Current Mood : Cheery

Spent on dolls today : $2.69

Busy day, as usual. I got to visit the Thrift before grocery shopping, but I only found one thing - a six inch doll in one of the 50c ‘small toy' grab-bags. Her blouse was missing, but her jeans were well-made... and they'd probably fit the Musical DPrincess dolls ! So I went out to the car for change, having spent all my cash at the yard sales Saturday, and paid.

And I got to talk to the Thrift owner. We've spoken before, and she's always been up-front with the trials and challenges of running a second-hand venue. She probably knows I mostly buy toys, so she told me she was sorry she hadn't had anything new in for a while, but donations were waaaay down, even from what they were this summer. I mentioned that yard sale season was going on much longer than in previous years, could that be part of the problem ? I mean, it used to be that I never saw a sale in November. The stream of sales usually dried up before Halloween. Were folks selling their stuff rather than donating ? Goss knows I've cleaned up this year ! (I didn't say that part.)

She thinks that folks are simply keeping things longer, instead of buying the newest whatever down the pike. With toys, that could mean they're finding it easier and less expensive to trade with other families for ‘new' stuff, or they're simply trying to not buy more. Normally this time of year, parents are eagerly cleaning out Kaitlynne and Tylorre's  toyboxes, in anticipation of the holiday bonanza that'll soon overflow them again. Not this year, it seems.

She also told me that the too-familiar ‘Clothes Donation Drop' bins aren't hers - which I knew - but rather some Texas company that sells the garments overseas, or as rags to paper or rug makers. Said she'd seen ‘em all over Arkansas, where she just visited. Not a charity at all, just a money-making scheme that preys on nice people with good intentions.

I promised her I'd go through Dearest Son's toys as soon as I could, drop off as much as possible. And I mentally added ‘and my toys, too'. Most of Dearest's unused toys are of the small bag-stuffer Happy Meal type. I got a buncha dolls that could use a new home. Problem is, I'm the one who buys most of what they sell !

With her words in my ears, my weekly fun grocery shop became ‘Stock up for the harsh, unforgiving winter ahead !', and that's about what I did. Got more allergy and Dearest headache tablets, more soup, more soup stock, bathroom tissue, canned fruits, powdered coffee creamer, and a new thermal shirt for Beloved and sweatpants for Dearest. I didn't even slow down at the fabric section, but did secure a Cars Dale Jr. car for his stocking.

I still bought something silly for me. Mattel's selling a revamped version of tiny ‘Little Kiddles' dolls, and they are cute. It's just hard for me to justify spending $7. for a two-inch doll when a Barbie is $10. - and a Barbie with a kitchen playset I like is $20. ! But they're in with the rest of Mattel's dolls, so I always look... and this week, the Halloween ‘Peek A Boo Petites' were marked down to 50c each ! I eagerly snapped up a whole set of four - Witch, Ghost, Kitty, and Vampire - and a second Kitty. Love her huge green eyes ! I also sort of like the crowned ‘Barbie head' silhouette on the heart charm that apparently comes with each PaBP - I think the orange beads around the bubble the doll's in is a necklace or something. While I don't much like the current Barbie Head Silhouette - the ponytail looks like it was sunk into the head like an arrow, and somehow, the whole head attitude seems sullen - in this tiny a format, it looks cute.

Not entirely sure what I'm gonna do with the Cuties, but for 50c each, I just couldn't resist ! I've never made clothes that small before, either... she's about 2.5 inches tall. Oh, and the Thrift baggie contained not only the doll, but also a large saddle. Might come in handy for the Pegasus I have, I'll make sure it fits. Then spray-paint it white. It's a very dark brown that would probably look awful on the pink/purple of Peggy's back.

The doll has Breyer markings, so I had some fun looking around. Looks like she was part of a set, Breyer Ponies Grooming Set #7039. Found it on eBay. Jeans, boots, hair, and face match. She's missing two hair plugs in the front - if I decide to do anything with her, I'll have to do a quick transplant.

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:45 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Lazy 

Well, I like for stuff I don't want to still be happy, but it just wasn't in the cards for Mr. Golfing Bear. DC attacked him and bore him off from the lab, as a part-time companion, part-time punching bag. Poor Mr. G. Bear...

Not much to report on today - spent three hours getting the kitchen cleaned up and dishes washed. I'm not finished, so that should tell you how bad it got when everyone was sick. I'm wiped out, and haven't done much else today. At one point, I got so overwhelmed by some food gone south that I had to lie down. And I fell asleep for an hour !

