I know plushies are supposed to be 'surface wash only' but I'm terrified of germs and grossness lurking in the stuffing of 2nd hand plushies, so I'm firmly in the 'wash them completely' camp! I pop them in a pillowcase, tie off the end (to protect the eyes) and pop them in the machine on 'delicate' or 'hand wash' with some fabric softener and an antibacterial detergent or some baking soda. These cycles don't usually have a spin cycle, and only tumble them slowly and gently, so they get a thorough wash, but aren't treated roughly. After they come out of the machine, I pop either some extra fabric softener or some conditioner in the hair and give it a gentle brush out. They then get a final rinse off to remove any product left on them, and put the plush out to dry in the shade on my balcony for a few days at least - you want them to be thoroughly dry before they come inside!

Damn... that's a keeper right there! I've had my man 10 years, and he recognises 3 of the mane 6!

..although he does collect Dr. Whooves stuff now after I dragged him to Ponycon last year, so he's a work in progress I guess.

Sometimes sunlight can yellow them, but that doesn't explain the hair... it usually fades to white. One thing I've seen do that is rust, but I doubt that's the case here. Sometimes hair products can do that, maybe something was left in or on it and it stained? Or maybe she's just weird. Cool though!

I'm the perpetual child. I've had relationships break down because apparently I'm "too immature"... but that's just my personality - like it or lump it! I have a job, bills, etc, and in no way do I avoid my responsibilities... I'm just a fun-loving person. I'm perfectly capable of living like an "adult" is expected to, but I choose not to. I choose to work to live, not live to work. I chose to avoid the corporate life in order to be able to switch off and live at the end of the work day without work stress interrupting my home life. I chose to collect toys  rather than dresses and shoes.. because for the most part I like them better, and I don't care what people think. And while I'm sure that there are plenty of people who prefer to go that other route, I'm not one of them, and I refuse to be judged for it. I'm no less of an adult. I'm physically an adult. I still vote, work, pay taxes, and contribute to society, I just do it with my own style.

I'd totally wear one of those shirts, because some of the ones I've seen fit my lifestyle pretty well. I don't 'adult' in the traditional form.. and I chose to view that as funny and laugh, and keep on enjoying my life, rather than getting bitter that the world doesn't understand me, or force myself to conform to societal norms. Sure there are bums, drains on society. Always has been, always will be, no amount of societal changes will fix that. The fact that our culture is changing is a good thing, bringing acceptance and happiness to many people who don't 'fit the mould' so to speak. How many people are behaving 'like adults' because they feel pressured to? I personally think that's a bad thing. It's exactly like the pressure on men to be 'manly', it's damaging to their mental health and self-esteem. The pressure can be overwhelming! Yes some people stick to their childhood, and it can be an issue. But most of us are just addicted to nostalgia, and it's not hurting us or anyone else.

I picked up Volumes 6 and 8 of Honey So Sweet today. Volume 7 was sold out.
But I will wait to read Volume 8 until I read Volume 7.
Ponyfan

Vol 7 is so hard to get right now it seems! I ordered it, but it hasn't come yet... It's on back order apparently - I have the rest of them, just waiting on 7.

EDIT: ...aaand they just refunded me. Grrrr...

She's gorgeous! Another beautiful custom!

Urgh. Growing out of things is a natural way of being, but not everything needs to be grown out of. God my MIL grows out of things faster than anyone I've ever met. She 'grows out of' her furnishings, her collections, and frustratingly even sometimes her pets. (that last one drives me INSANE. Pets are FOR LIFE.) But you don't HAVE to grow out of things. It's a very subjective thing, and it's an important part of who we are as people. I never grew out of ponies. I went wide of them for a few years, but I ALWAYS loved them, and never considered myself 'too old' for them, or 'over' them at all.

Social stereotypes drive me crazy. Every interest I've ever had has been questioned by the 'target demographic' so to speak. People think I'm 'too old' for toys and games. I've been interrogated by bearded men in the music aisles for my love of metal, by gamers and otakus for my gaming and manga/anime interests, heck even my husband's uncle (an IT consultant) was shocked that I'd already ruled out all of his suggestions when my FIL's PC wouldn't go online, because he didn't think a girl with only self-taught computer knowledge could possibly know that much about diagnosing complex computer network issues. People were floored at my debut when they found out that it was the skinny 16 year-old girl in a white dress that was the contract cattle musterer that the local farmers been talking about, and not the boy on her arm. Stereotypes be damned, I'm a walking contradiction, and I'll like what I want. I've always been different to how people expect, and I think that's why my name suits me so well. I pick up everyone's assumptions and throw them around the place. I only wish more people had the courage to be themselves for all to see - maybe the world would be a better place!

The French countryside is truly beautiful!! We did manage to accidentally end up on a toll road coming out of Paris (so many roads!) but in saying that it was only our 2nd day in France, it was still dark, you guys drive on the opposite side of the road to us, and neither of us had ever been there before... we were headed towards Bordeaux. We have friends living in Le Fleix, and we had no idea that the sun didn't rise anywhere near as early in France as it does in Australia at that time of year... so we set off thinking the sun would be up before we left Paris... but we were halfway to Bordeaux before we saw the sunrise!

That said I love the idea of ponifying a car! I'd get those fluffy seat covers, I wonder if they come in like a glittery purple?! I'd style the interior either bright yellow or purple for Surprise. It sounds like so much fun!