Follow The Fortune Cookie

Usually you only get one fortune cookie but when I got two in my order I was all, "sweet!" Then I read them and knew what must be done. "You will find a real bargain," obviously meant I had to go to the thrift store. I was being a good Muff and I haven't gone in over a month! But hey, the fortune was clearly telling me something awesome was waiting for me at the thrift store and no one should deny the cookie.

The second fortune, "Elegant surroundings will soon be yours," meant I should buy a lotto ticket. Well, I did and I didn't win crap. Perhaps I interpreted that one wrong or I'm not giving it enough time and should just buy another ticket.  I'll let you know how that one turns out.

Meanwhile the first fortune was 100% accurate! Behold The Awesomeness!

Another My Scene Vespa for my collection. The kick stand is missing and it's a little scuffed on the sides but it does have the side mirrors in place.

Each of these had previously been opened and I can tell stuff is missing from the Spice Girls boxes but the dolls themselves are in good condition. The "leather" skirt on the Gabrielle doll is kinda molting, but I still wanted it.

I had found a darker skinned version of the guy in the middle before, but I wanted this lighter version as well. I like their little natural afros.

The guy's head color does not match his body, but I can fix that with some pastels maybe. I also want to see if I can articulate his wrists. I can always use an articulated Fashionista body even if she's the poppin' heads version.

There were several versions of this articulated dude with the metal joints. I got a few to experiment on. He also has an articulated neck whereas the guy above just has a twist and turn neck. An image search tells me the black girl is Taylor from High School Musical.

I have never seen Tangled but I know those girls are supposed to be Rapunzel and image search says his name is Flynn, also from Tangled. I got this set for him because his outfit is in mint condition. His wrist and neck are not articulated but his legs and elbows are.

I have been snapping up the old male dolls because their rubber hands are excellent donors for Power Team guys - once you drill a hole in them of course. So, if I find one with a cute outfit on I grab him.

I wanted the princess doll because I think she looks like an Olsen twin. I don't think she is though because when I searched for "Olsen twin doll," she didn't show up. This doll sings when you press the gem in her neck and in some Mattel foolishness, only one arm is articulated.

This Mulan has the best waist articulation I have ever seen. I wish her arms were articulated and I think it might be worth it to try and pop her stationary arms out and put some better ones in. I'll probably damage her, but seems worth the risk.

Man, I couldn't believe it. This is the first time I've seen a Monster High at the thrift store - ever. Both she and Ken are in excellent condition. I think some kid must have had them taken away as punishment because they are like literally fresh from the store.

That Moxie's outfit is so freakin' cute and this Sharpay is in much better condition than the other one I found.

The prince's outfit is beyond stained, but he has the articulated body with an articulated neck. The High School Musical Troy doll has an orange chin, but eh, I figure he can hang out with my equally short Chad doll anyway.

I already picked up this guy on previous thrift run but another one couldn't hurt and I'll give that shirt to one of my ladies. The model muse lady was the draw here. Her face is in perfect condition and I love her bangs.

This was actually a 2 day haul. I didn't have enough cash on me when I went on Friday, so I strategically hid a whole bunch of stuff hoping it would be there when I went back on Saturday and most of it was, lol!

You know, I think I'd like to meet the worker who pairs these dolls together.  She does seem to put some thought into it.

The Tasha Tour - Finally!

I was going to post this last weekend, but my internet and main computer got fried by lightening last Friday. The internet was finally repaired today, but I'm going to try and hold out until Black Friday to replace my PC. I'm working from a much smaller laptop and it is quite the adjustment. I'll see how long I can stand it before I break down and get something bigger. If anyone has any desktop or laptop brand recommendations I'll gladly take them.

Anyway, on with the tour!

This is actually Tasha's Place 2.0 because I made a diorama for her before in this old 2012 post.  Compared to the first version, I think that even though my design style remains the same, my ability to construct more elements has improved. I'm still slow as crap, but I have to move at my own pace or I get sloppy.

Here's the back view. I taped 3 pieces of foam board together as my walls and they are sitting on top of 3 pieces of contact paper that still have the backing on them. Anything that was held in place using straight pins were counter weighted in the back with cardboard. I also covered the tip of the pin with an eraser so I wouldn't poke my boobies. That's my awesome cardboard caddy that you see on the side of the table.

Since the main 3 walls are taped together I can open the left and right walls fully to get better angles when taking photos.

Open concept kitchen

The island table is really small, but fine for two people

Tasha's little message board

I don't have a lot of stuff to fill the shelving with but it's still cute

Living room

My favorite item is this cabinet made from the box my phone came in

These curtains were a pain, but I like the end result

The rods are bamboo skewers with beads on the end

Sexy fireplace and equally sexy red column

The view you get with the left wall completely open

Simple entryway and side wall separating kitchen

View from above

Anthony shows us the scale of the door

And the scale of the entryway

Then he went rooting for food

I know it seems like it took me 2 months to do this, but in actuality, it took 8 days because that's how much time I actually spent working on it. Like I said, I'm kinda slow, but I get there eventually, lol

Muff and Cardboard Sitting In A Tree

Ah, the joys of cardboard. Without a doubt it's my number one crafting material.  I like how simple and how complex you can get with it. And I absolutely love that I can get it for free by recycling it from packages or grabbing boxes of it from Costco.

Anyway, here are the very simple cardboard pieces I put together to add to my dio:

Panels and strips for doors and door frames

Small strips are glued to the frame and then covered in copy paper

Using a 1/2 strip to help me position door panels

Many, many attempts at types of doors

Doorway with a side column just by bending the cardboard

Comparison to main exterior doorway of complex and an interior unit doorway

Fireplace out of a Zatarain's box, duct tape, cardboard and contact paper

Sealed the sticks with varnish in case micro critters were living inside

All pieces put together!

So the Tasha dio is complete for the most part. The walls are up and the furnishings are done. I just need to put out the decor and make some curtains. Notice how I saved the sewing for last, because ugh, sewing. Next post should be tour photos, so yay for that!

*In case you aren't familiar with the "Sitting in a Tree" reference, it's an old children's taunt to imply that two people are sweethearts.  The full song is, "_____ and _____ sitting in a tree, k.i.s.s.i.n.g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes _____ with a baby carriage."

Settee Remodel

Before and After

If you have this same sofa model (mine came from this set) here's a way to de-Barbie it.

Those emblems in the rings are thin enough to be cut out with whatever cutting tool you have, even a toe nail clipper.

The seating is a little low for my taste so I added this 1/2 inch piece of foam and scissor cut it to shape.

The sofa can be taken completely apart if you want to get into all the crevices or remove the "cushions" in case you want to paint or put fabric on them.

I sealed the magic marker with satin varnish, covered my foam with fabric and I now have a cool piece that has successfully been de-Barbiefied.

Since I had some of that foam left I also went ahead and made a cushion for my (Just Dreamz) lounger.

I have no idea how to make upholstery corners, but eh, it looks okay.

This is going to be my last "remodelling" post for awhile because these are the last premade pieces I needed for my dio.  Besides, I'm so over smelling magic marker, lol.  Now I can get to work on crafting some things from scratch.  Cardboard here I come!