Dollhouse Miniature Valentine Hearts

 

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.

I will say that you really could easily make this project by drawing your own heart shapes. You just need 3 hearts that are in 3 sizes. (mine are 1”, ¾” and 5/8”) You could also use those thin wooden shapes that are available at the craft store (you will only need one of each size in that case) I am sharing the pattern for this simply because it was easier for me to re-size a heart I had already made for another project than dig through my wood shape stash and find something else.

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.

 

Like with other projects I started by gluing the heart shapes together to make thicker hearts using the 3 layers for each one. This will make the project heavy enough to hold up but still it is super easy to cut the card stock.

Once glued allow the glue to dry completely before going on to the next step of painting.

To paint small things I like to anchor them down on a piece of masking tape that is taped sticky side up on my work surface, be sure to space them out a bit so you have room to paint the edges and not get paint on its neighbor.

I used three colors of red/berry on mine. You could make the background the same on all three or different like I did. Since reds are notorious for not covering in one coat it took a few coats of paint to get the coverage I wanted. I also was careful to get the edges on all the hearts. Allow this paint to dry.

 

I used a light pink and some white to paint designs on each heart. I am really happy with the abstract design I got with the straw, it I really like how that one turned out. The other two were pretty plain just some lines on one and dots on the other. Let this paint dry completely.

 

 

Once the paint dries it is time to glue the hearts together. I like these the best when the smallest heart is the middle layer (that’s why I painted ti with the more contrasting color paint) but feel free to layer any way you wish. Some of the ones I saw online for real size were glued to be taller but I went with wider shorter set up for mine. Play around with the pieces before you get out the glue and see how you like them the best. Allow the glue to dry.

 

 

Now a quick even coat of Satin Mod Podge on both the front and the back and the decoration is finished.

 

 

 

 

I love this little piece and I think it would look wonderful on the front door. I tried to get it placed on the door of the dollhouse but I couldn’t get it to work on my door so I placed it next to the door.

This one is small enough that it could go in many places inside or outside 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 Winter Gnomess

 

Watch the video here.

First I want to I had intended to have this tutorial up for last Sunday but life (weather and then a bit of a cold) got in the way. So I decided to get it up for the midweek tutorial instead. I do try to make the midweek videos shorter but I really wanted to this one as soon as possible.

And for the title of the video I Googled what a female gnome is called and from what I learned gnomess seems to be the correct term so that’s what I decided to go with here. If someone has a better idea let me know.

With all that out of the way let’s get to the project.

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.

T

o start the project we need to glue the layers of each unit together. When you are done you should have the pieces (units) that are shown in this picture. I just use a thin layer of a thick tacky glue to put mine together. I have the best luck that way. I have had many projects in the past that I used glue stick on that fell apart in a short time so I avoid using them. This glue needs to be completely dry before we go onto the next step which is painting.

To set up to paint I tape a piece of tape with it’s sticky side up on my work surface. I then put the glued units onto the tape grouping them by color.

You can use whatever colors you want here are the ones I decided to use today.

 

For the braids a golden yellow.

 

 

 

Cup pieces red.

 

 

 

 

 

Liquid for cup a dark brown.

 

 

 

Shoes a black.

 

 

 

Nose and hands a flesh type color.

Hat and back/body piece a bright blue.

 

 

 

Give the pieces as many coats of paint as needed to get the coverage you want on your gnomess. Allow the paint to dry.

I like to add a thin coat of Mod Podge to the pieces I am going to be painting any details on. This way if/when I mess up I can use a cotton swab and “erase” my mistakes. Without the barrier of the Mod Podge it is much more difficult to get the mistakes off the surface. Allow this coat of Mod Podge to dry.

Now we are adding the details. I used a lighter brown for the details on the braids. I just made some short diagonal lines on each side. I am hoping to get better with painting the braids over time. Also add a line of the color of the back piece to the braid to look like a hair tie holding the braid once the lines dry a bit.

