She's probably ticked because I didn't sew her anything today...

Current Mood : Overwhelmingly tired, for some reason. 

Woke up with a massive, hurts-to-move headache, so I went back to sleep - and crashed 'til after 9am ! Can't believe I slept that late, but at least the skull-splitting was over.

Deboxed Gillington Webber, the much-loved Gil, and admired him. (sigh) He really is amazing. I was wondering if his hands detached, like the ghouls, or he was simply jointed at the wrists. Turns out, yes, his hands come off, and, even without the webbing between the fingers, they look nothing like the Jackson/Hyde standard hands or Clawd's...well, claws. His leg fins detach, too, like Lagoona's, but I really like them, so they'll be there 99% of the time. I need to make him some pants, and quick. The Monster High shelf is right by the window, and baby, it's cold outside !

Since old habits die hard, and just for sheer curiosity, I checked on Gil as part of my morning routine on the computer. There's a lot more available on eBay, and even his price on Amazon.com dropped considerably. Still more than I'd pay - about $35., plus shipping - but far better than the going rate of $50. - $70. that he was earlier this week. As angry as I sometimes get at the scalpers (mostly because I'd never do that to my fellow collectors, scoop up all the available rare ones and sell 'em high), I can understand doing it, with our economy and the holidays shimmering on the too-close horizon. Selling a $14. Gil for $50. could mean the difference between a kid getting Christmas presents - or even groceries. It still seems greedy to me, and I wouldn't do it...even if we weren't the last to get dolls, so it's a moot point anyway !

Hmf. Beloved Hubby just raised an interesting counterpoint. If a reseller / presumed scalper really was relying on Toralei doll profits for Christmas Dinner, he/she probably wouldn't have the funds available to tie up in investing three or four  dolls at $20. each, then have to wait for auctions to end (and pay for them), payment to be deposited (and pay PayFrienemy their cut), and hopefully make a profit after packaging and mailing, if they don't use Priority. As we've seen with Gil, the same doll can sell for $150. on eBay one day, and not get bids at $10. the next. It'd be far easier just to spend available funds on a succulent ham and trimmings. So maybe I'm being a bit too soft on the scalpers, but I'd rather give someone a break in my head and be done with it than carry a draining grudge.

And I surely don't want anything negative at this time of year. I got a Gil, that's reason for rejoicing in my little world !

Seems like every last website I've ever visited for embroidery designs has been repeatedly spamming me with holiday sales. I've had to unsubscribe from several long-forgotten sites when they started sending four to six messages a day, after a year or two of completely ignoring me. Guess hobby spending is down again, like a couple years ago. Or more machine embroiderers have realized, 'Hey, I have 82,467 individual designs. I don't think I'll ever need any more,' and snagged their own copies of Stitch Era Universal.

Not much else going on today. Did laundry, start to finish again, which I sort of enjoy. It feels good to have it all clean and put away, and know everyone has their favorite clothes available and accessible, and fresh towels ready.

Gil, Gillington, Gil Webber, Gil, Lagoona's boyfriend, Gil, Gil Wulfenbach...(whoops, wrong series !) Gil...

Current Mood : So happy...

I got Gil ! I got GIL ! IgotGil, IgotGill, IgotGilIgotGillIGOTGIIIIILLL !

Didja hear ? I got Gil last night ! (happy spin) So happy...

Late last night, a frequent poster on the LiveJournal Monster High group reported that a friend she'd made at Mal-Wart called to tell her they got a buncha new MH dolls in. She went over and -wow ! - her friend showed her a whole stand-alone display of MH doll goodness. All the 'Skull Shores' dolls, and lots of Toralei and Spectra, and Abbey dolls were well-represented. She gleefully selected what she needed, took a couple photos of the display, and posted news and images for us.

I didn't know Beloved Hubby was reading over my shoulder until he asked, "Wanna go ? We can." Oh, I dearly wanted to...but money is so tight right now. He reassured me that we'd be OK if our Mal-Wart had him - we could get him, but until more resources flowed, that'd pretty much be my Christmas. Would that be OK with me ?

OK ? (blank blink) OK ? I'd be delirious if that was my Christmas ! Still, it was after 10pm - I hated to even burn gas for another disappointment. So I called first. No one was in Toys, someone from Electronics took one for the team and checked for me. He was gone so long, I just knew his answer would be nope, don't have a Gil, sorry lady, that I'd already had my perky 'thanks for looking, have a nice evening' reassurance reply cued and ready to go.

