Pretty, pretty Ghoulia !

Current Mood : So happy...

Pretty new dolls ! I hope the Scarah Screams doll takes a while to come out, so I can enjoy these for a long time, without  worrying about her ! I tell ya, part of enjoying these dolls is how easy they were to obtain. Yeah, I paid a bit extra for shipping and convenience, but right now, it is soooo worth it.

I love this Mad Science Ghoulia. It’s why she got a solo photoshoot today. She seems to have a slight smile about her, and her eyes are so lovely. I’m kinda disappointed in her hair – it’s chopped and uneven, and she lost a lot during a post-debox brush – but I like the style. It’s like her Signature style, but updated. (grin) At first, I thought her hair was most like Dot Dead Gorgeous Spectra’s, but a quick look at all my dolls shows it’s original. Others have side bangs, but Ghoulia’s are much higher than everyone else’s.

Of course, I love her clothes. The Periodic Table-inspired print is precisely that, inspired. It’s not one-way only oriented, but you may wanna look for one on the shelf that has the letters facing up. Doesn’t really matter much, though. The dress has a snug-fitting bodice with a flared skirt that looks so classically feminine. Her earrings match – so do Cleo’s, for some weird reason, but in gold – and at least they catch her glasses when they don’t quite reach her ears. Her headband tends to ride slightly above her head, much like her signature one, but it’s adorable, with a brain decoration on the side. I also love her flared lab coat, the lapels are tacked down and everything ! And the ‘brain’ print goes with half her wardrobe. I wish they’d done something more interesting with her shoes. More high-tops, yawn. I know I always avoided bracelets on Lab Days in school but maybe Ghoulia just forgot. They’re cute !

Tomorrow, you get to hear about Cleo’s deboxing – what a pain that was ! But she’s beautiful, that purple streak in her hair is so unique. I just prefer Scaris.

Oh, and I did something a little silly. Found a slightly used copy of Barbie Fashion Vol. 1, 1959 – 1697 for a great price, and snagged it. I already have the other two Sarah Sink Eames books, and wanted this one, too. But $50. and more kept me wanting. I still checked thrift stores, second-hand bookstores, and yard sales just in case, but it was evidently a rare book. Anybody would wonder why I bought a Barbie book, when clearly my interests have waned, but the Vintage fashions are the ones I’m always trying to copy ! Even most of my MH creations kinda look like Barbie clothes, really. Plus, I still leaf through the other two volumes, for ideas in shape, color, and style. So I’m excited about having all three, finally ! 

Ch-ch-changes for Abbey and Heath !

Current Mood : Weary, for whatever reason...

Was too keyed up last night to sew anything original, so I focused on adapting ‘Home Ick’ Heath and Abbey’s issue outfits instead. I have to say that I’m impressed by the sewing I had to undo. I figured Heath’s pants were simply fold-cuffed and sewn down, a bit too high-water for my liking, but they’d be easy to pick out and re-sew.

Not so fast. The raw edges were sealed, possibly with a Fray-Check type chemical, and the cuffs had been sewn, then tacked down, then folded into the side seams. It’s not easy to describe, but the thirty seconds of picking with a seam ripper that I expected took closer to ten minutes per leg. I was able to keep the cuff, and I wanted to, but it was because the way they were originally sewn made sure of it. They’re still a bit too short, but I think they look better now that they’re within grazing reach of his shoes.

I also figured the purple tulle overskirt on Abbey’s dress was held on at the waist only with a single line of stitches, because, again, the sides would be caught up in the back seam. I was right about the single stitch line, but that skirt was sewn on all three sides, even well-within the back seam allowance. But it was easy to remove, but once it was off, I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I mean, ya hate to waste an official MH  tulle skirt, ya know ? So just for kicks, I tacked it to the bottom hem and it looked pretty good there. Helped lengthen the usual just-a-bit-too-short MH skirt, too. So I changed my needle and sewed it down. I like !

The chest-bow I still don’t like, but it had *those* stitches on it. You know the kind. Thick and wadded, and if you have any experience in removing similar Barbie bows, you know that half the time, there’s holes in the fabric when you’re done. So I just clipped the tails a bit shorter, so the whole bow would lie flat, and that was good. I’m happy with their outfits now !

