I Can't Wait For Midnight January 1st 2014

Image From Free Digital Photos

Happy holidays ladies and gents, it has been a while. I have just been dealing with life. I almost said living life, but that's not the honest truth. Dealing with it is a much better way to explain things. I ended the year roughly 175 pounds less in the form of an ex-boyfriend that I am now very glad I am done with. I've had some time to think about what all has happened in the past couple of days, weeks, months, years, and I realize I did the right thing in letting him go. But that leaves me at a confusing crossroads as to what I want to do with my life and how I see the hobbies he judged me for. It took me some time, but I've decided to say "Forget him", and return to things I love, dolls being the main thing I want to return to.

So now that I've decided to return to dolls, what will I be doing? I've been brainstorming some plans, and I will be starting on them in January. I don't really want to say what they are now, so if they blow up in my face and I fail miserably, I'll be the only one to know and can just move on to plan B instead of embarrassingly admitting defeat publicly. LOL! The one thing I can tell you I am working on now is sewing. I really do want to start selling clothes for dolls this coming year. I love fashion and I have so many ideas for doll clothes.

I've collected some dolls to sew for and I plan to collect more, and I'm excited to try this venture. It's just I'm also nervous about it. What if no one likes my stuff? What if running a business is too hard? What if...well I don't know, what if something else goes wrong? But life is full of risks and I need to take more. I saw I took a big one trusting my heart to one of the nastiest people I have ever met, I literally though I would die from the pain he caused me, but I'm bouncing back and I made it through the worst. A business mishap or two, I think I can handle after what I went through with him. So I am putting on my big girl panties finally and charging forward towards this new venture. So super nervous. :-)

I've got so many things swimming around in my brain that I want to complete next year, I almost don't know where to start. I have given myself until New Year's Day to deal with the aftermath of my "175 pounds weight loss" and then I told myself it's time to stop mourning and move on. So yeah, there's one plan at least, the rest, I need to schedule out I think. I am a list person, so I need to make lists. Don't be surprised if some lists pop up here every now and again, I do well thinking out loud. ;-)

Wow, I've missed blogging so much but I feel like I've lost my blogging mojo. I know I will get it back over time, I just feel kind of odd now. I almost feel like I'm in a strange place. Time will change that. I will be back to regular blogging again in 2014. I want to say I'll blog everyday, and I guess technically I could, but I think it'd be pretty boring. I don't know. We'll see. I won't hold myself to it, if I do blog every day great, if I don't, no big. And this looks like a great place to close for now. I don't know if I will be back before the new year, so in case I don't get back I want to wish all my readers a very safe and happy New Year. Have fun, be merry, and get ready for 2014, it's going to be awesome. :-) Bye for now all.

Happy Autumn/Fall!!!

Happy Season Change Day everyone! Did I just invent a holiday there? Awesome! But seriously, I am excited!!! I LOVE Autumn. The colors, the weather, the scents, the holidays, the everything. Only problem I have with the season is weather to call it Autumn or Fall.

Now according to Grammarist and Daily Writing Tips, both words formed in Britain around the same time, with I believe Fall being a slight bit older. It seems the season started off being called Harvest due to the time being where farms and growing your own food were a big deal. As cities began to become more of a big deal they needed a word that represented the season for everyone. So Fall, that hinted at fall of the leaf, was formed. It seems a short bit later Autumn was born. So what happened after that? Well the two words were used interchangeably for a while until the settlers left Britain for America, and along with them they brought Fall. Now folks back in the Britain feel the word Fall is archaic and poetic and folks in America feel Autumn is archaic and poetic. And while both words co-exist happily in most English speaking areas, one word tends to be more favored over the other. So I guess it just falls, hehehe no pun intended, down to the individual person. I prefer Autumn myself. It just screams colorful leaves, a nip in the air, warmer clothes, and pumpkin pie. Which one do you prefer? Tell me in the comments section, I'd love to know. And if you'd like, share where you are from to see if we can fine preference pattern. I'm from the U.S. where they tend to prefer Fall, but I'm an Autumn girl. :-)

But no matter what you prefer to call the season, it is officially here!!! Well, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. Sorry to all of you Autumn loving Southern Hemisphere folks, but hey, Happy Spring to you all!!! Spring is my second favorite season with all it's pastel colors, beautiful floral scents, and a nice change from Winter's harsh nip and colorless scenes. However Winter is my third favorite, so don't feel I'm giving it total hate. ;-) But do tell me, am I alone in this love of Autumn? Is anyone else out there excited over the potential this lovely season has to offer? You know, I love this season so much I can only find one thing wrong with it. I can't stand that fact that is has to end. :-( Oh well, I've got 3 months of awesomeness to enjoy, so I'd better make the most of it. :-D Let's the waiting for the first leaf to change color and fall countdown begin!!! ;-)

Seriously?! You can stop already!!!

Who needs good luck anyway?

Why?! Why do I ALWAYS have to be there when bad things happen?! So we've been getting work done on the house, and it just seems one bad thing after another is happening. This all started with a leaking faucet. If I would have just gotten my rear in gear so we could have a plumber come in, I don't think most of this would have happened.

So like I said, it started with one leaking faucet in the kitchen. We had to turn the hot water off at the tap and turn it on when needed. That went on for a while as we tried to sort issues over getting a plumber in. Well one leaking faucet turned into two once the cold water went bad too. So we were going to get a plumber in, except instead of that we ended up with a few remodels in the kitchen and upstairs bathrooms. The bathrooms went in, and the downstairs ended up flooded. The new kitchen counters went in and then the sink gets fixed, and its leaking. Before it gets put in though, when I reached under the sink a few days ago to turn the tap off, the pipe from the sink drain pops off. *eye roll* It was an easy fix, but it's nice to have the sink back together and I don't have to reach under it to turn it on, even though it still leaks. *another eye roll*  That plumber that put our new stuff in has been nothing but trouble for us.

