Monday, December 3, 2012

My new craft trolley is well-stocked ! With help from DTree...


Current Mood : Picky



We got to go to Dollar Tree today ! I had so much fun just looking at everything ! Ours finally had the two-packs of doll clothes in stock, and I got the ones I liked most. Evidently, they sell pretty well, there were only two ‘pins’ of them, and neither was full. It’s official – those plastic I-shaped barbs must be the cheapest way possible to attach anything, the doll clothes were lousy with ‘em. I noticed two pieces still attached to the cardboard but torn by them in the store, and was pretty careful picking out the ones I bought. Yes, I am snooty even about doll clothes that come in a two-pack for a buck.


Found the semi-transparent orange plastic pony beads I need to make doll-size prescription bottles (you can watch how here, at the 3:14 mark, part of the ‘How To Make a Doll Robe’ tutorial from My Froggy Stuff), because I think Ghoulia may be slightly anemic. DLaura usually is. Even scored the AAA batteries we need for a small desk lamp. It’s hard to see black stitches on black fabric at my desk most days (and all nights), so recent rip-outs have been difficult to an almost migraine degree. Not anymore !  


And speaking of headaches, my MH beds / HooDude swap is not going well. I wrote her this morning, saying I’d need her address to mail the beds off tomorrow – when you’re a one-vehicle family, ya gotta make the most out of a trip – but she’s not written back yet. She’s been on the board, at three different times I know of, but hasn’t posted since Saturday. I don’t think she’s aware that the ‘stats’ shows logins and posts, with the exact times. In any case, she has ‘til tomorrow night, then I’m listing ‘em on eBay and getting it over with. I’d think maybe there’s a glitch or something, but my messages to another member on the same board are going through just fine. Plus, since I told her I’d mail them today (my original plan), anyone would figure I’d need an address, since we never traded before. If she needs more time, she’s just gotta say so, but this vanishing act is kinda tickin’ me off. Even the HooDude I was keeping my eye on got bought today. I swear, with all this hassle, it almost seems like it’s destined for me to make my own ‘Dude !


Lest you think I spent the whole day shopping – even I can’t spend more than an hour or two at DTree ! – I did some crafty work, too. Dug out the shoes that came with Toralei’s fashion, and got them prepped to be remade. I considered just cutting off the orange part, but you know me, I never do anything the easy way. It took me two episodes of Jerico (Beloved Hubby’s choice) to get the orange paint off the ‘kerchief’ part of her open-toe wedgies. As with Operetta’s fashion shoes, that paint was on to stay ! I swear, Toralei’s were more work, with less color in a smaller space, than Operetta’s. I only got one done, but my arm hurts.


Although Deborah reminded me that I could just paint over, fact is, I wanted the orange gone, and I’m too cheap to pay for black paint. I still haven’t bought the brown to finish Operetta’s. And as an all-black shoe, the wrinkles look weird and out of place. Considered buying white glitter paint next time I’m at Mal-Wart or a craft shop, but then I remembered – I had those DTree glitter pens in the family Craft Crate !


I soon had it on much too thick, but I dried it upside down for runoff, and it doesn’t look too bad. Hasn’t scratched off either. I figured, after they rolled around in the shoe box for a while, they’d be de-glittered, since it flaked right off when I tested it on the orange paint part. Yet the one I’ve completed has been surprisingly durable. I’m gonna let my arm rest tomorrow, then do the other shoe Wednesday.


I’m also happy ‘cause the new lamp works – it made taking a photo of Robecca’s feet much easier – and I found that ‘Frame’ sheet of scrapbook paper so quickly, now that it’s right at my hip in the bookcase ! Yaaay ! 

4 comments:

  1. I don't know what you usually use to remove paint from doll accesories- I'm guessing paint thinner? I don't usually have any handy so I used to do it with nail polish remover which would often take forever and occasionally make me feel reeally light headed when I was careless about ventilation. BUT. Recently I discovered a combo that removes even the thickest, most stubborn paint near instantly- even stains so long as they aren't too deep- what I do is give the surface just one wipe with nail polish remover first, then spray on a little glue remover spray. I'm not sure though if any glue remover would work- my usual brand is from Starwax and smells very strongly of orange (it's actually orange zest based or some such). I guess it's possible that it works with any brand of glue remover, if you want to give it a try sometime. :D

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    1. Really ? Awesome, I had no idea such existed ! I'll have to keep an eye open for it - did you find glue remover online or in a craft shop ? I'm wondering who around here would have it, 'cause it'd sure be worth a couple bucks to save my arm !

      I've been using nail polish remover, too ! (grin)

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  2. Forgot to say thanks for the tip, Alrunia !

    THANKS !!!!

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  3. The glue remover came from a home improvement shop. :)

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