About Abbey’s shoes, though…jury’s still out ! She's wearing Scaris Draculaura's today. 

The photo has Heath at an angle for a reason. While many fans were disappointed about his hair either not being rooted or not translucent like Holt Hyde’s, I like it. The sculpt is spot-on, there’s depth and a suggestion of motion to it, and the colors are perfect. I’m also super-happy Mattel used a clear elastic to anchor his head to the box, instead of those darn plastic tab-things. He may be short-sighted, impatient, hot-headed, and impulsive, but there’s not one single hole in his head ! 

‘Home Ick’ Abbey is adorable…

Current Mood : Better ! 

…but I’m still going to let her go. My photos aren’t ever as sharp as they can be, so I’ll have to tell you about some of her awesome details. Her pink earring is a pair of measuring spoons, her blue one is a spatula, the kind you flip pancakes with. So cute ! Her dress is really pretty, with matching cuffs and collar, but I may decide to remove the bow at the neck and the tulle overskirt. Ya’ll know how I am about bows, and the overskirt just looks a bit odd to me. Before I got them, I thought the tulle was part of her apron. Nope, it’s sewn to the dress. While it’ll be really simple without it, I think I’ll like her dress without ragged-edge glitter-tulle.

She also has a simple pink ‘bead’ bracelet, and boots. I’m torn on the boots. I like the translucent purple color and sort of like the shape, but the blue bubbles and blobs on the soles and sides seem odd. The boot top edges and heels have, of course, icicle details, but you can barely see them. I may wipe off the bubbles, see if I like the boots better that way.  

What really cinches it for me is her hair. The candy-like stripes have lots of fans, but they’re just not…’Abbey’ to me. It’s a shame, ‘cause she really is pretty, and as yesterday’s photo shows, she’s actually a slightly deeper blue than my Signature Abbey, and her ‘frost’ body glitter is less noticeable.

Plus, the set comes with  a ton of adorable props. The bowl and spoon our School playset gargoyle is about to feast with are part of this set, along with a half frozen/half brown dessert, a measuring cup with something green within, a black claw whisk, and a green-eyed…cookie jar ? Not sure, but I like to think it’s full of sugar eyeballs and Doom House cookies, so it is.

I’m hoping to check on something tomorrow, but I should still have time to debox Ghoulia and Cleo afterwards ! I like to give m’self stuff to look forward to !

Although a new doll says the girls will be back tomorrow, too. Yes, they were here today as well – what the heck ? Do they even* have* parents ?! – but my guys stayed in due to their burns, so I just kept a loose eye on them. It’s so sad that they’re so alone…

Summer hits Chez Insanity...hard !

Current Mood : Worried 'bout my men...

Quiet day. We slept in, and had a lazy leftover lunch. Deboxed Heath and Abbey, finally read the story. So adorable  !

Beloved Hubby and Dearest Son hit the pool soon after. It wasn’t a good idea for me yet, so I decided to chill and read on the sofa instead. Offerred to sunscreen my men, but was told they wouldn’t be out that long.

An hour later, Beloved came in. He and Dearest had been joined by at least six other completely parent-free kids, at least four of which don’t live here. What can ya do ? We grabbed the apples and crackers from Aldi’s and the last of the water bottles and took them out, as well as every towel in the house. Yes. Kids were out there with no parents, no food, no water, and no towels. We gathered it all and he took it back out.

Two hours after that, they came in, but the parade at the door didn’t stop for some time. There were requests for more snacks, loans of pool toys, questions about Ginger-kitty, requests for the bathroom. (sigh) And an hour after that, Dearest and Beloved’s sunburns ‘came in’ – they were as red as brick ovens, and gave off as much heat as a pair of them at Panera Bread at the peak of lunch rush. When we went out for sunburn relief and sodas, we saw two of the kids walking home, about two blocks from the apartments, dripping wet. One kid was shorter than the lowest water level in the pool ! We still don’t know where they live, or why it was OK for them to be gone all day with no parenting at all. Scary.