Well the last straw was just now. I needed water. I wanted cold water from the Brita in the fridge. I go get the water, take a drink, and it's kind of warmish. I think it's just been filled so I grab the other one that's almost empty and get some water. I take a sip. Warmish again. I start grabbing things and feeling them. Hummm...they seem warmish. I call for a second opinion and that is where it is brought to my attention the cooling lights are off. Are you kidding me?!? Middle of the freaking night and our fridge died on us!!! And I, again, have to be the bearer of bad news. I get nervous when that happens because someone in this house tends to go from calm to spastic in .01 seconds. But I was surprised, it was a more of a "shit happens" kind of reaction with a small laugh. I was tempted to ask if they were ok, but decided not to tempt the Gods and get my tail out of there. Not sure what will be done now, guess we'll be getting a new one tomorrow.

It's just funny. One leaking faucet turned from a several hundred dollar plumber's visit into a several thousand dollar remodel and new appliance purchase. It's funny how life is funny like that. But I think I will keep to my room more for the next couple of days. It seems like every day I step into that kitchen something new breaks. Oddly enough, I don't think anything happened on Friday the 13th. Guess that was my day off. *sigh* Ok, just needed a quick "in disbelief" vent and rant. Thanks if you read this far. :-) I will be back to regular blogging here soon. I recently got a gift and it's going to help me with my blogging big time. More on that soon. Until then, be good. Bye for now. :-)

Getting Ready For Autumn

Image From Free Digital Photos

Who's ready for Autumn to start? This girl is! I can't wait to feel that nip in the air and see the leaves start to change colors. It has been such a mild Summer this year in NC, which is so surprising. One of my friends said he'd read that we are suppose to have a harsh Winter this year, so Autumn is looking like it will show up early this year. *happy dance* I am so looking forward to it.

So to get into the festive harvest mood, I decided to change the blog layout some. Subtle but fun. I am sure I will be tweaking it some over the next few days, but I am happy so far with it. So yeah, I'm a little early, but I can't help, I am just already in the mood. I'm hoping I've gotten you in the mood too. LOL! Bring on the cold!!! Ok, I will talk to you awesome people later. Bye for now. :-)

Depression, Cleaning, Saints, And Blah

Every day I think about blogging, and every day I tell myself to put it off just a little longer so I can come back fully with stuff to share and talk about. But I just honestly don’t have that yet. I’ve been in the process of cleaning my room and the room I craft in, and not just cleaning but organizing and purging stuff as well. Well with my bum stomach, something that used to take me no time at all to do can take me hours to days to do now. It sucks, but I am dealing with it. I love that I am finally getting more organized, but the rooms are slowly turning into a Hoarders episode the “cleaner” it gets. I have a vision and a drive to get this done, it’s just overwhelming to see everything in the middle of the room and know I have to go through it all still. Ack! Oh well, it will be worth it in the end.

Add on to this that for some crazy reason I am seriously depressed, and have been for the past year, but it’s really getting nasty as of late. I really feel it has something to do with my thyroid medicine. I either have too much or not enough. My hormones are so out of whack I don’t know who I will be from moment to moment. I’m either perfectly fine or curled up in a ball throwing the most awesome pity party this side of the Atlantic. Woo! I see my doctor, maybe, on September 11th, where I am bound to get a lovely round of blood tests to see what’s going on with me. I feel my dosage will change again, but we will see.

Now if all that wasn’t enough to deal with then I have the “blah” portion of stuff I am dealing with. My house is getting work done on the kitchen and bathrooms so there are stranger guys in and out of the house making the loudest noises. Then they take a few days or week break while orders for stuff come in and then they start it all over again. We are currently on a “break”, but they will be back soon, I’m sure of it. For some reason whenever I leave my room they all like to just stare at me, which is just lovely for a shy gal like me who would just like to cross the hall to the other room without it becoming a moment of interest. Well hey, there’s one good thing at least. The guys are kind of cute, so I guess dealing with them for the time being isn’t all that bad. LOL!

My family members all have been dealing with health issues of late, and that stresses me out, and of course my doctor told me not to worry about them and worry about myself instead. Kind of hard to do when it’s right in front of my face all the time. So this is another reason I am really trying to get back to where I can craft and be creative. It helps calm me and pull me out of reality for a while. But I don’t have the ability right now because of the need to clean, so I have found another way to achieve that moment of peace. Video games.

I just got a new game in the mail today, Saints Row 4, and it really helps me let off some steam. I am also playing Guild Wars 2 again, the Sims 3, and Animal Crossing. It’s just a nice break from the daily stress until I can get back to my true love, crafting. It’s hard to have so much I want to do and try craft-wise and not be able to do it. That adds more frustration on me as well, so for now I take it out on aliens and unsuspecting Sims. Mean? Yep. Fun? Hehehehe.

So I was dealing with all this and thought I had things at a comfortable “I can deal with it.” level, and then another wrench is thrown into the gears. “A” just recently told me he’s been experiencing heart issues for the past few months. It sounds a lot like my mom’s heart issues and to know he may have that at such a young age scares me. He’s going through testing now, and I hope it’s just stress and that he needs to take a vacation to relax, but if it is what my mom has it’s permanent, and that just truly scares me. So all of this just makes me feel like I am carrying the hugest boulder on my shoulders. I never really truly understood that saying until recently. Your shoulders truly feel heavy, and you almost feel like you are in pain because of it. It sucks so much, you have no idea. Well, perhaps you do. I know a lot of you are dealing with nasty stuff in your neck of the woods, and if you are, I am sorry. I wish we could all just have fun enjoying our hobbies and living a happy life, but that is just not how it goes sadly. So with that all said, what’s next?

I’m not sure. I am going to keep at the cleaning, and purging things for the shop I am going to open with my mom, that’s not doll related. We are going to try selling new and used things on Amazon. I will still open my doll shop too very soon. I am still tinkering with articles and plan to use them for promoting my shops and blogs. I hope to promote some of my favorite blogs too, not that any of you need that because all your blogs are awesomely popular already. And well, until I can comfortably get back into my craft area, I will continue to kill aliens and torture Sims. LOL! But once I am back in a my crafty nook I will be sewing, crocheting, creating, oh and finally finishing my photostory I started writing years ago so I can move on to the story I really want to start working on. And well, I guess that’s it, for now. If you have read this far, thank you. I feel I owe you something for reading through all that. Hummm, what can I give you. Oh I know!

