My electric scrubber recently stopped working. This thing was $$$ and I bought it specifically to scrub our giant jetted tub without having to climb in the thing. It is supposed to be waterproof but when hubby took it apart the electrical contacts were all rusty ~ it looks like rubber stoppers that are supposed to be inside it are missing. 😡 Luckily my decades of repairing electric and battery powered toys taught me to repair these things. Start by cleaning the electrical contacts with rubbing alcohol. If the rust doesn’t clean off with a cotton swab try soaking the contacts for a while. If that doesn’t work, soak in rust remover. Use caution ~ it is hydrofluoric acid and can cause severe burns. Use a cotton swab to remove the rust from small areas. Rinse off the acid with water. Then rinse again with alcohol and allow to dry completely. Many times this will restore the contacts and the item will work again! This is the same way I repair toys and dolls that have stopped working. I save a lot of money knowing this skill! #ateliermandaline #restorer

You might have a noticed an explosion of videos infiltrating my social media recently, including this blog. That's because Instagram hired me to make Reels (short form videos with music or voiceovers). I only learned how to make a reel at all over the summer, so I was surprised to be chosen! I'm getting the hang of it although there are sometimes snafus. A couple weeks ago I couldn't get a really annoying song called "I love my kitty cat" ~ and the entire song was just that phrase over and over ~ off my reel. I didn't add to on purpose and it took forever to figure out how to remove it, much to my husband's amusement. He went around singing the song for hours afterward. Even as a novice I can make over $1000 a month making reels for Instagram, so it's not chump change! Although I have never been a big video creator I decided the potential income was too much to pass up.

My actual written blog posts have necessarily suffered because I only have so much time for social media every day and I have to make at least six reels daily. I do apologize if you prefer the written word. I do have to admit, it is much faster to encapsulate an announcement in a video, especially if it's a sale or coupon notice I can just incorporate with a screenshot, than to type out a whole blog. And if you had a burning desire to see inside my everyday life the reels are a window. Because I have to produce so many I end up highlighting mundane moments of everyday life that would otherwise be lost. It may end up to be a great thing for my personal memories. So much of my oldest children's lives are relegated to memory only now because the cost and hassle of taking and printing photos and lugging around video cameras back in the day made it impractical for any  but the most important events. We have so much more film of our youngest simply because iPhones came out around the time he was born. He will have a great deal more knowledge of his daily life as an infant and toddler than his siblings if he chooses to watch it.

I don't have any mandated script to focus on so I am trying out different subjects to see which are most popular and I am trying to provide a lot of helpful content to add value for my viewers. I've tried doll repair tutorials, cooking videos, low budget grocery shopping tips, live auction previews, cute pet videos, etc. Every so often one particular video will inexplicably get hundreds or even thousands of views while others on the same subject are stuck at like 30. I haven't been able to figure out what makes the viral ones viral. I make more money based on the number of comments, views, and interactions with my reels so if there's something you would like me to post please let me know and I will do my best! You can follow my cinematic career on Instagram where I am @ateliermandaline. I hope to see you there!

Obviously I’ve lost my mind! I’ve added 100+ items to my Jamble Live Sale! LOOK at these prices!!! I can start the bidding low because Jamble pays me for inventory! You will get $10 to shop when you join with the link here or in bio & join the show. Win one of 32 free prizes! Tomorrow night, 12/8 at 7:30pm est. It’s gonna be EPIC! https://jamblelink.com/show?show=XwWWNLpaTSldbLBjaYs5&profile=s2ZUazMWIjgT8saZMbEunMjvUQp1 #ateliermandaline #jamble

Wicked Witch of the West custom doll repaint, from start to finish! #ateliermandaline #dollartist

Mark your calendar! My next Jamble live sale is Thursday, 12/8 at 7:30pm EST. This is a flash sale ~ menswear and womenswear for winter with prices starting at $1! I hope to see you there. Get $10 to shop when you join the show using this link: https://jamblelink.com/show?show=XwWWNLpaTSldbLBjaYs5&profile=s2ZUazMWIjgT8saZMbEunMjvUQp1

New! My “lite site” on Link In Bio is live! Link to all my socials and my most active stores from one spot! https://instabio.cc/4120313WY6nKn

Here’s a super fast unboxing video of some new arrivals to my inventory. Not shown, Dooney & Bourke, orYANY, and GILI bags, Børn shoes, and Susan Graver pieces. My next live show on Jamble will be 12/8 at 7:30PM, one week from today. Message me to request anything you want added to the show. Prices will start at $1!

I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving holiday! Ours started out wonderfully; we got to attend a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game in a suite with supper in the team family room. The next day our son got to play a practice game with Rod Brind’Amour (this was all for his birthday because he’s a rabid fan). By the end of the week, however, he had a fever of almost 105° and bad cough. When break was over swim team ramped up so I’ve been carpooling like crazy. Our daughter is waiting on a DMV appointment to get her license so I can stop driving her, but in the meantime, I didn’t even eat supper until after 10pm Tuesday because I was running around so much! I’m also taking two different marketing classes and learning new software. So please excuse my nails and hair in the video; I’m between manicures and hair coloring sessions! I hope to see you live next week!