What to do with an empty printers box

Why look on  pinterest, of course! I knew I didn't just want to put random minis in it like some do. I think that those look really nice but it wasn't what I was thinking for mine. The problem was I didn't know exactly what I was thinking, lol. I spent some time on pinterest this afternoon and got inspired. This is what I came up with. The top two baby pictures are of DH and me. The other three are our children. There's a current family photo in the top right box along with a foam letter T for our last initial. Each of the other boxes represents one or more of my family members or our whole family. This was so much fun to put together. I raided the scrapbook supplies, the mini drawers, a couple of junk drawers, toy boxes, and some random crafting supplies. The sticker at the top is Hebrews 11:1,"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." The bottom sticker says "Delight in the little things." A  perfect play on the blog name and my love of minis. :)

Just a bit of fine tuning

 I think this really is the final exterior update. I added icicles and some Christmas decorations as well as a house number.

 James is holding an unpainted metal airplane. He has red and green paint ready to go. (Paint cans are made from moisture absorbing canisters found in pill bottles.)

The dollhouse area looks like someone is working now. The house has windows and partial wallpaper and flooring. The roof shingling is in progress. Extra wallpaper is rolled up and stored in the bucket on the floor. It looks so much better now that it looks like work is being done.

Updates...'cause you all know I can't be done the first time

 Usually, after I "finish" a project I let it sit out where I can see it frequently. It's during this time that I make lots of adjustments, until it's just the way I want it...for now, anyway, lol. Last night I decided I didn't like the rough surface of the painted ceilings upstairs so I wallpapered. That had the added bonus of covering all the rough edges around the dormer. It all looks so much nicer now.

 I organized all the toys and was able to fit the last of the ones I had saved. I had some fun with the blocks. They would be really large stacking blocks for children but we'll pretend they are made of foam so the little ones won't be hurt when their towers topple over. ;)

 Poor Moe looks a little overwhelmed by his list in the storage room.

I also added snow to the roof like Santa's house has. Now the workshop looks like it could be in the North Pole, too.

Well, I am off to work. Have a great day, everyone!

For the newcomers

 I already have a Santa house that I made several years ago. I made all of the dolls - Mr. & Mrs. C. and several elves. The workshop was done in a reverse color scheme of this one.

 Mrs. Claus is busy baking up a storm.

 Santa is in a meeting with Pete, the head elf in charge of all elf duties - toy making, reindeer caretaker, North Pole mailman, etc.

 Red is the reindeer caretaker.

Rudy is the mail carrier for the North Pole.
The toy making elves are different since I used purchased dolls to start but I like them anyway. :)  The two houses will hopefully be displayed together (after I do some rearranging) in a sort of Christmas village.  Hmmm, the elves still need homes and the reindeer need a stable. This could be a large village!

It's all in the details

 I filled the window boxes with ferns. I wanted something simple and I had these on hand.

 I added a few details to the workroom. James has a can of paint and a used paint brush on his paper. The dollhouse in progress table has a large bottle of tacky glue. There's a calendar with all the days crossed off leading to Christmas Eve. There's also a Santa plaque just to remind the elves that quality is important.

 James' twin, Janey, has the breakfast dishes soaking in the sink and has coffee ready for everyone. It's Christmas Eve and they need all the help they can get!

 In the storage room, Moe is sorting through boys' toys with the master boys list in hand. Down in the kitchenette, Amanda is doing the same with the girls' master list. Her twin, Miranda, is counting teddy bears in the work room.

The washroom got a liquid soap dispenser, paper towel dispenser, trash can, and next to the toilet, a toilet paper holder and a plunger.

'Twas an intense weekend...of mini-ing

 But Santa's Toy Workshop  is nearly complete. Outside, I need to fill the window boxes with holly or poinsettias and add a door knob.

 The interior is full to the brim but I still have a few accessories to add. I wasn't able to fit all of the toys in but I gave it the old college try, lol.

