Jam-packed Saturday !

Current Mood : Weary but very happy and proud of m'self.
Spent on Ghoulia-cool fabric : $1.07

Last night was both scary and hilarious on the Monster High sites. After weeks of 'New Students are coming to MH on Friday the 13th !!1!!' teases, all that happened was, Mattel finally published official photos of Spectra Vondergeist and Abbey Bominable, on their official sites. And they published the 'lost' Chapter 13 from the first book - it's basically shoehorning Ghoulia into ComicCon this year. That's it. And they were actually kinda stingy with the images, waiting 'til mid-afternoon and dragging it out into the evening.


Meanwhile, many fans had taken the frequent little messages to mean that TRU and Mal-Wart had been sitting on stocks of both new dolls for days/weeks/months, and they'd be released early this morning...so they made plans to be there and be the first. Too bad that the release dates for the new girls isn't until sometime in June and August...which they also didn't state until well into the afternoon.


Shortly after the photos and dates (June for Spectra, August for Abbey) were posted, the hue and cry went up. How could Mattel possibly make their fans wait soooo long ??! It's just not fair !!1! (sigh) Ya'll, it's the middle of May. It'll be June in two weeks. I'm sure you can somehow find a way to drag yourself over the tortured landscape of your life, and somehow get through the days between now and then without these dolls for company during it.


Geez, and I thought I was looking forward a bit too much for MH merch... I have no drama at all in me, compared with some of these rabid fans. Maybe it's having so many MH dolls right at my elbows (seriously, I have that many, they swamp both joints !), but aside from hair and clothes, I don't see anything truly unique here. They're pretty, but I bet they're recycled head molds. I really want to like them, even with that nasty business over the leaked prototype (?) photos, but I just don't feel anything at all like that 'spark' I got last summer. I look at the images and shrug. I really don't want to feel that way, but I do. At least they're still wildly inventive with the original cast !


Still, though, the anger kinda shocked me. I know Mattel hasn't done the best job promoting this line - heck, they really haven't been promoting it at all, IMhO - but some of these 'fans' were getting threatening. Just 'cause it takes three months concept-to-retail shelf for a collector Barbie doesn't mean MH is subject to the same time frame. Since Mattel tends to use the most static doll body they have for collector dolls (gambling that the doll will never leave the box), those can be done waaaay ahead of time - about the only thing that puts a Barbie at collector level is an ornate dress and limited numbers. MH is not the same - the bodies alone are pretty tech, and I bet are a real witch (ha-ha) to assemble. And even so, that doesn't give anyone the right to be a bully over toys. I'm the last person on the planet to tell someone else to grow up, but I hope some of these people survive puberty - and Heaven help us all if they're already on the 'making car payments' side of it.


Anyway... Brody and I finished embroidering the last of the badges today. Hooray ! Did I mention they needed to have Velcro (tm) sewn to the backs ? *All* of them ? I'm sure Beloved Hubby told me, but I completely forgot. Beloved noted my weariness and volunteered to do it, but he had major problems. After the third volley of curses and scary thumps coming out of KJ, I nudged him out of my chair and took over. He was impressed with how fast and accurate I was with the Velcro - to me, I was unbearably slow, but it was short sides and long curves, with a narrow valley of correct (i.e., not showing) placement, so I had to take my time.


Got about halfway done with the set I was working on - the ones I'd just finished that morning - when we ran out of the Velcro (tm) he'd bought for both sets. And Hancock Fabrics closed in an hour. So we printed up the 40% off notions and a cut of fabric coupons they always e-mail me and dashed over. Bought the last strip of matching Velcro they had - enough to finish one set of badges, not enough to complete both. Since the larger badges (those in the first set I finished on Thursday) have to be mailed Monday, we'll have tomorrow night to work on 'em. There's also three other Hancock's we can check for more Velcro (tm). The smaller badges go to their new owner at tomorrow's Airsoft game, so we got those done. There went the afternoon and into tonight. Whew. Good thing I learned how to sew the hook (hard) side of Velcro last month ! I also got a ton of small scraps - fabric and Velcro - for my own sewing. I love little bonuses ! I even got to give my unused 40% off fabric coupon to the nice lady behind me in line. I love doing that.


