. Few years ago, Keary Beary came out with a line of vintage-inspired fabrics, available at Hancock Fabrics. I seized on the ‘radio' print for obvious reasons, and made a shirt from it that gets complements every time I wear it. The matching pants I made are just too busy. Made Fiero a shirt from the cutaway, too. Well, this was ¾ of a yard of a very similar ‘television' print - for 39c. Had to have it ! Not sure if there's enough for a shirt front yet, but it's worth a shot !

 

Also snagged one of the 50c grab-bags for the cute little Ariel purse inside. It sort of resembles that diary-blank book I bought last year or so ago. It reads ‘the world was made for dancing', and it's in lovely shades of green. Also included in the bag were two party favor bags, with pencils, erasers, candy, and small toys. Dearest gladly relieved me of everything but the pencils. And the purse is now hanging from the nail suspending the Little Mermaid luggage/wall art in the Lab. So, good finds for everyone. For less than $12., total.

 

Goofed off for the rest of the night. Happy Friday,  ya'll ! 

Kind of a mixed-bag effort, really...

 

Current Mood : Tired but happy

 

Well, today's sewing led me to one inescapable conclusion regarding Aileen's Petite Fashions. She made great patterns for over 250 vintage and original Barbie clothes that come pretty close to the initial inspiration - but she can't write directions for skit. If I read her directions correctly for today's experiment, and followed the ‘sew here' lines drawn on the pattern pieces, I'd have sewn the necklines to each other, giving the doll no way to put the darn thing on. I got so confused and frustrated, I looked up a similar design in the Barbie in Japan book and did it their way. And got a decent result, if I do say so m'self. The skirt part was also confusing, so I just tossed the directions and did it how I liked. Phew.

 

And what I don't get is that I can follow directions on commercial patterns. I do pretty well with patterns that aren't even in a language I understand - so far, I've done so with Swedish, German, and Japanese. But I am at a complete loss with APFs. She either leaves out steps that are obvious to her, but not me, or her choice of words simply do not make sense to me. I probably do the same things when I write directions, and that's why it takes me forever to do so. I probably over-think it. So I take lots of photos of the work in progress, hoping that'll answer questions.

 

Another thing that bugs me about them - all the photos accompanying the APFs are taken from Mattel catalogs, doll reference books, or of the actual dress she's copied. Never one of her finished work from her actual pattern. That bugs me. I won't buy patterns if there's not a photo of the finished item. I know what it's supposed to look like - show me what yours does look like !

 

And I have no way of knowing if anyone else has the same issues. The few times I've complained about Modern Art, the In The Pink board members suggested that I write the current rights-and-patterns owner for help. Um, the new owner is basically reprinting a few at a time, adding a color photo, and putting ‘em on eBay. It's comforting that the photo accompanying Modern Art had a really bad collar - the same part I was having trouble with ! So I doubt there's any help waiting for me there.

 

I really can't whine much, since I didn't pay for the pattern collection , all of it was given to me. But now I know to read over the directions - then ditch ‘em. Or write corrections as I go.

 

Anyway... there it is, and it turned out OK, even if it did get frustrating. I still have to put in closures, but it looks like Dearest Son has school tomorrow, so there'll be little to no time for that tonight. Besides, I get to look forward to putting ‘em in tomorrow, then adding a photo to the main site. I just wanted to brag a bit here, first. There's numerous problems - the collar doesn't match on each side, the back facings keep popping up, the sleeves don't look good, and the waist is still a bit low - but I've had bigger sewing disasters, that's fer sure !

 

I also get to kick off ‘Best Buy Friday' tomorrow. Even with the ice and snow, this week just flew by ! And I got a lot done. I really like this New Year's Resolution ! Sewing's like any other art form - sew, draw, paint, crochet as much as you can, and if you can stay with it, you'll begin to get good at it ! Chuck Jones said as much in his autobiography Chuck Amuck, and I find it to be more true with every passing year. Of course, I should be much better at this point, but I'm happy with what I can do - and know there's a lot more I can still learn !

More stuff done that I shoulda done last year...

 

Current Mood : Cabin fever strikes - and I'm out of potato chips !

Current Image Notes : Don't own this - but ain't it cool ?!

