Bits and Pieces, Odds and Ends

Have been taking it a little easier since we’ve completed and delivered the doll house. Working on some smaller items while I relax a little.

A couple of things that I wanted to do but never seemed to have the time to do, was to create a sign for the half bath that is down at the end of the hallway. There are two doors together, one for the laundry room and one for the bath. Inevitably, guests sent down the hall open the wrong door. I saw a sign like this on Pinterest, I think, and knew I wanted to do something similar.This was done with a plant hanger (Home Depot) and a precut and routed plaque (Joann’s) and then just searched online for a font that I liked. I did this all freehand, although I was looking at specific designs for reference. I then used plastic shower curtain rings that I split with a hack saw and just slipped through holes drilled in the face and then around hanger. Hand painted the two rings black. Then two screws and it was done.

I thought that having this particular door completed sort of made the other one seem kind of, I dunno, bare. So, I created another for the laundry room. I wasn’t paying much attention and I created the lettering just a little tilted, so I just mounted it on the door a little tilted as well. Unless you know that it isn’t level, I don’t think you’d notice.

I’ve always been one of those people who seem to never be able to sit still and just watch television no matter how interesting the show or movie. I have to have something to do with my hands. So I hand sew, or paint or decorate or create jewelry. My latest diversion is creating food and accessories for the 18″ dolls. Once they have a kitchen, they have to have something to put in it, right?

So, I’ve started with food cans:

These are made from 1 1/4″ diameter dowels and the labels were printed from images I found online. I sized them correctly once, created a template for future labels in Photoshop. I used a real can and figured scale, something about 1:3 and 1:4. Mark the interval, also 1 1/4″ and cut them on my band saw. I lined them up and spray painted the tops and bottoms silver like cans. Then simply cut the labels out and adhere (I used a glue stick) onto the “cans”. I cannot wait to get the pantry in my doll house’s kitchen filled. I am also working on cereal boxes, pasta and mashed potato boxes and if I can find the right sized jars, I will do peanut butter, jelly and salsa as well. It allows me to be able to sit and still create.

And speaking of creating, I purchased a set of ‘knives’ on eBay for my kitchen. And the Kid did a wonderful job creating a small knife block for it. Didn’t it turn out wonderfully?

I included the chap stick so you get a sense of scale. And yes, the knives do come out of the block.

If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that cross stitch and rug hooking. And this time I did it to the dolls’ scale. First is cross stitch:

Once I had it all finished, I added the fringe on the two shorter sides to give it a more authentic look. I used plastic canvas so that it will last longer, I think it may be a bit more durable. The other is a hooked rug that I made using brown and white alternative yarns. It is very soft and will look nice under the corner of a bed or sofa.

And with that, I will wrap up tonight’s blog. It looks to be a beautiful day tomorrow, or so I hope. I think the Kid and are hoping to plant strawberries in the garden out in back of the house. A nice wet area that gets lots of moisture and sun.

Thanks for stopping by and come back soon! Oh, and as always, keeping making beautiful things just for the sake of it!

The Kid’s Room is Done, An Unveiling

After spending a few extra hours over the past couple of days to complete artwork, the Kid’s room is declared done. He is very happy with the results, and in the end, that is all that matters.

If you want to refresh your memory of the way the room had been for the first eight and a half years, you can see the “before” pictures here. I also have some photos that I shared with some of the transformation that you can see here.

The best way is to just jump in and show you photos of the room. When you enter the room, to your right is his bed. This is a custom built bed, designed to be a bit of a combination of a day bed and a platform bed. Meant to be comfortable enough to sit upon and play games or watch television. We wrapped the head and left side of the bed board with a leather-look vinyl. Using leather wrapped buttons, I attempted to tuft the boards, but it didn’t turn out exactly how I had pictured it. The frame, however, turned out better than I had hoped. The legs are actually fencing post tops, turned upside down following being painted black.

The room’s overall theme is a combination of technology and industrial; blacks, grays and a accent color of red. New silver/gray microfiber sheets are topped with a very red comforter and sham. Sitting next to it, is a “leather” wrapped night stand. Sitting on top is his pipe lamp:

Continuing around the room, we have his leather easy chair, kind of a unique design that I found on Craigslist. Immensely comfortable!

