Hello everyone,
Now that’s a title, isn’t it?
Thank you SO much for all the information about the printers you use. I wrote down models and makes AND… Rebecca and Karn are coming home Sunday for a week, and said they’d help us with what to pick! I’m excited, but have lots to do before they get here and I’ve got 2 days! Yikes!
Rosemary asked about how I have my dolls listed on Ebay… I just set a low price to begin with, hoping someone would want to buy them… and then put another price if they wanted to go a little higher and buy them outright for the slightly higher price without having to wait a few days for the auction to end. Once someone puts in a bid at the lower price, it knocks out the option for anyone to buy it at the higher price… but the bidder who puts in that lower price is hoping against hope that they’ll get it for lower than the Buy It Now price.
That’s what happened to Gabriela today… someone wanted her and didn’t want to take a chance that she might go higher than the Buy It Now price, so she paid the higher price and she’s off to Virginia! Yay… One down and 2 to go… well, actually I have more to list… I’ll show you in a minute…
But first, I wanted to tell you, the verdict is in about my thumb. The doctor that called and asked me to come in for an ultrasound, did one today and found I have a tear in a ligament in my thumb. If I wear the brace, ice it and don’t over work it… (he said no more than an hour at a time of anything that might strain my thumb) it may heal in 2-3 more weeks. He also prescribed an anti-inflammatory medicine. I’m going to be good and do what he says…because I want to sew again… and I’m sure you want me to too!
So I’ve paced myself over the last week, working a little at a time and have 2 more dolls ready to list, but I don’t have their pictures organized and I’d like to find something in my stash to put on them so they don’t have to arrive at someone’s house nude.
I found these 2 dolls at our Thrift shop, and I have to tell you it’s the first time I’ve ever seen any American Girl dolls there. I’ve been going to this Thrift Shop since before Kristoffer was born… and he’s 36 years old. I found them up on a top shelf with some vintage toys and grabbed both of them…even though they were higher priced, I decided to rescue them… and did they ever need rescuing! :o)
Here is what they looked like the day I brought them home and took their picture.
They both have dark brown hair and one has brown eyes and the other has green eyes… Does she look familiar to you? The green eyed doll is a #41… just like Eden I used to have. The brown eyed doll is a Truly Me doll, most likely from 2017… but I’m not positive on her.
They both had marks on their faces and bodies and their hair was a rats nest!
This was the #41’s hair…
…and this was the brown eyed girl’s hair…it was actually stiff from being so matted underneath.
I scrubbed their faces with a disinfecting wipe to see what I had to work with…then had to use a Magic Eraser on some spots..
Then when I could see what I was working with, I discovered they had hardly any blush left on their cheeks, so I sprayed them with Mr. Super Clear and gave them some new blush using chalk pastels… then sprayed them again to set the color.
What a difference…
I had to trim just a little bit off each girls hair to make it even… I think it had stretched from brushing it too much… but I think the #41’s hair had been cut, as I remember Eden’s being slightly longer.
I was pleased at how they both turned out and they’ve been through so much, I think I might have to sell them together… they are almost like sisters now… :o)
Here they are together showing off their new haircuts and styles.
Here they are with a bit more color in their faces…
Now, one more tidbit. I found a pair of scissors that just might work for my thumb while it heals. They are made by Fiskars and maybe you’ve got a pair. They spring open when you cut, but the thing that works for me is my thumb doesn’t fit down in a hole that rubs where my thumb hurts… it rests on top and there is no pressure on it. Here they are and I took a short video with my camera sitting on the table as I show how they work. I’m hoping I can get something cut out. (The hair scissors I used didn’t put any pressure on my thumb as it was just mostly trimming tiny bits and snips of hair and was easy going.)
Here is that video of them in action… (well, sort of action…) :o)
Have a wonderful weekend!
I’ll see you Monday,
Blessings, Jeanne
What wonderful transformations! I particularly love the green-eyed one. Great job. I got word from the rheumatologist that I have “lateral epicondylitis”, a/k/a tennis elbow. Played tennis once at 16, eons ago. I guess it is another one of those repetitive strain injuries and will heal in time but I am tired of something once again curtailing sewing. Heal well and soon.
You are truly a miracle worker when it comes to restoring unloved–and unlovely–dolls, Jeanne!! You turn them into beautiful creations with your spa treatments!! Someone will be happy to have one or both of these dolls!
I’m really not surprised you have a tear in the ligament; it’s a good thing you had that ultrasound so it could be diagnose, or you might never have regained use of your thumb! Be diligent about following the doctor’s directions, please, so we can all enjoy more sewing journeys with you!!