Spent on eBay win : $13.50

 

Well, guess who didn't have to shower tonight, either ? Yup, Dearest Son is home again tomorrow, even though the roads around here are good - and we were pretty low on the list for plowing. Oh, well, safety first. We got out in it today, and it wasn't bad at all. Which is good, because we're nearly out of junk food ! I'm actually getting sick of popcorn.

 

Got my latest eBay win paid for - gosh, PayPal took forever to credit my account ! Hopefully the seller isn't too cross with me, but just in case, I paid for insurance. I rarely do that. And since the funds were in my PP account, they went to the seller's account instantly, no waiting around. At least I have that going for me. Hopefully he'll ship this week, so maybe next week, I can show you my new setup !

 

Spent a chunk of the day online. Found an interesting doll pattern loaning library, for only $15. a year. I could borrow two patterns a month (well, copies of the patterns), and most of what they have, I don't. It was intriguing - until I saw the shipping fees. Yikes. I found about 20 or so patterns I'd kinda~sorta like to have, but I'd end up shelling about $40. to get them. Facts are, for $15., or even $25., I'd be glad to participate, and I have lots I could contribute. But none of ‘em - or even all of ‘em together - were that essential. For $2. each, it's still not bad, but seriously, there's lots I'd rather have over more patterns I probably won't use for quite some time, if ever.

 

From there, I do what I always have, when I realize I don't need more - I drift through what I have. I've been sort of wanting to make a shirtwaist. You know, a full-skirted dress that has a button-front blouse and turn-down collar. I had several in my college years, and loved them, because I felt good in them. So of course, I wanna make doll versions !

 

And, of course, it turned out that I have several patterns for those. I chose Aileen's Petite Fashions # 118, a copy of Barbie Learns to Cook. I loved the styling and detail, and hope to have at least one satisfying success with an APF pattern. I still sort of resent my ongoing failures with her Modern Art copy, #135. Much as I'd love to jump right in with some of that great new fabric I bought last week, previous experience demands that I work with less important-to-me material. If the pattern works out, it'll look like a cross between two of Lucille Ball's dresses - a housedress from everyday and her Paris burlap gown ! Yup, I'm gonna use up some unbleached thin muslin - wish me luck ! It's all cut out, and as soon as this is posted, it'll get Fray-Checked. And you know how I am with half-done stuff - it bugs me ‘til it's done.

 

While in the Lab, I figured I'd be more comfy in pajama pants over jeans. Then I remembered I had a big ole split seam down one leg. Well, no time like tonight to get stuff done ! Got the split resewn and cheap-serged, and while I had ‘em up on the machine - with matching thread loaded up - I hemmed them up a bit. Sometimes my foot would get caught in the ‘bell' of the hem, while I was walking. Shortening them up a bit would prevent that. So it's done.

 

Then, I set about reclaiming the denim and elastic from the panties I cut off yesterday's  altered denim skirt project. Yeah, my insane recycling gene has manifest itself again. I'm saving the corrugated cardboard boxes as we empty them, for some obscure organization project, printed the pattern on recycled flyers from Dearest's school, saved the scale-verifying rulers printed on ‘em next to the printer, for my own scanning, in a recycled mini plastic zipper bag, using tape I'd already used to mark a seam allowance on the sewing machine, stored all the empty Kleenex ^TM boxes saved for another project in the newly-emptied eBay sales bin, and reclaimed two ‘Ice Breakers' mint containers for another doll seating project. Had leftovers for lunch. I'm nuts, I admit it.

 

Hope you're staying warm, and aren't going crazy !

Things always improve after some fun doll time !

 

Current Mood : Grateful we haven't lost power. And relaxed. 

Current Image Notes : Lacey, on your left, is wearing the 'new' infant denim skirt, Gracie is wearing the newly altered shorts set, and Casey got a 'new' Asian blouse today ! Tomorrow, they get winter clothes, but I had to take a photo of their lastest wardrobe acquisitions ! 

