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Christmas Crafts: Diy Elf on a Shelf with Outfit Tutorial

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Thursday, July 30, 2015

My Favorite Things: CVS Body Wash

It has been so long since the last time I’ve done a Favorite Things post.  And there are so many favorite things I need to share too.  But lets stick with one at a time.

Romance Body Wash from CVS

This time it’s body wash. 

I find body wash works better for me than bar soap and is less likely to contain ingredients I would rather not put on my body, like animal fat.

I love the body washes at CVS, and I’m not saying this just because I actually work there.  Of course I have to admit I do get an employee discount on things I buy at the store that aren’t on sale, especially store brands.  But this is just a bonus for me.  I get to buy products I love for a little less than normal, and I don’t have to make an extra trip. 

Anyway, the body wash is great.  There’s a great selection of scents or as I call them flavors, and because it’s a store brand the normal price isn’t going to bust a budget too much.  And for those who aren’t lucky enough to get a discount, it does go on sale frequently and you can usually get store coupons from the coupon center that make them even cheaper.

My current favorite is the Romance body wash (in the picture).  It smells like soft roses, so pretty.  I have a vanilla moisturizing body wash and I like to mix the two together for my own custom blend.  They are perfect together.  Of course if roses aren’t you’re thing, they have other body washes with less flowery flavors like citrus and cucumber.  There’s a Sport one intended for men.  But for me, the pretty flavors are the way to go.

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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Wordless Wednesday: Here Kitty Kitty Kitty

Taken at Main and Center in Mesa.  The construction is near completion!

Construction Vehicle

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Sunday, July 26, 2015

5 a Week: Tank Tops for Dolls

It’s Sunday, so it’s time for week 4 of…

…The Five a Week Pledge.
If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see the first week for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.
This week’s craft:
5 ball jointed doll sized tank tops
Tank tops. Doll sized ones.
I decided to continue making doll clothes since there are just so much fun.  And I went with tank tops because last week’s skirts needed some tops.  Plus it’s still summer and tanks are much cooler to wear this time of year.  Yes, totally ignoring the fact that dolls don’t have to deal with heat.
two white lace trimmed doll tank tops
Anyway, the first two were made exactly the same.  Mainly because I had more of this lace and wanted to use it up faster.  The lace straps were gathered before attaching to the “arm hole” area to create a sort of flutter sleeve effect.  I wish I could do it on a human size top.  The problem is that most of the lace I’ve seen that’s wide enough is super ugly.  Oh well, at least my doll can have cute tops.
doll lace trimmed tank top
This top has the lace attached like normal tank top straps.  I also ran a strip of lace across the top.  It has a nice effect, but I’m afraid it may make it look a little too much like an undershirt.  Maybe?
doll lace trimmed tank top
This tank top is made the same way as the last, just a different kind of lace.  I’ve had this lace for years now.  I never realized how off-white it was until I sewed it on to this fabric.  By the way, the fabric is from an actually t-shirt.  Boy’s size XL to be exact.  More than enough material to cut five bjd sized tank tops and still have more than half the shirt leftover for other projects.
doll lace flutter sleeve tank top
The last tank top is Hikaru’s favorite and mine.  The lace is the same kind I used for the skirt she is wearing.  It’s just really pretty, at least it is on doll clothes.  And since it is the same, it matches the skirt nicely.  Now all she needs is some shoes and maybe some accessories and it would be perfect.  Maybe that will be for next week.  Look forward to it.
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Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Wordless Wednesday: Favorite Non-exhibit

Taken at the Arizona Museum of Natural History.  I wish they would put it on display.

Doll House at AZ Museum of Natural History

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Sunday, July 19, 2015

5 a Week: Skirts for Dolls

It’s Sunday, so it’s time for week 3 of…

…The Five a Week Pledge.

If you haven’t been around here, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice (see the first week for more info).  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

This week’s craft:

5 Ball Jointed Doll Sized Skirts

Skirts!

Doll sized to be exact.  And they’re all circle skirts too.  I got the idea from watching video on this Youtube Channel.  She makes lots of sewing tutorials and many of them involve circle skirts.  They looked pretty easy so I decided to give them a try. 

There were several reasons why I decided to make them doll size.  First it’s quicker and sometimes easier to sort of test drive a sewing technique in a smaller scale.  Second, it lets me use less fabric.  I can easily use leftover fabric this way.  Third and most importantly, I have a poor little ball jointed doll named Hikaru that I’ve owned for about a month and a half (see Catching Up -- A New Friend).  Sadly, I haven’t sewn much of anything for her yet, so she could use some more clothes.

