Dolls, Etc.

Just Stopping By for a Second to Share Another Win

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:42:00 +0000

I am so grateful. In my time of extreme pain, God has decided to send angels with gifts to help lift my spirits. Yes, I really do believe this! I've been so lucky with blog giveaways lately that only God could grant me this luck.

Friday, I stumbled across a Snowman Hop for Stampers/Scrapbookers/Card Makers or anyone else. I visited all the sites. Many may not realize how much RL sized items (even stamps) can be translated to or used in miniature making. What eye candy! Everyone had the most gorgeous Snowman related items.

Well, I won again (Happy Dance!) This time is was Reindeer Kisses from Our Craft Lounge, and the site was With A Stamp and a Song. Here is what my prize looks like:

So precious, isn't it?

Thank you Deb!

Smiles~

I'm Feeling Lucky! LOL

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:39:00 +0000

I won again! This is just too good to be true and I am so very grateful.

This time I won a giveaway from Vintage Patina - she had a great Newspaper Stamp Giveaway as a thank you to her followers and blogger friends. Today was one of the more painful days for me - can't wait until the doctor burns the nerve in my back so I can stand up straight and not limp. Then came the email from Mary that I won her wonderful giveaway and my day got brighter.

This is the stamp I chose:

It was really a hard choice! Both stamps (she had two to choose from) were ones anyone would want for their collection, whether or not they are a stamper (I'm just getting started but love unique vintage items). To top it off, this was the very first time I had seen a stamp such as this. It will definitely have a place of honor in my collection.

Mary, thank you so very much! And followers, if you really want to check out a great blog, run on over to Vintage Patina and have a visit.

Smiles~

I WON - YIPPEEEE - HAPPY DANCE

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:26:00 +0000

Sorry, I'm just a tad excited. Heidi, over at Fairy Footprints in the Sand just emailed me that I had won her giveaway. Look:

Isn't it sooooo neat! A domino necklace. I can't wait until it comes in! Happy Dance........ :)

Smiles~

Party Time Deaux - WOW

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 16:45:00 +0000

Guess I better not wait as I see people have already started to visit me! So here we got!

I believe my mother-in-law gave me this. He currently resides in my spare bedroom all year round.

My teddy, one of my favorite Christmas ornaments outside the nativity scene I mentioned in a previous post.

He sits on a little trunk in my hallway. Isn't he cute?

Please ignore the junk in the background! I "dressed up" my inside workroom last night with some estate/garage sale finds. This is a sprig with a pinecone - plastic but I like it. Better looking in person as my photo skills are HORRIBLE.

This little guy hangs on my bulletin board on my door to my work room. I found him at an estate sale earlier this year. He's made of wood and soooo cute! Think I paid all of twenty-five cents.

I bought this Santa at Michael's on Black Friday as a gift, then decided to keep him. He's hanging in my workroom next to the pine cone ornament.

I love this ornament. Got it at a St. Jude's garage sale. Think it's early 80's but not sure. Anyway, it looks great!

My mini Christmas trees that stay on my entertainment center all year long. Found at Hobby Lobby (the green one) and Dollar General (the gold one).

My workroom door all dressed up for the holidays!
LOL - So, I'm lazy - pain does that to a person!

Okay, as promised, here is a WONDERFUL EASY divinity recipe. I usually make these at Christmas.

Divinity in a Microwave

2 cups sugar
1/8 t. salt
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup karo
2 egg whites
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

Combine sugar, salt, water, in 8-cup glass measure.
Microwave on high, uncovered 3 minutes. Stir-microwave on high uncovered 8-10 minutes or until a small amount dropped in very cold water forms a hard ball (260). Beat egg whites in large bowl until stiff--pour over hot syrup in thin stream on high speed-add vanilla continuing until mixture holds its shape and starts to lose its gloss (about 5 minutes); fold in nuts-spoon onto wax paper-approx. 50 pieces

See, now isn't that sooo easy!

Let me just say, Remember the REAL meaning of Christmas this holiday season. The Christ Child. Thank you dear God for sending him to us so we may be saved from our sins and join you in heaven one day. Amen.

Enjoy!

