Obsession Du Jour - Dolls, (and getting them for freeee.)

Also known as obsession #478567.

I have a bit of an obsessive compulsive personality.  When I was little I thought the world would come crashing down if I stepped on a crack between cement tiles, and it made for very long travel times to the playground.  So, it could be worse, I could be compulsively licking lamp posts and other random objects, and instead I cultivate the obsessive side of my personality. 

I'm on the fence, between thinking it's creepy and unseemly for a woman my age, but then I think of all the old ladies who collect dolls, who,granted, I think are creepy, and it seems alright that I just want one little doll, mostly to practice my tiny doll sewing for.  

Not just any dolls.  What I wanted was a Magic Attic doll.  Partially because I stumbled upon my little sister's American Girls catalogue, and Mr Snork informed me we could afford nothing in there.  (Not even the stuffed raccoon that comes in a tiny tin trash can, for $40, to accompany the $300 camping trailer with a fold down bed).  

And partially because after that I decided their dolls are dumb anyway.  They all look the same.  Poo on you, $95 doll with no personality and funny looking thighs.  I don't care that you come with a book.  Your outfits cost more than mine, and it's just not good for my self esteem.

My stepmother had dug out a no name but pretty doll for $3 at Goodwill, and long, methodical Saturday morning Google image search of every doll image available (on the worldwide web) turned out it is Megan, of the Magic Attic Club.  An obsession was sparked.

This is my sister's Megan.  (My sister is 11, so only one of us is creepy).

A quick Craigslist search turned up a couple Megan's in New York and Ohio, and a couple of her sisters a little closer to to home, but not quite.  I also stalked Ebay, but it's hard to shell out $40 for a doll when my stepmother paid $3.  It's not good for my psyche.  AND, I'm almost 30, so my dolls would really need to be free, so I can tell people it was an accident.

"I don't know how I ended up with that.. I bought a car, and it was rolling around in the back seat..."

Fast forward to this last weekend, when a doll surfaced in Oceanside.  After some mild haggling, for $20.  With 'extras'.  Extras, is doll speak for all the doll crap that should naturally come WITH the doll,  because there's no other use for it, but instead, people will charge you $10-$30 per outfit, shoe, and anything that doll's ever touched and that originally probably came in the box with her.  Not that I'm bitter. 

But this Oceanside lady was very reasonable, and for $20, she set a trash bag of doll, and all her worldly belongings on her porch with an empty envelope for payment.  Like every good Craigslist transaction should be. 

Meet Alison:

I found that Mr Snork gets really creeped out when he finds the doll staring at him, so naturally, I've spent larger portion of the weekend staging the doll off to his side, or behind him, with an inquisitively tilted head aimed right at him.  When he's watching football..washing dishes...stripping some furniture..googling Ebay rates for doll sales...  

And, speaking of Ebay, ridiculously priced doll accessories, and American Girl phenomenon.  Couple blocks down after we picked up the doll trashbag, was an estate sale, where I picked up a pink doll trunk, and a shoe box filled with doll crap.  Mr Snork almost stopped talking to me, in a "are you seriously going to fill our house with doll shit in your old age" kind of way, but I was too busy mourning a doll bed someone swiped right from under me to pay him any attention.

Last night, I put some doll stuff on Ebay.  3 people have excersized the Buy it Now Option, and as of last night, Alison was officially free and paid for.   The doll trunk and the shoe box of doll crap, also paid for.   Couple other items have bids.   I have a feeling our gas and lunch expenses that day will be paid for shortly as well.  And, I have more doll crap to list.   Woot.

Apparently, I arrived at the sale too late for a doll bed, and possibly a doll (I'm assuming there was one), but just in time for shoe box of "extras".   It appears that AG 'extras' not only sell at stupid prices, but after they become discontinued and replaced by more ridiculous extras, they become "retired" and even more sought after.  Score.

Needless to say, Mr Snork is talking to me again.   Now I gotta go ship some stuff.

Risky Fashion, Thrift Shop Thwartage and Stalkage

We switched it up this weekend and kept busy mornings with riding and disc golf, so the thrifting frolicking was limited to a couple quick stop at San Clemente's La Tienda Thrift Shop and Garden Grove G-Mart.  Can you say sparkly?

Yeah.  That's right.

I told myself if it was under $3, I'd get it for shock value and to wear for New Years.  EVERY New Year.  And may be for Halloween, when I want to go as the Disco Ball.  It's a Robert Ribkoff cardigan, (he's somebody fancy!) in silver, with silver sequins, all scrunched up.   

