Blog: The Thrifty Dollhouse

I'm a doll hobbyist, so expect some tightwad doll tips in here ! Also some yard sale/thrift store score bragging, and some general 'what I did today'. Kinda boring, but I'm game if you are !


Showing 13 posts from November 2008 for this blog.
Sort Through Sunday...
Sunday, November 30, 2008

Another quiet but active day as we all prep for going back to normal schedules tomorrow. While putting away some oil lamps - we lost power for a couple hours due to a heavy storm last week, happens often enough to be annoying, but nothin' major - I rediscovered my old XM Radio 'boom box'. We had XM Satellite Radio for a year, and I enjoyed it, but we found ourselves using Napster on our Mp3 players more, so we dropped XM.

Anyway, this was their 'entry level' receiver, yer basic portable device - AM/FM radio, CD player, and an Auxillary setting for attaching outside devices, like Mp3 players. It was expensive for a boom box, but at the time it was the cheapest XM receiver on the market. Since we had several smaller portable stereos, it got shoved into the closet, as it's almost too big to be portable.  

Well, Beloved claimed one for the Shop, and another one bit the dust when it tumbled off a shelf. I'd been looking for a small battery-powered radio for the next power outage, but yard sales so far had not revealed one. The XM was far from small - 8 D batteries required ! - but  we didn't have one in The Office, where our computers and desks are. A quick bit of shuffling, and it had a home by a power outlet, and was running a CD, something we rarely listen to anymore. Dug the remote out from the junk drawer, and it still worked. Plus, I realized that the clock in the bathroom is also a radio receiver, and it runs on three AAs. We always have those, you keep a stock of 'em when you got a Wii. Heck, it'd run from the batteries that still had some juice left from the Wii-motes. Scratch one item off the 'hunt' list ! I love rediscovering what we want is something we already have !

Same thing with our camera. I'd been toying with the idea of doing YouTube-type videos with my dolls. Just needed a video camera ! Our local pawn emporiums have dozens, starting at $39., but when pawns price things that low, ya gotta wonder... I was still pondering whether or not to invest in one when it hit me. The fantastic Fuji FinePix S5200 digital camera Beloved Hubby got me two Christmases ago had a motion camera function ! With the 1gb  memory card, it'd record 30 minutes of action ! And we've since upgraded to a 2gb ! And bought a super-cool tripod on markdown for $10. So I didn't need to risk $40. - I already had more than what I needed !

Of course, I haven't made any videos, but I have the means when I'm ready ! And Beloved's humming a bit with the CD in the XM. I'm looking forward to hearing some of my ancient Christmas music when no one 's home - I'm the only one who likes it ! 

I'm still sorting through stuff to donate Monday. Earlier this week, Beloved installed a new fridge whiteboard/corkboard set he found on markdown - the one we got as a housewarming present fell off the fridge and broke, two years ago. That eliminated the need for the small bulletin board I had over by the cabinets, so I cleared it and tossed it in with the donations box.

Dearest Son saw it today, and asked if he could have it instead. Sure ! Got it hung upwhere he wanted and found some pushpins - we need more of those, I'm not much on thumbtacks ! - and he now has his scissors and a coloring page hanging off it. He's quite proud of his 'office' - a desk Beloved made him, an office chair that lost its hydraulics (perfect for an 8-year-old !), a desk lamp with a spinning organizer, two letter trays, and now a bulletin board. For Christmas, Beloved's making him a shelf to match the desk, for his books and computer games.

The Barbie case I made such a fuss over Friday is suffering from that which preys on all soft-side luggage - The Crush. Sooner or later, all non-rigid cases will collapse if there's nothing inside and little side support. The 1990 Little Mermaid suitcase I bought from a yard sale evidently had heavy stuff on top of it, the bottom plastic piece that holds the feet down and the case flat on the floor had folded up into thirds.

Not a lot I can do for Ariel's baggage, but the Barbie case I could at least stuff with Mal-Wart sacks and various bags I keep forgetting to recycle. I'd put fabric or doll props in there, but they get hung up eight inches from the ceiling, which makes 'em hard to get into. And it keeps the bags from piling up, and the luggage from collapsing inward.

Poked through Yard Sale Bloodbath (http://www.yardsalebloodbath.com/) and Manic Thrift Store Shopper (http://mtss.blogspot.com/) for fun and ideas. It's always a treat to find a site you like and then go through their links for more !

After lunch, I'm sorting through a copy-paper-size box of sewing notions I bought for $5. last week. It's mostly already sorted, I just have to find where to put the newest forty unopened packages of bias tape ! I really need to learn how to use that, I have a metric ton of it...

There was only one yard sale advertised on Craigslist for my town this weekend, so I think it's finally the end of the Season. I'm always a bit melancholy about that, but I have a flea market down the street Friday, and there's always the thrifts ! Even though I rarely buy much from 'em, it satisfies my need to shop and keeps me out of dangerous mall parking lots !

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I was a bit busy today...
Saturday, November 29, 2008

Notice anything new ? Yup - new picture on your right. Did that today. If you'd like to see it a bit bigger, it's also in the Photo Album, just under the image. Click on it and the image, for a better look at my 'Princess Dorrie' doll and half our kitty population, DC. We've had DC and his brother Jack since they were born, but their Mom, Velvet, has moved on. Our son made her too nervous, so she um... poluted his room. Frequently. Since the boys have grown up with Dearest Son, they're more used to him.

