Saw an interesting Barbie today...
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: XM 150 - Uncensored Comedy

 

Had to go back to the Mart today - Dearest Son's turn to provide the class snack is Friday. I had the snack, but bought the wrong drinks. Since the classrooms have new carpet (!), they've asked us to not send red-colored drinks. I bought a box of various flavors, and one of them's red. Darn. So I had to return 'em and get Capri Sun pouches, which are not artificially colored (i.e., staining). 

 

And, like all of us do, I hit the Toys section, even though there's rarely anything there that's interesting. The big Barbie movie-tie-in for 2006 is 'Twelve Dancing Princesses', as you're already probably aware. I have to admire it - instead of selling one doll, you have the chance to push twelve ! Wonder how many princes there are...?

 

Anyway, there was one that was a bit different. Heck, she was almost Elphie size ! Here's a link to the doll I'm talking about - 'Dance With Me Barbie' -> http://www.kbtoys.com/genProduct.html/PID/4718147/ctid/17?cpncode=12-12655931-2&srccode=cii_9324560

There's also an African-American version of the same doll. IMhO, she's prettier.

 

According to various websites, she's 15 inches tall - I measured her from en pointe feet to crown at 14, but she's in a plastic sarcophagus - either way, a bit shy of Elphie's height. I'd consider buying her to rip the outfit, but the doll's $55. at the Mart, and Elphie wouldn't wear a pink tutu on this planet ! 

 

Still, it's a neat doll. Has three modes - she'll dance on her own to her music, will teach you to dance by showing the position, or you can put on these little sensors and she'll copy your moves. Pretty darn cool ! Her arm and leg joints are similar to those of Tonner dolls, and her feet are permanently in pink ballet shoes. You may wanna check her out, add her to your holiday 'I'm a good person' list.  

 

Today was another run-around day. The van, now christened 'White Jade Dragon', or 'Jade' for short, needed a tire replaced and another one plugged. So I got that done early. Then I had to exchange kindergarten beverages, and by the time I got home, I was hungry ! Well, shoot, it was close to lunch...

 

Beloved Hubby came home, and we had a nice lunch together. He worked on Jade for a bit, and then it was time to pick up Son. So it's been busy, about all the 'doll time' I've had besides with the dancing Barbie, is researching Mia patterns and clothes. 

 

For a doll I didn't have until yesterday, I have numerous sewing patterns sitting here, just for Mia. There's some in Doll Reader (Aug/Sept 1987), a few in Sewing for 20th Century Dolls. I have an up-and-down relationship with 20th Century. After numerous attempts to get a Crissy pattern to fit a Crissy doll, I'm a bit reluctant to try it for other dolls.

 

Oddly, the Crissy failure is a bit of a mystery. The Crissy on the cover is wearing it, a madras plaid sundress. It's described as 'an original tagged dress', but I'll be d@mned if I can find it anywhere. I've combed through all the photos in Beth Colvin (published as Beth Gunther)'s Crissy Doll and Her Friends, of her official wardrobe by Ideal and the Christmas catalog extras, for all sizes and all manufacturers, and that dress *does not exist, anywhere, for any of the Crissy dolls, in any size*. Adding to it, the plaid is a bit large for the doll, and Crissy is wearing too-small-for-her Velvet doll shoes. 

 

So I have no idea how it's an 'original tagged dress'. And I could never get  it to fit. Finally figured it was for a Velvet-size doll, and modified it as best I could - it's the tenth photo from the top, the one with the heart-shaped buttons. This was about the sixth effort, and I never went beyond just the bodice. I'll probably try again, since Mia shares the Velvet body. 

 

Yesterday, I had a bit of time, so I gave Leia her own page. Moved the 'Flight Suit' photos over, too. Mia now has top honors, and I'm hoping to have some time to sew tomorrow. In the meanwhile, I still have to snag another DTree bear sweater, and clean some house. It's getting harder to walk in here every day !  

I bought a 'new' doll !
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: XM 150 - Uncensored Comedy

 

It's hard to believe, but I did. After all the 'I got 55 dolls, and that's enough !' statements, especially. Regardless, I bought a new-to-me doll. I've seen her before, in magazines and books, but wasn't interested. Still, I'd never seen one in-person, so to speak, and once I saw her, I couldn't leave her there. Besides, $4. was pretty darn cheap !

 

Please welcome Mia !

 

'Mia' is the issue name for this lovely 'grow hair' girl from Ideal. Yup, she's a member of the Crissy doll family. She's the same size as Velvet, listed as 'Velvet's Beautiful Friend' on her box. From what I can find about her in Crissy Doll and Her Friends by Beth Gunther, she was only out for one year, in 1971. Her eye color is listed as blue, but my Mia's look green, and I love her brunette locks ! Her hair works perfectly, no white eye mold, and aside from some play-wear scratches and some light dirt, she's in fantastic shape. If my Crissy's hair had been this nice, I wouldn't have had to reroot it !