Beloved Hubby and I are talking about getting Dearest Son a major gift this Christmas - his own computer ! Seriously, have you seen the prices on them lately ? While eMachines don't have the best reputation, it astounds me that you can get one with a monitor, keyboard, and speakers for less than $400. ! I saw a small laptop last week at Mal-Wart for $350. ! So it's up for consideration, but nothing's decided yet. We'll have to see how things go after rent's paid.

I've been seeing promos for bfads.net, but I'm not interested. ‘Black Friday' is the day after US Thanksgiving, the ‘official' start of the Christmas buying frenzy. Supposedly it's named such because that's the day many retailers begin operating ‘in the black', at a profit (as opposed to ‘in the red'- in debt). Honestly, I kinda feel bad for any company that doesn't start earning money until late November...

Anyway, the ads for the big ‘doorbuster' loss-leader sales normally come out in the late Thursday (Thanksgiving) edition of the newspaper. It's now a ‘fun' sort of espionage to somehow secure some of these ads from major retailers ahead of time, and post them online, so shoppers can plan their ‘attack' earlier. Since some specials are really extraordinary, and extremely limited, lines begin to form at those stores as soon as the cranberry sauce begins to melt. For the last several years, pushing and shoving riots have led to injuries when 200+ people try to get the twelve $100. laptops their local Mal-Warts have.

After numerous years of insane parking, negligent driving, and huge, loud, thick crowds and hours-long lines to check out even if you manage to get the coveted item, it seemed to only get worse the next year. I stopped going. If I wasn't willing to stand outside in the cold and dark for the special all afternoon Thursday and all night until Friday, I wasn't gonna get it, so showing up at 7am wasn't worth the hassle. Besides, there was darn little I even wanted in most of the ads. I'd much rather get up early on Dec. 26 ! Sometimes dolls go on sale the day after !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:45 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Playful happy 

Spent on Dolls : $1.50

Spent on Disney Princess junk I liked :  $2.50

Whee ! I had sooo much fun at the yard sales today. Despite the heavy fog and not-above-60-degree weather, there were lots of ‘em. Never found two I went for, but their bad signage lead me to others that were packed with awesome. Went out with $6. and some change, came back with two Mal-Wart sacks stuffed full, a can, and a small suitcase.

Oddly, the only doll I bought isn't for me. My DFIL collects and adores Betty Boop (and no, he doesn't read this !). I was planning on snagging some Boop fabric and making him fresh handkerchiefs for Christmas - the ones I made him from some cool Southwestern fabric I got in a grab bag when we were broke are nearly strings and thread. But here in a plastic box crammed with plush was a Baby Betty Boop doll ! Well, she's actually more of a soft stuffed animal-type toy, but she's cute as hell. Darn near pristine, but for a stain on the back of her pink satin bonnet. Within seconds, I determined that the bonnet was removable, and if it didn't come out clean, I could simply make a new one. If the bonnet had been part of her head, I'd have either tucked the stain where it couldn't be seen, or covered over it with some lace or ribbon. Or a big silk rosebud.

She's nude but for her diaper, and that just won't work. So tomorrow or Monday, I'm gonna hit Hancock Fabrics for a yard of Boop, make her a dress or two. Get her all nice and cleaned up, and dressed up, and DFIL has a fun Christmas gift. I'm thinking of making her a red satin strapless dress with a slit... and a garter, of course ! She was only a dollar, but I'm having fun imagining... and she's not even mine !

Same sale netted Dearest Son a stuffed Lightning McQueen, tags still attached, for 50c. One of the tags shows he was from Disney Store, and they paid $6.50 for him. I may save him for Christmas, too. My greed wasn't neglected at this sale - I scored a small Little Mermaid ‘goin' to grandma's'-type suitcase, a three-person mini tea set for the LDPs, a green St. Patrick's day bear I got for the wicker chair she was sewn to, and a copy of Do You Remember : Technology, a small book of ads and photos of 8-track tape players, TRS-80 computers, and color TVs. It's a great ‘leaf through' book. $3. for the lot of it !

That was one of two sales I found while looking for another one. The next one netted me a Disney Princess bathroom set - a trash can and a lotion pump. What's kind of funny is that both pieces are both lenticular, you know, those images that change a bit when you move them ?  On these pieces, Cinderella, Aurora, and Belle dance a little, but it's funny to me, because really, who handles a trash can that much ? It amused me so that I paid $2. for the set, and they tossed in a complete deck of DP Bicycle playing cards. Very nice cards, with some beautiful graphics I've never seen before, and there's a few with Mulan and Pocahontas. I'll be scanning those soon !

