Current Mood : Sleepily lazy 

Beloved Hubby had to work today, so it was just me and Dearest Son rattlin' around the house. Spent most of my day futzing in the Lab. Been thinking of replacing the trash can in there. It's a standard kitchen size, which is kind of silly, since most of the Lab trash is cut threads. Found a ‘tower' - an 11-inch wide set of drawers in a narrow column, for $19. A deluxe version that looks nicer is $25. Figured I'd use the top shelf for trash, and I'd have more storage space, always at a premium in the Lab.

Beloved and I were at that store yesterday, but wouldn't you know it - all of the $19. towers were sold ! They'd had about twelve of ‘em Tuesday. Oh, well, I was just lookin' anyway...but at the end of the aisle, there was a black drawer set, not nearly as tall, and a bit wider. Instead of a bunch of small drawers, it had two big ones, and an open top. Possibly the top drawer was missing ? For whatever reason, its $9.95 price was marked down to $2. Oh, yeah, that's mine ! This'd work great !

Got it home, and we had eight other things to do. So today, I prepped it for a transformation ! Wiped the dust off with paint thinner. I still had at least a third of a can of that green Fusion I used on the Barbie grill, and wouldn't a green set look so much better than a black one ?  About a half hour later, I had it cleaned, painted, and dried in the sun. Used up the can to the point where it was spraying only propellant without paint, but even that went on a place I can't see. Perfect ! I just love it. And, ya wanna know a secret ? When there's some more cash (and less guilt over all I've already spent !), I'll probably get a pretty little trash can. Heck, I may go get the Disney Princess one, if I get really whimsical ! Right now, there's a former planter basket in there, lined with a grocery bag, in case I need it...

Already have the drawers filled up - hey, you know me, you'd worry if I had an empty shelf or drawer sitting around here - and it's within an arm's reach of my sadly neglected sewing machine. Got the flannel for my pajamas and possibly a doll quilt or two washed and dried out on the line under beautifully sunny skies while Dearest stomped around in a bike helmet, snow boots, and ‘laser' gun, my little clone soldier from the future.

Came back in, made dividers for the patterns I have in one drawer - Crafts, Me, The Guys, Ideas - from some of the colored paper flyers Dearest brings home every week from school. There were at least eight, inviting us to various church-sponsored Easter egg hunts, this week alone. It'd take about four drawers to hold all the doll patterns, so I moved only the ones that would fit. Which was everything that wasn't dolls ! The rest of the colored paper was cut up for scratch note paper. I like to use up everything that comes my way...

Continued to putter around the Lab while Dearest defended our future after lunch. Sorted some doll clothes, and found a dress I'd made years ago, a first draft of a simple shift for Mia and the little Disney Princesses. Neckline was too tight on them, as were the armholes, and since I'd made three more that worked from the same fabric, there wasn't much need to keep this one. The big trash can was relocated to the doorway, so I was about to dump it when the Raggedy Ann I bought for Baby Chrissy yesterday caught my eye. I still need to make her an apron...

Hmm. Wonder if she could wear this shift ? Soft body dolls are harder to measure but more flexible with fit, especially in things like armholes...Neck was tight on her, too, but not much, so I could fix that. Took the simple round neckline down about a quarter inch, and now we had a good fit. So now, Raggedy Ann has a summer dress to wear while I wash her original one. It even looks good with her pantaloons ! She looks so sweet in Chrissy's arms. You get that photo tomorrow !

Chez Insanity - where even the dolls have dolls...and I make clothes for ‘em all !

I then went back to sorting doll patterns. I have so many, I've been storing them any which way. Since there was a bit of extra room now, I got them all sorted, and pulled the ones I haven't scanned yet. Yikes. Five of ‘em. Four Barbie, one Cabbage Patch (for Dottie and Timey). Figured that, if I finished cleaning, I'd have the space for the ironing board - I always iron patterns before I scan ‘em. In the pattern exchange group, I always got complements for that.

So I got the Advance B pattern I found at the thrift store last week ironed and ready to scan tomorrow. I really should do it today, since it's sitting out, but I'm not in much of a mood to. I kinda wanna laze around for the rest of the day, until Beloved comes home. Maybe see if YouTube.com has any more Urusei Yatsura episodes !

Hope your weekend was good !

