Doll Display Shelf - Fantasy Style!

Okay, I've been watching My Froggy Stuff again. This time, she had the brilliant idea to create a doll shelf to display a couple dolls by using a frame. You can check out her video HERE. So.... I decided to make one of my own.

And I have to admit, I think it came out beautifully! I see myself making another one. Though I would tweak it some more. Like make the railing taller, for instance. And give it a different theme. You get the point though. So let us take a walk through the steps, then watch a video where I show you my design elements!

Decide a theme

I chose something medieval. Fantasy style. Because why not?

I had thought about a Fallout version, with a vault door, but I was having trouble coming up with the right design. Maybe next time.

I think this weird frame got a great new life. What about you? I'll stop talking and show you now. Enjoy!

A 1/6 Scale Store to Make Life Size Ones Jealous!

Barbie shops. Often. Right? But where does she go? How does she come home loaded with new items? She goes to the store of my imagination, of course! I have put together a store box room to allow Barbie to shop to her hearts content. But it also serves a practical use. This store of mine holds my minis. Neat and orderly! Walk through the steps with me, and I will show you how I created this room. 

Do you watch My Froggy Stuff on YouTube? No? You are missing out! That lady is super talented. My husband says even crazy to some degree, as her builds are SOOOOO DETAILED! There are things she will build that I'm thinking... Nope. Not necessary. But I keep watching, because more times than not she makes something that I'm thrilled with. She has a ton of printables on her blog that you can find HERE. For this project, I used the Target wall background under the Shops and Stuff list. It will take you to her Google document list where you can print those out for free.

I glued those to foamboard that were cut to create a 3-sided room box. On the right-hand side, the wall isn't full. I'm considering a door option to go there. 

I used dimensions from My Froggy Stuff that were in one of her videos to create the free standing shelving unit. The platform is 3 1/4" wide by 8" long. The middle part is 5" wide by 9 3/4" tall. I think the base ones were about a 1/4"? I didn't write those down and mostly eyeballed it. The shelves I made just to fit.

Then I covered mine, because I haven't been able to get smooth cuts on my foamboard. If any of you know a trick to doing it smoothly, feel free to leave me a comment! I like that these can move around while offering extra shelving. I think they will also work well for photos. But they take me a really long time to make. Partially because of everything else I have to do during a day... The wall on the left-hand side has shelves that go from top to bottom, as well as all the way across.  

One thing I found is that some of my minis are a bit on the large size. As long as we aren't talking mega here, I was thinking it suits that family or economy size. Back when I was a kid, it was also called institutional size. How do I know this? Because I'm the oldest of 10 kids and we bought that size before places like Costco and Sam's Club were cool. But I'm not satisfied with calling these larger minis by those names. I'm thinking... Survival Solutions. A play on the prepper mind.  

My daughter has helped me with setting up this store. We found that attaching the minis to a clear plastic piece by using glue dots worked best. Once the layout was just right, I hot glued the strips to the shelf. This way, I can remove minis and move things around as needed. However, you can just glue them down too. Or if you have doubles sitting one in front the other, just glue the front one down and make the back one removable. Do it how it works best for you. 

The first set of moveable shelves are being used for the toy aisle. Don't mind the naked doll in the background. I asked my daughter to grab a doll for comparison in heights. That was the only one she could find apparently. *insert face palm here* 

Next, was the checkout counter. I just used foam board to create the open-sided box. That was then glued to the floor. I used various card stock and paper to make it look prettier. I had a small cash register piece that I painted and glued on as well. The card reader that we have came from a Mini Brands capsule. As you can see on the left side, I tacked the Mini Brands coolers to it with Glue Dots. This way, I can remove them if I want to later. They hold juices and sodas, like you would see near checkouts normally. 

For the rest, like that cooler you see in the back, I'll be leaving you with this video to see. I'll walk you through it and show you how it looks on a closer level. Hope you like it!

 

I still have not decided on a name, so if you have one in mind, leave me a comment below!

The Time Has Come!

About a year and a half ago, we built what we affectionately called the Tiny House. Its first purpose was temporarily house my mother and sister-in-law while they searched for their happy place, or forever home. After they did, it became a temporary home for another woman we knew. Then she found her forever home too. Now, we stand here looking at the progress we have slowly made. We also see all the incredible potential it holds!

Time to make this Tiny House my She Shed!

Now, don't get me wrong. It won't just be for my things. But that is the main goal. My crafting and cosplay-making supplies will move out there. So will the girls' dollhouse stuff. And then part of it will house the solar power system my husband is working on installing. I'm so excited about it all! First things first, though. I want you to see what we are currently working with. This also gives you a glimpse inside, something I didn't get to show you when we finished originally. 

I've already finished fixing those lines in the walls. Turns out, skipping the taping and mudding process is NOT the way to go. So take it from me, do it right the first time. 

I decided to start in the closet. But... the red paint we had gotten before had gone bad. Bummer!