Of course, my guys hurt and are a bit crabby. I’m just selfishly glad I didn’t go out. Imagine coughing hard enough to see stars while you have a sunburn ! I still remember the ‘annual’ ones I got every vacation we went to the beach. The family would rent a big house or several trailers (depending on how various members were getting along) right on the coast, and we’d spend our first non-travel day out on the sand and in the sea, all day. Then come back to the rental(s), red as lobsters and twice as snappy. Rest of vacation was spent sleeping late, reading, playing card and board games, eating family fave and takeout foods off a never-ending supply of paper plates, napping, visiting, shopping, and walking on the beach late at night, hunting for shells and listening to the ocean. I got separated from my all-older cousins on one walk, caught in the moon’s liquid spell, but when they found me, I’ve never felt so loved. I’ve been caught up in love several times since then, but that was the first. You always remember.

I wonder if the moon’s out tonight…?

A very gifted day !

Current Mood : Perkier ! 

Today began with a thoughtful but unexpected gift. Ginger-kitty sauntered in this morning bearing a near visible attitude of ‘So there !’ and I soon saw why. One of the family of clattering, hyperactive blue jays that nest in the courtyard was…um, no more. She’d left the rest for us as a gift, or possibly as a warning to the rest of the unfortunate avian’s survivors. Not sure she cared what the bird’s eventual final destiny was, she’d had her say, and it was complete, as far as Ginger was concerned.

I don’t have a good history with blue jays. My most beloved cat from my youth had a bald patch near his otherwise completely distinguished tail, from where those blue buzzards bombed him all Spring. I saw his revenge. One flew in low, where he was lounging in the backyard, a fatal mistake in judgment. He went from lounge to launch in less time than it took you to read that, pushing off the earth from a dead rest, exploding upwards, snatching the bird in midair, and slamming it back down to the ground with a finality that I both heard and felt. The splayed wings and awkward feet were on display for several hours before my feline Street Fighter dispatched the body once and for all. His fur grew in, and I joined the Army, and to this day, am not sure those events aren’t connected.  

Then, as I sat down to my trusty computer to begin another day, I found a second gift. Beloved Hubby had gone out earlier and left a sweet surprise for me – rock candy ! (blush) When we were out & about yesterday, I saw them at a register, and said how I always loved how pretty and magical rock candy looks, but I can’t bring m’self to buy any, knowing it’s maybe two cents of sugar and ten cents of stick, not much more. He bought me one of each color/flavor they had. Of course, I’ll share them with Dearest Son, but I was so delighted, I squealed ! I’ll even let Dearest have the red one.

The rest of the day was pretty quiet. I miss sewing, but just don’t have the sustained energy I need yet. Long as I sit still, I’m darn near perfectly healthy, so unfortunately, I’m sitting around a lot. It’s still so easy for me to go out of breath, I really have to watch what I do. Even holding my breath for a few seconds can leave me gasping, and it’s amazing how many times a day I do that. My father was a newspaper man for most of my youth, meaning he did everything from ad sales to ad copywriting to page layouts to reporting to photography, any and all as needed. He taught me to hold my breath as I squeezed the shutter, for the steadiest camera hold yields the best photos, and to take every shot at least twice. I still do that every time. Thank Everything that recent pictures have been really simple !

Rearranged a few more things since I moved the printer, and figured I might as well get that broken in – I had patterns to scan and Dearest had Harry Potter images for me to print ! He now has a full set of House crests, and some other coloring book images to play with, and I’ve finally stored all my altered and new patterns. Glad that’s over with - she’s our printer/scanner now.  And I can’t wait to get my old one to my DM & FIL’s, and out from underfoot ! 

Lab Partners - commemorating Cleo's first real bid for World Domination...

Current Mood : Slightly sun-tinged ! 

While I’m recovering, my guys are still worried about me – which is funny, because they had no idea when it was at its worst ! Beloved Hubby cancelled Wednesday’s art class and arranged a picnic play date for the class families today, in hopes I’d have the strength to go, because maybe sitting in the sun outside would help.

I’m doing better, thank Everything, but the walk from Venus-diesel to the gazebo and back was enough to make me dizzy and a bit nauseous once we got back home. Once there, though, and I’d had a chance to sit for a bit, I was fine. It was a glorious day for it, with a nice breeze blowing, not too hot, but generously warm and beautifully sunny. All the kids got to run around and chase squirrels on a really magnificent day, something we’ve not had many of this year, and we got to parent-chat about politics and pop culture. The sun seemed to help dry out the damp in my lungs and refresh the too-long-hermited pieces of me, and I’ve never enjoyed a salad more. The cakes S. brought to share were excellent, too !

