There it is... my pretty dolllllllhouse....

 

Current Mood : De-cluttering busy

 

Aaand, there it is - the dollhouse Beloved Hubby made for me. It seems simple, and probably is, but I love it for not being a bookcase. And I'm especially in love with the spiral staircase and the roof deck ! As requested, Elphie's posing for us in the high-ceiling potential living room, for a sense of scale. I hope to find a grayish carpet rectangle to use as a driveway under the table/platform, for the cars, and move in furniture this week. Not sure if I'll ever get it painted or carpeted, especially when I haven't really decided which floor is ‘bedrooms' and which is ‘kitchen', but ya never know ! Beloved put the 'Vegas' lamp up there, as a joke. It does kinda look cute up there...

 

Since the house displaced not only a lot of floor space, but also wall space, I spent a good chunk of today re-hanging some stuff and finding places for others. While I was at it, I got one of the artworks Beloved drew for me framed and hung up, too. I've been meaning to buy a nice frame and get that done - instead, I recycled a frame I had for years. The one holding my high-school diploma. It's nothing special, just some cheapie I got at TG&Y or someplace, and if it didn't have the diploma in it, I'd have tossed it for being boring by now. Nothing wrong with it, though, and it'll do for now. Eventually, I'll find a nice frame, and give the art what it deserves. But right now, I'm glad it's protected and hanging, instead of getting dusty and fading on the chest of drawers.

 

I also redid the ‘display' at the top of the ‘entertainment center' (i.e., the TV/DVD/Wii cabinet). The princess Barbie Dearest Son won for me in the Pink Ticket Sweepstakes is up there, with the My Favorite Malibu repro, and two pretty dolls Aunt S. gave me. They're surrounded by cute things Dearest's made over the years and some photos. It's all the same stuff that was there, but I never arranged it, just stuffed it in. Been meaning to do that for a while - pretty much every time I dragged in the step-stool tool box, it was on the To Do list. And I always forgot, but not today !

 

While I was so happy and thrilled to snag that avocado-green wavy-texture 70s-vintage sewing box this weekend, I wasn't sure what I was gonna do with it. I just know I love those - and since this is #3, it's officially a collection ! What's funny is, the one I don't have is the one that everyone in my family had back in the day - the tall one that could hold patterns upright. This one can hold ‘em sideways. Anyway, today I decided. It's gonna hold stitch outs and fabric scraps designated for more stitch-outs ! Right now, those are stacked up on my Madeira Treasure Chest, and I don't like looking at the sloppy pile. I love seeing the Chest a lot more ! Hmm. I think Clean House is seeping into my semi-consciousness...

 

I'm thinking, after I fill the sewing box, I'll put it in the place of a nice cardboard box I use to keep scrap stabilizer - because I don't want to stack it up anymore. I want to either toss it or store it right after I've cut it away, as part of the clean-up work I always do after I embroider. So, no more storage box, just the sewing box.

 

I'm still stuffing threads into the ornament, but I'll probably seal it up at month's end. Not sure if I'll keep saving thread once that's done, since I can't think of much else to do with them. Embroiderers' boards say to use them in appliqué designs, but I have no idea how sewing over them would keep the stray threads down. I thought about sewing a plastic cover over them, but if I did that on clothes, it'd be a mess in the dryer. So I haven't figured it out yet.

 

It's hard to believe that, here in the US, this Thursday is Thanksgiving. Followed by the nightmare of retail, Black Friday. I refuse to go out in it. I'm gonna sit on my wide butt, eat leftovers, watch silly movies like Thank God It's Friday, and if I spend a dollar, it'll be because I strolled across the street to the 7-11 and bought some potato chips.

 

If you decide to venture out early Friday morning, please be careful ! People are too busy staking out the next sale to watch where they're going - in the parking lots and out on the road !

Cross those two off my 'weekend tasks' list !

 

Current Mood : Pleased with me. 

Spent on embroidery designs : $1.96

 

Yes, I was a bad girl and bought new embroidery designs. I couldn't help it - Embroidery Library sent me a $10. gift certificate that expired today, so I got the last few bits on my Wish List, and adorable male, female, and baby cardinal appliqué designs. They'll make me an awesome holiday shirt ! I got six designs, two freebies, and five bonus freebies (freebies were all EmbLibrary's choice, but I liked ‘em) for $1.96. Like I said, I couldn't resist !

 

So today was ‘get offa yer butt' after sitting or shopping on it all day yesterday. Made us a great sausage biscuit breakfast, and got to work. After an episode of Law & Order. And Cats 101, a great show to start a Sunday morning with. Dearest Son played with his new Battle Force Five (BFF, how funny !) vehicles all morning, and when the morning became a sunny, beautiful afternoon, took the battle outside.

 

I vacuumed the whole house, mostly because I had the Hoover out to give a quick clean to the Dollhouse. And the floor around it, for tomorrow's photos. I tried to do it tonight, but in evening light, it doesn't show up well. I'll retake it first thing tomorrow, it's supposed to be gorgeous again.

