The white flag over the kitchen sink has been raised - I'm under it.

 

Current Mood : Seeing lines and ruler marks every time I blink. 

 

I thought I'd have to take a day off sewing and crafting. Dirty dish piles were approaching the rafters, so I needed to get to that first, before someone got hurt. Plus, the kitchen didn't smell too good. Started with silverware, since there was so much of it. I figured once I got that done, the rest wouldn't seem so bad, or so much. Plus, for some reason, I hate doing silverware, and I always put it off. I'm just gonna have to bite it and chew - and get used to doing dishes after dinner every night. I've been fighting that monster for years, and the only loser has been me.

 

We're getting ‘Free High Definition' week with our cable. While one company hosts HD as part of their all-day every-day package, ours has whole separate channels for it. Despite the new TV, we don't really care about HD, so this is more of a novelty than an actual benefit. I mean, does the clutter on Hoarders look more compelling when you can explore the details of the trash on the floor ? I can see how it'd make a difference in sports, but we're not into sports. I've even given up on ice skating, since there's no women in it anymore, just barely-teens.

 

I did get some time in the Lab, and decided to just woman up and use the box pattern I bought. So I flipped through to the page of what sizes I'd need to cut in the six - seven for me, since I have to cut up Stitch Witchery, too - layers required. The pattern uses fusible interfacing, which I don't have, but I do have interfacing and Witchery, which is the same thing, only more complicated. Started with the craft foam, and only used half of what I'd glued together. So if gluing three layers of 2mm foam works, problem solved. I even used the worst ones, where the Gorilla Glue foamed up some.

 

And it seems I was overly optimistic about how long cutting the pieces out would take. I spent two hours, and only got the foam and the interior, exterior, and flaps in fabric done. This is a great pattern if you love measuring. Personally, I hate it. If this one works out, I'll make cardboard patterns, instead of hand-measuring every piece. I'm hoping that later tonight, I can cut out the fleece, interfacing, and Stitch Witchery pieces. And get to sewing tomorrow. I used the glittery star fabric that was left from the Undercover Crate project. Used it all ! Even the squares cut away from the crate bottom. Only two pieces are off-grain, which I normally don't worry about, but really should.

 

But I can't help thinking...what if I take that 40% off coupon to Hobby Lobby early tomorrow, get a half-yard of fusible Pellon and the glue gun ? It'd be just a bit over five bucks, and it'd definitely save some time and frustration. And after I've cut out ten squares and two flaps three more times, I could probably use the break !

 

I made an Undercover Crate !

 

Current Mood : Craft happy.

Current Image Notes - Here's the crate cover I sewed ! Seems like Dearest Son's electronic EVE has already taken up residence ! 

 

I actually did get off my butt and into the Lab last night...and soon got back on my butt, although I was sewing ! Decided to try the crate cover design, and it worked out really nice, even though I made a couple errors. It didn't even hit me that I didn't have enough of the starry fabric until after I cut out the first of two pieces. So I patched the rest of the fabric, and there was enough, but that seam was really unfortunate. It kind of screwed up the measurements, so the Wall-e parts don't match up at the seams. And it puddles up a bit at the bottom. But it fits well, and Dearest loves it, so it all works out. I made my ‘embroider something and sew something' goal for the second week in a row, so I'm happy, too.

 

And now that I know how, I'll make a few more. Since I had to claim one of Dearest's crates - we have several, in slightly different sizes, so I measured the one I covered - to get the fabric dimensions, I ended up carrying it around to store fabric, cut pieces, the pattern, my notes... it really came in handy. So now, I want one. And Dearest is looking forward to picking out the fabrics himself for his second one.

 

I thought I posted a link directly to it, but I don't see it. Anyway, here's the link to the PDF to snag your own copy. I love freebies that work ! 

http://lauragunn.typepad.com/theundercovercrate.pdf

 

Oh, and before I forget - if I vanish for a few days, don't worry. My kernel fault a few days ago has gotten progressively worse every day. This morning, I thought my system was DOA for sure. We have new parts on order, and they should be here next week. I'm hoping my poor, sick ‘puter can hang in there a few more days ‘til we can get him fixed and upgraded, but if not, I'll try to post from Beloved Hubby's computer. If I can remember my password here !

