Creative process

In my Vermont Farmhouse Jr.  (which I have had for 7 years and is still not complete), the bedroom right now is pretty blah.

I did wallpaper it about 5 years ago, and that was it.  Never really touched it again.  So I've been thinking a lot about finishing it.  I don't know what the point of me having all these dollhouses is if they are just sitting empty.  Other side.....what is the point of having all this dollhouse furniture and accessories if I am NOT putting them in a dollhouse.    There is a simple solution.  PUT THE FURNITURE IN THE HOUSE!  Not sure why I have not thought of this before.  haha

This post is going to be the start of me finishing the master bedroom in the VFJ. 

Firstly, I should show you the wallpaper.  Sorry about the horrible pictures, bad lighting and a cell phone don't make for good photos. 

Close-up of wallpaper

Ok so that my dear followers is the wallpaper that I chose for this room 5 years ago.  The print is small and in scale.  I must have liked it at some point, now I am not so sure.  However, that being said it's staying.  I consider wallpapering a dollhouse about as irritating as nails on a chalkboard.  
So it looks like little leaves, that are pink with a darker pink/burgundy colour, and little green dots.

So......what goes with that wallpaper?  I have real issues with pairing patterns in rooms.  I've seen a lot of dollhouses with floral wallpaper and another floral for curtains etc.....it may work for some, but I cringe when I see that.  I struggle with co-ordinating wallpaper to curtains or fabrics for furniture.  So I already know that I'm going to be frustrated by the end of the creative process.

The floor in the bedroom is unfinished right now.  It's grooved to look like hardwood, but the likelihood of me actually staining it is slim.  So I thought maybe on each side of the bed I would put a throw rug.   Just something plain....maybe white-ish.

So here is a picture of the wallpaper, with the rug I was thinking, and the colour of the furniture that will be in the room.  Wanted to see if they go nicely together.  Which I think that they do.  Oh I should also mention that any trim in the room is white.

So far so good.  This particular room has two windows that are on either side of the bed.   They need curtains I think.  I'm still torn between putting curtains or making roller shades for them.  I saw a really cool easy tutorial to make some.  Either way, I have to figure out what fabric to use.
What I like to do is take my wallpaper swatch, and carpet swatch and place fabric swatches with them that I think might look nice. 

So, went through my enormous stash of fabric and got a few pieces I thought might go with the wallpaper.  The burgundy I think looks really good and possibly even the pink.  The one with the swirly things on it, might make good cushions for the bed.  Possibly?!?!
See, I'm already frustrated!  This is why the room has sat empty for the past 5 years.

I wondered if maybe some reds would go, so that is a picture of two types of red that I have.  I'm not sure that either goes very well.

So I'm no further ahead.  I still have a wallpapered room with the furniture in it, but no finishings.

Next step would probably be to see if maybe some nice greens would go, although I have a feeling that I would just be wasting my time. 

Thoughts?????

Scrapbooking

Before Miniatures took over my life, I used to be a Scrapbooker.   I'd go to crops with my good friend Lori.  We'd have a ton of fun, and I've made lots of good friends through scrapbooking.  So a couple of years back I decided that I wanted to make a Miniature Scrapbooking scene for my friend Lori, for her birthday.

Lori and I met in 2001 on a yahoo group for women who were pregnant and due to have their babies in July of 2002.   Many of the women on this group were American or in other parts of Canada.....but Lori and I were literally just minutes from each other and we became great friends.   We always have a blast when we are together.

Not a great picture, but this is us at the 2010 Weekend to End
Women's Cancers.

So back to the miniature scene.  I wanted it to look as though it was her cropping space.  I created a "wall" out of foamcore covered in scrapbook paper.  Then I made the table.  I created a little carpet for it to sit on and added a purchased chair.   I made little 1"x1" papers from actual scrapbook paper and sorted it in the paper "shelf".   The garbage can is a coffee creamer.  Inside is real scraps of paper and on piece on top has a little note pad sheet crumpled that actually says call Crystal on it. :)

The pictures on the bulletin board are pics of her and her husband and her kids.  The blue "box" in the left bottom corner of the table is a replica of an actual paper tote that Lori owned at one time (maybe still does).  

Lastly and probably the best part (wish I had a picture of it), is the album sitting on the floor by the chair.  It's a scrapbook.  I took actual pictures of layouts that Lori has done in the past, and reduced them to 1:12 scale and made a book out of it.  It's an actual miniature scrapbook. 

Lori loved this gift, and so did some of our scrappy friends.  I mean who wouldn't love it right?

Purses/Mini Pic of the Day

So anyone that knows me, knows that I love handbags.  So I can only assume that any "mini" woman would also love purses.

I haven't made any in some time though, and they were a lot of fun to make.   I need to make more.   This post is going to be about 3 particular purses that I sold on Etsy.  So I am sad to say that these bags are no longer in my possession :(

Aren't they cute though?  I really have nothing more to say about it other than I really should make more. 

