Home Sweet Drawer

Ever had a dresser with only two decent drawers that you wanted to salvage somehow.  Here’s a totally cute solution, make a doll house.  Here’s a tutorial from Nice Girl Notes showing a truly brilliant way to make a doll house from castoff drawers.  And I thought the only use for old drawers was as under-bed storage. 

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List and Library: Completed

I said I would take my time on my list, and spending two days to finish everything on it is sort of taking my time. 
 
First up, here are the head bands before I redid them.  The one on the right looks exactly like one I already had, boring.  The other one isn’t very flattering on me.  Midnight seemed interested in them though.

Here’s the after, much better.  For the one on the left, I made a tube of fabric scraps and attached lace to it.  I slid the head band through it and glued the ends of the fabric to the head band.  Then I wrapped the ends of the fabric with lace and glued it down.  It makes for a pretty ruffled effect.  For the other head band, I weaved fabric strips through the teeth very tightly while gluing it down as I went across them.  The finished them up with a couple of bows on the sides.

The rest of the list was more miniatures for the the doll house library.  Here’s a nice soft chair made from a toilet paper tube, fabric scraps and batting.  The end table is made nearly the same way as the one for the bedroom (see Night Necessities) except it has a small shelf instead of a drawer.  I thought it would be a great place to stash a couple of books.

This is one I am particularly proud of, a small globe.  The base and stand are made of cardboard while the globe itself is made from a ball of paper mache.  They are held together with straight pins to allow the globe to freely move.  I just wished the continents were a little more realistic, nobody’s perfect.

You need plenty of good lighting for good reading, meaning a couple of decent lamps are a necessity.  The bases are made from some old hair accessories that broke years ago.  The shades are scraps of fabric glued to cardboard circles.
The last one is this simple rug.  A while back I heard about an old technique that involved pulling threading out of woven fabric and stitching for a decorative effect.  I decided to try my hand at a simple version of it.  I’m afraid the effect doesn’t show up very well in the photo, maybe I didn’t do it right.  Oh well, it still makes a nifty rug.
Now here’s the complete library in all its glory.  Oh to be doll size.
Here’s the updated list:

• Bag
• Cuffs
• Bookshelves
• Books
• Magazines
• Poncho
• Table
• Desk chair
• Chair
• End table
• Lamps
• Capelet
• Headbands
• Globe
• Rug
• Curtains

All complete and not a moment too soon.  The next list will probably have things for Fall and Winter, that is what has been stuck in my head for the longest time now.

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Pretty in Purple

I had meant to post this yesterday, but never got around to it.  I got sidetracked from my list (again) and made another one of my dresses and wore it to church.

I started to experiment with lacing for this one, sort of like a corset.  I did start to panic while making it, it started to look to much like a bad Halloween costume to me. 

I guess it came out okay, I got a lot of compliments about it and the dress itself.  Someone asked me if I would make them one (again).  This time it was for a relative of theirs, a 4 year old who loves princesses.  Too bad I am still not very confident about making these kind of things for others.  Nothing worst then disappointing a little girl because the “really pretty dress” is too small.  The oddest comment I got was from a kid I know who thought I looked like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz.  I think it was a compliment.  What was cute was how shocked and impressed he was when he found out I made this.  I guess there is hope for future generations.

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Another Thrifting Experience

I went to Goodwill today for their 1/2 off sale, it was a blast.  I found plenty of goodies to mess around with at great prices.

I saw the pretty fabric on the left about a week ago and I was surprised it was still there.  I’m not sure yet what I want to do with it.  I also found a baggie full of different types of lace, a major lifesaver since I’ve been out of lace.  The best is the huge spool of elastic on the right of the photo.  I needed to get more quite badly and now it will be an awfully long time before I run out again.  Yay.

I grabbed a another baggie full of miscellaneous craft supplies.  On top is some hooks and a box of snaps, always useful.  The bottom left is a set 3 pairs of earrings, minus one.  I think they would make cute buttons or something.  On the bottom right is three boxes of something that is a complete mystery to me.  Not sure what they are or what to do with them.  In the center is a bunch of googly eyes and some cute miniatures.

Here’s a close up of the minis.  It is a tiny knitting book and a basket of yarn and needles.  Where were these when I was making the knitting stuff for the that last video (See Mountain Climbing or Knitting?).  I do love them but I am not sure if I want to keep them, give them away, or sell them on Etsy.  Gotta give it some more thought.