 

We're snowed in ! No school for Dearest Son today or tomorrow, and smaller vehicles are having serious trouble making it up ‘our' hill. We got about two inches of snow on top of a quarter-inch of ice... and my big ole butt hasn't even been outside to take out trash. Beloved Hubby's been busily at work in the Shop, and Dearest has been out in it three or four times, coming in to warm his hands at the sink. Thanks to several fleece remnants, he hasn't been without a warm, dry scarf !

 

With everyone at home, I made a big bacon, egg, and biscuit breakfast. That felt good - I never have time and family together to do that very often ! And it got my mind off the eBay mess, which is nearly resolved. Lunch was lots of hot soup, and we had a nice hearty dinner of sausages and cheese potatoes. My kitchen is a disaster !

 

Well, as mentioned, the eBay mess has resolved itself. My seller said all the ‘Free Shipping' sales were set by accident (all twelve of ‘em ?), but they'd honor the auction page. So they just charged me handling. I kinda feel bad, like I'm taking advantage, but part of me knows that ‘Free Shipping' isn't a default, so... I'm sure someone'll take something out of my hide once I start selling all this crap at my desk ! It's gotta wait, though - eBay takes their cut out of a credit card, and ours goes to Checking. I'm not even gonna get into how little is in that account right now...

 

Anyway, I let myself wallow for a while, then got bored. While going through the Bin o' Stuff to Sell on eBay, I found a few things I ended up keeping. Two small Kaiser-type doll stands - where did they come from ? I'm clueless. Adjusted, they'll work with that vintage Skipper I found at the thrift store last year, and also the six-inch Disney Musical  Princess dolls. So I kept ‘em.

 

A Dollar General bag held several split-ring keychains. Oh, cool ! I forgot about them - they were from a bunch of keychain shoes I bought last Spring. The shoes fit Mia and Cia (Crissy family doll, and a Playmates ‘Cinderelly's Surprise' doll), so I bought several pair. Pulled down the Box o' Craft Crap to add them to the bag of split-ring keychains, and took inventory. Sweet - there's exactly 24 ! Unless I decide to make more this year, I have enough for Christmas '09 school gifts already. Yaaay !

 

Also in the Bin was a peach toddler blouse, in a clearly Asian-inspired style. I'd first reached for it at the yard sale because of the fabric, but once I held it, I hoped it'd fit the My Size Barbie girls. For a quarter, why not ? Held up to Gracie, I decided it was too big, and in the bin it went. Well, I was bored, so... I tried it on Casey - and it fits beautifully. There's a slipped snap I have to fix, but otherwise, it's perfect.

 

I'm glad I tried it ! Because to do so, I had to undress her from the 2T Spring short set I'd obtained from another yard sale - and it was held on her with hair clips. Shameful ! So I decided to fit it correctly, then change her clothes. It didn't take long to take some of the elastic out of the shorts and raise the crotch seam a bit, then fold over the blouse's button back and add Velcro for a better fit. Saved the buttons for the button jar !

 

With that done, my attention was drawn to a 12-mos. denim skirt I'd gotten from one of the last yard sales of ‘08. Like the Chinese blouse, I had hopes it'd fit the MSBs, but I knew it'd need some tailoring. I loved the pleats ! Well, it was much too big in the waist, and the built-in underwear was in the way. Tried adding elastic to the waist front - it was already elasticized in the back - but that didn't work. Taking in enough from the sides meant it was too tight to slide off and on, and it looked odd. Putting in a zipper or other back closure was nearly impossible with the skirt's pleats. So I cut the panties off, and took in some at the side seams, enough for it to slide off and on, but not very tight. She'll probably need to wear a tucked-in shirt and a belt with it ! But, heck, it'd been hanging around since November - at least now, it's hanging on a doll ! You can get good practice in alterations with an MSB or three, and a couple of good yard sales.

 

As you can see, MSBs don't really take an age-based size - they have 4T and 6mos. sizes in their closet ! I really have to keep myself from buying them used kid clothes, because they always require fittings and adjustments. And I kinda hate buying what real kids could use. So I wait ‘til I'm nearly done at a yard sale before I go through kids' clothing, or don't go near it at all. Unless it's green, nautical, or Asian. I'm a sucker for those. 

 

So, while I didn't actually make anything, I did make some stuff over ! I think that counts towards my resolution of sewing at least once a week. I just need to sew some doll clothes already ! Hmm... I wonder what I'll be doing tomorrow, with Beloved and Dearest home...