The next sale I should have skipped, because to me, ‘Estate' sales mean ‘Let's try to sell the muffin tin Aunt Sadie used for 15 years for $6., which is more than a brand new one costs at Mal-Wart', ‘cause I've seen that scenario too many times. When the heirs are trying to push an open box of Tide laundry detergent for $4., and it's not even a big box, you know you're just not getting any deals. And that was the case here. They even put higher price stickers over the ones printed on the package, which was funny. Especially if you know that pack of hand-sewing needles is $1. all day long at Dollar General, but they want $2. for it, and it's missing several of ‘em.

Hit one last sale for the road, netted three blouses for me, two Gap t-shirts for Dearest, and either a dress for Baby Chrissy or a blouse for the MSB girls, either would work. Also scored a teddy bear dressed as a golfer, complete with ball and club - his two-tone shoes fit Timey Tell and Hi Dottie, and his shirt/pants combo and vest fit the LDPs, just a bit baggy. All that was a whoppin' big $2. Luckily, I'd thought to grab the last of the change from Molly-chan's dash ashtray. Aurora's wearing everything but the poor bear's shoes in today's image it needs ironing, especially on that won't-lay-down collar and a bit of a take-in at the back, but it fits pretty well as-is. Anyway, by the time I left that sale, I was broke, and a bit hungry, so I headed for home.

Tried on the three blouses- one's a bit snug, but I can wear it over a t-shirt for now. Other two fit and look great. Cleaned up the Little Mermaid suitcase, evidently before consigning it to the yard sale box, someone tried to eat Frosted Flakes and soda out of it. Two Lysol wipes and ten minutes took care of most of the stains, save for some small scratches. The wicker chair has been de-beared, and I'm planning on snagging the bear's apron and hat, too. I may keep the bear, ‘cause she's green, but the Golfer bear is definitely being donated.

That always amuses me on some levels. That I can buy a dressed bear for less than a buck, score a doll outfit, shoes, and often a prop or two, and still have something left to donate. I always eliminate any loose threads or any indications that the bear was ever dressed or holding anything before he goes to the Thrift. It's the last kindness I can give them. A bare bear is still a good toy, but if it looks like anything's been removed, he might not sell as easily. While I'm not a big ‘stuffie' person, I do want anything that's passed through my life to be happy...

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:45 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Worn and exhausted

Spent on Dolls today : $1.

Spent on Sewing/Crafts today : $1.50

Personal Note : Happy Birthday, Dear MIL !!

Oh, boy, what a day. I was scheduled to read to Dearest Son's class and then help out with Popcorn Friday, a weekly fund-raiser for the school. Basically, we pop and sell a bag of corn for a quarter to the kids on recess. My first time on that duty. While at the school, I got roped into helping for Healthy Kids, a free screening done at each school for all the kids, on Tuesday. (sigh) I gotta learn that ‘No' is a complete sentence...

I also dropped off some sack-keeper bags, and the cat-print one I made specifically for the co-Librarian made her so happy. She handed me two lengths of fabric she didn't plan on using - one was a large Barbie print, the other was a Disney Princess one ! How thoughtful of her !

Reading was fun as always, but Popcorn Friday... let's just say today may be my first and last one. Despite being assured that we'd be gone by noon, we started at 10:30, and didn't lift our heads up until 1:45pm. We were that busy, that slammed. We finally left a few minutes shy of 2, after cleaning everything. At least I was weather-savvy enough to bring a jacket, my co-volunteers forgot, but my feet ached and were frozen after 3+ hours of bustin' butt in one place, in the wind.

It's not that it wasn't fun. My fellow volunteers are great women who busted just as much butt as me. But between the kids screaming when popcorn ran out - and we ran that thing heel-toe, nonstop - and the teachers' unhelpful advice, and the cold, I was pretty worn out when it was over, and not eager to repeat the experience. Plus, I still have the smell of popcorn in my nose, normally a nice thing, but today, it just makes me more weary.

The reason they finished at noon before is because they ran out of popcorn. That wasn't a problem today - and we probably pulled in close to $50. So now, I don't feel bad at all for ignoring the ‘Cheap But Expensive Catalog Fund Raiser' back in October.

On the plus side, I got to hit two yard sales. Dearest got a new t-shirt, I snagged two new skeins of yarn, a length of Tinkerbell-green cotton, a bag of mixed Polly Pocket / Barbie props, and a handful of Barbie clothes that desperately need a wash. That sale was a bit weird. The seller insisted that I take ‘Ernie', a Sesame Street soft doll in his pajamas and bunny slippers. He cheerfully announced, "I feel great today !" every so often, but there was never anyone within a five-foot radius of him. Seller said he was freaking her out, and could I please find a good home for him ? Um, OK. He told me about his stellar day  twice while walking back to the car, so I took out the freebie Duracell screwdriver I always keep in my purse and removed his batteries. Much better ! I'll donate him - with his batteries separate but enclosed in the speaker space - sometime next week.