SMILES!

IT'S PARTY TIME!

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:52:00 +0000

Sorry about that guys, hit enter by mistake!

Okay, today, Bella Dreams is hosting a Christmas Blog Party. As I have been having chronic pain problems, I haven't gotten a lot posted, but I did take a few pictures of ornaments and Christmas items that I have strewed around the house. I'll be back later with some pictures, but first........

I have a prized Christmas nativity scene. My paternal grandmother made it back in the 40's or 50's I think. She used to let my brother and I set it out and play with the camels reins. Ma (that's what we called her) was a pretty uptight woman, but that was the one time she relaxed and it's a treasured memory. Just thinking about it gives me a nice feeling. I also have some of her really old Christmas ornaments. They are so thin and fragile, I'm afraid to even take them out of the box. They haven't been touched in a couple of years, but I really need to find a display case and put them in there - they are way too pretty to hide.

So, I'll be back later with pictures, AND I have an easy Divinity recipe to share. The other day, as part of a cookie recipe swap, I posted an easy praline recipe, so check that one out too.

Until later.

Smiles~

Christmas Cookie Party

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:25:00 +0000

Etsy Cottage Style is having a Christmas Cookie Exchange Part. All you have to do is click on the below picture that's in my sidebar (just like the one below) to join in the fun (and get some really great recipes)! I couldn't figure out how to add the link to my picture inside this post - my HTML skills are non-existent!

So.....Here's mine. Being close to New Orleans, I just had to do this one. I make them almost every year for Christmas:

PRALINES A L ‘ORLEANS

4 Qt. Microwave safe glass mixing bowl, aluminum foil

Microwave Time: 13 minutes

30 large or 60 small pralines

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup whipping cream

1 pound light brown sugar

2 cups pecan halves 2 tablespoons margarine, room temperature

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix whipping cream and brwon sugar together in a 4 quart microwave safe glass bowl.

2. Microwave on HIGH (100%) 13 minutes Candy should be about 234-240 F (NOITE: This was written BEFORE the invention of 1000+ watt microwave ovens so adjust time accordingly)

3. Quickly add margarine and pecans, stirring to mix.

4. Drop candy by teaspoon onto a sheet of foil and allow to cool

Now eat until you have a sugar high! These are really very, very good

SMILES~

I WON I WON

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:40:00 +0000

YIPEEE. I'm on cloud nine this morning. I won TWICE in Jill's (Gypsy Brocante) VBF giveaway. Not only did I win a great surprise package - can hardly wait to see what it is - but I also won some of her awesome hand stamped muslin ribbon.

If you've never checked out her Etsy stores, you've got to. She is such a talented artist AND she also has an Etsy store selling some cool vintage items. Below are her three stores and they are linked to the Etsy pages.

Gypsy Brocante, Vintageology, and Gypsy Flea Market

There are lots of giveaways from other blogs going on, so just check out my sidebar from time to time. Fiona and Twig just announced one click here along with Vintiquities Workshop click here.

Okay, better run and get back to work. I just wanted to send out a big THANK YOU to Jill.

Smiles!

Another VBF Is Here! Also, SOB, the last

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 01:14:00 +0000

I was only a participant of Vintage Black Friday for a short time, but I LOVED it. I wasn't going to post, but I'm feeling better today, and actually did some shopping. If what I saw in North Louisiana today (still visiting Mom) is an indication of how well the economy is recovering, it must be doing a great job! Long lines, full parking lots, lots of buyers. GREAT deals! I hit Michael's hard and early today. Got lots of great stuff.

Anyhow, I'll leave you with some Vintage images of Black Friday! LOL

An old black Argus camera - really cool looking, especially in person.

This is sitting on my parents' front porch! An old player piano.

(ps. it's for sale!!!!!)

The label on the inside of the lid.

My maternal great-grandmother and great-grandfather and two great uncles. He was 20 years older than her!

Two of my great-uncles and that is my maternal grandmother in the middle. Born in in 1911.