 

I find that things always look better after some fun doll time ! 

So now, even eBay is against me...

 

Current Mood : Miffed

 

Currently ‘enjoying' a small ice storm - it'll continue through tomorrow and be gone by Wednesday, but it's not that bad right now. The ice looks so pretty in the late afternoon sun...

 

For kicks today, I scanned a page from a Mattel-issued repro art book. I used to love to look at the Ad Builder books at the newspaper office when I was a kid. There was an endless array of images for everything ! Any ad or announcement ever created, there was an image perfect for it in one of those big books. So, when I saw a repro art book from Mattel on eBay, going for just a buck and shipping, dated 1984, I just had to have it. And I won ! Seventy-four pages of line art for Barbie, Poochie, Masters of the Universe, and Hot Wheels toys - just looking at it made me happy. And a bit buzzed on the remembered smell of ink and rubber cement and other chemicals. I had big plans for it on my website... then we moved. Twice. And I forgot, so it didn't take long for it to be just another no-name-on-the-spine book on the shelves.

 

Went digging for it yesterday, and decided to share the ‘Personal Appearance' layout with In The Pink and you. It's really cool, I think. The one up there is a small version - the original size is huge ! Over 1.5Mb. But if you'd like your own copy of the original scale, you can find it here - https://dorriebelle.tripod.com/dolls_of_my_life/reproart.jpg . Usual things, same as before, left click to bring it up full-sized, right to save.

 

With the weather that skiddy - numerous accidents this morning - once Beloved Hubby was home, he stayed home. Watched a few episodes of Wonderfalls and the last of his A-Team. And watched the auctions I bid on. (sigh) I should have known...

 

I won the small one, lost the big. That's fine. What's making me sigh, and think I didn't win at all and should just save my money and wait for yard sale season and start wearing shirts with ‘*&^% eBay' on ‘em is the fact that the auction page had ‘Free Shipping' splashed all over it. So did all their doll-based auctions - free Parcel Post shipping. So, when I got the invoice and saw I'd been charged for it anyway, I wrote a very nice note reminding the seller what the auction page said, and that I was aware of the $2. handling fee (*&^%), so I would like a corrected invoice with the right total, please.

 

Of course, there's been no response. And it's been three hours since I wrote, five since the auction closed. I have a feeling they've received several notes like mine, so I tried to be nice, but I'm starting to feel ripped off and led on. (sigh) You'd think they'd check their auctions, or shut down the remaining ones as soon as the first complaint came through, but there are still several ongoing auctions, all with the same ‘Free Shipping' on ‘em. I'm starting to think no one wants my money, as hard as it is for me to spend it this week...

 

I mean, shoot, by the time PayPal credits my account with the cash I transferred Friday (for some reason, it takes four or five business days), I won't have much need of it, and I'll want to transfer it back to Checking ! It's crap like this that makes people leery of eBay, but they don't seem to care about it, and the sellers just keep being jerks. Not all sellers. But I've been ripped off twice, and this may be #3, and even I learn after a while.

There's always *something* going on !

 

Current Mood : At a loss... but never for stuff to spend money on ! 

Current Image Notes : This is the image I used for Dearest Son's button the other day. Cute ! 

 

I have got to be careful what I wish for. Ok, so remember yesterday, when I found two goodies on eBay I liked, but I could only bid on one and still get the Mad doll stands ? I wished I could bid on both, but heck, ya can't have everything, right ?

 

So, while I'm waiting for my cash to clear PayPal before I can order the stands, I hop back to the Mad doll site. And, boom ! Splashed the length of the ordering page is a note that, due to family emergencies, they'll be closed at least through February 16^th. Sheesh. I finally get the money, and I'm maybe two days away from ordering, and they're closed. I hope the emergency isn't terrible, that their family will be OK, and that they come back soon, though.

 

But, it does free me up to bid on those two eBay items that I probably won't win. Maybe it's a lesson. Use what I have - goss knows I got tons of Barbie stands, I just don't like how they elevate the dolls the equivalent of six inches, and there's next to no way to hide ‘em, but perhaps it's time to learn to use them better - and start savin' the pennies again. And who knows what I'll find in this year's crop of yard sales, thrift stores, junk shops, and flea markets.