After a nice dinner, we decided to visit Hastings for a bit. (sigh) The used-book conundrum bit us all tonight, since they were having a good sale. You know the one – if they have it used, you don’t want it, but what you’d like to have isn’t available used. Snagged a couple barely read hardback Harry Potter books for less than $7. each, as our library can’t keep ‘em on shelves. Only need a couple more for a full set. When your son’s interested in reading, you *find* a way to obtain those books ! Felt good to tour their Monster High toy shelves, knowing there was not gonna be anything I wanted there, and that I had the newest releases anyway. BTW, has anyone ever tried ‘tongue tattoos’ ? Um, ugh.

It’s all I can do to stay awake ! And here’s the best thing – I used the inhaler about 2/3 less than I did yesterday ! Now it’s just recovery and renewing my strength. What a relief !

They’re here !

Current Mood : Happily wheezing !

It was so funny. I checked UPS tracking for my dolls and Dearest Son’s video game just before I went to bed last night, so it was still onscreen when I and the computer woke up. Just for kicks, I hit ‘refresh’. Still in CapitolCity, nothing new. Fine. Beloved Hubby made pancakes and bought juice, so I was happily involved with breakfast anyway. Delicious, and not soup ! I’ve basically been living on soup and crackers for the past week. We probably spent a quarter of our Aldi’s total on soup !

Figured I’d just open the door a bit – I’m still easily breathless most of the day, so I’d mostly spend it as usual, perched on my Arena chair two feet away – and clear the desktop, so I hit ‘refresh’ one more time. Delivered ! About fifteen minutes prior. The box was at the office, waiting. Don’t think I’ve ever seen Dearest eat pancakes that fast before…

Long story short (too late !), I got all I ordered, and everything was in good shape. Dearest's game was brand-new, something that wasn't completely clear from the description or price, which was really cheap ! There’s my very own Heath and Abbey, but I won’t keep her. Gonna steal all her clothes, and see if I can sell/trade her. Abbey’s unique hair – and the fact that about half yer MH fans don’t collect the guys for various reasons – has a lot of people wanting just half the set. Hope someone wants a redressed one, I love the dress she comes wearing !

Ghoulia is also gorgeous, as is Cleo – you get to see them tomorrow. Like this set, I’m keeping one (Ghoulia, of course) and looking for a new home for the other. Love to keep them all, but space is so limited… This just leaves one doll to hunt, the probable TRU-exclusive Scarah Screams I <3 Fashion version. And there’s no clue when she’s due. Barring some awesome new guys, I think I’m about to detach from the Mattel mothership. I just don’t have the space, and I can darn near make any clothes I want now. I have more than enough of everything to continue on my own without buying much more. At this point, I just want Slow-Moe, and any other guys they choose to market. That’s about it. 

I'll have to read the HP books sometime...

Current Mood : Wheezy but improving

Can’t remember if I mentioned it, but along with my dolls, I also ordered the Lego Harry Potter game for Windows, for Dearest Son. We’ve had two copies of the Wii version, and both crash and often fail to even boot. We’re hoping the computer version works better. When it does load and play, he’s entranced with the game, so I hope this one works ! We have the Wii upgraded to the newest specs, so I don’t know what the issue is, except our Wii is about six years old, and probably lacks some key power to run a much newer game.

I also indulged m’self today – can’t sleep for anything, although I’m exhausted. I think I OD’s a bit on the inhaler, because my mind is hopping around like crazy, and I can’t focus on anything at all. And between coughing and wheezing when I lie down, and frantic, chasing thoughts, I just can’t rest. So I bought a Kindle book from my wish list on Amazon, and happily burrowed down to read. It probably helps a bit that I’ve read it before, but it’s a series I really enjoy. Funny, how I couldn’t settle with a real book, but could with a digital one. At least my breathing’s a little better. 

It's silly how happy I am about my new printer !

Current Mood : Improving !