I looked so beat that, when Beloved Hubby came home an hour after Dearest did, he darn near shoved me into bed for a nap. Two hours later, I felt much better. Didn't do anything really, but I felt much better !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:44 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Thrilled and proud of me !

Spent on Dolls today : $2.14

Whoo-hoo ! I am pleased to announce that Jem's oxy treatment is done ! Oh, I can still see some shadow marks on her chin and on the left nostril, but they're faint and may yet fade. But for now, she's done with the windowsill and I'm happy ! Now I have a Jerrica (plain bulb earrings) and a Jem (starcap earrings) !

I was gonna wait to repaint her lips - her original paint was removed by the oxy, but there was no way around it, the purple stains were all over her mouth - but Beloved Hubby and Dearest Son were happily doin' their own things, so... no time like the present ! Plus, tomorrow's a heavy volunteer day, so I knew I wouldn't have time then. Dragged down the family collection of various arts and crafts paints - Beloved's old portrait paints and my even older craft paints - and selected Plaid's Paint for Plastics ‘cream' and ‘crimson'. I bought these on markdown so long ago, we were living in another state !

Originally, I'd thought to match her original lip color, but instead, I blended on a polystyrene plate until I had a color I liked. And proceeded to swash it across half her chin with the oversized brush. Wiped it down with Goof Off and started again. This time, with a toothpick !

Much better ! Now the color went exactly where I wanted it to, and the tiny tip didn't hold much paint, so it couldn't slop all over the place. I didn't follow the original contours, but I soon had it the way I liked it. Well, mostly liked it. One side of her lower lip is a bit thinner than the other, but I knew if I kept messing with it, I'd end up unhappy.

And, as it turns out, I used the wrong paint. ‘Paint for Plastics' is only designed for non-flexible plastic. According to the website's FAQ (on plaidonline.com), if the plastic can bend without breaking, the paint won't adhere correctly. Well, I doubt I'll be flexing Jem's face very much, and if it flakes off, well, I'll just start again. It's acrylic paint, and acrylics are what doll artists use, so it's probably OK. Bottle sez it's dry to the touch in 30 minutes and fully adhered in 48 hours, so we'll see how it goes. I think I did a fairly decent job on my first doll repaint !

Not so happy with Dancerella's treatment. Granted, it is just the first one, but it looks as though the stains didn't fade at all. I'll reapply a thick coat of oxy goop tonight and check next week. All else fails, I can attempt a third variation of the oxy therapy, and you can read it here : http://www.immediateweb.com/mef/ . If you're not up to reading, it's basically : Coat stain thickly with Oxy-10. Wrap with foil to prevent too-early dry-out. Place doll in front of heat source, like an old CRT monitor or desk lamp, making sure it gets enough heat to warm the doll, but not so much the vinyl melts. Check frequently. Reapply daily, and be careful. If you tend to forget, apply Oxy thick, wrap in foil, leave in sunny window. Check every two or three weeks.

I confess, I'd never heard of the foil part before, but ya gotta try everything if the usual ain't workin'. I just kinda hesitate before wrapping my dolls up like baked potatoes !

Ran out for a few forgotten groceries, and decided to make a quick stop in the Thrift. When I visited Monday, there was a certain Barbie dress in a baggie that might be the gown I've been wanting for a long time. Still in the 1977 Super Star box, it often goes for $75. This was wadded up in a snack size baggie for $1.99, but I wasn't sure if it was the gown or not, and you know me, I hate to waste funds. So I studied the image in my copy of Barbie Doll Fashion 1975 - 1979, and noted the tacky-to-me oversize flower at the waist. If the baggie there had it, then it was # 9836, Spotlight on Romantic White. I'd gladly shell $2. for it, and get it washed and pressed !

Well, it did, and I bought it. I now have a rumpled and slightly dusty #9836. I also have a Cali Guy Ken tank shirt, a stained pair of Barbie riding pants, a Barbie Collectables ballet tutu I haven't yet ID'd, and a knockoff cheerleader leotard. I hope to get the gown washed tomorrow. Seriously considering scissoring the tacky flower and the odd fur-like poufs on the tulle overlay. They've really flattened out over the years, and look weird. I'll decide once it's clean.

You know, I heard on a doll board several months ago that Mattel was issuing a repro of Super Star Barbie, with an extra gown. I was all set to pay $40. or so for this doll if the extra dress was Romantic White. It isn't - I think it's #9837, Dramatic Black & Silver Shimmer - but how nice it is that I have the real thing, and it was only two bucks !

Not much else going on - but today's had a lot in it ! I'm sleepy and ready to crash. Hope your day had some neat surprises !

