June Dollhouse Miniature Blind Bags

 

Watch the video here.

 

 

 

 

Okay, I have decided I am completely addicted to these mini blind bags and I am okay with that. This batch arrived in really good time, I ordered them on May 5 and they showed up in my mailbox on June 11. I don’t remember exactly how much I paid but it was under $3. The listing for these always shows the price in Canadian funds.

Overall we only had one item that was repeated within in the 10 bags and 2 that were repeats of items from a precious round of them. Really good think. That being said I would actually like to see more repeats of these since glassware/drink-ware are something most people buy in sets.

Let’s talk about each item and see them a bit closer.

 

#1- first up this time was this cute little blue footed stemmed glass. It has “cut glass” like details and is really very well done.

 

 

 

#2- the gold goblet, I didn’t notice until I was taking the pictures all the details around the top edge. Very delicate and it will need a special spot to be displayed.

 

 

 

#3-over-sized white glass/tumbler. As a piece of drink-ware this one is really too large but it was suggested on the last blind bag opening it will make a wonderful vase for some mini flowers. It would be especially nice with a nail decal added to the side to make it look like it is painted.

 

 

#4-amber glass, this is the one item that is repeated within the set of 10 blind bags this time. I actually really like this one, it reminds me of the set of glassware my mom had when I was a kid.

 

 

 

 

 

#5- red wine glass, this is the first item that was a repeat from the last batch of blind bags. In my opinion you can’t have too many basic plain wine glasses so I am glad it came.

 

 

#6-the second amber glass, I really do love the delicate details on these..

 

#7-a beer stein (?) with a ribbed detail. I was thinking we had one of these last time but the one we got then was much smaller than this one. I think it is a good size and another basic addition to the dollhouse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

#8-tall clear glass, this is the other repeat from the last set of blind bags we opened. This is the one that prompted the suggestion to use it as a flower vase and with 2 they would look stunning flanking some candles on a table.

 

 

 

#9- another beer stein (I think) again a basic piece that will look good in a lot of scenes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#10- I’m going to call this one a pitcher I think because it is far to big to use as stein but as a pitcher I think it would be wonderful. I do love the handle details on this piece.

 

 

One of the best things about this group of items is that all the stemware stands up properly unlike last time.

I hope you enjoyed this blind bag opening, here is a picture of all the items included today.

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 Lemon Cookie Jar

 

Watch the video here.

This week for the Sunday tutorial we are adding a lemon themed cookie jar to the collection. I absolutely love lemons. I love their bright color and the way they smell so fresh and they just scream summer. So I knew this theme had to be a part of the dollhouse projects. I am finding that a lot of you also love this theme from the feedback on the doormat tutorial I posted on Tuesday.

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 rolle4d 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 Original Sculpey but any white polymer clay you have on had will do. Use a good coat of TLS (Translucent Liquid Sculpey) to act as a glue between the card-stock and the raw clay. We will also be using the TLS in any step where we add raw clay to anything other than raw clay.

 

Once you have the outside of the base covered including a bottom added bake for 10 minutes at the temperature recommended on your clay. I normally make a small disk of clay at this point to act as a base for the lid but totally forgot and made it in the next step this time. Bake your piece for 10 minutes and allow to cool to room temperature before moving to the next step.

Once the white layer is baked and cooled we are going to start building the shape of the lemon. I did this by adding a strip of yellow clay around the middle of the cookie jar and another narrower strip on top of that. We want to add some shape to the cookie jar. Use plenty of TLS to make sure the raw clay sticks to the baked clay layer. Bake at the recommended temperature for 10 minutes and allow to cool to room temperature.

Now we add a couple of very thin layers of yellow clay to the entire outside of the cookie jar to cover the sides and make it look like a lemon. When you are happy with the coverage use a sanding block/sponge to give some texture to the surface. Bake again for 10 minutes.

Now we can work on the lid. I like to form the basic shape right on the top of the baked cookie jar that way I know it will fit when I am done. Make a nice cone shape to finish off the lemon shape. Add a bit of texture the same way you textured the cookie jar.

Now add a couple of green leaves to the top of the lid. You can add as many or as few as you would like.

