A Day of Dolls

I had the luxury of sneaking away from the office to visit one of my favorite dolly friends. Elise lives in a turn of the century house brimming full of antiques and delights. The best part of her glorious collection is of course her dolls. She had done some shopping with me earlier this year and was very excited to show me what she had created for her some of her beauties. I was gleeful to visit and play dolls for the day. I really LOVE to see what my customers create using my fabrics and trims. Elise's enjoys is combining modern textiles with vintage and antique fabrics and trims. She is always inspired by my classically designed fabrics and says they combine naturally with old world laces and trims.  I hope you enjoy the visit as much as I did.  Michelle  minidolls.com

French Fashion Lady 1870
(forgive her fastenings they have not been completed yet)

 Antique Dollhouse Dolls

Cabinet Size Steiner

More of her various collections to be found in all corners of her home.

Country Armoire , Part Three

I wanted to catch up, and finally, I am. We continue to build on the Armoire Vignette.

I kit bashed an armoire I purchased as defective. The doors, completely removed and turned around, flipping the sides so it appears that they shut. I sanded and painted the armoire, as well as made shelves and glue them in. The lace covering the door is my attempt at reusing some old lace pieces as draperies. They cover all sorts of sins.

Add your large pieces at the beginning, as you will be working from the back forward now. The second largest piece is the purchased ladder back chair. The quilt taught at miniature club. I think it is darling. The process was simple and I feel like I could make many more. I had previously fit the quilt to the chair and sprayed it with water and steam to hold its shape. I borrowed some country signs from the internet and played with them as well. Notice the Antiques sign over the chair. In addition, I started working with the items I had on hand to fill the armoire.

I took a class on stained glass in Chattanooga with Penny Champion, IGMA Fellow. My first piece of stained glass rests on the wall above the armoire. To the right of the armoire is another picture of a picture behind a windowpane. I often use only some clear holding wax. I often use only some clear wax to adhere things to the walls.

Kathi

Country Armoire Chapter Two

My New Year wish list consisted of doing a new blog every Tuesday.  I have already failed!  Sigh!  Last week was busy getting the painters in and out, pictures hung, and the furniture in two rooms switched.  That's right we flipped rooms.  I like it!  We painted the new dining room RED!  Ming Red.  It's beautiful.  Not at all "beachy" as I had thought I wanted.  I love the Shabby Chic look, but apparently it is not me!  Or I should say US!

So, here I am back, intent on catching up.  Hopefully the next chapter will be correctly posted on Thursday and I will be all caught up.  For now, I will tell you how I prepared the body or the background of the vignette or shadow box for the Country Armoire.

I printed a brick sheet of paper I created in MS Publisher by fitting together a picture of an old Brick wall.  My intent was to show this as an indoor sunroom.  Perhaps it is in a converted porch area of a home or even a small resell shop in the square of Anywhere USA.  The feel I am trying to achieve is that of comfort and home.  The picture printed on matte photo paper, cut to size for the shadow box and glued it into place.  What you do not see very well, is I did the same thing with the floor and the sides.  The sides are red painted wood planking, also printed on photo paper, cut, and glued into place.  I had some wood flooring, so installed it per the instructions.  I did use a little paste wax when it was completed.
The final picture is the shadow box prepared for furniture installation.

I hope to have more steps soon and you can create a vignette using your miscellaneous miniatures, too. 

Kathi

NewYear, Sharing a Project

I find this picture seen on the internet most charming.  I would love to credit the artist, but so far have not found him/her.  I have had and saved this picture for years and years.  This picture inspired the project I am sharing.

Hating to dust, but having little time (or attention span) for a large dollhouse, I like to do little projects I can hang on the wall or set in a corner somewhere.  It is, more or less, how I save and display my collection of miniatures.  I am not great at it, but I love them just the same.   

To demonstrate how I do a project, which by many of you is overkill, I have heard it a thousand times; I like to draw it in a way that I think makes the most sense to me.  Then I can see what I have, what I have to make, or buy, and see what I have that is serendipity.  You know those wonderful little things we have taken as classes, or collected with no special idea where to put them, the pieces that are just fun!  (I have a shoebox full.)   

By first checking my supplies or the size of boxes available to me, I can see what will and will not fit my project.  In this case, I was able to use a trinket or shadow box from Hobby Lobby.  This particular box is a black metal one with a magnetic closure.  

As a special note, I took this picture to my miniature club in Nashville and suggested it for a yearlong project.  Each of us could select something in the cabinet to teach as a class each month when we met.  Yet each of could interpret the project any way we saw fit.  This drawing following is difficult to see, but you get the idea of how I work.  This is my working plan or idea.  Things do change; no design is set in stone.  (Also, my measurements are often off.)   

Before we get into the pictures and the steps for completing my project, I will also add, that now is the time to make things in pieces or search for special items.  Save them in a pretty shoebox (or an ugly one, I don’t discriminate over boxes and plastic containers), and collect up supplies you know you are going to need and get them in one place.  You will need rulers and cutting mats, glue and tape, perhaps a computer, some fabrics and patterns, whatever suits your goals.   For example I had to purchase the ladder back chair, and make the quilt.  Collect up our interesting things, you never know what will work.   

Kathi 

(I’ll be back with more steps and pictures soon.)