 

For now, though, I'm happy to report that I busted butt today and accomplished both of my weekend goals today. In between vacuuming breaks, I got the dress form photographed and the ad copy written - and it's already had a nibble. Here's hoping !

 

And while Beloved worked on his stuff, and Dearest watched whatever he wanted on TV, flying his BFF (giggle) cars around, I edited photos and wrote text for the Somewhere That's Crafty website. Finally, that's done ! I took 62 shots and used seventeen of ‘em. But now, Reverse Appliqué Drawstring Jeans Bag directions are posted and ready for viewing. Feel free to visit, but it is the only new thing over there...

 

https://dorriebelle.tripod.com/somewherethatscrafty/id17.html

 

It's still mildly embarrassing at how long it took me to get that done.

 

And how I had to re-learn something I knew two years ago. I got an e-mail today from LivingSoftNW, the folks who make the loved-and-hated Doll Shop Deluxe. From the sound of things, they finally got off their duffs, too, and fixed several issues I had with DSD. Yaaay, right ? Wrong. Evidently fixing it was such a major effort, they've decided that they should get a good payday out of it - it's now $130. As a prior owner, I can upgrade... for $90. Sheesh. I only paid $100. for it to begin with. You'd think my endless struggles with the *&^5ed program would be worth more than ten bucks, but I guess not.

 

There was, however, an update to DSD. Too bad it destroyed my .exe file and even dumped my icon. Had to run the old installer to repair the damage. Since I've also had numerous problems with their ‘upgrades' either crashing my system or actually eliminating previously handy functions in the past, you'd think I would have known better. After all, I've held on to that old installer for years for a reason. At least I got it back up - too bad I'll probably never use it again. Frankly, I'd make the upgrade available to anyone who'd already bought it, as an apology for asking people to pay for the original POS in the first place.

 

Well, it's been a busy day, and I'm getting sleepy. Beloved Hubby was so sweet, he bought me and Dearest dinner from McD, but didn't get himself anything, as he was busy with a tattoo, couldn't stop to eat. Once the newly-inked patrons left, he was roaring hungry, so I hopped in Molly-car and scored him some McNuggets. It felt so good to do something nice for him for a change ! I'm hoping he turns in early, he sounds so tired.

 

Hope your day was busy and happy, too !

Spent more on Dearest - again ! Darn TRU and Target !

 

Current Mood : So lazy, so happy...

Spent on dolls : $3.

Spent on sewing/crafting/lab decor : $7.32

 Current Image Notes : Sorry to keep teasing you with the dollhouse - I just didn't do anything with it today ! So here's a gorgeous doll to look at instead, I promise to get the dollhouse photographed either Sunday or Monday, for sure ! 

 

Well, I didn't get squat done today. Didn't even haul out the vacuum. But I had a really nice day !

 

Hit the Flea Market on the way to picking up breakfast for Beloved Hubby and me, lured by the promise of ‘old dolls' from one dealer on Craigslist. I gotta remember that ‘old dolls' can mean ‘crap no one wants'. Because these really were junk. Dirty porcelain dolls missing limbs, ancient rag dolls... ick. Nothing at all of interest there.

 

Fell in love with this pretty girl, with the gorgeous green eyes. At $3., she was a bit less expensive than the Holiday one at the thrift store, and her eyeshadow wasn't as thick. Eventually identified her as ‘Holiday Hostess', from '92 or '93, possibly with a bit of a hair trim. It'd matted in lumps on the underside, but after some brushing, it looked beautiful again. I removed the lace on the bodice and draped it over her shoulders - the pretty, springlike dress needs to be tightened up a bit in the back, but otherwise, it's great the way it is.  All I did was add shoes, she already had all her jewelry.

 

The dealer I couldn't locate last week was in residence this time. So I scored the pattern box - without patterns ! - and the origami calendar for $3. Yesss !

 

Hung out with Beloved until he had to go. I thought twice a dozen times about going to Toys R Us, but went anyway. Hand to heaven, I am not going anywhere near a TRU on a weekend for the rest of the year ! It was like walking over the detritus of a damaged culture while children screamed a soundtrack to the beeping of commerce. Howling children trailing behind pushy adults - wheee ! And our store didn't have squat. I mean, nothing new since the last time I was there. None of the Barbie Basics, none of the new clothes sets, zilch.

 

I got to leaf through Barbie: All Dolled Up at Barnes and Noble next door - nice book, with some fun multi-dimension elements, like a pull-out reprint of the vintage ‘Welcome to the Barbie Fan Club' letter and membership card, but I just couldn't shell $30. for it. Especially when it's $16. at Amazon.com.

