Alyrenee's Copious Spare Time

Looking back at my 2021 intentions, I totally failed on a few...but did okay on some...  To review, my 2021 Intentions were : #1 Grace.  Be kind to myself. Shush the inner mean girl. I did okay with this and it was a good resolution. #2 A minimum of twenty minutes of movement a day. Same here until I couldn't.  I was fairly consistent with keeping movement as a part of my day right up until I got a breakthrough covid case (thanks Delta!) in late July 2021. I then suffered from fatigue symptoms and body aches for quite awhile.  I was only able to start running again in late September (no more than 2 miles once a week) and then was able to run a 5k again in early December.       #3 Take control of a small space every day.  Um...sort of failed on this.   #4 No makeup for 2021.  Failed again. #5 Ethical Clothing Pledge for 2021.   Did pretty well with this. I pretty much only bought from Poshmark, eBay, ThredUp or the thrift s...

 Oh, 2020.  Bye girl.  So when thinking of my goals for 2021, I am taking my cue from Tiny Habits.  Little changes can add up. I have already seen how doing a bullet journal can really de-clutter my brain.  That move has truly been a game-changer in terms of productivity. Some of my goals are bigger though, so we will see how it all works. I am no longer calling these resolutions. Instead, I think of them as intentions.  I intend to do these things.  If I don't, I have not BROKEN anything and can pick back up where I left off.   2021 Intentions: #1 Grace.  Be kind to myself. Shush the inner mean girl. #2 A minimum of twenty minutes of movement a day.  I have managed to keep this up since Labor day with only two exceptions: Election day when I worked 18 hours and did a ton of legwork...i think that earns a pass and two weeks ago when I sprained my ankle and needed to rest it for a day.  Twenty minutes of movement can be as simpl...

So for the purposes of this 2019 dolly year in the review, I'm not counting the countless plastic broads on pre-order still (the three Retrofuture ladies, Colette, Mdm. Eden, and Ocean Drive Agnes).  At this point I can't even remember why I ordered that Agnes and might try to pass her on....le sigh. I am also opening this up to dolls from year's past that are recent acquisitions to my collection. So, without further ado, here are my personal favs that I added to my doll collection in 2019 (in no particular order). #1 Awakening Annik The wait was long for this doll but I think she is really cool.  I got lucky and mine had good hair. #2 Heads Up Poppy Parker Yellow! Super cute. The style lab this year was pretty stellar. I just broke down and sold the copper redhead.  She was cute but I try to keep the Poppy squad to a minimum lest they rise up and take over the world. #3 Groovy Poppy in Beauty Blossoms: I love the color of her pigtail...

So as a part of my lofty resolutions for 2019, I am trying to make something every week. So far, so good. A portion of this stems from the fact that I have a small (cough...medium) craft store's worth of goods squirreled away in my home. I need to use this stuff up because, as much as I want to, you cannot take it with you. So, trying to knock a couple of resolutions off at once (Don't save it for the Queen, Work down the stash, and 52 Crafts), I am approaching this with serious intentions to make it to the end of the year with a ton of finished projects. Not sure what I will actually do with all of these things though. I might add them to my etsy store or perhaps try to get a booth at a craft fair. Hmmm. Week 1: I did these little resin numbers from my Winter Blow out Box from Sophie and Toffee. This is a monthly craft subscription box. It ain't cheap but I find the items are all things which I cannot readily find here in the states and I enjoy how each box is cu...

Okay 2019. I see you. I get it. I need to make some changes. STOP JUDGING ME 2019. Fine... But before I start...I have legit grown-up Job goals but I am not going to bore you with my smarty-pants professor nonsense. No one wants to read about my lofty goal of having a paper published in a national design journal or getting a gig in a LORT theatre...so just assume I have deep thoughts too and it is not all about unicorn farts and dolls. Here is my noble list of Resolutions... Bullet Journaling. I have been using planners for the last two years. While I enjoyed them...I had to keep two separate planners to fit all the crap I wanted to write down and was forever losing where I wrote things down. So I am trying the bullet journal thing. So far so good. And no...I will not be posting gorgeous layouts of hand drawn unicorns and pressed flowers. I spend a great deal of time making and drawing beautiful things...so in my downtime, I just want a good old-fashioned list. I might get...

Another year down. Here are my personal favorite doll acquisitions of 2018. I’m only counting dolls in hand and not the ones on pre-order... In no particular order: Wonder Woman by Robert Tonner Featuring a pretty good likeness of Gal Godot and exciting new articulation, the new Wonder Woman Doll based on the film was a impulsive addition to my collection that I don’t regret. After being unimpressed by promo photos (Tonner’s promo photos have been absolute rubbish for quite some time), I was driven to buy her after seeing his unboxing video of the doll. In hand, she is gorgeous and the outfit is very detailed. I also am a fan of the new stand. I have not added any of the fashions or the training version. The price points are daunting but I am keeping an eye out for good sales. ***gahhh...Tonner just announced that Tonner Doll is no more. So no chance of the other Justice League dolls that were in the works...and no 1985 Wonder Woman. Booo. I hope to score one more doll just t...

