A Little Project

 My sister-in-law gave me these beautiful 1:1 candle holders for my birthday back in February. I love them! They normally sit in the middle of my dining table now that the snowmen decorations are all put away. For some reason yesterday I thought, "Those wouldn't be too difficult to recreate in miniature." We all know once the thought crosses your mind it's just a matter of time before you have to sit down and try it, lol. A couple of the things I had planned to use just didn't work or I couldn't find. I'm glad of that because these turned out so well with the second choice options. They weren't difficult, just fiddly.

I had everything on hand, even the right paint colors. See, I was meant to make them. ;-)

Wishing you all a wonderful, blessing filled week!

Really Finished This Time

 I found a problem with the light fixture over the table (the tack that I used as a ceiling mount was poking through the upper floor) so I had to take it down to fix the problem. While it was down I decided to make it black to tie into the kitchen decor better. I also added a spacer bead to keep the tack from going all the way through the ceiling. I had to take the pot rack and light fixture over the island down to get to the back so I gave them a coat of black, too. The 'embossed' detail on the rack shows much more clearly with the solid black finish. Be sure to poke the photos so you can see the details.

 I changed the candle tray to a smaller one. That way the ottoman can still be used for feet, lol. My favorite thing on the ottoman, though, is the baby name lists and pen. There's a baby name book on the side table. The doll I ordered from HBS is the Houseworks Joy. She's pregnant. The little details like these are what makes a dollhouse feel lived in.

The bathroom got a small piece of art for the wall. I think there will be a shelf on the right wall over the tub. Where else will the shampoo and such go? ;-)

Have a blessed day, my friends!

Shabby chic in pink

I just participated in a shabby chic swap with a couple of good friends. I know they've both received what I made so I can share with you all now. I will be receiving what they made soon. The chest of drawers is one of those red stained Dollar Tree pieces. I gave it a shabby finish and hand painted the roses on it. The bed was completely hand made using a wooden fence for the headboard. The linens were made from a pretty rose print fabric, and old handkerchief, vintage lace, and a linen napkin. The "braided" rug was crocheted. The candle is a cut down birthday candle in a bead cap bowl surrounded by punched paper flowers. I used the same flower punch to make the blossoms decorating the lamp shade. The lamp is made from twisted wire and a pretty bead. I painted the baskets and made mini versions of some shabby chic/country magazines to put in them.
This bed has a larger floral print ribbon bedskirt and a gingham backed comforter. I also framed a tiny rose print in a silver jewelry finding with dimensional gel "glass" for each of them. I don't normally make quite so many things for swaps but shabby chic is my favorite decorating style so I just couldn't stop, lol. I included fabric and lace scraps for each of them so they can make matching curtains or cushions if they want.

I can't wait to see what I get in return!

Now to shed a little light on the subject

And here they are...the little lights. These candles were all made from dollar store pencil erasers. The unburned ones just have white thread wicks and are glazed with matte varnish. The burned ones have the wicks tipped with black and are rougher around the top edges. I used thick tacky glue to make the drips and the whole thing was glazed with the matte varnish. The candle holders were made from some stud jewelry findings I found on clearance at Hobby Lobby. The darker blue candles are on pedestal style holders made with the studs on jewelry finding bases. The other candle holders are made with the studs mounted on woodsie bases and then decorated. These are so simple but look so real when finished.

I finally got that candle made!

After church I helped my husband some more with the trees but after lunch I spent some time on minis. I made a candle on a stand to cover the weird oval bump on the back of the toilet tank. I used my favorite method for making pillar candles - I get inexpensive pencils with bright colored erasers and pull the erasers out to use for the candles. I run a threaded needle through to form the wick. Then I coat the eraser with satin varnish. I made the holder from a couple of jewelry findings glued together. Glued to the back of the toilet it covers the bump and looks pretty, too. :0)

The next project was kitchen utensils. I'm using one of Katie's bowls (Katie's Clay Corner) as a holder. The whisk is just two pieces of wire twisted together. The wooden spoon is carved from a toothpick - this one needs some more sanding to make the handle thinner. I just got tired of sanding, lol. The spatula is fun foam with a toothpick handle. All of the silver and black items were made from the little metal clips that hold new pairs of socks together. The metal is very soft and easy to cut with scissors. It is also easily shaped.

Oh, and the scrubby sponge is made from yellow fun foam and green sticky backed felt. Very easy and looks very real, too.

The last thing for today is an opinion. On the previous post with wallpaper I showed the living room border with the design pointing down. This photo shows the design pointing up. Which do you all like better?

My chandelier using Casey's tutorial

I used Casey's tutorial to make this smaller version of her chandelier. I really like it. I found a round brass mounting bracket that I've painted silver to match. I'm planning to use it as a ceiling rose.

This was the clearest photo I could get. It doesn't show all of the details but you get the idea. :-)