Dollhouse Miniature Flowers in a Vase

 

Watch the video here.

This week for our Midweek Tutorial I decided to use some of the small flowers and leaves from the Dollar Tree Floral stems I showed last week as well as the UV resin I got a while back and a large glass from one of the Blind Bags and make a vase of flowers.

I had planned to get a chance to play with the resin off camera but I never got around to it. I have to admit I was finding the entire idea of using the UV resin to be a bit intimidating. I have been looking at the bottle ever since I did the video when I showed it to you all. I just couldn’t seem to get over that fear of the unknown so I kept putting it off.

When I was looking at the flowers on those floral stems I decided it was time to bite the bullet and just do this.

Since I also have amassed a rather large collection from the blind bags of things I decided to pick something out of there to use as the vase.

To begin I cut some of the flowers and leaves free from the stems and kind of played around with them off camera to see what I thought would be the best arrangement. Once I had something I thought would work I turned on the camera so I could show what I was going to do.

I will say I am less than happy with the UV light I purchased and if I decide to really get into UV resin I will look for a different one. In the meantime this one is alright.

I decided to use the light lying on it’s side to cure the resin since I didn’t think the UV rays would be able to get through the flowers. The bottle said to cure for 2 to 4 minutes under a light. I left the light on for 4 minutes on one side of the vase then flipped it to the other side for another 2 just to be sure it was going to actually cure for me.

 

 

I am really pleased with how this turned out and now I am really excited to do more with the resin.

 

 

 

As always I do want to sincerely thank all of you for watching my videos and reading my blog posts. It means so much to me that you are supporting me in this way. If I could ask you all to do just a bit more by subscribing to the channel and liking the videos and leaving comments. Those help more than you can imagine. Also if you could pass the links on to your friends I would appreciate it so much.

Dollhouse Miniature Filled Planters

 

Watch the video here.

This week’s video is a short one I am afraid. I ran out of time to get it finished so I didn’t get around to filling all the plant pots that I had intended. I do plan to work on them off camera and I will share photos of them on the Facebook group. So keep an eye out for them over there.

I started the project by going through my bins of mini things I have on hand from previous videos. I found three pots we had made from polymer clay, the wooden one that hangs on the rail of the porch and two small plastic ones from blind bags. I also dug out a wooden plant pot that looks like a clay pot. I know I should have more plant pots on hand but I didn’t have time to look any more. I really need to organize my minis in the near future.

The first step was to fill all the pots with some foam. I picked up a block of foam from Dollar Tree to use this time. 

 

 

 

It is pretty easy to fill the pots, just cut the foam to fit in them and then use some glue to attach the foam. If you have a pot that is really lightweight and you are worried about it tipping over once filled add some weight to the bottom under the foam. You could use a metal washer or something similar. The glue holding the foam needs to dry before the next step.

 

 

Once the glue dries paint the top of the foam with any dark brown acrylic paint. This will help it to blend into our “dirt” that will be on top of it. This paint does need to dry completely before we move to the next step.

 

Now we get to add both the soil and the plants to each pot. I am using my normal dried coffee grounds for the soil part. We have done this many times on tutorials so I am not giving all the details on it this time. It is really important that you work on one pot at a time. What I mean is add a layer of glue, add the “soil” then add the plants to that pot. If you let the glue dry it will be very difficult to get the stems to go into the foam under the layer of glue.

You can use any combinations of greenery and plants In your pots that you wish. Just take small clippings off the stems and play with them.

I am using the floral stems that I showed in the recent Dollar Tree Floral Haul on the channel. I did purchase one more stem, this “onion grass” stem that looks like long thin leaves. I thought it would be a nice one to have on hand to add to pots of plants as well as other projects around the dollhouse.

I find it does usually help to have a pair of tweezers to help to hold the tiny stems of the pieces I am adding to the foam. Also have a toothpick handy to make some small holes to insert the stems into. I also like to dip the stems in some extra glue just to help them stay in place.

Once the glue holding everything together you can do any additional trimming to make the plants just the way you want them.

As always I do want to sincerely thank all of you for watching my videos and reading my blog posts. It means so much to me that you are supporting me in this way. If I could ask you all to do just a bit more by subscribing to the channel and liking the videos and leaving comments. Those help more than you can imagine. Also if you could pass the links on to your friends I would appreciate it so much.