What kinda ranks is, now I know how to make badges, and can attach Velcro to the backs. New skill. If I weren't so tired of these, I'd love to make some of my own !


Found an adorable fat quarter that's perfect for Ghoulia, and since it was on sale for 99c, snagged it. Beloved also replenished my Fray-Check (although the Airsoft projects used less than a quarter bottle, he wanted to get me a fresh new one) and got me six yards of 15-inch wide Pellon lightweight interfacing, for cutaway stabilizer. The past couple days completely emptied my stock of used dryer sheets and whatever those weird 'in a tissue box, but not Kleenex' things I got from the hospital years and years ago. I can only assume they were disposable washcloths or something, all I know is, they got included in my things when I was discharged, and they made fantastic stabilizer. Wish I knew how to secure more. All that remains are small scraps barely big enough for another tiny MH logo.


But the Pellon looks to be just as good. Softer, and without deep folds in it. And it was on sale - 77c for each three-yard package. Even when it's not on sale, it's only 99c. So if it works on the next experiment, I know what I'll stock up on ! I also saw a battery-powered Pintastic - you toss glass-head pins into the hopper, and it feeds 'em to you, heads-up. Push the small lever, and they pop up to you a bit. I was entranced, but $30. is a bit much, and with my sewing, kinda hard to justify. Hmf. Seems like June Taylor is the only online distributor, and they're having a special - $45. ! Whatevs. If you'd like to see it, go here - http://store.junetailor.com/store/p-176-pintastic-automatic-pin-dispenser.aspx . (bonks self on head) Oh, it was on Edit, not Compose - that's why I had to futz over and over with the link and image ! Well, live and learn...or die ! 


I may do some embroidery experiments tomorrow, while Beloved's at the Airsoft field. I'll have all morning and most of the afternoon to m'self and Dearest Son. Not sure what I'll do yet. Right now, I'm tired of both sewing and embroidery. I may watch movies or enjoy some doll time.


Oh ! Ya'll will be so proud of me, I gotta tell you this ! The very last set of badges was running in Brody, and was about 1/3 done, when I remembered - that bobbin wasn't a new, full one. It'd probably run out at any minute, and I didn't have any ready to go. With Brody still stitching away, I grabbed the 70wt bobbin thread and an empty Brody bobbin - and wound it on KJ. KJ's winder is not automatic - ya gotta use the foot pedal. So, for a brief period today, I was running both Brody and KJ at the same time. I felt such power...


Unfortunately that glorious power has got up and gone. Gonna catch some well-deserved sleep. Kinda proud of me today...(yawn) G'night ! Hope you sleep well tonight.

And all's right with the world - for now.

Current Mood : Flighty and busy !

Yaay ! Blogger's back up, my Wednesday entry's restored, and my fish are soooo *hungry* ! Feel free to feed them, they've felt a bit neglected all day. 

Feeling *much* better today ! I still had an odd night, but steroids do that to me for a couple days after I take 'em. I'm exhausted until bedtime, then I'm all jangly, and that translates to unsettled dreams and lots of tossing and turning. But I woke up hungry, and wanted to eat, so I know I'm on the mend. Only the living wanna eat, ya know. Even a zombie knows that.

Got all the big patches done yesterday, and completed a test stitch-out of the second series. There was a bit of space left on the hooped fabric, so I also tested out the tiny Monster High  'MH' logo I digitized a couple weeks back - I think it came out pretty well ! It's about a half-inch by a half-inch, and should work up great for doll clothes. Once I'm done with the Airsoft commission, I can make my own darn sports uniforms, without having to peel off names and other character-specific bits - and not have to darn near destroy the clothes to fix them !