 

We thought of just replacing the whole deal, but Best Buy is pretty much the only place that sells what we want, and they're waaaay overpriced, especially compared to Tiger Direct and other online sources. Plus they've started ‘optimizing' their systems - more crap and bloatware, I'm sure. No thanks.

 

One thing that was kind of amusing during yesterday's pseudo-shopping trip was that I couldn't really find anything to buy. Whenever I saw something I might like later, I soon figured out how to craft one m'self, using what I already had. One of my long-time whines is that you can never find the cute fabric used to make that $20. pincushion. Or $30. sewing box. Well, I have an embroidery machine. I can stitch up what I like, anytime. And if it's simple enough, I can even digitize what I want, if I don't already have it. So I doubt my next trip to Hancock Fabrics will cost much, either. Good-quality broadcloth's only $2. a yard, full price. It's still hard to believe I got out of there yesterday without buying anything at all.

 

And since I finished the crate, Dearest has put in a special request - a Nerf crate. It'd be perfect to hold and carry his new armory, and make easy, short work of projectile harvesting. Yup, you can still feel and use the handles through the fabric. So I spent a good hour cleaning up a Nerf logo, and another digitizing it five times before I thought it was acceptable.

 

Sometimes, I do feel a guilty twinge about appropriating copyrighted logos for my designs. But since I don't sell them, and use them strictly for Chez Insanity projects, it's not a huge stab. Plus, I figure I put in the time cleaning and digitizing it, so in a way, I've earned the use for one or two stitch-outs. And it's not like I can legally buy the designs, or I would. A commercially digitized design will always look better than my amateur efforts. Still, I get a kick out of doing it, and an even bigger one when they stitch out recognizable !

 

I posted today's entry early, so I could 'show and tell' the pattern creator, Laura Gunn, how well it worked up, and how much I enjoyed her sharing it. I like to pen a quick Thank You note when I get to use something awesome. She wrote back an hour later, saying she thought my version turned out cute. What a nice crafter !

 

Now, if I can get off my rumpus room again and update Somewhere That's Crafty with something cool...  

Return of...The Crab Woman !

Current Mood : Crabby

Spent on toys : 54c

Spent on craft supplies : $3.24

Spent on vintage pattern : $1.50

Spent on other stuff : $4.43

 

Today, too, was... interesting. I didn't get going til nearly 2pm, since we slept in ‘til neither of us could sleep anymore.  But I still went out, and in less than three hours, hit the Flea Market, Dollar Tree, GoodWill, Dollar General, Hancock Fabrics, Hobby Lobby, and Michael's. And spent less than ten bucks total.

 

Kinda got off to a bad start. Flea Market didn't have anything, but I visited the crab. Yes, it's silly, but one dealer has a Beanie Baby crab I like, and I visit every time I go. I'd have bought him, but $3. seemed kind of expensive for just another clutter piece. So I ‘visit' instead. Saw a huge box of old patterns, and went through them - very carefully arranging them as I went, so they could be flipped through by the next person. They were in there any which way when I first stopped. After about five minutes, I knew the sad truth, there were no doll patterns in there, but I kinda felt bad for the dealer who'd hovered over me the whole time, who didn't understand a word I said, but kept pointing out kids' patterns to me anyway.  So I put two I kinda~sorta liked aside...and she wanted two bucks each for them. (sigh) I can get new ones that aren't musty and dusty for half that. So I selected one, and she ‘let' me have it for a buck fifty. Arrrgh.

 

Kinda went to GoodWill to see if any of my donations had hit the floors yet. Nope. From the looks of the place, it looks like there's been not a lot of donations - the shelves were nearly empty. But I made a surprising discovery anyway. In the bottom of a bin was the crab ! Yep, same exact Beanie Baby crab, but only 50c. He was my only purchase there. Dollar Tree didn't have much, but I got a package of large mailing envelopes for Beloved Hubby, and a cassette-tape decorated tote bag. I'm hoping to use that design to digitize my own cassette tape soon ! Dollar General had a few 75% off Christmas do-dads, but evidently a lot of folks do their grocery shopping there now. With only one register open, and three groups of people (one right, one left, one center) trying to find their place at the end of the line, I decided to just let ‘em go.

