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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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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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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Kitchen Storage

Even a doll house kitchen needs places to store away stuff.  So I made some cabinets in the same chocolate colors as the sink to match.  You may be thinking “that’s all the cabinets and counter space?”  Well the kitchen in my cardboard doll house is unbelievable small, even for a doll house.  So it will be a very humble kitchen, but at least there will be plenty of room for food still.  You did see the refrigerator right? (See A Frig to Raid)
Here’s the updated list:

• Rosettes
• Doll aprons
• Zipper charms
• Refrigerator
• Heart purse
• Doll
• Kitchen sink
• Cupboards
• Clothes
• Vase
• Dishes
• Curtains

Eight down, four to go.  Next is a break from the kitchen interiors.

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A Frig to Raid

Dollhouse or real, the heart of the home is in the kitchen.  And the pit of the kitchen is the refrigerator.
So, of course I started the cardboard doll house kitchen with the refrigerator, also from cardboard.  I could have just glued on the doors and left them at that, but I decided to make them so they can open.  I love miniature food and really what to fill this sucker up.

On the inside, I carefully placed little shelves, mostly on the doors though it was a little tricky.  I had to carefully line them up so the door wouldn’t get stuck.  It was easier with the freezer since it only has the one shelf on the door.  It’s now all set for stocking of tiny little foods and beverages, as soon as I get some made.
Here’s the updated list:

• Rosettes
• Doll aprons
• Zipper charms
• Refrigerator
• Heart purse
• Doll
• Kitchen sink
• Cupboards
• Clothes
• Vase
• Dishes
• Curtains

Four down, eight to go.  The next two projects are so cute, you just have to check them out.

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Bedroom: Check

I finished the curtains, and the whole doll house bedroom to boot.  Take a look, they came out great.

You can see that I made the curtains the same way as the the ones in the bathroom (see Bathroom: Check).  I think the view from the outside of the house looks better when all the curtains match.  I will show you what I mean when I finish the other rooms, or at least a couple more.

I used this bluish gray scrapbook paper for the walls, I thought it would look good with the blanket and rug.  I cut a small, long strip and flipped it over for the border at the ceiling, it’s actually there to hide some mistakes I made with the paper.  You can see I decided to used the small free standing art pieces instead of some of the larger pieces I made, it keeps the look simple yet pleasant.

On this side you can see I hung another piece on the wall next to the wardrobe.  I thought it was too bare without something, plus the running children are adorable.  I should also mention that the floor is painted instead of covered like the bathroom was, I used brown painted mixed with white to hopefully give it the look of hard wood flooring.  I love wooden floors, I just wish we had some here.

Here’s the complete room in all it’s splendor,  it does look lovely and very tidy.  Just wait until it gets used, it probably won’t stay so clean. :)
Here’s the updated list:

• hangers
• bed
• mirror
• dresser
• skirt
• pocket
• lamp
• night stand
• wardrobe
• rug
• framed art
• curtains

Twelve down and we’re finished.  I will probably have the next list up by Thursday, although it maybe a little shorter or at least simpler.  I start my externship in less than 2 weeks, plus I might be a little scare sooner than that for another reason.  I’ll keep you posted.

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The Lion, the Witch and the…..

I finished the wardrobe today, although I think it might be a little large for the room.  Not in scale, just in size, the room is a little small for a bedroom.  I will just have to make up for it by cramming it full of cute doll clothes and stuff.  Made from cardboard and paint and glue just like the rest of the furniture, the difference is that unlike the drawers for all the other pieces I made, the doors on this are real.   Because although tiny little drawers are nearly impossible to make, tiny little doors are a major cinch to do.  I peeled back a layer of cardboard on the doors to give them a decorative touch too.  I wonder how that would look in a life size piece?

Here you can see the roomy interior.  Yep, I can definitely fill this up with tons of little clothes.  Can’t wait for that.  I used a bamboo skewer for the clothing rod.  I just jabbed it through and applied a dab of glue to keep it in place.  Of course the skewer had to be cut down to size to fit, and now I have to figure out want to do with the rest of it.  Don’t want to waste it, I know I can use a bit for the curtains on my list, but what else?  Hmmm.
Here’s the updated list:

• hangers
• bed
• mirror
• dresser
• skirt
• pocket
• lamp
• night stand
• wardrobe
• rug
• framed art
• curtains

Nine down, three to go.  I will probably have the next up really early tomorrow, look forward to it.  Oh, and I mentioned yesterday that I had a test today.  I got a B on it. :)

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Night Necessities

I meant to get these finished sooner, but studying for tests has higher priority.  And if you’re wondering, I got 91% on it. :)
I made the night stand in a similar manner to the dresser, cardboard pieces glued together then painted and sealed, etc.  Again the drawer is fake, it is extremely difficult to make a working drawer that small.  The lamp is something I am quite proud of.  The base is made from a piece of cardboard and three different beads glued together.  I mixed some blue and brown paint for the color and painted and sealed it before gluing on the shade.  The shade is made from a piece of recycled paper from a note pad I won in a drawing at the library.  The paper was just the right color and weight for this purpose.  Just think, with these the bedroom is more than halfway finished.  Can’t wait to see it finally all done.
Here’s the updated list:

• hangers
• bed
• mirror
• dresser
• skirt
• pocket
• lamp
• night stand
• wardrobe
• rug
• framed art
• curtains

Eight down, four to go.  I’ll have the next up tomorrow, although I do have another test tomorrow as well.

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A Mirror to Check, A Drawer to Fill

I finished the dresser and mirror just now.  I said I would have it done by Wednesday and I just barely made it.  I used pieces of cardboard glued together and painted them a lovely dark brown.  I used the same color as the bed too, nothing like matching wood furniture.  I do like how the streaks from my paintbrush give it a “woody” look.  I whipped up the matching mirror with cardboard and aluminum foil, the foil is a little rough though.  I finished them both with a coat of sealer and some small beads for drawer pulls.  The drawers aren’t real, I cut pieces of cardboard and glued them on to look like drawers.  Maybe someday I’ll make working drawers, if I work on a house in a larger scale than this one.
Here’s the updated list:

• hangers
• bed
• mirror
• dresser
• skirt
• pocket
• lamp
• night stand
• wardrobe
• rug
• framed art
• curtains

Four down, eight to go.  Now for something completely different.

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Sweet Dreams

A funny thing happened this morning.  I barely got any sleep at all last night, so I was really out of it.  So much so, that I accidently put on my scrub pants inside-out.  I didn’t even notice until about 15 minutes after I got to class.  Luckily it wasn’t noticeable, and at least I remembered to put them on at all.  Now that would be embarrassing.

I finished the little bed for my dollhouse, so at least they can get some sleep in there.  Actually this is the second one I made.  The first one looks exactly like this one except larger.  Too large in fact, that one was around “standard” doll house size, my house is considerably smaller than “standard”.  I gave that one to my Mom and quickly made this one.  Of course it is made of corrugated cardboard like all the other furniture.  I cut the pieces, glued them, then painted with a lovely dark brown paint and coated with sealer.  The mattress is made from another piece of cardboard that I covered with fabric.  Finished up with a couple of pillows and a quick little blanket.  It looks great in the room, still have a few more pieces to make though.
Here’s the updated list:

• hangers
• bed
• mirror
• dresser
• skirt
• pocket
• lamp
• night stand
• wardrobe
• rug
• framed art
• curtains

Two down, ten to go.  The next two should be done by Wednesday.  Don’t miss it.

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