So I was stunned to my socks when he came back on the line with the news that he had the sole Gil in his hand. I think my voice probably approached a frequency that only unlucky dogs could hear when I squeaked out a plea for him to please, pretty please hold him for me - I'd be there in a half-hour. He assured me he could hold him 'til his break time...in a half hour. I had my shoes and coat on, and Starlight's keys in Beloved's hand before he could even ask how my phonecall went, and we were on our way.

Fifteen minutes later, we were at Electronics, asking if there was a Monster High doll lurking around, and he and another lady beamed as they gave him to me. And there he was, at last - my Gil. (happy sigh) He's perfect...

I've been useless ever since, which is OK, it's not been a day of heavy decisions. My appointment with my primary care physician was mostly a 'catch up' discussion of how I was feeling. I can call in my next set of prescriptions and they'll mail 'em to me ! Heart's not looking much better at first glance, although we are awaiting more of a detailed outlook once the cardiologists have a chance to study my updated data. They haven't quite gotten to me yet. Got my eyes dilated afterwards, and I'm still having some 'halo' and visual distortions. Can't drive - or sew ! - like that, so I took a bit of a nap to rest the worst of it away, and then decided to tidy up a bit.

The cardboard box my Fearleader doll outfits and tattoo roller came in clearly had to go. And I needed to make another bulletin board. That I could do ! Taped two pieces of the cut-up box together, covered it with some striped fabric featuring subliminal skulls, and strung a ribbon to hang it - yaay ! No more box, and a free bulletin board to pin up medical notices, stray pattern pieces, and due date receipts from the library. Maybe a coupon or two. Hope to find my push-pins next time I dig in the stored boxes. Luckily I already found a few.

Darn cat's up the tree again !

Current Mood : Disappointed

We didn't get to go to the library yesterday - when I went to check their hours, I discovered that they were closed 'til Tuesday. They're getting a new floor ! Looking forward to seeing it, and getting some fresh books. I've read nearly all of the last set. 

Decided to just keep to shortening the sleeves on the A-line Monster High dress today - it was simple and quick. Probably will do a neckline reshape next, then move on to something else. I get bored with doing something more than five times, even when I'm altering and doing new versions. Somewhere along the line, I wanna try adding elastic to the waist, but that and a new neckline - and various trims - are about all I can think of to alter right now.

The fabric I used today is so thin, you could see the white elastic waistband from hosiery underneath it. It didn't look good at all on Abbey, unfortunately, it resembled a bad hospital gown. Her lovely blue skin was completely at odds with the green print, which made both look worse together. It looks like a slightly improved hospital gown on Toralei, so I can safely relegate that fabric to the 'donate' bin. I was keeping it due to the tiny pattern, but it really isn't a good choice for most of the MH crew. Guess I need to find my old color wheel, since my 'color instincts' really rank !

Of course, it could be that this shape of dress really needs longer sleeves to work. I'll probably try it once more with the shortened sleeves, and maybe the elastic, later.

Went with Beloved Hubby to his college, for company. We had paperwork to drop off...paperwork that the school itself gave us. For some reason, they couldn't get it from their own department, we had to drive all the way there to deliver it. (sigh) He's so excited, though. Classes start next month, and he's worse than Dearest Son with Christmas coming up.

Not a lot else going on. I took a short nap this afternoon, which will help - I have medical appointments tomorrow, so I won't be getting much sleep tonight. At least they're early in the morning, I won't be bouncing around nervous, waiting. It's just a consult with my primary care doctor, and then a diabetic eye screening. But you can believe I'll be restless all night. It makes no sense, but at least I can read m'self down. I have one book left, half-finished, that I've kept for emergencies, and I haven't even started Monster High 3 yet. 

Continuing the 'Dollies in a Tree' series... (lol, thanks, Smidge Girl !)

Current Mood : Happily sleepy !

I guess I'm still 'Christmassy', against all logic and past patterns of behavior - 'cause I got a cool craft for ya. I love it when I find doll-size paper-crafts, since little things like in-scale doughnut boxes and calendars add a lot to a scene or diorama. And they're almost free ! I still check Jim's Printable Minis(http://www.printmini.com/printables/pp.shtml , for Playscale, or sixth-scale, i.e., Barbie-size) every few weeks, in case something new shows up.