And, I'm a little hesitatant to post this, but, how do we feel about shortalls? 

With boots?  And a belt?  Or no belt?  I know, the overwhelming opinion is probably "no shortalls", but it's too late.  $5 got them AND the cardigan, and some unsuspecting public, somewhere, soon is going to be subjected to me wearing shortalls.  Brought to you by Chip and Pepper (Jesse and Google told me they're somebody, so I did a little brand whoring unknowingly).

The side view is decidedly less farmer like.  You know, cause it looks like shorts.  May I'll just scoot up to people sideways when I wear it.  And wear it I will.  I also figure if I can't ever bring myself to leave the house in either the Disco Ball Shirt or the shorticals, I can Ebay them. 

There was also the most amazing vintage cat, wooden, the kind you pull, and it rolls, and the little paws move..  But this little kid had it, and wouldn't give it up.  I heard his mother say he could have anything if he behaved (awesome tactic, BTW, I mean, you're at a thrift shop, you could let your kid clear out the ENTIRE toy shelf and be out $20).  I suggested Jesse go distract his mother while I snuck up on him from behind the dishes rack and snatched the cat, but Jesse reasoned sensibly  (ugh) that it would be frowned up. 

So, I left sulking, but called later -super creepy stalker like - to find out if they sold a wooden cat to a little blond boy -and!- the cat might still be there.  Ha.  May be he didn't behave well enough after all!  Another trip is in order.  In a related story, I am the sort of person who bargains at thrift shops, creeps behind small children, and calls obsessively afterwards stalking a 40 year old wooden toy I have no business buying in the first place.  I know this.  I am working through it. 

Finally, at a Garden Grove G-Mart (My favorite!)  I got seriously thwarted.  As I was trying Jesse to try on a Banana Republic shirt that he thought was hideous and that I thought was a beautiful, attractive, sexy purple, I saw this woman's cart - full of dresses.  New dresses, with tags.  I'm sure they were all my size.  There was one I was a little determined to snatch out of her cart while she was on her phone (it's a theme, I know, I need therapy) but she got off the phone and eyeballed me disapprovingly eyeballing her cart before taking off towards the registers.  Gr.  Seriously, a full cart of Macy's tags.   What is she going to do with all those dresses?  So, of course, by the time I made it to the dress rack, there was nothing there for me.  I'm convinced it was that chick's fault. 

Jesse finally agreed to one of my offerings/picks, a different Banana Republic shirt,

with a lot less (none) purple, so I left him alone to brand whore for random Brooks Brothers blazers and the like, and over by the linens/dishes I found

1.  An old Bavarian plate.  49c.  Love!

2.  A bin of fabrics, By The Bolt, $5.99  O.M.G.

I always read jealously about people making muslin mock ups of their patterns, but I've always been too cheap to buy said muslin.  I mean, even at $1.99/yd - which it wasn't - it adds up.  I now have several kilometers of this stuff.  I can cut out patterns, write on it, modify, cut more, fail, try again, rinse, repeat, like 80,000 times.  I can even try to make my own patterns. 

The second bolt wasn't quite as large, but there's quite a bit of fabric on there - may 15 yards - possibly more - dark red raw silk.  Need I say more.  Can you have too many dresses made out of raw silk?  I don't think so, but I will find out.

Nora, the Duct Tape Scarecrow Replacement

Months of stalking have paid off, and I now have me a dress form.  I was just about to try and wrap myself in duct tape again (it took months to work up the nerve), and now I can delay that indefinately. 

Ta-Da!!

I mean, it doesn't have gargoyle feet.  This was a little disappointing.  But, it matches my measurements nicely (I'll have to pad the butt-ips area..) And, it was $30, which, to date, is the best deal.  I considered  driving 60 miles to get a questionable $40 off of Craigslist.  Debbie's Dumpster were finally going to sell me theirs for $90.  No, thanks..  This one is much better, even!

Jesse and I had frolicked a relaxed, unmapped trail of garage sales this weekend - i.e. - he drives towards the beach and I make him pull over at every green, pink, or yellow piece of paper tacked to a light post, and our favorite junk shops.  In San Clemente, there's the Pac Rat, a little thrift shop ran by a husband and wife.  They have really cool dresses and suits, the wife picks her stuff carefully, so no junk.  I've gotten some shelves from them, and she once called me about some teacups she found, because she remembered I'm into that sort of thing.   It's not the $3 price tags I am accustomed to, courtesy of G-Marts, but their stuff is nice, and the husband likes to make deals.

