Wednesday, September 26, 2012

I Found Them!!! What Are They?

 Several months ago I found these great little containers at the thrift store for 77 cents each.  I was elated.  The are cute little bins that open up.  They have a scoop built in.  I can't imagine what they were used for in the real world, but I knew they would make great containers in the Jordan grocery store for the bulk food section.  Well, I managed to misplace them.  I knew I had put them in a safe place, but couldn't remember where that safe place was.  Don't you just hate that?

They don't look like much now, but imagine them with 1/6 scale rice, beans, nuts, etc.

The scoop looks like metal, but it's a hard plastic.  It has it's own little holder for easy removal and replacement. 

My recently acquired thrift store doll is here to show the scale of the items.  Hoping someone can help me identify this doll.  Is she one of the Kate Middleton dolls?  I know I've seen her before, but can't remember who she is.

The two glass containers were also neatly tucked away in the same container for safe keeping.  I bought these two from Hobby Lobby.  Not sure if they will be used in the grocery store or some other place.

 ORGANIZING:
Most of us are constantly trying to find ways to organize all our crap.... I mean wonderful doll stuff.  I try to stay organized. It helps me do stories quicker.  Over the past couple of months, I've taken things out, but haven't put them back after doing a story.  This makes for a very messy work area.  Eventually I get to a point where I have to stop and put things back where they belong.  I've been doing this task, on an off, for the past 2 weeks.  I am making great progress and I thought I would share.
The Rement items have always been a source of consternation.  I was keeping everything in their little boxes to keep from losing anything.  But, I wasn't using the items that often because it was a pain to figure out what was what.  Well in my new organizing efforts, I ditched the boxes!  Enough is enough.  If I am going to spend money on these crazy little items, I must use them.  There are a couple of sets that are still boxed because I plan to use the whole set together.  The other sets have been placed in organizers so I can easily see what I have, use them, and put them back in the case.  The two large cases are from the local tool store.  The small ones were purchased at the thrift store two weeks ago.

These small ones are really nice.  They are self locking so the compartments won't open accidentally. 

Here are a few pictures of how it all began.  I pulled all the stuff I wanted to organize into the dining room, away from the doll room.  It always gets worse before it gets better.  I am 75% done with my organizing task.  Wish me luck!   
THIS IS NOT MY DOLL AREA.  I INTENTIONALLY CREATED THIS MESS, WHEN I PULLED ITEMS FROM THE DOLL AREA TO ANOTHER ROOM, FOR THE PURPOSE OF TOTALLY REVAMPING PARTS OF MY ORGANIZATION SYSTEM.

I would never be able to function if my doll area looked like this.  

These pictures were taken two weeks ago, right after I dumped everything out.  Most of the items have been transferred back to the doll room, organized and ready for use.  I still have a small pile of clothes that I need to put in their new homes.

And by the way.... I've listed a few more dolls for sale.  Yay me!  You can see them here, or you can click on the tab at the top.

37 comments:

  1. If I'm not mistaken, that's a Miley Cyrus doll. I know for sure that I have that outfit and it came with my Miley and it looks like it could be her. Your organizing looks great so far. Good luck on the rest!

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    1. http://topnews.in/files/Hannah-Montana-doll.jpeg Here's a picture of her with each of the outfits she came with.

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    2. Alura - Thanks so much! Miley Cyrus never entered my mind. Thanks for the link. She's very pretty in the promo picture. I think she will get a LIV body and join my teenagers. Maybe she and Justin Bieber will be a couple. LOL!

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  2. I LOVE those bulk bin! SO cute!!! And thank you so much for sharing your work area, makes me feel better knowing I'm not the only one with a desk like that! :-)

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    1. DLSarmywife - I couldn't believe them when I found them. Sometimes I feel I should spend a lot more time in the thrift stores. That's not my desk. I actually transferred all the stuff there to my dining table in order to do some major sorting. But the actual doll room does get quite messy when I am working.