Anyway. Got some housework done, polished off the last of the leftovers for lunch. Earlier this week, I bought a stuffed angel doll from the local Thrift, selected from their 50c stuffed animal bin. They price better toys individually, but small or slightly damaged/worn ones go into the bin. This angel was cheaply made by 'Cuddle Wit', a company that normally provides stock for claw machines and carnivals. Her hair was matted and thin, beyond the care of a brush, and she had some staining on her cloth face. I almost hated to buy her, but the cashier assured me she'd been in the bin for several days, and no one else had been at all interested.

She's also one of those dolls where the dress is most of the body. And most of that is nylon. But, like I mentioned Wednesday, something about her dress reminded me of the current 'Enchanted Tales' Disney Princess art pieces, so... Today, I got to work on her. The hardest part was figuring out which line of stitching would undo what I wanted, without ripping apart what I wanted to remain together. It helps to look on both sides of the stitching line - if it's on one side all by itself, that's probably what ya want !

So, after about five minutes with a seam ripper, I had a winged dress, a shoebox load of stuffing, a pair of legs with cheap satin 'feet' slippers, a pair of hands, and a tangled-hair head with a halo glued to it. Opening the dress' back seam freed up the wings for later projects, and I took the feet off the legs, the wand from her hand, and the stuffed halo off the hair.

Grabbed my vanity doll, the Princess Dorrie I'd customized a few months ago, and began fitting the dress to her. It was a bit short, but otherwise fit pretty well, especially across the chest, which is always a problem area. By taking it in at the back a bit, via the closure and back seam, it'd lie nice and flat in front.

The gold band around the neckline was removed - it just didn't look right -  and an oversized gold bow there was also removed and untied. The lace cuffs and the hands were sewn on at the same time, so taking off the hands left the lace dangling by a thread or three. I positioned the lace when I tried the dress on her, but it was wide and overwhelmed Princess Dorrie's hands. So I took the lace completely off and replaced it with a cuff made from the bodice bow. Looks much better, and proportionate, too.

Hemmed the neckline down a bit more to cover the holes made by the bodice bow. Hand-sewed that one, since the hem was still very scant. From there, all that was left for the dress was sewing up the back seam halfway and adding Velcro (tm) to the rest for a closure.

Took in the satin feet/shoes to fit PDorrie, and they look pretty bad, but I wanted to use as much of the original doll as possible. The doll's halo sat on her head like a bagel, so instead, I draped one of the lace cuffs over the crown of her head. Actually looked rather cute on her.

Now, all I have left is a pair of gold wings, a strip of gold fabric, a tiny bit of gold ribbon, a shoebox of stuffing, some muslin legs, a bagel-like halo, and a tangled-hair head. The stuffing'll get used in a later project (I reuse stuffing for the works that stay home - the school projects get all-new Fiberfil) , and I'm sure the wings and materials will also be used eventually. But I have no idea what to do with the doll's head. It has some minor stains, and the hair's completely useless. I'd make a hand-puppet from her, as the eyes and face are quite nice, but I'd have to cut off all the hair and replace it with yarn or something.

Only problem is, it's not something anyone here would use, and I hate to donate it if it's not my best work. So I dunno where the doll's head will go, but I'm glad I got to recycle the rest. Took about two hours, and I was watching movies at the same time.

Now I'm wondering... should I write this up as a craft project for the main page ? It's not really anything new. I'll write it up for my web site, that's fer sure ! I love reusing stuff !

Images:
   

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GoodWill kinda ticked me off today...
Friday, November 28, 2008

I wasn't terribly thrifty today.

While I'd much rather participate in Buy Nothing Day (adbusters.org), there was a pattern sale at Hancock Fabrics I'd been looking forward to for three weeks. Since Hancock's is across town, while I was out, I did some shopping... everything I bought was on sale, but shopping is rarely a thrifty, frugal activity !

One of the places I hit was GoodWill. Ours isn't very good, at least not for the stuff I like, so I go maybe once or twice a month. And, when I found the vintage mustard-yellow spool and bobbin sewing case for a dollar, I was thrilled. I already have an identical green one, so having a matched set was just aces for me, and the price was certainly right.

It was the Barbie case that earned my ire. And not at first. I have a small collection of Barbie cases, and I use them as Lab decor. Have at least one from every decade of Babs. This one was a slightly larger version of one I already have, but instead of black, it's that signature Pepto Pink. In good shape, though, it was only sold for a year or so in 2002. STill had the hang-tag, which is always a bonus when you're a collector. $3.

Got my goodies to the register... and the cashier pulls out a pair of scissors and cuts the hang-tag in half, right down the UPC code ! WTH ? I kind of wanted that intact ! Most collectors would. Cashier rather airly informs me that they have to scissor all UPC codes on everything, or people will take the stuff back to the stores and 'you could get whatever you want instead'. That's a direct quote, by the way.

Um... that case hasn't been made or sold since 2002. I don't expect her to know that, but sheesh. Here's the deal - her hypothesis doesn't hold water. When I worked at Disney Store, we had markdown sales. Basically, the stuff flagged for markdown was entered into the sales UPC reader (usually a Telson) with the new price. If the item hadn't sold that week, the UPC was pulled up again, and assigned a lower price. This continued until the items were gone or the UPC read 'nonexistent item' and was shipped back to the Company for its ultimate destiny.

If someone brought an item in after the sale and stuff'd been shipped back, they'd get a store credit only for the price they paid on their receipt. No receipt, no refund, no store credit. If the stuff was still in the store, they'd get a refund based on what it was selling for right then, if they didn't have a receipt.