 

Big Lots actually had more ‘new' Barbie stuff than TRU. They had the blonde Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader for $20., and all the Fashionistas for $12. each. I was tempted by the $5.50 dolls, for their striped dresses, but decided to hold off, since I only wanted the very simple dress, not the doll. Evidently the Camp Rock and High School Musical 3 dolls aren't selling, since they were $3. for singles and $5. for couples. I'd have snagged a couple for clothes, but both dolls tend to run a bit smaller than Barbie. They also had the HSM high school dollhouse for $39., but I simply don't have room for structures anymore !

 

I was also happy to see the return of the Kari Mitchell doll clothes sets, even though, thanks to Carol (of Perestroika.ca fame) I have all the ones I like already. Still, four outfits for $12.'s not bad, and there were four color sets - black, beige, blue, and pink/burgundy - to choose from. You could also get a dressed doll with two of the outfits for $7., but I gotta say, it wasn't exactly an attractive doll. Huge head with odd eyes.

 

Settled on a pair of nice-looking embroidery scissors for $2. and a mint-flavored Three Musketeers bar for 50c - and talked myself into hitting Target. It was nearly as bad as TRU ! Found the last ‘good guy' car to Dearest's latest interest, Hot Wheels Battle Force Five, and since it was on sale, picked it up. Had fun looking at the Target-exclusive holiday Barbie, in yer choice of a hot-pink Santa outfit, or a red one, with a coordinating snowflake negligee ( I thought it was a dress until I read the box description), the no-accessory ring dolls from the Peek A Boo Petites line (Christmas section, less than $3.), and the newest clothing sets, a buck cheaper than either TRU or Big Lots. Got my month's allotment of rice crackers, the Hot Wheels car, a small calendar, and a set of Disney Princess tattoos, the last two from the Dollar Spot section.

 

I have an idea about the tattoos. Mattel recently released a Totally Stylin' Tattoos Barbie, that came with, well, yer basic water-transfer tattoos, and a sponge applicator shaped loosely like a tattoo ‘gun' or machine. Also several nylon shirts, because, as the box proclaimed, you could apply the tattoos to the clothes, too. Probably a parent pacifier, after the grand outcry over Butterfly Art Barbie barely a decade ago. Still, the packaging got me wondering... if I found some water-transfer tattoos, could I apply them to doll clothes any time I liked, without shelling $20. for a sponge-gun and a doll ?

 

And ya gotta admit, there's some cool fake-tattoo designs out there that'd be great for doll clothes, with some downright wicked ones available around Halloween. Heck, there's even kits for kids to make their own these days. I figure, I can experiment with the ten DP ones and non-stretch fabric - I already know that, once stretched, the pulled-apart design would shred or just plain never look good again - and curiosity would be satisfied with a couple of trials. And, having only spent a dollar, fairly cheaply, too. So, there's an experiment waiting for my big ole rear to find a gear ! 

 

I hope to try out the new embroidery scissors this week. If they're good, I'll go back for the other three pair, since $2. is darn cheap for those. I paid $5. for the ones I use, and they're actually nail scissors. Similar nail scissors I got from Dollar Tree have fallen apart already. And, for the first year since it became mine, the Lab will have a non-Disney Princess calendar. I found a lovely one, also at Target's Dollar Spot, of gorgeous beaches in luscious turquoise, green, and blue shades that relax me into near-unconsciousness. One even has a chambered nautilus shell on the sand...so beautiful...

 

Already set for calendars for next year. Scored a freebie at the Mal-Wart pharmacy Thursday, and got another from a local tag agency. If I can find a dollar-store one with cars, I'll get it for Dearest, but otherwise, I'm done.

 

Once home, I sat on my butt and ate rice crackers until Beloved came home. We had dinner and sat around until it was bedtime. Awesome day ! Hope yours was cool, too !

 

The clean before the storm...

 

Current Mood : Excited still, but rather tired

Current Image Notes : My first look at the idea of having a dollhouse of my own...

 

Today, it's all about my ‘new' dollhouse. I'm so excited ! Here's its history - and I'm sure you'll be so surprised when I tell ya it started with a junk shop. I was finishing up a prowl, much to Beloved Hubby's relief, digging through their ‘craft' section. Ancient thread, antique tole paints, nearly historic sewing patterns, 60s fabric bits, and project kits with price stickers from stores gone under three decades ago jostle for attention in large cardboard bins, and you know I'm armpit deep in each of ‘em.

 

The crafts book section I normally give only a quick glance. It's usually more tole painting, ancient sewing books I already have, plastic canvas vase projects, and Crochet Doilies XXXVIII. But that week, I spied Things to Make for Children, originally printed by Sunset Books, revised and compiled by Lane Books, in 1975. I shrugged and leafed through, expecting wooden rocking horses and bean-bag toss targets, maybe an awkwardly thick doll cradle if I was lucky.

 

Instead, I found The Dollhouse. I'm sure part of its heart-beating-faster charm was the vintage Midge peering over the deck railing, but the more I looked, the more I liked. This wasn't a luridly painted bookcase retailing for $150. at Target. It wasn't a well-engineered but rigid plastic foldaway by Mattel with no floor space, and fail in the details. It wasn't a cardboard box shell of a house either. This was a luxe split level with amazing features !