Posted by dorriebelle at 10:36 PM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 2:45 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Crabby. If my irritation would become a pearl, I'd be in good shape.

Current Image Notes : This was Gia, a redressed Kelly friend I found at the flea market today. She's from a Kelly Club 5 Ballet set, so she's maybe two or three years old at the most. Since I've about given up on finding a Dancerina I can afford (even the arms-falling-off ones are $40. plus shipping !), I think I'll play with this little one for a bit. Wonder if I can sew a tutu that smallsmall...and if she minds me calling her Rina...

Don't mind me, I'm irked. I've spent tons of money on me, and you'd think I'd be happy, but today's flea market has me in a mood. Y'know how there's nothing for weeks and then, blam !, every seller has something intriguing ? And, of course, this is the week ya have no money ?

Soon as I walked in, I knew it'd be like that. Because the first thing I saw was ‘Barbie's Dream House' - the very first one ! It was torn and waterlogged, and there was no room to open it, much less see how bad the damage was. Of course, the seller wanted $30. for it...which would be reasonable for a decent shape one. Too bad I couldn't see if it was in good shape or not, and the seller wasn't encouraging exploration. It's not like I had $30. on me anyway...

Then I found a ‘Solo In The Spotlight' double Barbie case. Not one I really want - I'd much rather have want that Midge #2 case ! - but it was loaded with mostly 80s stuff. And possibly the swing from Miss Barbie. Recognized the fabric, but that same stuff was used on a full line of Mattel doll furniture. Of course, it was in pieces, and the poor guy selling it had no idea if it was complete. I could probably put it together, but...again, $30., and no way to tell if it's worth it or not.

From there, you'd thing things would get better - I mean, why am I whining ? I've only seen the Dream House in books and eBay, same for the ‘Solo' case. I didn't think anybody had anything like that even for sale around here ! So when I found a generic doll case (not one made for a specific doll) with various bits and pieces of 80s stuff and Mommy-made clothes, I thought it had possibilities. Sure, the case was torn on one side, and wasn't one I really wanted, but it should be fairly cheap, right ?

Nope. Seller's convinced it's a vinyl-covered cardboard treasure chest, and wants $15. for it. $10. if it's emptied. Um, that case wasn't $10. brand new, it's not that old if it mentions Jem on the lid, and it's pretty worn. So I walked away from that one, too. Guess that nice one I got last month for 50c really spoiled me.

Decided to hit a yard sale on the way home. The lamp I was assured worked doesn't, not without a $3. specialty bulb, and the globe I got Dearest Son has a dent I hadn't noticed. So I just didn't have very good luck today. Or, looking at it another way, I had astounding luck. It just wasn't anything I could use today. I don't know why I'm so grouchy, though. I've been in a better mood when I didn't buy anything there !

I did snag a few treasures. Two Barbie-sized Coke bottles (20c), a small Raggedy Ann for my Baby Chrissy (missing an apron, but I can make that) for a buck, the little ballerina in today's photo ($1.), and, for Dearest Son, a copy of Stuart Little (50c), a small ‘soccer player' Stuart stuffed toy ($1.), and an Anakin Skywalker action figure ($1.). So I need to knock the crab I'm feeling back to the beach already !

Upshot is, all the sellers say they'll be back next week. Well, who knows what'll happen between here and now. I told Beloved Hubby, and he said he'd make sure I'd have cash for it, whatever I wanted. He's so sweet ! But I've been really spending lately, I need to put the brakes on. And sew something !

Posted by dorriebelle at 9:47 PM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 2:45 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Sunny

Ya'll are sooo gonna laugh at me. Had a ton of errands to run, but there were yard sales to hit when they were done. And guess what I found ? Yup. Another Cinderella and another Ariel ‘toddler' doll ! It was tempting to bring this ‘new' Ariel home, since mine has wrecked hair, but I'd worry that ‘my' Ariel wouldn't find a good home. So I left her for someone else to love and brought home Cinderella. I have one again !

And it'd be silly to anyone but us, but I *like* this Cia (yup, she has a new name already) better. You probably remember, I had a Cinderella before, but donated her. I just never connected, ya know ? But I did with Cia. As is with others I've found used, packaging threads still dangled from her costume. Also very familiar was her tangled hair that was still in the factory set, down to the blue headband sewn into her head.

