Dollhouse Miniature Beach Sign

 

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 is a really simple little sign and I think it might be fun to do other variations for other themes. There are only 2 pattern pieces with one having 5 layers and the other 4. I decided to add the extra layer because of the shape and the size of the sign. I wanted to give it a bit more bulk and make it a bit more durable.

Just like with the other projects like this that I have created for you start with the pieces and glue them together to create the units the project will be make from. I like to use just a bit of a thick tacky glue applied with a toothpick. Allow the glue to dry completely before going to the next step.

 

Now we get to give the pieces the first coat of paint. For the Arrow I wanted a pale yellow but didn’t have the color I had in mind. So I mixed some of my palest yellow with some white to get a color I was happy with.

 

For the rectangular backboard I am starting with a coat of dark brown paint.

 

 

Once the paint is dry add a bit of a light aqua to the top of the backboard. I again didn’t have the color I wanted so I mixed some white with my aqua. (more on this i a bit)

 

At this time I also painted just the edges of the arrow with the full strength aqua paint. Allow to dry.

 

 

 

Once the paint dried I decided the color I had mixed for the backboard was too dark so I mixed some more white paint with just a tiny bit of the aqua to make a much lighter color and again painted the backboard. Allow to dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since I am going to be painting the word beach on the arrow and I am not the best at lettering I gave the arrow a light coat of Mod Podge to seal the paint this way if I did have to either erase the pencil lines or wipe off paint it would be much easier. Allow to dry.

 

 

 

 

Now for the fun part. Use an emery board to take off some of the light aqua on the backboard and away from the edges.

Once you are happy use the same brown paint as before to make sure the edges all the way around the sign are brown. This is one time you want to be a bit on the sloppy side and allow that paint to come over the edge just a tiny bit. Allow to dry.

 

 

 

For the word beach on the arrow I like to start with a pencil so I can get my letter size/spacing the way I want it. Then I come back with a tiny round dotting tool and some paint to go over the letters I penciled on I used the same aqua paint I’ve been using for the rest of the project. Allow to dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now glue the arrow onto the face of the backboard using some more tacky glue and allow to dry.

 

 

 

 

 

A final coat of Mod Podge, I used Matt this time, to give the piece a finished look and you are done/ I do like to coat the back with the Mod Podge as well as the front for durability.

 

 

 

 

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 Coffee Table

 

Watch the video here.

I had so much fun with the Trash to Treasure project last week that I decided to do another one today. This time I have a lid from a bottle of orange juice and a thread spool. I loved the design of the lid and it kind of reminded me of some of the fancy stone/concrete tables I have been seeing in yard decorating photos. Since I had the empty spool on hand I decided to combine the two to make a coffee table.

The first step was to cover the word Tropicana on the top of the lid. I first thought of filling it with some spackle but I found that wouldn’t stick to the plastic. So I decided to add a layer of white card-stock. This is a scrap from making the Cricut projects on the channel.

 

 

 

Since I was going to coat the plastic with some Mat Mod Podge anyway I used that to glue the card-stock on. It kind of worked. It helped just fine for the most part but lifted on one side. So off-camera I used some Tacky glue to glue that side down.

Now the fun part to transform the plastic pieces to stone/concrete. For this I mixed some gray paint with some baking soda to thicken the paint. This does a couple of things first it gives the finished piece the texture I was after. It also makes the paint stick much better to the plastic. Put on a rather thick coat of the thickened paint and allow to dry completely. This will take a while so be patient.

 

Once the paint was dry I glued the spool inside the lid to make the table leg. I was planning to use some e6000 but my tube was dried out so I grabbed a tube of construction adhesive I have on hand and used that. You will need a glue of some kind that is made to work with non-porous surfaces. Allow to dry.

 

 

Next I took some the same color of gray paint along with some black and white and used a make-up sponge to dab the paint all over the surface of the table. This makes the table look a lot more realistic. Allow to dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now you have a fun outdoor table for your next miniature 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.

Dollhouse Miniature Trash to Treasure Metal Flower

 

Watch the video here.

First I want to talk a little bit about this project and the whole trash to treasure concept. In this project I am using a hair clip I found in a street. Although I am pretty sure that this one probably came from somewhere like the dollar store you might not be able to get the same item. And that’s okay because you can do the same process with whatever hair clip) or similar item you do have and get a fun finished project. The idea of these projects is to inspire you and get you thinking outside of the box a little bit.

So this hair clip, I remember when my daughter was little and my mother in law would buy similar ones for her. She loved them because they were so cute, I hated them because they wouldn’t stay in her hair. We almost always lost them somewhere. I’m pretty sure that was the case for whoever had this one in there hair also. I found it in the middle of a street as I was out walking. There were no other people in site and I figure it was better to grab it to make a project for you guys today than to have a car drive over it and smash it.

The first step I took (off camera)was to was it thoroughly with soap and water and allow it plenty of time to dry.

Next I trimmed off the extra stuff I didn’t need for the project I wanted to make. In this case the back of the clip and the little thingy on the back that is supposed to hold it closed.

Once trimmed I used some poster tack to attach it to a craft stick which I could use a handle while painting. This is important if you want to get the paint to adhere.

Once it was safely on the handle I used some 91% Isopropyl alcohol to clean off any oils that may have been transferred to it from my handling it. I sometimes use distilled vinegar for this step depending on what is handy at the moment. Both work really well. Once you have wiped it down really well don’t touch the plastic again until you have all the finishes on it and they are dry.

On a flatter item I would have sanded the surface but this flower was just too detailed to sand so I skipped that step. If you want to sand do it after the item is washed before you stick it to a handle.

