Vanity Shmanity.

 

I got this vanity from the dollar store.  As you can see, the drawers are a facade.  They pried off pretty easily with a pocket knife, and left a convenient hole.  So what I did is I made three drawers that actually worked, using small glass beads as the pulls.

 

I used a elmer's glue as a crackle medium.  Now, how to do that.  First I painted the whole thing white with like eight hundred coats because the cheap stain kept making it pink (then I gave up and let it be pink).  This ended up being a good thing, because you should have a contrasting color under the color you're making it.  Then I spread white glue everywhere, waited for it to dry (mostly), and painted over it with this revolting mustard yellow.  I know the drawer is crooked... that's fully on purpose.  I wanted some dumpster-dived, well-loved vanity that looked like it was repainted in the 1950s and left out in several terrible storms. 

 

I wanted it to look old and kind of trashed up; I even included a carving, done by a friend of mine.  My initials, and a darling art friend's initials, in a heart!  Thanks Lindsey!  I painted some lace turquoise to add a little extra color to the front.

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.

I made a bed, in the top of a box that a dear friend gave to me once.  It's circular, and the mattress looks like a mess, but it's covered by a sheet so I'm okay with that.

I also made about a thousand pillows.  I made a Pocahontas pillowcase from a kiddy shirt and stuffed it with a pillow.

The top blanket is a little frayed, but I'll work that out later.

Built for a fop!

Today.  Was.  Glorious.  I chillaxed with a buddy of mine and we both sewed at IHOP.  We had an awesome time!  I had them sit us at a table near an outlet so I could plug in my hot glue gun.  Subsequently I burned the dickens out of my hand with my hot glue gun... more times than I want to admit to, but let it be known that I have lost part of one of my fingerprints on this day.  One step closer to being a world class criminal.  Hi CIA people!  It's me, Heather!

I've been quiet on the art front because I haven't been doing anything doll-y recently.  I painted one of my canes, I sewed my mom a hand warmer that looked like an owl, and I fully embarrassed myself with a hammer and made a housey looking thing that I don't know what to do with (choices: make it a gingerbread house but make all the 'candy' by hand which will be time consuming and frustrating, or make it into a regular housey thing).

But today!  Glorious today!  I made a chair.

I know, I know, the photograph looks like it was taken by a blind arthritic monkey.  But it's a chair covered by this faux snakeskin leather that I cut off of a miniskirt that I got on sale at a thrift shop.  I made the base out of a toilet paper roll, cut apart and toyed with until it worked. I also used batting, and sewed the seams together by hand after my five thousandth encounter with the gooey end of the glue gun.

This is a picture of the Doctor sitting in it, but my hand slipped taking the picture and then my camera ran out of batteries.  I'm too lazy to go back downstairs and get fresh ones.  Happy arting!

Today I did some work for the dollhouse's baby room (wherever that'll be).  It was about time for the super cool furniture I got at the garage sale to have some reupholstering.

It's a yellow and white checkerboardy pattern, which is really pretty, except that it looks kind of dingy and it's fraying.

I chose a blue fabric with little flowers that looked like cotton.  A friend sent it to me a long while ago with a bunch of other fabric.

I removed the pads, then I sewed the fabric on the way you lace up shoelaces.

Check it out!  I still have to hot glue it on, but I think that looks pretty neat.  I'd show you the other piece too, but I broke the side edge of it and now I can't find the wooden bit.  Wish me luck looking!  Happy arting!

Garage Sale Saturday was a semi-success!  I got a few watches for dismantling, and I got a terrible Superman.  When I say "terrible Superman," the words don't really do justice to how truly terrible this Superman is.  Pictures don't, either, since the camera keeps getting blurry shots.  It must be his Kryptonian physique.

There's Oscar Wilde sleeping on the floor in front of him.  Anyway, Superman has hands that are scraped up with gouges and he's missing the tip of his nose.  He's going to be a real fixer upper.

Also: there's been some interest in the couch I made, so I made up a kind of tutorial.  This isn't size-accurate, just a visual representation, so that you can do your own thing and experiment with what works for you.

Fold on the blue lines, attach the red lines together perpendicularly.  Stuff where you feel it needs stuffing, cover every piece with fabric.  The backing goes onto the back of the main part to cover up where you attached the fabric (I used hot glue).  I made four rounded rectangles as the arm fronts and arm backs, and I sandwiched the blue folding tabs between them before I glued the red to red.  It's really a lot easier than it sounds!  Happy arting!

You'll have to wait a bit longer for my gal to be finished.  I thought I had a material that I do not, in fact, have.

But, but, but!
Look at what I did:

It's basically posterboard, covered with light batting, then covered again with that fabric I got at that garage sale that one time.  I used popsicle sticks at the seat to help stabilize it when folks sit on it.  It feels like a couch you'd want to sit on.

I just cut out the shapes, and in some cases sandwiched them.  Actually... if you look at where the pearls are, that's where my seams are from gluing the front to the back, or the side to the side.  I think it looks really funky and vintage, and it cost me way less than a dollar to make, since, as a crafter, I had most of this stuff lying around already!

Here's a closer look!

Happy arting!