It's a Pity Party Day!!

Yes, I've had a pity party day today.  You know the kind - when every little thing seems to go wrong.  Nothing big really.  Just little bits and pieces that keep adding one on top of the other.  First I arrived late to work.  Only about 15 minutes, but it bothers me because it seems (at least to me and very likely to others) that I've been doing that more frequently of late.  "Back in the day", if I was on time, I considered myself late.  And if I was early, I considered myself on time!  These days I drag myself in by the scrape of my teeth!  (Quite the visual picture there, isn't it?!)

Then comes the news that my cholesterol is too high and my doctor wants to meet with me to "discuss my options."  Great!!  Just what I needed!  This was preceded by the news a few days previously that my blood pressure is getting a little too high, my eyesight is much worse this year than last so I need yet another new eyeglass prescription,  my weight is seemingly out of control, and I have what I sincerely hope is nothing more than arthritic knees, but I've been referred to a specialist to check for certain!!  Cool huh?

Oh - I know I'm just being silly and feeling sorry for myself, and I know it's certainly the time now to count my innumerable blessings.  I'm extremely fortunate and I'll be the first to admit it.  But even so, today was just one of those days!  Which seems to have been following quite a number of those days.

Waaa! Waaa! Waaa!  (this is supposed to sound like a whine of sorts, but I'm not sure if I conveyed it properly!  Just picture a whiny little brat baby and you'll get the picture!

Well, enough of my woes.  So what have I done constructive lately, you ask?  It just so happens I'm slowly going through my studio and weeding through "unneeded bits" and trying my best to focus on what I really want to keep.  Do you know how hard it is for a person like me who saves all kinds of "stuff and things" in the event I may use it in a project "some time later"?  Yes, you very likely do!  So I'll take any tips you may have out there to help get me through this!!  The only thing I can think of is to try and look at the "stuff and things" as dispassionately as possible, decide if I have anything specific in mind that it would work with and, if I decide against it, I quickly rip it, crush it or crumple it so I can't change my mind and pull it out of the trash later o.  Naturally if I have anything I think someone else might use, I'll give it to them.  But most so far I've found is basically junk.  Yes Nigel.  I admit it. I have junk.  But so do you, so there!! :)

Well, now that I've thoroughly brightened your day and given you lots of uplifting thoughts, I'm going to go to bed!!  Now I ask you - where else can you have this much fun?!  Ha Ha

Adios Folks!  Jan

American Girl Doll Bed ala Fursdon House!!

Good Morning Everyone and Happy Sunday!

It's already way too warm for just 9:00 a.m. - at least as far as I'm concerned - although I know my daughters would totally disagree.  They love the HEAT (ugh!!).  They can have it as far as I'm concerned; give me the cooler climes any day!!

Yesterday was WONDERFUL!!!  Why?  Because I spent the entire day - literally- doing what I love most and that's working in my studio and creating!!  I'd been promising Isabel for ages that I'd complete her American Girl Doll Bed.  Well....yesterday was the day!!

She'd seen a bed in the American Girl Doll Magazine (which we get in the mail - unfortunately!!) and she was so keen on having it.  But the price tag of $120+ was just a little too much to swallow (okay, a LOT too much), even for a Grandma!!  Besides, I knew that not only could it be done for less, it could also be a one-of-a-kind Fursdon House Doll Bed!  See what you think......

I thought I'd taken a photo just of the original bed I ordered on Etsy.  This is the bed, but Nigel added the taller bed posts and the canopy because Isabel wanted a canopy just like the one in the magazine!!  And canopies do look lovely, don't they?  I love the look of them, but you have to have a HUGE room; otherwise, they just dwarf the space.

Voila!!

 Isabel and I went to - where else - Hobby Lobby - and finally decided on a fabric we both agreed on.  Yes, I had to have my say in this because I can't work on something I think is UGLY and some of the fabrics were really ...... hhmmmmm, shall I say....."out there"?  After the fabrics, came the bead section.  Oh boy!!!  What an adventure that was!! We probably spent upwards of an hour in that one place alone!  But finally we decided on these blue and pink glass swirl beads.  The "original" AG bed had plastic beads hanging down on each corner.  I did have a better idea - at least I thought it was better - and I went so far as to show Isabel an example yesterday.  But she didn't care for it so I let her choose this style instead.  Her words to me were, "Gummy! You said it was my doll bed and I don't want it looking like everyone else's, but I also want what I want, not what you want."  Hmmpphh!  That child has far too big a grasp on vocabulary!!

I do love this fabric.  By the way, Isabel sealed the wood first - all by herself!!  And yes, the original AG doll bed set had a heart pillow, so we couldn't be outdone!  Also like the original, the top of this fabric is backed with the blue, so it works as a duvet! 

And here the proud girl is herself - holding up her prized bed ala Fursdon House!!

That's it for now! Enjoy the weekend! Jan