Promises, Promises or Make Your Own Flower S O F T for Lavender and Other Flowers

Yes, promises...I do solemnly promise the tutorials for the corset, stockings and tuffet are coming but I was so excited that this couldn't wait!
This has been stewing and bubbling in the little idea closet of my mind for probably about a year.

I wanted some of that Flower Soft stuff to play with but I always felt like it was a little pricey. I mean, it's just some kind of ground up something or other, right? (I must be truthful, I've never felt any of that stuff with my own hands but have seen photos of it in use.)

Anyway...do you have a little food chopper, old blender or food processor? Maybe a food processor you use for polymer clay or a blender that is languishing in the cabinet in the kitchen because you learned your lesson the hard way the last time you had Margarita Night? ;) *snicker*

Yep...see that paper up there in  pic? That is Bazzil card stock..it has a white core...I really don't think it matters which brand or that the paper has a white core, that's just what I happened to have in the colors I wanted to use for some lavender.  I used three shades of purple.  I would be willing to bet you could use construction paper but it might not hold up as well - haven't tried it.

So, yes, tear that paper up into...ehm, maybe one inch squares? I apologize, I was so excited, I forgot to take any pics of the process but it's not rocket science.  Throw some torn bits of paper into that poor, disused blender and then drop in a couple drops of water...not too much! We don't want to make paper pulp. I tried it first without any water and it created a lot of super fine dust and built up a lot of static.  The water really helped...just wet your fingers under the faucet and shake them off into the blender/food chopper cup.  I set my little chopper on high but you might want to first start on a little lower setting and see how things go.
You want the paper chopped up fine but not pulverized to dust.

 

Voila! Is that cool or what?  I'm sure I will think of lots of uses for this but for now, I made some little Lavender stems with florist's wire (the wire needed to be a little bit finer but this was an experiment) and my super sticky favorite glue in the whole wide world.
Easy Peasey.
I know, you, my friends, will make something wonderful with this idea! I'd love to see what you do.

Chalk Painted Rococo Bombe Chest in 1:12 scale

Hello Friends,

It's been one of those weeks..really, I should say, one of those months or years, as it's just been one thing after another around here. Trying to keep my chin up.  I try not to post personal junk but life is getting in the way a bit here and I am a bit down. It will all work out. :) I apologize, not trying to dump on you, just had to get it out.

On to the fun stuff, I promised to post about chalk paint. I should have taken pics of how I mixed up the paint but I didn't...so, I will just explain. It is very simple, anyway.  I also wanted to give credit where due. I first saw the chalk paint mentioned at about.com in an article from Lesley Sheperd.

You need:
Acrylic or Latex Paint
Plaster of Paris
Water


I used regular old acrylic craft paint, folk art brand that comes in the small bottles. The kind used for decorative and tole painting.  I had some small jars here to mix the paints in.  I poured some bottled water into the little jar - about half full - and then put in small amounts of plaster of Paris till it was the consistency of a little bit thicker than liquid hand soap. Don't make it super thick and not super runny either.

Next, add your paint. I used about equal parts paint and plaster of Paris/water mixture.

My little jars have tight fitting lids and so far, only one has set up a tiny bit in the bottom and by chance that was the one that had a little bit less acrylic paint in it.

I made this paint in small batches, about two oz. or so.

So, here is the result. I only used the chalk paint as the off white base coat for this piece. It covered really well, I used two coats. This little bombe chest had a shiny red varnish on it to start. I did run some fine sandpaper over it just to give it some tooth but honestly, I probably wouldn't have had to. I distressed this piece a little more than I meant to but I kind of like the result. :)  I'm a bit out of practice with my decorative painting, I want to do some of these little chests with some pastoral scenes.  I also learned that my gold leaf paint needs to be sealed before you put antiquing gel on top...

All in all, really really like the soft, flat look of the chalk paint for base coating and the nice coverage it gives.

Hugs and kisses for now,  I hope you will try this and hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Farmhouse Living and a Poll for a Tutorial

Happy St. Patrick's Day Friends!
I'm still plugging away in the Farmhouse.
Built some furnishings from a wonderful, vintage kit. This is the first time I've built anything from one of these kits and I can say that the quality is really good and they are fairly easy to put together. This particular kit was the Realife series American Country Collection. I would love to find the bedroom from this collection, if there is one?

Need to sand the top again on this table...
I see some rough specks in the photo.

I think the sea chest and the side table are my favorite pieces.


 The side table was a bit fiddly, with the little strips that go between the four legs...those were a bit of a pain.
I definitely feel more confident about building things from scratch now, as I've learned from this kit that the pieces are simple shape put together in clever ways.



Love this chest and sofa.

There are also a Settle Bench and Candlestick table included.

Again, the candlestick table was fiddly as all get out :) I wound up carving little grooves in the spindle for the legs...there just wasn't enough surface area for the glue to adhere.





The Living Room

I really didn't like the staircase, it just sort of 'hung' there....I added the wall with built in shelving and really like it now. Still needs railings (ahem, yes, I know, should have done all that before putting together but I'm still learning...it's a process :D

Still quite a bit of work to do, touch ups on the walls and trim and need to paint the dividing wall (yes, I decided to put it back in). Window treatment, and stair rail among other things. I'm very happy with the way this is turning out. My dream home, or one of them, anyway ;)

Some mini accessories I made this week:

1. Apothecary, Spice Drawers
2. Antique Sifter (my fav)
3. Coffee Grinder
4. Enamel Can with Lid
5. Wall Box with Utensils
6. Kitchen Scale
7. Little Wooden Canister Box (top)

All made from scratch except the wire whisk.

