Dollhouse quilts

Enjoying a beautiful day today! It's also been a week since I got married and I am very much enjoying it! (Our honeymoon is in July.)

I've been doing little crafting lately, but am happy to share something I just started making - a dollhouse quilt. This isn't easy and I am not using any tutorials to make one. (But, maybe I'll make a tutorial if this turns out okay!)

I found a bag of tiny fabric scraps in our storage unit a few weeks ago when we were looking for a couple other items. I brought it back to the craft desk and set it aside until I decided to make a tiny quilt. I have a real-life lap quilt that I made last year out of African fabric and I am hoping to make one that (somewhat) matches.

I started on it yesterday. First I cut pieces of the fabric (they were in 2 inch x 2 inch squares) into 2 inch by 1/2 inch strips. I then sewed together different patterns with a 1/8" seam allowance.

This is what I have so far:

I am going to join these together so there will be sets of 4 strips. Then I am going to find a solid color in my stash and join the 4 patterned strips to a strip of solid color then to another strip of four and then continue this until I get the desired length of quilt. Then I will probably cut this in half so the strips are 1" wide. That might look better. We will see!

As you can see, I cut and sewed quite a bit yesterday.

This is a pile of strips pinned together. I just need to sew them to get a group of four strips. :) Now, to raid my stash for a solid color. :-)

I'll keep you all updated about how this works out!

Hutches and pottery

I have a lot of extraneous minis. I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing, but recently, I was going through the extra pieces I had (which I keep displayed on a shelf in our living room) and decided to reorganize and maybe even pare down some of it.

I don't know if you remember that shadow box display of pottery I put together a while back. (It's here.) Well, the hutch in that shadowbox has two matching pieces. Interestingly, I got all three of them from different places, but they look like they were made by the same person/company. I decided to put all three of them in the shadowbox, with the pottery, and I even added a small enamel pot with forsythia, too.

Someday, I will hang this somewhere. For now, it sits on the table in our foyer.

Updated Herb Shop - just some pics :)

I added a new shelf unit (found at an antique store) for all of the herbs and accessories.

There are jars of all sizes, a basket full of seed packets, and some growing plants. Also, there's a mortar and pestle, canisters, and even some shopping bags on the bottom shelf. The cork on the shelves was added by me so the objects on the shelf were more stable.

Crystal balls and antique pottery in the display case.

I rearranged this shelf quite a bit and put the hats on top. I would like to add more items.

Bowls of stickers, a selection of gems, and Mexican tapestries.

My homemade bookshelf and screen, with a cute wooden carved rhino.

This shop is my first miniature project and I've enjoyed putting it together. Adding and moving things around means a project is never *quite* complete, and I like that!

Looking over some posters.

A book I put together from a kit. I love the details on this.

A better view of the shelves.

I made this hex sign from a brochure I picked up while in Lancaster, PA.

I thought this picture turned out pretty cool. :) Here, you're looking through the front door of the shop.

I just *love* this log with toadstools. I bought it from Earth and Tree a little over a year ago. :)

Wedding bells! (and Etsy sales!)

So, I don't know if I mentioned this too much, but I am getting married on June 8th! It's coming super-fast and I am quite excited.

We are trying to take an eco-friendly, DIY approach as much as possible. I even made my own bouquet! Here's a peek...

Those are ribbon roses and flowers. It took forever to make but it was totally worth it as I know it will last a very long time. I made two more, smaller, ones for my maid of honor and bridesmaid. :) I am planning on making a wrist corsage that matches for my mom, too.


As we are going away for the wedding, I will be putting my Etsy shop on vacation (from June 4-11). BUT, I wanted to give a little gift to all of you, so from now until June 3, you will get 30% in my shop if you use the coupon code WEDDING2013.

I will be posting a few more times before the wedding. I have been re-organizing some of the houses and perhaps I will do another book review, time permitting.

Hope all of you are doing well!

Cheers,
Linda

Happy Birthday, Bob Dylan!

Bob Dylan turns 72 today, so I decided to do some art in his honor:

Mid-70s era Bob Dylan

In pencil...

Cartoon of "Subterranean Homesick Blues" Dylan

Pen, colored pencil, ATC

Enjoy and have a lovely day!

Cheers,
Linda

(Adding to A Favorite Thing)

Book Review and Owls!!!

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Hi there! On my facebook page, I had asked folks if they'd be interested in reading book reviews on my blog. I did receive some positive responses, so I thought I'd start with a very fun selection from my bookshelf called Microcrafts.

This colorful book details 25+ projects you can make using scraps in your craft stash. I am all about using up materials and letting very little, if any, go to waste. This book is great for giving you ideas on how to do that! Imagine having a "crafternoon" or a rainy day where you wanted to create but didn't want to start a "big" project. This book is perfect for that situation. It would also be fun to share with a younger craft fan as well! There are lots of simple projects (bunting, for example) but also some more complicated projects (mini books) that will take some more time and patience. 

Back of the book...

 

As a miniaturist, I find this book a great source for ideas for my dollhouses (in 1/12 scale). Books, bunting, miniature candy, deer heads, houseplants (including macramé plant holders!), and birdfeeders are just a few of the projects that are directly applicable to the miniaturist hobby. However, it is easy to adapt any of the projects for a dollhouse scene. For example, I made one of the little fabric owls (shown below) and decided (by mistake, actually) that they would make super cute pillows! Perfect for a 1/12 scale scene!

I made this little guy using the instructions in the book! Super cute. The ribbon can be used to hang him from just about anything.

The little guy on the right was my first attempt at the owl project in the book and he turned out too short to look right, so I made him into a pillow, which is perfect. The little guy on the left is the third one I made (I got a bit carried away in making these! -___-;)

The instructions are quite clear. There are some great photographs and diagrams. You can use tracing paper to copy the patterns so you can use them again and again!

(By the way, the chairs above can be found in my Etsy shop here.)

A special bonus in this book is the appendix, which includes information about supplies needed in projects within the book as well as various basic craft techniques. The latter include stitches to help you complete the projects and actually make the book a great crafter's reference as well! I also enjoy the modification ideas and the information about the contributors also found in the appendix.

Sometimes you just need to create something cute, frivolous, and fun, and this book is a great guide in helping you do that, and in helping you use up some of your scraps! These projects are fine for small thoughtful gifts, trinkets, or club projects for young and not-so-young alike! I highly recommend this book. 

If you have read this book, or decide to based on my review, please comment and let me know your thoughts!

Book details:
Title: Microcrafts: tiny treasures to make and share
Editors: Margaret McGuire, Alicia Kachmar, Katie Hatz, and Friends
Publisher: Quirk Books, Philadelphia 2011
87 pp
Retail price: 16.95 US/18.95 Canada (hardcover)

Please buy from your local and/or independent bookstores! Here is where you can find Microcrafts online or near you: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781594745218

Note: I am in no way affiliated with the authors or publisher of this book, nor have I been compensated for this review. This review is merely to express my opinions of the book and my experience using their instructions!

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I also wanted to share with you the finished owl pillows I made from two kits I purchased from Whimsy Cottage Minis! 

So cute!

Roadside America!

Last weekend, my fiancé and I needed to go to Lancaster, PA for some wedding stuff (including cake tasting!). On the way back to NY, we stopped by one of the places I went to when I was about 8 years old - Roadside America in Shartlesville, PA. It's right off of I-78. Here is their website: http://www.roadsideamericainc.com/.

I thought I would share with you some pictures as I remember how exciting this was when I was 8 and it's still pretty cool about 25 years later. :) (Photo credit goes to my fiancé, who, unlike me, remembered to bring his camera in!)