 

From there, I was on the hunt for those 6mm craft foam sheets. Hancock Fabrics didn't have ‘em, and I successfully beat back the impulse to buy that Simplicity pattern that I saw last week. They were on sale, but I decided against it. So it was nice that I had some cash at Hobby Lobby - they didn't have the craft foam either, but I snapped up the Wall-e cake pan, in their markdown shelves. Just $3.11 ! I know we'll never decorate it as professionally as the picture shows, but a chocolate Wall-e will taste good, too. 

 

Michael's had exactly two 6mm foam sheets, which is enough to make the small box. And, despite the fact that the tech has existed since 1980 to tell how many specific items have sold at a retail outlet, and how many are going to arrive on the next truck delivery, the sales clerk I snagged had no idea if that was all they had, or when they'd get more. And I had the misfortune to get behind a dad with two Twilight-obsessed daughters who lounged on both sides of the lane, each with a copy of some fan magazine purloined from the display. They wandered off, so they didn't hear Dad lie to the cashier when she asked how much the dozen or so pieces of balsa wood he brought to the register - sans UPC, natch ! - cost. At first, he said 99c, which was pretty lowball, but then he insisted that it was 59c. Since cashier didn't want to call him a liar to his face, she had to call for someone to go check. By then the Twilight girls were back, whining about how long things were taking. Umm, girls...imagine being behind your little butts. And it's not the cashier's fault your daddy's trying to rip off the store.

 

I was saved when another register opened, and I paid the correct price for my two foam sheets - two bucks, plus tax - and found the same two girls blocking the door by standing in the middle of it, with their backs to the store. Like no one but them would ever want to exit. After asking quietly for them to move with no response, I leveled the Power Voice ^TM at them, and that got their attention. Dad was still too busy with the balsa that was suddenly $3. a plank instead of 59c to notice. It was somehow satisfying to see them jump a bit. PV isn't loud so much as very low and extremely focused. It uses my best projection and breath support, and I was surprised I pulled it off, I haven't used it in quite some time.

 

While it was fun to get out for a bit, I came home in a mood, having dodged two drivers intent on their desired parking space and nothing else, and countless shoppers in pairs, not looking where they're going, so I'm constantly ducking out of the way. Made me wish I had more crab-toys. I'd have flung ‘em !

 

Anyway. I settled down with a large piece of leftover Garfield cake and relaxed. Still not sure what to do about that 6mm foam sheet problem. I can either order it, which ranks, hope that Michael's eventually gets it back in stock, or come up with a substitute. I'm already subbing several things in the design, since I don't have a hot glue gun anymore, and my interfacing isn't built-in both-side fusible, but I have the right weight interfacing and Stitch-Witchery, which is nearly the same thing, so...

 

(sigh) This is why I'll probably be a bit hesitant about buying any other patterns. I really resent having to buy tons of supplies to make something rather simple. I have acres of craft and sewing notions, and while I don't mind getting a few new things, it's ridiculous that I drove all over this city to find foam sheets that even the author admits are hard to find in the size she requires.

 

I'm thinking of using plastic canvas backed by fleece or felt instead. That's easy to find. And I still have the ‘glue three pieces together' effort to try. Just need to quit bein' so bitter and get in there and sew !

Little splurges.

 

Current Mood : A bit frustrated... but looking forward to Saturday !

Spent on an embroidery design : $3.

Current Image Notes : That's the design I bought. Haven't stitched it out yet, but you can see how it'd be irresistible for me !

 

 Well. When I went to start making the soft-sided box I bought instructions for last night, I found that it required 6mm-thick foam sheets. And I didn't have any. I had a pack of 20 2mm sheets. So, I did what any crafter would at least try - I glued ‘em together. It kinda cheeses me off that, if I don't find 6mm foam sheets locally, I'll have to mail-order stuff to use the pattern I bought. It's my own fault for not checking, but to me, ‘6mm foam sheets' is what I see everywhere, not a specialty item. Still, I should have checked, and if I'd have known they were hard to find, I'd  have kept my five bucks. It's my own fault for assuming it needed the sheets available from Dollar Tree to Michael's Crafts. Kinda defeats the ‘instant download' benefits of the pattern when you have to mail-order a main part of the construction. Arrrgh.

