No Busting Today!

Thursday snuck up on me again - this is supposed to be a stash buster day - sheesh!  I wish someone would remind me about Monday of Thursday's approach....

So far my stash buster Thursday's have not busted much... maybe I should do it once a month - what's the likelihood of me getting it right, once a month, do you think?

Here are my excuses! 

Trouble is, I have been on a pretty creative roll as of late, and I really hate to squash that when it happens, because it seems to happen less often these days.  I am trying to focus on re-opening my Etsy shop soon,  but that is proving more difficult than I thought it would.

My neighbour is back in the hospital again.  It has been 2 yrs since he was hospitalized so he has done quite well, considering.  He and his wife have no family here, so we really try and fill that void with them when we can, but especially at times like this.  So it's checking on him at the hospital, and checking on her at home.  Happy to do it - but it does make time vanish very quickly.

And then there is poor broken Cathy - lying there on my craft table starring me down every time I go in that room!   She needs so much, and I give so little... but while I am waiting for my brown-eyed Cathy's arms to arrive, I have been working on her hair and face... really I have!

Old vinyl and plastic dolls often get "Green Face".  I'm not sure what causes it, but the face colour takes on a grayish/green tinge that is very noticeable.  Also so many dolls come to the collector with marker and pen marks on them.  These don't always wash off with soap and water so people who restore dolls have a solution.

Actually there are several commercial solutions available to deal/ clean almost anything on a doll.  These are harsh and harmful to the environment and the user.  Many doll restorers have developed lung conditions from inhaling the fumes of these chemicals - so instead of using the toxic stuff, we use OXY10 Acne cream... I know, who knew?  And who fell on this discovery, I wonder?  What, you were treating your acme and just decided to rub some on a doll?  Okay that's just too weird - even for me!

BUT - it works - it removes pen and marker and green face.  You put a layer on a doll's face and let her sit in the sun for a day and repeat this a couple of times, and you have a clean white face.  I have found it also dulls any markings the doll might have had originally - like eyebrows, red cheeks, pink lips - and in Cathy's case - freckles.

The brown-eyed Cathy I got in the mail looks like she had something done to her face by someone.  She is very ghostly - especially given she has brown eyes and dark hair.  Her expression was lacking, because her freckles were faint, she had no cheek color and her lips were almost white.  Anemic would be the correct term for her.

So I fixed her.  I darkened her freckles, and eyebrows.  Gave her some color on her cheeks and pinked up her lips - that's when I noticed that she only has 1 tooth.  Most Cathy's have two front teeth -  maybe this doll sings "All I want for Christmas" - but no she's not a singing Cathy - I have one of those, and they look a lot different and are a bit smaller than Chatty.  So now I need to read up on one tooth Cathy's!

And that's why I forgot it was Stash Buster Thursday!

Really....