It is on this wall, above the chair, is the first of the two pieces of art. Recently having stumbled across a very unique animated movie titled “Angels and Idiots”, both the Kid and I have fallen in love with the artwork. Together, we chose two large digital image from the movie and had them printed out in “industrial size” and then mounted with glue onto stretched canvases. It took a couple of tries to get it to the correct size and clarity of the print. I also used watercolors to add just a hint of the color that was part of the original print/movie. Just a very watered down ‘color wash’. I then painted the sides of the canvases gray on the three part print.

I neglected to mention that the room is painted in shades of gray; three walls in a lighter shade than the fourth wall (the wall on which the desk sits).

It is the desk that we come to next. It stretches the width of the wall, built around the large window. More details exist on an earlier post, which you can see here. He uses the desk often and provides much storage for extra computer pieces. He has set up all of his computers and servers on the right, taller desk top.

We found a unique chair for the desk:

Over each desktop, lighting has been installed to provide specific lighting. I managed to pick these up at a large retailer for 90% off as they were the floor models. Can’t beat that!

As we turn to the fourth wall, we have the piece that started it all; the buffet that was painted black. Perfect for storing his gaming systems and all the paraphernalia that goes with it. Has enough surface that he can have a television for his new gaming systems and a second one for his ever-expanding collection of older gaming systems.

On this wall displays the other print that was made, this time on a single large framed canvas (note the color wash of his jacket and smoke):

This pretty much concludes the details of the room makeover. We did keep the rug that I hand hooked from his “camo” room, the colors mostly match and it is so very soft (made for 100% wool yarn). I will just throw a few more photos for your pleasure:

Piping used throughout the room adds to the industrial look:

The addition of a very modern/industrial ceiling fan and light fixture:

And so this concludes the work done to makeover the Kid’s room. He turns 18 in about six weeks and I hope that having a hip and comfortable space to call his own will keep him from spreading his wings and leaving the nest. I suppose most parents are anxious to have their kids grow up and leave home, but not me. As far as I am concerned, he is my best friend and I hope to remain as invested in his life as I have been for the first 18 years.

Thanks for dropping by. Leave a comment if you’ve seen anything you like or have questions. And as always, keep making beautiful things, just for the sake of beauty.

 

 

PS… I almost forgot to include a panorama photo that the Kid snapped with his iPhone. Pretty cool, huh?

 

 

 

 

 

Doll House is Ready For Delivery

Last few details have been completed and the doll house is ready for delivery.

You may notice that there is a small gap between the “attic” and the rest of the cabinet. That’s simply because they are two parts, created that way for transport. Once it arrives at my grand niece’s home, I will put them together and they will fit tight. Really tight. I’ll post another few shots once it has been assembled.

These are the before shots… sorry about the quality of the pictures. But it does give you an idea of what I started with. I did a coat of primer and realized that it wasn’t going to be the optimum solution, so I opted to cover the box with something that resembled siding. I came up with the idea of using bead board, the kind that comes in 4′ x 8′ panels. All I needed to do is turn it sideways… and viola!, instant siding.

Here are some shots of the process… and yes, the Kid was dutifully helping (adding trim to the doors). Looks great!

There were a lot of steps to the process and not sure exactly which ones happened first, so I’ll just post a bunch of the photos…

I added a drawer at the bottom, to hold odds and ends. Modified a drawer rescued from another dresser to fit, added small stoppers to keep the drawer from hitting the back and possibly knocking it off.

The remaining space was divided in half and added shelves; one above the drawer and one in the middle.

You can see how badly the primer was doing on this particular surface. Anytime you would touch it, the primer would scrape right off.

On the inside, I did do several more coats of primer and then a couple of coats of paint. I hope that it withstands the play it will get.

Next step was building the “attic”. It was taking shape as a ‘house, but needed just a little more to really do the trick. That’s when I came up with the idea of having an attic. Also allows for a little more play area.

  I added the two vertical pieces on either side to keep it stable as it sat on top of the house. With just a tiny bit of sanding, it will go on with some strength, so there isn’t any danger in it falling off or being pulled off. Also why I opted to not photograph it with the attic in place.

I used actual shingles on the attic, cutting them down to appropriate size and nailed them on. Small wood pieces were painted white to be the trim.

For ease in working on this monstrosity, I added wheels. Made is so much easier to move around. All the layers were starting to add real weight to this thing.