I thought this was a fitting end to VBF.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Smiles!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:08:00 +0000

Just wanted to pop-in real quick and wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm having somewhat of a hard time recovering from my outpatient procedure, so I may not post much if any before next week. However, don't forget to check out some of the giveaways that may pop up now and again on my sidebar. I do go visiting some of my favorite blogs since it requires little use of my hands (unlike typing) and it's easy to post a pic and a link.

The latest is a giveaway by Lulu Kellogg on her site for a set of Cavallini Stamps. But hurry, the deadline for entry is November 29th. Also, there are several more giveaways posted on my sidebar that are ending soon.

When I've fully recovered, I do have a lot to blog about. I had a very worthwhile auction jaunt last weekend (lots of neat stuff) which doesn't include some things my mom got last Friday, a fruitful trip to Hobby Lobby on Monday (can you say LOTS of mini accessories for 1/2 off?), some pics snapped here and there of interesting stuff (borrowed my son's little camera), more interesting finds/wins on Ebay, and I'm getting an early Christmas gift! My mom has ordered me a little digital camera I can shove in my purse and carry with me everywhere (unlike the huge Olympus digital I have for more professional/family get-together shots). Yippee!!!

Oh, and if you don't know, Michael's is having a HUGE sale Friday. The coupons are the best ever!!! Can you say 25% off you ENTIRE purchase INCLUDING sales items! My list is huge!!!!! LOL Hopefully I'll be well enough that my mom (who is taking care of me right now - hubby and son are hunting) and I can make the hour drive to the nearest store for a little fun. Any physical activity is really tiring.

No, I didn't have radical surgery, just four levels of nerves killed in the left side of my neck. Those nerves affect my entire head and neck, shoulder to shoulder, and down both arms to my fingertips. Therefore the pain of typing. I also have a bad vertebrae in my back causing a pinched nerve, therefore the trouble in walking. The procedure was invasive, though short and of an outpatient nature, so I have to watch how much I lift and do. My husband and mother both will not let me drive and fuss if I'm the computer too much! I also had a minor reaction to what they think is steroids they gave me to help with the swelling or possibly the anesthesia. I've been itching compulsively for two days!

Anyhow, again, have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Smiles~

Well, Let's Hope I'm Numb & I'm a Winner!

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:31:00 +0000

Well, I came through the procedure on my neck okay but it will be 4-6 weeks before I know if it "took" this time and if it will give me some relief from my pain and allow me to turn my head. Now, we start working on my back. I literally could not get out of bed this morning when I woke up & in fact it took several attempts and about 20 minutes to get mobile enough for a shower. Thank goodness I'm on sick leave this week! At this moment, I'm sitting on the couch with an ice pack on my neck (the doctor said I looked like a pincushion, I told him I felt like one), still hurting even after a Lortab, and suffering from insomnia, a side-effect from the Lortab.

Now a little good news.....I WON, I WON. I was the lucky winner of the giveaway at Flatwoods Folk Art. Kerin from Remnants of Olde had created a wonderful tutorial for a Flying Angel Ornament and they pulled my name.

Aren't they so cool? And just in time for Christmas.

If your interested in making one for your own use, the tutorial is for sale at Remnants of Olde.

Since I just acquired some wonderful postcards from Ebay (egad that four-letter word again LOL) and from an auction this past weekend, I have plenty of faces for the angels.

The auction I went to this past weekend was surprisingly poorly attended, so I got some GREAT deals! Most for our Etsy store, but some for myself. I'm planning on getting some pictures loaded, probably after Thanksgiving since I'm headed to my parents' house and Mom doesn't have as good a setup for blogging as I do.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Smiles~

Happy VBF

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:04:00 +0000

If I remember correctly, this is the last Vintage Black Friday. So, I thought I would share some of my recent finds. These are old postcards. If you click on them, you will get a full sized image you can save.

Aren't these two little girls so cute? The postcard came tinted & I think the colors work perfectly.

These hats are just out of sight. Love the outfits

Men's clothing hasn't changed that much over the years, so I normally don't purchase pictures or postcards with men on them, but these came as part of the group and they do look nice.

How about these two ladies. Notice the sailor collar.

Sorry for the quality. Mom just sent this from her camera-phone. She will be bidding on it for me.

