Sunday, November 25, 2012

Stationery card

Cross Stitch Joy Holiday Card
Turn your family photos into holiday cards this season.
View the entire collection of cards.



You know I don't normally try to sell you stuff, but Shutterfly offered to pay me (a VEDDY VEDDY small sum) to share my card with you. I actually like and use Shutterfly regularly, so I am okay with sharing.  They are professional, quick to get back to you with problems and I am very satisfied with them. So if you haven't already made your Christmas cards, its super user friendly to use their site.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

DIY Dollhouse

Want a gift your little girl will remember forever? 


Get started now if you want the dollhouse complete by Christmas.  These kits take some time to complete. We bought one from Hobby Lobby (with a half-off coupon.) My husband did most of the work, but I did paint most of the small pieces. Want to get your mind off of something? Take up painting very small pieces of wood. If you ask me, it is worth the effort. This is the sort of thing people truly appreciate and keep forever.
I chose realistic paint colors instead of pink and purple. I even went to Lowe's to look at paint cards. I know, its ridiculous.


What dollhouse bedroom is complete without a custom bulletin board? Scraps of cardboard, ribbon, and fabric were used for this one. The fabric was left over from my daughter's real bedroom.  I used scrapbooking mini brads for tiny buttons. I just snipped the backs off and glued them on. We cut out index prints from online picture orders and they fit perfectly.


The same fabric was used to cover the crib mattress and make curtains. It doesn't take much fabric for all of this. (If you look closely, you can see where my daughter decided to "trim" the sides of the curtains. OCD is begging me to fix that, but I won't.) The rods are balsa dowel rods, but I haven't found anything that works better for finials than the little plastic pieces. The search is still on.


The miniature painting was done on a small piece of chipboard from my scrapbooking supply. It's a teeny tiny bird on an alligator's snout. I may or may not have copied from a real painting in a catalog.
Why is the bedding and fabric on dollhouse furniture so outdated?? No wonder more people don't buy real dollhouses. I might have to recover and reupholster some things...