Remove the lid from the top of the cookie jar and bake for 10 minutes.
Allow to cool to room temperature.

Now using some TLS add the little disk we made earlier to the bottom of the lid. Be sure to center it so it will fit on the jar later.

When you put this in the oven set it upside down on top of some aluminum foil that you have scrunched up around the lid to make sure it stays level while it bakes. This way the center white piece will stay in the correct place.

Now when I took my lid out of the oven I managed to drop it and one of the leaves popped off.. I just used a bit of TLS to reattach it and baked it again. I didn’t show this part because I was way to mad at myself to trust I would not say some of those words that YouTube will de-monetize the video for. LOL

Once both your cookie jar and the lid are just the way you want them add a very thin coat of a gloss finish, I used Gloss Mod Podge and allow to dry.

Now we have another cookie jar to add to the growing collection.

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 Lemons

 

Watch the video here.

This week we are making some really simple lemons to go in that fruit basket we made last week. I actually decided on making these before I decided on making the fruit basket. I wanted someplace special for them to live so the bowl first and now the lemons.

These are super simple and just for placing in a scene whole. If you want to have lemon slices I have a tutorial on making orange slices here, that you can follow just subbing in yellow clay for the orange and making them smaller.

Normally when I make a whole fruit like this I use a white/translucent clay blend and use either chalk or paint to add the color on the outside. For these lemons I did play around with different combinations of chalk and paint but I just couldn’t get the color the way I want4ed it. In this small scale they almost looked too light. So I decided to go the easy route and use a yellow clay. I think they turned out really well.

Since these are going in a fruit bowl you don’t need to go all in on the details of each and every lemon. I only added stems to a few for instance.

To get started roll your yellow clay into a snake a bit less than ¼” in diameter. Then cut into pieces. It does help to have a doll to assist you , that way you can make the lemons to fit a doll hand. Since these can vary a lot in real life just make the size that looks the way you want it to look in comparison to the doll’s hand.

 

 

 

Roll the pieces of clay into balls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now transfer the balls of clay onto a sanding sponge/block and while rolling the lemons on the surface to get the texture define the shape from a ball to a lemon shape.

 

 

 

On the ones you want to add a stem to take a tiny bit of a tan/beige clay (I used Sahara from Fimo) and using the tip of a wooden skewer add it to look like the tiny stem. Then roll and shape on the texturing surface.

 

 

 

Using an eye shadow brush apply just a touch of green chalk to the ends of your lemons. Don’t go too heavy just a touch.

 

 

 

Once you have as many lemons as you want bake them at the temperature stated on your package of clay for 10 minutes and allow to cool.

Now take just a tiny amount of Satin Mod Podge and give your lemons a very thin coat. You want them to glow just a bit not to be shiny.

Once dry the lemons are ready to add a touch of summer to the dollhouse kitchen.

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 Lemon Doormat

 

Watch the video here.

 

 

For our doormat this month I decided to go with a lemon theme. Ii love lemons as a decorative motif especially in the summer.

 

 

To start this doormat we begin as always in this series with a piece of felt that is cut 1 ½” by 2 ½”. 

 

 

 

 

 

I then folded it in half and cut it into a half round. I think it makes for a very nice change to our doormats.

 

 

 

The felt I use is the kind that is sold by the yard in the fabric store no the thinner kind that is sold by the square in the craft store but I am sure either will work just fine.

After trimming our doormat to shape we need to give it a good coat of mat Mod Podge. This does a couple of things for us. It seals the felt so that it doesn’t soak up our paint so we get a nice, even coat of color with one coat of our base color. It also makes the doormat firm enough to lay flat where we put it and not curl up. Make sure you really layer on a thick coat of the Mod Podge and allow it to dry completely before proceeding.

 

 

Once dry give the entire top surface o the doormat a coat of white craft paint. Allow it to dry completely.

 

 

I used two colors of yellow paint you could use just one if you wish. Its a mater of personal choice. 

 

 

 

I used the darker of the two yellows to paint the peel of the lemon slice. Just paint a narrow band that follows the rounded edge of the shape. Allow to dry.