The grand total for all these was only $4.46, of course the thrifting experience was priceless.

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Study Hard and Don’t Fall Over

A library needs a quiet place to sit and study, so of course the doll house library needed one too.  A simple “wooden” table and a sturdy chair does the trick.  They seem fine, but I think I got the proportions slightly skewed.  The chair looks too short even though its a perfect fit.  I kind of like it like that though, it is amusing to look at to say the least.  Makes me want to paint the walls a really bright color and write messages on them or something like that.  Or would that be too much?
Here’s the updated list:

• Bag
• Cuffs
• Bookshelves
• Books
• Magazines
• Poncho
• Table
• Desk chair
• Chair
• End table
• Lamps
• Capelet
• Headbands
• Globe
• Rug
• Curtains

Nine down, seven to go.  Next up is more tiny furnishings.

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It’s Cat Day Again

Today is Midnight’s birthday, yay!  She is now 6 years old, and totally oblivious to it.   I wish cats were more aware of these things, although it does makes surprising them easier.  I started the day with dressing her up and attempting to take her picture.  Not a lot of luck with that, I only got two pictures of her holding still.  This one wasn’t too bad I guess.

 

Here’s the better photo, she is not looking at me at all, but at least you can see the rest of her.  She is wearing a dress I made for her years ago, I forget what it was intended for originally.  It is made from a satin-y material and embellished with little bows.  I made a little wreath for her head, but Midnight hates have things around her ears.  I think she looks really cute in pink and she doesn’t seem to mind the dress at all except in warmer weather.  The rest of the celebrations will include playing with all her favorite toys, snuggling while watching movies, and a very special treat.  I found a coupon for a free Fancy Feast appetizer while clearing out my coupon file. I had completely forgotten about it, so it was great timing to find it a few days before her birthday.  What a lucky kitty.

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Bring on the Books

It took a few days to do it, but I finally got the books for the doll house library done.  I had a little trouble finding the supplies I needed.

As you can see, I made a ton of books and some magazines too.  I made the books with strips of folded paper glued together.  I cut out pictures of book covers from ads for book clubs, it makes them look so real.   I did the same thing for the magazines and used magazine pages for the inside to give that glossy look and feel.  I also stapled them instead of using glue,  it helps them to lie flat.  So now the basic items are done, I just need to work on the handy extra stuff.

Here’s the updated list:

• Bag
• Cuffs
• Bookshelves
• Books
• Magazines
• Poncho
• Table
• Desk chair
• Chair
• End table
• Lamps
• Capelet
• Headbands
• Globe
• Rug
• Curtains

Seven down, nine to go.  More minis are up next.

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Defend the Blocks

Here’s another great creation from What I Made, a cute cardboard Lego fort with an escape hatch.  Why would a Lego person need an escape hatch?  Read the cute drawings to find that out, they’re hilarious.  I hope he writes a book someday, it would have the best illustrations of any craft book. 

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Before the Books

When working on a library for a doll house, the first thing to start on is probably shelves for all the books.

Here I whipped up three in various sizes, and of course like all the other furnishings, I made them with corrugated cardboard.  What a surprise.  I started to paint them dark brown, but inspiration struck.  I made the insides of each shelf sky blue because I thought it would look more interesting that way and easier to see too.  I’m actually thinking of doing the same thing to some real bookshelves.  It would definitely perk them up a bit.
Here’s the updated list:

• Bag
• Cuffs
• Bookshelves
• Books
• Magazines
• Poncho
• Table
• Desk chair
• Chair
• End table
• Lamps
• Capelet
• Headbands
• Globe
• Rug
• Curtains

Four down, twelve to go.  Of course since I’ve got the shelves I had better start cracking at the books.

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Big to Small

As the title says, I took something huge and made it into something small and cute.