I just thought WOW, this fits in PERFECT with VBF.

Please feel free to download the postcard pictures and use them for your own purposes. HOWEVER, I ask that you don't sell them or include them on a CD for sale. You may alter them, or use them as part of a collage, etc., & then sell them as your own. Please feel free share them with whoever has a use for them.

Thank you and have a great Vintage Black Friday. Hope you enjoyed your visit to my blog.

Smiles~

Well, It's Thursday

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:09:00 +0000

I hope everyone's week is going well - just remember that the weekend is right around the corner! YIPPEE.

Okay, first a question. I am looking for the magazine Flea Market Style. If any of my blogger friends out there knows where I can get a copy, please tell me. I have not seen it around here, but after reading their blog, I would LOVE to have it!

My weekend plans......A Consignment Sale! I haven't been able to go to one yet this year because I hurt so bad. But, yep, with the help of pain killers, I will be attending a consignment auction on Saturday. Since they are set up with chairs (& they know me and my mom), I can sit in front where I can see and not have to stand on a hard floor for hours. If I get to hurting too bad, I can always go lay down in the truck & my mom will continue the bidding.

Now, what am I after? Well, these are a few things I have my eye on:

I love old photos and photo albums.
Some would be kept and others placed in my store.

I just love the color of this, don't you?

This old book would be a plethora of pages for making collages.

Cute vintage case

Gotta have these chopsticks. Mine all mine! Would look so good twisted up and poked into my hair.

I love pottery. Frankoma is one of my favorites and I have a hutch full! This may not all be that, but it matches what I have.

Vintage leather and cloth gloves - always a favorite

OOO LA LA

Beautiful Teacups. I can see a teacup fairy in each, or just sold on their own. They pretty-up a shelf or side table all by themselves. Or fill them with mother-of-pearl buttons.

This would be cleaned and repainted for use in my house to display some of my miniatures on until they find a home in one of my many dollhouses (more on those dollhouses later).

I can see these beautiful blue vases becoming pincushions and the smallest on the right holding a few of my vintage hatpins (yep I love to collect hat pins).

And finally, this little milk/cream jar. It still has the little cardboard plug in it!

Wish me luck!!!! There are something like 14 auctions within a 100 mile radius of where I will be Saturday, so I hope all the dealers head to somewhere other than this auction. Alas, the couple that run this one are very honest and above board and that is widely known. Plus, it's their last auction of the year. I expect a good turnout (unfortunately for me) but who knows?

I'll have to check back in with you on Monday before my nerve burning procedure and let you know how successful I was. Of course, there are several more items I have my eye on from the web listing and I haven't been to a viewing yet. Mom and I will have to get there early enough Saturday that I can walk around and see everything. Since Mom foots the bill for the store items, I hope she has her checkbook ready! This looks to be a great sale.

The first weekend of December, there are two more auctions I would love to attend. Both are on the same day and both are being held by people Mom and I know. I have my list started for them too. One has a TON of oriental themed items (I love oriental) and another has a wide range of just everything!

Smiles~

Tag Your It! - The Art Exchange

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:26:00 +0000

Good Wednesday morning everyone. I hope ya'll are doing fine and today finds you healthy and happy.

Well, as the subject of this blog says, I've been invited to participate in an Art Exchange. Now normally, I don't do things like this because I don't have time, but since it is such a small thing, I thought, "NO PROBLEM".

Okay, problem. I need a few more people to participate in the exchange. I can email you the details if you are interested, but basically you send one small item to one person and you get six friends to participate (who in turn get six friends, etc.). You will then end up with 36 handmade "works of art". Now, I LOVE little things that people make. I collect such a wide range of items and I love anything artistic. It can be a little drawing you did, a print, a beaded thing, etc. Whatever your niche is.

So, PLEASE. If you are interested, just drop me a comment and I will send you the info or you can email me directly. To make it easy for you, my email is Mcgoo4@gmail.com.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Smiles.

PS. Here's a freeby for those followers into digital art. A pic from a postcard of mine entitled Scenic Desert Sand. I thought it was so pretty that I bought it.

New Giveways

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:51:00 +0000

Good Monday morning everyone!

