Craft of the Month: a new challenge

A few weeks ago Jolinda had told me about another (Dutch) FB group Actieve Poppenhuisforum where they organise a monthly challenge that sounded like fun. So I've joined the group and decided to give this month's challenge a shot :)

You were supposed to make something with the following 5 materials:
1. fabric
2. card board
3. beads
4. nails
5. wool

You had to pick at least three materials. Two were optional or could be changed in something else. Paint and glue was free to use.

The materials reminded me of a tutorial for an arm chair I'd seen in last month's doll house magazine (P&M no. 154). I knew Wil wanted to make that chair as well, so we met last sunday to craft :)

We'd each cut the different parts out of card
board before we met to save some time. It took
me an embarrassing amount of time to figure
out how to put them together. In my defence:
the instructions weren't anything but clear ;)

I had a great afternoon with Wil working on the
arm chair. We covered the card board parts
with fabric and managed to put almost
everything together before she left.

I chose a nice off white fabric for the
arm rest and the front ...

...and a deep red embroidery thread as trim.

Even without cushions and legs it already
looks very comfortable :)

Measuring fabric for the cushions.

No sewing thread allowed, so (textile) glue it is.

Three layers of fiberfill seemed comfy enough.

Checking the length before closing the cushion.

Made the legs from card board (3 layers),
painted and varnished them.

Et voila :) I'm glad I choose nails instead
of beads in the end.

Despite the touches of red, I think it looks
neutral enough to serve as a background for
most of my plant hangers and cross stitched
pillows. Especially since I can change the
floral cushions for some with plain fabric.

Pretty in pink

"... now I've no more excuses left to not start shaping the clematis leaves and flowers," I said last week.
So what did I do? Anything but shaping leaves and flowers (a) Well, I did a few, but then I got distracted ... again.
I filled the planter with potting soil (mostly clay with a mixture of ground coffe from a coffee pad and tea from a tea bag glued onto it). While looking for some left over coffee and tea, I also found the box with the other bamboo items we made together, so I've added the bird house, the round planter with tulips and the broom to the scene.
The black bird, which Kim from Bibbidi Bobbibi Boo had made me, has found its definate place. Sitting on a broken flowerpot, a bit hidden between the garden bench and the lilac planter he's enjoying small bites of apple. The Kneazles are both made by Kim as well!

Did I originally think about putting an old man on the bench, perhaps smoking a pipe, suddenly I got the image of a little girl playing with a pet :)
I happened to have these two little christmas angels, so I gave the little redhead an make over :)

The top is reversible, so did I want to dress her in a top with 

roses and a pink skirt or the other way around?

I choose the little roses for both the top and the skirt, with some pink accents, but didn't attach the skirt to the top, so I'll be able to change her outfit if I make another skirt in the pink fabric.

I'm normally not into the (miniature)babyrooms and pink dresses but I have 

to admit, this little girl in her pretty dress has already stolen my heart ;) 

She's also the first of my dolls, for whom I sewed an outfit and I enjoyed making this 

dress more than I anticipated, so maybe Harry, Draco and Sophie will be next ^^

Well, time to continue with the leaves and flowers, right? Or should I .... ;)

Crafting together - March

Last week we had our monthly miniature club again. I thought I should call it a (little) club from now on, because we welcomed a new and enthusiastic participant, Monique ;)
Because she has small children, we'd moved the meeting to her place, so there was a lot of talking, getting to know each other and looking at her miniatures and dolls house beside crafting of course.
After working with Fimo for the last few times, we'd decided to continue with our roombox/garden project and to work on a climbing plant, so Monique could join in.
Jolinda and Monique choose to make an ivy, while Wil and I wanted to do a clematis.
We all started by painting thin shoebox paper and once both sides were done and dry, we each choose a paper punch to work with. In between Jolinda and Monique started with covering wire with paper for the branches, while Wil and I wanted to use the dried strawberry roots I still had.
It was a very enjoyable afternoon and before we left we already picked a new date for April!

I figured I'd need so much more though, so I painted more paper the next day.

So then I spent hours paper punching leaves and flowers :') 

Before I could start with the branches and twigs I made a trellis from Balsa wood. Just a simple design I remembered from my parental house, because that seem to fit in this small box.

I painted a planter made from bamboo lilac to match the colour of the clematis, and then started with the flagstones. I've wanted to try making these for some time, and this seemed like the right scene to have some :) I used a tutorial from Once Upon a Doll Collection as a guidance to start.

