Fabulously Frugal Dolly

As I live a short distance from an outlet mall, I’m headed there for some of the early bird bargains- I’m staying up late in order to do so.  Hey, it’s still on sale if you chugged a pot of coffee in your jammies rather than sleeping, and I’ve got some leftover pie to go with it.  Nothing particular to shop FOR, but for once, I’m not working retail at the holidays, I’m going to wallow in it.  Fellow bargain darlings, you know where the local sales are, you’ve been stalking them online for weeks now, don’t try playing naive about it.  I’ll be the one wandering aimless getting in the way, because that’s just how excited I am to have anything going on in the area late at night that doesn’t involve drunken fools.  Sure, there’s a possibility of children, but any parent who drags a tot shopping at four am is someone I want to get a look at.  It’s time to get ready, I know the magical hours between drunken bar crowd shoppers and soccer-mom coffee klatch gone wild fieldtrips, I’m not sharing it publicly, so talk up your favorite sales folks and find out for next year- or work through one to learn your local mall.

I joke about being raised white trash, but it’s true, I honestly prefer Boones farms to real wine.  Today, I purchased a pure hillbilly delight for my feasting tomorrow, a turkey roll.  For under five bucks, you too can have this classic loaf-shaped turkey-ish substance complete with gravy.  It’s not that we couldn’t finance a real turkey, or at least a breast because we’re not feeding fifteen here, but that’s one of the foods from childhood that I just loved.  Yes, they let me have real food and I was well-fed as a kid, but this stuff is great.  I went for the Jennie O brand, because that’s all that the store had.  Being the second grocery shop I tried I didn’t want to get greedy and try for the all-white meat version, I settled for the two-toned light and dark.  It’s being served alongside some very nice steak (which I don’t care for) and assorted sides, with a real, homemade apple pie from my mom’s recipe- he’s making it, but shh- I want to pretend I did more than looked cute while dinner was being toiled over.

As I mourned for my own natural long nails becoming torn stumps, I sought solace in the glue-on variety.  Might I say, as cheap as I am, even I can see why the dollar store fake nails are just a buck.  Don’t waste your time or two bucks on the crap nails (but semi-decent glue) sold at Dollar Tree, who are otherwise fine purveyors of most any cheap thing I need.  They’re just like a wad of packing tape, and will shatter, crack and otherwise disintergrate, if you manage to get them on without breaking them first.  The can’t be filed without snapping!

So this afternoon I tried again, sick of my stumpy little nails trying to regrow to their former glory.  I bought a set of KISS brand nails in the active oval shape, a bit shrter than I’d thought they’d be but rather nice to work with.  For about five dollars at Target there’s a set of one hundred nails which includes a free bottle of glue.  Following the package instructions, I made sure my own nails were clean and well-filed before selecting the proper sized nails for each finger.  Once you’ve got your nails all lined up, open up the glue and start pressing ‘em on, like the commercials used to sing in the 80’s.  After carefully placing each nail and holding them in place while the glue grabs, you’ll bhe ready to file the ends.  The ones I used had what the maker calls ‘numbers’, which I couldn’t squint hard enough to see, that were more like bits of jagged plastic where the nails were molded.  These bits file off quite easily and make the nails easier to pick up and hold when applying.

All that’s left to do is paint them in your choice of color- I went with an iridescent purple-blue.  Thus far the nails are comfortable, they’re not in the way of typing or doing other tasks.  As they’re still fairly fresh I cannot attest to longevity as of yet, but they feel fairly secure.  Definately worth the three dollars more to get the decent ones, remember my darlings- it only saves money if it works.  In this case, I’d advise to pick up a five-dollar packet of nails rather than dropping twenty or more getting a salon to do your nails.  As my health conditions leave me more prone to infections I was always hesitant to get my nails done, but I know my home is clean and free of other peoples’ weird nail funguses and crud.  It’s not just cheaper, it’s also safer.

As a reader of my blog, I’m entrusting you with some with some of my very best diva on a dime tricks, and this one is a favorite.

Baby wipes are not just for booties.  Think about those make-up remover wipes sold in most every cosmetics department.  What do they feel like, really?  Personally, I use the store brand unscented variety.  I do not know if the scented kind is safe to use removing eye makeup, because I don’t like the baby smell.  They work quite nicely taking off waterproof mascara, foundation, or for just a quick refreshing clean face when and where you want.  A couple wipes folded up in a baggie in the corner of your bag Saturday night can save you from faded mascara on the Sunday morning walk of shame.