 

Excitedly, I showed it to an eager-to-go Beloved. Yes, he could make that. He was up to his eyebrows in work now, but when Fall and then Winter slowed his schedule, he'd have time. Despite the dolls and grab bag of fabric scraps I also bought, my eyes were only on my new dollhouse blueprints. I could hardly wait !

 

A few months later, a slightly bored Beloved asked me to scan and print a copy of the plans for him. He'd bought some plywood and he was ready to go. Soon he had it all cut out and began assembly...but when he went to put it together, he realized he'd cut the roof angle backwards. We held it together several ways, and I chose what I liked best. I was delighted - this was definitely my dollhouse !

 

He fitted some Plexiglas he had already into a neat railing for the roof deck. At the time I thought it was a bit low, but now that it's on top of a table, I'm glad, otherwise I couldn't reach it to play with it ! It needed a few more adjustments due to the odd roof angle, but it gave him another idea. The elevator was cute - for a kid. What about a spiral staircase ? I couldn't believe it, but he made it happen ! The plans had a staircase, but it wasn't nearly this elegant - it had a rather awkward landing in the middle, made from a wood block.

 

It was supposed to get a white Plexiglas wall, wiring, and a few other finishes, but it was late...and that's where it stopped. He'd hoped to get it finished that Christmas, but never did. So it's been down there since Winter '07. I confess, I was a bit twitchy about moving it when it was never finished, but since it's still better than any other dollhouse out there, I kinda shrugged and went with it. I'm still gonna get him to cover the raw edges for me. Or I'll get some mini trim and do it m'self. That never-added Plexi wall now works for me, giving me greater access to the interior. Go figure !

 

About all I got done today was replacing everything tossed aside while furniture and dollhouses were being moved around. And I finally found a place for all those Madame Alexander books I bought at a church yard sale a couple months ago. I still have to dig out the vacuum, and bring out the stepstool toolbox for some art repositioning, but all that can wait for when I'm home tomorrow. I'm going to TRU, and any other stores that catch my fancy. Not sure if I'll hit the Flea Market again or not.

 

But I'm certainly looking forward to tomorrow !

Knock, knock. Who's there ? DOLLHOUSE !!!

 

Current Mood : So happy.

Spent on fabric remnant : $1.02

 

Let me start off today by setting my goals for the weekend - getting the dress form listed on Craigslist.org, and getting the ‘Reverse Applique Jeans Leg Bag' tutorial written up for my regrettably neglected Somewhere That's Crafty site. Somewhere between now and Sunday night, I intend to have both of these often-delayed tasks complete. And by listing ‘em  here, I stand a better chance of actually doing them. I'd hate to come back here on Monday with a litany of reasons why I didn't get ‘em done.

 

Besides, Beloved Hubby's gonna be busy Saturday and Sunday. Even if he's not working, he's agreed to help Friend move Saturday, and is doing a tattoo Sunday. Since I can't do much to help him with either, I should have plenty of time to get my tasks completed. Especially since the photos for the Bag are already done.

 

For now, though, I'm still prepping for the dollhouse. Beloved says it'll be moved sometime this weekend, so I gotta be ‘there' when it is. He's OK with using the end table from the living room as the house's platform, so today, I moved it. To get to it, I had to completely remove the sofa, since the table-sofa-my desk were crammed in tight together. Seriously, the curtains were even pushed to the side because of it. It took a while to get enough ‘wiggle room' to get it done, but I did !

 

Once I got the table free, I cleaned behind the sofa - unearthing only a dozen Lego bits, but about 30 Nerf projectiles. One of Beloved's posters had fallen back there, so I got it hung back up, and swept a buncha cobwebs from the corners and ceiling. The shoe bin under the table was overflowing, so I replaced it with a recently freed-up larger bin. Supporting the never-used lamp that was on the table is now a covered milk crate tucked behind the shoe bin. And I even found a great spot for Beloved's drafting / art board. Ya gotta love my free redecorating !

 

Update :

Beloved came home a bit early, and saw how far I'd gotten - and finished moving the chest of drawers and put the newly-freed end table in its spot. After that, he got the dollhouse moved to its new ‘pedestal' from the Shop ! So it's already where it belongs, just completely bare, and in need of a good vacuuming. Wheeeee ! Where it is now, I can access three sides of the house, so I don't need the lazy Susan turntable, either. I can't wait to decorate !

 

However, I have to put a few dozen heavy doll books and about three times more than that in knick-knacks back where they belong first. Our bed was nearly elbow deep in stuff, and it's bedtime, so for now, it's all on the floor. Tomorrow's gonna be busy - but fun !

 

Did some grocery shopping, picked up the most expensive of my prescription refills, and even scored a bit of Dearest's Christmas shopping. Beloved couldn't believe I got all that and still brought home change. I swear, though, I'm gonna buy me something neat this weekend ! Just don't know what it is yet. Ain't I a special little princess !