Once there was a pretty vintagy red motorcycle Jesse had to drag me off.  I didn't wanna hear that it was too big for me.  It was shiny, dammit.  Anyway.  Pac Rat, had not one, but 3 dress forms.  They were using them as displays, until I undressed and inspected each one.  There was a vintage Wolf one, cast iron base and everything, and a newer reproduction of same, without base though.  I coulda probably negotiated Wolf for $80-ish, (he said $100) but  I skipped home with the newer one, for $30.

Jesse spent larger part of the evening mutilating a lamp I was supposed to Craigslist (procrastination DOES pay off) and making a stand for Nora II.  A couple of ugly "mallot + drill + handful of screws + lamp on a sidewalk outside" episodes later, he did so well, it doesn't even wobble. 

One of these days I'll spray paint the cage and the stand black, and separate gargoyle feet may turn up at some point, you never know.   I think I will also take a paint brush to her, she is clearly in need of some body art.   I'm taking ideas. 

FINALLY, I won't have to try on my hideous creations, and try to swim my way into and out of a half stitched top with 80 pins threatening my various body bits.  I mean:

It's hard to look cool wearing raggedy bits of almost clothing. (I was cutting off and reattaching the sleeves and taking in sides of a sweater that I thought would be cute to buy in XL to wear "camping".)  There are PINS in that there sleeve, people.  And I always have to ask Jesse to leave what he's doing and capture the madness on film.  No more. 

Also, she models clothing, so I have FINALLY, put up some stuff on Ebay, from my "Not a Size 4 Anymore Collection".   I had taken some pictures on the original Nora, let's revisit:

This, by the way, is Nora's most flattering angle.  Ignore the crushed right boob.   Even without scary boobs (but featuring my hand, since, Nora #1 was not a free standing creature), and with my snazzy carpet, a 70's special clearance rack my landlord is very fond of.

Vs-

I mean, night and day, right?  I am glad I procrastinated (again, see, it really works) and didn't put up all the Ebay auctions.  I'm certain Nora II is going to fetch at least .50c extra, you watch.  The only trick is that, since Nora II is my size, my smaller clothing doesn't really fit (all skirts are unzipped), and Nora I was a collapsible deal (not on purpose, it just was messed up like that) so I could potentially stuff her into stuff a little easier.  But once so stuffed, it wasn't very flattering (reference the crushed boobs) anyway.

As a matter of fact, anything worth picture taking that can be draped or hung, will now be featured on Nora II.  Like, this serape blanket I got in NorCal few weeks back:

And this outfit I picked up last weekend, at the Boutique (Salvation Army - The Boutique).  That's actually what it's called, and not a fancy decoy name I made up, like G-Mart for Goodwill.  Hereafter, all Salvation Army stores = Boutique.  You've been warned. 

I continually see 27 year olds in SoCal that look much cooler than me, and I can't quite pin point why.  Then I see pictures of stuff I pick out, and it becomes pretty clear.  Jesse helped construct the first outfit, finding a long sleeved shirt while I fumbled with dress buckles in fitting room, because that's the kind of Boutique White Horse-d Knight he is.  But, notice how the grandma dress on Nora instantly looks heaps more cool than the grandma dress hanging on a hanger off my track lighting.  Right??

Almost Ancient Awesome Dumpstered Board Games

I really wanted to cut my hair today, to, may be, cut down on atrociousness that is ..it. So we headed out of the house and got massively derailed by an awesome garage sale sign.



"Your treasure awaits you"?? How could we not. Jesse did some characteristic abrupt maneuvering (where I point to a sign and squeal, "You gotta turn!!" and he tries his best to spare nearby vehicles, and sidewalk vegetation as he whips around the 6000lb truck, in the direction an arrow is pointing. He really does a fantastic job, I have repeatedly seen him block all types of lane traffic excecuting awkward and often illegal turns. One time, he whipped the truck around on a two lane 55mph country highway, so I could go get some $4 Danish Modern side tables (stil not refinsihed, BTW) in a farm yard sale. We must have been the ONLY people who came by who did not drive a tractor and live across the hayfield. It's one of the million things he does that makes me feel like he was just meant for me. So. We got there just as she was ready to pack up.

I always think, it'd be neat to get up early and find all the cool stuff before other people get there, but that would require actually getting up. Neither Jesse nor I are ever that commited to finding cool random stuff for 50 cents. Plus, Jesse has sort of forbid anything else to come into the house, so it's probably for the best.