Kitties!!! What? Who doesn’t love kitties? Well, maybe someone allergic to them or someone who get attacked by a kitty, but other than that, who doesn’t love kittles? Oh fine then. For those of you who don’t like kitties, this is for you.

Puppies!!! You’re welcome. And on that note I am off again my lovelies. I’ll be back soon, hopefully with awesome news and fun things to share. I hope all of you are doing well and having tons of dollie fun. Take care until next time. Bye for now.

Michelle

All Images Used Under Creative Commons
Girl Playing Video Games Image From Free Digital Photos
Kittens Image By Mathias Erhart on Flickr
Puppies Image By Alejandro C on Flickr

Manage Your 1000 Subscriptions

I'm Not A Craft Hoarder

That is what my Youtube said when I went to look at who had updated in my subscriptions list. I kid you not, 1000 subscriptions. Ugh! I don't know how I let it get that crazy. Well wait, actually I do. I would subscribe to someone because they had a video I liked and I wanted to see if I would like more later. Or I liked a person at the time when I subbed to them. Or I subbed to a person because they made videos about the topic I was currently interested in at the time. However, when I moved on to other interests, I failed to remove the subscription. Thus, I had 1000 subscriptions. I have been working on deleting them all, and I am down to 700 something now. I want to get down as low as possible. 100 would be nice, but I don't see that happening. I told myself the limit is 300. I then plan to spread those out over three different accounts, two of which I plan on using in the near future.

It's kind of interesting though, going through my old subscriptions and seeing who I subbed to. I could see parts of my life through my subs. I have been reflecting back on times of my life when I was interested in one thing or another, realizing I haven't thought about some of those things in forever. Those accounts got kicked off my sub list. But other accounts got to stay because I am still very much interested in the topic, however, in order to become more organized I am forcing myself to become picky. I hate doing that. I like to be an open-minded person who gives every vlog and blog a chance to interest me, but I realize that I don't have time for that if I plan to stay up to date on other people while still blogging and eventually vlogging myself, on top of all the other things I want to do also. I just can't do it all, and so I realize things have to go. That has been a main thought process for me this past month, I need to purge a lot from my past so I can head towards my future. Ugh, getting sentimental here. I guess I just want to perhaps inspire others to do the same. Purge the junk from the past so you can move on.

This isn't just your personal past, this can go for anything. For example, the room I craft in is a freaking sty right now. I kid you not. I'll admit it, I made it a mess. I didn't clean up after my last crafting in there, and when I crafted in my bedroom, I just dumped the stuff back in there where I could and left it as is. I can't stand to go in there now because it's such a mess. A mess I know I could attack and want to, but there is just so much junk I am holding on to, because I may need it. This irks me to no end. Now let me say, this is not a "hoarders" level of a mess...not yet anyway, but I am hoarding stuff I need to let go. Craft stuff, doll stuff, computer stuff, etc. I have always told myself I want to be a "need to get" crafter. I know a lot of crafters and doll people will hold on to things they think may come in a handy one day, and I was slowly going that route. Now I don't want to do that. I want to have to go to the store and get what I need for a project rather than have it hang around. This way I know about how much I need and what I am looking for. I'll get it, use it, and it will be gone and done, leaving me free to move on to the next project clutter free.

I feel a lot of us just have a lot of "clutter" in our lives, be it tangible or intangible, and we'd all be better off just letting some or all of that go. So that is what a big hunk of my to-do list will be. Getting rid of the clutter. I was contemplating selling some doll stuff, part of my fabric stash, etc., but I think it may just be wiser to donate to Good Will and be done with it all so I can "reboot" my life and hobbies all fresh and clean. Hummm, the fabric I might still slowly sell in my...yes I still have plans to open a shop, it's already made I just need to actually open it. But as for the rest of the clutter, it will just go. And as I finish my doll photostory, details on that coming soon, I will be selling off the props I don't need so I can move on to other stories that will be more hands on when it comes to props, MyFroggyStuff will be my best friend. LOL! Ugh, just so much to do and figure out and clear out and I feel overwhelmed, but I am putting it out there into the universe, and there it will stay.

If you are finding yourself in the same situation as I am, you own too many dolls, too much craft supplies, you follow too many Youtube channels, you are reading too many blogs, reduce the clutter and get rid of them. You'll feel better for it. Ummm, except for this blog of course, don't free yourself of this one. You'd be lost without my high quality venting...err...I mean blogging. ;-) Well, hopefully I was able to help one or two of you out there. Don't feel like you have to hold on to something because you've had it so long or worried you may need it. Odds are, if you have used it or looked at it in years, you probably aren't going to, so get rid of it. You'll be happier. I'm living proof of that, since I have deleted several hundred subscriptions, a ton of people I completely forgot I followed have show up in my subscriptions. It's like a whole new Youtube for me, and I'm excited reacquainting myself with these interesting people. LOL! Now, if you are really fighting with whether or not you are a craft hoarder of any kind, do feel free to look at this article and see how many you can say yes to. And you dollie people out there, you do the same and just replace the craft stuff with dol doll. If you answered yes to any of them, you know what you need to do. ;-)

Ok people, I'm off to knock out another page of subscriptions before...crawling into bed. Don't judge me!!! I hope all of you have an awesome day, and I will talk to you guys later. Bye for now. :-)

Michelle

A Fresh Start

Speed Limit 35 Sign

Hey there gang, remember me? Goodness it's been a while since I have blogged here, and I have missed it dearly. I wasn't really sure what I would come back and talk about because I have not really been feeling up to doing anything dollwise, except for my Tumblr that is slowly becoming a mish-mash of things I find inspiring towards dolls, and crafting, and art, and writing, and doll fashion, etc. And while I do love Tumblr, there is just something about a bloggy-blog that fits me better. So I will still update Tumblr regularly, but I will be returning here to blog as well, for now.