I feel a little better today – mostly because I slept. A lot. Nearly all day. So much so, that when Beloved Hubby left for work, he reviewed the ‘emergency sequence’ with Dearest Son, and asked DMIL to call me, just to check up. I’m still weak as free tea, but I got some dishes done (it was embarrassing how they’d piled up) and reorganizing the rainbow drawer cart once more. With the new printer, I need a paper drawer, so I shuffled stuff around until I had one cleared for it. Yaay !

Later tonight, I’m gonna move the new printer. Beloved very sweetly put it on a small table next to the dinner table, so it wouldn’t take up very limited Arena space. What he doesn’t know is that I’ve been trying to eliminate that very table, since it keeps us from eating at the dinner table, for weeks. He got it all cleared for the printer, I’m gonna finish the job and shuffle my sewing machines and such,  relocate the printer, and hide the table. Probably behind or under the sofa !

House looks like heck while I’m sick, but my Arena’s nice and clean and organized ! Long as I can sit down while I do it, I can get a lot done. Already bagged up everything I can find from my old printer, and we hope to see DMIL & FIL next week, pass it off. According to Beloved, I can even print on transparency sheets now – and we have lots of those, bought cheap at thrift stores years ago. Wow. My ole inkjets could sort of print on those, the ink just never really dried and would smear, three years later. Ask me how I know this. 

Why are germs so adorably cute ?!

Current Mood : Concerned

Sorry my entries have been so short – and sooo massively late. My breathing’s actually getting worse, so I don’t move around a lot. When I don’t get much done, there isn’t much to report, and lately, it’s been challenging to type. Not a lot we can do, either. I’m giving it ‘til Monday or so, and if I’m still fighting for air, I’m going to see my doctor. Starting to scare m’self a little. 

I just love this 'novel' art !

Current Mood : Happy. I think. 

We installed my new printer today – Beloved Hubby decided to keep his laser printer, now that he fixed it, too – so the new one was installed primarily for me and Dearest Son to use. It’s nice ! Scanner works great, and we don’t have to wait or hold off on printing if someone’s asleep. Both use the same print head and toner, so it’s like having a built-in back up, just in case. DMIL and FIL can use my old inkjet printer/scanner, so as soon as I get all the drivers, discs, manuals, and wires, it’s all theirs.

After we dropped Dearest Son off for a daylong visit, we hit Aldi’s for groceries and headed home. My dolls are in Kentucky right now, so there’s little hope of them arriving before Monday. Rats ! I really should count my blessings, since, if I had to wait for them to show up around here, I probably wouldn’t have ‘em ‘til August !

Tired of being sick already !

Current Mood : File not found. Too tired for 'mood'. 

Another ‘fighting sleep’ day. Except I didn’t fight that much. I feel better, so hopefully after a good night of rest, I’ll be over whatever’s making me so overwhelmingly tired.

Our visit to DMIL & FIL got delayed ‘til tomorrow, as Beloved had a work meeting tonight. It was total crap, and it wasn’t until he arrived that he was told the actual meeting was an hour away, wasn’t it good he was early ! Then he got the usual BS for an hour, and got to drive back. A two hour drive for a one hour BS meeting. He’s still pretty ticked. 

ZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Current Mood : Well, tired. 

I know I’m still ill when I’m falling asleep every ten minutes I’m sitting down – and that’s after two glasses of soda ! I drink so little caffeine these days, a little goes a long way, so a single glass a day is plenty. A cuppa coffee is now enough to launch me into the stratosphere ! But not today. Even the screechy screams of an episode of Bridezillas wasn’t enough to keep me awake.

Perhaps that’s why I gave in. I’m tired physically and mentally, and I took the easy option. Kinda mad at m’self for doing that, but it’s done and I can’t say I’m not relieved. And I’ll have what I want Monday, there’s something to be said for basic satisfaction. (sigh) So, okay. I found a seller with both of the new Classroom Partners dolls, $70. delivered. I’ll have the Heath and Ghoulia I want, and Abbey and Cleo to sell or whatevs. I have no idea how much the MSRP is on these dolls, I figured they’d each be about $20- $30. And I hit it. Sure, I overpaid a bit, but I figure it’ll save at least that much in gas and driving around, and it’s done. I’m pretty excited, but kinda feel bad for giving in to an admittedly low-profit scalper. D’ya’ll think I should take down the ‘no scalping’ pledge sign down ?