 In the workroom I need to add tools, paint cans and brushes, etc. The teddy bear cubby shelf was made from the liner and box bottom from a candy box. It's perfectly sized and acts as a room divider, too.

 Santa doesn't want his elves to get hungry on the job so he provided a kitchenette in the toy workshop. Mrs. Claus often brings a pot of soup or chili and leaves it warming on the woodstove. At the window end of this area is a "glass" shelf full of girls' toys - dolls, dollhouses, etc.

 Upstairs is a large storage area. The shelf holds boys' toys - everything from cars, trains & dinosaurs to BB guns. The larger dollhouses are up here as well as board games and a rocking horse.

There's also a small washroom upstairs.The sink was made from a razor cover, a plastic saxophone and a couple of beads. The toilet is the lid from a bottle of creamer. I need to add toilet paper, soap, towel, and trash can in here. The little Christmas tree is visible from the storage room.

BTW, remember when I said the instructions with this kit seemed fairly clear? Um, not so much. I had to do some work with the craft knife in order to install the roof. Either I missed a step or it wasn't there. ;) Since I'm pleased with the results, it doesn't really matter.

Snow Day!

 The first snow day of the season is cause for celebration by children...and staff, too! I'm spending my day working on the elves' workshop. Woo hoo! (I am doing laundry, too, so I don't feel the least bit guilty about playing today. ;) ) I got the front and back roof pieces glued together...

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 ...and got the first of the trim pieces painted and ready. I used a rubber stamp on the shutters after sanding them to look a bit worn. I am very happy with the results.

I am finally ready to start assembling. I am using the DuraCraft Sweetheart. It seems to be pretty straight forward. I am especially pleased to find no warping even though it's an old kit - the instruction sheet is very yellowed and the paper is brittle.

Stay tuned for updates! Yay! I am finally working on minis again. :-D

Finally! Minis...and more

 I still haven't found time to work on the elves' workshop but I decided today go through all the things I had tucked away for this project. This is everything - just as items were found or purchased. Some of these things will undergo transformation before the project is complete.

 Teddy bears, dolls, games, dollhouses, cars, trucks, airplanes, fishing poles, BB guns, rocking horse, tricycle...

 ...a slide, balls of all sizes, already wrapped gifts...and busy elves. I think I have plenty to fill the Sweetheart kit I'm using.

I was in the mood for jewelry making today so I picked up some supplies today while grocery shopping. I really like how the necklace turned out. I made very simple earrings and a bracelet to go with it. The pendant is definitely a statement piece so the other jewelry needs to be pretty low key.

Add in a pre-shopping coffee date with hubby and there's my day. I hope yours was a great one, too.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am listening to music from the 1970s while checking in with all of you. I'm mentally reverting to high school and the years when hubby and I were dating. Lots of fun memories! Here we are in 1978 at his senior prom. I love this man!

I pray that you are all able to spend some time today with someone you love. Have a wonderful day!

Probably no minis, after all

My schedule today has been altered a bit so I won't have time to start the elf workshop. But I did enjoy lunch with my hubby and two of our kids. We just got home and 4 pm is a bit late to start a big project that has to be put away for tomorrow's party. I may work on some of the interior goodies later. I'll post pics if I do. Having a good day even with the changes, :).

Happy Saturday, everyone!

Business is booming!

Well, compared to the past two years' sales it is...Since I moved my shop to Zibbet I've sold one item/year until this week. I've now doubled my sales! It is really interesting what people choose to buy, though. Last week I sold a cornucopia and this week I sold Alf Elf, a Christmas elf. I am very excited and very hopeful that my shop has been rediscovered!

I am gonna consider this an early birthday gift. :) Oh, and speaking of birthdays, hubby had planned to throw a surprise party for me next weekend. His plans were upset by a late birthday party planned for my SIL. He's still having the party. I just don't get the surprise, lol.

We're spending the evening with some wonderful friends, good food, and football. Neither of our teams is playing but we will enjoy the fellowship. I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend, too!