I always hate it when doll manufacturers do that. On the ‘Before Once Upon A Time' dolls, the ribbon is invariably pulling at the thread, and once the threads are cut, the ribbon is too short to go around the doll's head. They improved that by using elastic at the back on Aurora's - it was still sewn to her head, though -  so I'll do the same to Cia's.

Her dress is in good shape, and I think I have two of those, now. Guess I'd best make her some shoes - I think I only have three or four pair that fit these dolls, and I have four of them again. It was fun to pop the clear rubber band holding her hair in a tight ponytail, brush it all the way down, and curl it around my fingers. Then put it back up - she really does look better that way - but not so tightly this time.

While in the area, I also hit the thrift store that I donate to. It was so weird to see former possessions sitting on their shelves, with prices attached. They had a few snack-baggies of Barbie props on the counter - scored three, picked out what I wanted, then stuffed the rest back into their baggies. I usually grab doll food, silverware, shoes, and sunglasses when I find ‘em, but don't need a ton of plastic purses, and some of the more...um, ‘daring' shoes. I've never understood the ‘platform and high heels' look. It's always clunky. A smooth pump or mule is always more elegant, in my opinion !

Picked up my prescriptions (Yaay ! I get to live for another month !) and poked around Fabrics, like an idiot. Found a 10c quarter-yard of faux-patchwork print flannel, that I may turn into a fake quilt for one of the dolls. Also found flannel with large white, purple, lavender, and pink five-point stars for just a buck a yard. Bought enough to make pajamas for me ! I love my satiny pajamas, but they're not particularly warm. So I'm gonna make a snuggly set...just as the weather begins to get warmer. I'm always a season or two behind.

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 2:45 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Drowsy 

Today I mostly stayed home and puttered, doing laundry and dishes and such. Played a little, and planned a bit. Velvet got outside and hasn't come home yet, so I'm a bit worried. PILs said they'd be here to pick up some of their stuff - their bed and TV and fridge are still here - but they never showed. At least I got the decks cleared for tomorrow. It's supposed to be a nice day, and I have lots to do.

So much I should be doing, even now, but all I wanna do is sleep !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 2:45 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Analysis mode

Current Image Notes : Here's a yard sale '78 Leia, sporting a porcelain doll wig, in front of a magnetic paper doll backdrop. Or, as I like to think of it, 'Leia's security double enjoys a day at Aldera Palace, Alderaan'.

Not much going on today. While sorting and reorganizing things, I discovered that I had plenty of reroot doll hair for the projects I'm forever planning. So I didn't need those Dollar Tree kid wigs I'd bought. Plus, on hearing that they're not colorfast, I was kind of nervous about using them. So I took ‘em back. Sad, that I return things to a store where everything only cost a buck anyway, but I do it about once or twice a year. Got Beloved Hubby and Dearest Son some t-shirts in exchange, though.

Still, it's pretty cheap of me, but nothing new.  I once demonstrated the ability to repair an unsprung clothespin using just one hand. Darn clothespins cost 2c each, brand-new. I'm so cheap about stuff like that, yet to spendthrift in other ways....

Like today. I'd heard on a doll page that ‘pivotal' (i.e., bend-wrist) and other Fashion Fever dolls were on sale at Target for $6.77 instead of the usual $9.99. So I trekked over to our local one. Found one I sort-of liked, and searched for a second...because the new ones have a black shoe attached to the packaging, and I wanted a pair of ‘em.

I actually carried these two dolls around before I realized that, while the bend-wrist feature was nice, I didn't really like either doll, or her ping-pong paddle hands, or even the clothes, and had little chance of body-matching them to a head I did like. I kinda prefer keeping original head with original body when I can. When I put ‘Joy' on a good  late 70s Ballerina Barbie body to match her pretty BB head, the difference between head/body original to mostly fitting head/belly button body was astounding. So I only head-swap when the original body is wrecked or not right when I get it.

Eventually I clued in that I was, in essence, paying $13.54 (plus tax) for a pair of unremarkable slingback pumps that I probably already had a few dozen times over. So the dolls went back, and after a thorough shop, found a set of magnetic paper dolls with neat backdrops. $13.48. A much better deal ! The dolls are on our fridge, and I hope to use the backdrops soon. The magnetic case went to Dearest Son, who loves his Magnetix toys, and is old enough to not eat ‘em. We told him not to, and why, just in case. I think I got a better deal on the paper dolls than the Fashion Fever ones.