I found this one yesterday, from a craft e-mail I get daily - it makes vintage boxes of Christmas lights ! They look so awesome. If you visit here, http://toyshopgreetings.com/blog/category/papercraft/ , you'll see them at the top of the page. Click to embiggen (snicker) and save it to your drive so you can print 'em  and assemble 'em at your leisure later. Scroll down a bit if you'd like some festively 'wrapped' holiday gift boxes, too. Yaaay !

Didn't sew yesterday, instead got involved in a philosophical discussion with darn near everybody in the house, save DMIL. Beloved Hubby was reading The Decline of Men, I was working through Cinderella Ate My Daughter, which moved to a look at gender roles in peer media. While both books were so slanted, I was amazed they stood upright on library shelves, they fostered some good conversation that went on for hours. And I'm not just saying that because the Cinderella author described Monster High as 'undead streetwalkers, just not as demure', because I can see how someone without my imagination could see them that way, with their limited brain power. See, I can slant things, too ! It's fun and easy, and evidently can be done for profit.

You'll laugh, but I spent a couple hours cleaning the Arena again. When I sewed the other day, I mostly just moved stuff out of the way, instead of trashing or storing it all. So I did that today, while watching a new-to-me episode of Hoarders, natch ! Discovered the floss box of jewelry findings had opened up during the move, so I spent a good half-hour picking tiny beads out of the drawer it was in. I was wondering where those itty bitty pearls were coming from...

Then I added an inch to the length of the A-line dress pattern I sewed up Friday. Scanned the 'new' version - in case it worked ! - and cut one out. This time, I timed m'self, so I could share it. Forty minutes, cutout to wondering which ghoul it would look best on. Not too bad. And, as you can see, Cleo liked it. She was actually rather loud about it, I didn't think that color suited her, but you know Cleo !

Had the worst time photographing her. Could not keep my hands still, and I couldn't use the flash with the tree, plus, it's way past dark. I had to use my inhaler - just one hit ! - for the first time since I went into the hospital back in September. It's probably all the rain we've had. Anyway, apologies for the barely-in-focus photo, it really is the best of 32 tries !

And once I get everything back where it belongs, and dump the loose thread catcher, I'm beddy-bye-bound ! Hope you had a great day, too ! 

Darn cats !

Current Mood : Fat & Festive

Whew ! All caught up. And when there's a day I can do that, you can rest assured I didn't do much else. Sorry to run so late. I write, every day, but sometimes I simply don't have the energy or the light to take a good picture. And in a blink, a week has gone by. I'm sure ya'll know what I'm blathering on about.

So it was a sort of boring day, but I spent a ridiculous amount of time admiring that image of DracuLaura in the tree. It's nothing special, even I know that, but I was really happy with how well the image and the dress worked out. Dearest Son thought it was funny, a doll in a Christmas tree, so he posed his Toralei in the branches when I was done, and took pictures of his own. I started to remember all the fights through all the years involving cats and Christmas trees, so, today's image. I put up one without words on Flickr, if you're interested.

Speaking of the dress, I wrote Nancy (of NG Creations, the pattern designer) to tell her how much I loved sewing it and I hoped to see more Monster High designs from her soon. She already does patterns for most dolls out there, from Barbie to Crissy to Dora the Explorer. She wrote back - how kind ! - to tell me she's working on another set that should be out before Christmas. Also, she has a couple of guy models now, so I should keep my eyes open for upcoming patterns for the dudes as well. Her Grand-daughter is enamored of MH, and sketches what she wants, and Nancy makes the patterns from there. Isn't that adorable ? She wants a wedding set next...

Speaking of my guy, he got a gift from his Grand-dad today. He's been wanting a DVD player for his room, so he won't have to keep borrowing the living room one whenever he wants to see a library-borrowed Bakugan episode. DFIL had an older combo DVD/VCR device, that just needed a good cleaning - which he took care of today. So now, Dearest has his DVD player, and a working VHS player, too. Which is good, because Friday, his computer's video card went belly-up, and we haven't been able to fix it yet. (sigh)

I'm hoping to sew again tonight, probably a slight alteration to the dress I made yesterday, since I enjoyed it so much. I'm thinking of adding length, since short skirts and long sleeves always seem unbalanced to me, although DracuLaura's looks fine. Ya'll know me, I'm not happy unless I'm altering things to suit my own twisted nature ! 