I built the front door in layers. I decided that rather than put handles on the doors to open it, I would place a front door on it. Made it feel more like a dollhouse. And if things got messy, my niece could just close the doors until she had time to straighten things up.

I found this little door knocker at my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I used this knob I had and spray painted them both the same color silver.

I stumbled on all the colors, simply based on what was available. The outside was painted gray because I had nearly a full gallon of it. I like the way it turned out. The door, painted blue, because I had two full cans of blue spray paint.

I created little windows for the house, spray painted white. I had thought about putting some sort of photo behind each one, but couldn’t come up with anything that I really like. My last ditch effort was to put a photo of mini-blinds, but didn’t like that idea either.

So they just went on with nothing. I did create little windows boxes for the front two windows, also painted blue. Added some miniature flowers in purple.

Okay, almost done. I added some vinyl tiles to one level and created a checkerboard pattern in red and white for the bottom level. I covered it with a large piece of plexi used to diffuse florescent lighting. I found a piece at Home Depot that had a crack at one end, but a piece large enough remained. The wonderful folks at Home Depot gave it to me free of charge. Gave the flooring an unique look.

Short of that, the doll house was complete. I added the stove, refrigerator and sink unit I blogged about earlier. Added a small storage unit and made a simple bed for the upper floor. And with that, the project was complete. I’ll let the photos do the talking:

 

And some photos of the interior:

Here are a few more close up photos of the inside:

And with that, this long project draws to a close. I think that we will deliver this in the next day or so. And then I can work on mine! Although mine will be done in a much longer time frame. No hurry to get it done, ya know!

I hope you enjoyed this and thank you for stopping to take a look. Will post more photos after it is delivered.

And keep making beautiful stuff, just for the sake of it!

Doll House Sink/Cabinet and the First Food Items

I may have neglected to mention in my last post, that the dollhouse that I am building for my grand niece is for her American Girl dolls. For those not aware of the great doll wars – these are 18″ tall dolls supposed to be about 12 – 13 years of age. There are many less expensive dolls of the same size, such as My Generation and Madame Alexander as well as generic type dolls. You have to be careful when sewing clothing as there can be some differences in their body sizes, such as waist, hips, and leg length.

I have come to the conclusion that this size, versus smaller dolls (1:6 scale) or the standard dollhouses (1:12 scale). Things are so much easier to build and sew for. You actually have a greater chance of finding things in a smaller size of everyday objects that will work, like espresso cups and small bowls (like the ones used to hold dipping sauce).

In my last post, I showed you the refrigerator and stove that I build and now is the last piece of the cabinet that I will be doing for my niece’s dollhouse. It is a sink in a cabinet combination. This is a moveable piece (as opposed to the other dollhouse I am building that will have actual cabinetry built in (and that includes upper cabinets).

Without further ado:The basic construction of this piece is a drawer that I rescued from a seriously broken desk. It was in really sad shape, the top and sides were in deplorable condition, so I rescued the drawers (and their hardware). Who knew what can come from a lowly drawer?

I simply cut doors and the top panel from 1/4″ plywood, the doors are attached with small hinges and the top panel is nailed. Using the sink to draw the template that had to be cut in both the drawer box and the counter top. By the way, that “sink” is actually a very small steam table pan called a “ninth size” (6 3/4″ x 4 1/4″) that I bought off eBay for less than $4… and works perfectly as a stainless steel sink.

I added a couple of round feet, salvaged from legs of a small table that I also rescued from Craigslist. The counter top has rounded corners and is covered in a very cool faux tile that I found at Home Depot called ‘Smart Tiles’ (you can read more about it on their website here). They’re very think and self adhesive and I think scale-wise works perfectly. I shaped the faucet and base from polymer clay and then used two small wooded knobs painted silver for the handles.I had accidentally cut the doors just a little narrow, so I inserted a vertical board to fill in the void and also add some stability. I also installed a small shelf to help provide some storage below. A couple of white narrow knobs following three coats of white spray paint over a coat of primer.

So very easy and I think it will be very durable. Here is one final picture in its place in the dollhouse.

The feet might have made it just slightly taller than the stove, but I don’t think that is a big deal. Little ones don’t seem to mind that the things they play with aren’t perfect. I also have collected some plastic food and pans and although they are a bit larger than either 1:3 or 1:4 scale, I don’t think she’ll mind.

