Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Happy Birthday Lizzie!

Today Lizzie is 4 years old. She will have a tomato filled cupcake(tomatoes are her favorite food ever!) and I got her a pink poodle that walks and barks.
The photo above is when I got Lizzie. She didn't even weigh a pound.  
Happy Birthday!



Sunday, July 28, 2013

Pourlieduns!


I've started making dolls again.  My collection is called The World of Pourlieduns.
I also have a blog for these dolls The World of Pourlieduns.
I've made 6 so far including Isabelle above. They've all been adopted and are happy to travel to their new homes!
This is how I make them. Just air dry natural clay. I put them on the foil paper so they don't stick while the dry. Then a couple coats of a buttery paint color for the skin. Next I paint the details and 2 coats of varnish seals everything.
Some scraps of fabric and a crown finish these little shabby chic princess dolls. 


Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The Old Cottage Dollhouse

It's another finished dollhouse.
This one is  English cottage style 1/12 scale.  It is very similar to Miss Read's Cottage that was a 1/2 scale.
This house measures 18" across x 17 1/2" tall x 16" deep
There's a little fairy door on the side of the porch.
It's a working fairy door.
One side of the house has a bay window.
The roof is pine shingles placed in a whimsical pattern.
The battery and switch are inside the red chimney. They operated all 4 chandeliers inside.

The downstairs is separated with a staircase.
The  front wall has wallpaper. Ralph Lauren I think. I used an oriental print wallpaper on top and a traditional gingham on the bottom.
If I were to furnish this house I'd put the kitchen here with a sink under the window.
This side of the stairs would probably make a cozy reading nook.
Upstairs has a green traditional wallpaper with roses.
The Old Cottage would be great fun to furnish. But I'll leave that to the person who buys it. I can't take all the fun away!  It's available in my Etsy shop.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Baleine Beach Cottage Dollhouse Finished


Baleine Cottage is done!  I named it Baleine Cottage because of this coat rack in the shape of a whale. I made it out of balsam wood from a picture I saw on Pinterest...
Pinterest  
I also made the bench from veneer wood.  I filled my little shabby chic bag with a baguette, lemons and a big rose.  There's a copy of Victoria Magazine and Country Home on the bench and a set of keys hanging on the coat rack.

The front door was also inspired from a Pinterest picture...
Pinterest








I bought the little kayak at Hobby Lobby and painted it gray & white with roses.
I tacked it on with Simply Tacky http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/white-simply-tacky-647479/
I use this same stuff for all the paintings hanging inside the house.
The roof is a combination pine shingle and "metal".  The metal roof is really cardboard strip painted and rusted to look like metal.
Inside the chimney is the battery and switch for all the lights.





 All the paintings are originals I painted by hand.
 This is a little metal tub I painted and aged. The desk is from a kit.
 My chair looks right at home here. I also made an ottoman.  The trick to getting the fabric to fall correctly on the sides of the ottoman was drenching it with hairspray.  I do the same with all the curtains. They look more realistic.

Here's one of my little dolls trying out the chair.  I've had many requests for more dolls. So I will be making more and they will be available soon.
Here is the upstairs.  With a nice bed to hop into after a long day at the beach.
That's Baleine Beach Cottage!
Available on Etsy.
 

Monday, July 8, 2013

Baleine Beach Cottage Dollhouse

Baleine Beach Cottage Dollhouse is coming along! I made a nice cozy bed for the upstairs bedroom.  I used 2 pieces of wood glued together to make the headboard and footboard.  My insipration?
The Pottery Barn kid's catalog.  This little girl bedroom was so sweet. I could only fit one bed in the dollhouse though.
Downstairs I painted the floor with base paint. Base paint is the stuff the hardware store uses when you order a custom color paint. It's thinner paint. I brushed it on and let it dry. Then I put gloss on.
I also made a turquoise and clear crystal chandelier with a battery operated light in it.
The little entry wall had molding at the top bottom and side.
For the entry light I used a little bowl shaped finding from the jewelry making department.  It casts a great sunshine shadow!