 

 

 

 

Once the peel color is dry add the flesh either with the same yellow or a slightly lighter color. And allow to dry.

 

 

 

 

Now with a very small brush (or a paint pen) draw as many lines to divide the flesh area into segments as you would like.

 

 

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Now didn’t that turn out cute!

 

 

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.

 

Watch the video here.

 

 

I got so much positive feedback part 1 of this series I decided to put up part 2 this week.

So this week we are talking about the 5 basic tools that I feel you need to have on hand to start working with polymer clay.

So let’s start at the bottom and talk about a clay friendly work surface. I personally use a ceramic floor tile that is 12” by 12”. I really think it is the best work surface for the clay and I actually do most of my crafting on my tile. I love that it is durable and easy to clean. It protects whatever surface it sits on and it is portable if I need to move a project in progress out of the way for whatever reason. The one I use cost less than $1 at the local Lowes. I recommend getting one in a neutral color (gray or beige) and a smooth surface. Remember what ever texture you work surface has will be imprinted on the bottom side of your clay.

Another option would be a sheet parchment paper or maybe a silicon mat.

Don’t work directly on a wood table because the clay can mar the surface. And plastic should be avoided since the raw clay can dissolve some plastics. Also, the dark colors of clay have a nasty habit of staining light color surfaces.

Next we need something to roll out our clay with. I use an acrylic roller that is made for use with polymer clay. You can see one like it here.

When I first started with polymer clay I used a well cleaned caper jar. It was perfect until I could get a real roller.

I would not recommend using a wood roller since they can leave a texture on the surface of your clay.

Okay now that we have our clay rolled out we might need to cut it. For this I use a clay blade like the one here.

These are the real clay tool I recommend you purchase first.

Some people like to use a razor blade but I find them limited in use because it is hard to cur thick pieces of clay or anything very wide.

The next piece of equipment we need to talk about is a baking surface. For the majority of my clay project I use a plain paper plate. These are great. Leave a mice mat finish on the bottom of the clay and can be thrown away when they get dirty.

 

 

And lastly I recommend you keep a package of wet wipes handy to clean up all your equipment and your hands while and after working with your clay.

These are just the basic tools, we will be talking about other tools in later videos in this series. There will also be dedicated posts to some of the types of tools where we talk about using tools to get effects on our clay.

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 Fruit Bowl

 

Watch the video here.

Since I hadn’t gotten around to putting the new packages of clay I purchased last wee yet I decided to dig into one of them for today’s project.

Ever since I first looked at that Bronze clay I bought I knew I wanted to play with it. It is just gorgeous and was begging to be used right away. At first I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do then in the middle of the night I got an idea for a fruit bowl that looks like a woven basket but made from the metal color. It did take me a couple of tries to translate that mental picture into a clay project that would actually work. There were several failed attempts but I finally got it and I am happy with the result.

I will warn you the finished fruit bowl is very fragile and I have snapped more than a couple of them trying to remove they from the marble after baking. I will talk a bit more about that in a bit.

 

 

The first step is to roll our your clay as thin as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

Then cut some thin strips, I didn’t measure any of this I just went by what looked the way I wanted.

 

 

 

 

 

Now lay out 3 of the clay strips parallel to each other. Try to get them fairly close together and straight.

 

 

 

 

Now lay another 3 over the top of these going the other way. You want it to look like it is woven. (I try to weave my first one but it was way to bulking to work)

 

 

 

 

 

Now suing a ¾” round clay cutter cut a circle from the center of this “woven” clay.

 

 

 

Carefully transfer this circle to the rounded side of a flat back, marble, getting it as centered on the top of the marble as possible.

 

 

 

Now using another strip of clay wrap around what will be the top of the bowl. Be sure to get this strip as straight as possible and make sure it is attached to the “woven” strips.

Now bake at the temperature recommended for you clay for 10 minutes.

Allow to cool just enough to handle it and carefully slip the bowl off the marble. This is the spot I usually break mine. If the clay is allowed to cool down too much it will have a tendency to break. I recommend making at least 2 at a time so if one breaks you have another chance for success. 

 

 

Next week I plan to make something fun to go in our new fruit bowl so be sure check that out.

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.