I ended up having to toss it. So what to do? Hmm... get creative! I pulled out some gold spray paint and thought I would make it look like an antiqued map.

I mean my whole theme in here was supposed to be Steampunk. So I thought I would just wing it. I don't have the money to be buying supplies. Which means I need to use what I have on hand. What is that saying again... 'Necessity is the mother of invention'. With this in mind, I gave it some slight naming and my poor excuse for drawing to make it look slightly like a map... A very old one.

My kids gave me some ideas on locations to add as we went along. With more names slowly adding as I go. Once I had finished that, the cosplay closet is open for costume designing!

I think I will add some shelves with storage bins to really organize it. I know it isn't truly 'finished', but it is enough for now. Eventually, my husband will install the baseboards. And maybe some carpet for me.

I was sent this mirror for a review. This will be our cosplay mirror where we can try things on and create the costumes of our dreams! It is a gym wall mirror that we enjoyed hanging up. Simple, yet highly useful.  

We have painted! 3/4 sides are now ready to be worked on as far as bringing in shelves and adding to the layout. We got this paint on clearance and I plan to go back for more to finish the last wall. 

Next on the agenda was putting together a shelf my husband bought me to put some of my books out here. Trying to clear up space inside the house for the kids' book collections. However, after my son and I put this one together, we came to realize it is SOOOO cheaply made. I don't know that it will be holding books after all.

Even two of the parts broke while we were installing them. So you have been warned if you were looking at acquiring this particular one. 

I also have to move the metal shelves around and bring out the doll rooms and dollhouse. But it is coming along! Can't wait to show you when we finish doing that.

Giving the Barbie Closet Some Upgraded Looks!

I couldn't pass up this Goodwill find. It made me immediately think, What a perfect store starter! However, after looking it over and having a poll on Instagram, it seems more people wanted to see what kind of an upgraded closet I could come up with. So... I have all these little Mini Brands set aside to recreate a store in 1/6 scale when I find another one. I even have a Re-Ment set my husband got me on clearance recently. International section, perhaps?? But back to my closet. Let's see what we can create with this! 

The original is Barbiecore to the core! I'm not a fan of Barbie colors. I prefer something a little more realistic. First steps I took were to paint the outsides with a paint+primer blend. This adheres well to the plastic and was how I did things with the Jurassic Park jeep makeover.

I taped off what would be a window. I know it is pink, but I have no choice. I want something that resembles a window or glass door. Maybe one day I will get to swap that part out. For now, it stays and won't be covered with paint.

Front and back were painted with the grey I had on hand. Don't worry about the cardboard inserts. I have a plan for changing those later.

So here is the front. That marbled design is from a card stock page meant for scrap-booking. But I think it adds a pretty outside look. This was glued to a thin cardboard piece. On the other side of that cardboard is where I put my inside paper. This was printed and gives off that calm, almost Japanese-styled look I was wanting.

In order to get this to work, I did have to pry the white shelving units out. That was no easy task, by the way! And yes, the seams make it a little less how I envisioned. But for now, I'm going to roll with it.

So this is where it is was at after adding the new background pieces. One side was painted a darker grey. I ended up having to buy more paint and could only find a different shade. Then I salvaged the mirror from the original cardboard background, but decided it needed a nice frame before I added it to the new background.

Using cut popcicle sticks, I painted them white before adding a green glow-in-the-dark paint. Then I framed the mirror. After digging into my bits and bobs drawers, I found some wooden pieces that were included as spares to a Steampunk clock I had received a while back. After arranging, painting and gluing in, I think they add to the Japanese style. What do you think? As an added bonus, I like having it glow in the dark. Kinda like a portal.

I made the hair dryer from a broken headphone piece and some craft foam. Then I used a broken off piece from jewelry to make a hanging hook for it. Now Barbie can do her hair at the counter. But enough reading! Let me show you, in my video, the rest of what I did.

Well, there you have it! Barbie has a new dream closet that actually works well for storing things. What do you think? Is there something else you'd have added? Leave me a comment below and let me know! Another project is on the way.

Bringing Yor Forger to Life

My daughter loves Yor Forger from Spy x Family. She asked me to help her construct a costume for this year. Maybe to wear for her birthday or for the Police Halloween Bash. Either way, it was going to be quite the undertaking. However, I'd like to say we pulled it off pretty well!

Starting simple!

She had this form-fitting black dress that was sent to her. That was the base. I picked up black and red fabrics from Walmart to create the longer train piece in the back. This was way easier than I had thought it might be. I really just pinned the two, good sides in, together. Then cut out a rectangle. Once sewn together for the most part, I flipped it right side out and sealed it. Then I sewed it to the dress.

We went to the local Goodwill and happened to find thigh-high black boots. Crazy note - she and I both fit these boots! And then at the Spirit Halloween store, an employee gave us some Alien Tape that is crazy good double-sided tape to hold them up with.

 

Then you have the strips of fabric that go across the shoulders and chest. I used some scraps of fabric that I sewed into clean strips and then attached them to the dress. I also did this to make the sorta choker-looking piece.