I worked at Diz in 1995. You can't tell me that Victoria's Secret and Old Navy (stores the cashiers used as examples) don't have the same ability and technology nearly 15 years later ! If they don't do the same, they're idiots, frankly, and it's no wonder both stores are having trouble, if they let people exchange stuff at full price six years after they quit selling it. And if it's been donated to a charity, the UPC shouldn't show it as active stock in the store anyway. Further, it shouldn't have tags still attached with active UPC codes.

In short, (too late !) I felt as though the cashier was accusing me of stealing - not from GoodWill but the poor merchant who'd been so kind as to donate stuff. Um, here's another thing. If that store has ever had brand-new Old Navy and VS stuff in it, dangling tags, I've never seen it on the shelves in the six years I've been going there.

Besides, when did GoodWill start caring what anyone did with purchases after they were paid for ? And if it's such an issue, why not cut the tags as they're being put out on the sales floor ? No, they want the tags there as a selling point - hey, look, it still has tags on it ! - but you don't get to keep 'em. Sincerely - the half she cut off she put in the register drawer.

I actually do understand GW's point of view. But it still bugged me to be accused of theft at the register. As if Wal-Mart and TRU would give me $12. worth of merchandise in exchange for something they've not sold in more than five years !

Luckily, I got in and out of the other stores this morning with far less drama. Since there’s always a backlog at the catalog tables, I go online when patterns are on sale, copy down the numbers, and poof. I’m in and outta there. Today, everything that wasn’t Vogue or Kwik-Sew was 99c or 5 for $5., so the table was jammed. I also splurged and got ‘flower’ and ‘heart’ yo-yo makers – they’re kind of cloth shapes you can sew together. I’m looking forward to playing with them, especially since I got ‘em at 30% off !

Big Lots didn’t have any of the $5. dolls they advertised anywhere in stock, so I wasn’t in there long. Target was an insane mess, but since I didn’t use a cart, even my big ole butt was able to slip in between the spaces. I was in and outta there faster than it took me to find legal parking, and some of my fellow shoppers didn’t care about ‘safe’ or ‘legal’ out in the parking lot.

Again, no dolls, but I got a new DVD copy of Cars  (our old one is DOA) for $12., and DVDs of The Notebook, Walk the Line, and a three-in one of Bachelor Party, Back to School, and Weekend at Bernie’s, for $4. each.

 

Whew ! I'm just glad I didn't have to go near any electronics places, or Mal-Wart. Did you hear that an associate died trying to deal with the mob at his Long Island store ? Story doesn't say he was trampled, details are few, but in any case, it's just horrible. www.abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory

I think next year, I will be a part of Buy Nothing, in memory. Never knew him, but I mourn him for many reasons.

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I'd rather have the dandelion...
Wednesday, November 26, 2008

I told my then-friend, eventually my Beloved Hubby, a long time ago that I'd rather have a single dandelion over a dozen roses. Anybody could stop into a florist or even a grocery store and buy flowers. Didn't require much thought. But the dandelion -  my guy would actually have to think of me beyond  'all women like x' to know that I'd much rather have the flower he knelt down and picked himself, while thinking of me. Roses are easy. Dandelions you have to mean.

When we got married years later, it was February. But the silk flower bouquet he made for me contained a single fresh yellow dandelion. Where he found it, he wouldn't say. But it meant the world to me.

I was reading a discussion about food pantries and how they're being overtaxed these days. And I was grateful we hadn't had use for one in the nearly eleven years we've had together. But I think sometimes I enjoy it when things are tight. I have to mean it when I buy something for me, because the funds aren't there for me to be thoughtless with. For the last few years, we haven't been ridiculously wealthy, but we've had the funds for indulgences. And my doll and sewing Lab shows it - my fabric hoard is at SABLE (Stash Already Beyond Life Expectancy), and I probably have enough lace and ribbon to decorate an entire Rio Carnivale. I have so many dolls that I barely have time to play with them all. And let's not get into their clothes and furniture ! Please !

True, nearly all of the wonderful happy-place things I have were bought second-hand, but they still speak of readily available funds. There's been times that I couldn't go to yard sales or thrift stores, because we really were broke. It's expensive to be broke. You can't take advantage of sales, because it's taking all you have to get through today and part of tomorrow. But even when times were tough, they got better, and we'd focus and together, we'd get the household to 'fighting weight' again.

So when I hear about how bad things are getting, I'm glad we're already living the way we are.  I don't like Starbucks, I'd rather have Pumpkin Spice Cappucchino from 7-11 - or peppermint coffee from my own $5. coffee maker and 50c yard sale thermal carafe. And two candy canes from a 10c box of 'em I bought last January. I don't feel deprived, but rather indulgent when I get that big 95c cup o' go-juice.

I also feel prepared to deal with downturns. I've done it before, will do it again, and I know new tricks from my friends here that I'm eager to try. I'd much rather have available funds, but I'm glad I'm not used to a steady diet of $800. purses, $300. haircuts, and $60. manicures. I make my own purses - talk about an exclusive clientele ! - Beloved Hubby cuts my hair (and he's good at it !), and I'm just not invested in any level of grooming that requires me to leave the house to obtain it. Shoot, if it weren't for washing dishes and my hair, my nails probably wouldn't even get cleaned every day !

We're all very lucky we're adaptable and make it a practice to live beneath our means - even if we don't always obtain our goal, at least we try, and the effort is the reward, too. I'm at my most creative when I'm challenged, and I think most folks are like that. It's too easy to spend our way out of a problem, something our govenment goes all too well, but it doesn't change Business As Usual.