Posted by dorriebelle at 9:33 PM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:44 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Pleased

Whew ! For some reason, the first paragraph of yesterday's entry just would not post at the correct font. I tried everything - it always showed correctly in the ‘preview' feature. Finally, I got tired of it and changed the whole font and size on the entire thing, and that worked on the first paragraph as well. Once that posted, I changed it back to the normal font and size, and now it's the way I want it. Sheesh.

My chest is super-tight today - 93% humidity - so I stayed home and got housework done. Five more loads of laundry. Three more and I'm done ! It'll probably take me all day tomorrow just to put it away. But it's nice to not have to worry about whether or not Dearest has socks and pants enough to go to school. I heard some real horror stories from the librarian at Book Fair. I was feeling kind of ‘bad parenty' about his clothes lately - he's between sizes, too small for one, not big enough for the next size up, and he's wrecked several brand-new bought-on-sale shirts - but while there may be patches and the occasional permanent stain, at least his jeans zip and he always has underwear ! And it's always clean, even if I have to stay up ‘til 2am to make it happen !

Got to spend some ‘me' time this afternoon, and got the photos taken for my backlogged entries. While I was tearing up the Lab yesterday, alternately cleaning and looking for stuff, I found a pleated knit girl's skirt I'd bought from the thrift for a quarter a few months ago. I'd intended to alter it to fit a My Size girl. Well, believe this or not, I'd brushed Lacey's hair, but she was still nude and by herself. I fixed that today ! Altered the skirt - it took ten minutes, and I learned how to do tailor's tacks, and why I would want to use them - and paired it with a boy's shirt from the MSB closet, and Lacey looks great. A necklace Aunt gave me a long time ago (it's too tight for my thick neck !) and some yard-sale penny loafers, and Lacey was ready to stand with Gracie and Casey. Isn't she adorable ? I think her entire ensemble cost a dollar.

I also found the other empty Advair inhaler. Now that I have both of them together, I'm gonna make the most expensive doll chair ever ! Well, I didn't pay $400. for the meds within, but someone somewhere does, and if ya ask me, that's expensive, even when you can recycle the containers. I'm just glad I won't have a dollhouse full of $400. doll seating. Or I could just put little wooden feet on ‘em - like the ones they sell for $1.47 at Hobby Lobby - and make two hassocks...

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:44 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Reflective 

Today is Veteran's Day in the US, a day set aside to honor veterans of all the armed forces branches. Last year, I got talked into going to Dearest Son's school assembly, something I'd avoided for most of his educational career. I was in the Army during the Reagan administration, and was never in any danger. Except during a near-fatal asthma attack during a run and a six-months-to-live proclamation from a doctor who misread some test results. Anyway. I mostly got a paid tour of Europe on the taxpayer dime, so I didn't feel especially proud of my ‘service', although I count those years as some of the best in my life.

But I went last year, and was warmly welcomed by the other vets, those who'd really risked it all for everyone, and while I still felt like a sham, they made me feel that it was vitally important for me to be there. One, to show that women are just as vital to service - very few women come to these things, probably for the same reasons - and two, I wasn't there for me. I was there for the ones who'd sacrificed to be there long before me, and the ones who'd serve after I was long gone. With those words, who could duck out of attending the next year ? Not me.

And what did I do with my newly-refreshed appreciation and patriotism once I got home ? Took a nap for an hour. I'd been up late last night, making some ‘Mal-Wart sack dispensers'  (aka ‘Bag of bags') for the school's various classrooms and departments that needed ‘em. What can I say, I promised. I can now make 5 of ‘em (almost six !) in two hours. Dropped those off on the way to the assembly. Another two hours should have the school blanketed with ‘em. And I did get to sew yesterday, it just wasn't what I'd wanted to sew... but it's important to keep promises.

Beloved was home after lunch, and I went with him on a bid. Treated him to a soda while we were out, which I love doing. Finally had a few minutes to look at that TRU catalog we got when we were sick, but there wasn't anything new there. I'm starting to feel about TRU and Mal-Wart the same way most folks felt about Circuit City and Best Buy. Since CC is in bankruptcy protection and is shuttering 155 stores just before the feeding frenzy of consumerism called Christmas, that isn't good for TRU...

Dearest's been watching Ratatouille lately, and he just came in wearing his karate gi uniform, saying he was lead character Linguini. So I made him a tall chef's hat out of copy paper taped together and cut at the top, and tossed a small stuffed toy kitten inside. It won't last forever, but it's fun for now. I'm trying to figure out how to make a more durable hat, but I don't wanna iron a cotton version every other day, and felt's too hot. I think for once, I'll just stick to copy paper...