Speaking of food, I was playing around with the polymer clay and created some faux food.

First up was a couple of plates of fried eggs and strips of bacon. It took a while to get the colors right on the bacon and I am still thinking it could use some tweaking. These are the plates I got about 10 years ago at IKEA and have been packed away ever since. They are perfect!

Then I worked on a pie, I guess it would be apple pie based on the lattice crust on too. Using a small baking dish – yes, that’s a real ceramic pie dish – I just cut a bunch of shapes that would sort of look like fruit. Then placed them on top of the bottom crust and then wove the top lattice crust. Other than not using real food, the steps were very similar to that of making an actual pie! I used watercolor paints that I thinned way down and then poured into the pie to get coloring throughout and then painted the lattice crust.

Oh, I also sat and rolled peas from the polymer while the Kid and I watched a movie. I had sort of expected for them to fuse together when I fired them, but they didn’t. I spread them out on a painting cloth and using an awesome green, spray painted them. I had to keep rolling them around, trying to get all of the sides and I think I finally made most of them the same color, but since variations are natural in nature, I think that the ones that aren’t solid green make the whole bunch perfect!

Turned out pretty cool, if I have to say so myself. I think that going forward with work on my dollhouse, I will continue to create food, both for me and my grand niece. Its fun and relaxing as well as challenging to keep coming up with more food items. Think I will work on some boxes and maybe canned food, reducing the size of labels should be pretty fun.

Tomorrow I will posting the final shots of the dollhouse. And a week later, we’ll load it into the truck and head to Des Moines and deliver it. I am planning on including some pics of the by grand niece with the final product set up in her room. I think it will be a blast.

To be perfectly honest, though, I really am ready for this piece to be done. Lots of little details and issues and I am ready to move onto something else. My own dollhouse may take a back seat to my next project, but since it occupies a very visible place in my entry way, I will be reminded of it constantly.

Thanks for dropping by and remember to keep making beautiful things!

Doll House Appliances: Kitchenaide Red Refrigerator and Stove

Been a few days since I last wrote, but lots being done to finish the doll house in time for delivery on Memorial Day.

Thought I’d show you the work that has been done on some of the accessories for the doll houses. The neat thing is that lots of what I am doing is being done in pairs, so what I mess up or learn from building the first one goes into the second one.

For my niece’s dollhouse, one floor will be a kitchen. It will come with a stove, refrigerator and sink/cabinet. I think this set is turned out really cute. The red set is for my niece, the turquoise one is for mine.

Here’s a shot of the completed set in red:

I don’t have pictures of all the steps, but let me try to walk you through the process. It is really pretty easy.

The pieces started out as simply boxes. The fridge has a shelf that separates the freezer from the ‘fridge part. And the range/oven/stove has a piece that stands up on top, but essentially they are both just boxes.

This one was originally going to be “stainless steel”, hence the silver paint. But this gives you an idea of what the basic box construction looks like.

Here are the stoves, again, basic box construction. They are lying on their sides, as I was gluing in the rods used for the drawer slides.

The front piece of the stove box was cut short (and the short piece attached to resemble the broiler drawer (doesn’t actually open) and then a window cut into the top section. Attached with hinges.

I used these handles to replicate the oven door and drawer handles. Looks pretty good to me.

I stumbled onto using these fan covers for burners when I watched the Kid take apart one of his computers. Looks exactly like the burners on my real stove. I ordered them off eBay in two different sizes. They went on easily with a couple of screws.

I found some wire baskets in an upstairs closet that when I ran across them, the lightbulb went off… and the Kid used his new Dremel tool to cut them into size needed to fit into the ovens. The oven was painted with a black texture paint and I used the same dowels as the refrigerator to act as shelf guides.

I cut plexiglass into the correct sizes to fit into the door on the front and a little larger on the back (attached with screws). Used a small magnet for the door to help keep it closed.

Here are a few more finished pics:

Then the refrigerator, again was done in much the same way. The door is connected with hinges. I found the perfect photo of the inside of a ‘fridge door and increased the size and printed it out and glued to the inner side of the door. The doors are cut from a plastic dish drainer and spray painted silver. I found the small plastic box at a local store and I love that the rubber mat at its bottom match the outside color.

