My new gals!

I put thirft stores as my number five thing for 2009, and this is why - I found these two beauties on the toy aisle at my favorite thrift store's 50% off sale on President's Day:

The one on the left is World Cup Christie from 1999. She came clad in her original sneakers, socks and shin guards. She was also wearing a HIDEOUS green and black top (to be profiled on "WORST. OUTFIT. EVER" over on the Doll Nation Network blog), a long skirt (which I'm keeping) and her original sneakers, socks and shin guards. Her ponytail was in sad shape, so I snipped it off and gave her a short cut. And look at her now! I think it gives her a more sophisticated look! She's wearing a Barbie pak dress from around 2002, and some of my rare Barbie flat footed poser shoes. I've named her Cassandra.

The one on the right has a Lea face, and she came in that outfit she's wearing (except for the sneakers and glasses.) Inspired by the new computer tech Barbie, I decided that she would be a computer geek, and gave her the Barbie glasses to wear. Geek Chic Barbie! LOL! I'm thinking of rebodying her onto an Artsy Fashionista so she can pose (if I can find one!) I've named her Audrey.

Here's a closeup of my new gals:

I've already thought of backgrounds for these gals - Audrey is a junk food loving computer geek, who lives in the dorm at Doll Nation University. Her room, as I describe it, "looks like where computers come to die". Ancient laptops all over the place waiting to be repurposed. She has a good sideline selling refurbished laptops to the other students, but her main joy in life is surfing the net, blogging and getting emails from "friends" on the internet - don't open anything labeled "MJ-12" or "Alien Autopsy", Audrey! Or you will face the wrath of the X Files' Cigarette Smoking Man!

Cassandra ("Cassie" for short) is an former Soccer player for Team Doll Nation in the Olympics, and had a celebrated career as one of the Mountainview Wildcats. She now coaches girls' soccer for 9-12 year olds. She turned down the more lucrative offer of coach at Doll Nation University because she wanted to encourage young girls to play sports - "College kids don't need encouragement - they've already gotten it." She's into healthy foods and will do sports and health features for DNN!

I'm going to be posting short photostories about the new gals, as soon as I get more batteries for my camera!

The Down and Dirty 2009 Top Five - #5

#5 - The Thrift Store!

Okay, this is a bit of a cheat as well (see #3), but hear me out - the thrift store gets my vote for the number five slot because it has been a life saver for me when I needed furniture for my Tonner sized dolls, and there wasn't anything reasonably priced (or anything at all!); it helped me find the Madeline refrigerator that now resides in the Generation Girls house; I found "Princess of the Portugeuse Empire" for $2.50; I've found tons of the little knickknack paddy whacks that end up in my dolly dioramas, as well as Barbie houses for CHEAP (a house that cost over a hundred bucks one year retail can be found the next year at a thrift store for only twenty - OR LESS, if it's discount day); I found the Barbie Airplane I wanted; and digging down through a plethora of blonde, tangled haired Barbies one day, I found the Aaron Carter doll I'd been coveting for only 99 cents!

And let's not talk about all the things I've found for ME there, shall we?

Sing it with me - "I love you thrift store... oh, yes I do... I don't love anyone... as much as yooooo..."

(BTW, that's not my thrift store up there in the pic. I'm not crazy enough as to share all my secrets! Hah!)