I wanted to pop in real quick and tell you to check out my sidebar for some great giveaways going on right now on some of my favorite blogs.

Made in Canarias is having a great one, check her out! THE VBF is still going on as is Sassy Marsha's. Check out The Parsonage, but be real quick about it! The Firecracker Kid and & The Old Farmhouse too.

Watch my sidebar for more! Have a great Monday.

Smiles!

Well, It's Saturday (shoot almost Sunday!)

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:22:00 +0000

Finally, I'm home on a Saturday - not with my husband and son where they hunt (aka My Parents' five hours away). HOME YIPPEE. Lot's of time to try and get some stuff done. Maybe straighten up something, do some prototypes of a few ideas I have (things that don't require much hand coordination at this point), listen to a little college football (listen to husband yell at LSU on the TV), those kinds of things LOL. There were a few things I could do even with the limited use of my hands I have (the pain thing you know).

Okay, so what did I do????

Yep, went to Best Buy.

Why? My mother-in-law needed a new computer and I'm the resident "expert". I know that you need a laptop with so many GBs of RAM and drive space, an antivirus/firewall, etc. So, I went. Took about 30 minutes to get there, 1-1/2 hours in the store. Still time to play, right? Wrong.

Next stop???

Why Dillard's? Son needed school pants.

They have size 20 POLO boy's khakis for $29.00. Even had their POLO jeans for $29.00. Okay, so son is set for winter for school pants, mother-in-law purchased them (I bought the jeans).

Next stop??? FOOD!!!!

YUM!

Wonderful California Grilled Chicken sandwich. They have samplers where you can try their different brews. Okay, I'm not much of a beer drinker, but they has a real light, German-like brew. WONDERFUL. But, I was driving, so no drinking. Just the little sample. Maybe next time.

Got home after 4:00 pm exhausted. No work got done. Maybe tomorrow. So, instead, after a rest and vegging out on LSU football and Funny Cat Videos on the internet, I started surfing some blogs.

I found a lot of cool sites, with lots of great inspiration on them. Lots are having giveaways and I have posted them to the side. Go check them out. Bet you'll become a follower of them like me. No new mini-blogs, but wonderful none-the-less. That's what the Etc. in my blog's name stands for. I like a little of everything and find inspiration for miniatures in RL sized items. Dollhouses need little aprons too! Roomboxes and vignettes need lots of detail - like bowls of flowers on a tiny sideboard and a little mouse on the floor. Wallhangers on the walls, things like that.

Well, my son just called. They are headed back from the game - he helps his church with their concession stand. Now I can go get ready for bed! I just re-read my blog for errors & beginning to not make much sense. As Scarlette said: "Tomorrow is another day".

Smiles!

Vintage Black Friday

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:23:00 +0000

Well, it's already time for another VBF. Here is what I found this week....

First, a Black Globe. Now, this isn't new. I've had this globe since high school. I'm sure there are more out ther like that, but I haven't seen them. It wasn't new when it was given to me. Just to the right of it, you can barely make out an old Tootsie Roll bank. I've had that since I was a toddler. This picture was made in my old bedroom at my parents' house.

This black and white chalk drawing was done by my Theatre instructor during my Freshman year of college. In just a few strokes, she turned a piece of brown paper into a work of art. I was so impressed, I asked if I could keep it. Considering it's about 22 years old, guess you could say it's vintage!

One of my favorite cabinet photos.
So beautiful. I just LOVE the hat. I collect cabinet photos and even the older tin-types.

Has anyone noticed how much I like hats????

Check out this letter opener (?), I guess that is what it is. My mom gave it to me this past weekend. It's made of some type of black wood, or it's at least been stained black. Here's a closeup. It's hard to tell, but the face is really got a lot of detail.

Well I hope you have enjoyed by offerings this Friday for VBF. Please forgive the quality of the photos as I still haven't gotten me a little digital carry-along camera and am using my phone camera.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Smiles!

New Auction Wins and Other News

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:32:00 +0000

Well, first the good news. I've had some really lucky auction wins recently, and here are the latest two, handcrafted by Granny Rat. They are SOOOOO cute, but SOOOO bad!