 The outside decoration was made from polymer clay. I played around with several designs and decided that I liked this one best. The handle was just a lucky find, taken off an old dresser that I redecorated. They are perfect handles for my “mini-fridges”!

Here are a few shots of the refrigerator:

Here is another shot of the inside:

Work remains on the kitchen sink cabinet and will show that in another post. We are so close to completion of the doll house with a few minor details to complete and then it will be loaded up and delivered. If it weren’t for the fact that my niece is 300 miles away, I would have given it to her and then worked on the details in the meantime. But since I cannot just “pop over” and drop off things or touch up paint etc., it has to be all done before loading it up. Unless it is something that is being done to both dollhouses, I have pretty much stopped work on the resident doll house and will wait until this one has been safely delivered.

Well, thanks for dropping by and keep making cool stuff! And come back soon!

Seems Like Deja Vu!

Tonight’s post will be a quick one, just another example of the ombre style of painting in my favorite shades: pink. I love when I stumble across essentially a perfect dresser, both in style but also construction. Dressers built around the mid-century and before are examples of furniture built right and built to last generations. And really all I need to do is a bit of sanding, some drawer repair and slap on a couple coats of primer followed by the paint. Then replace the existing hardware with something a little more appealing – at least to me the existing Chippendale style handles are ugly and when I see them on furniture the first thing my mind screams is ‘replace them and fast’!

Anyway, won’t spend too much time on this routine process. You’ve seen the drill. I’ll just show you the before and after:

Although this has become quite a routine exercise in makeovers, I am constantly astounded by the change that paint makes. What an amazing transformation for the cost of paint (and accessories) but wow, how different! And adorable. I can’t wait for the little girl who gets to put this into her room.

I will continue to do the dresser transformations, but am excited to shift focus over to the work being done towards the completion of a dollhouse for the 18 inch dolls such as American Girl. Tomorrow has been targeted as the day that much work will be completed, we plan to put a real dent in the ‘To Do‘ list.

The whole idea was really conceived when I created the play kitchen (you can see the post here). I think the most fun doing the whole project is the creativity that comes from taking something and making it into something with a whole difference purpose. And for this size project, it is all that much more fun. It comes from looking at something and seeing a whole new purpose. The scale here is somewhere between 1:3 and 1:4… sometimes it just comes down to what looks right.

I started thinking about this whole thing when some wonderful people offered me a beautiful entertainment armoire. For free! All it needed was a door hinge repair. But it got me thinking and planning. It has taken a prominent location in my front entry, so that every time I walk by it, it makes me think a little more about something I want to do.

Just to give you a peek into what has already been going on, I’ll just throw some quick pictures up here.

Here is the first cabinet. As you can see, its a work in progress. The top shelf is a kitchen and the bottom shelf is a bathroom. Not sure that it is going to stay that way, especially after the cabinetry kept growing and growing and now there isn’t adequate room for the refrigerator and stove that is yet to come.

Working still on the upper cabinets and so they’ve been relegated to the top of the cabinet. Man, I am going overboard on this!

I hadn’t planned for a bathroom, at least not for what I will keep. This will probably go into the other dollhouse. But the pieces are just too awesome!

There is still a lot of work to do on the bathroom, but the one thing I finished was a miniature bathrug like the one I did for my bathroom! You can see it here. The bathtub will get a painting, white gloss inside, textured on the outside – more like a real tub. I’ve started the vanity and sink, still much to do there too.

Everywhere I go, I keep my eyes peeled for things that could work as props and supplies for the house. Sample size and hotel size shampoos and conditioners and lotion bottles are perfect size in a small basket. Still need to do towels and wash cloths. Soap has been made out of clay, but needs to be wrapped.

Okay the next series of photos are of things in progress… I will explain and given instructions later. So much going on!

Door knob and knocker for the front door…

The front door being glue together…

Here’s a angled photo of the sink (filled with dishes!) and what will become the sprayer and I am holding the faucet. Still in works…

Found these lovely little fan covers that will make nice burner grills.

These are the two stove/oven combinations (laying on their sides while gluing in the rack supports). One will be “stainless steel” while the other is getting a retro color treatment: turquoise! The refrigerators will get the same treatment too.

 

Here are the oven shelves, trimmed from various pieces found at thrift stores.

