Scrapbook Paper...Oh the Possibilities!

Oooh... I found a couple more templates that will make great windows.

I was excited to discover I had two sets of papers that I could use for the wall paper. I think I will need to add a baseboard and ceiling trim, but these should work.

 

 

Cool. It's fun to see how these (furniture, windows, paper) may all fit to make a couple of nice dioramas for photographing Sofiya and Damaris. Although they are two different scales (Sofiya is 1/3 and Damaris is 1/4), I think I can make it work.

 

 

 

 

It's all a Game

Let me tell you why I love it when my family purchases new board games. I can't wait to see what templates are left after the pieces have all been punched out. Recently, I have been left with pieces that look like....windows! Take a look below.

 

In the three pieces above, I have added some mylar. I have also begun to add some stained glass paints. I still have lots of work to do, but I think it will look pretty cool.

 

 

Here I have put together 9 templates to form 3 long windows with what appear to be many panes. I love to photograph with natural light. I think this will definitely accomplish what I have in mind.

 

 

Think Inside the Box

Well, for Christmas (Valentine's, Mother's day, Anniversary, Birthday, Father's day) hubby and I were forced to buy an stove/oven range as our gift to one another. It was one hefty price tag. But, where there's lemons...there's always a possibility of lemonade.

I completely forgot about the box in which the range would be delivered. I went outside to put out some garbage, and there it was. It only took a few minutes for me to have an "Aha!" moment. I had to cut the box along one side and open up the other end to get it into my basement.

So many possibilities.

Busy busy busy

Sofie and I have been very busy modding patterns to fit her curvy figure. We are having a great time making not only dresses, but some fun accessories to go with them. Have a look see.

 

I saw this really sweet dress for American Girl dolls on Liberty Jane Patterns called Woomera. It is so cute! So, I purchased the pattern and got to work. I recycled a blouse I had and it turned out pretty well. I also found a pattern for some sandals too. Boy did I learn a lot about cutting foam. No two pieces are alike! I made some mental notes and some more mods to my new patterns. The final result is this fun set for Twigling Ingenue BJD.

 

 

 

Next up, is this fun little set. This time I modded a couple patterns for Barbie by Simplicity and Vogue. Fun! Fun! Fun!

 

 

 

 

I recycled another piece of clothing thanks to my children and even found some fun jewelry to recycle as well. I learned an important lesson about fabric glue too. It doesn't always disappear after it dries. Argh!  I improvised. Sofie says the final results are perfect.

 

 

 

Finally, our current project. We only have the dress and sun hat. Sofie says she needs a shawl and large hobo bag....oh and a pair for white sandals would be awesome. Geesh! We hope you'll stay tuned. You can find these two sets in our shop on Etsy

 

 

Mornin' Sunshine

 

me: "Mornin' Sofie. We have a busy busy day today. Rise and shine!"

me: "hmmm...let's get these curtains open. Shall we?"

 

 

 

Sofie: (sigh) "What du yu s'pose she's talking about Chelsie?"

 

 

 

 

Sofie: "Is today the party?"

me: "Yup. And we've got lots of things to do before they arrive. Up up up!"

 

 

 

 

Sofie: "So, duz that mean no pretty shoes for me today?"

me: "Well...perhaps we can sneek in a half hour of planning."

Sofie: "Well, what are we waitin' for?"

 

Liberty and Inspiration

Have I said how much I appreciate Liberty Jane lately? If you don't know what I'm talking about then treat yourself and visit the site (http://www.libertyjanepatterns.com/). I found this lovely dress pattern called Salina for AG dolls and modded it for my Sofie. What do you think?

 

 

 

And...then, of course, if  you give Sofie a new dress ... she's going to wanna a hat to go with it!

There are some fabulous knit/crochet tutorials out there for AG Dolls and life-size. Here are our results.

 

 

Sofie is hinting that a pair of shoes would also be a nice addition. Off to create! Thanks Liberty Jane!

Slow Morning

 

Me: "Sofie. Sofie? I think I'm about ready over here."

Sofie: "Hmm? Oh, aye."

 

 

 

Me: "Sofie? We're actually shooting over here in the studio."

Sofie: "Hmm? Oh...but of course. I wuz jus lookin' at all the snow out there."

 

 

 

Sofie: (sighs softly)

 

 

 

Me: "My...that was a good sigh. Anything wrong?"

Sofie: (sighs again) "I guess not."

 

 

 

Me: "I know whatcha need. Sunshine!"

Sofie: "Oh, but that sounds grand. I'm jus so tired lately."

 

 

 

Me: "Yup. It's what happens up here in NY state. No sun equals naptime."

Sofie: (smiles) "Aye, a nap would be lovely right now."

 

 

I snapped a few more photos before I let Sofie take a nap.  That reminds me. I've gotta go take my vitamin D! I'm getting sleep too. Enjoy!

 

 

Too Busy to Post?

Gosh! I can't believe I haven't posted since September of last year. I guess the saying, "time flies when you're having fun" is true. In October, I discovered Liberty Jane Patterns, a wonderful website filled with patterns for the larger dolls like AG, Karito Kids, BFC Inc. and they just recently added Ellowyne Wilde by Tonner.

I purchased several patterns for Karito Kids since the body measurements are closest to my larger BJDs. I made a pair of UGG style boots, a tank top and a fun slouch sweater. The patterns are easy to follow and I love how much encouragement they give to seamstresses new and old.

In November, my sister-in-law mentioned her desire to create a diorama for her daughter's AG for Christmas. I started surfing around YouTube and discovered another fabulous and crafty mom/daughter/grandma crew known as My Froggy Stuff. Beware...this trio has so much creativity, you may never want to leave them. I made a backpack, several purses and have a very long list of "GOTTA TRY THIS" accessories for my doll family.

December came and went, each day I checked on my new favorite sites and dreamed about what fun crafty things I'd make if I could clone myself.

January began with a reorganization of my patterns for clothing, shoes, wigs, furniture and accessories. This led me to finally finding out a way to make wefts uisng the bags and bags of loose mohair I've created from wig-making. I tried sewing wefts using methods by Antique Lilac and glue methods shared by Scargeear on Deviantart. Now that I have a good lot of wefts, I  need to figure out the best way to make a wig cap.

This was easier said...er...typed than done. I tried making a hard wig cap, silicone wig cap and cloth wig caps. They each have their advantages and disadvantages. I love how they all look, but I need to find the best combo for my Etsy shop. Here are a some results from my experiments.

mohair on the plate pattern (above)

 

 

 

silicone wig cap with applied mohair (wefts)

 

 

 

silicone wig cap with applied mohair (no wefts)

 

 

 

cloth wig cap with silicone band and applied mohair (wefts)

 

Whew! The journey's been long, but I'm learning lots. I hope I've inspired you to try something new.