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 2:44 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Slightly unsettled (memory flood)

Read a too-brief article in The Sun, a British tabloid that never backs down from its sacred mission - bustin' butt to cover the full spectrum of hard-hitting, but ultimately meaningless, investigative journalism. Its crack reporters revealed that the toy most adults want to play with again is the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle.

I remember it. Most boys I knew had one - a figure that attached to a motorcycle was loaded onto a friction ramp base. Some generated launch via a crank, others a t-strip ripper. Knuckles were scraped and skinned either way. Once revved up, the cycle roared off, to smash into the trash, a neighbor's cat, their best friend's Evel, or down a deep crevasse conveniently located in most towns. Beloved Hubby had the t-strip version. And he speaks of it in fond tones, so it was amazingly easy to get him to tell me his memories and stories of the one he had as a boy. Turns out, Evel had several different suit colors, and the crank launcher was also sold in many color variations. And there was a near-Barbie-wide line of accessories for everyone's favorite late 70s daredevil. Huh. Here's the article - > http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article899521.ece  

Barbie's not on this list. I wasn't surprised. Most anyone who wants to still play with Barbie can do so, anytime. Vintage abounds on websites worldwide, new dolls and accessories are available nearly everywhere, and a few dozen doll message boards reinforce that playing isn't bad, no matter your age. But, as it turns out, there is a new release EK Stunt Cycle, it retails for about $35., made from original Ideal molds. Several other things on the list - Baby Alive, Cabbage Patch Kids, and BMX bikes - are still available, too. Sure, they're not quite the same as what sold ‘way back when' (wasn't most of this stuff from the 80s ?), but there's places to obtain old toys in this brave new electronic world. I have to wonder who these journalists talked to - besides the other folks in the newsroom.

The article left me slightly confused, which is not an unusual occurance between Sun stories and readers. But ultimately happy that play is encouraged, as is reminiscing. The Fark.com discussion included a link to scanned Christmas catalogs of years past. Not sure if you're familiar, but if you wanna buy some holiday ‘wish list' memories, old Sears and JC Penney catalogs tend to run $20. to $50. on eBay. The late 50s ones are selling well, but more recently, if the year might show Star Wars toys, it's higher than the year prior. Catalogs from the 30s don't bring much interest, but don't we all wanna see the toys we yearned for back when Santa was gonna reward our best intentions !

I spent quite some time on the site. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wishbook/collections/72157600003636126/ . Looked at a lot of Malibu Barbies, some Fisher Price Creative Coasters, and some *really* vintage Raggedy Anns. Today's Timey Tell image, of course, was lifted from there. And I'll say it now : Timey had *pink* shoes, made of the same color plastic - if not the same exact plastic - as her props. Not those red things there. Hmpft. It was amazing to see the variety of items that existed back when there were more than just two toy companies. I leafed through one early 80s book idly, long past the dolls and skates and art sets...and saw the typewriters.

That's when I just had to sit back and let the memory tide crest. Back in my personal day, I was convinced I'd be a writer. I'd have a beach house, where I'd be inspired every day by the ever-changing yet eternally constant view. Oddly, I hadn't envisioned a husband or family, just this solitary house with me and a largish grey cat. After all, I'd been told often enough that I shouldn't marry or anything. Already I began to believe that love was something that'd happen to everyone else, but for some reason, it wasn't allowed for me. I didn't know what I'd write, either, but it'd be published and lauded and make me enough to live on and feed the cat and the mortgage. Well, I was twelve...

That year, in anticipation and preparation for my future life, I asked for a desk for my birthday. That Christmas, I asked for a typewriter. Because all writers use typewriters, and my handwriting was illegible, according to the Parentals. In my mind, a typewriter was big, grey, metal, and made tick-tick noises, especially if you pressed one key a bit too hard. You'd get a page filled with hundreds of ‘d' repeats in seconds. Never mind that I had no idea what ‘touch' had to do with ‘typing', or that I had no experience with typing other than several ‘d' pages. And the occasional play with the big antique one we had, for some reason. I think it was more for décor than functionality. It, too, required strong fingers.