Tearing cardboard egg cartons in different colours of gray and brown into random stone shaped pieces, getting the shapes to fit together took more time than I anticipated :)

Then I dry brushed the stones with different colors of white, brown, gray and black. Not a technique I'm very comfortable with so far, but I really like how I managed here ^^ Especially after I added some green with yellow flock between some stones.

After taking this last photo I've also added some matt varnish (very carefully because of the flock).
So now I've no more excuses left to not start shaping the clematis leaves and flowers :)

Fair in Spijkenisse

Yesterday I went to a dolls house and miniature fair in Spijkenisse with Jolinda, her sister Irna, and Monique, the newest member of our montly miniature club.
I've only been to the fair in Rijswijk so far, so I was looking forwards to meeting some new exhibitors as well as seeing some familiair ones. Although there were a lot less exhibitors (33 to the approx. 60 in Rijswijk), we spend as much time here, and I was just as exhausted afterwards ;)
I had a wonderful day, saw lots of beautiful miniatures, and wish I'd known then that I would be selling four planthangers this morning. But .... maybe it's better I didn't ;)

I've randomly taken some photo's of things I liked or overview pictures to show you how it looked. I hope you like them. If possible I added a link to the (web)shop or shopowner.

Cora’s Cottage:

Ans Luster:

Reneeltje:

t Tafereeltje:

De Minimakelaar:

Ericson Miniaturen:

I think here I might find a radio for the Hogsmeade cottage so
Bianca and Penny can listen to the Wizarding Wireless Network.

De Kleine Pimpelmees:

Other exhibitors who were in Spijkenisse: Afelien, Anja’s Handwerkatelier, Caatjes Poppenhuis Miniaturen, CreaParadijs, Creatief in Mini’s, DEJOJO, Fennicole Miniaturen, Van Hameren, De Hobbyshop, Kuijs, Maison Edith, Matozi Art (Jacomini’s), Meubels in Miniatuur, The Mini Factory, Miniwaar, Mini Wonders, MKO Miniaturen, Van Soest, Stellaquepassa, Vlinder Koudporselein, Van der Waal, De Zilveren Engel en Zus en Zo Miniaturen.

Jolanda’s Miniaturen:

Explaing how to use the chalk paint.

Bibians Poppenhuis Miniaturen:

Jolinda and Inra were interested in wood and veneer at Bibian's.

And, yay, the pretties I bought :)

A mould for a loaf of bread @ Stella Que Passa and chalk paint
@ Jolanda's Miniaturen, beside the things I show separately.

So pretty! <3 From Fennicole Miniaturen

For making vegetable soup in the cottage? :)
From De Kleine Pimpelmees

Fabrics from The Mini Factory

The Hogsmeade house is halfway there

Last week I've told you that I was going to put the walls and floors together with the help from my dad.
I should have know we wouldn't be able to finish it in one afternoon though, since half way through we had to stop untill the glue was fully dried. And that would take some days.
We worked for two hours because my dad is even more of a perfectionist, so each wall and each floor was checked with a spirit level, and checked and checked .... :)

So, this is what my dinertable looked like for three days;

After I removed the tape wednesday evening, I noticed the first floor had shifted before the glue had dried. Probably because the wood was a bit warped to begin with (a)  In the middle the level was right, but on both sides the floor was glued to the walls 1 cm too high.

The top and back panels are not glued yet.

I had to remove the glue with a knife and then start over (a)

Also, a window got loose so that's a bit too chilly for Bianca and Penny :)

After I did it over again, I've glued the roof in place.

Tomorrow my dad will come and help me again with rasping and sanding all the rough edges before we can hopefully attach the back wall ;)

Exciting day ahead

A little more than a year ago I decided on a new project. Something bigger than a roombox, but not as big as a large house with multiple levels ;) And of course I wanted to do as much as I could by myself (a)
It's been a year with a lot of frustrating moments when things didn't work out how I wanted them, but the satisfaction each time I finally managed, kept me going.
And today, with the help from my dad, the walls and floors are finally put together (with something more lasting than tape ^^).
I've been checking and doublechecking everything for the last couple of days, and made some last minute adjustments, but I'm ready for it :)

I also used my 'Dremel' quite a bit the previous days after I figured out where I want the wiring to come. Sun from Nalladris, where I bought the lighting and electrical supplies, helped me out as well.

I made the back wall, drew the lines for the inner walls and other markings, drilled some extra holes - one for a cupboard light - and did some trimming on walls where needed.

In between I've reread chapters from the Harry Potter books about the Burrow to find common household items and cleaning products. Because I have a cupboard to fill, right? ;)
I found already more than I thought I would.