Dollhouse Miniature Blind Bags November 2022

 

Watch the video here.

Fist things first I get all my blind bags from eBay and they come from China. This batch was labeled as “supermarket” and the set cost less than $3. I ordered on November 1, 2022 with an estimated arrival of between December 1 and January26. They actually arrived on November 25, so a bit faster than expected. I have a blog post complete with screen shots showing how I look for the blind bags on eBay which you can find here if you are interested.

Now let’s see what I got and then I will talk about how I feel about these items at the end of the blog.

We didn’t start out very good since both of the first two bags were the same item, these blue lollipops. Maybe they could become cakes in a bakery, I’m not sure it they would work or not. The only other thing I can think of is to use them on a sign for a mini candy shop. I think for that they might be really cute.

 

 

 

 

The third bag contained this pink Popsicle. Since it is a translucent plastic to make it into a cake it would need a good coat of paint, then it might work. Again the only other thing I can think of is a sign for a mini shop.

 

 

 

 

The fourth bag contained sandwich cookie that is way to big to be in scale for the dollhouse. It would be a really cute small cake and that will probably be how I use it eventually.

 

 

 

 

The fifth bag had this another popscile in it, this time at least it isn’t translucent and might again become a cake or go onto a sigh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bag number six had this little dumpling, this one looks like either a stuffed toy or a pillow to me and I think it would work well as either.

 

 

 

 

 

Number 7 had this another large cookie that can definitely become another cake with very little work. Of all the items this one is my second favorite this time around.

 

 

 

 

 

Number 8 on the other hand had my least favorite item, this odd little doughnut (?) with a tropical flower on it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number nine had this chocolate bar that would probably be best used on a sign or something similar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The final bag contained my very favorite item this little cactus. I am sure I will be using in somehow with our cactus porch decor in the coming year. Not sure exactly how I will use it but I am pretty sure it will end up there.

 

 

The other thing that most of these items could be used for is some kind of funky art pieces. Maybe mounted on a board and framed to hang on a wall. Could be a cool display in a mini art gallery.

So my thoughts I wasn’t expecting much from this set and that is exactly what it delivered. I thought there would be some flat back items mixed with something else in some bags. I am pretty sure I won’t order this mix again. 

 

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 Round Santa Sign

 

Watch the video here.

Today’s project is another that I have created a pattern for you use to make yours. You can find the download here. I have both a PNG file for use with an electronic cutting machine and also a PDF for those that are hand cutting their shapes. Also included is a text file that will give basic directions for how to use the PNG file with you cutting machine including the size to set the image at to get the correct size project.

 

This sign only needs 3 basic pieces- sign base, Santa’s belt, and the belt buckle. You will cut 4 of the large rounds for the back of sign and 3 of each of the other shapes.

 

 

 

 

Glue the pieces together in sets and allow to dry.

 

 

 

 

 

Now time to paint. I used red for the base of the sign. Since this is a bit of a bigger piece I do recommend painting both the back and the front on this piece just to minimize any warping. Black for the belt, And a golden yellow tome for the basecoat on the buckle.

 

 

For the second coat of paint use the same red and black on those pieces concentrating on any areas you might have missed with the first coat and any areas that look too light in color. For the buckle switch to a metallic gold paint and give it a good coat of that. Allow to dry completely.

 

 

Now we can glue our sign together, I do recommend doing a “dry fit” to make sure you know where the belt will line up best. Then just assemble the sign with the belt in the middle and the buckle in the middle of that. Allow the glue to dry.

 

 

Now just a quick coat of Mat Mod Podge to give our signs a more finished final appearance.

 

 

Once dry we are ready to add the sign to the dollhouse wall. You could even just lean it against the wall if you wish. 

 

 

 

You can find all the items on the porch (plus a few more projects) in the new playlist I created here: The Santa Collection.

A big thank you to Plaid for providing the paints, brushes and Mod Podge used in today’s tutorial.

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 Christmas Storage Boxes

 

Watch the video here.

Today I have a really easy project for you to add a bit of Christmas (or any holiday) to your mini scenes. I was cruising around online looking for inspiration for what I wanted to do for today and saw a bunch of cute holiday themed storage boxes. I thought this would be fun to and I could create a pattern for you all to use either to hand cut (a PDF) or a PNG for those of us that have the electronic cutting machines.

You can find the file I made with this link, if you are using the PNG the sizing instructions are in the notes file. I decided to make separate PNG files for the two pieces to make it easier to for you to use different color papers if you wish.

The pattern I made is free to you to use as many times as you wish, you can even sell items made from the pattern. Just please don’t distribute the pattern itself. If someone else wants a copy send here to my blog or to the video tutorial for the project so they can download their own copy.