That's a comfy robot !

 

Current Mood : Sleepy and weary

Current Image Notes : Here's the 'reclining robot' ! Dearest wore it all day today, and says it's his new favorite ! I like how visible he is with it on, he doesn't blend in with the backyard in this color ! 

 

Had one of those ‘dazed and confused' days, where I had to stop and think, and then forgot to start thinking again. Basically, I wandered through today, but at least I got the dishes done. I also trashed our bedroom, but only temporarily, to clear space for the dollhouse, which was a monumental task.

 

First off, it's going where the jewelry armoire is. Beloved Hubby's parents gave that to me the first Christmas we were married. I still love it. It's probably the femininity of it that appeals to me, since the only decorations I usually wear are my wedding ring and whatever I've embroidered this week. And it's not like we have space for full-tilt Barbie-style glamour furniture, like a vanity. I went through it and sorted through it a bit, clearing a whole drawer for my scarves. Now my Barbie anniversary silk one has a nice, snug home !

 

Getting the armoire out of its little hidey-hole and into the closet required that I move my nightstand. Which was fine, I needed to swap lamps on it and clean it anyway. So I dumped everything off the stand, cleaned it, and redistributed a few items. The yard-saled Little Mermaid lamp I had in the Lab is now proudly lighting my nightly reading. Ariel on the lampshade still glows when lights are out, too. Threw out some old papers, a mangled Nerf bullet, and some old mailing envelopes that I thought I'd reuse. I have the weirdest recycling notions...

 

I also had to move all the donations and Flea Market trade dolls. I didn't even take them in last time, ‘cause I knew she wouldn't use them. I'm gonna stuff them in the linen closet for a while, maybe ‘til January. Tired of tripping over them. And there's a big bag of donations ready to go when we head out tomorrow.

 

To get the armoire into the closet, I had to move the dress form. Honestly, I'm probably gonna sell it. I haven't touched it since I bought it. Those poor wires are stretched to the limit to approximate my huge form, and I don't like looking at it. I'd much rather have the much smaller image of me in my head than this wire contraption. It's funny - I found it so cheaply, and you'd think that a dress form collector would still be thrilled with it. But, no, it bothers me. So, out it goes - and if I get $20. for it, I'll have more than doubled my investment !

 

I still have some books and knick-knacks to put away, since the armoire is tall enough to no longer be a display surface in the closet. I have waaaay too much stuff - and I'm too much of a greedy girl to get rid of most of it ! Between scarves and donations, I cleaned out a drawer in the chest - which will probably go to props and small bits for the dollhouse. Not sure if we're gonna have to move the chest or not. We may have to decide on that one once the house is up here.

 

We'll probably liberate the end table in the living room for it. I'm hoping to snag a turntable (lazy Susan-style) to put under the dollhouse. Beloved says making it spin will take up too much space, but it's a big house, and only being able to use half of it will drive me nuts.

 

Beloved offered to buy the latest Mattel house if I'd prefer that to the one he made. Tempting. But the more I look at the 2009 Barbie Dream Townhouse, the more I'd rather have the 70s one. Truth be told, I took about two hours today, looking at nearly every home and structure made for Barbie in the history of - both made by Mattel and not so. There was only one I really fell in love with, and it's not only ridiculously expensive, it's (luckily) out of stock. Wanna see ?

http://www.toysrus.com/product/prodpop.jsp?LargeImageURL=http%3A//TRUS.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-5151628dt.jpg&displayTab=enh&productId=3247610&totCount=0

 

But anyway. What I really like about the one he made is that parts of it are big enough for me to play with Elphie in. And there's space for two bedrooms in Barbie-scale, since it's pretty much a family house for Shinobu, Inaba, and Michio. With the exception of the Imaginarium Grandview and some dinky-lookin' cardboard ones that still go for $90. on eBay, It's always one house, one narrow bedroom. If I could find one that wasn't paper and wasn't over $200. with two bedrooms, I'd grab it.

 

Since Beloved's in a semi-rush to get his Shop space ship-shape, I may have it here sometime this weekend. So I gotta be ready ! I'd get it m'self, but there's piles of Hubby-stuff in front of it, and he says it's too heavy for me to lift, so he'll get it. I think I'll let him. 

 

Tomorrow's another busy day. I got groceries and library books and vacuuming and bathtub scrubbing and schooling to get all in there. So I'm gonna get some rest. Hope your day treated you well !

Embroidery excess !

 

Current Mood : Excited !

 

Busy, busy day. Poor Brody's probably trying to figure out what's going on - he sits idle for nearly two months, and now, barely three days go by before I'm stitching something ! I was restless last night, so I sewed the ‘reclining robot' over the name stitching. Came out pretty well - there's a sort of before/in progress photo. Brody's first appearance on the blog, and it's an action shot ! It went pretty well - you'll see the final version tomorrow.