When I'm too broke to spend, I think. And that may be why I'm looking forward to the challenges of our changing economy. I've gone too long having fun - now it's time to get creative !

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Another chat with the thrift store owner...
Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Sorry to skip yesterday's entry - I was in a lousy mood, and when I get that way, I tend to isolate m'self, so I don't contaminate anyone else's outlook !

So anyway. Got to hit my fave thrift store yesterday. I'm lucky, we have the big two (GoodWill and Salvation Army) and a local thrift, but I prefer the local. Frankly, for the last six months, GW and SA haven't had squat, and the stuff I'm not even interested in seemed quite expensive. It's like an old Stephen Wright joke - he said he donates to Bad Will - they buy nice stuff for poor people and then break it.

Found a pretty Christmas ornament - I'm an absolute sucker for star or celestial things - a stuffed angel doll, and a hardback Barbie story book that trumpets being 7 books in one !!! Yeah, ok, whatever. I just like to see how they've set up dioramas for the stories - and how little they depend on Mattel products to get the scene they want. In its own way, it's an inspiration, and cheap at 99c. And when Dearest Son was younger, he didn't care what I read to him, so Barbie stories were OK. He still likes Beloved Hubby and I to read to him - so we do, every night - but he wants Wall-E, not Barbie.  

The angel doll was from their stuffed animal bin. It used to be 25c for anything in there, but it's now 50c. Still cheap, but it's not the first time I've seen prices go up slightly. They also sell grab-bags of small toys - like Happy Meal pieces - that were 25c a bag, but now they're 50c each, too. Minor stuff, but it illustrates the way things are going.

OK, I had a point going into this... oh, yeah. The angel doll is one of those seriously cheap ones, where the dress is also the body. That is, the sleeves are the arms, and the dress is non-removeable. And even the dress is cheap nylon for the most part. But it reminded me a lot of the latest Disney Princess incarnation, 'Enchanted Tales'. The characters all have white and gold versions of their signature gowns, and the crowns and jewelry are heavily administered. I wanted to see if I could take a dress-as-body doll and make it into a doll dress for a Little Disney Princess doll, like the 'Princess Dorrie' doll wearing the green shirt on your right.

So, $2.02 later, I left, and I hope to work on the doll this weekend. If it goes as I think it will, I'll have a new way to recycle inexpensive dolls !

Chatted a bit more with the owner, who again encouraged me to donate anything I could. Especially dolls. She knew of at least one family who'd be doing most of their holiday shopping at her store, and she'd love to have some more choices for them. Well, Thanksgiving's a good time to see all of what you have to be thankful for, and make some choices about giving, so there's most of my holiday weekend !

Honestly, though, sometimes I think that if I owned a thrift store, and I was seriously running low on donations, I'd be hitting the yard sales, especially as the sellers were closing up shop. I know when I've had sales, I'd have been happy to just give the stuff away, so I wouldn't have to drag it back into the garage and then drag to GWill on Monday. Amazingly, we still have several yard sales here in town this weekend, which is unusual. 'Round here, garage sale season dries up just before Halloween most years.

But the owner probably doesn't have time. I do have to say, though, that yard sales are usually much cheaper for clothes than thrifts !

Came home and got some housework done. During Monday's trip to Sam's, I bought some of the 'restaurant grade' silverware. Thirty-six forks for $6.88. They seem pretty sturdy, if rather plain. Cut up some old t-shirts for rags, and used two to line the bottom of our trash cans, in case spills leaked out of the bags. This is my shameful frugal secret - I often reuse trash bags if they don't have a lot of food in them. And I prefer to use Mal-wart grocery sacks, but for some reason, that drives Beloved Hubby nuts !

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Almost freebies...
Monday, November 24, 2008

Whee ! A few weeks ago, I bought all the markdown 'Specially Hand Made by (Name)' clothing labels Hancock Fabrics had - well, at least the $2. for eight labels ones. They were on final markdown - 80% off ! - and I knew from past experience that Name Makers, the company who makes 'em, would exchange the name labels I mailed them, put my name in place of the name already there, and mail 'em back, for free.

So - $2.00 x 6 packets - $12.00. Minus 80% - $2.40. With tax, $2.58. Plus 20 cents for two envelopes (one to mail them there, one for them to use to mail 'em back to me) and two stamps (again one for each way) at 42c each = $3.62 for 48 woven, personalized labels !

Sure, 7.5c each for my vanity is kinda pricey - but I get a kick out of using those labels ! I got a real deal, as their website offers 40 similar labels for $25. ! Plus shipping. Mailed 'em off Oct. 30th, got 'em either Friday or Saturday, I didn't check mail until today. Pretty fast, too !

Not much else going on. Went grocery shopping and to Sam's Club. Even though I only went there for a few things, I still managed to spend $114. at Sam's. But we get some good deals there. Five pounds of great cheese for $13. and change, and it lasts us four or five months. I cut it into pound blocks and freeze it, and it still slices easily when thawed out. Most frozen cheese is only good for shredding once it's thawed, as it gets so crumbly. And I forgot the Kleenex, last time I got a great deal there. I know we should use rags, but when we had flu in September, even rags would have torn our noses up. The lotion-and-vitamin-E tissues were very kind to our sensitive skin.

Stocked up our medicine cabinet for winter. Most folks buy extra soup - me, I get a spare bottle of generic Robitussin ! Also some generic allergy pills, generic kid Tylenol for Dearest Son, and generic decongestants. 'Cause when you're sick, it's cold, and possibly icy and the roads are bad, nobody feels like going out for medicine !