 

With that knowledge, I also knew I wouldn't be stitching one up last night or today. Maybe this weekend, but not now. However, I did find something I can use a bit later in this morning's e-mail. Craft's daily e-mail linked me to a free design/pattern to cover and line milk crates ! While I can't do that for my fabric-stuffed ones - I need them to link together, so they can't be covered up - I can have some fun with the ones in Dearest Son's room cabinet, for toy storage. Heck, I can even use the same design to cover the two I have blocking Friday from my Lab !

 

And, with the crates lined, they can be used for small toys, like action figures and accessories, that would normally slip through the slots. I think I know what my ‘sewing project' for this week will be ! I already have the PDF printed out and ready to go.

 

(sigh) Plus, I've already gone against my vow to buy as few embroidery designs this year as possible - yup, I bought one today. It's all Urban Threads' fault. Other sites can give me great sales and fabulous discounts... UT gives me a fantastic freebie that I'd gladly pay for. And since I have to go through Checkout to get it, I usually decide to get one of the two or three I've been wanting anyway. The freebie was a ‘goes to 11' dial that's just awesome, so I went ahead and shelled out $3. for their dress form design. Ya'll know I'm a sucker for those. So that's my first embroidery purchase of 2010. Hopefully there won't be many more.

 

Dearest Son had a nice birthday celebration today. His grandparents got him a new Clone Wars spaceship, and he loved his new Nerf weaponry. He conned a new Nerf weapon out of his Dad when they picked up his Garfield cake, and he'll get to play the Wii Nerf game at his grandparents'.

 

I thought I'd go sew, but I've been having fun downloading new music onto the MP3 from Napster, so I doubt I'll stir much. But tomorrow's a busy day - I get to do a bit of shopping ! I have a few bucks, and there's a Flea Market...

Boxes - coming soon !

 

Current Mood : Still sleepy

Spent on craft stuff : $2.

 

Got another Blue Screen of Death ^TM this morning, and it took three tries before the recovery disc worked. But at least this time, I didn't have to reinstall Stitch Era Universal !

 

And again, the prep time on Dearest Son's latest embroidered t-shirt far exceeded the actual embroidery time. It usually takes me about half an hour to get a shirt hooped properly for Brody, sometimes longer. Of course, the design itself only took fifteen minutes to stitch out. And I had to wash it twice, since the chalk marks didn't come out the first time. I did go kinda heavy on them this time.

 

Spent a good chunk of the rest of the day debating whether or not to spend $2. in cash - I had $3. in PayPal - on a new pattern I liked. It makes soft-side boxes ! There's dozens of free patterns for that online, but these used fun foam insides, and I liked how the lid worked. I have lots of fun foam...and I could make a box to wrap Dearest Son's birthday present ! I already have Wall-e fabric.  So I bought it.

 

You can see it here -> http://www.youcanmakethis.com/info/featured-products/Case-Study-Basic-Boxes-3-sizes.htm  

 

I even printed the PDF download out, in color ! And stored it in a yard sale prong folder. I knew there was a reason I kept that ancient three-hole puncher around. Since most of the ‘pattern' is measured squares and rectangles, only the front flap and hinges are actual print-out patterns. I went ahead and scanned the print-out pattern pieces, so I can delete directions I don't need to reprint. Yeah, I'm dirt-cheap with ink, that's why my printing out the whole 36 page booklet - in color ! - is sort of shocking.

 

Not sure if I'll have time to sew it tonight, since cutting it out seems like it would take at least an hour. I get to cut out squares in fun foam, in fleece, in interfacing and fusible webbing, as well as interior, exterior and flap and hinge fabrics. But the top of even the smallest box - there's three sizes - would give me enough space to embroider something cool, or use a stitch-out. I could even embroider all the sides, and put a name on the flap closure.