Wait, what do I mean, for now? Well, I have been taking inventory of my life lately, and I realize I am ready for a fresh start at everything and to finally do some things I have wanted to do for a long time. First thing being, I want to get my own domain and a blog on my own website sometime this year, fingers crossed tight. I am slowly building up a list of all the things I want to accomplish in the next year. I will eventually put it on it's only little page up at the top and you can follow along with me as I tick of each one. I just realize my mind is everywhere and I need to pull back, make lists, and go from there. I am realizing that the longer I wait to do things I honestly want to do, the more time passes and the less time I actually have to do things. Ok, maybe that sounded a bit morbid, but it's true. I mean, hello, I am getting ready to turn the dreaded...3-5 on the 9th of next month and I feel I have nothing to show for it. I know I am not alone in that, but I am focused solely on myself right now. Yes, I have decided that the next year of my life will be my selfish year where I work on me and my goals, and yes, a lot of those goals include dollie stuff. LOL! But they also include writing more, reading more, reconnecting with you guys, and much more.

I'd like to write here everyday, but I find I can't write about doll stuff everyday because there just isn't that much doll stuff to talk about that isn't covered in depth by others who do it much better than I could. I'd rather share what I am working on at the moment, and I know it won't always be doll stuff, I hope you don't mind the other stuff I'll be talking about. I would like to turn this blog into a doll, craft, writing, reading, lifestyle blog. Just write about what's currently going on in my neck of the woods, and I hope you will find it interesting. *fingers crossed* I think this blog will be more fun to write and more interesting to read that way. So I hope you will continue to follow along.

I don't know what brought on this newly found direction for me, probably has something to do with something I have been working on for a day now, more later on that. I just know that it's time to return to what I love, reconnect with the people I love talking to, and start enjoying life again. Issues with my stomach and thyroid have been getting me down a lot lately and I am just sick of always being sad and depressed over it when it's not going anywhere anytime soon. It's time to live again.

I hope all you lovely people are doing awesome and I can't wait to check in on each of you. I am still determined to catch up on all the blog posts I have missed out on, some of you will take longer than others...I'm so behind. But I will start catching up today with some of you and I can't wait to see what you have been up to. Take care until my next post. Bye for now.

Michelle

Hey guys and dolls!

Hey guys! So it's been a while. I've been wanting to come blog, I still have tons of back blogs that most are outdated by now, but I just haven't had the motivation to post them. I've been pretty active over on Tumblr because it's so simple to blog there, but this blog is where my heart is at. I just feel that since I'm not doing anything in the doll hobby right no I don't have much to share right now. I can't get motivated and I was wondering why that was. Last night I found out that might be an issue with my thyroid disease. *rolls eyes* Great. Yeah, I have been stressing over that lately and some other stuff, but today I decided that I have got this disease for life and I need to either learn how to work with it or just give up on all my hobbies, and that is no bueno.

See here lately I've been having a foggy brain. It literally feels there is a gauzy curtain right in front of my "mind's eye" and I am almost at a point of eureka but I can't get there because of this curtain or brain fog. I have trouble concentrating as well, and this is all due to my thyroid issue. It's been frustrating, and then I add my stomach issues on top of that, and well I've been plain depressed and throwing the most epic of epic pity party on the block. Sorry I didn't send you guys invites, this was more a party of one. And I didn't even have cupcakes. Lame.

So after having a good sob over "woe is me", I've decided to just suck it up and move on. This is with me for life and I have to many plans in mind to let it get me down. So I am going to come back to blogging, post those backlog posts I have for you, update my layout, and become a part of the community again, because I miss doll talk, I miss being excited over your excitement, and I just plain miss blogging. It'll take some time to whip this bad boy...girl...thing into shape, but I will. Until then, feel free to watch me on Tumblr. I post reblog doll stuff, craft stuff, funny stuff, random stuff, fandom stuff...Supernatural *raises the roof*, and just whatever I find interesting. It's my way of staying connected to the community for now and it's been making me happy, for now. I have some stuff to share with you all and can't wait to post about it. Look forward to some big bulk posts from me and then I will return to regular posting once I've updated with backlogs. This is bound to be fun. :-)

Ok I will talk to you lovely people later. I hope all is well and I hope you are all having dollie fun! :-) Bye for now.

The Doll Page Update

So for those of you who haven't heard, The Doll Page is staying open. I was kind of wondering if it was an April Fools joke, but from what I can gather from the email is that the site was hacked and it was enough to make them want to pull the plug on the website. But it's back and running and changes will be made to the website to make it better. So just wanted to update you all on that. Bye for now.

Michelle

The Doll Page Is Closing

Image From Free Digital Photos

Hey guys, just wanted to jump on here real quick because I was going through my email and saw an email from TheDollPage saying that it was closing. This may be old news to some, but I know a lot of you out there use this site and may not have checked you email in while...like me. They say you have roughly until June first to get your images copied and all your stuff moved somewhere else. This is so sad. I didn't use the site much but it has been there forever and I just remember it always being a part of the doll hobby for me. It will be missed. I just wanted to hop on here and let you guys know in case you didn't "get the memo" on it. Also I want to wish you all a Happy Easter. I hope you had a lovely day and that the Easter Bunny brought you some delicious goodies. :-) Bye for now my lovelies.

Why I Hate @ToysRUs – Warning, Long Rant Ahead

Image From Free Digital Photos

So I have had an interesting two weeks when it comes to trying to order one clearance item from Toys R Us. So I decided to order some clothing for Midori. I was curious about Little Missmatched Doll clothing because I heard some of the clothing fit. FYI, the clothing fits Liv dolls, a bit loose, but it fits. Anyway, I made a nice big order of some things I wanted and figured I should go for the free shipping. Got it and waited for my package. Package came, I opened it, and was bummed to see I got two Little Missmatched Doll Fashion Forward clothing packs and no Little Missmatched Doll Casual Comfort pack. Well I figured it was human error, and wasn't going to go through the hassel for such a cheap item. I decided to just order it again. I mean my order was big so it would be easy to make a mistake, right? Hummm...