Dollhouse Miniature Dollar Tree Floral Haul

 

 

Watch the video here.

 

I know I have been absent from YouTube and this blog for a while, I do apologize. Some stuff happened which I will cover briefly at the end of this post. Hopefully I will be able to maintain a consistent schedule going forward from this point.

So for today’s video I decided to do a bit of a haul video of some floral items I picked up recently at Dollar Tree. I do have a tutorial planned using at least some of the items I show today along with some of the planters we have made over the last couple of years on the channel. I hope to get that tutorial filmed and ready for this coming Sunday.

The Dollar Tree I shopped at for this video is brand new (as in I was shopping on the day they opened for the first time) and I found these floral stems in two areas of the store. I am assuming that some are seasonal and some will be regular stock. I don’t remember where in the store each stem came from.

 

 

The “spiky” purple and yellow stems I think will work really well to replicate those stems of blossoms like delphinium and such. I did have to look up the flowers I was thinking of when I filmed. I will need to look up what colors those come in also. I am also thinking that by dry brushing on some green paint over the yellow pieces I can create something that looks like hanging greenery.

 

 

 

 

Next up I showed you a stem of greenery that consists of what looks like a little mini plants with really tiny leaves. I think other than cutting them apart I won’t need to do much with them to get them to look like a real plant.

 

 

 

 

The next stem has both some very tiny pale yellow flowers that are in bunches on the stem. Those I think can be used as is or re-painted in other colors and used. The leaves on this stem should cut down nicely and the very tip of the purple part reminds me of the purple hyacinths I used to have in my flower beds. I know a lot of people grow those in pots also and I think I am going to try to use some of this stem this way.

 

 

 

 

The next stem has a bunch of little leaves, I picked it because the leaves are fairly small, kind of a medium size in 1:12 scale and they look very generic. They will make wonderful “filler” plants in pots or with some flowers added to make larger plants.

 

 

The last stem I almost passed by because the flowers are way too big to use in the dollhouse. However, the spiky part I think can be cut down to make a nice mini flower of some type. The leaves seem to be fabric and I think I will be able to cut them down to make small leaves to go in amongst the other pieces to create greenery “filler” in some of the pots.

 

 

So those are the stems I picked up. I might pick up a couple more before I film the tutorial to go with these. But whatever the case the next video I have planned is a tutorial using at least some of these pieces in some of the various pots and planters we have made on the channel over the last few years, as well as a couple of the pieces from blind bags and some found objects also.

As for where I have been. There was a family tragedy and we learned of the deaths of 2 members of the extended family. That in and of itself was bad but then because of the circumstances of the deaths both my adult kids and I had to watch it unfold in the media. The situation is not completely over as of yet but the worst of it and the shock of what happened has at least passed. I am finally feeling up to trying to get back to creating

As always I do want to sincerely thank all of you for watching my videos and reading my blog posts. It means so much to me that you are supporting me in this way. If I could ask you all to do just a bit more by subscribing to the channel and liking the videos and leaving comments. Those help more than you can imagine. Also if you could pass the links on to your friends I would appreciate it so much.

Dollhouse Miniature Trash to Treasure Bowls

 

Watch the video here.

I have a really fun, easy, and versatile trash to treasure project for you today. We are going to take something that would normally get thrown away or tossed in the recycling and make some bowls. The “thing” we are using today is a blister pack from some over the counter medication. But there are so many different items that come in this type of package. Not only can you find a large variety of round shapes that hold things like medication but there are other shapes too. For instance I know I have had gum that came in rectangular shaped ones, those would make some fun mini serving trays. If you look around I bet you can find a lot of shapes and sizes to play with. Really if you look hard enough you can make so many different things with this easy project.

The first step is to empty the blister packaging in a way that preserves the shape. I like to use a knife to cut the foil at each location and pull the foil off to release the contents. This is a habit I have gotten into over the years of making miniatures and trying to save all kinds of stuff to use to make things with. Once the package is empty peel off as much of the remaining foil on the back as you can. Concentrate on the areas around the openings.