Our 'client', one of Beloved Hubby's Airsoft friends, really liked the stitch-out, so I have the go-ahead to do the rest. My weekend's claimed ! Already done seven of the eleven sets, so it shouldn't be too hard to finish up in the morning. While I got some rest last night, I'm still so sleepy - if Beloved's not working tomorrow, I'm not getting out of bed until I have to !

In between, I got some laundry done, and updated my cardboard bulletin board. I had another box cut down and ready to go, just had to tape it to the first one. My original board was one thin box -  recycled Priority Mail package -  so push-pins would go right through, and sometimes scratch the wall behind it. Not anymore ! Since I had it down, I also swapped out the fabric - the hot-pink Barbie print had been around for years, but since it's just taped to the cardboard, it was easy to replace with a colorful polka-dot print. It's cheerful without being eye-searing. That bright pink can get on your retinas after a while.

There's been a few 'firsts' with all this embroidery. When we first got Brody, it was easy to see how different his bobbins were from KJ's, my Kenmonre-Janome non-computerized sewing machine. Problem was, while the manual was very specific about using the right size bobbin, it didn't give a model number or size or anything at all. Other than 'using the wrong one can destroy your machine and may invalidate your warranty'. You know, the usual. I found some Brother brand bobbins and figured these were right...but were they ? I even wrote Brother to ask, but they never responded.

Well, today, since the embroidery is eating through bobbin thread, and I'm still kinda light-headed, I over-wound one. Which is also not good. Can lead to tangles and damage to the machine, warranty...yatta yatta. About the only way to fix it was to either unwind the bobbin and throw the overage thread away...or use KJ to wind the surplus thread onto another bobbin. Too bad I didn't have any empty ones. Except for the never-opened package of 'em I bought years ago.

Long story short (too late !), they work great. So now I can use them with confidence. Just gotta make sure to not overfill 'em, no matter how much thread I think I'll need. I also finally learned to leave the embroidery scissors where I think I'll need them, instead of wherever I just was. Sure, it's more fun to cut jump threads in front of a movie in the living room, but since I cut some threads with embroidery still in progress, hunting for the scissors over and over isn't fun at all. Besides, there's trash cans and thread catchers by the sewing machines.

This project will probably also empty one of the first spools of embroidery thread I ever bought, a Coats & Clark 'mini king' spool of black. They're huge, lots of thread on 'em. But I'm burning through it on this one just the same. I can see a bit of the white core in between the threads, so the next set'll probably wipe it out. One less odd-shaped spool to store, so I'm happy.

Since all this embroidery is finally starting to get wearying, I decided to take a break and sew something else. While a set stitched out, I hand-wound a bobbin with elastic thread and looked over the prints stored in the dollhouse. Li'l Miss Makeup was finally gonna get something new to wear - a simple shirred sundress. A couple measurements and about fifteen minutes of sewing later, that's exactly what she got. Photo tomorrow, I promise !

In other MH news, someone found Lagoona's Hydration Station on a shelf in what looked like a Hastings 'toys and trends' section. Price sticker also looks familiar. $64. ! Yikes. I looked it up on their website, and yup, that's their price, but on the site it's a pre-order, for shipping 01 June. I also looked around a bit more. Their price for Gloom Beach dolls is $19. - a considerable markup from $12. at Target and Mal-Wart. I think I'll wait a bit, sixty bucks is a bit pricey. But I got a good look at the box, and look forward to seeing it on shelves, hopefully for around $40. or so. I responded to the entry, since this was on the official FaceBook page, but poof ! Both my comment and the photo of it had vanished. Mattel may be doing a crap job of disseminating their own information, but they sure as all h#ll don't like anyone else doing it without their approval ! 

I guess Blogger got sick about the same time I did ! Glad I feel better than it seems to...

Current Mood :  Confused - is Blogger OK ? 

