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??