First, this little guy is entitled "Your Stuck, No Kidding". Granny Rat had this little blurb to go with it: Well, yes, I can see you're stuck. For the life of me, I CANNOT see why you would even go in that little vase. Oh, well, of course, you thought you could just go ALL the way through. Did you give NO thought at all to the fact that your head is smaller than your butt? No, I guess you didn't. I had in mind to put a wee tiny scene inside that one could view from the wee opening. You've ruined THAT idea now. Oh good grief, don't cry. I'm not going to leave you in there. I'll just pour a little oil over you and you should pop right out. (then I'll fry you) Oh just stop with the tears - you know I won't do that either. Life with Dragons is such a joy.

And for the second one:

Entitled: "Dragon in a Circle (circular bottle that is)" Granny Rat had this little blurb to go with it: Should you have a Wizard with a work table, this little piece would be a nice gift for him. OK, so maybe a troublesome gift, but one that will give him endless amounts of pleasure. Then again, maybe not. Shall we say then, if you have a troublesome old Wizard who deserves exactly what he gets, then this gift is surely just right for him. Our little Dragon has gotten himself inside the hole of a circular bottle. Oh, he's not like the one I showed you stuck in that vase. He can most certainly get himself out if he wants to. It's just that he doesn't really want to. It would seem that he's also spilled a jug of something all over the tile his bottle is sitting on. I see no smoke as yet, so we must assume it's not flammable. Oh yes, this would make a most perfect gift for your old Wiz.

Isn't Granny Rat (aka Jane Ratcliffe) SO WONDERFUL!!!! Not only does she bring wonderful little creatures to life that bring a smile to your face to just look at, she writes the most AMUSING stories to go with them!!!!

I love her work and already have my eye on TWO more of her creations. Anything that brings such a smile to me just to think about is priceless.

Now, a little bad news......some of you know that I have chronic pain problems related to pinched nerves in my neck and back. Well, I have to have the nerves in my neck re-burned as the doctor told me this afternoon that only a partial burn occured. It's kind of a slight hit versus a bulls-eye when it comes to burning nerves. If next week's procedure doesn't work, I'll be facing surgery. However, considering the extreme pain I'm in and have been in (even though I am taking pain meds), surgery is looking better every day. I'm 41 and have no intention of being in constant pain. Plus, I can't create!!!! That is the WORST part of all of this. So many ideas.....

Oh well....enough about me. Check out Granny Rat's Etsy site by clicking on her name and have a grin for the day. Oh, and she also has some listed on http://www.miniaturesonly.com/. Items #1103918785, 1103918810, & 1103918828. But be warned, I LOVE the snowman warming his buns.....LOL.

Well, that's it for me for tonight. Join me tomorrow for VBF - Vintage Black Friday!

Smiles!

Veteran's Day - Thank You

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:36:00 +0000

On this day, I want to take the opportunity to say THANK YOU MEMBERS, ACTIVE & RETIRED, OF OUR MILITARY. Because of you, we are The Land of the Free, The Home of the Brave.

Finally some Crafting Supplies Arrived for my Etsy Shop

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:43:00 +0000

Finally, after a good wait, some supplies I've been wanting for my Etsy shop arrived. I never knew trying to run a successful webstore could be so nerve-wracking.

So, just in case any of you are interested, here's what I just got listed:

Monoject Curved Tip Glue Syringes - I LOVE these things. Personally, I try to keep about 6 on hand at all times. Great for all types of glues.

Pointed Rubber Tipped Sculpting Tools (gum stimulators anyone?) These can be hard to find - let me tell you!

and the extra Tips for them! Great for all kinds of sculpting - add lines, wrinkles, detail, etc.

If you like Stampington Mags, I have some for about 1/2 off cover or less:

I also have the below magazines for sale:

My mom also has some great stuff on there too. The items listed above I can combine shipping on since they ship from my house. The rest of the items my mom ships from her home 5 hours away, though she also combines shipping. We just can't combine our stuff together.

We try to keep things reasonably priced so everyone can afford them. Just because they are cheaply priced doesn't mean they are junk. Our goal was to offer unique vintage and antique items that everyone can afford.