 

Anyway...

 

In other news, I'm thinking of having a theme day here on the Doll Diaries. I was reading some other blogs, and it's kind of fun to know there's Barbie Wednesday on this one and Doll Day on another. But I want mine to be uniquely ‘me', ya know ? So what I'm thinking of doing is ‘Best Buy Friday'. Every Friday, the photo is of a doll in a Best Buy outfit, complete with year and item number and the usual chatter and memories. Most doll books don't like Best Buy clothing, they seem to think it's all cheap kiddy-grade crap, and if they show any at all, it's a catalog photo or still in 40-year-old packaging, like they're afraid to contaminate their collections with it.

 

But that's not my style. I remember Best Buys, and along with their issue items, mom-made dresses and cheap knockoff gowns, that's what my dolls wore. Not ashamed of it. I'm sorry it's not 1960 limited edition high-end couture, but it's what was out there, and what most kids and families could afford, so why not celebrate it, too ? Of course, I was gonna wait until I had my doll stands to start it off, but heck, I'll probably begin this Friday.

 

Oh, and I'm not gonna limit m'self to ‘70s doll = 70s doll clothes'. If I want Dori to wear #2218, she will. Or if Bubblecut really likes the dress she came to me wearing, # 3347, she's more than welcome to model it. After it's ‘Best Buy Friday' debut here, I'll probably move the image to a new Best Buy page. No sense losing or hiding the information, after all. Mine are usually missing aprons and small things, and aren't in pristine shape, but heck, it's more easy to identify when a dress is in its natural state - fresh from being wadded up in the bottom of a doll case since 1982 !

Wall art I love...

 

Current Mood : Quiet peace.

Current Image Notes : In case you can't read it, my latest Lab wall decor reads 'Dream' on the big one, and 'and dance with the stars' on the smaller one. The pink stars were included, but the burgundy ones I made from the 'leftover' from the stickers. I'm a tightwad, fer sure ! 

 

 

Kind of a quiet, but fun day. Ran around with Beloved Hubby this morning, and we hit Dollar Tree in a neighboring town before heading home. He picked out today's image - it's a wall decal. Said he thought I'd like it. And I do ! Isn't he the sweetest ? I got a bunch out of the 'sprue' sticker stock remaining on the card. And what's funny is, there was a third sticker that I don't like much, so it's getting donated. Cool, huh ? I get a lot for Beloved's dollar !

 

I also picked up a pair of ‘big kid' Fiskars scissors. I really like those. All the sharp cutting of $20. Fiskars, but smaller, and at Dollar Tree, much cheaper ! I think it's worked out that every other teacher has sent Dearest Son's scissors home with him, and the kid versions are just as nice as the big ones. So we have about four pair around the house, including the one in the Lab, by the sewing table. At least now, I can return those to him ! 

 

And I picked m'self up a new quandary. While I think I really have put the repro doll obsession to rest, I managed to dig up another. There's two things on eBay I'd really like to have, from the same seller. They close within an hour of each other. I can bid on one, and still get the stands. (sigh) I don't know why I'm fretting over it - I have abysmal luck on eBay. That, or I'm just cheap...

 

Anyway, it was a nice day, especially since I haven't done jack all day. Except hang up the wall art ! Watched more A-Team with Beloved, and for dinner, he had leftover Thursday pizza, I had leftover Friday Chinese. We're running low on leftovers.

Flower Friday ?

 

Current Mood : Funked

Current image notes :  A coloring page for you. Just 'cause. 

 

Sorry, guys - I'm in a funk of a mood. Working some stuff out. I guess I'm spoiled, because I finally have the funds to order the Mad doll stands I've wanted, but it'll be Wednesday before I can order them, and it'll be a week past that before I get ‘em. For me, that's very delayed gratification, and I don't think I'm handling it well.

 

What's making it worse is the Anniversary dolls. I don't really care for the Robert Best designed ‘glamour Barbie' commemorative - to me, it's just another Big Dress Blonde. Sure, it's a nice dress, but when have I ever paid $60. for a tulle-spangled gown ? And the doll is yet another Model Muse, head and body, and now that I have one (a nude "Go Red" was part of the Box o' Wonder from Joanne), I'm colored even less impressed with the body style, something I'll have to get deeper into on another entry.