So our larders are full, and I remembered the eggs for my devilled specialties for the family food fest. It was a really nice day !

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Everything old is new again !
Sunday, November 23, 2008

Beloved Hubby gave me the best gift this morning - stuff I already had ! It was so great - like getting it all new again !

So, anyway. We were finishing up cleaning the laptop for Dearest Son before he came home from a weekend at Granny & Granddad's. It had a new Cars wallpaper image, and Beloved had removed his work and game software, and added some just for Dearest. I'd made a bow from an otherwise useless red satin wrap that went to a Barbie-size Hillary Duff doll, and we had cardstock to use for a To/From tag. Remembered a Finding Nemo PC game that came with the DVD, so I went to get it, and I saw some old software I've had for ages.

I remarked to Beloved that I missed using the "Real Clothes" * Barbie and Ken clothes pattern software I'd bought back in '02. Since it was designed for Win98, I hadn't installed it on our XP machine. And when the XP got fried from a lightning bolt surge via the phone lines - it was protected from power surges ! - we had to buy a Vista PC, it was all that was out there. I didn't want to reinstall it for fear that it'd muck up the operating system, but I mourned for the loss of the patterns.

I mean, suddenly our 2 year old printer was history - not Vista supported ! - so I was kinda nervous about putting anything not made that year on our new computer. While we had nothing but positive experinces with Vista, we'd heard a lot of negative stories about it, so I was unwilling to take any chances, no matter how small !

Hubby, though, isn't as timid as I am. He loaded one of my CD-Rom software programs, pulled up 'Control Panel' from the Start menu, then clicked on Programs. Under 'Programs and Features' was 'Use an older program with this version of Windows'. That led to a simple install wizard that walked me through installs of programs that dated back to Windows95 !

As it turned out, the Real Clothes volumes loaded without the old program wizard, and they work perfectly. Two of my other older programs work now, too ! And I was finally able to donate some Win95 stuff that just didn't work at all. I'll ask the thrift store mgr. if they can sell 'em, if not, I'll dispose of them.

How wonderful is that ? I've been happy all day. I got the patterns back, and it's even better than when I had 'em new, because now I can actually sew ! I was still baby-stepping when I bought the software.

And Dearest Son is thrilled with his 'new' computer. He's been busy bookmarking his favorites and watching his DVDs on it. We had brownies for dessert tonight, and we're winding down the day.

What a fantastic weekend !

*if you're interested in well-fitting, well-crafted patterns for Barbie and Ken that go together and look great the first time, check out Real Clothes at www.perestroika.ca . I'm not employed by Carol or her family, I'm just a happy customer.  Who needs to buy Vol. 3, now that I think about it...

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A big purchase and yard sale rudeness...
Saturday, November 22, 2008

Big fun today - after spending weeks researching and reviewing and visiting the stores, saving our funds and seeing how much we could buy for what we had to spend - we bought the computer that best suited us and our budget ! It's especially great because it means it frees up the laptop for Dearest Son - something he's been wanting for Christmas !

Now, normally, Son would get the newest and best, but he's eight, and really wants the laptop Daddy has. And Beloved Hubby/Daddy needs more power than most affordable laptops have. So we found a great deal, and made the switch tonight. We're cleaning up and boxing up the laptop tonight - no sense waiting, Dearest will get it tomorrow. That pretty much took care of Christmas for both Dearest Son and Beloved Hubby, all at once. Well, Dearest will have a few small things to open next month... but most of them have been purchased already.

We also sold some unused furniture via Craigslist.org, and that helped a bit. I got a gift tonight, too. I'd been wanting the Barbie 'I can be a TV Chef' playset, and Target had it for $15.99. It's been $21. everywhere else. The doll's getting donated, but I'm using the rest in my ongoing play. It really is a nice set, if you can forgive the cardboard 'display' in all the shelves, including the fridge. I'll be removing it. As is usual with Barbie stuff, it's all about an inch shorter than I wish it was. The dolls have to stoop to use the counter and camera. But that's what Dearest's outgrown wooden building blocks come in handy for !

Went out for a couple yard sales this morning. Snagged an infant skirt (to be altered to fit a My Size Barbie), baby knit boots with leather soles (for my Baby Crissy doll), a star ornament set, two action figure display cases (great for doll props) and a small plastic jar and lid, for a buck.

Got to witness some really bad behavior at the second and last sale of the day. If I'd have known it was an Estate sale, I wouldn't have made the drive. I've seen the heirs try to sell open boxes of laundry detergent for more than it costs new, and put stickers over the printed on prices of items - like a pack of Dollar General sewing needles, $1. all day long there. Not at one Estate sale - someone'd put a $2. sticker over the printed-on price... and the package was missing several !

This sale wasn't bad, but the behavior of the attendees was. Sale was on a busy street, and the house had limited parking. In fact, the folks already there had already taken it up, to the point where I couldn't figure out how anyone could leave unless everyone did so at the same time ! I drove up a half block and parked safely, then walked to the house. A van driver had a different idea. He stopped, in the middle of a busy street, during Football Game Pre- Frenzy, to let two occupants out, clogging traffic both ways. I figured he'd do what I did - circle the block and park elsewhere, since the lot was still overflowing.

Nope. He backed up a bit, setting off a blaze of car horns, and somehow wedged his van between the last car in the lot and a huge oak tree. Nobody was leaving now ! In fact, he got so close, only his door could be opened !