These are the knobs that will become the kitchen handles. Something special planned for these…

These are the handles to be used for the stove/ovens. Need to pick up a few more before I am ready to attached.

  

These are the shelves for both refrigerators. They are plastic cut from a dish drainer and painted silver. Perfect!

This is the second doll house. Barely got started… but it will have a shelf at the bottom and two floors. Also an attic! It will have beadboard places horizontal to simulate siding and it will have the grand front door and windows.

Here is a sneak peek at the turquoise, this is the second refrigerator door.

Here are a couple of shots of other things I’ve been collecting, such as pots and pans and dishes and glassware. Whenever I find something that seems about the right scale, I snatch it up and stash it away. These kitchens will be almost as well stocked as my own.

 

Okay, that’s enough sneak peek for now. It’s getting late and there is much to do tomorrow. I hope you’ll come back and see my progress!

And of course, keep making beautiful things just for the sake of beauty!

Mismatched Hardware? Sometimes Its More Than Okay

I had mentioned in an earlier post that I am always on the lookout for unique and interesting hardware for furniture. Sometimes when I do find pieces I just cannot live without, there are not very many pieces. At least not enough to do a single piece.

That is what happened with today’s subject. I don’t so a lot of green, but love many of the shades that green comes in. And in the course of collecting, I ran across a few beautiful pieces that only came in a pair, or sometimes 4 of a kind. I was sorting and reviewing my hardware collection, when it occurred to me that I had enough green pieces for a dresser if I was okay with using mismatched pieces. I was! I was hoping to find a dresser or vanity that only required 4 pairs, but when I stumbled onto this – well, shall we say – very loved dresser, I knew it would be perfect for the mismatched hardware.

I started with the usual routine, repairing drawers and sanding. When I stripped the first couple of layers of paint and stain from the top, I knew there was some beautiful wood under all of that. So with much sanding and scraping, I uncovered some beautiful oak. I didn’t have the stamina or the sanding tools to remove it from the body, but I decided that if I used a very light shade of green to blend with the hardware, I thought it would turn out okay.

Well, after the primer coats and three coats of a shade of green that is called Mystic Light – almost looks white, even photographs that way. But with the natural stain on the top and the green handles really makes it work. And like I said, there are four matching sets of hardware and the top and bottom drawers have the same hardware. But since they are so far from each other, I don’t think that it hampers the total result.

I’ll stop talking (typing!) and just show you the results… you be the judge!

I absolutely love the way this turned out. I am so hesitant to part with this beautiful jewelry on this piece of furniture. I’ll post it on Craigslist and see how well it is received. Maybe if it doesn’t seem to appeal to others, then maybe I will move this upstairs into the guest room and sell the piece I just finished and put there! Yes, I love this piece that much!

Here are some closeups of that beautiful hardware:

And another angle of the total package:

Isn’t the wood on top gorgeous? I love the older furniture – the construction techniques, the angles and curves and the materials used. And that they’re definitely worth refinishing and working on. And the piece will be around for a long time after that too.

I completely missed celebrating my 100th post and now this makes 103! And do I need to say that I love comments, so if there is anything that you’ve seen or read that you enjoy, please leave me a comment. Saying hi is enough!

Thanks for dropping by! And come back again soon!

And as always, keep making beautiful things just because…

Inexpensive Doll Clothing: Transforming a Onesie Into a Blouse

Hey everyone! How’s your weekend going?

I thought I’d do a quick tutorial for you today. I stumbled across this not long ago and thought I would share this time- and money-sharing idea with you. As many of you probably know, I have been working on doll houses for my two grandnieces. They actually brought to my attention the popularity of American Girl dolls – and their less expensive counterparts, such as Our Generation, Madame Alexander, Favorite Friends and so many more – and as far as I am concerned, you are never too old to play with dolls!

For me, playing with dolls really mean making the doll house and furniture and accessories, as well as clothing for my nieces. I have considered doing this for profit, but then, I think once it becomes a “job”, then the fun and creativity goes right out the door. But that’s a discussion for another day.

Today I want to show you how to quickly create inexpensive blouses, dresses and nightgowns from second hand baby clothes. I often wander the aisles of thrift stores and stumbled onto a preemie onesie and though that it looked exactly the same size as my own dolls (I actually have an authentic American Girl doll as well as one knockoff). And it occurred to me that I could save so much time and have something really well made that I could give to my nieces to play with. I love to sew and am an accomplished seamstress, but there is something to be said for making things that will really be played with as opposed to admired. And one niece is almost 10 whereas the other is a bit younger and her dexterity places a lot of stress on her doll’s clothing.