So today my order came in, and guess what? It was the Little Missmatched Doll Fashion Forward clothing pack. Ok, now this time it wasn't funny any more. I was irritated by now. I was figuring out how to go to the store to return the two I got in the free shipping order, so I wouldn't be out of the shipping price, and hit Ebay in hopes of finding it there for a decent price. I found it for the same price as Toys R Us, for cheaper shipping. Seller had 98% feedback, so I decided to go for it. Then I got a message from Paypal saying my order to Toys R Us went through. Umm...what? I went a looked, ughhhhhhh!!! The seller, why didn't it hit me, is KB Toys!!! Toys R Us bought them out!!! So now I began to wonder if I would get the same outfit again. This bothered me. A stupid clearance item has now cost me some serious money and it is all due to Toys R Us and their website error. So I decided to call them, just to make sure I get the Casual Comfort outfit and not the Fashion Forward one again. As pretty as Fashion Forward is, I really didn't need a 4^th one. So I called, and I kid you not, the woman who took my call almost landed me in the hospital.

So the woman who picked up seemed nice enough, she said hello at least. I explained to her what happened with my order, so she looked it up and explained what it said on the website, and in longgggg detail. She literally read it out loud to me. I hate being read to. Anyway, when she was done I explained that the description she read was for the item I got, but it was not the item I ordered. She said that I ordered the Casual Comfort outfit. I said yes. She said then that I got what I ordered. I explained to her that the website is wrong and I did not in-fact get what I ordered. She proceed to get heated with me saying that I did get what I ordered. I kept explaining to her that I ordered a different item but I kept getting the wrong item. She then proceeded to tell me that no matter what I think, I got the item I ordered. She said what I was saying would be like me going to the store, looking at the shelf and seeing something that is clearly labeled it was blue, bought the item, went home, and then got upset because it wasn't pink. That comment right there got her hung up on. What a rude individual who is too dumb to see that the website is wrong. And I'm going to prove it now.

This is what I ordered. The Little Missmatched Doll Casual Comfort clothing pack. Click picture to see it bigger.

Little Missmatched Doll Fashion Pack Casual Comfort

This is what I keep getting instead. The Little Missmatched Doll Fashion Forward clothing pack. Click picture to make it bigger.

Little Missmatched Doll Fashion Pack - Fashion Forward

I wanted to show the website page so you can see I am not lying. Different item numbers and names and they do not look anything alike. So to that lovely lady on the phone. it's not about picking up an item that clearly says it's blue then being disappointed when I get because it isn't pink. I'm not that kind of person nor am I that stupid. By the way, thanks a lot Toys R Us for basically calling me a stupid individual. The website is wrong. Even when I got the item home and looked at the receipt, the numbers for both items were different, so how did I end up with the same one twice and then another sent to me again? So that's when I went to Ebay foolishly thinking I'd find another option. Guess what, all the ones being sold are by toy stores that I think are all under Toys R Us. Nice, right?

Oh, and when I asked the lady on the phone if she knew how I could contact the people who handle the Ebay sales, because logically if Toys R Us is going to take my money they should have a way for me to contact them right, she said she had no idea what I was talking about. What? Um, ok. That's slightly understandable, not her department, but surely she knew how to contact them right? Nope, she told me I'd have to call Ebay and ask about the seller there. Ask about the seller? The seller is Toys R Us. But no amount of me explaining that to her got me any closer to an answer. I asked if orders for the website and Ebay were handled by the same people or the same warehouse, just hoping to see if I should expect the same outfit again or maybe hopefully might have a chance to get the one I wanted. Nope, she just kept saying I need to call Ebay and find out about the seller that way. Ok, I gave up on that then. She got me so “calmly” worked up the acid in my stomach was in my throat cutting off my air some, that is never good because it takes a while to settle down. I was polite to her, I didn't raise my voice, and all I wanted was to get the outfit I ordered. That's all I wanted Toys R Us! But I guess that's to much to ask for these days.

Now after reading about the site some I learned this is not uncommon. They do this a lot. People have ordered items and been sent other items instead. It's funny, when I opened the first order I said to myself, I hope they didn't mess up my order, and right when I said that I saw the duplicate items. This has been a rather upsetting situation, and to be called stupid by a Toys R Us employee when I was clearly in the right was rather upsetting as well. I know Toys R Us won't care about one person they have seriously wrong and insulted. They won't care that I will avoid their store as much as humanly possible. They won't care that I used to be a faithful customer but will take my business elsewhere. But I had to let my thoughts be known. Perhaps hate is a strong word. I'll change it to seriously dislike. Yes, I seriously dislike Toys R Us, and that woman who basically called me stupid on the phone. Perhaps she was having a bad day, and if so I am sorry she was having a bad day, but she works in a position where she needs to keep her cool and not tiptoe around straight out calling people stupid. I know Toys R Us will never see this, but just in case they do, these practices you do are low, dirty, and cheap. You need to have someone check your website because you have items listed wrong. I bet you have boxes full of that Casual Comfort outfit because no one can properly buy the thing. And it seems neither will I.

You want to know the whole sad part of this? I'm not bothered by the repeat outfits, I could do something with them or return them to the store. I'm only slightly bothered by the lady on the phone because I got to hang up on her and talk about her stupidity here. What bothers me is I was done wrong by a company I trusted, and in the end, I just really wanted that outfit. Maybe some day I will get lucky and find it, maybe not. I know the outfit I get from Ebay will be the same Fashion Forward one and I don't know if I will even bother opening it. Maybe I will throw in the closet and come across it in a couple of years, open it, and laugh about the whole silly situation. But for now I am just defeated. I had to battle with Brady Games over invalid codes and that took a week of constantly being on them about it, and now this whole situation just has me exhausted. Oh, I did get my codes from Brady, so that was a good turn out.