Once you have reached this step clean out the openings if needed. The package I was using had some powdery residue in each one so I used a cotton swab to wipe them out.

I know some people like to cut the little containers free and then add the finish to them. I find it so much easier to add my finish to them while they are still connected. Once this dries I can cut them free and do any touch-ups needed.

Today I am using some nail polish to add the finish. You could use other things but I like nail polish for this for several reasons. First I know it will stick to plastic pretty well and it is fairly durable. Second it is cheap, well at least it is if you buy yours at the dollar store like I do. Also it dries pretty quickly and I have a lot of colors of it on hand.

So I like to start adding the polish to the outsides of the bowls. I did use 2 coats on the outside and then 2 coats on the insides of each bowl.

I had been planning to make the insides of the bowls the same colors as the outsides. However one of the tasks I was doing while waiting for the polish to dry was putting my dishes away. I noticed that the majority of the bowls I like to use in my kitchen have white interiors and colors on the outside. I simply like the way food looks in those bowls. So I decided to do the same when coloring the miniature ones today.

 

Once the polish dries we can start to cut them apart. I used a pair of regular craft scissors to cut the packaging into strips then to cut each bowl apart. It is much easier to cut around the individual bowls if they are cut apart.

 

Off camera I did play around with different tools to cut the bowls free and found that the one thing that really worked the best for me was a pair of inexpensive curved cuticle scissors. I tried with a couple of different craft knives and found they were just too difficult to get the shape the way I wanted it.

Once you have your bowls (or whatever you are making) it is time to color the rim at the top, this will finish off the bowls and give them a bit more visual thickness.

To do this I made a small pool of nail polish on a piece of parchment paper and placed the bowl into it top down. Allow it to sit for a few seconds and carefully remove, turn it right side up and allow to dry.

 

 

 

 

And that is all there is to this project.

As always I do want to sincerely thank all of you for watching my videos and reading my blog posts. It means so much to me that you are supporting me in this way. If I could ask you all to do just a bit more by subscribing to the channel and liking the videos and leaving comments. Those help more than you can imagine. Also if you could pass the links on to your friends I would appreciate it so much.

Dollhouse Miniature Easter Gnomess

 

Watch the video here.

I have another free pattern for you to download so you make the project. You can find the file here. In the download there are 3 files: a PDF for hand-cutting of the pieces, a PNG to use with your electronic cutting machine and a text file with handy hints and tips (and the sizing information) to use the PNG.

As with most of these projects I cut all the pieces from medium weight white card-stock, the kind used to make cards and such. This is way more economical than having to purchase a bunch of colors and in my experience the paint colors are a lot more stable than the paper colors. I rarely get noticeable fading with the painted projects.

You are free to use the pattern as many times as you wish and even to sell the finished project. But, please don’t give away or sell my patterns. I spend a lot of time creating them and the only compensation I get is from people watching the videos and checking out the blog post. I really want to keep offering these for free so please if someone else wants to make one send them to the video and blog so they can get their own copy of the pattern.

 

As is the case with most of these projects the first step once you have you pattern prepared and cut is to glue the layers together. Just take your time and line up the edges as well as you can. Once they are glued I usually put them under a weight to keep everything nice and flat as they dry. Once dry we can prep to paint.

To get ready to paint I like to put all the pieces down on a piece of tape that is taped to my work tile sticky side up. This holds everything in place until I am ready to work with it. I did use a little piece of Washi tape for the single layer ear liner pieces.

I painted the pieces as follows:

 

 ear liners a pale pink

 

 

 

 

 Easter egg a pale yellow

 

 

 

 

ears white

 

 

 

 hair a golden yellow

 

 

hands and nose a flesh color

 

 

 

hat brim a medium blue

 

 

 

hat a pale blue

 

 

body/back a medium pink

 

 

 

and the shoes black

 

 

Once this paint was dry and I was happy with the paint coverage it was time to go on to doing some decorative painting.

I kept the decorative painting really simple just some lines for hair ties on the hair pieces, dots on the egg, and a very simple flower on the hat (which I then managed to pretty much cover up with the ears…)

Once dry it is time to start assembly.

The first thing to put together is to add those liner pieces to the ears. I like to line them up at the bottom of the ear and try to keep them centered side to side. Set those to the side to set up while we start adding to the hat. By the time we are ready for them they should be set up enough to add.