Your new scissors looks like it will work very well. Years ago I had an electric scissors (and it still might be around her somewhere, I truly don’t know as it’s been many years since I last used it), but I don’t know if that would work for you. As I recall, there was a button on top that you had to keep pressed down for it to work properly. I’m sure there are better versions of electric scissors available these days, but you would have to try them and see what you think. However, your new scissors seem to fill the bill, and might not have cost as much as the electric ones!
Today I had lunch with my friend Marika; she showed me her Stella and I showed her my Nolan (Russell), and also James’s outfit that I bought from you. I wish I’d thought to tuck my camera in my bag…..Nolan was making googoo eyes at Stella!! 😂 I think he is smitten.
It really made me smile imagining Nolan making goo-goo eyes for Stella, and Stella pretending not to see him!! Lol. I wish you had taken your camera too.
About the dolls Jeanne made beautiful again, I prefer to think of the B4’s as overly-loved. Thanks for the smiles.
Jeanne, those dolls have truly gone through quite a transformation, thanks to the Jeanne Marie Beauty Salon! They looked like they both have new wigs, but we know better!
Good to see that you have answers to what happened with your thumb, and now have a solution to having it recover. I see that you have some nice scissors to use, and that your thumb can just rest on top of them, instead of having a thumb hole and moving it up and down. Yes, those electric scissors, do go kind of fast and might not be the best things for cutting small doll clothes, since I do have a pair, as I showed you in an email, but it has been years since I have used them.
Yes, just bide your time and do what the doctor says, and before you know it, you will be back to normal, a plus for you AND us!
Jeanne, have you ever tried cutting with a rotary cutter? 22mm. I tried it at a sewing class, and I’ve never gone back to scissors. I use it for all the doll clothes I make. Every once in a while, I have to snip an inside corner, but that’s it. So much faster. I use little metal weights to hold patterns, so no pinning either. And having the cutting mat adds another quick check for straight of grain.
great news about your thumb. yes, obey the doctor. Sadly we are not 25 years old anymore…. the more you wear the brace the better, take it off to shower and let the warm water soak over it.
Some ortho places make custom braces from thumbs (and other things) so you can get a fresh one every week. They mold it to your hand.
I just remember when my dad had surgery on his elbow they made him one. It was great to get a fresh one.
The dolls are beautiful now. I am so glad you rescued them
Than you for answering my question about how you do your sale.
Have a lovely week-end everyone
So glad that Jeanne, has an answer to the nagging question of what’s wrong with my thumb? Sounds like the doctor has it together and that now Jeanne, will be on the road to recovery if she lets that thumb rest. 🙂 Hope those scissors work because they look awfully large. The rotary cutter from Sewbig above also sounds like something to try. Give yourself a break, Jeanne, and take a rest often.
What a fabulous save on the two poor dollies from the thrift shop. I sure wouldn’t want to be the child of whoever owned them. Wow, such a mess, but Jeanne has saved them and someone will be thrilled to have them all cleaned up and presentable. Good job.
I had another delivery due yesterday. It was strange as there were two tracking numbers, with three boxes expected. I had no idea what to expect with the delivery as one number was to have arrived and the other said still in HK on the way to Japan. Crazy. Anyway, it was FedEx, so had a big delivery window. We were coming back from an errand, and I spotted a box on the porch. But, I had been asking other person about spraying the crab grass again and asked him to show me where he put the sprayer in the garage so I could do it. He said, it’s right there. Where is that? Finally got him to unlock the door. Fortunately, other person didn’t look up the steps towards the door. We went into the garage and he showed me the location, which I would never have found in that dark cave, and I told him that I thought we had some from last year somewhere. He went to look and found an empty sprayer bottle. What’s with that? But nothing else. Then, he turned to look elsewhere, and I seized the moment. Returning to the driveway, up the thirteen steps, grabbed the box and tucked it under the bench at the back. Still visible, but much better. No time to try and unlock the door and bring the box inside. I waited for other person to lock the garage and come up the steps. I hoped that other person wouldn’t see the box under the bench with me blocking the view partially.. He didn’t see it! Inside we went and other person headed for the couch. Oh no. Nap time. Couldn’t get other person to budge. On his phone too. So close, but so far. How am I going to get that box inside? Time ticked away. Hours actually. Finally, from my place at the computer, I heard something. Yes, he was awake and up. Oh no. Will he head out the front door and spot the package? No, he headed for the bedroom. Yay. Now was the moment to act. I made sure it was clear sailing and opened the door carefully, sprang outside, pried the box from under the bench, brought it inside, and closed the door without a peep from it’s squeaky hinge. Made it clear into the family room and hid the box in that special secret spot all before other person came back out of the bedroom. Safe, if you can believe after all those hours of waiting. I even had time later to open the box to see which doll was delivered. It was Lawrence. Yay. Now, it seems like there is another delivery today. What will I do? This one is supposed to be two boxes. I can’t take much more of the suspense.