I wish this Toys R Us thing would turn out good as well, but I just know it won't. I just don't know what else to do about it. I've called, emailed, sent messages through Ebay, I've done it all. Right now it's gotten to the principle of the matter. They did me wrong, they need to fix it. They won't, and that's what burns me. I'll get over it eventually, but for now I sulk and look at the back of the Fashion Forward clothing box at the little drawing of the Casual Comfort outfit and sigh. You know, if Toys R Us would fix this problem and apologize to me I would take back what I said about them. At first I was upset at Brady Games, but they finally followed through. It took them a while to get it right but they finally did. Can I still be hopeful that Toys R Us will do the same? Fingers crossed.

*sigh* But anyway...please, someone tell me about your day. Tell me you had something awesome happen. Got a new doll? A new puppy? Finally beat that game you've been playing? Tell me it all in the comments. I want to feel happy for someone. Talk to you lovelies later.

Michelle

PS – I will respond to comments sometime this week and finish updating the blog. I have just been busy with my articles that I get writing overkill. So expect some updates very soon. Love you guys. Bye for now.

Still Here

Image From Free Digital Photos

I should have known something was going to happen when I say I am almost caught up. I haven't been able to blog or update my blog in the past couple of days. I have felt sick and I don't know what it is exactly. Light-headed, short of breath, exhausted all the time, just sucks. I want to sleep all the time. I will am forcing myself to write my due articles and then I will come back to the blog. I feel just so funky since my dosage change, but it's suppose to make me feel better. Ugh! Well I just wanted to let you all know I have not disappeared, just tired all the time. Hope you are all doing well and I will talk to you soon. :-)

Michelle

Disney's China Doll Limited Release

China Doll

So it seems Disney is releasing a China Doll and it seems she's been released in a limited amount. When looking at her, I sadly don't like her. I know she's an exact likeness of the character, but I kind of saw her in a different light. I saw her with glass eyes, and maybe even a wig, even though she didn't have one in the movie. Her eyes just look so lifeless to me. The hair I could live with because that is how it is in the movie, but those lifeless eyes I couldn't. Her eyes in the movie had life and I think it would have been caught better with glass eyes. But that's just me being picky. What do you think? 

Do you think she looks ok? I don't know. Also I don't like her looking up. Yes in one scene of the movie she is looking up, but I doubt she is doing that the whole movie. It just doesn't look, I don't know, comfortable I guess. LOL! It's kind of weird. She's a pretty doll, just not one I'd be crazy over. But maybe I'm the weird one. LOL! I wonder if she can be posed. She kind of looks like she has solid limbs. After looking around in the bjd community for a while, I think if she were to be really jointed she would have padding in her joints that would be visible. So I don't think shes jointed. They say jointed in the description, but I think it's only at the torso. *sigh* Well, there's always the playline doll. LOL! I really want to have her, so I may have to get the playline one.  LOL!  I'm so picky. Come on guys, tell me how you feel about this unique gal. Hopefully I'm not the only weird one out there. LOL!

They also have an Oz doll and a Finleythe Monkey plush. Take a look.

Very cool. I love Oz's face paint, very handsome. If I wasn't trying to lean more towards Liv dolls I would consider snagging him up. What do you think of these two fellas? Feel free to tell me down below in the comments. :-)

Also, I am still working through posting the last of the few posts I'd written but not uploaded. I am super tired as of late, medicine changes and anemia are so not my friend, so the posts are going up slowly. Almost caught up though, and then I can continue on with blogging for February, which I am doing as well as uploading. Multitasking! :-) Oh hey, could you also do me a favor? While I write this blog mostly to talk about my love of dolls and eventually crafting, I also write this blog for you. I've been trying out different things here on the blog, and started using blog post cuts where you have to click on the link to see the rest of the post. I thought it would keep the main page of the blog cleaner for you, but it's also an extra step for you to do, and if you are catching up on posts, no sooner you hit the second page the post cuts are gone. So is it pointless for me to do the blog post cuts, or do you like not having long posts on the front page of the blog. Like I said, I do them for you, I'd leave the long post on the front of the page, and I see a lot of people do that, but I'd like to see what you all think. I'll post the next few posts with longer ones getting cut and see how it goes. Something tells me this won't be a lasting thing. LOL! But yeah, expect the rest of my posts to finally be all up in a day or two and then I will respond to comments. But for now this sleepyhead is off to bed...again. :-)

Michelle

The Most Popular Girls In School

Hey peeps! So let me get this straight out there, if you are not a fan of cursing or raunchiness in any way, this post is not for you and I will see you in the next one. Those of you who don't mind a little sick humor, continue to read. :-)

So while looking on BuzzFeed yesterday, I found myself on an article about this Youtube web-series called "The Most Popular Girls In School". The article had some gifs depicting some of the funnier lines of the show, like this one.

 

This is actually the tamer of the gifs in the article, but one of the running jokes in the series. It's actually pretty funny once you watch the series.

When I first learned about this series, I thought it was a bunch of kids doing some dirty jokes with dolls. At first I wasn't going to look at it, but then I decided to give it a try, and now I am hooked. Like I said, this show is not for the faint of heart, not for kids, and not safe for work. There is cursing and some of the things said in the series is just terrible, but in a way that it's so bad it's good. LOL! They completed their first season last year and have gained a nice following, which hopefully means there will be a season two.

Ok, so what is this show about? Well it's your basic "mean girls" teen drama. Two groups of popular girls, the cheerleaders and the rich girls, are out for each other's blood. Why the rift? Because back in third, serious stuff went down in third grade guys, besties Shay and Mackenzie were going for their third grade cheerleading team, knowing that whomever became captain of the team would be captain for "life".  Shay winning was a sure thing because she was part of a long line of cheerleading captains in her family. Even with her hair cut off due to lice, everyone still believe she'd win. That is, until a tragic hackey-sack accident that caused her to lose hearing in her right ear. She lost the captain title to Mackenzie and from then on the two became sworn enemies. This plotline alone makes for a fun story, but add in the many sidelines and you've got yourself a small burst of entertainment for 2-9 minutes per episode. Love it.