 

Since there's not a lot going on tonight, I'm going to bed early ! Hope you sleep well tonight !

I hope that's the only error I gotta deal with...

 

Current Mood : Sleepy - but still awake.

 

Running a bit of an experiment. Before I donated the second-hand paper dolls I'd accumulated for their slightly-too-small backdrops, I removed the double-sided sticky dot pages a couple of ‘em had. Their original purpose - keeping paper clothes on cardboard dolls - has been co-opted. Since I constantly have small dolls and tiny dress forms falling over wherever they're displayed, I decided to give the clear adhesive circles a try. I hope they work, since they're a lot less visible than the masking tape I occasionally employ for the same purpose. Much as I'd love to buy Museum Wax or something similar, I've never found it locally, and hey, we're still broke. May as well use what we got ! Can always toss them if it doesn't work later.

 

I also ended up repurposing a different bowl for DC, since his original one has vanished. We've been feeding his canned chow to him on a reused polystyrene plate, but his licking often knocks it off the end table he eats from these days. Half the time, DC goes after the chow, the other half, it remains on the floor until Friday finds it. All dogs love cat food.

 

So, when the Lab clean out last month unearthed and emptied a small three-drawer cabinet, I kept it, but mostly because Aunt gave it to me. Got tired of moving it around, and finally placed it in the bathroom, where it now holds cotton swabs and razors. That freed a catch-all bowl up - and after a quick scrub, it's now DC's new food bowl.

 

I also relocated the trash can at my desk, since it was always in my way and constantly full, since it was the only one in the living room. It's now at Beloved Hubby's bedside, and I'm now using a cleaned out rice cracker container for desk bits. It's small enough to not be in the way, and it can only hold about a double handful of trash. I'm thinking of reclaiming the old can I use to store wrapping paper in the garage... or getting a bigger one for the kitchen and allocating the kitchen one to the living room. We need a large one in the kitchen anyway...

 

I love repurposing stuff - especially when it also frees up some clutter !

 

Got the doll clothes I bought from my last visit to the Flea Market washed up. The Fashion Avenue blue ‘poodle' sweater was stiff from something, but now it's nice and soft and drying. Since what I bought was all fairly modern, it probably would have been OK in the regular washing machine, but I sort of like using my take-out bowl.

 

Since it got quiet here early again, I decided to load up the ‘Buy N Large' logo from Wall-e that I digitized a few months ago. Got Brody moved and installed, and had no problems moving the designs onto his memory...but I noticed the BnL I did was a bit smaller than I wanted. So I clicked on Stitch Era Universal to redo it, a bit bigger.

 

And got an error message. "Class not Registered", to be exact, followed by a series of numbers and letters. Well, shoot. Maybe I didn't get off scott free from the system failure yesterday after all. Restarted, still the same. Restarted again, same result. I knew others had this problem with Stitch Era, since I'm part of their Yahoo group, so I consulted my saved e-mails. Not much for it but to uninstall and reinstall. Arrrgh.

 

But while I was doing that, Windows threw up a message. I had vital updates that needed to be installed. NOW ! If I hadn't already gotten halfway through the SEU uninstall, I'd have done the update first, since that may have fixed the problem. You'd have thought that message would have come up the first time I restarted. But, nothing for it. Finished uninstalling, then got the updates - which took over an hour to download and install. Then I got to reinstall SEU. Which had four updates I needed to get, too. Aaarrrrrrgh.

 

Long story short (too late !), it took me less than three minutes to make the changes I wanted - nearly two hours after I started it. Still, it's done now, and the new one is on Brody, so all I have to do is hoop up another shirt and stitch it out. Which will probably have to wait until tomorrow. It's much later than I want !

May your 2010 be Blue Screen free !

 

Current Mood : Sleepy...

 

Today was off to an unforgettable start when I sat down, still yawning, to my much-loved and nearly-always-in-use computer...and he made ominous clicking sounds. There was a pattern to them - two, then six clicks, then two again, then six. I could swear that, for some reason, the hard drive just wasn't accessing. But my monitor showed the morning normal stuff.

