She's Sew Pretty

Dollhouse Scrapbook

Entrance Hall

Sitting and Sewing Room

As you can see I've been busy in the dollhouse.  I skipped the nursery for now because I have yet to find a crib I like.   The sewing room is a work in progress.  I printed a Paul de Longpre rose painting for above the door and framed it with craft sticks.  I had to cover the wallpaper.  The paper that I recommended previously has been a pain in the butt.  I bought two packs thinking they were exactly the same but there is a definite difference in color.  One pack is much darker which has meant making sure that I don't use them on the same wall.  As my dollhouse is just like a real house with uneven walls, I have made some mistakes when measuring and then had to finagle the papers to fit.  I ended up having to use a darker piece over the doors.  I've always wanted a "yard long" rose print in my house.  Isn't it fitting that I should have one in my "dream house".  The entrance hall is almost done.  I can't decide how to finish the stairs.  The "grandmother" clock was an ugly brown.  I used chalk paint and a tiny nail decal to pretty it up.  I made a "plaster frieze" out of cardboard, buttons and chalk paint to go over the doors.  Pretty fancy, huh?!

And just in case you forgot what the before looked like...Here it is!

Come For Dinner?

The dining room is almost finished.  I am still debating on whether to paint the furniture white or leave it the mahogany color.  I love the look of china on a dark polished table so I may just leave it.  I am moving on to the Nursery next.  The nursery was "the doctor's office".  It was filled with the doctor's hunting and fishing trophies.  My husband thought I should leave it as is but I relegated the bear head and deer head to the attic along with all of the fish.  I am thinking that the doctor in my house is a woman and she will have a pretty office at the top of the stairs.  That way I can still use the desk and all of the other accroutements that came with the original doctor's office.

Teeny Tiny Artwork

I've been working on tiny art work for the dollhouse dining room.  The images were from an insert in Creating Vintage Charm by Olga's Designs.    She has an Etsy shop where you can buy digital art supplies. I cut out the images and glued them to matboard.  I made some air dry roses and then used Spackle to make a "frame".  I painted the "frame" with a soft gray and then brushed on some country white.  They're still drying, but I had to show somebody!!  The dining room is turning out so pretty.  

I found the most gorgeous adhesive fabric paper.  I bought it at Michaels but you can find it here.

I'm Sewing Again!

Does sewing in miniature count?  I am having so much fun!  I get to decorate my dollhouse in the style I like which is shabby chic. I can have a shabby chic bedroom in my dollhouse because there are no dogs to make messes.  I found this shabby chic looking fabric at an estate sale.  it was a skirt that someone had started and never finished.  I've been using it to make bedding for one of the bedrooms in my dollhouse.  I found this great tutorial for a dollhouse mattress  here. She has the most amazing tutorials.  If you love dollhouses, you have to go look.  There is a tutorial for making a kitchen cupboard and sink out of cardstock that is unbelievable!!  I used her tutorial to make my mattress and it is so pretty, I don't want to cover it up!! I spent last night sewing a dust ruffle.  Next up is curtains.  This is the before. My pictures are not the best.  I haven't mastered my camera yet.  Maybe up next is a photography class? I changed the carpet.  I bought a remnant of upholstery material for about three dollars.  i painted all of the woodwork, furniture and ceiling white.  All of the furniture and artwork came with the house.  Did I tell you I was having fun?

Irish Eyes are Smiling

Look closely!!  There is a leprechaun in my dollhouse kitchen and he looks a lot like my husband. 
What do you think?  I added paneling made out of craft sticks and new "wallpaper".  The paper was from a Martha Stewart srapbook pack.  I painted all of the furniture and even managed to make three wee loafs of bread. I still need to paint the door and hang some pictures.  But, for now, there's Irish soda bread in the oven ready to eat.  

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!! 

Big Changes

Yes, I've been gone again.  My five year blogaversary came and went.  My talked about Red Riding Hood swap never materialized.  I didn't think you wanted to read about my mundane life.  I didn't want to write about my eye problems.  Yes, I still have them.  No, they're not better.  I thought about starting a new blog.  My hubby bought me this huge doll house.  A blog where you could follow along as I restored it would be fun.  One where I created cute little dollhouse miniatures and let you ooh and ahh over them.  

But, then I started reading blogs that talked about keeping it "real".  So, that's what I'm going to try to do.    I've always wanted a dollhouse.  Lately, I've been scared to death that I would go blind before I could do everything I wanted to do.  So, I started with my little dollhouse.  And it was so fun, I started looking for a bigger dollhouse.  Not quite this big.  But, I met a woman who was moving to a condo so that she and her husband could travel.  She wanted her dollhouse to go to someone who would love it as much as she did.  And I will.  I already do.  

My husband bought it for me for our tenth anniversary and it is more precious to me than any jewelry he could have given to me.  He knows my fears of going blind.  I have to use a magnifier and a bright lamp to play with it.  It is full to the brim with tiny things.  Tiny beautiful precious things.  I'm going to give it a makeover.  I think I'll start with the kitchen.  