 

No, I'm talking about the repros - there's six of ‘em, each representing an ‘era' of Barbie. Ponytail, Bubblecut, Twist ‘n Turn (TNT), Malibu, Superstar, and Rocker. Right now, Ponytail, Bubblecut, Malibu and SuperStar are on shelves, with TNT and Rocker due out in February. When I first heard of these, I thought it was neat, if the reproductions were done well - it was nice to see something beyond Vintage being done. But I figured I'd be immune from the dread Want, since I already have a Bubblecut, a TNT, and multiple Malibus and Superstars. And I didn't much want a blonde Ponytail, or a wild-eye-makeup Rocker, although I loved the 80s vibe of her clothes. In short, a nice idea of Mattel's, but nothing I'd want. Just like most years...

 

Soon, though, I finally got to see what the doll boards were erupting over. (sigh) For perhaps the first time ever, the dolls actually look better in the harsh light of retail. What ranks is that part of me wants all of ‘em. There's just something so... clean about them. Mine are scratched and worn - heck, most of ‘em only cost a buck from a flea market - and are clearly played with, and let's not get into flaws, or we'll be here all day.

 

But these repros are bright and pretty and new, and come with booklets I want to look at and clothes that call to me. I want dolls I already have, and part of that ticks me off, ‘cause these dolls ain't exactly cheap ! They're not Silkstone pricey, either, and you get a lot, but $40. each for two or three dolls is a bit rich for us, especially now... yet I know that if I wait, they'll sell out and I'll be haunting eBay... or in three months, I'll have forgotten all about them. Could easily go either way.

 

So, as you can guess, I don't exactly enjoy this challenge to my frugal nature. I hate wanting what I already have, just because the New Improved version is shiny. But I still want to look at them again, and I say it's because I want to find the flaws, talk myself down, even though I know if I do see them, I'll just Want all the more. I was actually mad that the high-side Mal-Wart didn't have them Tuesday, I was almost in withdrawal. This sort of behavior is very odd for me.

 

What makes it worse in many ways is that the two I'd mostly likely buy, if I can't throw this weird obsession, are the two that are easiest and cheapest to find - the Malibu and the Superstar. If they'd done the Sweet 16 instead of the TNT, you'd be adding her to the top of my list. Yup, I don't want the hard-to-find-even-as-a-repro dolls, I like the most produced dolls Mattel ever made. Sphew.

 

And that's where I am now. I think now that I've hashed it out in public, it'll be easier to throw this over. Heck, I'm half-tempted to take one of my Malibus to Mal-Wart and compare my original to their repro. Goss knows my new purse is big enough to contain a few out-of-box dolls. If it's that much of an improvement, then fine, we start savin' our pennies. If not, then the spell should be broken.

 

That said, I still wanna look at the repro catalog booklets...

Joyful Thursday

 

Current Mood : Happy and hopeful

Spent on doll and hobby stuff : $9.94

 

Back when I was a single girl - waaaay back, when I had a paper route, even ! - Thursday was my favorite day of the week. As a newspaper delivery route person (i.e., papergirl), Thursday was all the excitement of Friday, but no papers to deliver. The one I delivered only came out twice weekly, and Friday was a big delivery day. By the time I pulled my bike back into the driveway on Fridays, I was too tired to want to do anything ! The ‘big day Friday' trend continued into my working life, plus the skating rinks had less teen-oriented sessions on Thursdays. So Thursday remained my favorite.

 

Today was one of those Thursdays that reminded me of why I loved ‘em so. Beloved Hubby was home this afternoon, and it was Fun Time ! I had some cash to spend, and I spent it ! I may just order those Mad stands next week - I'm still doing some research, and I'll have to wait anyway, for my deposit to clear the bank, then clear PayPal.