 

On the left, of course, is her 'Before' photo. She even has matching panties under her 'Native American' costume. The shoulder seams are coming apart, and there's no hemming anywhere, the neck, sleeves, bottom edges, all raw, nothing's hemmed. It's kind of a shame, as the design's very nice. The moccasins are cute, but they're tied on with string. On the plus side, that means they'll fit most of my dolls around here, but on the negative, they're pretty saggy. 

 

And there she is on the right, cleaned up and re-dressed. She fits the outfits I've made for the Disney Princess dolls, even this one, which was altered to fit the Princesses from separates I made for a Baby Face doll. Her feet, however, are narrow like Crissy's, noticeably more narrow than the Princess dolls'. Here, she's wearing simple slides I made for her 'big sister' Crissy, but they're too big. Looks like I'll need to make her shoes all her own. Yup, after years of being a bit jealous of Isabella and her little sister Belle, Crissy now has her own little sis. :) 

 

GoodWill also had another Crissy, but 1) I already have a customized-by-me one and 2) she wasn't in very good shape. I'd never seen one of the poseable 'Movin' Groovin' Crissies before, and didn't like the super-loose waist. Her head also looked smaller, for some reason. I couldn't get her hair  to work, and her waist wobbled alarmingly.  Plus, her shoes were missing and her dress was sprinkled with rust spots, so there was nothing really there for me.

 

There was also a Cinnamon there - at 12 inches, she's the smallest of the Crissy family, listed as Velvet's little sister on packaging. She's the smallest doll in the Crissy line, but I've never really cared for her in particular. Much as I hated to break up what had to have been a Crissy collection, Mia was the only one I wanted. That impish grin is irresistable in person !

 

It was so funny. I was touring GoodWill, nothing in the Toy section you know I always check first. Unless there's 'fresh stock being placed' wagons out. I've found more dolls in the 'fresh stock' than on the shelves ! Anyway, nothin' in Toys, and my cell rang. Chatted happily with Beloved Hubby while I continued poking about. Rounded the bookshelves and - doll feet ! At first I thought they might be BabySitter's Club dolls - they're Crissy-sized, and can share clothes. Much more likely to find them (1991) than Crissy (1968) at a thrift store. But as I warp-sped my way over there, I found those three girls. Still have no idea why they were in the VHS bin, but it was a lucky find.  

 

I just hope Crissy and Cinnamon find good homes. I'm sure that, with a bit of TLC that all doll lovers have lots of, they'll be beautiful and happy.  Only problem is...now I have to go BACK to Dollar Tree, because I need another Halloween bear sweater ! Kinda wish I'd gone to GoodWill *after* I went to DTree today ! I swear, I'm the only one who's bought those ^%$# bears...

 

Run, run Monday
Now Playing: XM 71 - Watercolors

 

Mondays are normally busy. The usual back-to-school shuffle, plus Dearest Son's speech therapy, a weekend-trashed house and a bunch of errands tend to leave me with not much time to do 'my stuff' every time Monday rolls around. On the plus side, I start to really wanna sew when I can't, so it ends up good.

 

I'll head up to Dollar Tree tomorrow, for another spider-web doll sweater. When I was in high school, my best friend Becky and I had the same shirt. We didn't go shopping together, we'd each chosen that particular blouse weeks apart. But it was special to us, and most of the time we'd both wear it on the same day, even though it was rare for either of us to suggest coordinating our wardrobes. So I think Crissy and Isabelle will match, mostly because I remember a pastel blouse from around 1983, and it's a good memory.

 

Hopefully, whichever charity gets these five denuded Dollar Tree bears will find them some happiness, too !

 

Beloved Hubby's CD and Dearest Son's book arrived. When Hubby gave me the cash a while back, I went to Amazon to order both. It was one of the few things I was certain about purchasing ! Well, Son is in love with The Volkswagen Beetle, has even said he's taking it to school for reading time tomorrow. That is, if he remembers. He's alseep with it right now...

 

Sorted some doll shoes, got some stuff put away. But I think I need sleep more than craft work right now. See ya tomorrow ! 

Slow, slow Sunday...
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: 'Please Twins' - anime rental from the comic shop

 

Not a lot going on. We're home, but everyone's so tired ! I'm just leafing through old doll magazines, thinking of straightening my dolls, maybe redressing a few. Thinking of getting another pair of 'Hello Kitty' high-top keychain sneakers - but I can't make up my mind if I want the green ones or the blue ones !

 

Decisions, decisions... it's extra-funny because it'll be at least a week before I can buy 'em !  