 

About ten seconds later, I got a Blue Screen of Death ^TM, and even before I finished reading about my kernel problems, ‘puter restarted himself. He verified his PMI data for so long, I wondered if he'd locked up, but then he flashed a black screen. Which told me I had a complete system failure, and asked me to insert the system disc, and press enter.

 

Took me a few minutes, but I found the recovery disc Beloved Hubby made a year or two ago, and loaded it, and a short, tense eternity later, I was back to where I was when the day began. I was kinda proud of me for doing the right thing, without making a panicky call to Beloved. While I waited for ‘puter to do what he was gonna do, I pulled some old discs from the collection - old programs I'll never use, stuff Dearest Son has long since outgrown, drivers for printers I thought we included when we donated them years ago. The still-useable disks will get donated, the rest were trashed. I also arranged a stack of backups that date from 2002 to last month, and reorganized the general disc storage drawer. All the programs together, all the photo discs united, all the backups in one area.

 

And the recovery disc now has its own spot, in a box instead of an envelope, stored in a location I can find immediately. Hope I don't need it again any time soon.

 

Couple years ago, I bought the flashy Fashion Fever jewelry box when a flea market table reduced it to half-price. Mostly because I loved the dress form that adorned the top. I still have the bracelet, too. Anyway, once I discovered the dress form easily popped off, the kinda chintzy box portion got relegated to the desk, although it's only use has been to boost the container I keep my prescriptions in.

 

With that drawer torn up, I reclaimed the box, and it's now in the Lab again, where it'll eventually become some sort of storage. After I paint it. Even though it's only about three years old, the back has faded to a peachy yellow.

 

Cleared off my desk, and we kinda~sorta cheated and had McDinner. When you don't go there twice a week, it's amazingly tasty when you do get to indulge ! Since dinner took no time, I got to work on Dearest Son's ‘Lego Master' t-shirt afterwards. And that's today's image. Remembered to move the design up a bit, so it's not in the middle of his chest, but now I think I should have gone even higher. 

 

I do not like it. Most of the colors were stitched twice, the design was simply too sparse with just one layer. Even with that, I still had quite a bit of touch-up with the red and black fine-point Sharpies. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since the Lego logo was a free design from one of the now dead-links Chinese sites - I added the 'Master' part m'self -  but I was hoping. Hmm. I can see a few more threads that need clipping, but I've already affixed the stitch shield, so all it really needs now is a quick spin through the washer, to get rid of those green chalk marks. Maybe one day I won't need to draw so many reference points, but they work for me right now !

 

And, since he's back into Wall-e, I may try to stitch out that ‘BnL' logo I digitized a few months back. Never worked it, because he wasn't interested anymore. Now that he is, I may as well use it - and add to the gifts he can unwrap Friday. I got plenty of shirts to work with...

 

Beloved thought I did a fantastic job on his shirt, and began work on a project for me - he's getting back into AirSoft, and I can digitize and stitch the patches for him. He's happily doing the artwork, and so far, so complicated. So I guess the ‘Learn manual design and digitizing on Stitch Era Universal' resolution will be happening fairly soon !  

 

Monday, Monday...

 

Current Mood : slightly loopy

Current Image Notes : Here's a representation of Dearest Son's soon-to-be embroidered shirt design - colors are waaaay off, though. 

 

Went through the Barbie clothes a bit, and decided to go ahead and add Dori's Alliance Starbird photo to the main site today, even though I certainly didn't sew pants or a skirt for it. I have tons of pants, shorts, skirts - you name it - for my dolls. But no one but me and Dori have an embroidered Barbie-size blouse with a bootleg LucasFilm design on it !

 

It's embarrassing that the site's last update was January 30, 2009. Almost a year's gone by without me really sewing anything. Not sure what I'll sew this week, but I already know I'll be embroidering Dearest Son's much delayed ‘LEGO Master' t-shirt tonight or tomorrow for his birthday this weekend. We're celebrating early, since DFIL has Friday off. And I remembered to call and change the pick-up date of his chocolate Garfield cake.