Before it was this rather large sized t-shirt I had gotten at a thrift store.  It came with several other items for a grand total of $1.  I liked the flower stitching on the front, but the stain at the shoulder was a problem and it was too big for anyone in my family.  That’s what scissors are for, right?
After some major cutting up and some stitching on the edges, I turned it into this lovely little poncho for my niece.  She absolutely loves it, she very carefully hung it up on a hanger and put it in her closet in a place of honor.  She really is adorable isn’t she?
Here’s the updated list:

• Bag
• Cuffs
• Bookshelves
• Books
• Magazines
• Poncho
• Table
• Desk chair
• Chair
• End table
• Lamps
• Capelet
• Headbands
• Globe
• Rug
• Curtains

Four down, twelve to go.  I’m going to try to finish  rest of the list in the exact order now, but I can’t promise anything.

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Redecorating?

I have been wondering something about this blog, namely the layout and appearance.  I have been using the same blogger template for over a year and wonder if it might be too boring.  I didn’t give it much thought when I chose it to begin with except to tweak some of the colors a bit, that part isn’t very noticeable actually.  And I do still like it, but I have seen several blogs with the same template.  That’s just too strange.  Should I change things up a bit?  Not sure where to start with that kind of thing.  Any feedback would be quite welcome on this matter.

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As Seen On TV

Remember that one stretchy hair thing that was advertised on TV?  The beaded one with combs that you were suppose to do all kinds of updos and stuff with?  I think they sold for about $10 plus shipping and handling, I can beat that.  Now so can you, I found this tutorial for something similar on abigailscraftshowto.com.  It is pretty simple to do, and this way you can have one in any color or design you want.  If I remember correctly, the one from TV only came in 2 or 3 colors that matched common hair colors, so boring.  You could probably use lots of different kinds of beads or even other objects for a really unique look, the possibilities are almost frightening.

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Tin Decor

While checking out other blog, I found this great tutorial.  It’s for tin can tea light holder.  It caught my eye mainly because I have recently developed a thing for candles, I just picked of a couple today at Family Dollar.  Anyway, this looks really pretty for being made from something that most people throw away, and a major perk is the instructions for it.  They are all drawn out by hand, the style is very fun to read.  Same goes for the rest of blog which is why I subscribed.

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1, 2, 3….

I said I was going to take my time getting through the list, but that doesn’t seem to be possible for me.  I have finished three projects and I’m still going.

First up, I had some leftover fabric from the dresses I have been making lately, so I thought I would make a pretty bag to match.  It is lined with a fabric in a lighter shade of pink, and I used batting to give it some shape. It came out with a sort of plush quilted look to it that I thought was cute.  It is suppose to be shaped like a heart, does it look like it?

Next up, I had plenty of smaller scraps of fabric left and the only thing to do with them is make accessories.  These cuffs were made to take advantage of the edge of the material.  It also allowed me to practice doing button holes, and I really do need the practice.  At least they stay buttoned.

I had planned to make this capelet much later seeing as it is much too warm here in Arizona still to wear it.  I’d be lucky if I can wear next month.  Still, I was too excited to wait on it to finally cool down.  I got the fabric for it at Goodwill for 50 cents, it reminds me of fallen snow.  I used a fitted t-shirt to help get the shape of the shoulders and I sort of winged it to get the neck of it.
The brilliant part is the bow.  I made it from part of a vintage skirt that had to be shortened, now they coordinate.  Plus, it is removable so I can switch it with another one to match any number of outfits.  Makes it cute and versatile, my favorite combination. 
Here’s the updated list:

• Bag
• Cuffs
• Bookshelves
• Books
• Magazines
• Poncho
• Table
• Desk chair
• Chair
• End table
• Lamps
• Capelet
• Headbands
• Globe
• Rug
• Curtains

Three down, thirteen to go.  I need to hunt down some cardboard before I start the next few, unless I go ahead again.

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Back to Our Regular Programming

It’s been a nice break the last few weeks, but I can’t stand it any longer.  I have to have a list for my projects in order to function correctly, I see that very well now.  So to make up for the long absence, I prepared a very long list of fun.  Here it is:

Craft Project List #11

• Bag
• Cuffs
• Bookshelves
• Books
• Magazines
• Poncho
• Table
• Desk chair
• Chair
• End table
• Lamps
• Capelet
• Headbands
• Globe
• Rug
• Curtains

What makes it so long is that I decided it was about time to work a little more on the cardboard dollhouse.  I will be starting on the library, also known as the “other” room.  If I take my time, I should have this list finished half way through October.  But if I do what I normally do, sacrificing sleep and whatnot, then it will be finished in about three weeks.  That is why I need to take my time on it.

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