For the design on the mug I went with a white flower that was very simple. Later I thought it might have been cool to see if I had any tiny stickers that could have been added. Or if you have any tiny rubber stamps you could go that route. In other words add whatever design you want using whatever medium you desire.

For the hat I used a light blue and made some diagonal stripes then added white dots. I really didn’t have set idea of what I wanted to do I just wanted to make a fun hat design here. Let all this paint dry completely.

 

Now that all the painting is done we can start to put her together. I decided to start with the hat/ hair/ nose unit. This way I could line all of these pieces up the way I wanted them before adding to the body/back piece. To do this I put down a piece of washi tape and lining the braids up on this so that the top width is the same as the bottom of the hat and their tops are even. Then I glued the hat to them. I then added the nose to this piece tucking it into the spot in the hat where it goes. Let this glue set up enough that these pieces will stay in place when moved off the tape.

 Once the glue is set up add both the hat unit and the shoes to the back/body unit. Lining everything up like I did in the video.

This is also when we need to put the cup together. Simply add the filler piece to the cup back leaving a thin edge of the back showing at the top. Then add the cup front lining the top of it with the bottom of the filler and making sure the side opposite the handle lines up. The bottom edge of the front will be longer than the back piece.

Allow glue to dry.

 

 

 

The last things to add are the cup and the two hands to our little friend then she needs to dry completely.

 

 

 

 

 

Now just a thin even coat of Satin Mod Podge over both the front and back and being sure to coat the edges also. Allow this to dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here she is on the front porch of the dollhouse. I am in love with her! I hope you are too.

 

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 Modern Lamp

 

Watch the video here.

For the midweek video this week I thought it was time to do a good old trash to treasure project. So as I was thinking about what I wanted to make I a couple of mornings ago I took note that the top of my tube of toothpaste was one of those that looks like a lamp shade. I know a lot of us have used these for exactly this purpose but I decided it would still be fun to do again. Kind of like visiting someplace familiar.

Since we have been hit with bitter cold this last week or so I am not leaving my apartment building so this project had to be make completely from stuff on hand.

So I dug through my stash to find a lamp base, I had thought of using a large bead but I was really wanting to do something a bit different. Then I saw these golf tees in my wood stash. Perfect! They look like a modern lamp base. So off to the craft table to make a modern lamp.

For the lamp base I am using this golf tee, I looked them up online and I see they come in different sizes so you could make lamps of this style in different sizes too.

Safely cut the tip of the golf tee off so it just fits into the cap with just a bit of the skinny part showing to look like the part where the bulb screws into. The idea is you want the shade to sit a bit above the wider part of the base (mine is about 1/8” above) so it looks right.

Then use the glue of your choice that will glue plastic and put some into the cap. Then center the golf tee in the cap keeping it as straight up and down as possible. I used e6000, but you could use whatever glue you have. I think this might be a good place to use the dreaded hot glue gun even. Allow the glue to dry completely.

 

And there we have a modern lamp for the dollhouse. I think I need to make extra sure I get the same kind of toothpaste next time too so I can make a matching lamp. I think these would be perfect as a set one on each side of a couch.

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 Winter Gnome

 

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.

The first step is to glue the units together, you will find that the pieces are grouped together on the pattern to make this easier. In the end you should have 1 body (4 layers thick), 1 hat (3 layers), 1 beard (3 layers), 1 snowflake (3 layers), 2 hands (each 3 layers thick), 2 shoes/feet (each 3 layers) 1 hat brim (2 layers) and 1 pompom for the hat (2 layers) Allow the glue to dry completely before moving on the next step.

Next we need to paint the units. I like to lay down a piece of tape on my work tile sticky side up (anchored down on each end with more tape. And lay my units on the sticky surface grouped by the color they will be painted. This is why the glue needs to be all the way dry because I have found if the card-stock is still damp from the glue when I put it on the tape it is more apt to tear badly when I remove it later.

Now just paint the units as desired here are the colors I used:

 

The hat brim and pompom were painted white.

