Monster High girls and ordered just one more. That is it. No more. I do not need any more collections and in fact, need to thin the herd. Not the bjd herd but all the others. Seriously, how many occupied Japan pixies do I need?

been September since I posted here? Facebook is evil and gobbles up my time and attention. I've been repainting my older dolls and painting some of my newer ones. Have also bought two huge EID girls and am making costumes for them slowly, as I have had to gather materials to make them just right. When it comes to sewing, I have the ability to sew normal doll clothes, but I don't want to. I would rather make exotic outfits for them and leave tedious tailoring to people who enjoy that sort of thing. I think I have almost at last hit critical mass with dolls. There are only about three more I want to own and then I may be done for a while.

I hate making mistakes with dolls. Last year I made several and ended up selling them almost as soon as they arrived. My latest mistake was buying a Soom Idealian 51. It's so difficult to tell with these dolls how they will look with other dolls, even if people post owner photos. This particular guy is like an action figure in person, or maybe an out of scale fashion doll. He's gorgeously sculpted, but I think he will have to go. I think his head is too small for his body and I can't stand that. I've had him for several months, hoping that I will feel better about him, but I don't think that will happen. Maybe someone on DOA will want him. Fortunately, I still have his shipping boxes.

I want do-overs for my whole life. It's so irritating to look back and see exactly where one deviated from a wiser path and know there is absolutely nothing one can do about it. *le sigh*

On a happier note, Halloween is coming and I've been looking through Etsy to see the clever things people are making. I love Halloween and collect Halloween folk art. I rather think I should make some of my own. (Great...I'll just add it to the list of other projects I have left undone.) I bought only one item this year, a slightly scary clown by Vergie Lightfoot. I bought a different one of hers last year, though, and like it much better. It is much more sinister and has a greenish face. Saw a trailer yesterday of a movie about a circus. That this movie exists cheers me up a bit, and I can hardly wait until it is available on Netflix. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKxU1FSiqGY.

would never come. Now we need a cool front. Life is a little difficult at the moment, but I have hope that one way or another it will be resolved soon. I have been unhappy, so haven't done much with dolls or other hobbies. Instead, I've been re-reading favorite books. Old friends are the best friends, sometimes.

the better. Hot, hot, hot!! Even more hellishly hot than most summers, and much of it has been a very low place for me personally. I'm starting to cheer up, though. My birthday has passed, the leaves on the elm tree in my front yard are beginning to turn yellow, and my favorite season, Halloween, is approaching. I've found a bunch of new Bethany Lowe things I'm planning to order, and the awesome and creepy steampunk spiders I ordered at market last year will ship in September. Much more than January, September always feels to me like new beginnings. I lift my glass of merlot to the changing of the season.

Today, I looked through my endless lists of blogs and LJ's I like to read. Sad to say that lots of them are gone. I liked LJ much better than FB because instead of little blurbs, people wrote more content. Far more interesting than short little phrases.

Walking outside in Texas in summer is like opening the oven door and crawling in. If I have errands to run, I do them before 10:00 am or after 7:00 pm. In between, I drink gallons of tea, eat popsicles, and read. At the moment I'm plowing through "A History of Venice" by John Julius Norwich. So far, I'm only up to about 900-991, so I have a way to go. Also babysitting nine-year-old grandson, who either plays computer games or wages wars with HALO figures in between snacking and eating lunch. As I am not his parent, I do exactly what my own grandmother did which is to let him do as he wants and eat what he pleases as long as he is polite and cooperative. Yesterday, he had macaroni and cheese with marshmallows for lunch. Today he had Oreos with a chicken nugget chaser. My sentiments exactly: eat dessert first. His mother can force him to eat vegetables. 

01. Make a list of 5 things you can see near you:
computer, sharpie pens (orange and black), cell phone (charging), yellow hand towel, dust on the table.

02. What book do you read at the moment?
       The books on my night table at the moment are "The Essential Eloise" by Kay Thompson, and a biography of Anita Berber. One is a child's book with nifty illustrations and the other is about the brief life of a singular woman.

03. What was your last meal?
      French vanilla ice cream and fresh blackberries.

04. What do you miss from the past?
      My parents, grandmother, aunt and uncle, and I miss the smaller town and slower life of the times they lived in.

05. What do you hear right now?
      My dog panting at my feet.

06. Which activities make you lose track of time?
       Painting, reading, playing with my toys, being with my favorite people.

07. Are you hungry?
      Nope.

08. What things do you like to smell?
      Burning candles and incense in a very old church, old roses and lavender, chocolate, cookies, cinnamon, wood fire.

09. Do you like insects?
      Butterflies and fireflies yes; mosquitos and other stingy things, not so much.

10. What song is currently stuck in your head?
       None at the moment, but I avoid top ten-type radio programs, so unlikely for that to happen.

11. What was the last thing you bought?
      Box of blackberries and some peaches.

12. If you could afford to go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
      Way too many places to name but one of them would be Tahiti.

13. Where do you see yourself in 5 minutes?
       Sitting in front of the computer, probably.

14. Do you read any magazines?
      I currently subscribe to only two: "Zelda" and "Goth Beauty". These two are filled with eye candy and inspiration and difficult to find except by subscription. If I want to look at other magazines, I go to Barnes and Noble and look at them for free.

15. What are you doing this weekend?
      Babysitting my dog while my husband is out of town.

16. If you could play any musical instrument, which one would you play?
      Piano. Took lessons, but never really had a command of it. I started too late. I wanted to take lessons at 5; my mother made me wait until I was about 14, which was too late. Am teaching myself the ukelele so I can play and sing silly novelty songs from the 20's and 30's.

17. Do you want to learn another language?
      French, Spanish, and Italian. I can speak schoolgirl German; enough to follow along at the movies and order chocolate mit schlagsahne at a cafe.

18. Is there something you collect?
      Ye gods, lots. Dolls, several kinds (Asian ball-jointed, antique, Chinese opera, bride, 1930's compo, art, Hawaiian), beachy and tiki things, occupied Japan novelty bisque figures, dollhouses and their furniture, vintage children's books, santos crowns, Fiesta dinnerwear, teapots, small Chinese objects (figures, fans, etc), women's magazines from about 1913 through the second world war years, vintage flapper dresses, old costume jewelry, probably more that escape me at the moment. Basically anything and everything that I like. Am especially partial to old stuff and anything glittery.

19. What are you looking forward to the most?
      Continuing my love affair with the past while seeking anything fun happening right now. The last part is difficult sometimes; maybe that's why I am obsessed with history.

I forget all about lj sometimes. I think it's because so many people have abandoned their journals for facebook. FB is ok and I post there, but many journals I used to love are gone and now I forget to look at my own. I also have an account at Blogger to post art projects, but have only posted there once as it seemed difficult. Bought a new can of MSC UV to repaint some dolls. I have suddenly gone crazy for several dolls and am plotting madly to get them. Was tentatively offered a LE head I deeply regret not buying, and shall probably starve in order to buy it. Just as well as I need to lose a few pounds and fresh fruit is in season and therefore cheap. I can live indefinitely off strawberries and peaches.