K-9 time!  I made him deliberately a little banged up from his latest adventures.

Now, here's the process:

I drew out the basic pattern for the sides, the top, and the bottom on thin cardboard.  Then I liberally applied some tape.  In fact, the two remaining sides are made entirely of tape.

I used the accordioned bit of a bendy straw for his neck, and built the head in just the same way as I built the body.  I added panels to the sides and front.

I painted him all over with silver nail polish.  His tail is a metal headphone plug that I found on an airplane.

Now, of course, the easiest way to make a K-9 for cheap is to google image search for "K-9 Doctor Who Papercrafts" and then cut one out and fold it.  But since when have I ever done anything the easy way?

I did a repainting of a cat yesterday, and I made the mistake of not taking a before picture.  But the cat came from this container of dollar store animals, so you can just imagine how hideous it was before.  White and orange, with the kind of face that is best described as (please don't hate me for this) a sourpuss.

Here she is.  The house now has a Professor McGonagall.  I used acrylic and repainted it about five hundred million times, because tabby cat patterns are not easy to paint in a way that doesn't look like (well) it was painted on.

And thanks to a lovely suggestion, the next thing I'm going to try for is a K-9!  Thank you so much for your feedback!  I'm thrilled.  : )

This is my one-hundredth post!  Thank you so much for being with me on this incredible journey thus far! 

Now, I had a little bit of something ready, but it seems a little weak for a hundredth post.

Then again, so does this.

Keep on following.  Many more adventures are in store for us!

What sort of thing should I make next?  Give me suggestions, and I'll figure out a way to make it on the cheap!

Instead of saying that something is 'like herding cats' to describe an activity that is frustrating and ultimately futile, people should say that something is 'like wallpapering a dollhouse.'  I used vinyl sticky drawer-liner sheets again, and it was impossible to work with and frustrating to line up the pattern.  The pattern is so small that when you look at it too long it gives you that feeling like when you cross your eyes.

Here's the way it looked like before:

Here's how it looked like in the middle of the process.  Decent, not stellar.  I ripped up the flooring (sticky plasticky tiles) so that when I attach the new flooring it'll rest flat.  It's okay to have some overhang to trim off later.  The bottom will be covered with flooring, so I don't really have to worry about that overlap.  For the short wall at the end I had to cut a really short bit of wallpaper, because I couldn't get a big piece to curve around the corner, so that's something to keep in mind.

Here's the way it looks now, after much repositioning and fit-throwing.  The edges look raggedy, but I plan to figure out a way to fold them under and there's a windowframe that'll go there, too.

Happy arting!

Okay, so, this is totally a cop out post, but in keeping with my Harry Potter theme I made an invisibility cloak.  I promise, I'll work on an actual room soon. 

I used thin silver fabric and just cut a giant square and folded it up.  Okay.  Not really art.  But with a little note that says 'use it well' it'll make a good little addition for the dollhouse, for people who know what to look for.

Happy arting!

Still Harry Pottering, today I made a copy of Advanced Potion Making.  There are covers you can find by googling 'Advanced Potion Making' covers, and I just resized it to miniature size!

I bound the book with sewing thread, and I tried to dye it with a teabag.  The teabag was twice-used before I got to it, so it didn't really work for aging the paper.  All I got was a sopping wet chunk of book.  I brought it upstairs and ran it over with a thin amount of brown watercolor, and I think that worked great.  The brown soaks in just the right amount if the paper is already wet.

I apologize for the pic quality.  It's with my phone.  Also, that foot is the Doctor's foot, clever beast, him.

Here's the inside:

For the inside, I just basically made scribbles that looked like words and drew alchemical symbols every few pages.  I also crossed things out and added arrows.  After all, it is annotated by the Half-Blood Prince.

Happy arting!

Today I made a Sorting Hat!  I'm on a severe Harry Potter kick right now, rereading the books and remembering how badly I want to be a wizard.  I'm taking that out on my dollhouse.

I made it out of real leather, from a pair of pants I got at a thrift store for the precise purpose of snipping and stitching.  And let me tell you: sewing through leather is so not worth it.  I should've used that polyester that I have that looks like leather, but that frays.  And now my fingers hurt.  Count yourself lucky that you don't live with me, because then you'd have to listen to me whine about how much my hands hurt and how I'm bleeding and stuff.

So what I did is I made a sort of donut shape out of one bit of leather, and a conical shape with another, two strips, and basically the rest is self-explanatory.  Except I gathered bits of the cone with in-out stitching to give it that rumpled look.

I think it still needs some roughing up, but I think this is a good start!  Happy arting!

Don't think I'm making excuses, but I rather smartly injured my thumbnail, thus making art difficult.  I don't know how animals do without them.

I decided to use the thick foil from gelt to try to make silverware today!  For those who don't know, gelt is that chocolate money you use when you play dreidel. I don't like how the fork turned out, but I'll try again when I have a fully functioning thumb.  However... the spoons, I think, are stellar, and the knife isn't halfway bad!

There's a penny on the tiny table for scale.  All in all, pretty fun!

Sorry for the bad photo!  Happy arting!

For the budget-conscious among us, now is the golden age in miniatures: after Christmas ornament sales.

The librarian at the school I volunteer at hooked me up!   

Here's a clearer view.  I just yanked off the hanging bits, and it's the perfect furniture.  Also: there's a camel.

Yesterday I spent all day babysitting!  I showed a couple of my kiddos how to sew with felt, and in the process, I made a little Batman stuffed critter.  Fun fact: I sleep with a big stuffed Batman.  Because I'm an adult.  And all adults sleep with stuffed Batmen.  If you didn't know that, you must not be a real adult.    Sorry no one told you.

I used black thread to add the details onto the Batsignal on his chest.  I cut it out of felt, but it was fuzzy around the edges, and some  black thread just sharpened the details.  I made the trunk and legs in one piece, the arms separately, the head separately, and the cape.

Happy arting!

Here's a free decoration that you can get.  Seashells.

Nature already makes them in scale!  Tiny seashells look just like bigger seashells, just tinier!  Same with tiny snail shells.

My collection right now is kind of pitiful, but think about how neat they'll look all in a basket.  And with more of them.

My sister gave me the best Christmas present ever.  She made me a couchy bench and a small table out of sticks she found on campus, and hot glue.  I love them so much!  I decided to give it a bit of extra flair with fabric scraps that she also gave me.

I really love the rustic look they give the house, and the fabric colors are perfect with that wood.  I'm so thrilled, and so, so, so proud of my sister for being awesome!  Happy arting!