This is a long-winded way of saying there's a good chance I may decide to discontinue this blog. I enjoy writing it, but it's harder and harder all the time to keep up with it, and one thing I don't need is yet another task looming over my head, making me feel guilty for not being consistent.
It's not a decision carved in stone, and I may find other ways to better organize my time, but I wanted to let you know it's something I'm considering. If any of you have advice or recommendations on how to manage your workload, I'd be very grateful for your input. Please feel free to comment!
Meanwhile, here's a quick look at my afternoon's work: Researching, photographing, and listing several vintage "My Little Pony" figures on Etsy.
There are a lot of these little critters! I had no idea how many. The early figures are becoming quite collectible and they are still relatively easy to find, so it's worth rummaging through the toy bins and "free" boxes at garage sales and thrift shops.
Here are the ones I finally got listed today. They've been sitting around waiting for several weeks!
http://www.kimsites.net/dreamvalley
It features a totally cool (and easy) pony identification system where, by a simple process of elimination, you end up with the name of your model, as well as photos to confirm your conclusion.
The others I found there today are:
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| Moon Dancer, 1983-84 |
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| Pink Firefly, 1983 |
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| and little "Puddles" (yecchh! Who came up with that name?) who is one of twin baby ponies that came out in 1987. |
Poor Puddles has been subjected to a haircut at some point and I did my best to make it look presentable, but I don't have expertise in that area, nor have I the patience. (Why can't I ever find a Brony when I want one?) My daughter, who does quite a lot of doll restoration, suggested I wash the mane and tail with shampoo, then swish it in some fabric softener. To reset, you pour boiling water on the hair, then curl it around a pencil or whatever, clip it into place, and let it dry. There really wasn't much hair here to work with, but I did make a stab at it. Re-rooting the hair is another option, and she tells me it's quite easy with the proper tool, but I'll leave that kind of repair to someone more motivated.
Another trick she has is getting stains off vinyl with a special cleaner she buys online. It's good for ink pen marks and so on. I can't remember the name of it, but MAYBE she'll read this entry and leave the name of the product in the comment section. She's had good success with it and says it's well worth the money if you do much with vintage vinyl toys, purses, or other items.
In my last entry I mused over the idea of tackling a new project, and Vanessa suggested I do another stuffed animal. That sounded like a grand plan to me, and so I set to work with great enthusiasm on a female counterpart to Sweeney the Weenie (a felt dachsund toy, you can read about it on an earlier post). For some reason, this dog didn't come together like Sweeney did. Somehow I sewed the ears on upside down and backwards, I couldn't turn the tail out properly and it has a hard knot in the tip, and the seam at the neck got bunched up and the poor girl looks like she has a saggy dewlap!
I still need to embroider on a mouth, and I'm thinking of making some kind of frilly super-hero cape to fasten around her neck with a rhinestone brooch in order to camouflage the bulge, but I'm feeling too frustrated to continue with her at present. I really need a new pattern. I've been told of a free dog pattern for downloading on this site:
www.silverseams.com/opensource/dog-plushie-pattern.html
I need to check it out. From what I've learned from another Etsian, Erica of WeeWoolenOnes, the pattern is a Bichon Frise but ican be easily adapted to make many other breeds. I think it would make a great pomeranian!
Speaking of the poms, they're all doing quite well and you'd never know Peppy had had major surgery at the beginning of the summer. Here's a quick shot of Wickham, resting on the front step. It looks like he's deep in meditation. That, or he's asleep on guard duty!