Not a lot of doll time today - I did six loads of laundry, dried four in the dryer. Tomorrow, I'm gonna wash and hang out clean clothes ‘til the sun goes down. By then, I may just be caught up ! But I cleaned up the Lab, and puttered a bit. Had a laundry basket full of stuff that needed to be put away in there, and I needed the basket for Dearest and Beloved's socks. And the Lab gets messed up every time I go on a yard sale safari and with every project, even a small one like sack-keepers for the school. I was also on a hunt for my bag of ‘Barbie shoe pairs identical but for color', since I wanna experiment with spray-painting ‘em soon. Took me an hour of shuffling, storing, and poking, but I got everything put away and found the shoe baggie. Once the humidity goes back down, I'm gonna have a date with a can of grey Fusion !

And while Dearest showered, I located the two-pack of C-size batteries I bought last Friday. It was time. After two incorrect attempts at installation - I couldn't figure out what the diagram was trying to say, and the compartment was innocent of the usual springs and contacts - I saw my Dancerella pirouette and spin. Wow. It's hard to believe after all these years of indifferent treatment (let's face it, if she were stored well, she wouldn't have had those terrible stains !) she still works, but she does, flawlessly. Heck, I still can't believe I only paid $2. for her !

I'm seriously considering making her a pretty new tutu and shoes, then taping her battery installation and operation, and posting it on YouTube. I looked all over for some information about her, but all I could find were eBay pages with no info, and catalog listings. And conflicting information. So far, I have the dates for my doll as 1968, 1972, and 1978. Back of her head says 1972 Mattel, and that may be the date for just the head mold, but that's what I'm going with. My lovely 1972 doll, 36 years old, still works. Wow.

And thanks to veterans I'll never have the honor of meeting, I can enjoy that.

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:43 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Once again, amazed ! 

Spent on doll history : 31¢

Spent on fabric (sigh) : $1.01

Goss, what a day. Rain and thunderstorms, and I had dozens of errands to run in it. At least I checked the weather in time to get Molly-car's windows up. I completely forgot it was Dearest Son's turn to provide a class snack, so I had to get it all done early. Plus, there was a sort-of birthday party for DMIL at Gramma's house at noon. So I grabbed a shower, secured snacks and drinks, delivered them to the school, did Beloved Hubby's banking -  he's still sick - hit the thrift and picked up my expensive prescription. Luckily, I only need this $78. wonder every two months, and the other three I take every day are just $4. each.

I spent a whoppin' 31c, but I got something I kinda~sorta wanted for a long time. Read a lot of doll books and eBay auctions, and you see A Premier Product baggies, holding anything from Revlon doll clothes to Barbie shoes. Premier Doll Accessories, located in Brooklyn, NY, has been around a long time, but I can't find out much about the company. Several Premier items for sale have ‘40s-50s' in their descriptions, but the packaging isn't dated. Some of the ones I've seen listed as 50s have the same header card as mine, but the zip code is sort of a giveway - that wasn't established in the US ‘til the early 60s.

Premier is frequently described as a ‘jobber' - they didn't work for a doll or toy company. Rather, they made ‘aftermarket' products like doll shoes and jewelry to enhance dolls already for sale - or dolls in company catalogs. Their products were frequently sold to doll shops, catalog companies like Sears, and variety stores like Ben Franklin and TG&Y. Since they didn't have to worry about things that the doll manufacturers did, Premier's designs were frequently quite original and beautiful, and used materials that toy companies didn't. Check out http://crissyandbeth.com/Aftermarket.html and scroll down for some wild Crissy clothes made by Premier, in some fantastic fabrics !

I read that they went under in 1983, but that's about all I could find about them. In any case, today at the Thrift, I found a baggie with the never-opened black ankle-strap shoes inside, with three loose shoes in the baggie as well. They're too small for Leia and Jem, but they're also worn and frayed. So I'm gonna keep the unopened ones just as I found ‘em, and hang ‘em up in the Lab. I find that I'm really groovin' on the vintage packaging and graphic design. So, now I have some vintage Premier ! Doll history. I'll have scans up soon, promise !

It must've been Mystery Day for me, because the pink Barbie mailbox was gone when I got there. I asked around, and it turns out, yes, it was a ‘drop your used dolls off for charity' effort sponsored by Mattel. But, for some bizarre reason, it was Saturday only. I could have donated a dozen dolls, but darn if I knew about it, and ya'll know me, I haunt the Barbie aisle at least once a week over there ! Not to mention that the two store associates were still struggling to assemble the thing at 12:30 in the afternoon... 

Got home, and Beloved was tossing his cookies, he was that sick. So I begged off DMIL's get together and stayed home with him. My poor guy ! I got him into bed where he slept nonstop for four hours - and he'd gotten a good night's sleep last night. He felt better when he woke up, and he and Dearest are watching a movie while I type.

