My new obsession ... the dunny!

I was watching Aces of Cakes the other day and they were making a surprise wedding cake. The couple collected these designer toys called dunnies, so they were replicating two of them into cakes. Of course the cakes were amazing as always, but what I really liked was the dunnies.

I was curious about these toys, so I looked them up online. The dunnies are designed by different artists all over the world, from painters to tattoo artists. Basically each toy is a compact work of art. The three inch dunnies are sold in different series, but they are blind boxes, so you never know which ones you are getting. I am not one to try and collect items slowly, trading, etc, to get what I want, so I looked them up on eBay. Jackpot!

Each dunny ranged from around $3.00 to hundreds of dollars for the rarer ones. I bought a few from the same seller so that I would not have to pay shipping for each individual item.

I should never have made that initial purchase. I have found myself checking eBay every day and seeing what dunnies are up for sale. I check kidrobot's website constantly to find out about the new series coming out. I even have a favorite artist, Amanda Visell. There is just such a huge variety and so many crazy points of view printed on these vinyl toys.

It has been a month and I think I now have 28 dunnies, 26 inch dunnies dunnies and 2 eight inch dunnies. Only three cost more than a few dollars because I am really trying to stay disciplined with what I spend. I spend a little more on one three inch dunny that was designed by a tattoo artist I really like and Rommel bought me an eight inch dunny by Joe Ledbetter, which is the tiger on the top shelf in the picture below.


What I really spent money on was an eight inch dunny by Amanda Visell. I loved the smaller dunnies she has designed and it just so happened that the larger dunny went on sale a couple of weeks ago. I was in a complete tither about buying it because there were only 1500 made and they went on sale at a particular time. I was on the computer with the credit card right at the exact time it went on sale nervously typing in my account name and password. I was so excited that I was able to get a hold of one before it sold out a couple hours later! I love the humor in it with a tree cutting off one of it's own branches.


Here are a few more of my favorites. You can see the diversity of the artists just between these three dunnies.


I am sure that part of the reason I became so wrapped up in them was because I was stressed and it was a good distraction. Well, I good distraction if you do not include the fact that it cost me money. So I am trying to reward myself with them now. Reward for what you ask. I am not sure about that part, but I will let you know when I figure it out.

Project Day

With my anxiety at a bad point, I have been spending more and more time at home. I love to spend time reading of course, but I just can't read 24/7, so I have been looking for a variety of things to do. After not finding a seed catcher for Ziggy's cage at the pet store, I decided that I might as well make one myself.

I just hemmed the top and bottom of a couple yards of fabric, threaded the elastic through it, and then sewed the ends together. It ended up costing more than a pre-made seed catcher would because the fabric was a little pricey, but besides being boring, you can also see all the seeds building up because it is transparent. Next time I need a seed catcher I will plan a little more ahead and buy fabric on sale.

Garden Update

I finally painted the stairs that I made to hold all the pots I planted seeds in. I could not go with any old boring color, so I picked bright orange to match one of the accent colors on the wall behind it. I think it turned out pretty well after six coats of paint. Since the seedlings are still fragile, I had to put a sun barrier so they would not burn. It ended up kind of looking like a stand at a farmers market.


A still have a few vegetables in the ground even though I am switching to containers. The cucumbers and squash are going crazy. Within the month we should have so much produce, we will be giving it away.

Bubbling Paint

Two hours, some paint stripper, and a power sander helped me create this:



A door with absolutely no paint on it! The best part was when Rommel asked why we didn't just buy a new door and I told him it was because we would feel the pride of our accomplishment when we were done, not that I believed it after hour of using the sander caused my arms to go numb.

The scary part of the project was watching what the paint stripper did to the paint on the door. For some reason bubbling paint just seems wrong.

Panic

I was sixteen when I was diagnosed with a panic disorder and a slight case of agoraphobia. Over the last thirteen years, I have had fabulous times, down right tough times, and a whole range of emotions. There have been times when I was thankful for the anxiety because it allowed me to appreciate the good times even more. I could enjoy those little bits and pieces of life that most people just pass by because I knew what it was like to have that taken away. There have been times when I was full of hate because I could not just go to the movies or go to a restaurant like everyone else. There are times when I feel guilty because I worry so much about how my problem affects others, especially my husband.

But times like this last week, I am just full of anger. I am angry at myself, a higher power for cursing me with this panic, and other people for not understanding.

It all started with being a little overwhelmed. Papers were piling up on my desk, which is not that stressful in itself, but since the company I work was bought out, there is a lot more to consider. My brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and twin nephews were visiting from Seattle, which I was so excited about, but it meant a lot of going out. I can manage some restaurants, etc, but places with a lot of people bother me. The more I feel like I can't leave a situation, such as a shopping trip, the more trapped I feel and therefore more anxious. Luckily the kids were a great distraction and really tired me out.

The kicker was Simba's vet appointment today. It was one of those situations you know you probably should not put yourself in, but you just have to. Simba had a lump/cyst that needed to be checked out and I was the only who could take him. I was in what I call hyper drive all morning. I feel like I am moving in warp speed but not going anywhere. My mind keeps racing, going over what needs to be done. My heart is beating out of my chest.

We get out the door and to the vet's office. The waiting room was fine, but then we get into the exam room. Of course we have to wait quite a while and Simba was starting to get nervous and whiny. I began to get really warm and my heart started racing. I pulled out a cold water bottle I had in my purse and held it to my face. The cold helps calm me down in some situations and it is always a go to. But it was getting so hot and my stomach was starting to turn. I wanted to run out of that office so badly. I wanted to tell them to bill me and forget the whole thing, but what if there really was something wrong with Simba? My hands and arms began to go numb and my mind became fuzzy just like that feeling you have before passing out.

I finally opened the door and tried to get someone's attention. They apologized for the air conditioner not working because I obviously looked awful and sweaty. This was when I had to tell them what I was going through. Normally I do not have a problem telling people I have a panic disorder, etc., but I do not usually have to do it in the middle of a panic attack. They just kind of looked at me for a minute and then told me the vet would be right with us. It was obvious that they did not understand, but were trying to accommodate me. The doctor came out to get Simba and luckily he was very quick about everything. And of course Simba was fine. The lump is just a lipoma, which is really just a fatty cyst. I pay the bill and am finally able to run away.

I get home and have to deal with the aftermath of the panic attack. My stomach was sick, my head killing me, and I was completely exhausted. I canceled my lunch date and went to sleep.

Now I am just feeling awful. I am angry with myself for almost not being able to make it through the appointment and for having a panic attack. I am also a little angry with the people there even though it is completely ridiculous. Approximately 40 million American adults suffer from anxiety and 6 million suffer from panic. That is a lot of people, but most people you run into do not know anything about anxiety disorders. People think you are being too sensitive or over dramatic. But what I really hate is when people put the word crazy out there. They said that person with a panic disorder is crazy, that person with OCD is crazy, or even the person with manic depression is crazy. But you want to know something? We are not crazy and we did not ask for this. It is a biological condition; it is in our genes. I think the only crazy thing about any of it is not getting help or treatment so that you can live your life.

Enough ranting and enough anger. It is time to move on and keep trying to enjoy life!