What I got was a child's plastic play typewriter. When a key was slammed - really, you darn near needed a hammer for it - a piece of fishing line smacked the key onto the paper. If you studied the resulting blurred shape a bit, it might be the letter you just jammed your finger for. Um, what was I gonna do with this ? Because I didn't want the Parentals to think they'd wasted money (goss, the lectures I got on that !) on my whims, I dutifully pecked at it, but between its uselessness and my total lack of typing skills, it soon ended up in a desk drawer, when I thought the lecture period had safely passed. Probably around March.

A few months later, someone gave us a portable turquoise Smith-Corona. I was overjoyed, but my happiness soon faded. Y'see, I had no idea those big office typewriters were electric. And this one was about as hard to use as the kiddie one, and I didn't get to take typing class until my senior year of high school. At least the S-C worked and didn't have faces grinning at me while I pounded at it, so I hunt-pecked on cheap corrasable bond when I finished a story I didn't plan on rewriting anymore.

Abruptly, the memories broke and receded. I was free again, and it was almost time to wait for the bus. But I wasn't completely clear yet. While my life isn't near what I thought it'd be, it's better than I imagined. After three near-drownings in my life, it's probably best that I'm more than a day trip in any direction from an ocean. And knowing who I am and being fine with it is worth far more than an empty house. I never figured out what to write, and probably never will.

If I ever do, you'll be the first to hear about it !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 2:44 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Amazed !

I can only assume it is my perfect, blameless, sinless life that rewards me so richly in second-hand finds...(snort) Yeah, right ! But I hit a major score today after dropping off some stuff at the thrift store - wheee !

That's right - those two patterns up there were found at the same thrift store I donated to. I go through their patterns every time I'm in, and rarely find anything besides something cool to scan, and even that's rare. But today, I found both of these ! I already have Group A, the one on your right, but I didn't have B. What's even more amazing is that B has a shirt-waist dress. I came darn close to buying a pattern CD that has one - but the CD is $12. ! I got both of these for...are you ready ? 15c each ! Score !!

They're a bit rumpled, and I still have to go through them to see if they're complete, but they look to be so. They're dated 1961, making them 47 years old. Wow. Hard to believe that something made of tissue paper has survived that long. The openings on both are deteriorating badly, but each has a unique charm. I love how ‘75c' is ‘starred' out - it really was printed that way - and 60c is printed beside it, on the Group A envelope. Group B bears a "Marshall Field & Company' price sticker that's so faded with age, I can't tell what the price was. And how did a Marshall Field item end up here ?

Group B has the ‘Barbie Sewing Book', a brochure that defines most basic sewing terms and procedures so well, that I'm thinking of scanning it for the site. I hate to break copyright rules, but it's not like my scans will deny the original authors any royalties, since you can only buy it used, and it is a huge help, especially to the sewists just starting out. Plus, it's not like I wanna make any money off this- I'm just posting the booklet, not the whole pattern.. I also worried that the ‘Mommy is sure to have lots of fun scraps for you to practice with' tone would bother some folks, but heck. These patterns were basically written for an 8 year old - long as I make that abundantly clear, anybody who has issues with it can just avoid it.

Whaddya'll think ? Should I post this as a separate web page ? Or part of the pattern set I'm still working on for new sewists ? Or should I post it at all ? I'd really like your view on it !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CDT

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 2:44 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Lethargic. Zzzzzzzz......

Sheesh, I have no idea where today went. Seems like I puttered and played around, then noticed that it was an hour later than we thought it was. I hate Daylight Savings Time. It's just not a good start to the day when you wake up and it's pitch black outside. And your Dearest Son gets on the bus...and it's still pitch black out there. It's a PITA, if ya wanna ask me. Growlmutterwhine.

Got some sorting and cleaning done, and found that I had a bunch more stuff that needed to be donated. Fixed a small shelving unit I used to use in the Lab - bought it when I bought my sewing desk, at a yard sale. $3. for both pieces ! - and added it to Donations. Got the Fashion Photo Barbie and the Hilary Duff dolls dressed, so they're ready. Shinobu and Inaba were sitting on a neon-green sofa I never really liked, so now that they're in the gazebo, the sofa went into the bag, too. There was also a bag of Dearest's outgrowns and a sweatshirt I don't like left in the car, so those get dropped off Monday.