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  3. Wow, you have a lot of work to do!!! sometimes it's hard and a chaos but organizing the dolls stuff is one of my favorite activities... I likeove the shop containers! Good luck!

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    1. cyborgdoll - Luckily it's almost completely done. It no longer looks like that and I've just about reclaimed my dining table and moved all the doll stuff back to the doll room. Those last pictures were shot about 2 weeks ago when I first got started. All that is left is a pile of clothes that needs to be put in the bins I reorganized and moving a few more containers back to their new location. Thanks for visiting.

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  4. I have such a love/hate relationship with organizing! Good luck! Those little containers are so perfect it's scary! Can't wait to see them in action!

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    1. Vita Plastica - I know what you mean. I LOVE being organized. I HATE being the one who has to do it. Where is that assistant? I have already put the empty bins in the store. I just have to figure out what to put in them.

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  5. Lucky you found them, they look sooo cute! I just cannot imagine what they were used for... fridge magnets? They will look perfect in your store. I don't recognise the doll, sorry! And good luck in your organization work!!

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    1. Rossetti - No, they weren't fridge magnets. The doll has been ID'd as Miley Cyrus. Thanks

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  6. Good luck on your organzing! I know I need it!

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    1. Verona - LOL! It's almost done. I took the last four pictures two weeks ago. I should have snapped one of the table today so you guys wouldn't feel so sorry for me. It's just about done.

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  7. Holy Crap, you've got some great stuff in your collection!

    I agree with Dani, those bins are perfect. Since you bought them at a thrift store, maybe they were actually dioramas items.

    Great find...lucky duck, LOL!

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    1. Tracy - Holy Crap is right. That's what I like to call it at times. LOL! There is so much little stuff, that's why I have to stay organized, or I would never know where anything was. I did the Muff happy dance when I found those bins. I feel another grocery store story on the horizon.

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  8. I actually thought the brunette was Pippa Middleton for a second... not sure why! And Wow! I almost fainted at the sight of all those shoes....

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    1. Isabel - I initially thought Kate, so we were both on the same page. That shoe organizer is double sided. I don't have shoes on the other side...yet. All of the boots I have are in a separate photo box. I still have lots of room for future purchases.

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  9. Thank you Vanessa for showing us your organizing task! You are a great inspiration for me!

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    1. Sergio - Those little organizer boxes from the thrift inspired me to make a few changes. So glad I did. I forgot to mention in the post that part of the reason for this was a need to change the way I had the clothes. Months ago I had switched to trying to have all the clothes by color. That system didn't work as well as I thought, so I changed it back to clothes by type. That's why it looks so messy. I was revamping my whole system.

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  10. Those containers are so cute, and what a great find. I can't imagine what they would be used for in the real world either, but for our dolls....great to use for bulk grocery store items.

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    1. Chrissy - Thanks for visiting! I've racked my brain trying to imagine what the bins were used for. I got nothin'.

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  11. I know what you mean. I think I lost/misplaced one wig because of my lack of organization.

    I did try that once but after organizing my stuff, I feel like not using them again. I'm afraid that I'll be to lazy to return the little items in their proper containers.

    And those stuff I used got moved to other containers because at that time, it was convenient to store them there. That happens a number of times so now I don't know which container to look to find a specific item.

    Cleaning up the mess after every play time is just sooo time consuming.

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    1. Niel - There is a sense after getting organized that you never want to do it again, so the stuff stays right where you put it. I just take the case with me and try to put the little stuff back immediately. Being able to see all the little items is a blessing. I get more story ideas just being able to see them. Not that I need more story ideas. I'm already behind on what's already planned.

      Yes the cleanup afterwards is quite the chore. I keep imagining there is someone coming behind me and taking care of all that. Hasn't happened yet! Thanks for stopping by.