So, after a little trial and error, I figured out the fastest and easiest way to do this. I suggest using either preemie size or newborn sized (0-3 months) for the least amount of alterations. I started with a pretty basic onesie, this one had a cute little collar:

I am a quilter, so I have some tools that are second nature for me to use, but are not necessary. I laid it out flat and then laid the doll on top, this is to estimate the length needed to fit. Remember that you need about an extra half inch for the hem.

Remove the doll and make the cut. Again, I used a rotary to make the cut, but you could just use scissors to make the cut.

 

Separate the pieces. I tried to think of something to use the bottom of the onesie, but couldn’t come up with anything. If you have ideas, please share them with me! Right now, I am simply going to use them as garage rags.

Now it is a matter of turning it inside out and making a quick hem. I didn’t take the time to finish the edges since the type of fabric it is doesn’t really ravel and I figure that its going to be played with hard and retired early.

By sewing without first pinning, and stretching the fabric as I sewed, the hem ended up almost like a lettuce hem. It was completely by accident, but it is cute.

This onesie was actually a size 3 month size, so it did come out a little large. I thought it would be okay since a six-year old would be dressing her doll with it, so bigger might be okay. If not, I would put a couple of darts in either the front or the back to pull in some of the extra fullness.

So there you have it. I found this onesie for $.97 at a local thrift store. Less than five minutes time in cutting and sewing… can’t beat it. And the sheer number of colors and styles out there are endless. I picked up quite a few of these – in pink, white, blue, yellow, green, even black – so that I can make a quick variety. Pairing them with jeans, sweats, skirts, even leggings. And with built-in closures and the sleeves already done for you, it couldn’t be simpler.

So, I hope this is helpful! Thanks for stopping by. And come back soon!

And keeping making fun and beautiful things, just for the fun of it!

Another work week has come and gone. Time just seems to fly by so fast these days.

I finished up a couple of more pieces for a young lady who just had fallen in love with the black and gray ombré style and I was only too happy to put my handiwork onto a couple of pieces for her.

I picked these up from a gentleman who was clearing his mother’s house. She had passed away nearly a year before and he couldn’t bring himself until that weekend to start going through her things. I know how he felt. But his mother had some wonderful things and I knew that those pieces had not only been lovingly cared for but cherished and to be able to give them a second life is something I am happy to be able to help with.

Here are the pieces in their ‘before’ states:

This seems to be getting old hat, even writing about them is pretty routine. There isn’t much more to say than I removed the drawers and the hardware, sanded and made necessary repairs before giving everything two coats of primer. These pieces, like I mentioned, were really taken care of (or not used much) as the drawers were all solid. No repairs necessary. Then on went the two coats of Behr’s Deep Space black on the cabinets (and the bottom drawer of the dresser). Then the other drawers received their own coats of shades of gray. The young lady who requested the special treatment on these pieces (they had been destined for an antique green) had her own antique hardware, which were attached when she came to pick them up. I wished I had grabbed a couple of shots of the pieces with their new hardware – stainless steel – but it was dark and late by the time we were finished and everyone was anxious to get back to their respective homes.

A quick ‘before & after’ shot sans hardware:

I also finished a tired little dresser that I picked up in my travels. It was mostly mdf (medium density fiberboard) but the top had bubbled from the condensation from water glasses, so I replaced it with a solid 1/2″ piece of pine. The remainder of the dresser wasn’t the highest quality, but it was solid and had nice construction of the drawers. I painted it a happy navy blue and added some antique hardware that was rescued from another dresser before its transformation. It had this cute little swirl at the bottom of the dresser that I painted silver to match the hardware and give a little personality to it. This was then provided to the same young mother for a deep discount, since she had become my best customer! She also asked me about doing a bed for her son in the future. On the lookout for a piece that would work for him!

I don’t have a picture of the before, but trust me, there was nothing special about it! Here is the after:

Didn’t it just turn out adorable? I hope that he likes it!