But the big news isn't doll-related. Not much today is, so I hope you enjoy the Spartan Atlantic ad ! It didn't scan well, and even at full-size, most of the text was unreadable. It's still kind of funny - you can still buy clocks brand-new for $3. these days, but good luck finding women's expanded vinyl suede jackets for that ! Well, whatever ‘expanded vinyl suede' is...

Beloved Hubby traded some work for a refrigerator. He trucked it home today. Wow ! It's huge ! It's like standing in front of the monolith from 2001 when I go for a soda. It's a textured black Maytag Plus, with a cavernous freezer and fantastic adjusting shelves. It looks so good in there - and reflected in the black-framed mirror Beloved made last week, it's just wicked cool.

Our old fridge went down to the Shop, so Beloved can have cold drinks this Summer. I normally ferry them down m'self, and check on him every hour or so, regardless of season, but now he can get what he wants when he wants it, without waiting on me. I'll make sure to stock it after the grocery run.

He's making bat boxes. Colony sized ! His client - same one we got the fridge from - lives in a marshy area, so encouraging bats to come live nearby will help keep the mosquito populations down. Directions came from an agricultural extension office in Wisconsin, if I remember correctly. I scanned ‘em, so Beloved can make us one or two. We have a more-or-less stagnant creek on the back 40, and skeeters were pretty bad last year. I wanted to paint a Bat Signal on ‘em, but the customer wants camouflage. At least I can paint ours the way we want !

Well, that's about it for a more-or-less lazy Sunday here. Hope your weekend was lots of fun !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 2:44 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Thrilled !

Not a lot happening today - hit a couple yard sales, did a few loads of laundry. I find that I prefer to do laundry over the weekend, while the day care center next door is closed. Now that the weather's getting nicer, everyone wants outside. I had the doors wide open today - Velvet had no interest in going anywhere. She's a smart one, who knows when she's got it good !

And you wouldn't believe what I found at the first of two sales I dragged Dearest Son to. It has to be the most perfect curtain in the history of Ever, for the lab. It's sheer, with a yellow-bordered ruffle along the top, sprinkled randomly with pastel stars outlined in stitches. It really is beautiful. It was a bit dingy when I found it, but a quick trip through the washer soon had that fixed. A saucer-sized yellow sun is dead-center, and it rests over the moon and star stained glass piece I have in that window - also purchased at a yard sale.

I went to hang it, eager to see it up...when I realized. It's actually a shower curtain ! Instead of a casing pocket for a rod to go through, it has stitched buttonholes for curtain rings. Well, that was no problem. I already had a tension rod from an earlier curtain attempt - the last curtain hung from cup hooks - that could hang from the cup hooks, but what to use for curtain rings ? I didn't wanna go designer on this, and I hate spending $10. so I can use a $1. yard sale find. Then I remembered. I had some jewelry loops, from attempts to make doll jewelry. You can see one of my tries on Elphie, on her page. I'd bought packages of gold and silver, ‘cause they were dirt cheap. Found twelve silver ones the same size, and the curtain was up. Wow. It really is beautiful. Just perfect. The jewelry loops make it easy to draw the curtain to one side, but it really isn't necessary. It lets in most of the light. And while they don't look as good with this curtain as they did with the plain one I had, I hung up the mirror ball ornaments on either end again. What can I say, they're just ‘me'.

I had some other finds, too - a souvenir peg doll that looks like a painted dress form, several books including one detailing the history of Disney theme parks, two lampshades for 25c (one is only good as a frame, but the other is now on the living room floor lamp !), a MagnaDoodle for Dearest Son. He picked it out, and it was really cheap because of all the crayon on the screen. Couple swipes with Goof Off on a rag took that away, and it looks nearly new. I also got a cool frame that'll look great in Beloved Hubby's office, once it's the office again. Don't ask me how the PILs are living in their house when their bed and refrigerator (and darn near everything else) is still here !

This is the second-to-last (penultimate, if you like to fling the big words around !) newspaper scan. I rather like the idea of a sewing contest, even though I'd be reluctant at first to send anything of mine in. Still, in a culture that births something called ‘hostess pajamas', it makes you wonder why I get such flak at the fabric store for proudly admitting to making doll clothes. Anyway, sorry it's so big, but I thought someone might like to actually read the article, just for fun.