Anywhere, there on her lawn was the most brilliant collection of board games. They were old, and with all their pieces, and pretty, and.. Jesse went to find the nearest ATM, cause I wasn't leaving the lawn without some loot. $7.50 later, we skipped away proud owners of 8 games. Well, 5 games, two puzzles, and one Barrel Full of Monkeys. (I did most of the skipping, Jesse was busy picturing where in hell exactly I was going to put 8 new games, and if it would displace any of his DVD's/Wii/etc)



They are so pretty. And in perfect condition. One of them, called Aggravation, I want to try sell on Ebay. (Remember, how I said, it would be awesome to one day find awesome things ot sell on Ebay, but first I'd have to actually sell soomething on Ebay? Well I did! So I can!) If it doesn't sell, I will figure out how and play with it.

In addition to the Aggravation game, straight from the 1970's, I got:

Scrabble "Crossword Cubes:, 1968
Scour Four, 1968
Boggle, the 4 letter size, 1976

They are in an amazing condition, with all the pieces, cards, instructions. I don't know how that's even possible. It ain't in my house. I have no idea where my house keys are at this very moment. Or my phone. Board game instructions are the sort of things you find years later, afer you have already made up your own rules. It's easier to win that way, anyway. Especially when playing small children they are gullible critters. It's shameful, I know. (The losing things part) And it's just wildly impressive to me when somebody's been able to keep ALL 16 marbles of a game for 40 years. I'll try to keep the awesomeness going.

There was also a Taboo game. Which I keep meaning to get, so now I did. The fact that it's from the 70's makes it that much cooler. I can't wait to read through the cards - I'm guessing "Brad Pitt" and "Monica Lewinski" weren't on the radar yet. I don't do too well with modern Taboo game, so this might be my key to success.

The 'Drive you Nuts' puzzle is from 1968, and it *has* driven me nuts. Like very primitive sudoku. But worse. Although, I'm only speculating, I never gave Sudoku a chance. But it's kicking my ass, so it must be worse.

I can't really explain the Barrel of Monkeys. It seemed like a good idea? I mean. They hook together. If I ever break a body part again and spend some time confined to a small space and floating on painkillers, I would definately want a Barrel of Monkeys in the space.

There is also (unpictured) a small doggy puzzle also from the 60's.



I promised Jesse that I would hand his ass to him in nearly everyone of those games, and show him what's up with putting together puzzles. He's tingling with anticipation, I'm sure.

The hair, by the way, never got cut. I'm using harsh (and so far ineffecive) tactics, like pretending I don't know the hair, ignoring the hair, and using a scarf to cover the hair. It is doing unspeakable things to me and needs to be told. (Or washed with some nice foamy detergenty shampoo, but I can't give in this easy. It's only 7 days in. I've read the other blogs and I'll feel like a pansy if I quit so early on)

Sold! EBay Skirts

Every one of the four I posted. Each went for 3 to 8 dollars. All in all, I made about $20. I am thrilled. I posted up pictures, wrote a note about how I’m too fat for them, and people bid, repeatedly, and bought my stuff. Somebody wanted my old stuff! Usually, it is I who gets other people’s stuff. My universe has come a full circle, and I. Am. Pleased.



I would love to make a hobby of finding cool things at yard sales and sell them on Ebay. The only snag in that plan, is that, inadvertently, I want to keep cool stuff I find.

I got a bid!

I have finally got around to addressing the List as it relates to "Sell Something on Ebay". I put up some spare chandelier arms, having seen some listings sell. I got a bid on day 1!

9 days to go, and my house will be 5 chandelier arms emptier (win). Plus, it's about time I started unloading somewhere other than Goodwill, who's getting tired of my old clothes.
The whole Ebay thing is prety confusing, and I didn't even set the price. It did it for me, at $0.99. Ha.

Looks like Ebay charges me $0.55. I see that I am eligible to have this and 4 other listings within 30 days free, but how to do that, I can not figure out. Hmph.

Nonetheless, I'm all types of excited!

Speaking of clothes, I am tempted to try and sell some pretty skirts I got, but a search for "Ann Taylor silk skirt" yielded 236 results. All pretty cheap, and MAY BE 1-2 bids. I'm going to watch a few to see if they go in last minutes, and if so, I'll throw mine on there.

I haven't figured out how one might make any money selling small things, but it's kind of fun, and it looks like at the very least the shipping is covered.