BJD in an off white circle skirt with elastic waistband

This first one is made from an off-white floral print cotton I had left over from I dress I made for Comicon (see Time for Some Catching Up).  The waistband was made by just by folding the fabric to make a casing for elastic.  I call it the cheater’s method.  I actually would only recommend it on rectangle skirts.  It’s harder to do on fabric cut curved instead of straight.  Plus it may look okay in the photo, but it looks sort of messy in person.

Bjd in an offwhite circle skirt with alternate waistband

The second skirt is basically take two for the first one.  I sewed the elastic directly to the skirt this time.  It’s easier to do for a circle skirt and looks much nicer.  The only problem is the fit.  I messed up the first time and had to cut the fabric and redo it.  This resulted in a pretty skirt that’s a teeny tiny bit too big for my doll.  You can see her staring at it like “what did you do to this thing!?”  It’s not that bad, but it would be better for a doll that is a little larger than her.

Bjd in a blue tulle circle skirt

This third one was probably one of the easiest.  It’s made with two layers of blue tulle leftover from my Halloween costume (see Halloween = Tulle) plus a lining.  I just had to hem the lining, quickly stitch all three layer together at the top, then sew on the elastic.  I kind of want to make several more of them.  Maybe in more colors. 

Bjd in a pale blue floral print circle skirt

This skirt is made from scraps from my spring dress(see Catching Up – Conventions Anyone?).  It is lined.  I attached the lining fabric to the floral print at the waist opening, then turned the fabric and top stitched along the top to make a casing for the elastic.  This was probably the easiest way to make the waistband for these skirts.  I love the fabric, it’s the perfect weight for doll clothes.  I think I would like to make a dress with it too.  Eventually.

Bjd in a red and off white layered circle skirt

The final skirt is one of my favorites.  Hikaru likes it too.  I used more of the that off-white fabric and some of the red floral print fabric I used for that comicon dress as well as a previous Easter dress.  I made it the same way as the previous skirt, just making the “lining” longer than the top layer.  I added some simple lace to the top layer of fabric.  It’s a nice sweet touch to a pretty skirt.

I’ve learned a lot about sewing circle skirts from these.  Now I can’t wait to try to make a human sized one.  Also to try making some doll sized shirts to go with a few of these skirts.  Maybe that will be for next time.  Look forward to it!

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Friday, July 17, 2015

Lace Applique Brooches: A Tutorial

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!
 
It’s ready.

Lace Applique Brooches with Tutorial
As promised, I successfully created a video tutorial showing how to make these lovely lace brooches.  It was a bit of a challenge since I had never made a video tutorial before.  I also have made fairly few tutorials in general. 

One of the biggest challenges, besides actually working with the camera, was choosing music.  My first and absolute favorite choice for music was a little too perfect and pristine for my simple video.  It sounded like something for some epic movie.  I might as well have used the 1812 Overture or something.  But I found something slightly more suitable and less comical.

Hope you enjoy it!


 

Update: Since making this post, I have successfully created several videos including my lace rosette shoe clip tutorial.  Feel free to check it out.

Give it a try:

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Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Wordless Wednesday: Isn’t it Beautiful?

From the window display of an antique store downtown.

Vintage Viking Sewing Machine and Supplies

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Sunday, July 12, 2015

5 a Week: Brooches

It’s Sunday, so it’s time for week 2 of…

…The Five a Week Pledge.

If you missed last week, it’s where you pledge to do five things each week of your choice.  I pledged to make five small crafts each week.  Feel free to grab a button and join me.  If you already have, post a comment or a link to share what you accomplished.

This week’s craft:

Pretty Brooches

Brooches!

Pretty Brooches

I made five different brooches using lace and other pretty items.  As an added touch, they are completely sewn by hand instead of glued.

Pretty Brooches from Behind

See, even the pin backs are carefully sewn on, and I could have easily glued those on. 

 

Pink Heart Brooch with Pearls, Lace and Ribbon

This first one is made with a heart cut from a scrap of fleece.  I carefully added a string of faux pearls along the edge.  Then I attached it to a lace rosette and added a simple ribbon bow.  Looks so sweet.

Button Brooch with Vintage Fabric and Ribbon

For this one I used a fabric yo-yo I had leftover from Christmas over a year ago (see Lovely This and Lovely That).  Just added a pretty button and a bow.  Quick and pretty.

Lace Applique Brooch

This last one is made with two different appliques I bought at SAS.  I thought they looked so pretty together and the lace rosette finished the job.  I ended making three of them for two reasons.  One because I like them a lot, and two because I’m doing something very special with them.  I’m making a tutorial.  Yay! Finally another one.  Plus this one will be special since I’m making a video of it.  It just may take me a while to get it ready.  Video editing is not one of my talents.  But it should come out okay, look forward to it!

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Thursday, July 9, 2015

Happy 6th Birthday!!