So it stands to reason that not a heckuvalot got done today. We need a long cable to network the new printer, and we have one…we think. It’s at DMIL & FIL’s house, last time we saw it. We’ll probably visit tomorrow. Beloved Hubby has his Library class to teach, and hopefully, I’ll be awake enough to go, too ! 

I just love Abigail's new spring selection !

Current Mood : Celebratory ! 

Today was just lovely, not hot – but so darn humid, I could hardly move. Arrrgh.

We updated our printer this weekend, basically arranged for an in-store pickup for a sale mono laser scanner/ printer/ copier that Beloved Hubby’s had his eye on for a while. It went on sale in yesterday’s newspaper ad, and since we have an offer for our old one that’s still good, why not ? It was waiting for us at the register, but since he’s working tonight, there wasn’t time to install it. He’s pretty excited though, so it’ll probably be up and running by this time tomorrow. That’s good – I got two altered /revised patterns waiting to go.

I got to sew, though ! My alterations to Mazouko’s Midnight Magic doll dress went OK, but it just barely closes in the back. And the ‘sleeves’ are just barely tank-top straps now. I kinda like it like that, though. Hope to fix the back for the next trial. Decided to make another dress, so I gathered a rectangle and attached it. Not bad !

I had an idea for Abigail’s shoes last week – they should be here this week, wish me luck that they fit ! 

Once a fangirl...always an image-stealing magpie fangirl.

Current Mood : Hungry

Another quiet weekend – rain again. It’s nice to listen to, but that’s about all I can do with my lungs so tight and clogged. Dearest Son tore a pair of sweatpants out at the knees, so now he has shorts. I think there’s another pair in the dirty clothes bin that’ll get similar treatment, if he hasn’t outgrown them, too.

Also fixed the black skirt I sewed for Abigail a few days ago. It wasn’t sitting right on her hips, so I took it in a bit more. Much better ! Already altered the pattern so that next time, it’ll fit from the start. Haven’t sewn the altered bodice piece yet, but that’s up for the next time I feel up to a sewing day. I have it already cut out and Fray-checked. If I can get a good fit, I’ll have a great base for blouses and dresses ! It’s good as-is, but I wanted bigger armholes and sides that matched. The back part of the side seams is much sharper than the front. Not sure why. And when one is noticeably different, you always wonder if you sewed it right – I mean, do you sew your seam according to the sharp angled side or by the more gently curved one ?

Some hot soup might help. I got ham bits, bouillon, and potatoes…

Sure, the dispenser said 'Banana Blast', but I think it's really 'Liquid Peep'

Current Mood : Sugar high. I can feel the crash a'coming....

Sewed today, too – one day, I’ll have to get back to sewing doll clothes ! I confess, earlier this week, I thought I bought some specialty fabric for Abigail Bloodgood (and Nightmare !), but as it turned out, what I thought was a Buy It Now was actually just a  regular auction for bids. After that cloth sat on eBay for days, possibly weeks, someone came along and outbid me a quarter at the last minute. Imagine my surprise when I went to pay for it, and not only was it not mine, but I never got an outbid notice. (sigh) Ah, well, was my own fault for attempting to buy something online when I’m not at my best (when even my best barely makes it most days !) and wasn’t being careful.

Problem is, I wasn’t letting go and re-engaging somewhere else. I haunted and hunted for that same print for waaay too long, and evidently, that cutaway scrap was the only piece left on the planet. It took another shiny scrap to finally distract me, and it came in today. You’d think, with the parsecs of fabric I have at my hands and hips around the Arena, I could have found something in-house, so to speak, for my next planned project, but no, if I couldn’t have precisely what I wanted, I was at least gonna get something new ! I am such a child sometimes…

And you’re gonna laugh when I tell ya why I wanted it. I decided that Abigail’s clothes and shoes are gonna be hard to pick out of the masses of regular-body MH wear, so I decided to make her a drawstring bag for her shoes and a zipper one for her apparel. Did the same thing, with rose-print fabric I already had, for Howleen. The first print was appropriately horse-themed, and when that opportunity sailed, I found a lovely variegated green with tiny gold moons and stars scrap. I used about 2/3 of it, and have enough for a dress and a shirt or two. Yaaay !