 

With the jacket half-done, I thought to simply slap a patch over the vinyl iron-on type decal on the other side. It reads ‘Bulldogs' in that standard ‘sports cursive with a swoop under it' font. Turned out, I didn't have a patch big enough, and the logo itself is bigger than the max Brody will embroider. I didn't really wanna spend money on this jacket, so... I chose the biggest ‘for Dearest Son' design in Brody's memory, and printed up a black and white version of the stitch guide. I cut the image of the design out, found the center, and positioned it as best I could, then marked it with chalk. First thing this morning, I hooped up the other side of the jacket and added a blue VW Beetle to it ! I wanted to get it done early, so it could go in the wash - my embroidery uses a lot of chalk marks.

 

I'm not even gonna try to hide the bits that show. It actually looks OK, and with a ‘bot on one side and a Beetle on the other, it's definitely Dearest's ! He loves it, and as soon as it was clean and photographed, he had it on. Bonus - I can see that screamin' bright orange from about a two-mile distance ! You get the Beetle photo day after tomorrow. I think Beloved Hubby was wondering if I was gonna stitch something on the back ! Now that I think about it... hmmm...

 

Anyway, I got the laundry done - washed, dried, and put away, down to the last sock. I'd barely finished that before Beloved was home, and he started working on the Shop's scrap pile, of lumber, old cabinets, and other trash. The pile we got the Dumpster for. He didn't ask, but I didn't think it fair for him to be out there alone, cleaning it up, so I grabbed my ole warm-up jacket and tried to help. I may not have been much help, but a little's better than none. About an hour later, the pile was smaller, and the Dumpster was full. I should sleep good tonight !

 

Since we all helped, even Dearest, Beloved took us out for a McD dinner. And we rented Up, too. (sniffle) Cried twice. I enjoyed it, and we'll probably buy a copy, but it's not really my favorite Pixar. Disney kinda got themselves into a spot of trouble with Up's video release. They created a special ‘rental' edition, with no extras, not even a menu, just the movie (and nearly six thousand ‘previews' of other Disney films). Without subtitles. Or even closed-captioning. Well, without English subtitles. French and Spanish are listed as available - which is probably why the boxes still say ‘subtitles' - but according to reports, neither language is available, either. Diz reps say that for the rental editions, they simply removed all the ‘bonus features', but I'm not sure when subtitles and closed-captioning became ‘bonuses'.

 

Not really much in dolls today - with everything going on, I barely had time to lurk ‘Silkie Tuesday' on In The Pink. But since I'm not much on Silkstones, it wasn't a big thing if I had missed it. I was idly thinking of taking a good look at the ‘Edward' doll from Twilight tomorrow, in case he was worth having. Not much on the book series - I tried to read it twice, but...let's just say I'm not the target audience and move on - but you know me, I'm always on the lookout for a cool new male doll ! But I think I'll give him a pass this week.

 

Oh, wait, I forgot. I do have some doll news. Beloved is redoing his Shop this week, and that's where my mostly-built dollhouse is. I thought we still had some work to do on it, but he says it's OK to move it... so we're rearranging some furniture in the bedroom, and it'll go there ! I'll get to have Shinobu and Inaba, their son Michio, and friends and family, right with me ! I'm so excited. Have no idea how I'll finish it - carpet, walls, furniture, etc - but it'll be fun ! I gotta clean up that area, though, so guess what's on the agenda for tomorrow ? (grin)

Crowned Heads of Monday...

 

Current Mood : Happy !

 

Yaaay ! Finished Test 2, and successfully ‘floated' the Timtex / Peltex. It's not difficult, and it didn't affect Brody's usual stellar performance at all. When I removed the design from Brody to cut the appliqué fabric's edges, I also cut the ‘floated' Timtex, since it was also tacked down at the same time. This way, it satin-stitched all the way around, and looks great. This afternoon, I cut ‘em both out and used Fray-Check on the edges - I have two new fridge magnets ! Although next time, I'll do the Fray-check first, on some key areas - the ball parts on the crown have zero support otherwise. Ya really can't tell which was ‘floated' and which was cut out, but since it didn't quite stitch all around the cutout, I'm more likely to float it next time.

 

I also clued in to the idea that, even if an appliqué design doesn't have a dieline included, it's still OK - I can use the ‘tack down' stitches instead. I just repeat that part of the design, first on the Timtex, then on the fabric, and continue the rest on the fabric. I can even begin to cut it out while the fabric lower layer's getting its tack down. It looks much better and is much nicer than just gluing the Timtex to the back once the design is completed !

 

I'm pleased overall with the way the pillowcases will look, especially considering I'm using old fabric, thin thread, and recycled stabilizer on the tests. Of course, when it's time to make the real things, every aspect will be new and top-quality. I'll even use a brand-new needle !

 

Right now, though, I'm gonna take a time-out on the pillowcases, and try stitching a design over a stitched name. I wanna see if the ‘lumps and bumps' of the name show through or not. I got a Dearest Son-sized baseball jacket at that church yard sale, and picking out the previous owner's name would take forever. I tried. Since the jacket is already pretty well-worn, and I expect him to get it good and filthy, it's good to experiment on. No big loss if it doesn't work out well, or if it's destroyed.