 

After you cut the shapes out of card-stock it is time to score the fold lines. I did not add score lines to the file since I find it much easier to just score by hand after it is cut. (also my Cricut does not score where I want it to so I don’t use that feature often)

 

 

 

Each piece of the box needs just 4 score lines like this.

 

 

 

 

 

Then fold on the scored lines like this.

 

 

 

 

 

Add glue to the triangle shaped tabs.

 

 

 

 

 

Then assemble the box and lid. I found that paper clips worked the best for “clamping” my box while the glue dried. Even my smallest clips were too heavy to use without distorting the shape of the box and lid.

Once the glue is dry your storage box is ready to display.

You could place these around an undecorated mini Christmas tree for a fun display.

 

 

 

 

Place in a storage area of the dollhouse (closet or attic or garage or ??) all year long to add that lived in touch to the dollhouse that most of us are looking to create.

 

 

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 Cranberry Swirl Bread

 

Watch the video here.

I have had this project on my list for a while now. I actually found the pictures of it back when I did the other swirled bread tutorial on the channel. I thought this version was just so pretty and would be the perfect holiday project.

We are starting out like we do for most of our breads using our “bread mix” of 4 parts white polymer clay with 1 part Sahara Fimo. The amounts don’t have be perfect and you can sub in other clay colors you just want to warm up that white a little bit.

I like to use the loaf pans I made in this tutorial, when I am making a loaf of bread that is designed to be baked in a loaf pan in real life. The little paper lifter really helps, just make sure to use card-stock instead of the paper I used in the video. It worked fine on the one I made ahead to take pictures of but the one on camera as you saw in the video fell apart. Not a big deal it still helped to lift the bread out of the pan just not as well as it should have.

 

 

Portion off enough clay to form your loaf of bread and roll it out into a long sheet. I like to use craft-sticks to make sure I have a nice even thickness.

 

 

 

Next spread on a mixture of liquid clay with just a bit of red oil paint, I find Rose Madder works the best when I don’t want an orange tint to my red. Use just a tiny bit of the oil paint, too much and the mixture won’t cure properly.

 

 

 

 

After you have a nice layer of this mixture sprinkle on some micro beads to represent the cranberries.

 

 

 

Now just roll the bread up like you would the real thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carefully put the loaf into the bread pan with the card-stock lifter in place and form your loaf of bread. 

 

 

 

Carefully remove the loaf from the pan.

Tweak the shape as best you can. The clay will be very soft ant messy with the liquid clay. Place the loaf in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes to firm up.

 

 

Now we need to make the bread look baked. For this we are using artist chalks. I used my normal 3 colors- yellow ocher, reddish brown and brown, I also added a rust color to the mix since I wanted this loaf to be a bit lighter in color than some other breads we’ve made in the past.

 

 

 

 

Coat the entire outside with the yellow ocher.

 

 

 

 

 

Now use the rust to add a bit more color using a bit less than you did of the yellow.

 

 

 

 

Now repeat with the reddish brown using a bit less of it.

 

 

 

And finish with just a touch of the brown, I kept it mainly to the end where the filling would have seeped out in real life.

 

 

Now slice the loaf as desired. I usually cut off three slices on my mini loaves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Texture the cut surfaces of the bread.

Bake at the temperature recommended for your clay for 20 minutes then allow to cool to room temperature.

 

Now we can add a bit of a glaze/icing to the top. For this I used my White liquid clay straight from the bottle. A bit on the top of the loaf and tease down a few drips. Don’t forget the slices. When you are happy bake for 10 minutes.

 

Cool and display as desired.

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 Santa Flag

 

Watch the video here.

Like always we are starting with a strip of plain white, 100% cotton fabric. I use bleached muslin for my flags, you should be able to find this fabric in any fabric store/department especially if they carry any fabrics geared to quilters. For our flag we need a strip that measures 1” by 3”.

The other item we will need to begin is some paper backed fusible web. This is basically a fabric glue that is heat activated and comes on a sheet of paper making it very easy to use. I prefer the Heat 'N Bond brand. There are other brands in stores and you can use whatever brand you can find. I do recommend you pick one that is designed to hold without sewing. Mine is labeled “Ultra-Hold” this way you won't need to worry about your flag coming apart later. You will need a 1” square of the paper-backed fusible web.

Follow the directions on your fusible web product to form your flag.

Now for the fun part turning our plain little white flag into a Santa flag. Use a pencil to sketch your design on the flag first. I made my lines as dark as the pencil would write on the fabric when you are doing yours only make them dark enough that you can see them. That way they will be easier to cover with the paint. For the face I am just using simple lines/shapes combined to make something that hopefully can be identified as Santa’s face. Once you are happy with the way your face looks cut the extra off the bottom corners so the bottom of the flag follows the shape of Santa’s beard.

To transfer the lines to backside you have several choices. What I did was I held the flag up against my window and with the light behind it I was able to see the lines well enough to trace them. If you have a real light box even better. You could also just draw the face another time, after all it doesn’t have to match perfectly.