And the bags are made – I’d show ya, but they’re really nothing special at all. At least the one I made for a birthday gift was big. 

Hey, at least they're only fat quarters !

Current Mood : Languid

We went out for a bit tonight – to Mal-Wart, of all places ! Needed a toilet snake, ‘nuff said. Still nothing new in MH, if anything, there was more older stuff (Ghouls Alive, Sweet 1600, and Roller Maze ) than there was before. I think I’ve finally beaten off the ‘must buy *something*’ mindset, as I was able to resist the Scaris car and café playset, and I would have bought them before. It helps that I really don’t like any of it, and I finally have a sense of my limits. Not gonna fill my small space with stuff I end up discarding.

Instead, I got two new fat quarters, which is almost as bad as mindless doll buying, but it takes up less space. That blue star and stripe one is gonna make some great guy shirts ! Also snagged a pound of cherries and one of strawberries, and we all made selections for good sandwiches for the weekend. And I had to get those trays that make star-shaped ice cubes. Don’t laugh.  

Got the new Daft Punk album, Random Access Memories, for Beloved Hubby, as an early Father’s Day gift. He’s been wanting it, mostly because ‘Lose Yourself To Dance’ is a mood-lifting song for him. I’m more in to ‘Get Lucky’, but the whole album is so retro-funk 80s, I love it all. So does he. I have a feeling it’ll spend more time in Venus-Diesel than it does in the house !

For his part, Dearest Son waffled about it, but since he had the cash, he decided to go for the Lone Ranger ‘Stagecoach’ Lego set. He could care less about the branding, he just wanted the coach for his made-by-him-from-old-pieces custom Hogwarts castle, to drop off various characters to the Yule Ball. Did you know Jack Sparrow and Princess Leia attended – together ? It’s true. I saw it all. 

Spring really is my worst season...

Current Mood : Breathless

We had a nice, quiet day – and I hate to admit that, while Dearest Son was off visiting his grandparents, we slept most of the day away. I had no idea I was so tired – any ten minutes I wasn’t actively doing something, I was nodding off and stretching out.

About all I got done was some laundry, and I made sure to get my new super-expensive fabric in there. It didn’t fade, and the selvages were so wide, I didn’t even cheap-serge the edges like normal. Surprisingly, they didn’t fray much, either. I’m impressed, but at $17.50/yd (plus $3. shipping), it should be superlative, in my book !

Not much going on. Wanna color ?

Current Mood : Wiped out. 

Click to make big, then snag and print and
grab the crayons ! 

I got to sew *early* today ! We had drawing class, and one of Beloved Hubby’s students has a birthday today. We found out ahead of time, so we hit Hobby Lobby Monday and got him a great gift – thanks to advice from his lovely Mom. It wasn’t until late last night that I realized we didn’t have a scrap of wrapping paper in the whole place, and not even gift bags or newspaper, either. Just some crumpled tissue paper.

So, I got up early and made a neat drawstring gift bag ! I realize most folks would get up early and go buy something, but we had to leave for class at 8:30am, and many stores around here aren’t open that early…and the few that are usually  well on their way to becoming a disaster area at that hour. It was kind of a choice between ‘spend an hour buying something’ and ‘spend an hour making it instead’, and since I had all I needed ready to go, I chose the ‘make’ option. Even used up some ancient thread, emptied a bobbin, and used up all the ‘yardage’ I had of that fabric I used for Frankie and Hutch’s Memorial Day clothes. Still have lots of scrap pieces though. Since the birthday boy loves patriotic themes, and that fabric wasn’t especially ‘girly’ in any way, it was a natural choice. It was still in a wad beside the Arena, too. Now he has a good, sturdy tote bag to reuse, and I’ve freed up some space, and it became an additional gift without costing us a dime or ending up in the trash. Even Beloved was impressed. Win-win-win !

Dearest Son was a bit too excited to notice anything beyond going to Granny & Grandpa’s after class, though. 

My 'Shoe Monster' has been appeased. For now.

Current Mood : Pleased.

I got what I wanted ! I probably screwed it up, but I just don’t care. I’m happy with what I did, and it’ll save me money in the long run. Go, me !