 

Here's a bit of a peeve I'm trying to leech out of my system. Back when Brody was in transit, not yet in the Lab, I wrote to a frugal-themed board how excited I was. That, while he was an entry-level model, I was really looking forward to exploring what he could do, and what we could do together ! And even his relatively modest price was kind of expensive for us, so I was eager to make many gifts and fun things. Back in February.

 

Today I get a response lecturing me on settling for some POS bought at ‘wal-mart or some other low-class place' when I really should have held out for a $2 -$3K machine from a reputable dealer, since the big names (coughBernina, Pfaffkoff) are just sooooooo much better. Why, it took this person eight years and five machines to find the best one for him/her !

 

All I could think was, thank Everything this...person didn't respond until now ! Talk about siphoning all the joy out of something and filling the holes with doubt and worry ! I may seem carefree and daring when it comes to new techniques and learning, but the facts are, I'd be cheating myself and my machine if I didn't try - and I've always studied and read up before I start, to minimize the risk of damage or problems as much as possible. Heck, new needles are cheap when ya buy in bulk ! But if I'd have read this person's message before I opened Brody's box, I'd have been so scared and worried.

 

Beloved Hubby urges me to let it go and move on, and I will... hopefully, I'll remember their words and not suck the joy and thrill out of someone else's new-developing  passion. How annoying - he/she has no idea how perfect my ‘inferior' Brother machine Brody is for me. At least it didn't take me a decade and thousands of dollars to know what I wanted. I bet he/she was heck on wheels to that unfortunate ‘reputable dealer' ! Image all her trade-ins...

 

And here's a quick aside - back when I stripped my hoop screw, a nice lady at Ace Hardware helped me find a replacement. I'd brought the hoop with me, she instantly recognized it. Turned out, her sister works for Bernina as a trade-show rep - and she can't afford one of their embroidery machines, either ! You'd think they'd at least offer her one of the demo models every year or three...

 

Oop - time to devour the cake Beloved Hubby and Dearest Son made ! Hope your Monday night is great !

Experimental Sunday !

 

Current Mood : Sleepy

 

Forgot to tell ya'll - the silk 50^th Anniversary Barbie scarf I ordered arrived yesterday. It is gorgeous ! Honestly, I don't want to cut it up now - I wanna wear it ! Beloved Hubby agrees with me, and said I could order another later this month. Yaaaay !

 

I was playing around with the glittery rhinestone slide letters I got on the 50c strap bracelet at the Flea Market yesterday. It occurred to me that they'd work fine with larger dolls, and I could string them on either broken jewelry or silver thread. The ‘A' one would work for nearly any of the Ariel dolls, Aurora, or Alice in Wonderland, and the ‘T' would work for Tiana, Tuesday Taylor, or Timey Tell. I may still donate the ‘N', since I don't think any of my larger dolls have an ‘N' name.

 

Had some time tonight, so I stitched out the ‘left' side design for Joanne. I wanted to see how the lettering looked, and I wanted to try ‘floating' the Timtex and/or Peltex (rigid interfacing stuff, often used to make fabric bowls). So I pulled up the misprinted silhouette guide and used it as a pattern to make a cutout of the rigid stuff.

 

I also hooped up more side-taped cotton, using nearly the last of the ‘pillowcase' masking tape - there's just a few inches of it left. Kinda cheated on the Timtex, and used the adhesive spray to keep it in place, since it was a cutout. To truly be a ‘float', it'd be just a regular ole rectangle stuck under the design.

 

Well, one thing's for sure. I really do learn more from my failures than my successes. Actually, it went pretty well, but I learned there's a reason most stand-alone designs - like for magnets and frames - have die-line stitches as part of the design. You stitch out the die-line on the Timtex first, then cut it out, then hoop your other fabric and work the rest of the design, placing the cutout when/where it's called for. I always ignored them before. This one, of course, doesn't have that, so I didn't cut it well. Surprisingly, it still stitched nearly all the way around anyway, except at the front of the neck. I can probably still cut it out and use it anyway, but I wanted ya'll to see the whole thing before I cut it up. Especially since the ‘In The Pink' won't be a part of the cutout. I think next time, I really will ‘float' it, without trying a cutout, and skip the adhesive. I don't really like that stuff.

 

The fabric I used as the appliqué was a real mess. It frayed and I couldn't cut it close to the stitches for squat. But it's still really shiny and pretty. I bought it years ago in a fabric grab bag at the junk shop, and was dreaming of the cool doll clothes it'd make - before I got it home, opened the bag, and found that it was all tiny little three and four inch scraps. Size-wise, it's perfect for appliqué, but what a pain to work with ! The blue thread is some ancient stuff I'm trying to use up, so you'll probably see it fairly often on test stitch-outs.