Well, we gotta clear out her house someway!!!!! LOL I can't move around when I visit. It's like having my own personal flea market when I go home. Really, it's kinda neat. I'll post pictures in the next few days that I took there this weekend. Mom knows they are going up on my blog.

Well, that's it for the day. Until Later.
Smiles!

Ebay Finds

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:09:00 +0000

Here as promised are some of my recent Ebay finds. Now, I'm not fond of Ebay in the least, but sometimes, you just gotta give in. Especially when they are artisan made by some of my favorites!

Here is a barrel of Dragon Scales, by Patricia Paul
This HAS to go in my planned roombox.

A nice table for what I hope will be a wizard's/witch's lab, from Patricia Paul

Look at the cute little jointed bear - just couldn't resist. Every witch has to have a teddy! :)

Scrolls for my planned roombox

My prized win! A tiny setting by Rosie Duck!!!!
I have SO been wanting something created by them.

In the coming days, there will be more finds to share with you both from Ebay and from a favorite, MOA (MiniaturesOnly.com). A good friend runs that auction site and the miniatures on their are EXCELLENT. Wait until you see the cute little bad dragons I won.

Also, while visiting my parents this weekend, I took a bunch of pictures with my cell phone camera - I promise this is their house, NOT a stall at a flea market. My mom finds such neat stuff. I have GOT to get a good, small camera I can carry with me where ever I go as mine is too large. So, if any of you out there in blogger land know of a good, inexpensive, small digital camera I can just pop in my purse or pocket, let me know.

Well, since I'm at work, guess I'd better work.
Later!

Happy VBF Everyone

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:34:00 +0000

It's hard to believe, but another Vintage Black Friday is again here. Of course, me being me, I forgot until not long ago. Let's see what I can find in my picture files.

First, a beautiful 1910 Titanic Hat, Black and Cream, Made in Paris

A wonderful Black Lorman clock with a red face

This Vintage Vermouth poster (from Dover ClipArt)

Don't you just love Erte'? Well, I do. So elegant. (Courtesy of Dover also)

I want to create several doll costumes based on Erte'. All on the drawing board with a MILLION other ideas.

Please check out all the other WONDERFUL blogs participating in Vintage Black Fridays (click over to Gypsy Brocante for a list and link to all participants). Hopefully this weekend, I can get a camera or at least MAYBE a charger that fits will come in for my current camera, and I can take some COOL pictures of my own, instead of just looking through all my JPGs I've collected over the years that I use for inspiration.

Have a Great Weekend everyone.

Look What I WON!!!!

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:28:00 +0000

Okay, I am still pinching myself. A couple of months ago, I entered a contest from DOLLS magazine. Well, last week, I received an email from Jones Publishing that said that I had won a Delilah Noir doll, but all that they (DOLLS) had for me was a PO Box. Could I please send them my mailing address.

Well, after looking up the editor's info online, verifying that this looked to be a legitimate email, & vaguely remembering entering something, I sent them my physical mailing address.

Look what arrived yesterday!!!!!

Yes, my very own, ball-jointed, Delilah Noir doll!!!! Happy Happy Joy Joy!

My SON was so happy for me (I had told him last week I won a doll) that he wanted to open her for me and have her posed before I got home - he's a great kid. But, I said, nope, I wanted to. So as soon as I got home, he said Mom, there she is.

As you can tell, I haven't taken her out of the box yet. She did come with a blond wig, extra feet, the schoolgirl clothes, etc. A ball-jointed doll and she's all mine!

Would you believe, I didn't even play with dolls much as a child?

Promise, in the next day or so, I will post my Ebay mini finds, including one of my wish list items, a Rosie Duck miniature!

Until Next Time - Smiles!

Vintage Black Friday

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:56:00 +0000

Well, I've been under the weather, so I'm a little behind with posting - I was shooting for one post a day, and I still have some mini finds on Ebay to share with everyone.

But in honor of Vintage Black Friday, I'm popping up out of my hole and sharing some vintage black and white photos that I've found on the web. Now, I collect tintypes & cabinet photos as I feel the need to preserve a little bit of history so wish these were mine.