Leather Handbags

Mini Pic of the Day - Sept 16, 2013

So at least once a year my husband and I (sometimes the kids too) go to Disneyworld.

One of my favourite things to see while there is the World Showcase at Epcot.....more specifically this little miniature village that is just sort of hidden.   I didn't even know it was there until a few trips ago. 

This year when we went we had the boys, 13 and 11....and needless to say standing and looking at a miniature village was not very exciting for them, so I took a few pictures and we were on our way.

It's very well done, and has a train and everything.  These pictures do it NO justice. 

Enjoy.

Some Changes and Pic of the Day

Today didn't start off very well, and I should have taken that as a sign and just crawled into bed and stayed there.  I didn't.  I decided to make some changes to my blog.

WHY, WHY did I do that.  Everything changed and it took me forever to get it back to what it looked like before.  You may notice some small changes....I couldn't get it exactly like it was before.  OH WELL.  

Also, I have created another blog.  It will be a more personal blog.  Documenting my training and fundraising for a big walk that I have registered to participate in next September (more to come on that later).

So pic of the day......piggybacking on yesterdays post, I thought I would show you the other pictures that are going to go into the Tea Room.  I made sure that the colours would go, and I plan to frame them all, in various frames.  Enjoy.

 

 

 

A Bunch of Stuff

Hello....hello...hello.....sometimes I feel like I am writing to a big empty canyon.  Where the only person hearing anything I am saying is myself, hearing my echo. 

I know I have some readers/followers.....and for the one or two of you I am grateful.  And, even if no one ever comes to read this blog, I'd still write it.  Somehow it's therapeutic. 

So like the title states, this post is going to be on a bunch of stuff......the first is going to probably bring you down a bit......I know it will for me, but then I will move on to happy things.

Well, today is September 11, 2013.   Although it was 12 years ago, September 11, 2001 feels like yesterday.  There are not many days in my life that I can remember a lot of detail of, however that day I can picture so well, and when I think about it, all those feelings of fear and confusion come back.  It's a day that I believe changed the world forever.  Never in my lifetime had I witnessed such tragedy (even though I was watching it on TV).  I was working in Downtown Toronto, and our office was on the 35th floor.  I remember looking out our windows at the view North of Toronto, and it's the first time ever in my life that I saw no planes flying in the sky.  It was so peaceful, yet so eerie.  Even here in Toronto, Canada buildings throughout downtown Toronto were being evacuated, and while it was scary I knew that what I was feeling was nothing compared to what the good people of NYC were feeling and going through.  I visited NY in 2004.  I visited the site of the former twin towers, and as I was there, suddenly the tears started flowing.....right there where I was standing thousand of people lost their lives for no other reason than where they live.  Seeing signs up still of people "missing" from that day.  It's something I will never forget.  EVER.  So take a moment today and remember that horrible act of terrorism that happened 12 years ago, and think of the families that lost loved ones.  Hug your family tight and cherish every day that you have with them, because you never know when it might all be taken away from you.

Well now that I have made myself cry, and maybe one or two readers, why don't we move onto something a little happier, shall we.

So I decided to also post a Mini Pic of the Day.....yay!

A little while back I created a framed picture for my tea room.  So that will be my pic of the day today.  I will also tell you how I made it. 

I just got a very pretty, appropriate picture of a painting off the internet, and in word I was able to size it to be to scale for my project.  Then I printed it on some printable fabric paper.  This is stuff you print on and then sew onto a project.  That's the best way I can describe it.  It has a textured surface, which when you print on it, looks like it might actually be a painting.  Side Note:  this paper also works well for making Quarter Scale rugs.

Then I took a metal scrapbook embellishment that is in the shape of a picture frame.  I dry brushed white paint on it and then wiped it off with a paper towel, so that paint settled in the etched parts of the frame giving it an older look.   Glued the print to the back of the frame and voila, you have a framed painting to hang on the wall. 

Here I am holding the framed picture to show scale. 
Doesn't it look nice?



This picture if you can enlarge it, shows how the
 paper is textured.

Mini pic of the day - Sept 7, 2013

Happy Saturday followers.

I'm having a very lazy day today.  Therefore I'm not getting off my chair to take a picture.  So here I am, sitting in my computer chair, with one of my dollhouses behind me.
Tada......it's a picture and has something mini it in :-)

ENJOY!!!

I'm Back

Hello loyal followers.....

Well I am back in the swing of things.  I was actually away for a while in Florida, but didn't mention that here.  So, I'm back, even though you might not have known that I was even away.  LOL

Anyway, I decided to do a pic of the day today with a little bit of a twist.  It's not really a miniature as far as our hobby goes but it is small and super cute.

I get Lego emails because I buy our boys Lego, and well Lego is just AWESOME!  This item caught my attention and I really want it.  I love building Lego with my son, and I would die to have this.....so here it is........A 1962 Volkswagen T1 Camper Van.  How cool is that?

 

 

Anyway, you can see the inside and specs here http://shop.lego.com/en-CA/Volkswagen-T1-Camper-Van-10220?fromListing=listing

Tata for now.