*ed note * - Blogger's had some problems off and on since Wednesday - they had to remove some posts, but say they'll put 'em back up soon. That's why the Wed. entry has vanished. I got it backed up, like always. If it's not here tomorrow sometime, I'll repost then. It's not like it's a big loss - there wasn't much going on Wednesday, ya know. 

Well, my 'no sleep' prediction was accurate - seems like I'd barely lie down before I'd have the same stupid dream (something about online coloring book subscriptions, shipping things and fraud) and I'd gasp m'self awake. This happened pretty much every half hour, nearly all night long.

So I got up early, and took the meds I'd forgotten yesterday. Well, when you're already sucking down steroids to breathe, you tend to forget the other stuff. It's funny - most people on steroid therapy report rampaging hunger and insatiable appetites. Me, I can barely be motivated to eat at all, which is probably where this slight dizziness is coming from. My body is running around at 60mph due to all the 'speed' in the inhaler, my mind is under six inches of cotton. Maybe if I can pound down some buttered toast, I can get it together enough to get the day going.

That helped. The black bobbin thread on the last embroidery Airsoft patch I did last night really looked great, so the three I'm doing today will have that, too. I also have to do a test stitch-out of the second design, so I can let Beloved Hubby see where any changes need to be made, get the client's approval, and bust butt getting those done Friday and Saturday. I swear, on Sunday, I'm sitting on my butt, waiting for the wails of  'There weren't any new dolls out on Friday !' to hit the Monster High message boards.

Mattel's starting to cheese me off a bit. This coy habit of alluding to things without actually saying 'This is when these are due out' is just frustrating. Even if every mass retailer and toy store in the US has been sitting on crates of MH newness, it's doubtful tons of new merch will hit the shelves early Friday morning, which is what they're hinting at. And they never did say exactly which of the dozens of new products due out this year are included on the 'New students hit Monster High on Friday the 13th !!1!' little fan-news releases they've been pushing out.

Maybe I'm wrong and still hopped up on inhaled speed, but I still feel that Mattel could be handling and releasing their information better than they are. And yeah, I know, it's all just toys. But when it's what you've chosen to look forward to, well...sometimes I forget that.

I'm wondering what to make first, when all my obligations are out of the way...?

At least there were lots of new Neflix movies to watch today...

Current Mood : Wheezy

Kept putting it off, but today I had to start those Airsoft patches we've accepted the commission for - they're due Sunday. Beloved Hubby's going to a huge annual Airsoft game at the end of the month, one that's so big, people from other countries attend ! Not counties...countries ! It's all weekend long, too, so he'll be camping out. In an effort to keep some of his costs down, he's trading patches for some equipment, and another set for straight cash. In short, our approximate thousand dollar investment in Brody and all the necessary supplies will net us nearly a hundred bucks ! Seems like a drop in the bucket, but I'll take it anyway !

Did half of the equipment trade one today, and will finish it tomorrow. Then I have Friday and Saturday for the other. We haven't been paid yet, so the sooner I get it done, the better.

It actually works out - we've had thunderstorms all day, and it's really kicking my asthma up. So monitoring Brody for a while is fine, and it gives me a break from laundry where I have to sit for a bit. It doesn't give me any time for doll sewing for the rest of the week, but I already got my doll time in earlier this week.

Got a little laundry done in between embroidery runs. Still having a little trouble with the tension. The bobbin thread still occasionally shows on the front. When I discovered that I'd used 40wt thread in the bobbin, instead of the usual 70wt, I figured winding and using a couple of correct thread bobbins would fix it. Nope. It actually got worse. Not sure what to do, I'm running out of time. Thinking of doing up the last one today with black bobbin thread - 70wt, of course ! That way, if it does appear on the front, it won't be so visible. Most of the colors in this badge are dark, and a slight black edge will probably look good. Better than white does, that's fer sure !

Well, I gotta get back to it. Tonight's gonna be tough, I can already tell. Even leaning back on the sofa makes me gasp, so I'm not anticipating much sleep. At least the rain's due to move on - sunny skies and new hopes in tomorrow's forecast !

