Dollhouse Renovations - Museum Style Part 2

My mom had this idea that I should make a doll-sized museum or art gallery. She had sent all these amazing things that would work well in one, too. Things that I can hang on walls. Things that will work as sculptures.

I had some inspiration on Pinterest to use as well. At first, I was trying to figure out how to make this using just cardboard and foamboard pieces. But then I thought that might not be strong enough to handle things hanging on the walls. Then came the revelation from My Froggy Stuff that Five Below had a dollhouse for $25!

It is a simple design that is meant to go with the Glam Squad doll line that Five Below has. But the more I thought about it, the more I knew it would be perfect! So when we got back from our trip, my husband and I checked our local store and grabbed one. I had even thought I getting a second one for another project...

First thing I knew I needed to do was get the walls prepped to be covered. I thought if I sanded just a little off that I could easily paint over it. But that didn't work as well as I had hoped.

So the second wall I tried, I sanded even more thoroughly. My son even helped me with that. For the back wall, I thought I could just peel off the sticker since it wasn't lined up quite right. However, that didn't work either. 

So this is where I got it to so far... I'm working on the next portion and making a video as sickness and pain has kept me from working more than a piece or two at a time. But what do you think so far? Am I getting there? Until next time!

Am I Ready Now?

Christians have a flaw. Want to know what it is? Well, they have many, actually. We are human like any other. However, there is a big one we share in countries where we don't see physical persecution. Ready for this?

 

We get too comfortable. 

That is the big one. For some of us, we hold to the teachings that Christians will have an easier life once we give our lives to Christ. We will get rich, live comfortably, be happy. But that is false. Jesus didn't preach that, but the opposite. Life would be harder. Temptations would hound us. We would be uncomfortable. We would lose relationships because we won't waver on our beliefs. THAT is the truth of a Christian who is living for Him. 

Recently, I watched a video that encouraged me. But also reminded me. Growing in Christ is uncomfortable. My dreams have to die for Christ to resurrect them in His way. Jesus Christ is amazing at resurrecting things, did you know that? After all, He came back from the dead himself!  

But lately, I have let myself get comfortable. I wasn't praying as often. I wasn't reading my Bible for myself as much. Don't get me wrong. I pray every single day. I read my Bible every single day. But not for my personal growth. Saying thank you for the meal. Or whispering a prayer for a friend. Or reading during my devotions with my husband are great. But they aren't for my own growth. So I got comfy and called it enough. But the truth is, it wasn't. I was struggling harder than ever to really get in deep and accomplish the Lord's will. I was letting things wear me down to the nub. I was questioning what God wanted of me. Told myself that as long as I raised my 4 kids to be Christian adults that could survive this world on their own, all was good enough. But I have this urge to do more. Be more. That this isn't all I'm meant to accomplish. Maybe I am an overachiever. Maybe that is why I push myself to go further than my limits. 

So today, I'm making a statement. I'm making a change. Maybe because someone I love is facing a mountain that I want them to cross. Maybe because walking is not working well today and that frightens me into submission. Or maybe because a song played that reminded me of my loose faith. But today I say, "I'm Ready Now." I stand ready to be stretched. I stand ready to watch what miracles my God will bring about.  

How about you, Christian? Are YOU ready to let go of your comfort and follow God more closely? I hope so. I hope you will join me in stretching out our faith in Christ and allowing Him to work through us. See where He wants to take us. 

Let's Duck the World!

I love miniatures! Have you noticed? I grew up wishing I could spend at least one day in tiny size. Experiencing the world from the doll-sized perspective. I grew up seeing the movie Honey, I shrunk the kids! and thinking, that would be so much fun! Playing with Barbies, I'd reenact my favorite book or movie scenes, while wishing I could be their size. But I'm getting off track here. Why do I bring this up? Simply because someone sent me tiny ducks. You heard that right. I got a bag full of tiny ducks! 

Through my association with Influenster, I get to try out products and write reviews. Most of those, you don't see here. I only share ones that have a pretty big impact. This time, however, it was just too much fun not to share with you guys. I mean, come on, who doesn't want some fun ideas? Am I right?? 

Say hello to the Micro Ducks by Toymendous!  They come in this mesh bag with 50 of these colorful little guys. Perfect for the 1/6 scale doll world. When I first saw these, I thought that they were perfect for adding to the Jurassic Park Jeep I made.

A little tacky putty to hold them in place? Give the Jurassic Park Jeep a modern twist. I still don't know why people put ducks on the dash of their Jeeps. Is it a game? Is it prizes for participating in car shows? Does it give you more prestige when you have the most on display? And who came up with the idea?!  Yep, here I go again. Losing track of what I came here to say... 

But I see other potential uses. How about hiding them around the house? Make a game of it with the kids! How about at Christmas time, using them with your Elf on the Shelf doll. These things are so multipurpose, it is awesome! I couldn't find these exact ones online. I have no idea where they normally sell them. You can find comparable ones on Amazon though. 

Now, it's your turn! Tell me what you like (or even dislike) about these! Leave me a comment below.  

Stepping Over to Ruidoso, New Mexico

While visiting Cloudcroft, we decided to swing over to Ruidoso while there. It is another village about an hour north of Cloudcroft. Originally, I only knew we were considering going to church there on Sunday morning. However, we learned of other things they have to offer that made them a must visit! (And we changed our mind about going to church there. Went to Alamogordo instead.)

Ruidoso's Winter Park is a recreation park with something that we really wanted to try - a mountain coaster! Sadly, it was out of our price range this time at $25 a person. And then we didn't know how the youngest would be on her own since she was just barely at the cutoff age for riding with an adult. But it is called the Screaming Eagle and looked like it would be so much fun! You could also go tubing, or they offered a couple other activities.  

We walked down Sudderth Drive to check out a bookstore and a couple other stores that caught our eyes as we went by. Books Etcetera was neat, but it was just new books. We had been hoping they would be more of a used bookstore. They did have cute souvenirs and gifts though. 

I really enjoyed Mountain Treasure Thrift, which was also on Sudderth Drive. They had quite the collection of things. The lady who checked us out was really sweet and helpful with items that didn't have prices on them. 

I'd say this is another village that is geared towards tourists. But it was fun to visit. Finding the thrift store was my favorite part. Ruidoso is about an hour north of Cloudcroft. Then you have Alamogordo, which was about 30 minutes west of Cloudcroft. That is a much bigger village (?) or town... Not sure what that one is categorized as. But it was big enough to have Walmart and Dollar Tree! And we heard there was some thrift store called Kings Treasure, but it was closed when we were there. Just a couple places to consider if you make the trip. 

I'd say all the roads were incredibly twisty through the mountains. I suggest having all wheel drive if you go in the winter months. Snow was everywhere. You could see the Salt Flats in the distance, which was awesome. We drove through a tunnel as well. While short, it was still cool.