Oh, and I did get some inexpensive pink broadcloth I liked while I was at Mal-Wart. Half a yard should last me quite some time for the $1.01 I spent on it ! Tomorrow, I hope to sew...

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:43 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Sentimental

Kind of lazy, kind of busy Sunday. Never got to the sewing machine, but the more I can't sew, the more I wanna sew, ya know ? Besides, I don't really like the pale pink I've got planned and cut out for the dress I'm making. So, while I'm out tomorrow, I'm gonna scout around a bit. Gotta go out for one of my prescriptions - since I only need it every other month, it's not quite on the same schedule as the rest.

I'm also hoping those ladies finished assembling the ‘Barbie Recycling' mailbox, ‘cause I'll be smuggling in my camera to get a photo of it. Or whatever it was. I'm intensely curious about it.

We watched Toy Story 2 during dinner - so far, we've made three meals out of a rotisserie chicken, a great loaf of crusty bread, a can of baked beans, and some baked potatoes. Not bad for $8. ! One thing about the movie... it's nice that Wheezy the Penguin got fixed, that Andy's mom found another squeaker in the toybox to affect repairs. But has anyone noticed that you never see the toy shark again...?

Dearest Son's desk chair kept bumping my hip when I did laundry, so I moved some Office furniture around. Mostly a file cabinet and an end table. The cabinet's tucked away in an unused corner and that allowed his desk to get pushed up against the wall - lots more hip space ! I also went through the piles of papers scattered around, mostly handbills from Dearest's school, and completed assignments. Got all those organized. I still have stacks of scrap paper from last year ! Cut some up for notepaper, including the cut sheets I used for the pattern yesterday. I like to use the fancy-edge scissors I got for a quarter a piece at a yard sale, just for kicks. Cleaned off my desk, too. Now Dearest and Beloved Hubby's look bad (for a change !).

Next time I'm in the garage, I'll grab a set of bookends. DMIL gave us dozens - when the company she used to work for folded the tent, it was an office supply bonanza. It was three years before we had to buy envelopes. We still have enough binders to last for the next decade or so.

Also finally tackled my computer's doll photo files. There's over a thousand photos and images in that folder. Since that's normally where I store website images, you can imagine digging through ‘em all to find the one I want to post ! So I made a few new folders, combined a couple more, sorted through all of ‘em, and ditched a few dozen pictures. Now I can actually find stuff.

Beloved went out for a bit and came back with a surprise for me - a knockoff Fashion Plates toy ! He'd found it at the 7-11 across the street for $2.99. It's the Ja-Ru No. 3270 Pocket Travel Fashion Designer Color Sketch Kit, to be precise. It's about 5 inches by four inches, with a slide-around tray to store the double-sided green plates, rubbing crayon, and coloring pencils, all included. There's even ‘design tissues' in there, which is probably their fancy term for ‘paper'.

I haven't opened it yet, as I wanna get lots of photos. And I just wanna look at it. That was so thoughtful of Beloved, that I don't want to rip it apart yet. I'm so silly and sentimental sometimes !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:43 PM CDT

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Current Mood : Wheeeee !

Spent on Dolls : $3.

Spent on Sewing : $1.90  (sigh)

I swear, every time I pontificate on ‘it's time to use what I got, not spend more money', invariably I go buy more stuff. Even more fabric ! I must be the world's biggest hypocrite...

Beloved Hubby either never really recovered from our ‘Fun With Flu' October, or he's caught another cold. So he was home today, and I was off to Mal-Wart to refill our generic Robitussin and decongestant stockpiles. What the heck, some folks make sure they got plenty of chicken noodle soup and pantry foods when cold weather approaches, I make sure we got plenty of cough and cold meds, ‘cause when we get sick, no one has the energy to go shopping. And I also took stock of our soups - and got two more cans of Vegetable Beef and chicken stock.

But on the way, I passed a yard sale... Well, no, I didn't pass it... I pulled in and soon had an armload of goodies. A ‘Cabbage Patch Kids Pop Star Stage' caught my eye immediately. Almost Barbie-scale, it has lights and sounds, and can play music via A/V port, and the CPK signage easily reverted to a vivid purple. It's mostly purple, with some star design stickers. It was designed to work with specialized miniature CPK figures, but a slight boost to the poles, and it'd easily accommodate my dolls. Came with two drums, cymbals, and fake speaker props.

From there, I found a pink Barbie china cabinet - it has a mirrored back, with ‘glass' rose-etched doors that open. Kind of ‘A' shaped. I'd say it was part of the "Sweet Roses" line, it's even dated 1987, but I can't find an in-box example. Once it's painted something other than pink, it'll be even better.