 

And, right after Lycos took its payment out of Checking for my site, I got a paying survey from Pinecone. (sigh) Oh, well. I'll probably spend the $3. they deposit in my PayPal account in the next day or three on that new dress form embroidery design I've been wanting over on Urban Threads, and host a mild hope that maybe one day, they'll draw my name in their monthly $500. contest. I have two entries this time ! And the same usual lack of luck when it comes to lotteries and drawings. Frankly, if I have to pay to play, I don't. I can do a lot with the dollar I don't spend on the PowerWhatever, and even more with the $2. I don't spend on a scratch-off sample of hopelessness. Of course, that's just me - I'm sure the play is worth it if you win occasionally !

 

I'm really trying to not buy any more embroidery designs this year - at least, not buy them with ‘family' funds (i.e., what's in Checking at any given moment). Small funds from occasional eBay or Craigslist sales and Pinecone, OK, but ideally, I'd like to not buy any at all. I really went nuts with them last year, possibly understandable since it was my first year with Brody, but it's past time to reign that in. So far, so good, I haven't bought any at all, but I've downloaded three or four freebies. Digitizing companies have been offering some very nice free designs, to drum up sales, since before Christmas. I try not to take advantage of them all, just the ones I'd gladly pay for !

 

Oh, all right. I've downloaded six. Since the year started. Hmft.

 

Watched the new episode of Hoarders tonight. Some of these can just about make me cry. I've about given up on Clean House. If there's a new season, I'll probably watch it again, but I've seen most of the episodes numerous times. And it does get annoying after a while.

 

I sometimes think my frantic week of Lab work was partially - or even mainly - to prove to myself I'm not a hoarder, a shopaholic, or a packrat. And that I don't need to keep everything for that specter known as Justin Case.

Winter always kicks my round butt...

 

Current Mood : Hurting

Current Image Notes : I'm now out of the DP images I've held on to if I needed one. Guess I gotta get some photos taken, and soon !

 

Since my ear's hurt all day, like a drill's been digging in the same place for twelve hours, I'm thinking the high-pressure weather system's returning. Or something. Actually, we're expecting highs in the mid-50s by mid-week, so I don't know what's going on with my upper respiratory system. I just know I go through this every winter, and if I'm lucky, I don't end up in the Emergency Room, gasping like a freshly-caught fish.

 

Beloved Hubby locked our front and back doors tonight, remarking that our age of innocence seems to be over. We had a break-in at the Shop (not a part of the house, but close behind it) and the horse-supplies last night. Only reason we knew was that the nice lady who sublets the horse-space from us asked if we'd seen her ‘poop cart'. We hadn't, but she found it soon after asking - just outside the back gates, with our wheelbarrow, loaded with every hand-tool that could be lifted by one person, from the Shop. We can only assume the nightly police drive-by startled the perps, and they took off without their ill-gotten gains. Since the police cruiser often parks at the 7-11 for anywhere from ten minutes to nearly an hour, it's probably our luck that the thieves don't know about things my insomnia showed me years ago.

 

Oddly, last night, I was in bed early, soundly asleep. I didn't even hear them break the window of that inoperative truck DFIL has parked back there. Not sure if they tried to hot-wire it or they only wanted the stereo, but the dash is all torn up. Luckily, we'd gone out to the 7-11 ourselves last night, or Bonnie-truck, the small Chevy that we all say belongs to Dearest Son, would have probably been damaged or stolen as well. She has no stereo, but does work. We took her for a snack run about two hours before I crashed, and it moved her from the backyard/Shop lot to the front house driveway. And we're beyond lucky that all the tools - including some of the horse-supplies and tack - were left behind.

 

So it's all locked up now, and Beloved spent the better part of the day exploring security options - lights, alarms, whole schmear. Not much I can do, and my guys won't let me out of the house, since it's still very cold. The police came by, took a report, and did all they could, out in the cold, but there's not much there for them. Beloved thinks it was probably kids who'd cased the place earlier, but spooked before they could pawn or sell the tools. I'm hoping that's all it was, too. Dearest is really nervous, so we put fresh batteries in his flashlight, saying the beam would scare off any robbers. It seems to have helped him remain a bit calmer than before.