I hope you'll follow along.  I promise to keep it real.  As for my eyes.  I can't have any more laser surgery.  There are only so many spots to do the laser.  Now, I am having a series of injections in my eye.  I was pouting today.  I wanted someone to call and ask me how I felt.  Just so I could say, "Like someone stuck a needle in my eye".  Silly me.  I'll have four months of injections and then if that doesn't work, my doctor will do surgery.  Scary stuff.  

So, do you want to see the inside of my dollhouse?  Here goes...

It is so wonderful.  It needs new wallpaper and paint but all the basics are there.  There are even teeny tiny working lights.  Ohhhh...this will be so much fun!

 

Just Monkeying Around

I really should explain my absence, but, I simply don't have an explanation.  I could tell you that my daughter gave me a fancy camera and I can't take a decent picture with it.  I could tell you that I've been spending time with my best friend making sock monkeys from thrift store socks.  I could tell you that I've been going for long bike rides with my husband.  We bought each other bikes for Christmas.  I could tell you that I've spent time rearranging my family room.   I could tell you all of those things and they'd be true.  I guess...I already did.  My five year blogaversary is Valentine's Day.  I'll be back then.

 

 

Twas the Night Before the Night Before Christmas

Can you believe Christmas will be here in two days?  I'm finally ready.  The house is clean.  The shopping and sewing are done.  I made five aprons for Christmas presents.  This one was a last minute idea.  My best friend found a vintage tablecloth at an estate sale.  It had some small holes in it, so I decided to take it apart and make each of us an apron.  I'll show you the other aprons after Christmas.  I think they all turned out adorable.

My house is all decorated and ready for Santa.  I hung my cute tags from Creative Breathings last tag swap. Elizabeth has closed her blog and I already miss it and her.  No one could compare with "E" and her eye for color.  I have been the lucky recipient of some of her felt and paper creations and the quality and detail always amazes me.   These are the adorable tags and decorated box that arrived from Renee at My Vintage Mending.  We both did a Storybook theme and her tags turned out so cute.  Renee and I have never met but without knowing it, we used very similar vintage images.  I'm thinking that Renee and I must be kindred spirits as we both love to sew, play with paper and we collect a lot of the same treasures.  She has been redecorating her sewing room and I have been drooling over her collections!!  If you follow me on Pinterest you'll know that I love Red Riding Hood.  I found two of these Red Riding Hood ornaments.  What do you think about a Red Riding Hood swap in time for Valentine's Day?  Hearts, red and white gingham and Red Riding Hood?  Any interest?

That about wraps up my last rambling post of the year.  Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas. I'll see you next year!!

 

 

 

Another One of Those Rambling Posts

I've been playing with paper.  20 tags for Creative Breathing's Christmas Tag Swap. The glittered texture on the hat is from Martha Stewart.  I wanted a "snowy" look but I got a clumpy glitter effect instead.  I didn't want to start over so I am pretending that it was my plan all along.I finished up my tags to swap with Renee for the Happy Homemaker Tag Swap. We made one a month using a single pack of paper and embellishments we had on hand.  Rachel and I both used a story book theme.  I added ribbon and more embellishments before I shipped them off to Rachel.  Playing with my dollhouse too.  I decided to make it a year round Christmas place.  I spackled the roof and then gave it a coating of "snow in a jar".  I call it that because I threw the jar away and I don't remember what it was called.  The dollhouse looks white in the picture but it really is a light pink.  I found it at a garage sale for $5.00.  I'm working on the inside little by little.  My best friend found the furniture for me.  I wanted to sit it by the Christmas tree, but the dogs kept stealing the fireplace. Yes, the food is on the floor.  I need a cute round table to set up the desserts!  The rug and floors are Martha Stewart scrap book paper.  Wallpapering the walls is a little harder than I thought so there is just a piece of paper stuck in there for now.  Did you notice my cute as can be Gingerbread boy and gumdrop cutie from Elizabeth at Creative Breathing?  They seem to go perfectly with the polka dotted reindeer that I painted a zillion years ago. My son and his girlfriend helped me put up the tree.  I don't think it's ever been prettier.  She fluffed and fluffed those branches until they were just right.  We had a lot of fun talking about the different ornaments on the tree.  Did you notice the roses on my coffee table? They're from our garden.  I still have roses in December!Do you see what my hubby bought me for an early birthday present?  This adorable cabinet that I have been eyeing at the local antique mall for over a year. It needs a little bit of sprucing up but I couldn't wait to fill it up.

And just in case, you forgot that this was also a "sewing blog".  I made my curtains.  The rose chintz fabric was four dollar a yard and I found a green calico in polished cotton to go with it.  I had to convince my hubby that the green would go with the chintz but he ended up loving them.  I think I spent about $60.  for the whole window and I love them!

That's about it from around here.  I am working on Christmas presents.  We're having a cookie baking day soon.  Wish you could all come and visit this Christmas!

Let the Decorating Begin!

I never go out to the Black Friday sales.  This is the day I wait for all year.  It's finally time to do some Christmas decorating!  Mother Nature has been at work already.  I just raked the leaves two days ago!I'm so excited!  I bought all of these Shiny Brites over the summer.  Less than $5.oo for all of them at an estate sale.These were a little more but... Oh be still my heart!

One more picture.  Look how Lucy has grown.  Those ears just crack me up!. We're all getting along quite well now. You should see them "help" me rake the leaves!