I would like to do a tutorial for one of these pieces for you!  Please enter your vote in the poll in the sidebar.

XO

Humble Beginnings - A Dollhouse Miniature Basket Tutorial

Hello Dear Readers!
It's been a long day but I finally have some time to get the basket tutorial posted here for you.

This basket has very humble beginnings - *grin* it is made from a toilet deodorizer container. A NEW one, hahaha, not used. I took out the deodorizer cake and put it in netting and set it on a paper towel in the cabinet in the bathroom...the cabinet under the sink that always smells musty. I buy these at the dollar store, they are very cheap and you can get two baskets from one deodorizer.



You will need:

• An Empty Toilet Deodorizer as pictured below


• Fine Hemp Twine or Linen Cord - I chose a dark brown for this basket
• Side Cutters or Kitchen Scissors for Cutting the Spokes
• Glue
• Paint in your color choice. Testors or other brand plastic model paint or spray paint made for plastic are best but you can use stain or acrylic paint if that's what you have.

• Step One


Pull the deodorizer apart...you now have two basket bases.

• Step Two

Cut the ring from the top of the deodorizer basket.

• Step Three

Begin your basket weave...over and under, over and under. Leave a short tail and keep your weaving tight.

Keep going....over and under, over and under...

Once you have obtained the depth you are happy with, run a bead of glue around the top of your basket. Let dry. Next, clip the spokes as close to the weaving as you can...Don't accidentally snip your weave!

Now lay down a bead of glue and coil the linen/hemp around the top of the basket to hide the spokes and finish off the top. Clamp and let dry. I apologize, i forgot to take a photo of this step but I simply coiled the cord around the top two times and allowed to dry.

Next, I painted the basket with a deep brown.

And you're done! Easy Peasey!

Hope this tutorial was helpful :)

Dollhouse Miniature Bird Cage Tutorial

Make a miniature bird cage with me~!

As promised! I am so happy to share this little project with you. I had a sort of an epiphany last night (is that too strong a word to use?) with this little bird cage.

I guess minor trauma and a trip to the emergency room (LOL see my last post) spurred my imagination and creativity a little bit. I couldn't settle down so I started thinking and creating.

Here we go!

You will need:

• One of these...it is a small cage type thing from a dishwasher rinsing agent. The solid kind made by Future/Jet Dry
  
  
  
  
  
  You can buy Jet Dry Solid at Amazon.com
• Wire cutters/pliers
• Sharp Xacto knife or blade
• Glue - Hot glue or plastic model glue
• A plug/cap from a carton of juice or some other type of cap and a small plastic curtain ring. (the plug is under the screw cap) It is pictured below near the tube of glue, a ring with a little domed cap. Mine came from this brand. I hope you can find these similar products in other countries!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• A small bead
• A bead cap or other decorative finding
• A head pin finding or long straight pin that you can cut and bend
• 
  
  OPTIONAL:
  Various decorative trims - lace, paper lace, scallops etc.
  Plastic Spray Paint
  Small wooden Candle Stick for use as a stand
  
  
  Steps One and Two:
  
  Cut the spokes at the bottom of the Jet Dry Basket as shown in the first photo. Cut the bottom off entirely leaving the spokes free. Now gently push the spokes in toward the center and glue...it is a little tricky but you will get it, just don't burn yourself if you use hot glue!!
  
  
  Step Three:
  
  Cut the ring from the juice plug and glue it to the top of your cage.
  
  
  Step Four:
  
  
  While that is drying, drill or poke a tiny hole in the cap part of the juice plug.
  
  Now insert your head pin from the underside and string your bead cap and bead. Bend the wire into loop and trim.
  Step Five:
  
  
  Glue your cap assembly to the top of your cage...
  et voila!! You now have a serviceable miniature bird cage!
  
  
  
  
  
  But well, if you know me, I just couldn't stop there... oh nononono! We must embellish this little cage and then distress to simulate age. :)
  
  
  Optional final touches:
  Glue trims and lace around the cage.
  
  
  Use your imagination and all that creativity that I know is out there amongst you! Glue some feet on! Make a double decker cage. Gild it! Add wire curls etc.
  Once you are happy with your trims and finishing touches;
  spray your entire project with spray paint made especially for plastic. I used white but you could use black or gold or any color you like! What I had on hand is actually a spray primer for plastic and I was able to use acrylic paint on top of that.
  To distress my cage I used white and ivory paint as a base coat. On top of that I dry brushed gold and then added some rusty colored ink and some black to simulate rust and chipped paint. Top it all off with a gloss or satin sealer and you have a magnificent 'antique' bird cage for your house!
  
  
  If you enjoyed this tutorial or have any questions feel free to let me know, and if you make a bird cage from this tutorial, PLEASE do send me photos or links to photos of your finished cage! I would dearly love to see them.
  
  
  The second tutorial will be ready for you tomorrow! A wicker look basket from a very unlikely source ;)
  
  
  hugs!
  Daphne