I’ve picked up a really sweet china cabinet, mid-century styling in blonde wood that I just love. Was a real bear just to get it wrestled into truck and get it home. It is going to be one of those pieces that I would love to keep for myself but my little house just cannot hold one more piece of furniture! I thought something in a light turquoise, sort of the color of the appliances in this photo:

I would love to do my kitchen over in this color scheme, but as many of you have read, I have invested a small fortune in appliances and decorations in my kitchen in (what I call) Kitchenaide red! I love the crisp clean look of this though and if I could, I’d use this in a heartbeat if I had it to do all over. Might consider this color in my bedroom, although I am wrestling with the idea of a  eggplant purple and dark chocolate, so who knows!

Construction continues on the dollhouse gifts for my grandnieces, today one of the cabinets will be getting an attic space! I really need to spend some attention to getting these completed… always more to do than time and money!

Thanks for dropping by and if you promise to come back, I promise to keep writing!

Oh, and keep making beautiful things even if it is just for yourself!

Giant Scrabble Letters Spell Out A New Family’s Name

I’m not usually in the habit of doing custom pieces, if only because of the limitation of my creativity. Something changes in the way the project is perceived by me and the recipient. Usually, when I am doing a piece, its because of a spark of imagination, an idea or something I’ve seen makes me want to try a project. If it doesn’t work, or I get the urge to change it mid-way, I don’t have to ask permission, explain the change or worse, ignore the desire to make the change. I do it because I want to and when I am done, if someone loves it too, all the better.

Every great now and then, though, someone will approach me with an idea. Maybe it is something they’ve seen on Pinterest, someone else’s blog or something I have already done and wants to know if I can do it for them. I like to be accommodating, but like I said, my own creativity seems to go out the window. My first experience with having someone judge my creativity (and it was rather harsh) came a few years into my quilting obsession. Of course, I loved everything that I was doing and naturally assumed everyone else would too! And when I had my feelings crushed with some unintentional comments and “helpful instructions”, I swore off doing things specific for a person.

But every once in a while I break my own rule. Tonight’s completed project is one such endeavor. I met Kurt and Courtney when they came to look at some dressers that I had completed. In fact, Courtney fell in love with my version of the suitcase dresser so much she bought two! One even wasn’t complete, but I did have the basic design done and she let me run with it. That dresser was the one used in the tutorial that I wrote about have to re-create that look. You can see the tutorial here.

Here are the two pieces she bought…

But Courtney and I got to talking, getting way off the mark and I ended up showing her all the stuff that I had in progress. She especially liked the large sized tiles I completed (see the post here) and the large table sized Scrabble game that is in process that had me making yet another set of custom Scrabble pieces, these about 2 1/2 inches square. The board is about 4 foot square and painted official Scrabble rules, just custom colors.

This is when the special request was made. She loved the idea of the large Scrabble letters spelling out the new family unit that Kurt and Courtney would become soon, along with their four children (two his, two hers). Seemed a reasonable request. I think I am going to take the time to create the process in an upcoming blog, but for now I will just show you the results. I finished just a few hours ago and took photos just before the sun set. I am very happy with how they turned out.

The consist of several pieces, but are not all individual tiles. I routed a shallow square groove between most of the tiles to replicate the space that the tiles would naturally have when placed side by side. The horizontal pieces are made so they fit together but can be separated for easy transport or storage.

About half way through working on these tiles, Courtney wrote and requested a few more sets. Since her two children weren’t getting the new last name, she wanted something special for her and her boys. So, to make them special, they got color. Red and white. The boys names – first, middle and last – were done with white lettering on a bold red, and Mom’s name was done opposite, with red lettering on white. Striking, don’tcha think?

Again, they come apart into manageable pieces but can be easily assembled.

This was no quick project, let me assure you. These took weeks and many laborious hours of hand painting and lettering. I probably will not do this too often. But I am happy with the final result and yes, look for a detailed instructional post very soon. Oh and in case you were wondering, I used the font “News Gothic MT” in 400 point for a 5 1/2 inch square tile. The numbers were the same font in 100 point.

Okay, it has been a long week (end of week three – or is it four?) and still trying to get projects done and be the mom of a teenager getting ready to graduate from high school. Whew! I need a nap!

Thank you all for stopping by, it is after all, why any of us crazy bloggers take the time to write posts, so please come back soon!

And keep crafting and making beautiful things!