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 2:43 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Delighted 

I did sew, just a little. Mostly ran a seam up the back of some ruffle-edged elastic (it was in the box o' fabric from last week's yard sale) to make a skirt for the Kennedy My Scene doll I donated. Elastic was too short to be a dress, so I added a strip of stretchy fabric, hemmed and tied at the back, at the top. So she had a rather stylish dress to wear to the thrift store she went to today. I have a real bugaboo about donating nude dolls. Just can't do it. And I've reached the point, after two previous major culls that got donated, that I want to keep what  I have. Sometimes I feel really selfish for all that I have - it's quite a lot ! - but I donate more than I used to, so I assure myself it all works out. Plus, I tend to donate brand-new things, once I've gotten what I wanted out of the package !

Unfortunately, today I went shopping. Started out innocently enough, Hobby Lobby had a 40% off coupon on their website, and I wanted another portfolio envelope to store backdrop posters. The one I had, bought originally to store My Size Barbie patterns, was just about an inch too short, which made the posters ripple a bit. Not good. But since a bigger one was less than $7., and I had a coupon, I didn't feel too bad about getting another. The old one now holds smaller backdrops - calendar pages, mini posters, doll packaging inserts.

They were also having a 99c sale on McCall's patterns. Nothing new for dolls - or at least, dolls I own - but they did have a pattern for my size that I liked. While there's little danger of the HLobby pattern book tables being swamped, it happened so frequently at Hancock Fabrics, I developed a habit for reviewing the online pattern books, and just taking the number to the store.

Got there, and had a fun time looking at all the seasonal décor, checking out the markdown and clearance stuff, enjoying the miniatures and dollhouses, and thinking about what I'd like to do with the next 40% off coupon. Got the portfolio envelope and pattern, and ran smack into it when I was picking through the row of fabric remnants.

It must've been overflow from the furniture section. There were several pieces over there, all with the ‘30% Off !" tags prominently displayed, like a species identifier. I barely gave it a cursory glance...until I saw the miniature wrought iron and wood gazebo. Hmmm...

Dug out the retractable tape measure I carry in my purse at all times - for just such emergencies, although I bought mine at this particular HLobby - and found that the distance from the wood-slat floor to the center was 12 inches. Oh, darn it. I was right. It was within scale. Rather small, it wouldn't hold but two dolls (possibly three) seated, or maybe four if they all stood, but very charming.

Ended up walking around the store for another half hour, trying to take my mind off the little gazebo. It was cute ! It was on sale for 30% off ! But it was $21.95, and I'd just bought two dolls not even twenty-four hours previously. Why in the world was I so entranced with this thing ? I even snagged a hollow-plastic ‘fashion doll' from the crochet section, to check for scale. Oh, was that ever a bad move. Now that I could see a doll in it, I just wanted it more ! I could see Shinobu and Inaba in it, playing with their son and a toy cat or two. (sigh)

Well, long, drag-azz story later, the envelope, the pattern, and a gazebo went home with me. Thanks to the coupon, all my indulgences came to $21.85. I knew Beloved Hubby wouldn't mind - if he'd have been there, I wouldn't have walked around trying to forget it, we'd have been at the register with it - but I still felt bad for indulging myself so.

But it didn't last. Got home and cleared a counter top in the Lab - it had misc. stuff piled on it that needed clearing anyway - and set up a small diorama with the painted-last-week grill set. So I now have a small place to play, and the most lovely gazebo. I used to have a Mattel-made pink plastic one, but I love this one more. By the time I got everything settled (move one thing in the Lab, and you're shuffling other things for hours), Beloved and Dearest Son were home, and I never took photos. There just wasn't time, and Beloved had the camera today. ‘S OK. It's there for as long as I want it to be, and since it still makes me happy to look at it, it'll be there for quite some time.

Oh, and the PILs have moved out, but so far have only taken their microwave oven with them. All their stuff is still here, but they'll be staying at their house, presumably from now on. Whooop ! Their room is trashed - I'm gonna have to go in there and at least get rid of the food and dirty dishes - but I'm still happy !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 2:43 PM CDT

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