 

Start by lining the hair up the way you want it, I like to put mine on a piece of tape to make sure they stay where I want them. Then add some glue to the back of the hat at the bottom edge and place it on the hair pieces. Then add the nose into it’s little area just under the hat. Since this hat has a brim add that next. Then add the ears with the bottoms touching the top of the hat brim. Allow this glue to dry enough that the pieces won’t shift when we are adding this piece to the body.

 

 

Once the hat part has set up it can be added to the body piece along with the shoes. Again if you have time I recommend letting this glue set up before moving on.

 

 

 

 

 

The last pieces to glue on are the Easter egg and her hands then the project needs to dry completely before going on.

 

 

 

 

 

The last step before we display this little lady is to add a coat of a clear finish. I like to use Satin Mod Podge for this.

 

 

 

 

Once she is dry she can take her place in you mini scene. I think she looks right at home with the rest of our Easter decorations on the front porch of the dollhouse.

 

As always I do want to sincerely thank all of you for watching my videos and reading my blog posts. It means so much to me that you are supporting me in this way. If I could ask you all to do just a bit more by subscribing to the channel and liking the videos and leaving comments. Those help more than you can imagine. Also if you could pass the links on to your friends I would appreciate it so much.

Dollhouse Miniature Footstool

 

Watch the video here.

This is really a trash to treasure project since everything I used were found objects. I started with the base of the footstool, a 1” piece cut from the tube from inside a roll of aluminum foil. The tubes for aluminum foil are skinnier and made from thicker cardboard than other rolls in my experience. To cut this I used my miter box (the regular size one from the hardware store) so I could cut the tube easily without smashing it.

For the top I traced the end of the tube onto a piece of cardboard that was the backing for a tablet of paper I had used up.

I then glued a piece of a cotton ball onto the top of the cardboard circle to give just a bit of padding.

Once the cotton ball is glued on it is time to cover the parts of the footstool. I used some plain white 100% cotton fabric. You can use any fabric that is lightweight, I do recommend using 100% cotton but any color or even small prints would be fun for this project. I didn’t have the energy or time to dig through my fabric stash so I used white with the intention of painting my footstool later in the project.

For the top cut a piece of fabric that is big enough to fold under the edges. I like to trim as I glue so I have enough fabric to work with. Try to make the fabric tight enough there are no wrinkles and the edges are as smooth as possible.

To cover the base I used a piece of the same fabric cut to about 3” by 4 ½”

Fold over one edge (on the shorter side) to form a hem and glue in place onto the tube being sure one long edge is lined up with the bottom of the tube. Once this is in place cover the outside of the tube with glue and wrap the fabric around the tube. There should be some overlap where the piece meets the spot you started. Glue this in place. Allow the glue to set up enough that the fabric won’t move around.

 Now carefully fold the fabric down so that there is a fold at the top edge and there are two layers of fabric. Add a small bead of glue to hold the hem/seam in place and allow the glue to dry a bit.

 

 

To finish off the covering of the footstool spread some glue on the inside of the tube and neatly tuck the excess fabric up into the tube. This will give the footstool a nice finished appearance on the bottom and inside.

Then run a bead of glue around the top of the tube and add the top cushion to the footstool. Make sure it is centered and looks the way you want it to look then let this dry.

 

The next step is to add some cording to the spot where the top cushion meets the side of the footstool. I used some kitchen twine on mine but you also use yarn. The yarn would be the best solution if you are using a colored fabric or a patterned fabric and aren’t going to be painting the footstool. If you are not painting your footstool you are done as soon as the glue dries.

 

If you are going to paint your footstool do that at this point. I wanted a light beige color which of course I didn’t have so I mixed up a color that I liked. I did need to give mine 2 coats to get a good coverage.

 

 

Once dry you are done and ready to display the footstool in your mini scene.

 

As always I do want to sincerely thank all of you for watching my videos and reading my blog posts. It means so much to me that you are supporting me in this way. If I could ask you all to do just a bit more by subscribing to the channel and liking the videos and leaving comments. Those help more than you can imagine. Also if you could pass the links on to your friends I would appreciate it so much.