 

I'm hoping to get the other side stitched out tomorrow - then I can compare lettering and make any final changes. So, while I'm itching to, I can't cut out tonight's effort until then. Oh, well. You know how having to wait makes me eager to finish !

Happy Birthday to DMIL !!

Current Mood : Quiet and content

Spent on hobby stuff : $2.58

Spent on doll props : $3.

Current Image Notes : Here's the two ‘ blank' ornaments I bought at the Flea. The ‘clear/soap-bubble' one has all of Brody embroidery thread cut-aways in it - I'll glue ribbon to the top, to close it and hang it, when it's full. I'm happy with the way it looks so far - but I wanna do something with more metallic thread between now and the holidays !

 

I'm starting to make Saturday ‘my day', too, in my selfish way. But it is my one day to do what I want, without my Dearest Son - who is either bored silly by my favorite haunts, or will find something that's always just a bit more than I have in others. Seriously. If I have $5. in my pocket, at the Flea Market, he'll find a $7.50 love-at-first-sight toy. At the thrift, at Mal-Wart, yard sales, you name it. About the only time he doesn't sink my wallet is at the fabric store... and am I anywhere near needing new anything over there ? But he likes it, because he always scores a candy bar at Hancock's.

 

I'd planned a large circle encompassing two towns...but it was a foggy, humid day, and my lungs just weren't up to much. So I watched three Law & Order episodes with Beloved Hubby before he left for work, then reconsidered my day. Big Lots advertised new dolls, but our store never seems to get them. Hobby Lobby was having a big sale on Christmas ornaments...something they'll have nearly every week between now and Jan. 09, 2010. And Hancock Fabrics, well, I could go anytime. So, what did I want to do ?

 

Flea Market was in town again, so I figured I'd start there. And I lucked out ! A 50c table yielded two plastic ornaments, both with that rainbow soap-bubble sheen, one a golden clear, the other green. That's one of the things I wanted at Hobby Lobby. Y'see, I've been saving all my thread cuts and strands from Brody and all the machine embroidery projects with the intention of stuffing an ornament with them, as a sort of ‘my first year with Brody' kinda thing. It'd be pretty, with all the colors swirled together. Last year, Dollar Tree had tons of plastic ‘craft' ornaments for such projects, but none this year.

 

There was also a plastic slide bracelet, with two rhinestone ‘star' slides bracketing the name-letters for ‘NAT'. I liked the stars - always do ! - and can use either the bracelet as a doll belt, or recycle the buckle to make my own. Will probably donate the letters, if I can't think of anything else to do with ‘em. At another booth, I found something I'd been looking for - for how long, I have no idea, it seems like forever. But there they were ! Doll sized doors ! Three of ‘em, hinged together, to make a sort of mini folding screen, but it'd be easy to remove the hinges. Actually, only two are doors, the one in the middle is a sort of louvered panel with a doorknob, but I'd gladly use the two door parts ! I scored this amazing find for...$3. Wow ! They still need to be cleaned and detached, but I'm so thrilled to have two great props after years of hunting !

 

I also found another tin dollhouse, similar to mine, but I could tell it was not the same from six booths away. It was in better shape, with a much higher price - $30. ! Kinda high, and it was still rusty, but it's not like I was really in the market. At another booth, I found another vintage rigid-plastic textured sewing box like the two thread boxes I have, and a 2006 Origami calendar. Vendor wasn't there, so I came back - still nobody. His buddies thought he'd want ‘at least $2' for the calendar, and probably wouldn't want to sell the pattern box if I didn't want the patterns. OK, whatever. Guy can't even be there for a sale - and I was there for nearly an hour - and his buds expect him to sell off the dusty findings for such a high amount... forget it.

 

From there, I decided to visit Dollar Tree. Still no ornaments, so I was really glad I scored the two at the Flea. Snagged Cars lip balm for Dearest, the kitchen scrubbers I always forget to buy at Mal-Wart, some chopped onions for the next meatloaf, and a ‘design your own' type travel mug. Yup, if it passes my leak-tests, I'll go back for more, since they're a great way to use up test stitch-outs. Or customize for gifts ! If they pass, I'll be back for about a dozen more. Since Hobby Lobby's run about $15. without a coupon, getting the same for a buck would be great fun - and awesome gifts !

 

In line to pay for my goodies, Dearest calls - do I have enough cash left to pick up dinner ? Sure do ! I was reading and eating when I noticed that my e-mail's been sending all my ‘Blog response' notifications to the wrong folder ! And it's really rare for me to go back and read previous entries - so I've neglected to welcome several new readers and thank some of my old friends ! I'm so sorry !!

 

So, welcome Melabelo and Smidge-Girl - and Hi !! to Michelle and Manda. It always stuns me a bit when I realize someone's actually reading this ! Don't ask me why I do this when I honestly believe no one's reading it, but I'm addicted and would do it regardless ! Thanks for your charming kindnesses - and I'll try to write more about dolls and less about housework ! (grin) Love to you all !!