 Now paint the little top corners in a color that will stand out from the red of the hat. I chose a nice blue to look like the sky.

Next use a paint that is the color you want for your Santa’s face, I wanted a slightly pink/flesh tone but you can customize this to make Santa the way you want. For my color since I didn’t have the exact color I wanted I mixed a pink and with some white to create just the color I wanted. Paint just the little band of “skin” area we left between the white trim for the hat area and the beard area. Allow the paint to dry.

 

 

Next up we can paint the red of Santa’s hat. If you use a small brush and take your time painting these easy shapes it really simple. Allow the red paint to dry.

 

 

Now we can add some cheek color to Santa’s face. For this I used a cotton swab and just dabbed on a tiny bit of the same pink I used earlier to make his rosy cheeks.

We can also paint the white areas now too. These will be his beard and the trim on the hat. These areas might need more than one coat of paint. I did 3 coats in most of the areas to get the coverage I wanted. Allow to dry.

Now we can add a nose to Santa’s face, for this I mixed the same pink with the white but a bit more pink. I wanted his nose to be a color in between the color of this cheeks and his skin.

Then using a very small dotting tool add his mouth and eyes. And your flag is ready to display in your mini scene.

A huge thank you to Plaid for providing the paint and brushes used in today’s 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 Santa’s Hat Cookie Jar

 

Watch the video here.

I want to preface this post by saying that yes, this cookie jar is a bit larger than I normally make. I did that because I was watching something the other night and in the background of a scene of a kitchen there was a larger than normal cookie jar. I loved how it took center stage in the background and looked so important. If you want to keep yours smaller just use thinner layers of clay in building the hat shape.

We start the cookie jar like pretty much all the others we have made, with a card-stock core or base. This is made from a strip of white card-stock that is ¾” by 4” and is rolled around a Sharpie type marker and glued to form a tube. This allows us to have a sturdy base to build our cookie jar on and it also gives the inside of the cookie jar a nice finished appearance.

I do highly recommend using a thick tacky glue for this step and then allowing the glue to dry really well (overnight is probably best) This way the glue will not let go in the oven. At least that is what has worked best for me on these. The only time this method didn’t work for me was when I tried to rush and didn’t give the glue enough time to dry completely.

Once the glue on the card-stock base has dried we need to add a very thin layer of white polymer clay. This will give us a nice base to build our cookie jar on. For this I used Liquid Sculpey in White. I would much rather of used TLS (Translucent Liquid Sculpey) but I am almost out and couldn’t get any the last time I shopped.

Once you have the outside of the base covered including a bottom added bake for 10 minutes at the temperature recommended on your clay. We also need to make a small disk of clay that will fit inside the top of the cookie jar to form the lid on. Bake your pieces for 10 minutes and allow to cool to room temperature before moving to the next step.

Now the fun part we turn this base piece into Santa’s hat. Start by building out the bottom of the jar with a thin snake of red clay. Use some liquid clay to attach it. Once you are happy with this step you will want to bake it for 10 minutes to set everything in place.

 

 

Now add a bit more red clay to even out the shape then cover with a thin sheet of clay again using some liquid clay as a glue. Smooth this out to look like a nice hat, remember the real hat would have a few folds but you don’t want it look like Santa forgot to iron his outfit.

Since I normally use a bit of cornstarch on my fingers when smoothing out my clay and that would not work with this red clay I used my other favorite method. I simply used a bit of Rubbing Alcohol to wet my finger tips and then I could easily smooth the clay out with no problems. The big draw back with this method is it is sooo messy. That is why I use the cornstarch when possible. Bake the cookie jar for another 10 minutes and allow to cool to room temperature.

Now is the time get the top (and bottom if needed) of the cookie jar evened out. For this just rub it on a piece of sandpaper to smooth both surfaces.

Now we can create the lid of the cookie jar, this is going to be a multiple step process. Start by making a small flat disk of red clay that will sit nicely on top of the cookie jar opening. Once you are happy with the size and shape use some more liquid clay to attach that white clay disk we made earlier and bake for 10 minutes.

 

Now we can build up the point of the hat on the part we just made it is up to you if Santa’s hat stands up straight or if it folds to one side. Smooth it just like for the hat and when you are happy bake it for 10 minutes.

 

 

Now we can add the white fur trim. This is simply a band of white clay at the very bottom of the cookie jar (don’t forget the liquid clay) then texture with a toothbrush. Add a small ball tot he tip of the hat and texture it also. Bake for 10 minutes.

 

 

Once cooled to room temperature add a very thin coat of Satin Mod Podge and allow to dry. Now you cookie jar is ready to display in your dollhouse kitchen or maybe a mini kitchen or Christmas shop.

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.