A New Year...A New Look

...at least for the toddler in the French country house. I only spent $1 on her at a miniature shop in Holland. Michigan last summer. I figured I could do something to improve her looks. I dipped her whole head in nail polish remover and started from scratch. It took me forever (and multiple coats of paint) to get her hair to look at least a little like normal hair. :-) I also painted her blanket blue so it could be a towel if she's in the bathroom or her blanket elsewhere.

 I finally found the metal ribbon I bought the first time I shopped at our new Hobby Lobby. I used it to dress up the canopy and I like it much better now. The roll pillow is the one that was on the slipper chair in the living room. I changed the ends from red gingham to blue. It ties the bedroom and bathroom decor a bit more.

 This is another potential living room layout. This way I could add a coffee table and it just seems roomier. The rooster on the console is a prize from my day of antiquing yesterday with hubby and daughter #1. He was $1!

 The kitchen got a few details like the towel on the island and I turned the island around. It makes more sense for the cook to stand on the sink side when chopping the vegetables, I think.

 Yesterday's photo of the window seat upgrade was very poor quality. Here's a better view.

 Speaking of poor shots, this is the upper hall after wallpapering. I used a 1:1 raw silk pattern in soft blue. The blue makes sense between the bedroom and bath and it's simple texture is a much needed visual break between the rooms.

Well, that's all for today. Hubby told me to set up shop on the dining room table. The other side of the table holds a large puzzle in progress. I guess meals will be casual for awhile. :-)

I wish you all a wonderful New Year full of blessings and love!

Meanwhile, back at the French Country house...

I finished the bay window seat cushion and a couple of throw pillows in the kitchen. It's a cozy little nook now.

 I found this purple resin chair at our local Goodwill for $2. With some paint, new piping, and a pillow it's perfect for the living room. Much better than the slipper chair made from a jewelry box.

 The dog got a makeover today, too. Her eyes and mouth are much improved.

I also laid the carpet in the toddler's room. It's very pink in here - I need to break that up a bit somehow. I also need to figure out how to make the toddler less ugly. Her hair is all wrong and she has too many teeth for her age. That will be a project for the next time.

I want to finish this house before starting the new one. I'm still thinking about the exterior but the interior is nearly finished. I haven't done much at all in the upper hall. I'm waiting for inspiration. I've been waiting awhile, lol.

It feels good to be working on a mini project again. Hopefully, I can continue to fit mini time in now that the wedding planning is done. That took most of my creating time but was very worth it.

Have a wonderful week, my friends!

I got a dollhouse for Christmas!

A good friend found this house at a flea market over the summer and gave it to me this week for  Christmas. It obviously belonged to a little girl before me and was well loved. Because of that, the house needs some repair work done. I love the style, though.

 It looks like this room had the same zebra carpet as the room beside it. Um, that is gonna have to go. :-)

 The area under the stairs has been closed in and a door added.

 My friend include a bag of things she's collected that may have mini potential.

The attic room is L shaped.

And what are my plans for this house, you ask? Well, I am leaning towards an elf dormitory/house. The rooms are very large so it would be easy to fit in several beds in the second story rooms and a long table in the dining area. I will let this idea percolate in my brain for awhile so I can finish the French Country house. I will need to find a place to display Santa's house, the workshop, and the elf house all together. I think this will be a fun project!

Christmas greetings!

A Memory in Mini

 It's been so long since I had time to create anything in miniature. But now I'm on Christmas break so I did a few chores then got busy creating. First I had thought I'd make a wedding cake ornament for the newlyweds. While gathering my supplies I found this box my husband gave me. I forget what came inside it, but it made a perfect memory shadowbox.

 I put a wedding invitation on the back wall and made a "table" from cardstock. It's covered in burlap that was used as part of the wedding centerpieces. In addition to the cake, I made a mini version of my daughter's bouquet and the toasting glasses they used. Below is a close up of the mini cake. I made the actual cake topper, too. The mini was made with the tiniest of the pine cones we used for corsages and boutennieres. I made the cowboy hat from a hole punch out and a tiny bit of fun foam.

 Here's the real cake. I'm pleased with how well the mini version turned out.

Here you can see the real toasting glasses and a bit of the pinecone garland at the head table. I hope they like their mini memory. I certainly enjoyed making it. :-)

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!

 I made this version of our family Advent banner for my daughter's new family. Their home is small so I made the new one a bit more compact than ours. I think I like the new angels and the fleece sheep better than ours. :-)

 This is the original one made by my mom and me twenty plus years ago. The pattern came from a women's magazine.

Here are the stockings for my son-in-law and new granddaughters. They are very similar to the ones I made for our family, except  that older ones are green.

It feels good to create something, even if it isn't mini. I hope to get back to the French Country house soon. I need some miniature inspiration.

Wishing you a blessing filled day, wherever you are!