Fabulously Frugal Dolly

Just home from a lovely evening out with a dear sweet friend, we went for dinner at this lovely little place in Port Jefferson called Kimi.  It’s the only Japanses restaurant I’ve ever tried, but what do you want, I’m a midwest girl, it’s all new to me.  Not surprising consider all the weird crafts I do with my hands, chopsticks are not as hard to use as I once thought.  I can eat rice with em, and not by shovelling it from the bowl to my mouth either.  What really gets me is the flavors, like I said, I’m a midwest raised hillbilly girl, it’s called tempura, but that’s fried veggies.  Miso soup is lovely stuff, I just love the little cubes of tofu and how they feel like they just melt away in a dleicious cloud of wonderfulness.  Usually my friend and I opt to share a green tea ice cream for dessert, but today was a red bean kind of day.  I’ve got no idea what a red bean really is, but they taste fabulous.

Being as this is my cheapness blog, I feel obligated to say that for the two of us enjoying a fabulously prepared multi-course meal, it was well under thirty bucks including a nice tip.  I may be frugal, but I can’t stiff a nice waitress, it’s hard to leave a small tip for a crappy server knowing what miserable work food service can be.  By midwest standards that’s not a cheap meal, but in New York, the diner serves lobsters and there’s no two-for-twelve dinner specials.  I’m adjusting, trying new things, like seafood and tapas and Japanese food, but I still drool a little when I drive by a White Castle. 

Yesterday I was getting a little bit down, so I decided to do what always perks me right back up- I went thrift shopping.  The thrift fairie was kind enough to lead me to the most awesome pair of pale blue shoes with white stars all over them, and I’m thrilled with my awesome new shoes that only cost three dollars and some change.  As an added bonus, the laces of the shoes have felix the cat on them, a fondly remembered mascot of the video production program I was part of in high school, so of course I was giddy when they fit perfectly.  Sure, they’re probably out of style, but style never mattered much to me, if I like it, I’ll keep right on wearing it.

There’s not much else going on of late, thus the infrequent updates on my blogs.  Our remodelling project is well underway, I’m getting a whole new house it seems, just the outside is staying the same, save for the new windows and doors.  The kitchen is going to be shiny white, I picked out the cabinets at Ikea with our dear friend who owns our house, and we’re both excited about the nice things that we’ve picked out.  The bath is going to be fabuulous too- the tub has arm rests!  As a girl who just adores a nice bubble bath, that’s very exciting.  Not to mention that my hubby, being the smart guy he is, ran some of the heating under where our tub will be, so I can soak for an extra-long time without the water going cold.  Sometimes I step back and realize what a lucky girl I am, and I smile for days thinking about how two years ago I watched crackheads out the window, and now I watch a dozen swans swimming past.

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.

As a lifelong fan of most anything doll, economic hard times can effect the collector. While I’m sure I’m not the only one a bit hesitant to part with much money for something frivolously fun as a new doll, I still want to enjoy my collection. One of the best ways to enjoy what you already have is using it in a new way. Re-size that dress to fit another doll you like better, don’t be afraid to play, it’s what dolls are for!

I’ll also share any hot sales or bargains I find. It’s a family trait to be thrilled by a good deal, we’ve been that way as long as anyone can recall, and I am the shining cheap little darling of the bunch. No one ever guesses that my hip, fashionable wardrobe is my own blend of handmade and thrift-bought treasure, and our dolls can also be darling on a dime.