I'm guessing this sort of 'to heck with everyone who ain't me' behavior is just their way of life, because the two women he was with inside acted as though everyone there - buyers and sellers alike - were there to carry their stuff, halve prices, and make way for them and anything they wanted, because that's the way they acted. They threw their payment at the cashier, because one item wasn't discounted enough, and she had the fortitude to ask for their tax-free number, since they refused to pay the sales tax stated on the signage all over the house. The tax collected may have been a scam, but it was clearly noted in every room and on the door, so complaining about it at check-out seemed a bit churlish, especially when there were five people behind them waiting to pay for their own things, and leave.

I paid for my items - a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle 'Mutant Maker', a sort of Fashion Plates for boys, and a Crayola Creature Maker, about the same thing - and stepped outside, where people were trying to make sense out of their parking arrangements, and the van people were trying to load up their stuff, but couldn't, because most of it wouldn't fit through the only available door. The person assigned to carry their purchases just set them gently down on the driveway and over the oak roots, and walked back inside. I calmly strolled down the street, got into my vehicle easily, and hoped that my $1.50 in purchases would make a few bucks on eBay... but Dearest would probably want that creature maker.

Sad thing is, those folks were my parents' age. They weren't young and stupid, they were old and entitled. But, heck, for all I know, they're still trying to get their $200. worth of stuff into the van and leave !

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Dollar Tree / Disney Princess fun...
Friday, November 21, 2008

Anyone who's into dolls is at least aware of the plethora of Disney Princess stuff out there. I mean, there's always a new doll of the latest Princess, even if it's just due to a movie being re-re-re-released after yet another 'restoration'. Makes me wonder how the movie ever made it to screens in the first place, if it had to be restored and cleaned six times before it could be seen on my ole POS TV...

So, yeah, I have a minor squeee for Disney Princess stuff. I wasn't allowed to play princess as a kid - my mother'd ask why I thought I was one, who was I to be swanning around like that, and no country would want a useless princess like me. Boy, she loved me so much... anyway, no time like the present to enjoy what you didn't get to as a kid. Plus, now you got money !

But in my case, I don't like to spend much on my silly hobbies. I find the dolls at yard sales and the other goodies at Dollar Tree. It's sort of a tradition for my website blog to be all Holiday Diz Princess during Christmas, so when I found Princess wrapping paper - three different styles and colors ! - at Dollar Tree today, I snagged the two I liked best. The rolls that came home with me were carefully inspected - many rolls were printed just a bit off, so Cinderella's eyebrows were right on top of her eyes, or Belle's skin tones didn't quite meet where her arm was. A couple of them were printed so badly, they looked out of focus, which is pretty bad for a paper product ! Tinkerbell, Mickey Mouse, and Pooh were also wrap-represented.

Prowling further, I found tons of Princess, Tink, Cars, and Mickey stocking-stuffer small toys - tops, jumpropes, stamp and stationery sets, pens, pencils, kaleidoscopes, stickers, etc. They even had some with Hannah Montana and High School Musical. I snagged a stationery set with Lightning McQueen for Dearest Son. They also had Christmas Cards with Cars and Tinkerbell characters - ten for a buck !

I also found two different sets of window clings in the DPrincess motif. Very nice ones ! I'm looking forward to scanning 'em. They also, again, had them in Tink, Mickey, and Pooh.

Scored a 'garlic and sea salt in a glass grinding shaker' from the Seasonings aisle - they also had it in Barbecue, Sea Salt & Pepper, and other varieties. I'm curious as to how well that grinder is gonna work ! Snagged a pretty pair of white socks with gold snowflakes, they'll become a doll sweater later, and found a big soup mug that matches the two I got at a yard sale last year. I like to have three, so all of us have matching bowls !

Hit a yard sale on the way home, just in time to see a Parking Enforcement car deposit a ticket on a badly parked vehicle already at the sale. Circled the block to make sure I didn't park too close to the stop sign. Hated to waste gas, but 25c worth of gasoline is cheaper than a $20. ticket.

The sale was indoors, but wasn't much. Found a white bucket-type hat made of pretty lace and interfacing, and I soon deduced it'd be easy to take apart to salvage the lace. I also found some shelf paper and a huge box of various sewing goods, most pretty old. $6. for the lot, not bad !

The hat took about 20 minutes to reduce to component elements, and the lace awaits a load of white laundry. The box was a ton of fun to go through - I now have a gallon bag of old buttons still on cards. Wow. At one point, you could buy six military-look silver buttons for 45c. I have a similar bag of bias tape, and another of seam binding, rick-rack, and ribbon. The rick-rack has price stickers reading '3 for 25c ' ! And an even bigger bag of various 'Aunt Martha' transfers. I wonder if they still work...

There were also some vintage patterns - for blouses and aprons too small to fit me, but the fashion illustrations are pure eye candy . And a bunch of handmade patterns done on paper and thin cardboard, I'll have to piece 'em together to see what they make. I also now have copies of Singer Sewing Skills, dated 1955, a Grit catalog of patterns from 1979, simply called Fashions to Sew, and Adventures in Conversation, which bears a 1963 copyright. So I have some awesome reading ahead of me !

Not sure if I'm going on a yard sale hunt tomorrow or not, but finds like the Sewing Box 'O Stuff are what keep me out there,  even when it's getting darn cold. Yard sale season around here has normally ended before Halloween, but there's a bunch more sales tomorrow, go figure !