Can you imagine having to wear something like this in the summer time? I think I would positively melt in the heat of the South.

This looks to have been taken in the winter time, or at least in the North.

Look at all the layers!

Don't let these drab black and white photos fool you. Most of the clothing was very colorful, just color photography had yet to be invented.

I like to use photos such as these for inspiration. I really wish I had time to take a few photos of some of the pictures (tin types & cabinet photos) that I have. I collect cute or quicky ones.

Oh. here is something of mine. It's a vintage thermometer - in black of course!Definitely seen better days.

Well, please check out Gypsy Brocante , 52 Flea , & the other sites (linked on Gypsy Brocante) participating in Vintage Black Friday.

Until later!

Lots of Giveaways Out There

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:44:00 +0000

Well, I'm a poor little broke blogger, so I don't have anything to give but advice!

Check out these cool Halloween/October Giveaways:

Fiona & Twig have an awesome one, Six in One Hand has a great one, Garden Antqs Vintage does as well. Not only are their prizes great, their sites rock!

Well, I better get back to RL and get some work done if I want to have a job!

Have fun reading these blogs. And also enjoy all the great inspiration available.

Until later.

Cleaning the Little Studio

mcgoo4@gmail.com (The Lone Dollier) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:14:00 +0000

Well, I'm trying to post somethign every day, in an effort to get into the habit of blogging. I love the format of bouncing ideas off of people and as you can tell from the Etc. part of my blog header, this can be about dolls or anything that side-tracks me.

Well, this weekend, I spent cleaning up my inside studio. I went to WalMart, Big Lots, and Dollar Tree looking for things to help me organize a very small 5' x 6' room. Yep, 30 square feet. To top it off, we have to be careful putting anything on the walls because the main breaker is located in the room - before we added on to the house, it was the washroom. Just large enough for a washer and dryer placed side by side.

So, I removed the cabinet doors (four total) allowing me to "open" up the space. Then, I hauled in a shoe organizer - one of those stackable things - that had been sitting on my front porch for months. I have two, both free finds from a yard sale. After I cleaned them up with Clorox Clean-Up, one went on top of the 5' dept of the table, another went under it.

Before the clean-up - See the mess.

See how dark it is? Only one 40 Watt bulb. To the right of this picture you can see the shoe shelf. Junk everywhere.

Boxes stacked here and there.

Here are two of the doors from the overhead cabinets. They made the room seem even smaller. Not conducive to creative thinking. I could barely get in the door! It's hard to even turn around in on a good day.

Now here are after pictures. Two days of working, lights installed under the cabinets (Big Lots, 3 flourescent mini lights, ganged together, installed with heavy duty mounting tape - $23.00)

As you can see, I also cleaned the worktop off - which is the old dining room table (yep, tiny house before we added on). Notice how nice and bright it is now.

Look!No more boxes!!!!!!

Now, I still have a VERY long way to go, as I have a three drawer unit (see above-this is the top of it) to organize, but between WalMart and Dollar Tree (note: WalMart has the plastic drawer organizers 3 for $1 and Dollar Tree has the plastic-coated metal ones for $1 each) I think I have enough organizers to get the drawers straightened out where I can find things. Once this is done, I have to tackle getting my different projects organized, but I've purchased plastic bins that slide under the bed just for this purpose. Also, copy paper boxes are just about the right size for one roombox project. Just label the outside!

Before I go, heres a quirky little find. He'll probably be lounging on my desk at work shortly. Just got to remember to get him off the top of the refrigerator where he currently resides.

And every Southerner SHOULD have this in their refrigerator....wonder how hard it would be to make in miniature:

Now, this is NOT whiskey, but pepper sauce. I'm not sure where the corked bottle came from as my taste runs more to Cosmopolitans & Bombay Gin & not whiskey, but it made a WONDERFUL pepper sauce holder.

Well, until later! I've got some REALLY neat finds from Ebay for my roomboxes that I'll share soon. Also, my hunt for miniature glass labware at an affordable price continues......I hope to have an update on that later this week.

Remember, some days your the windshield, some days your the bug!