We found a close enough match for the gold piece that goes on her choker. This I primed and painted as well. 

Time for the headpiece

The headband with roses came from Dollar Tree! I got a wide, fabric-covered headband and we grabbed a flower bunch. These I had added a primer+paint coat to. Then I went over them with gold.

The roses I was also unable to hand paint, so I used the spray paint on them too. I 3D printed the spikes that go on the headband as well. Giving them a paint job too.

Accessorize!

The earrings were 3D printed. Then spray painted gold. I used a primer+gold paint on this as well. I had some earring hardware on hand to attach these to.

She chose to purchase a wig from Amazon that we would style to match Yor's. She wanted to try our hardest to make sure it would be in time for her birthday celebration on Saturday. But then that dreaded email came! It was running late and not expected to arrive until Monday. Thankfully, it showed up on Saturday just not in time to be worn out while celebrating. It will need some styling, but looks pretty good on her. 

And finally!

We have the silletto daggers. I 3D printed the bottom parts, but still have to get the loop part on top. I'm just waiting to get some regular filament since apparently silk filament doesn't like to print too good for us. 

Before the daggers and wig!

Well, that is all I can show on here. For safety reasons, her face needs to be obscured. But what do you think of the cosplay? Did I get it close enough? I've been pouring over pictures of Yor online trying to get it just right. Let me know if you think I missed something! 

From Barbie Jeep to Jurassic Park Jeep!

My daughter had asked us to take her to the local Goodwill. We originally planned to look for just a couple things she has had on her list: a black skirt and some taller boots. Found the thigh high boots! Funny enough, she and I can now share boots... Any who... 

But true to my nature, I didn't just glance at the shoe racks. I did my normal circuit. Especially since they moved and rearranged things around the store. We found two made-to-move barbie dolls. One of them is a specialty tennis player. My youngest was thrilled. She has been wanting more dolls that have more articulation to them! But then something else caught our eye... A Barbie Jeep! 

An idea is born...

 

I have been contemplating wanting some kind of vehicle that my own dolls could use in photo ops where it looks like they were traveling. But a Jeep? Not my first choice. Until my husband spoke that is. He said something along the lines of, "Looks like it could be one of the Jurassic Park ones." Ever have that feeling of a light bulb going off?? I did! 

But as I grabbed the Jeep, I was thinking, this thing is NASTY! It was cover in greasy-looking something and had fur all up in the crevices. I was thinking this might be more work than I wanted to put into it.

However, my daughter insisted that she would help. A little hard work should pay off, so why not try! On top of all these thoughts, there was also the fact that we saw one of the newer Barbie jeeps in Walmart. They aren't nearly so cool. This one is only missing the tailgate and the side mirrors. I found this jeep on eBay for $15.99. We paid less than the $3.99 it was originally priced thanks to a coupon I had.  

Let the work begin!

First task we had, which my daughter began before I even knew it, was to start cleaning it. We took an old cleaning toothbrush, some cleaner spray and warm water to scrub and rinse out the gunk. The animal fur was the worst for me. But it all cleaned out pretty easily. Much more so than I had originally thought it would.  

Next step was to take the parts - apart! I needed everything as singular as possible to make it easier for cleaning more in depth as well as for the painting process. 

Who knew there were so many parts to these toys?! While my husband was outside working on electrical upgrades to our home, I was taking each part and giving it the primer coat. This was primer+white paint that my husband got me. Then I had to keep checking what part should be which color. I decided the undercarriage did not need my focus. I left it white and merely covered that with a clear sealing coat at least.  

Having a breakdown moment...

This project was not smooth sailing all the way through. Why would it be? But the moment when my worst fear was manifested was when I really wanted to scream. The paint and primer - 2 layers! - came off with the tape!!! I had used masking tape to make the clean lines to paint on the red bits. But it peeled off they base coat.

I really questioned whether it was worth continuing. But then I remembered how much work I had already put into this thing. And by golly, I was going to see it through! 

So, be warned. Using masking tape on the primer+paint layers can still result in peeling paint.

Getting the decals

Once the paint was redone to my satisfaction, the pieces put back together, and the back cut to make it open for them to stand up...

I went about adding logo and jeep labels. I found some helpful websites, and with a little resizing, was able to make the decals just right. I printed, glued and clear coated a seal over them. So check out these websites for the pictures to print. 

This one is super in-depth, showing where to put everything - 

https://www.jpmotorpool.com/reference/jeep/jeep_guide.php 

This one had multiple pieces in one picture that can be saved for printing - 

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/movies/hold-your-butts-jeep-launches-jurassic-park-graphics-pack

Remembering it won't be a perfect replica...

So... My Jeep is not a perfect match. It didn't have doors in its design. I'm missing the side mirrors. Etc. Etc! Et cetera! This is why I took some creative liberties with it and put things in other areas. Overall, I think you can see what I was aiming for. That, to me, was enough.