Finding what I've always had...

Current Mood : Pensive

Yesterday's quiet day eased gently into a quiet morning. FIL asked if he could pick up Dearest Son for a visit, and we agreed. So I got him ready, and puttered a bit until lunchtime. Gathered up the culled patterns - anyone interested ? They're mostly American Girl sized - and added two more, snagged at thrift stores years ago.

First up is Simplicity 7210, a popular fashion doll pattern in two sizes. Thought the one I snagged included both - for Barbie and SuperSize Barbie - but it doesn't. Just the SuperSize...well, size. Since my dolls now go from Barbie to 16-inch sizes, then on to Timey Tell and My Size Barbie, I don't have a use for it. Onto the pile.

Also seeking a new, more creative home is McCalls 4344, for a Victorian doll and some sacklike dresses with pretty enhancements. This one is annoying because it never gives the size of the included doll - you'd have to unfold the tissues and measure to know. I bought it because, heck, it was a quarter, why not ? Plus it came with some slightly stretchy lace fabric inside the envelope. I dug it out today. Looks like someone cut out two sets of...something. There's two sets of dress backs, two fronts, and four odd trapezoid shapes that don't seem to match up with anything in the pattern guide. If they were supposed to be sleeves, they were short - and nothing in this pattern is short-sleeved. I have no idea what this was going to be, but it was definitely custom work ! But I think the pattern's original owner lost interest. It happens.

In any case, two of the trapezoid-sleeve pieces made a cute skirt and tube blouse for Ghoulia, and there's plenty left ! So I tried to make another blouse, and only partially succeeded. It's the one in today's photo. I'd originally used earring hoops to secure the top around Ghoulia's neck, and that simply did not work. This fabric only has a slight stretch to it, and it slides all over the place. It even slides off itself. And the earring hoops just made it stand out and up worse. So I replaced them with ribbon. What the heck. Not sure how - or even if - I'll use the rest of this stuff.

With Dearest at his grandparents', and Beloved Hubby working a long day, I decided to take care of an issue that'd been preying on me. Ever since I took those 'don't fix anything' photos of all my dolls, it's bugged me to see them so. I've barely touched any of them since they got unpacked, and while at one point, all the Barbie-scale dolls had shoes, our little neighbor K. likes to remove one or two each visit. And half the Little Disney Princesses didn't have on any shoes at all. Need to spend a little time each week with my dolls, and no time like the present.

Decided to work from the shelves, bottom up. That meant getting the LDPs back in order. Since I don't have a lot of clothes for them, I decided to put them all back in their issue clothes - or at least something similar. I have four Belle doll dresses, two Sleeping Beauty gown/pajama sets and three Cinderella dresses, all slightly different versions of their signature movie apparel. But, two hours later, everyone had their hair brushed, shoes on, clothes updated, and had been moved around a bit. Much better. I didn't feel like I'd abandoned them anymore, and it was fun. And I had some ideas on what clothes I wanted to make for them, so I could change them into new stuff next time.

Next week - or next time I get bored - a shelf of Barbie ! It's embarrassing how long some of these dolls have been in the same clothes. And I have to go on a shoe hunt. K. never takes the shoes home, she just drops them somewhere in the living room. I've been stashing them in a jewelry armoire drawer, for safekeeping.

Beloved came home a bit earlier than expected - I was still storing doll stuff - and swept me off for Taco Bell and a quick run to a soon-to-close thrift. Amazing what you can do with three minutes. I saw a lot, but nothing I wanted. It was nice to just tour around a bit. A little sad to see dolls that were just out new for Christmas '10 sagging on the shelves, but I really shouldn't be surprised. Those Fisher-Price 'Little Mommy' dolls are annoying even brand-new.

Once home, it was dinner and Easy A, a better-than-expected movie that wasn't about high school exam cheating after all. If you get a chance to see it, do. I really liked it.

Well, it's close to bedtime, and I'm ready for it. Tomorrow's laundry day - wheee ! Got something exciting to look forward to, as well ? Hope so ! 