 

 

Now my next step was to coat the flower with some Mat Mod Podge, on the areas I am going to paint. In my experience this seems to help the regular craft paint to stick to the plastic better that if I skip ti. Allow to dry completely. If the Mod Podge is not allowed to dry completely the paint over it could crack.

 

 

 

 

Now a good coat of a black craft paint. This is the base color and will give the finished piece most of its color in this project. This needs to dry completely.

 

 

 

Now I added a thin coat of Brushed Silver craft paint over the black. I was trying to replicate the finish on a necklace I used to have that I loved. I believe the label on it had said it was a gunmetal finish. Allow to dry.

Once dry your metal flower is ready to hang in you mini scent. I am seeing a lot of metal art like this in my neighborhood while out walking and I love how this came 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.

Dollhouse Miniature Lemon Garden 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.

 

 

 

 

 

I wanted to make this a shaped flag so I used my circle template to draw a half circle t the bottom to use as a cutting guide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now we will need to paint our flag on both sides with some white craft paint. This will seal the fabric so that the lines in our next step stay crisp and don’t bleed into the fabric. Allow to dry.

 

 

 

 

Now I like to add a line where the lemon slice area and the top of the flag meet, at the top of the rounded area. This allows me to get my stripes placed more accurately.

For my strips I used some bright blue paint and a slim stick to act as a spacer foe my lines. I painted diagonal lines on the top of the flag going one direction. I then set it aside to dry.

 

 

 

 

Once the first lines are dry paint the diagonal lines going the other way. And allow to dry.

 

 

 

Now repeat these lines on the other side of the flag. Allow to dry completely.

 

 

 

Now if you feel the need to do any corrections use a tiny brush and some white paint to neaten up the lines on the top of your flag and allow to dry.

 

 

 

Now using some bright yellow paint fill in the rounded bottom area of the flag. This will be the yellow parts of the lemon. I find it much easier to paint the white details on to a solid yellow area than to paint it white and try to get the yellow parts lined up correctly. (Also my yellow is somewhat translucent this is easier for that reason also)

 

 

 

Now we can add the white lines onto the yellow lemon area of the flag. I like to sue a pencil to help me with placement. Do draw your lines just barely dark enough to see them. I made mine for the video much darker than I would have normally so the camera could pick them up. That made them much harder to cover with the white paint. I think I needed 3 or possibly 4 coats of white to cover them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allow the white to dry.

 

 

Check if you feel you want to do any corrections with s a tiny brush and the same paints we used earlier for the design.

 

 

 

Once the design is the way you want it and the paint has dried you are ready to display your garden flag on your flag bracket on your 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 Lemon Slice Sign

 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.

I love how this lemon slice sign turned out, lemons just scream summer and I absolutely love lemons combined with a bright blue. I took inspiration from several real life signs I found online and this is a combination of the parts I loved the most. I hope you enjoy the project.

We start with the cut pieces, I do recommend no matter how you cut yours keep them in the groups they are on the pattern. This will make your life so much easier. This time there are 4 of the back board pieces and then just 2 of each unit to be glued together. Do be careful to keep the 2 round pieces straight they are two different sizes. Also you want to end up with 8 of the lemon segment units (2 layers in each) To glue I use a thick tacky glue in a thin layer. Do your best to line up all the pieces to make nice neat units. Allow the glue to dry completely before you go onto the next step.

Once your glue dries sort the pieces by the color you will be using to paint them. I like to attach all the pieces to a bit of tape that is taped sticky side up on my work tile. This keeps everything in place so I can get everything painted. Do note if you cheat on letting the glue dry the paper might stick really badly and tear when you go to remove it later.

 

 

 

I used only a few colors this time. A bright blue for the backer board, a bright yellow for the larger round and the segments, a white for the smaller round, a cream color for the back parts of the banner, then the cream mixed with white for the front piece of the banner. Allow the paint to dry.

 

 

The first step of assembly is to add the yellow segments to the white round. I like to work with 4 segments at a time, lining them up like this. Then allow the glue to set so they will stay in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next add the other 4 segments like this and allow to dry.

 

 

 

 

 

This is a good time to give the front piece of the banner a quick coat of mat Mod Podge. This will act as a bit of an insurance policy when we add the lettering later. It is much easier to remove both pencil and paint from a sealed surface than from just the painted surface. Allow to dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the white round with the segments to the yellow round centering as best as you can. Allow to dry enough that it won’t move around on you.

 

 

 

 

 

Now add the lemon slice to the blue background, again centering it as best as you can. Allow to dry.

 

 

 

By now the mat Mod Podge should be dry so it is time to add whatever word you want to the front of the banner. I chose hello because I liked how it looked. I like to use pencil first before I add the paint. Then I used the smallest dotting tool I have to do the lettering with the same blue paint I used for the back board. This tied the piece together and again I just love blue with the lemons. Allow this paint to completely dry before you move on to the next step. I waited overnight to be extra sure it would be dry. I didn’t want to take a chance on smearing those letters.

Once the lettering dries add the tips to the banner, I like to add one slightly above and the other one slightly below the front like this.

 

 

One the glue sets add the banner to the front of your lemon slice at whatever angle you like best. Allow the glue to dry.

 

 

 

 

Once the glue dries it is time to add a thin, even layer of Satin Mod Podge and allow it to dry. I do coat both the front and back of my signs allowing the first side to fry before I coat the reverse side.

Once dry you can display your sign in your mini scene. And along with the rest of the lemon items we have made I think this sign looks wonderful.

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.