The one thing that bugged me about Abigail Bloodgood was her total lack of footwear. I’m sure the Nefera fans can sing me to sleep with the same song, since they’ve honed that verse to melodious poetry because they’ve dealt with it a lot longer.  You can make a convincing argument either way, that each doll has limits to what her issue shoes can do for her, but when the rubber meets the road, there’s just too few options for either doll. Even when they can each wear the other’s shoes, there’s only so many fashions that call for themed slingbacks and knee-boots.

And good luck buying just Nefera’s shoes. The days for those to go for less than ten bucks are over. They now go for more than the doll did ! And that’s when you can find them. Arrgh. The few handmade pairs out there just didn’t match my thoughts of Abigail’s character, so I was kinda stuck. Like the MH dolls, all I really wanted was a pair of classic black FM pumps. It took a year and a half for Mattel to give us those, and even then, only as a CAM add-on set – I wasn’t taking bets on how long it’d be before Nefera or Abigail got their pair.

So I made my own, sort of. I found several pair of Abigail’s boots up for sale, chose a good seller I had experience with, and bought ‘em. They arrived today, and were barely out of the baggie when I started making plans. Grabbed my chalk pen and sketched about where to cut on both, and in less time than it takes to type, Abigail had a decent pair of black FM pumps – and they only cost $10. Yeah, kinda silly to pay that for doll shoes when my new ones were nine bucks, but when it’s that or $18.99 for just Nefera’s shoes that I still have to alter, I’m glad I did what I did. Maybe I could have cut them smoother, made them more parallel, took that tiny snip that would have put them over the top, but I’m satisfied with them as they are, and I’ve learned the hard way to stop when I’m good. Or she’ll end up with an ugly pair of black flip-flops, and I’ll be back on eBay, hoping her issue boots are still ten bucks when I get money again, so I can try to get it right the next time. So, there you have ‘em, I’m happy.

Just wish this darn rain would stop, so I can spray-paint her chair already ! 

Oh, yeah ! Say what you will, I love a professional wardrobe !

Current Mood : Tired. 

Still pretty ill – if I don’t move much, I can almost breathe normally, and convince m’self and Beloved Hubby there’s nothing wrong – but I got some housework done by going slow and sitting my big butt down when I needed to, and even had a little fun with sewing.

It took me two days to make a simple skirt – it’s just the skirt part of the same pattern that made Abigail’s green sheath dress, courtesy of Mazouko – and all I did was add a thin waistband. But it looks great ! I need to tweak the fit a bit in the back, or use thinner material, as the Velcro ™ doesn’t overlap right. Maybe snaps would work better. I also wanna make it knee-length, I keep forgetting to change that !

My fabric arrived – possibly the most I’ve ever paid for a yard of fabric ! – but it’s gorgeous. I can’t wait to use it, and kind of want to jump in now, but I’ll be a good girl and wash it first.

I love these things - so scientific and wise-looking !

Current Mood : Tight

We got two inches of rain last night, and the pool guy is off all weekend. So why there’s three screamers loudly doin’ what they do in there today is beyond me. I tell ya, the wrong people get sunburned, ‘cause the screamers have been in there four hours now. Maybe they scream so the parents who aren’t out there with them can hear that they’re OK, but it really is annoying, and dangerous when I finally get tired of all the shrill and reach for the headphones. Ah, well. I would say ‘it’s getting dark, so there won’t be much more of that’, but I can’t, since people were in the pool during last night’s rainstorm. I can’t be sure anybody around here acts in their own best interests, much less common sense, so…. where are my headphones again  ?

I’m kind of stuck at my Arena perch, due to the awesome high humidity. We’ve had rain off and on all week, and the in-betweens are killing my airways. Between that (we call it Monsoon Season), the pollen, and a lot of animal dander and Cottonwood spores drifting on the light breeze, with gunk building up in my lungs at night, Spring is my worst season. I really have to watch my exertions, ‘cause with all that going on, my asthma is too easy to trigger. It makes it entirely too easy to be lazy and not do much but daydream.

But I make those big ones ! One day, I'm gonna get a barometer, so I know what to expect from the day - and I'm gonna have to learn to read one, too !