Who knew I had affluenza ?
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: "And Now For Something Completely Different" -VHS bought on closeout from local video shop

 

Got off my big rounder and selected three more Dollar Tree Halloween bear sweaters. There's four different ones, so I'll probably go back and get another 'spider web' one. That way, either Crissy and Isabella can match, or Isa and Belle can. Still undecided if I'm going to split 'em down the back, or leave 'em as-is. Frankly, I'd rather make something new than adapt something I bought cheap. 

 

Found out that there isn't much of a difference in Disney 'Lil' Princess' doll feet and Crissy's. The DPrincess dolls' feet are a bit wider and shorter, but so far can fit into any non-Ideal shoe I've bought for Crissy. Including the Hello Kitty high-top sneaker keychains I bought last week. And the ones I got from the yard sale down the street. Isabella's feet are a bit longer than Crissy's, but she can wear most of the same shoes, too.  So, rather than segregate their shoes like I used to, they're all gonna be in one box. Of course, other dolls with different sizes (Barbie, Elphie, My Size, Timey, etc.) have their own boxes, but since the Princesses and their 'big sisters' can wear the same stuff, why not keep it all together ? I can always try stuff on when I'm changing their clothes.  

 

Random-selected an old Doll Reader, one I bought about four years ago. Inside was a pattern for a SuperSize Barbie party dress and a high-waisted dress for Baby Chrissy. I never thought to try a SuperSize pattern on Crissy, and when I bought the magazine, I didn't have Baby C. So that was a lucky find...or, actually, 're-find'. 

 

Haven't been on eBay in a while, but finding the goodies in DR, I kind of want more of 'em. There were two doll pattern books published by them, but since I have no idea what's in 'em, it seems silly to shell $20. or so for each. There's a darn good chance I won't be able to use anything in either. I wish people who make doll pattern books would at least list what fits who on the cover ! I wouldn't mind more Crissy patterns, but I don't need an era-appropriate day dress and riding habit to fit a mid-1800s Jumeau in a size nowhere near any of my other dolls. Sure, I could adapt, but I already have tons of stuff that I don't have to touch - that I haven't gone near yet ! 

 

I guess having everything doesn't stop any of us for looking around at more... 

Poor Leia-chan...
Mood:  down
Now Playing: XM 150 - Uncensored Comedy - I need the laughs.

 

My poor car Leia-chan has developed an oil leak. Pretty bad one. In addition to her sporadic radiator problems, and the myriad other issues (window doesn't work, speedometer and gas gauge don't register, broken door handle on the outside driver's door and inside passenger's, etc.), it isn't worth the $600. under-the-hood fix. So we've obtained a van from family, and it needs a bit more work than we'd thought, but it'll be OK. I'm kind of excited about the van - we pick it up tomorrow - but rather sad about Leia-chan. 

 

As far as dolls...I'm taking the rest of the week off, I think. Maybe tomorrow, I'll go get the other Dollar Tree Halloween bear sweaters, but that'll be about it. I'm still rather disconnected, but at the same time, I want to have some fun. But when I have time - and time's been a rare thing lately - I end up sitting around. Gotta get off my butt before it braids into the chair ! 

 

Dearest Son was at the doctor's yesterday, but was still ill and tired today, so he stayed home. He's taking his 'no artificial colors, no sweeteners' prescription without complaint, which tells me he knows he's sick !  Still, he was pretty upset  that he didn't get to go to school. It's funny, because he's already hit the 'I'm bored with school' doldrums, according to his teacher.

Umm, hi ? It's me. I'm back again...
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: Dearest Son snoring, CPU fan whirrr...

 

Hiya.

 

Didn't mean to scare anyone Sunday - there was a lot going on, and my sprained psyche decided I needed to deal with it all NOW ! Most of it's the usual 'How can I be 40 years old already ? I still haven't figured Life out yet, and at least half of it's over ?' thing that most humans get, one way or another.

 

Part of it is the also-usual family stuff, a wicked cold that waylaid all of us, and coming to the quiet realization that, no matter what's next, we'll find a way to deal with it. Always have, always will. That is Life, now that I think about it.

 

Part of it is knowing I don't really fit in anywhere around me. My religious affiliation is atypical, I'm rather large, I play with dolls and read Japanese comic books... usually I celebrate diversity in any form. For some reason, it was very alienating this weekend. I felt so adrift ! So, of course, I had to take it apart and examine it from a few thousand angles until I got tired of it, smacked it back together, and went back to living. All this introspection gets exhausting. Believe it or not, even I get tired of thinking about me after a while. 

 

I'm being over-simple, as I doubt you'd want a tiptoe through my tribulations when you probably have your own. There's a time in life where everyone takes stock and looks around, and where they go next is determined by what they see.  I usually get this every Fall, but it's never been this intense and painful before. I'm still undecided about some things, but it's not a huge issue anymore. Life does have a way of going on, even while you're trying to figure yours out !