Another reason why I love this little series is the fact of the work they put into it. Yes, the sets are just basic, but still they are detailed. You know what everything is and they put some thought into and made things to scale. I love seeing behind-the-scenes pictures showing how people set up their sets and dioramas. It just adds to their genius in my eyes. So like I said, these sets aren't "the best" but they do have details and help tell the story.

And as with every series, you have to have your favorite character or characters. I do have some characters I love, but if I had to pick one person out that I loved the most it would have to be Bridget Tice.

One of the characters in the series said it best, she's like a mixture of Daria and Miranda from "Sex And The City". She's got a twisted story while remaining almost apathetic from it all. Add on to this that she has a crazy younger sister fueled with anger and vengeance due to something that happened back in the third grade, told you guys stuff went down in the third grade, and her sister's best friend whom I believe has a crush on Bridget. But through it all Bridget keeps cool and not a damn is given by her what goes down. Gotta love that "I don't really care." kind of attitude. LOL! But like I said, along with Bridget there are several other characters that make the show for me, and if you have a sick sense of humor, they will make the show for you also. Take a look at episode 1 to see what I mean.

This is just a short glimpse into the chaotic world of  "The Most Popular Girls In School". Be sure to check out their channel, and enjoy the rest of season one. You won't regret it. And if you do regret it, I point you to my initial warning up there ^. :-D

And now I am off. I need to finish an article before midnight, but I had to share this find with you guys. I know I am late to the party on this one, but hey, better late than never, right? Right. :-) And I will talk to you lovely people later. Bye for now.

Wishing now that she could play instead of having to write,
Michelle

 Pictures 1,3, and 4 from the "Most Popular Girls In High School" Facebook fanpage.
Picture 2 is from the BuzzFeed website.
Picture 5 is from the "Most Popular Girls In High School" wiki website.

I Miss...

I have several posts to upload to the blog, but just haven't had the time or energy to. In some posts I'll explain what's up with the lack of energy, that I've yet to start working on. But even though I have been writing posts, it doesn't satisfy me having them sit on my computer and not published for reading. I miss not blogging more often. I think I need to figure out how to get back into the swing of things. So I have decided to blog every day in February to try to get back into the swing of it. 28 days shouldn't be that hard to blog every day...right?

I also miss reading blogs. It seems with me being tired a lot of the time I just can't devour a blog like I used to. I am still working through the one blog I said I'd try to catch up on this month, and honestly beforehand I could have had that done in a day. So I don't know what my problem is. I'm not giving up, just wish I could stay focused more. I know why I'm having some issues, but I'll save that for the post written about it.

I also miss being more active on forums. It just seems like I don't have enough time to visit them as much as I want to. It's not like I am any busier, it just seems my time is more limited with being tired most of the time. I have slowly started getting involved in some, but not to the level I used to. I guess over time I can schedule more time to pop in on them.

I also miss working on my website. Years ago I was always changing the layouts and working on my website. It has changed locations several times, and it's yet to have it's own domain, I might change that this year. Right now it just sits not really updated and in need of some TLC. It's not a project I want to take on now because once I start I won't want to stop. I kind of want to get an html book to catch up on new coding and maybe even a javascript book. I love coding, so it will be nice to get back into that again. But for now it sits alone on the interwebs. Hopefully my new stories this year will breathe life back into it.

And that's all I really wanted to vent about today. Like I said, I have posts coming to the blog, some should show up this week, and I'd like to have those posted before February 1st so I can start with a clean slate. I'll let you know when new posts are posted. I hope everyone is doing well and having fun playing. I am eager to get playing again too. I am trying to rope my mom into doing doll stuff with me as well for relaxation and just to spend time with her. She's agreed to if I agree to draw with her. I can't draw worth anything, but it's not about the quality of the art I draw, it's about the quality of the time I spend with her. Ok, did I just write out the equivalent of a Hallmark card? *eye roll* Lame Chelle is lame today. LOL! Ok my lovely peeps, I am off. Just wanted to pop on and say I miss you guys and to let you know I will be back soon. Promise. Take care and by for now. :-)

Feeling sleepy but happy she wrote a post finally,
Michelle

Image From Free Digital Photos

Youtube Doll Peeps

So if you didn't know, there is a slowly thriving doll community on Youtube. Doll folks like you and me are making videos sharing their new purchases, doll plans, doll woes, and just their lives in general. I'm slowly growing my collection of must watch people on there. There are so many great people who have a variety of dolls to share. So I thought I'd share some of the fun doll peeps I follow on Youtube. For this entry I'd like to introduce you to Malvagitabella. She's a lover of many dolls, but her main love is for ball-joint dolls. She is slowly growing her collection of beautiful dolls. She shares with us about how she is growing her crew, her work on her face-ups, her attempts at sewing, and more. She's a super sweet gal and fun to watch. Her laugh is infectious and she's fun to watch. Take a look at her most recent video here. And be sure to subscribe to get new doll hobby updates from her. 

I hope you found a new person to add to your Youtube subscriptions. I'll be bringing you another fun dollie peep to meet soon. Bye for now. :-)

Michelle

Blythe Dresses On Etsy

Image From Free Digital Photos

So one of the things I want to start doing this year is promoting other doll peeps who I find interesting. I kind of feel like I am walking into mucky waters with this one because while I want to give notice to those people who I find interesting, I don't want to insult others by not mentioning them first, third, or even at all. So I will just put down the “cone of safety” on each of these posts. LOL! These posts are in no way to insult anyone, they are made to encourage purchasing of awesome dollie items I find and possibly help a handmade artist in the meanwhile. :-) And now that the cone of safety is on * insert cone of safety sliding sound here * let the awesomeness commence.

