Dolls and Doilies

Today was an awesome Garage Sale Saturday.  Soon, I need to buckle down and do some real work on the house, but I've been feeling lethargic, and it's hard for me to focus on one bit of the project versus another.

Nevertheless, here's my haul (what I can remember):
A crystal doorknob for the top of a cane that I'm going to carve.
A little blonde girl doll, for fixing up and putting in the house.
A cauldron, a record player, a phone (perhaps a bit too large).
A pretty dress, for myself.
A Superman shirt (welcome because it was the mid-eighties [degrees, not time period] and I left the house in a green sweater).
A doily.
Three bike-type Christmas ornaments with turning wheels, for use in the house or dismantling.

Hello Dobby

Finally finished!  Here's a picture of Dobby next to Hagrid, for scale.  The very tall to the very small.

And here's a slightly better picture.  The picture isn't awesome, because I'm still using my phone camera.   The reason he's bandaged: he has a habit of hurting himself when he misbehaves, in the books.  The real reason he's bandaged: his arm fell off, and I had to crack his legs to get him to stand up.  His ear fell off and I replaced it with paper, and you can't tell the difference! 

I did a quick touch-up and replaced the picture, sorry!

Happy arting!

Slots of Fun

Garage Sale Saturdays was a huge success!  I got material, watches to dismantle, and... a working slot machine.

I didn't have a table handy so I used a clay container.  Pretty neat, huh?  Though, I must say, the last thing that anyone in the dollhouse needs is a gambling problem.  The house is 80% full of depressives (see: Poe, Van Gogh, the Crow, Batman, etc).

to thine own elf be true!

I'm having my first experience with Sculpey! It's fun!  My hands hurt because I've been sculpting all day, though.  Here's one of the fruits of my labor.  Dobby!  I want to bake everything at once so he isn't in the oven yet, and now that I look at the picture, I can see where I need to smooth more, and add more.

 There's his cute little profile!  I made him with wire and candy wrappers as his skeleton, and the only thing that can move on him is his arms (if he bakes correctly).

Happy arting!

Okey dokey!  I've been doing a lot of shopping lately!  Garage sale Saturday was a huge success for me!  I got doilies to use as tablecloths, and a whole stack of fabric (for free!)  I also got a furby, because I love those creepy little things. 

This week is super busy for me, as far as real life goes, so I might be slowsville for a bit.  But I am working on some new arrivals (I have the foil and pipecleaner skeletons all ready to go!)

I'm also trying to decide what to do, as far as coloring the front door and the window frames.  Since the house is this gorgeous shade of light blue, I need to choose the right colors to go along with it.  Do I want to go clashy, or matchy?  I'm leaning toward clashy, because (let's be honest) I always am!  Maybe a golden door?

Okay, this picture isn't very good, but there's something I want to talk to you about, buddy to buddy.  Have you ever found something fully stellar but it's made of plastic and it looks like it's made of plastic?

Have I got news for you!  I found silver nailpolish  at the dollar store, and it works like a dream to make plastic look more metallic.  Now, this picture is definitely twenty-two shades of awful, but I haven't painted the knives yet, and you can sort of tell the difference.  The light reflects differently.  Better.  The knives look flat, and the other stuff has dimension.

Today I finally finished the flooring in the middle room of the attic!  So, the first thing I want to show you is a comparison between the flooring I was going to use and the flooring I did use.

I was going to use this super plush flooring sample.  I have enough of them to cover the floor!  But I couldn't get them to lie flat... they had a bit of a curve, and I couldn't get the edges to match so that it looked like seamless carpeting.

Do you know what makes perfect dollhouse carpeting?  Upholstery fabric!  I got a few squares in different colors and patterns from a garage sale, and I attached it to a posterboard backing.  Tada!  A floor for my Gentleman Velociraptor to stand on!

Happy arting!

Okay, you folks, I know that I've been quiet lately, but I'm working on flooring and I want to post it when it's finished.  So I'll give you something from Garage Sale Saturday.

I got a tiny rubber ducky!  Among other things.

Look how interested in the duckie Van Gogh is!  He must be in a mood.

Today I made a chair out of some scrap fabric and some scrap wood from the back of a canvas.  The wood was weak enough to cut with scissors, and I used a nail file to round a few of the edges.  I used light batting for the back and the seat, and a funky floral fabric that I just had a scrap of.

Here's a pic of all the pieces before I put them together, on my leg.

 Here's the finished chair!  It looks lopsided because I'm taking the picture at an angle, but it's really not.

Again, it looks lopsided, now because it's sitting on my friend's bed.  It's low to the ground, but some chairs are kind of like that!

Happy arting!  One day I will get a better picture, but right now I am sleepy.