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  12. I really appreciate your organization,Vanessa!
    We have some boxes alike for our Re-ment things!!!LOL!!
    Now I see how ready you are for do your doll art.
    I see myself organized also,but sometimes,when
    I lose something...I feel horrible.
    This happened yesterday.I discovered I lost
    the Pop Ring of My Pop Life Gal...I'm so sad LOL!!It's too small...
    We need orgazization and care to "play" with our dolls!!
    Lovely and interesting post!!
    Thank You!!

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    1. Jorge - Isn't the Rement stuff great? I'm more excited about it now that I can actually see it and remember what I have. Some of that stuff I haven't used or seen in over 5 yrs. Sad, sad, sad. So sorry to hear about your Pop Life ring. Maybe it will show up. Just don't sweep or vacuum any time soon. Good luck!

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  13. I love organizing things and seeing things organized! There's something soothing about everything in its place. The downside is that first there has to be disorganization to correct. Always with the catch 22, eh.

    Love all the little bins and jars.

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    1. Muff - I'm so with you there on organizing! I used to have a label maker (broke it not too long ago), I used to put labels on everything. I was pretty well organized before I started a couple of weeks with this project, but I just had to revamp a few things that weren't working. The clothes system is revamped on a regular basis. I'm still not happy with it. I need to get it out of the bins. Thought about hanging everything up, but I tried that with NiChalet's boutique. Hanging the clothes back up after using them proved to be time consuming. I do like your book idea and may use that for my most coveted outfits. Still searching for the perfect system.

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  14. Great post! Makes me feel better about the mess in my own doll room. Like you the mess got hairy because I decided to re-organize some things. I still haven't managed to put everything away.

    The bulk bin containers are great. Dollar Tree is another source of nice miniature containers. Right now they have tiny glass jars full of glitter for embellishing manicures. Each jar has a removable plastic stopper so you can pretend the glitter is candy for your dolls or dump it out and put something else in them.

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    1. limbe dolls - Thanks for the Dollar Tree tip. Small jars always come in handy.

      I see now that those pictures are misleading. That is not the mess in my doll room/area. I do have some disorganization there, but nothing like these pictures suggest. I intentionally created that mess all at once when I transferred a lot of stuff for the purpose of reorganizing. I would never be able to function if that's what my doll area looked liked.

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  15. Oh my, I know you will get the job done because you are so organized! I love those storage containers. Will you visit me today...I need your help. My post will say it all. Thanks!
    Love you!

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  16. Oh my, I guess you don't want to look at the mess in my doll room- which I, like you have had to organize and re-organize to succesfully do the stories or even take photographs. My biggest problem is organizing their clothes and unused dolls. I find myself buying multiples of items because I cannot find the current props of the project/structure/dio that I am working on.

    I adore those little mini bins you found!

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    1. Lisa - Clothes is my biggest issue, too. They are sorted and organized, but I know if I had them out of the storage bins, where I could see everything, I would do a better job at dressing and styling my dolls. I would like them all hanging by color and by type. This is how professional organizers usually do real closets. Of course they have better hangers than I do in 1/6 world. I could make them, but I'm not motivated to do so. I rarely loose items. This is the first time in a long time I had misplaced an item. I knew it was neatly placed in a plastic box, just didn't feel like looking too hard for it.

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  17. Hello from Spain: I hate losing things around my house. These boats are a great buy. I love your boxes to organize and store small parts. Good luck with your organization. Your new doll is Miley Cyrus. I have one the same but with blonde hair. We keep in touch.

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    1. Marta - Thanks for the help with the doll. I'm excited it's a Miley Cyrus doll. She will fit in perfectly with the school children once I rebody her.

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  18. Nice finds Vanessa. My co-worker has those "bulk bin containers" at her desk at work. They are candy dispensers. You use the scoop to take the candy out of the container instead of using your hand. : / Great idea for loose candy. Anyway, she has a bigger one which she got from a candy store and a small one like yours which she got from Michael's.

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    1. ZDollCloset - Thanks so much for enlightening us on these little containers. That's funny they are candy dispensers. By the time I put the candy in, I would have eaten them all. LOL!

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