Baby wipes are great things to have on hand when traveling as well.  A quick touch-up to a blemish on a favorite outfit can make it wearable, gently wipe the fabric along the grain.  The grain is the way the fibers of the cloth are aligned, for those who aren’t in on  the seamstress lingo.

Even a box of dried-out wipes can be used as disposable cleaning cloths.  The softly textured wipe is perfect for wiping down bathroom fixtures; getting the stubborn little dustwads around the toilet lid hinge and that odd funk around the sink drain.  Just spray them with your cleaner and go- it may not be asquick and easy as the prepacked wipes, but it uses a dried-out box of wipes you’d otherwise throw out.

On that note, you can prevent your wipes from drying out, because let’s face it, a fabulously frugal doll isn’t going through these things at the rate of the babies they’re designed for.  Always be sure to snap down the lid tightly, a lot of these lids are just loosely latched on the top of an open bin with a dispense-type piece cut into the lid.  Both of lids should be sealed, otherwise it’s still open.  If you notice they’re starting to get dry, take off the lid and lift up about half of what’s there.  Drizzle in just a tiny bit of water and reseal the package, give it a shake and they should be good next time you reach for one.

Stay fabulous- and keep some cash in that cute little purse!

Citrus, the lovely, juicy fruits rich in vitamin C are popular treats in the winter months.  Traditionally, some families put an orange in the toes of a stuffed stocking as these radiant sunshine jewels were special treats.  What could be worse than a dried out, mealy and yuck tasting orange though?  It’s not a problem if you learn the tricks to picking out a good citrus fruit though.

Generally, the peel should be smooth, within reason- the pore-like dimples of the skin should be relatively regular in pattern and depth.  Color, while a good indicator of ripeness, is not the primary clue of a good fruit though, it’s the weight.

Feel the ‘heft’ of several oranges, a heavier orange is more full of juicy tastiness.  A lighter weight orange is one of the nasty, stringy ones that you don’t really even end up eating, thereby wasting money.  Citrus in general should be heavy for it’s size.  Once you’ve found a heavier orange, give it a gentle squeeze, the flesh of the fruit should be firm and resistant to your pressing.  If it mushes a bit, it’s still not a good one, try again.  It’s not difficult to do, but not many people know it.

So please stop looking at me in produce section, I know I’m cute and nice to look at, but I’m not crazy, I’m just selecting the best of what the supermarkets have to offer.

If you’d like to get a jump on my massive clean out, email a.karavite@gmail(DOT)com with a wishlist and budget, I’ve got a bit of everything, craft stuffs, dolls, vintage clothing and handmade treats- BARGAIN SHOIPPERS ALERT- if you ask for it, I might have it, I’ve not worked since June so I’m willing to part with treasures because I know you’ll love it. Barbies anyone? I’ve got everything from vintage 1600’s series to playline custom-bait and whatever may lie between! Fabric grabbies available, surprise yarn parcels, and packets of randomly awesome goodness based on whatever you tell me about you

When I bought myself a Blythe doll several years back, I made a mistake and bought an ashton drake repro thinking I could use the fifty dollars I saved on getting her a lovely wardrobe. The Ashton Drake dolls, at least the earlier ones when I got mine, have an odd skintone that doesn’t photograph nearly as well as those made by Takara. Takara also makes a lovely little girl doll named Licca, who can share her shoes and wardrobe with Blythe as is widely known, but other dolls are that size as well.

Vintage skipper, as well as those not quite vintage but made before the late 80’s when Skipper grew up, can share their clothes, and shoes, with Blythe. Other vintage doll lines that wear Blythe size include the World Of Love dolls made by Hasbro, their hippie-era wardrobe looks adorable on Blythe. I believe these dolls may have also been released in Europe as the “Disco Girls”, though the body molds were no doubt used for several other dolls around that time. Another place that’s yielded suitable Blythe clothing is the anime figures section, many of the Japanese toy makers use very similar bodies on the younger female charchters, like the Card captor Sakura dolls by Irwin, the kitty-cat battle costume is particularly darling.