 

Anyway, so all that up there won't be a total waste of your time, here's a new photo :

 

 

Doesn't Cindy (Disney Lil' Princess Cinderella, Playmates) look so cutely 'goth' in her new sweater ? Color's off a bit - the spiderweb is actually gold thread, not orange, but it looks great anyway. This particular sweater came from Dollar Tree today. It was originally on a cheap stuffed bear, and comes in several designs and color combinations.

 

How cheap was the bear ? Well, the bear's chest under the sweater wasn't sewn closed ! That's right, it's really an autopsy bear, or maybe a horror-movie victim, ready for action !

 

But I think it was simply a cheap toy. Still, pulling out stuffing while removing the sweater was a unique experience I hope I don't repeat with the next ones. I'm definitely returning to DTree tomorrow - to get sweaters for Belle and Ariel, and also Crissy. It fits her, if a bit short in length, so it'll probably fit Isabella, too. I may split the sweaters down the back and add snaps so they go on the dolls easier. There's some 'torso bulk' (i.e., the sweater is a bit rounder than the dolls) that would be eliminated that way, and improve the fit, as well.

 

Dearest Son is still sick, so we went to the doctor today. Yes, it's just a cold, but the poor dear was up at night coughing this week, he coughed so hard last night, he threw up and couldn't stop coughing. We cleared the possibility of pneumonia or other ailments, and got a prescription.  He's doing much better, but I worry about him going back to school tomorrow. He can't wait, after being stuck at home with Momma, and knowing it's School Picture day - and there's two new Cars outfits in the closet ! He's actually rather vain about clothes when they're his favorite designs and characters.

 

I bought a new (second-hand) cabinet that, with judicious shuffling, improved the storage in the Studio, and even opened up a bit more floor space. I'd been looking for something to re-do the fabric storage with, but all I could find in my price range was a TV stand ! I tabled (ha-ha) the notion for a while, but Tuesday I found a glorious 36" long open-face cabinet (like a long, squat bookshelf) with an adjustable shelf at GoodWill for $7.  Some dings, but once it's buried in material and notions, who'd notice ? That took up most of Tuesday while Son was in school.

 

It almost makes me want to sew again, and soon ! :) I've really missed it. Hopefully, this weekend, I can get back to it. I think, sometimes, we have to 'give up' stuff we love for a bit, so we can appreciate having it to enjoy all over again.

 

That said, I would have loved to see the look on Son's teacher's face this week. We did a family 'scrapbook' assignment, which included bits for everyone's hobbies. I pasted photos of Beloved Hubby's paintings and guitars, and Son's trains and Herbies, and for mine, a shot of all the dolls, and the one of Elphie and Fiyero posed by my sewing machine, with the note, "Mommy has 55 dolls ! She loves sewing for them, and even has a website all about them".

 

His teacher probably concluded that  it explains some of Son's behavior... 

Please pardon the mess...
My mid-life crisis arrived yesterday, and I'm still unpacking my psyche for evaluation and restructuring. Back soon. 

Still sick...but getting better...
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: XM 80s - 'Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive', Men At Work

 

I hope I pull out of this power-cold soon. I'm supposed to volunteer at Dearest Son's school tomorrow. Poor Beloved Hubby was up half the night, listening to me wheeze, scared to death I'd stop breathing. So I put him to bed right after dinner. I'm not wheezing anymore, but I'll definitely be sleeping upright tonight. I hate to make him worry.

 

But we had a little time together at lunch, and he gave me a surprise - a buncha cash ! He says it's to spend any way I want to, but I can't think of anything. I retrieved the Cars fall outfits we had on layaway for Son, and ordered the CD Hubby's been wanting, and the VW Beetle book Son's been interested in. Still, even with hours on Amazon, eBay, and Half.com, I never found anything I wanted.

 

I literally can't think of anything. I have more patterns and fabric than I'll ever use, even if I live to be 112,  I don't want any other dolls, I can make most of what doll and me clothes I want, I got the last three CDs I wanted a few weeks ago and for Christmas, and I can't think of any movies, either. Even the stuff I used to search eBay for...just doesn't seem interesting anymore. Just more clutter.

 

I may go up to Hobby Lobby between dropping Son off at school, and going back to volunteer. Still, even my sewing supplies are burgeoning, so I don't know what I'll find there that I'll want. Maybe hit a bookstore. I just can't think of anything right now. Maybe I'll make a donation...but to whom ? 

 

Too bad I can't buy health !  

Relapse.
Mood:  don't ask
Now Playing: XM 80s - IT (think it's up to mid-1982 by now...)

 

I thought I was well on my way to recovering, but I'm even sicker today. Going back to bed. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.