It's my blog's birthday!  Six years really fly by.  Like in previous years I decided to make a video to commemorate this occasion.  And since I kind of forgot last year, I worked extra hard on this video.  It was a bit of a pain.  I couldn't quite decide what music to use.  And I had trouble embedding it here.  Plus my internet connection kind of stinks, so it took forever to upload the video.  Over 2 hours.  But now all is well and good.  

I now present:


Enjoy!
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Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Wordless Wednesday: My, What Big Feet You Have

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Sunday, July 5, 2015

Five a Week: Bracelets

It occurred to me that lately I haven’t been making things as much as I would like.  I’ve done a few larger projects over the space of a few months, but it’s nice to have some nice smaller one to work on throughout the week. 

So I came up with something, the Five a Week Pledge.  My goal is to make five small small crafts each week.  My original thought was seven, but I think five is a more manageable number.  The first part of the plan is to work on them all week and then post how I did each Sunday.  Now here’s the second part, I want others to join me.  All you have to do is pick something you want/need to do more frequently and pledge to do it at least five times each week.  You can grab Five a Week button if you wish, it does make it more fun.  Then just come back here each week to share what you accomplished.

And since it’s Sunday, here’s my first batch of crafts.

five faux pearl bracelets

Bracelets.

For the first week I wanted to do something simple to ease myself in a little.  I had a bunch of faux pearl beads and stretch cord, so I started playing with them.  I love the look of pearls, they are just so pretty and can be worn in so many ways.  I can’t decide whether to keep them all for myself or list them in my shop.  And that’s more news.  I’m reopening my zibbet shop soon or actually a new, improved shop.  I’ll make a proper announcement as soon as it is open.  Look forward to it.  :)

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Saturday, July 4, 2015

Celebrating Freedom

Happy Independence Day.  I just got home.  I went to the AZ Celebration of Freedom in downtown Mesa with my friends.  It started out a little strange.  We had to wait in line for what seemed like forever to have our bags checked for security, and that’s not usually the case for practically anything in Mesa.  But it was still super fun.

Here’s a few highlights.

Revolution Reenactment

The Revolutionary War Reenactment.

We caught it in the middle.  Sadly with so many tall people in front of me and it being dark, it was difficult to get a good photo.

Patriotic Chalkart

Chalk art!

The wall nearby the amphitheater was covered in it.  This was one of my favorite pieces…

Cute Chalkart

…and this was other favorite.  Isn’t it cute?

Country Fusion Band onstage

Music!

We caught a bit of the Western Fusion Band.  They were pretty good.  I had the same issue with this photo as with the reenactment one.

Classic Car

Classic cars!

You can’t celebrate America without them.  This was my favorite one.

Cute Pooh Bear Kid

I also couldn’t resist this little guy.  He isn’t real, he was just there for fun.  The inside of this car also had several tiger plushies.  Sadly I couldn’t get a good picture of them because my camera completely died on me.  Right before the fireworks too.  But fireworks are best viewed in person anyway.  But I did get a picture of another fine tradition.

Patriotic Port o Potties

The Port O’ Potties. 

No outdoor festival would be complete without them.  I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist.  Enjoy your holiday. :)

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Saturday Shuffle #1!!

That’s right, I’m starting new blog hop.  This one will be a little different from the previous one since it will start on Saturday instead of Friday.  Plus something else that’s different, less rules.

Here’s the deal:

  • Keep all links family friendly.
  • It helps to follow me or leave a nice happy comment, but only if you want.
  • Link whatever you want and as much as you want.
  • Older links are welcome.
  • Please be as descriptive as possible about what you are sharing.
  • <-- Please grab my button and stick it somewhere, at the very least it will make it easier for you to come back.

And in the future I may have themes for the week’s blog hop, but I will announce these a head of time.  If that is something you are on board with then please leave a comment about it and with any ideas you might have for possible themes.

Now get to it and have fun! :)

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Friday, July 3, 2015

Pinterest Rebooted

Things have been a little slow for me since “summer” started, so I’ve had a little more time on my hands.  Means more time to work on the things I’ve been neglecting, like my pinterest account.  I did a major over haul on it.  Cleared out unnecessary boards and pins.  It’s now all clean and sparkling with a few new fresh boards.

bjd pinboard

The For My BJD board is obviously for stuff I find to use for my ball jointed doll.  A few clothing pattern tutorials, some wigs I’m eyeing, etc.

Some highlights include:

Pretty Accessories Pinboard

The Pretty Accessories board is devoted to things like jewelry, hair accessories, etc. that I think are pretty enough to try to make or to inspire further creation.

Some highlights include:

summer 2015 pinboard

And finally the Summer 2015 board.  A board specifically for this summer. 

Some highlights include:

And as always with seasonal and holiday boards, I add pins throughout the whole year not just that season.

Enjoy my pin boards for now, but tomorrow there will be a special announcement.  Look forward to it. :)

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