 

 

 

 

 

The shoes/feet black.

 

 

 

The beard was first painted white then some streaks were added with a small amount of black.

 

The hands and nose in a flesh tone.

 

 

 

The body and hat in a blue.

 

 

Give any pieces a second coat of paint if needed and check the edges of the units to make sure everything is covered.

Allow the paint to dry completely, I have found if I try to glue (the next step) before the paint is completely dry it sometimes will cause the paint to transfer to places I don’t want it and make a mess.

 

Now can begin the process of assembling our gnome. I like to start with gluing the beard and feet to the body unit. Being careful that nothing extends beyond the flat bottom edge of the body piece. I like to start with the beard centering it side to side and best as I can. Then add the shoes/feet on either side at the bottom. This glue needs to set up enough that the pieces will stay in place but it doesn’t need to dry completely.

 

 

 

At this point I added a coat of a glitter to the snowflake using a layer of Mod Podge. This is optional but it does make the snowflake look the part a bit better. Set this aside to dry completely.

 

 

Once the glue has set up we can add the hat and nose. I did use the nose piece to cut the curve in the hat so they should fit together really well. I like to do both of these pieces at the same time just in case I have any glue build up at the nose area of the hat. If it dried it could prevent a close fit of the two pieces.

 

 

Once the snowflake is dry peel it off the tape that is holding it in place and clean up any excess glitter from the edges.

 

 

Now we can glue the snowflake in place and add the hands to look like the gnome is holding it. I also finished the hat at this point by gluing on the brim and pompom as well as some large white glitter pieces. Decorate the hat any way you want, have fun with it. (and show me pictures)

 

Now a quick coat of Satin finish, I used Mod Podge over both the front and the back (let it dry between) making sure the edges are all covered really well.

 

 

Once dry your gnome is ready to decorate the dollhouse, here is the one we made today along with some of the other winter items we have made on the channel in past years.

 

 

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 Front Door Knob

 

Watch the video here.

 

This is a project I should have done a long time ago. But since that didn’t happen and I have the door knob now I decided to show you how I am doing this today. (also this way I actually get the door knob installed before I loose it and have to buy another one…..)

The door knob set I purchased has a back plate with a key hole detail. I both love and hate this little detail. If handled properly I love the look of the extra detail even if it is a bit out of scale. However, I hate when the color of the door shows through the key hole. I am just as guilty of this as anyone. I can’t remember how many times I have put a door knob on the exterior door only to notice the paint showing a day later. So I started doing this little trick I show today and I love how it looks.

To fill the hole I cut a piece of paper, I used a scrap of card-stock that was on my work table from a recent Cricut project, and cut it to a size that will fit in the recess of the back plate of the door knob. It doesn’t have to be good fit just small enough to fit in all the way and big enough to cover the key hole.

Then I use a black pen, or paint, or whatever is handy and color one side of the paper.

Then use a glue, like e6000 to glue the paper in place to cover the key hole. Let this glue dry, overnight is probably best since we will be putting glue against it to attach it to the door.

To make the placement easier I cut what is basically a jig to help me line up the door knob. I first measured from the center of the door knob to the bottom of the back plate of it and found that to be about ½” since I want to glue this in place with the door knob at just around 3” from the porch floor I cut a piece of wood to 2 ½” long. In this case I used a piece of a craft-stick that was on my work table. That way when I place the stick with one end on the porch floor I can glue the door knob in place with the bottom of the back plate resting on the top end of the stick. Then I know my door knob is in the place I want it and I don’t have to try to get a ruler in the already cramped working area of the front porch. (yeah, this would have been soooooo much easier before I put the door in place)

Before we get out the glue do a dry fit of the knob to make sure where you are putting the knob. I also placed a heavy object (a brick that is wrapped in foil) behind the door so it would stay closed while I am working on it.