 

Beloved dropped me off at Hobby Lobby while he ran other errands, and I beelined it for the Christmas Final Markdown and Clearance aisles. Found a package of six glittery black star small-tree ornaments for 50c, and two yards of ‘Twisted Princess' elastic - purple with black lettering and crowns, for 64c a yard. From there, I picked up a half yard of gorgeous colored starbursts on a black background cotton fabric - 30% off ! The only two things I paid full price for were the package of four reusable pin-back buttons ($1.99) and the often-picked-up but never-bought set of three dollhouse windows ($2.99). So, I went in there with $10. - and spent $9.94 !

 

The fabric's been cheap-serged, and I played with the buttons - I'm getting more of those ! You can make your own pin-back buttons, and reuse them, the pieces snap together and apart easily. With the frequent 40% off coupon, I can get the twelve-pack for $2.99, which brings the price down to less than a quarter each. Back in the day, I had one of those Badge-A-Minit badge makers - and it cost about 25c each for supplies. And those, once they were crimped together, that was that. You couldn't reuse any of the parts, and frequently either the protective plastic or the pin pieces didn't seal all the way around. I was toying with getting another press when I remembered the reusable ones. They're often found in the kids' crafts sections.

 

I also found packs of 80 split-ring and other keychain rings. $3.99, but again, there's that 40% off coupon. So by the time I get the Wristlet Key Fob directions typed up, it'll be almost the cost of the felt stars to make ‘em ! Well, maybe a bit more...so far, it's about 25c each, which is funny considering the ones I saw two weeks ago were at least $1.50 for project-specific supplies alone.

 

We also visited Hastings, our favorite video store, for its vast stock of used DVDs. We got Batman :The Animated Series episodes for Dearest Son, two seasons of A-Team for Beloved, and I selected a dirt-cheap volume of Clerks : The Animated Series. I've seen a couple of them, but now I've got ‘em all ! And the ‘buy one used, get the next for $1.' sale was ongoing, so we got a lot of entertainment for a little cash.

 

Looked at doll magazines, caught the new issue of Haute Doll. Feh. Patterns for BJDs, nice 50^th anniversary Barbie pictures, but not much of anything I wanted. It just seems kind of obscene, really, in this day of failing banks, business closings, and home foreclosures, to assume everyone enjoys splashing out $79. for a doll dress - not a dressed doll, just a doll's dress ! And of course, they're still all up the skirts of ‘exclusive' dolls that retail for over $400. - which also seems a bit oblivious, if not downright pretentious. Yeah, I know, that's their audience, and I'm not it. Sometimes I am sooo glad of that, I could sing !

 

Also slipped through Doll Collector, Doll Reader, and even Soft Dolls and Animals, but nothing interested. Most of the patterns in Soft Dolls were so simple, I could have drafted them from the photos. And I think I have to reluctantly come to the conclusion that, between all the patterns I own and the software I have, I pretty much have every doll clothes pattern there is - I just need to tweak what I have if I see something new I want. And I have thousands of soft doll patterns in various back issues of National Doll World.  

 

For kicks, I even leafed through Disney Princess magazine, and I almost bought that one. For $5., there were at least some pretty graphics !

 

On the way home, we snagged lunch and planned our viewing for the day. Beloved's still watching A-Team, and as predicted, Dearest loves it. He's not even much interested in his Batman yet, because Daddy's show is fun ! I poked around online, and tried to hand-wash the tape marks out of the Swingy doll dress I bought Saturday. They originally held the pleats down. Nope. Nothing worked. I may have to remove the original skirt, make a new one, and sew it on instead.

 

Oh, and earlier today, I ‘gave' In The Pink a small gift - a brick wall. It should print out big enough to completely fill a sheet of standard copy paper. I knew I'd be asking for a product review later, namely the Mad doll stands, so I wanted to give something first, no matter how small. Link's below - Left click on it to make sure it's at full size, then Right click and choose ‘save image as'. Put it where ya want it, and you'll always have a super-simple background to use with your dolls.Think of it as a near-freebie Room With A View...

 

You can also use your image altering software to change the brick colors - or just tell your printer to go ‘grayscale' for castle walls ! - or use magic markers for graffiti. And while it's pretty much Barbie scale, it'll still look good with dolls Elphie's size. And you never know when someone you love or work with could use their own personal brick wall to smack their heads against !

 

https://dorriebelle.tripod.com/dolls_of_my_life/brickwall.jpg