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
Such fun to read of your most recent dolly caper, Joy!! I can just hear the “Mission: Impossible” theme playing in background! Lawrence has a nice “boy” face, I think. I’ve seen some pictures. I do have my hands full with Nolan, here, still talking about and mooning over Stella!!
I wondered, as I stared on those before pictures in horror, who does that to a defenseless doll. But then I remembered rescuing Hearts 4 Hearts doll Dell from my granddaughter’s toy box and realized not everyone looks on their dolls as animate objects like I do. No wonder my family is always looking at me like I’m somewhat crazy. Great job on the restorations, Jeanne.
Another successful dolly caper for Joy. Such stressful situations she endures. I could suggest a way to relieve this stress but having had dolly fever often myself, I don’t think she’d go for it. It would just be exchanging one stress for another.
I worked yesterday in my sewing room trying to get everything reorganized after my Easter sewing frenzy. I tend to make a mess while I’m creating but before I can move on I must tidy up. I have a few machine embroidery projects on my drawing board that I’m anxious to get to. I have a couple luncheon cloths I want to embroider for my kitchen and dining tables. The only way I can keep the tables clear of clutter, especially in the kitchen, is to make them look as if they’re ready for a function. I also want to do some pillows for the settee on my breezeway. I noticed yesterday while organizing my fabrics that I have a lot of large print fabrics that won’t work for doll clothes but will make great backs for my pillows. I’ll embroider the fronts and then find a coordinating fabric for the back. It will save on the fabric I use for the embroidery and also clear out some fabrics I can’t find a use for otherwise.
Glad to see you finally have a solution to your hand problem even though it’s not an overnight solution. I’m sure you’re saying why didn’t I get this checked out sooner but being someone who does not go to the doctor unless I’ve exhausted all possibilities myself, I do understand. I blame that on my mother being a nurse. I learned so many home remedies for things that I go to first. I actually went to a dermatologist a few months ago because I knew I needed something on my nose frozen. Don’t mess with that sort of thing. But while there I consulted her about the rash on my face that keeps flaring up. She determined it was contact dermatitis but all she wanted to do was keep me coming back and keep prescribing things (some of them very expensive). I did as she said but could only use the medication for a short period of time and within a week after I stopped the problem was back. It was becoming very frustrating, so I went about looking for a solution myself. I washed down my computer desk and took my bed apart and washed that down. I bought holders for my reader’s so they would not be laying around on the top of tables. I went to “clear” products for my face products, laundry soap, shampoo, etc. No change noted. Finally I got down to thinking about what touches my face that doesn’t touch the rest of my body and that I use regularly and for a length of time each use. My bed pillow. Not only might it be contaminated with something that was giving me trouble but the rash looked like it was exacerbated by heat because it was only on the side of my face I sleep on. Well yesterday I bought a cooling pillow and some cooling pillow cases and wasn’t sure if they would work or not. But I did notice last night that my pillow stayed cool and this morning my face seemed to have a less irritated texture to it. So prayers please that this will work since I have no symptoms of anything else going on and I’m tired of trying to discover the problem.
I think you are on the right track for the rash. I wonder if your pillow has latex in it? The old one, not the new. Now, I’m thinking that we need to replace our bed yet again and go with something breathable and made with cotton. It’s way too hot for me. Have no idea what we’ll try next, but we have been through at least four with no luck so far. Glad you may have found the answer to the rash.
I’m not sure about the Latex in my old pillow. I’ll check before I throw it out. I do know I have a problem with band-aids that have Latex. And so many things break down over time and I know I’ve had the pillow for quite awhile. I have washed it in the past but maybe I created some kind of mold since I know I’m allergic to molds and fungus. Trying to find bedding that works can be difficult and having to purchase something so large without a way to try it out can be a pain. I noticed some mattress retailers are giving people a 30-day trial. Right now I have a sleep number bed. I love it, but it’s an older model and does not regulate it’s number like some of the new ones. So if I start noticing that I’m waking up with problems I check the number and sure enough it will have either gone up or down some depending on the temp in the room. It’s a trial in the winter when I keep the house warm during the day but cool at night. The new ones don’t have that problem but I’m not financially prepared to buy one of the newer ones and I’d love to have the one that’s adjustable.
I will be praying that the new pillow and all your other adjustments on getting your skin cleared up will be of good use to you. I have some skin issues, too, so I understand how frustrating it can be!
Great job Jeanne on the two girls. I think the brown eyed girl is #25. She was one of my first AMG dolls. One of my favorites.
I’m sure they will go fast. I think that is a fun job, bringing beauty back to well- used dolls.
Hope your hand gets better- at least you have the answer as to what happened. It will take weeks to heal.
Take care everyone- have a good weekend !
Still praying, cuz I can’t imagine you not sewing! Those scissors are pretty comfortable. My mother left a pair behind here😄