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 3 posts from January 2009 for this blog.
Went nuts at the Thrift and discounted Christmas displays...
Monday, January 05, 2009

My, oh, my. I've gone all year (grin) not buying anything for my crafts or more doll stuff, but I blew it big time today. Luckily, I didn't spend more than $25. total - and that included some groceries !

Stopped by Mal-Wart today, and got the water jugs refilled. We often buy their house-brand water for cooking - the well water is a bit worrisome. When the jugs are emptied, I have them refilled, for 33c each. Versus 67c new, it's not a bad savings.

The Christmas stuff was 75% off, so I got two Cars photo frame ornaments for Dearest Son ($5.88, down to $1.47 !), two Disney Princess ornament frames for me ($7.50, now $1.87), a pack of egg nog mix mostly for the tiny attached whisk ($1.25, down from $5.), and a package of unbreakable copper-colored ornaments, also at $1.25. Beloved Hubby's favorite color is orange, and he's complained before that there's never any orange ornaments. Wait 'til he sees these babies next year ! I'm thinking of customizing a few, too.

From there, I hit the thrift. Found a beanie-style American Airlines airplane toy for 50c, and a near-new Sparkle Gem Princess Belle doll, packaged with a Ken in a Beast costume, $3.99. I bought Sparkle Gem Snow White there last month ! Both dolls had their hair still in the factory set, with the clear elastics still in place. On the shelves, they were about $14. each !

After that, I visited Dollar Tree. They finally had the emergency candles back in stock, so I got a box - 10 for a buck, and they're great ! Each winter my feet resemble hooves, so I got a sander. Ick. I also scored a set of 6" by 9" magnetic sheets and some glass 'Accent Gems'.  One of the magnet sheets and the glass gems are for a craft project. If it works, I'll write it up here ! The other magnet sheet is gonna block the rusted-open vent over my sewing machine. Depending on the season, I either freeze or roast when I sew, so the magnet sheet should block the air flow somewhat.

From there, it was across the street to Walgreen's - they had milk and Progresso soup on sale, and I even had a coupon ! Also got a tiny, light up 'squish ball' snowglobe with a Cinderella figure inside. Also 75% off - for 50c, one of my doll's display shelves just got a new curio !

Came home to a lunch of leftovers, and finished the dishes. I let that job go waaaay too long ! Got the trash out, and I'll begin dinner soon. While it's cooking, I'll get the dishes put away. It's so nice to have a clean kitchen again !

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Thanks, Mods ! A short note...
Sunday, January 04, 2009

We all appreciate all you do to keep Thrifty Fun - and My Frugal Life - as positive and uplifting a place as possible. Thanks for dumping those spam-sellers and their bad ads for us. Goss, I hate it when those misguided (string of expletives deleted by DorrieBelle) use something nice for their own gains.

Know that our thoughts are still with you as you continue on, for Susan.

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How's your first weekend of '09 treating you...?
Sunday, January 04, 2009

Hope everyone had a great first weekend of 2009 ! I spent New Year's Eve happily sewing a doll dress I cut out in August, but never progressed it beyond that. Well, clear the decks, as they say...

Only problem was, I've taken most of 2008 off from sewing, minus some holiday projects. So my doll clothes sewing skills were rusty to the extreme ! Took me over an hour to complete two simple hems successfully. Yikes. In an effort to keep my hands busy - and out of the fridge and snack cabinet ! - I'm challenging m'self to sew something new once a week, using a pattern I've never used before. I started a similar challenge for my Barbie-size dolls last year, but I was trying to sew something every day, and it just got to be too much.

So I think once a week will be good for me. One other thing it'll keep me out of - the dreaded eBay ! Was nosing around, 'just looking', earlier in the week when I found a gorgeous Barbie-scale pattern book. Sure, it was in Japanese, but I already have several, and their directions are profusely illustrated, so ya don't really need to know the language to get a good result.

Only problem was, we're broke. Oh, sure, I probably could have squeeeeezed out the then-$14. bid out of the grocery budget, but... who knows what we'd have to cut because of it ? So I didn't bid... and it closed at $25. anyway. I was kinda proud of me for not giving in.

Day after New Year's, I typed up an index to my Barbie Pattern Catalog. Two summers ago, I printed out images of every sixth-scale pattern I owned, so I could leaf through them for ideas. Used the library printers for much less than my printer would have cost, too. But I never made an index.

Color me surprised to learn that the Catalog was over 225 pages of patterns ! And at least four individual outfits per page - some have more, others less - that's a serious body of potential sewing ! And most I've never touched beyond scanning it. Well. I updated it with the fifteen new patterns that weren't in the Catalog, and thanked Everything again that I hadn't gone after that Japanese book.

Y'know what's really sad ? The Pattern Catalog *doesn't* include my computer software patterns, or any of the patterns I have for my other dolls - like my Tonner pair, Timey Tell and Hi Dottie, the My Size Barbies, the LIttle Disney Princesses, Beautiful Crissy, the miniature dolls, or the rest !

So, as with fabric or anything else, the cure for wanting something new is to go through what you already have ! If your stashes are at all like mine, that'll take all day, and you won't have time to shop !

Sometimes, it is such a relief to be broke...

Oh, and here's a photo of the doll dress I made from the Japanese pattern book I already have -

Images:
   

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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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