Panic. Full on panic. That was the feeling that I and many other collectors felt when we got a recent shipping release update from IT. Several dolls that were expected in late spring and here like NOW! Poppy London Wave, Metamorphosis Erin, Golden Holiday Poppy, Alta Moda Karolin, Glimmer East 59th...umm i am sure I am mentally blocking out some to protect my fragile psyche. Luckily I only have two poppies on order...but of course I entered in the lottery for the caped Poppy...and Nordstrom Elyse...and the waitlist for Erin Metamorphosis. AHHHHH! Not to mention, the last wave of Jem dolls dropping. For some wackadoo reason, I ordered doubles. WHAAATTTTT!  Luckily I found some folks to take those extras off of my hands. I might end up selling Farewell Jem nude but will wait to see what her face looks like in person. In the promo photos, she looks a little....um boozey? I currently lack the space to display the extra holograms...but I have already pretty stripped down the J...

Another week down. I had a root canal last week followed by the flu...so yeah...so little got done in way of exercising. Then we had two snow days and folks round here (NC) cannot drive on a good day let alone in ice and snow. So I had cabin fever like crazy combined with a lack of motivation/energy. I did manage to get two script proposals submitted to a theatre AND started an outline for another play.  I also sold some more dolls, deboxed some that were still in boxes, and changed the outfits on a few more. Go me. Still no new clothing purchases! Well no human clothing. I did finally hunt down the stripe Barbie fashionista fashion pack so I can chill for awhile on the obsessive toy aisle patrols.  This coming week I am getting the crown on the root canal tooth (BOOO). I am hoping it won't keep me down for long. I have a ton of shopping to get done for The Wiz this week and research to compile for Neverwhere at Lifeline. Weeee.

So far so good. I managed to workout five days last week. I also cleaned/organized one surfaces in my bedroom. I sold three dolls last week and have at least two more on eBay currently selling. Progress...she is being made.  I think my next step is to take some dolls out of the cases and do more specific looks in the case.  I will then rotate the dolls over the course of the year. Should a doll remain in storage a whole year...then perhaps that doll needs to leave.  I am thinking I might try the same thing with the clothing collection too. If I have no desire to get it out of the storage bin, then maybe I don't need it. I might scoot the deadline to be around the IT Convention in late October though. That way I can sell the dolls and clothes that need to be let go (let's be honest...I need to make space for incoming convention girls). Thus far, I have not bought any new clothing for myself or family. I managed to pick up a really nice stroller at the thrift store t...

Another year around the sun. Time to make some new choices, start new habits, and make some changes. #1 Ethical Clothing Pledge It has been a while since I did the Ethical Clothing Pledge. I think it is time to try it again. The last time was 2010 (the year I got married). I was losing weight and my sizes kept changing...also I was trying to save money. The same goes for this year. I really need to shed the extra baby weight AND saving money is always good. Plus, fast fashion is so destructive to the world in so many ways. So I am resolved to only purchase recycled/upcycled/thrift clothing, ethically produced clothing, or make the clothing myself. (Note this does not apply to socks, shoes, and undergarments...because grody). I have tons of fabric to use for new clothes. I have all the workout clothing one could ever need and lots of good work clothes. In 2010 I made it the whole year only purchasing one Wonder Woman t-shirt from MAC, one backup wedding dress on clearance from An...

Another year down yall. As I look back over my collecting habits for the year, I see some consistencies and a few surprising new directions. So here is my hit list for 2017 in no particular order. And note...I am skipping dolls that are still on pre-order and not arriving until next year. The Hits Gigi Hadid Barbie After teasing us with her on the Barbie Style Instagram , Mattel delivered a very nice doll. The sculpt is gorgeous and she comes with a cute Tommy mini fashion on an articulated (but not made to move) body. I heard the sweatshirt stains but I have not checked mine yet. I just adore the little shorts. Barbie Fashionistas...Diversity continues Holy Man Bun! Mattel continued to deliver new sculpts and even added additional body shapes for Ken (Broad, Slim, and Original). We also saw an articulated curvy doll and images for an Curvy Made to Move coming in 2018. Once again, I found myself purchasing a playline doll. Blue Beauty 69 is ADORABLE. Then I had to hunt down...

Well. 2016 was not my favorite year. A lot of that was politics related. I finished my first year of my new job (which is great) but we are still not wild about Charlotte or the state of North Carolina. As is often the case when one is not completely happy, one compensates in other ways. To say that I indulged in plastic divas this year would be an understatement...I like to think it was no worse than previous years, but I know that is not the case.  However, I did purge at least a quarter of my collection before we moved here in the fall of 2015.  I then sold a good chunk of my Tonner collection too. I have a spreadsheet listing all my doll holdings and the number is relatively steady with outgoing dolls matching incoming for the most part. Of course, based on my financial realities, I should have sold everything and cut up my credit cards.  Best of intentions right? Maybe I will be better (stronger) in 2017? It could happen. Stop judging me. Here's What Was Good... ...

So another year, another round of resolutions.  2015 brought lots of change for me.  I left a job that I had for fifteen years...basically the only 'real' job I had ever had (not counting Dairy Queen).  I moved away from my family, friends, and creative home (Sweet Home Chicago) and set up a new life in Charlotte with a new job as Assistant Professor of Costume Design.  The transition has not been easy.  Moving was HORRIBLE. The new job is great but brings some new stress (cough *tenure terror* cough).  My new house is a bit smaller than the old apartment but much better for the tiny human boy child.  The kid is doing great.  He seems to be enjoying himself. My husband is utterly miserable and I am slightly miserable.  It's lonely in a new place and making new friends is not the easiest thing to do but we are trying.  The theatre scene in town in non-existent. It is tragic and depressing. The food is decent.  The weather has been g...