Found a Barbie pool - it's about like the infant pools you'd find at Dollar Tree - and a Happy Family baby clothes ‘store' shelf unit that will be soo easy to convert to any other store I'd like to make. I also found the Krissy castle ‘bedroom' from 2003's ‘Barbie and Krissy Princess Palace Playset', but none of the other props. Looks cute with the Disney ‘Musical Princess' dolls ! Three bucks for the lot. Wow.

From there, I stopped in a Dollar General - haven't been there in a while. They had some Barbie fairy dolls, but nothing else new from Mattel. They've got their own line of princess and vanity dolls for $10. - the vanity was a bit too kiddy for me (it even lit up), but the doll was actually kind of cute, and the dress looked nice. Remember the Disney Princess Christmas gift tag stickers I scanned last year ? There's a whole new set out this year, and I bought one. In fact, starting Dec. 01, I'll be doing a DPrincess holiday sticker every day. More later on that. Anyway, they also had Tinkerbell gift tag stickers and Christmas cards, so if you like the Disney Girls, you may wanna check your local DolGen.

Used up a few quarters to wash off my beloved Molly-car. The recycling place had a lake-like mud puddle, and it dalmationed my car hood yesterday. I felt bad that she looked so dirty, so I gave her a quick wash. Funny how the three minutes of time I bought went much faster than my watch said they did...

Then it was on to Mal-Wart. Got the meds we'll need for the near future and had a look around. The Halloween stuff was on final markdown, everything was a dollar or less, even the costumes. I scored a box of fruit snacks (36 bags for a buck !), a star necklace (50c), and four rubber duckies - dressed as a pumpkin, a pirate, a witch, and a cat - for 24c each. The witch is, of course, mine, and the pirate went to Beloved. The other two got tucked away for Dearest Son's stocking. He's gonna love that cat one ! I shared my idea when someone asked what price they scanned as (I always scan sale stuff), and when I left, several folks were going through the duckie boxes. I figure they didn't have them in stock for much longer !

Poked around Toys a bit, although I was pretty well plaything-sated at that point. Found a little catalog in a cardboard Barbie display, so I should be scanning that one soon, but it's mostly identical to the one I got and scanned from TRU earlier this year. I'll scan the pages that are different, though, for  you.

I also saw something unusual. Two ladies were struggling to assemble a fuchsia-pink box with the Barbie logo all over it. It resembled a mailbox, and oddly, the yet-unfinished sides seemed to indicate that it was the place to recycle old Barbie dolls ! Huh. I may go over tomorrow - I forgot a few groceries - with a camera. If this is so, I want a photo of it. I wonder why Mattel (and clearly, it was licensed) is setting up abandoned Barbie drop boxes. And why now...

From there, I toured the fabric section and found a remnant I liked - yes, it was a princess print, just throw something at me already. After yesterday's success with PDorrie clothes, I thought it'd make a cute dress. And it fit the theme of my other self-indulgent purchases from the Christmas section. A package of 80 holiday Disney Princess stickers (12 actual character stickers repeated twice, the rest are ornaments, snowflakes, and arabesques) and a pack of similar multi-character pencils. What can I say besides I'm a sucker who's been wanting those for a while. There were similar treats for Cars and Tinkerbell. Ornaments, tin lockers, tin boxes, stickers, pencils, notepads, stockings. While part of me berates my purchases, I'm kinda proud of me for not glomming on to more of it !

Decided that, if I was gonna fight this crowd at the registers for what I was already buying, I may as well get the grocery shopping over with, too. Was gonna get Dearest a new pair of larger sweatpants ($5.), but instead, found a long-sleeved shirt with matching pants for $7. on markdown, so he has that instead. He's growing so fast, his wardrobe can barely keep up ! May have to hem the pants a bit, though.

Oh, and I forgot to tell you - Big Lots has those Kari Mitchell sets again this year. It's a decent knock-off doll with five very nice outfits, all in a color theme. Blue, black, and rose this year. Last year, they were $12., but I forgot to see what they were this year. The clothes are pretty nice for the price !

They also had a fairly decent kitchen set, too. I thought about it, but decided that I liked the ‘TV Chef' Barbie playset more. Since the price is the same, I'll snag that one maybe next week or the week after.

I didn't quite sew today, but I got the material cut out for a pretty little dress. It's a Japanese pattern, so wish me luck ! The ballerina fabric didn't quite work with the skirt part, so I'm going to use blue and pink layers instead. Just wish I had a darker pink. What I have is too light. (sigh) But I hope to get it sewn up tomorrow !

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 11:43 PM CDT

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