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Another 'spend nothing' day...
Thursday, November 20, 2008

...although Beloved Hubby spent 95c on me this morning. We fortunately/unfortunately live across the street from a 7-11 convenience store. I try to stay out of there, but every so often, the indescribable, inescapable yearning for a Pumpkin Spice Capuccino is overwhelming, and such was the way of this day. Normally, I enjoy my special peppermint coffee (broken cheap candy canes in the carafe) on cold mornings, but I'd hauled my carcass outta bed late, and didn't have time to put a pot on.

Last week, I spent $3. there - on a toy ! I have a small collection of Fashion Plates and clones, and well, there was one, hanging next to the overpriced miniature Cinderella dolls and cap guns. Since a Tomy 'vintage' set of Fashion Plates routinely brings about $50. on eBay, I snap up clones and knockoffs whenever I find 'em. I have two sets of Tomy - one's going on eBay later this month - and three Barbie ones, two pocket-size knockoffs, and a Little Mermaid set. All purchased at yard sales and thrift stores for less than what I paid for the latest 7-11 set.

Anyway. It was really hard to get motivated to do much besides sip my luscious coffee and read online, but eventually I stirred around and got the dishes done. We caught flu last month, and the kitchen got trashed...oh, heck, whole house was trashed, since no one had the energy to clean anything save noses. Dearest Son didn't catch it, which I'm eternally happy for, but he dragged toys everywhere, and didn't put any of 'em away. I'm still digging out from under.

For 'fun', I put away some doll stuff I've had sitting out since I bought it - and if there's anything to make you question getting any more stuff, it's sorting through what you already have ! Spent two weeks this summer bundling all the fabric finds I've had over the last couple years, and I have two more bags of material coming in any day now, from a friend cleaning out her stash.

I'd bought a mixed bag of Barbie and Polly Pocket props and clothes at a yard sale last Friday. I only wanted it for the Barbie food props, but the whole bag was just a buck, so... Went through it today, and to my surprise, found a doll that sort of resembles me. And one that looks like Beloved Hubby. Hmm. I had fun dressing the dolls and finding out that he can wear her shoes, and most of her clothes ! They don't make much of a wardrobe for the male Pocket dolls. And darn few shoes.

I have an experiment on hold until the humidity goes down. In a bag are 34 pairs of Barbie shoes. Each pair of shoes is a matched pair, identical in material, shape, and design. They are not, however, the same color. One pair of pumps consists of a purple and a white shoe, ankle boots are pink and orange, Ken loafers are black and brown, etc.  Through they years, I've always saved the solo shoes that come my way, in hopes of finding the other shoe later. When the solo shoe box got too big, I started matching 'em up as 'shoes identical save for color'. I already know Krylon's Fusion spray paint for plastics works on most doll shoes. And I also know Fusion is expensive, and comes in a limited selection of colors.

So the experiment will hope to answer this question : If the shoes are sprayed with a primer color - gray - of Fusion first, can they then get a topcoat of a cheaper spray color, and will it stick ? I have lots of cheap spray paint in great colors - here's hoping I can use it ! Or I'm gonna have a heckuva lotta grey Barbie shoes !

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A nice, quiet day...
Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Today was pretty frugal, because I didn't go anywhere ! Did some housework, and figured out what I'm doing for Christmas gifts at Dearest Son's school. He's helped by so many people that I don't want to forget anyone - not the PE teachers, or the office staff, or the nurse, or the busdrivers, or the tutors - the list goes on forever !

So I can't just buy everyone a gift - unless it's a Little Debbie snack cake ! Last year I made pincushions from those Lucite shoe favors they sell for weddings - using coupons, of course ! I used bits of fabric I already had, and there was enough to make each a matching little drawstring gift bag, using ribbon I already had. They averaged out to 50c each, and were very well-received !

I've been sick half the year so far, so I didn't want to get into anything too involved this year. I remembered seeing unbleached muslin ornaments in various shapes on a 'primitives' tree - the ornaments were simple, with a ribbon to hang them, and frayed edges outlining the shape. Now there was an idea ! I could use some similar fabric I already have - leftovers from a curtain project - to make stars. Since the raw edges are on the outside and frayed a bit, I wouldn't have to turn them and sew the last edge closed by hand, which always takes forever.

I even have the Poly-fil, bought two brand-new still-sealed bags at a yard sale for a buck each, and I'd only used half a bag for a Halloween project. And various other finds had long since given me an abundance of lace and ribbon. About the only expense would be if I decided to add a jingle bell to them, and even those are cheap. Especially if I use the frequent Hobby Lobby 40% off coupons on their website. I've done that numerous times.

An ornament is almost always welcome, and even if a recipient didn't like it, they could always pass it along, since I'd be giving them out the day school let out for the holidays. Plenty of time to find a new owner. But I hope everyone keeps 'em !

Coffee and leftovers for breakfast, and a can of ravioli for lunch. I felt like splurging a bit. I'm hoping tomorrow to make a prototype of the ornament, just to see how long it takes and what needs to be changed. Wish me luck !

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Fun day volunteering at school...
Tuesday, November 18, 2008

...but I'm exhausted ! Our public school system does a health screening every year - height/weight, blood pressure, lice, teeth, hearing, vision - and it's quite labor intensive. Since I'm at Dearest Son's school at least once a week with one volunteer project or another, I often get asked to the big events. And Healthy Kids is one of the biggies. Unlike some of the other times I work for the school, at least this one is for the kids, and doesn't represent a money-earning opportunity. I kinda get tired of being tapped for those.