Sweet, quiet Monday.

Current Mood : Chillaxin'

You might remember, back when I was busy with the Tripod project, that I tried to sew that lovely yoked poet's blouse - a version of the gorgeous turquoise gauze one that Tabitha (Me Love Gangrels) made me. I didn't have any of that airy fabric, so I just used some green I had sitting around, and because it was so voluminous, used a gold ribbon belt to pull it in a bit. It should have been posted the last couple days of my old blog, but since I was actively deleting all my photos in an effort to save it, I figured it'd keep 'til I got things going here. And so, now it is. Original Cleo is modeling. It came out nice, but really would look better in a lighter, thinner fabric. Made 'toreador' pants to go with it - at least, that's what Doll Shop Deluxe called that length. Leave it to me to make a fall/winter outfit when days are approaching 90 degrees on a consistent basis.

After neglecting the house for a week, then being too mentally wiped out to do much afterward, it was past time today that I got some crap done. Starting with dishes. Ya'll know I hate doing 'em, but I got in a groove and made it happen. I also reorganized a few things in the Studio, and dealt with weekend snack food trash throughout the house. It's so nice to have junk food in the house again, I didn't much mind cleaning up after it !

Not a lot else going on, though. After dinner, as evening becomes night, I'm just chillin' with my Sansa MP3 player, while my guys are watching an old Get Smart movie, The Naked Bomb. For a 1980 film, it's firmly rooted in the 70s, and its innuendo is so darn cute, Dearest Son can watch it, no problem. It's hilarious to see TWA-logo airplanes, and know that someone back then was certainly smoking on those flights ! Given the odd tangents of this movie, I'm not sure it was tobacco, though.

I really should go sew something - I still want another go at that lab coat - but I'm being lazy. It just feels good to write and relax. Hope your evening is as peaceful for you.

Happy Day ! Here's a barrel of Cheese Balls !

Current Mood : Peaceful

Busy few hours. We got Dearest Son's remote control cabinet moved into his room, right where he wanted it, last night. He then decided he liked his room as-is, so we didn't need to rearrange anything, but he spent the balance of the evening redecorating and filling up his new space. I did about the same - Beloved Hubby said if I moved the lace and ribbon totes, and my plastic drawer set to the vacated space, he'd have more room by his drawing / drafting table, and that'd be great for him. Moving that stuff would also get it out from immediately behind my sewing chair. That kinda pins me in, to be honest. So I did. Now we all have more space and comfort.

I slept like a rock for the first time in weeks, and bounced up right on time this morning. Everyone grabbed a shower and we were out the door  before 8am. Our local Mal-Wart had the emptiest parking lot I've ever seen today ! Two banks of greeting cards and a double display of flowers greeted you 50 feet inside the door. And they were swarming with shoppers. Well, actually one bank of cards was thick with people - the other was completely stripped empty of everything but pink 'Mom' headers. Ah, the tenacity of the last-minute holiday shopper. It's fun to watch if you can do so from a distance.

I got wished a happy Mother's Day from the two guys that had the most to do with it - Beloved and Dearest ! - and that's all I needed. But I got some time to poke at the Monster High display (nothing new) and a huge barrel of Utz Cheese Balls, so I'm happy. We came in at 53c under our target budget, too. It's funny that we're actually spending less, but eating in more than we used to. I wonder if most families are like that these days.  

We called DMIL to wish her a happy Mom's Day, and we kinda goofed off for the rest of the day. I had a nice long nap, read numerous online articles, ate a bowl and a half of Cheese Balls and a nice enchilada TV dinner. I really enjoyed my peaceful day.

Tomorrow, I get to work on some commissioned embroidery designs for Beloved's Airsoft brigade. Yaaay, paid work ! I may actually earn the money for my 'Higher Deaducation' dolls before they're due out, which would be fine by me.

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day today - whether you are a mom, or have one in your life !