 

Otherwise, it was a standard boring Sunday. I re-re-re-re-measured Princess Leia for Doll Shop Deluxe, and the resulting blouse looks really strange. Not sure if or when I'll ever sew it. I'll probably look up one of the patterns I've already used for Leia and use it. I still want her to have that ‘Starbird' shirt ! I tried the finished one on Tiana (Princess and the Frog), and it fits her, too. I also discovered that her legs and the edge of the castle floor where she was sitting are not reacting well with each other. So I redressed her,

since the dolls sitting with her are not affected. They're wearing pants, though. And now, so is Tiana.

 

And once I make Muse Dori a matching skirt or pair of pants, I'll add the ‘Alliance Starbird' shirt to the website's Home page. I'd do it now, since I need to update it from ‘Happy 2009' anyway, but I like for my featured dolls to have a complete outfit that I've made.

 

Of course, I could just crop the photo to just show the shirt...

I sewed !!

 

Current Mood : Much better ! 

 

The weather didn't improve much, but I'm breathing a lot easier. I'm still taking it easy, but I could move around a lot easier today. I hate being an invalid.

 

I'm still reefing on my success in the Lab cleanout...but it's sooo easy to back-slide. I subscribe to Simplicity patterns' online updates, so they sent me an e-mailed link to the latest patterns for Spring 2010 on their site. I was immediately taken with #2454, a reprint for sixteen and eighteen inch dolls. Fluffy dresses, vintage car coats...so sweet. Hey ! I have both - Timey and Dottie are considered sixteen-inch dolls that border on vintage, and I have the two Our Generation Battat dolls (Debbie and Jenny) on the eighteen-inch side of the design. Hmmm...

 

And, guess what ? Hobby Lobby's got a sale on Simplicity patterns - 99c ! Ends today, of course...I started planning on hopping in the shower, heading over about 2 or 3 this afternoon. I could check out the 90% off sale on whatever's left over from Christmas, peek at the fabrics, print out the 40% off coupon...

 

But I didn't. One, we're broke. Two, once I got a really good look at the pattern, I realize I already have it, about a dozen times over. Yes, it's nice that it's a reprint and I love those particular looks. But between Doll Shop Deluxe and the craft tote crammed full of other commercial patterns, I just don't need it. I have it, over and over, in every possible size.

 

What I want to buy isn't a pattern. It's getting off the computer and getting into the Lab. It's taking a breath and picking up the scissors, hoping that everything works. It's waking up in the morning and buzzing through Dearest Son's homeschooling and my housework, because once that's all done, I can go work on my latest, and I simply can't wait. It's taking 32 photos of a single doll in a new creation, because flash bounces off eye decals or it's dark when I finished, but I so want to share what I did here.

 

Can't buy it. Gotta do it. If I could buy it for 99c, we'd be even more broke than we are - I'd stock up and have packets of it ready to go, all the time ! Since there's no real cost but a mental adjustment - sort of a brain-goose - it's easy to forget how special it is when I'm in that particular zone. But I think I'm on my way back to it.

 

I'd also thought to hit the Flea Market today. Last week, I found star-printed wrapping paper, but didn't buy it. Today it occurred to me that it'd work to cover up some of the scraped shelves on my new desk. But I decided against that when I remembered I have tons of scrapbooking paper that also has stars on it, and I still own parsecs of fabric. Much of which has stars on it, too. So I decided to stay home.

 

And sew. I was careful, and did well staying in the seam allowances - I was a bit worried that I'd lost the knack after a year of not sewing, but it was still there. I'm not sure where I went wrong, since the pattern I cut out was for Princess Leia, but it only fits belly-button Barbies and smaller dolls. 'Blue Muse' Dori is modeling for us today - Hi, Dori ! Heck, it worked, though ! I have now embroidered a design specifically for dolls - and while it may not have turned out exactly how I wanted, it works, and looks OK. Can do better on the next one, though. Will improve the next one.

 

Hmf. Decided to try a cut-and-fold on the Leia pattern, on paper, and there's no way it would have fit, unless I used a knit fabric. Guess I need to double-check my settings on Doll Shop Deluxe. (sigh) Makes me wonder how I made all those other Leia outfits...

 

Well, back to ye olde drawing boarde !