 Knew today would be an all-day event, so I dressed to move and had a song in my mind prepared. I was told we'd be provided with lunch, so I figured, 'Hey, it's been a while since I had a grey-meat cafeteria burger !' and was kinda looking forward to it.

But it wasn't so. I got a nice new 'Healthy Kids' T-shirt (yaaay, freebies !) from the county hospital, the sponsor. And lunch was catered sandwiches and salads from Panera Bread ! True, I wore myself and my song out running everywhere, but I really had fun, and hope to be invited back next year. So many adorable kids - and I even got to spend a few minutes with my Dearest.

He had a science activity after school, and the volunteering ended about 45 minutes before classes did, so I had nearly two hours before I had to pick him up. Picked up a copy of Wall-E like I promised, and even got my dolls a sort-of treat. Target was closest, and in their Dollar Spot, I found a set of 'Game Night Candy' - four small boxes that look like classic Hasbro games. In a doll diorama, it'll look like there's Clue, Life, Sorry!, and Monopoly games in the background. The box fronts declare the boxes are candy, but from the side, they really look like the real thing, just in small scale.

The candy within was a surprise. Sorry!'s box contained blue and yellow game pieces ! Life had pink 'peg' cars and the spinning wheel in blue. Monopoly gave us blue cars and pink dogs, and Clue hosted green candlesticks and blue wrenches. Now I kinda wish I'd gotten the other set -  it had Operation ! I was just expecting some sort of candy dots or something. They taste like extra-hard Sweet Tarts.

Yeah, I could have printed out my own versions. But I have one of those cheap printers that use expensive ink. So really, it's cheaper to buy 'em ready made, when they're just a dollar.

If you have a Cars, Disney Princess, or Hello Kitty fan on your shopping list, visit your local Target's Dollar Spot. I found DP cosmetics, HK purses and jewelry, Cars and DP notepads, color-in mini standees,complete with stickers and markers, and hang-up dry erase boards. Great stocking stuffers - except for the dry erase boards, they're about the size of a sheet of copy paper, and made of thick board with a writing surface.

Not much doll time today, and my feet still hurt. But it's a good hurt !

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New Blog ! Wheee !
Monday, November 17, 2008

Hiya ! I'm Dorrie, and I'm a doll hobbyist. Not a 'collector', I play with my dolls, and sew for them, and customize 'em. Probably all my dolls put together wouldn't bring $50. or even 50 views on eBay ! Most of my dolls are bought used at yard sales and thrift stores, and half the time, they're nude. I mostly learned to sew so I could make doll clothes ! Well, that and get over my intense shame at being a Jr. High Sewing Failure in Home Ec. ! Hard to believe that was nearly 30 years ago...

I have many, many dolls in many, many sizes - from two to 38 inches tall ! and I sew for 'em all ! There's Barbies, and Timey Tell, and a gorgeous Tonner Wicked Witch, and Crissy, and five different Ariel and Belle dolls, Jem, and Dancerella...even a trio of My Size Barbies ! I dyed their hair, and no two are alike anymore. I love doing that...

Anyway, the pretty brown-haired doll on your right used to be a Little Disney Princess Belle, from Playmates Toys. She's now 'Princess Dorrie' - I customized her hair m'self ! It's easy - and I'll show and tell you how, right here ! That is, if anyone' s interested in how to get ink off a Barbie, boil-perm hair, make super-simple sock doll clothes, and such.

Today was pretty frugal - I went to the local Thrift, and spent all of 54c. This thrift bags up Happy Meal-type small toys, and I spied a Bryer's doll in one - she's about the same size as the 'Musical Disney Princess' dolls I scarfed up at a flea market last week. So I wanted her for the jeans and boots, but I may do something with the six-inch doll, too.

Talked to the thrift's owner, too - she's said she's already feeling the pinch. Traffic in the store is way up, but donations are way down. I said I'd noticed that yard sale season is still going here, which is odd, it normally dries up a week or two before Halloween - maybe that was part of the problem.

She said it was due to folks hanging on more to what they have - something us frugalas have been doing for quite some time ! - and 'donations' bins that take the clothes and sell 'em overseas for profit. They're taking away part of her business, she says, and they're not even local - they're Texas-based. While she still gets yard-sale leftovers, they're frequently trash, and that costs her. Said she didn't see near the toys being donated that they saw just this summer.

Well, after that, my weekly grocery shopping became a 'stock up for a long cold winter' shop, and I got enough cough, allergy, and cold medicines to last us from now 'til March, I hope ! Plenty of soup, too, and beef and chicken stock. Leftovers for lunch, coffee instead of soda today. We've switched from canned sodas to 2-liter bottles, so I'm hoping to make some of those snowflake ornaments from the empties soon !

Stale tortilla chips still make great nachos ! 30 seconds in the microwave, and the cheese is melted and the chips are toasted just the way I like 'em ! Yum !

Well, it's dinnertime, and Beloved Hubby's treating us to Mc Ribs ! So, it's nice to meet'cha, and feel free to visit my website, dorriebelle.tripod.comand my other blog, dorriebelle.tripod.com/DorrieBelle .

See you tomorrow ! Hope you had a fun, frugal day !!

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Author:
DorrieBelle
Norman, OK USA
About Me:

I have numerous health issues for someone my age - I'm 42 - so I'm a stay-at-home Mom. I wish I stayed at home more, though - I spend half my week at Dearest Son's school as a volunteer ! My house is trashed, but I love my doll/sewing room, called The Lab. Beloved Hubby has to be the most indulgent man in history !

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