So. Much. Fun !!!!

Current Mood : Christmassy. 

Got to sew today ! It took me longer to get ready to sew than it did for me to actually sew something new - half my sewing resources were unreachable under an avalanche of family papers, assorted tools, old freebie newspapers, and recent purchase debris. And I needed to scan my latest pattern acquisition, a set from the talented Nancy, of NG Creations, for the Monster High ghouls.

I tell ya, I love non-commercial patterns. Took me less than a half hour to scan the whole thing, including a freebie dress pattern you're already seeing more of ! Didn't have to iron or erase stray marks, it was scan a page, then scan the next page. So easy...

The dress pattern was easy, too. You can make it lined or unlined, and I went for unlined. I wanted something simple but fun, a design I could complete in one sitting. And this was it ! I'm looking forward to trying the rest of the patterns, and of course, you'll see 'em here. Directions were clear, diagrams explained any fine points that might escape a new sewist, patterns were simple to cut out, especially with a rotary cutter. I confess, though, that I traced the tiny neckline with a pen on the reverse side, and cut it out with scissors. Slow and easy, and the neckline was done, and it was the hardest part. Took maybe a half hour, start to finish. Not counting the cleaning.

If you'd like to see what I got, or want a set for yourself, look for seller "lovespaints" on eBay, or "NG Creations" on Google. Either will take you to the pattern creator's available auctions - and she's having a 15% off sale for the next few days.

Of course, I'd barely started sewing when Beloved Hubby came in from cleaning out the Diesel-truck, bearing a familiar shape. Yup, minutes after breaking in my new cutting surface, Beloved found my old one. It was muddy and slightly curling from its inexplicable time in the bed of the truck. I have no idea how it got back there, unless it slid out from a box during the move. It's been cleaned and placed between our mattress and box springs, where I hope it'll flatten back out soon. Even though I have a brand-new one, I still want my old one !

I also want to play with the simple dress design. Ya'll know me, if I can make it successfully, I'll then alter the neckline, futz with the sleeves, change the hemline, attempt darts, consider elastic, add trim...I could easily make one of these dresses for each MH ghoul character - or even each doll ! - and not have two alike. Shoot, I could do that just with fabrics ! Even though I'm simply not a huge 'Christmas' person, I've managed to accrue dozens of holiday fabrics.

I've been in a Christmas kinda mood all day today, as you can tell from DracuLaura's new dress. It's been really cold, with almost a hint of snow in the wind, the kind of weather that makes coffee smell extra-appealing. I also got tired of shifting our three-foot fiber optic Christmas tree out of the way, and realized I had no idea if it still worked or not. We'd gotten it super-cheap, then found another in a house we rented. Gave one away after a while, and never used ours. Had to break seals to get to the power cord. Works perfectly ! Dearest Son is entranced.

So I ended up finding a place for it - it helps that it's small - and arranging the branches so they weren't all squashed together anymore. It really is cute. Dearest is all happy, since we've never put a tree up this early before. Even though there's not much to go under it, and probably won't be much more when the 25th rolls around, it's still a pretty, shiny thing, and I think we needed one.

Current Mood : Relaxed

Happy December !

Another appointment today, this one for another echocardiogram. Then I can relax until the two appointments I have Dec. 6th, and the two on the 9th. I'm also due for the second diabetes class sometime this month, and who knows what after that. The VA keeps me hoppin' ! We took Starlight this time, and she got a bit hot on the way up, but with some fresh antifreeze, she did fine on the ride home.

Oh, and this is what happens when I get behind in my writing...I forgot to tell ya'll that I bought a new Monster High set of patterns a few days ago. It arrived yesterday - but we didn't find it until today - and I can hardly wait to get to it ! I'll write up a full review after I've sewn something, which I hope will happen tomorrow, since I don't have any appointments or anything else (except maybe laundry) holding me back !

We borrowed Pirate Radio from the library yesterday, and got to watch it today. I really enjoyed it, but it did sort of bog down - I kinda got tired of the 'musical beds' game the nearly random female cast was set up to play.