Gentle River Blythe

Image By Stacy Z

So my most coveted Blythe doll has to be Gentle River. She's a limited edition Blythe that I have no chance of getting, but seeing pictures of her again today reminded me of how much I loved her. I'm not sure what exactly it was that attracted me towards here. I think the one thing that caught my attention was her hair. I loved the blend of deep red hair with what looks like bits of dark burgundy and a lighter reddish-brown color. I love that mix of hair for some reason. I love red-headed dolls so she just really appealed to me. Next were her shocking red lips. Just so bold and eye-catching, but it all matched perfectly with her little outfit. Very cute. She was just so unique and different from the other dolls I've seen. I've loved her since she was released and have coveted her ever since. Her price is sadly to high for me now, but I can at least enjoy her through owners pictures. Take a look at her introduction video and these great pics. 

My Dream Craft Room

Picture By Just Claire

What would your dream craft room be like? I've often stopped to think about this, and have come to some conclusions about my dream craft room. First of all, it would have to have either laminated, tiled, or wood flooring. Hell, even cement flooring would be fine. I don't like carpet flooring, and I hate it even more in a craft area. Crafting is a messy job and I want to be able to clean up quickly and not have to pull out the vacuum cleaner, or get on my hands and knees to pick up threads or paper that have fallen onto the floor. I think I would prefer a wooden floor the most, in a light sandy stain.

Now with these lightly stained floors I would want white walls or pastel painted walls. I want something pale and calming because crafting can be stressful so I need something relaxing surrounding me. Crafting is my “me time”, so I want to be as relaxed as I possibly can be. I'd also like to have on the walls some unique pictures I've collected over the years, maybe some vintage prints, some crafts I have done or will do, and an inspiration board that is part white board or chalkboard and part magnetic to attach inspiring things to it with magnets, that I of course made.

Next I would focus on storage. That is my main problem, no storage, so my craft area can look chaotic at times. I'd love bookcases for fabric and supplies, displays for things like ribbons and scissors, maybe a craft table that has storage in it as well. And perhaps some things to make organized storage in the closet.

Once storage is taken care of, I would then focus on filling the space with crafty yumminess like colorful paints and ribbons, folded and color-coordinated stacks of fabric, odds and ends of various degrees, a space for my computer and a tv and radio, and a comfy chair or even a daybed to relax on to do handcrafts or sketch or relax after a stressful craft failure or read up on my new crafting adventure.

I think this would all be the perfect makings for my perfect craft room. I don't need much, just a place for everything, a place to sit and craft, and a calming atmosphere. Now I ask you, is that too much to ask for? :-) So tell me, what's your craft room dream? Tell me in the comments below.

Michelle

Puchi Collective

Puchi Collective

So I must have the worst luck when it comes to patterns, because I can never get them to print right or I can't figure out how to use them. So when I printed the Blythe Empiredress from Puchi Collective, I was bummed all my attempts to make one just didn't turn out.

Empire Dress Tutorial

It wasn't until I found Cris Shida's blog that I finally understood what I was doing wrong. It was the bodice and lining that was throwing me off, and once I sorted that out I was able to whip up several dresses with ease. Now that I am returning to sewing again, and Empire dresses are in my near future for sure, I will be falling back on Cris' tutorial. If you are having issues with the pattern, try looking at Cris' walk-through, I'm sure it will be that missing link you need.

Party Dress Tutorial

Now fair warning, the site is in Spanish I believe, there is another tutorial in English on “Oh StrumpetsAnd Blythe Too”, that is for the Party Dress pattern but it's the same concept, and I just found it recently but wanted to give notice to the person who actually taught me. However, if you prefer an English tutorial you can find it here and here, but Cris has put many pictures that show you clearly how to do it. So let me know if these tutorials helped you any. I know that I am very glad I can across Cris Shida's blog and now know how to successfully make that dress. :-)

Michelle

Mad For Mod!

If you didn't know, I'm mad about Mod. No, seriously I am. There is just something about Mod everything that appeals to me. The shape, the color, the look, the now vintage feel. I wonder if I was born back in the time Mod was current if I would like it as much as I do now? Or would I have loved Victorian instead? LOL!

Now when it comes to my main love Mod, it's Mod fashion I am mostly crazy about. But I have since found a new love, Mod furniture. :-) Mod furniture was just so space-age and colorful. A lot of furniture now tries to replicate it, and that's pretty cool, but it just isn't the same like having actual vintage Mod.

So why am I bringing up this lovely vintage style? Because I was surfing around the web and found some funky pieces of 1/6^th Mod furniture I would love to own myself for my own bratty crew here. I was born after the time Mattel went Mod, so I didn't have the privilege to play with any of those furniture sets nor have any sitting around now from childhood. I've seen some photostories with some nice doll pieces, some I am not sure is Mattel, and I can't help but feel envious. LOL! But now I see I have the option to have some very nice replicas when the funds are better for me. Take a look at these fun finds.

Pretty neat huh? It's funny, I'm not a fan of current Modern furniture design. I don't know why. It's still basically the same concept, but it's kind of harsh in color and some of the shapes are harsh. I love the sleek look of Modern, but where are the oranges and pinks of yesterday? Ok, so maybe that look is a bit dated according to society, but it would be nice to see some color. Mostly I find Modern style to be neutral, which is great if you prefer to bring in the Mod with accessories and paint. I guess a nice blend of past and future and could work. What do you think? Modern past or Modern future, which is best according to you? Let me know in the comments below. :-)

Michelle

Fashion Design For Beginners

I Draw Fashion

So there are two things I've always wanted to do. One is to learn how to draw. I am not interested in going professional with drawing, I just want something that looks like what I was aiming to draw and just want to do it for the fun of it. The second thing is I want to design clothing. I've been interested in clothing design since I was young with my Barbies. I would take time to perfectly match up their clothing and create full outfits. I loved paper dolls due the many fashions that came with them. I just loved fashion. As I got older my love of fashion grew stronger. In my senior year of high school I took a sewing class and would go to school early and stay late working on my projects. I just loved it so much. Man I miss those machines. They were vintage machines inside of tables and they sewed like a charm. Now I have a modern one I am not a fan of. We have some vintage machines here, but they need to be looked at I think. So for now I deal with my cheapo machine. I would like to get a second machine because it's compact and does the job of a large machine. This is the machine.