 

 

Now using a glue that will work with all the materials we are trying to glue together (metal, paper and wood) add some glue to the back of the door know plate and put it in place on the door. I do prefer a glue that dries clear for this. Depending on the glue you use you may need to hold the door knob in place for longer than I did. I found mine stayed in place with just a few moments of holding. Allow the glue to set up before moving touching it again,

The hardest part of this project was probably trying to figure out a way to get the camera set up in a safe way (where I wouldn’t knock it down) in a place where you guys could see what I was doing. So tape roll to the rescue, the camera with the tripod base fit perfectly on top of a bit roll of masking tape. Hey you use what you have, right??

 

Once the glue dried and I was able to move the dollhouse back in place and add the back the current seasonal décor I am very happy with how much better the door looks with the door knob in place. Oh, and you get a little sneak peek at Sunday’s tutorial here too…..

 

 

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 Log Holder

 

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.

This project is assembled a bit differently than some of our other projects. I had to try a couple of different ways of doing this to find the easiest. The first step is to take two of the circle pieces and make marks to find the center of them. Make sure your lines are at a right angle of each other. We will use these lines to help us line up other pieces later.

For assembly we will need a form to work on. I am using an empty glue stick that I keep for this purpose. It is about ¾” in diameter and I have some parchment paper wrapped around it so projects don’t stick. You can use anything that is round and the same diameter. Just be sure to wrap it in something that glue won’t stick to. For this project you will also need either 2 rubber bands or 2 of the elastic hair ties.

Now glue one of the plain circles and one of the ones with the lines on it, making sure the lines are visible. Now wrap the piece over the form you are using. Lining up one of the lines lengthwise with the form and use the elastic bands to hold it in place. Set it aside to allow the glue to start setting up. We won’t need it completely dry for the next step but set enough that the pieces you just glued won’t slide around.

This is also a good time to glue the 3 rectangle pieces into a single unit and set aside. You will need that later and it will be best for the glue to be dry when you use it.

Once the glue has set add glue to one of the long skinny strips, just a note these are cut longer than you will need. That way you can trim to fit your log holder. Add a line of glue on top of the line on the circle wrapped around the form and add the strip to the glue starting and ending at the bottom and trimming as needed. This is now the handle of the log holder. Once in place glue the other 2 circles together again being sure to have the lines visible. Add glue to the plain side and carefully add it the outside of the log holder. This will cover the handle, holding it in place and add more strength to the finished piece. Use the lines to help you line it up with the first layer and slip the elastic bands over the ends to hold in place. Make sure everything is lined up the way you want it. Just a note the bottom ends will line up but the top edge by the handle will not line up completely, this is by design and is meant to look give some detail to the finished piece. Allow this glue to dry completely before we move to the next step.

 

Once the glue is dried completely carefully slide the log holder off the form. Once off add some glue to the bottom and using the line drawn add the rectangle until to the bottom to act as a foot for the log holder. Once you are happy with placement set it aside to again dry completely.

 

 

Now we get to start the painting process. I do prefer to add a “handle” whenever I am painting something small. This time I used some poster tack and attached a craft-stick temporally to act as the handle. Then use some black craft-paint and paint the areas that you can. You will most likely need at least 2 coats since we are putting black over white. Pay close attention to the edges and anywhere the units join up. Look from all angles for white spots and cover them as well as you can. Allow to the paint to dry.

Remove from the handle and paint the bottom parts that were blocked by the handle again making sure to cover all the white.

Once the paint is dry give the piece a coat of a mat clear finish, working in stages to cover the entire piece and allow to dry.

 

One the clear finish dries it is time to add the optional firewood to the log holder. I cut mine from a small branch I found on one of my walks a while back. If you do this be sure to bake it off in the oven for long enough to kill any bugs that might be present and to dry the wood out. I do this immediately when I bring any branches in so any bugs that might have taken up residence don’t move into my home.

Use some glue to adhere the “firewood” in place and allow to dry.

Once the glue dries your log holder is ready to display in the dollhouse next to your fireplace or wood stove.

 

 

I think Mrs. Doll is looking very comfortable in that chair by the fireplace don’t you?

 

 

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.