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!

The Ice Queen and Her Lair

What happens when your daughters no longer want a blue haired Rainbow High doll? For me, I see Ice Queen in the making! 

It started with a box actually. A shoebox. And an Elsa doll who needed her ice castle. So I started renovating it. But then Elsa changed her mind and moved into the mansion with the rest of the dolls. Yes, my daughter is quick to change her mind. So things get redesigned pretty often. It seemed like such a waste to just toss the box though. So I gave it some more love and way more details! 

Next came the doll. My girls weren't as excited about Rainbow High as they were about the made-to-move Barbie or Monster High dolls. Big heads or something like that. I love their jointed bodies and soft, vibrant hair though. I have a couple set aside for future projects. This one just screamed for a bit of a makeover in a cold way.  

I had thought about repainting her face, but then decided against it. I'm not as proficient with that type of project and she was just too pretty to do that with. So I swapped out her outfit. I trimmed her hair. 3D printed a crown that is jeweled with beads. And gave her some handmade bling.  

The box windows are from My Froggy Stuff printables. I printed out a marble pattern for the floor and part of the walls. Tried to make it look like her castle leads to the sparkling snow-covered world outside. Used an empty perfume bottle with fake plant pieces to give her frozen world some greenery.

The chandelier actually glows in the dark too, thanks to glow-in-the-dark filament from a printed piece. 

One Little Thing

Time sure has sped up. Another year is drawing to a close. I sit here wondering where the time has gone. Contemplate the little accomplishments that have passed by. And feel blessed by each one. I have been trying to work on a single project at a time. To try to catch up on my back log. I fit these in between the times I spend on maintaining my family's needs. One of the most recent ones, was a picture frame. 

This wasn't meant to be a frame (that I know of). This bamboo thing was given to me as part of a trade I made. He counted it as junk he didn't need. But I saw a treasure in the making. After cleaning it up, I didn't quite have an idea formed though. So it sat in the crafting bin. Then I saw a new purpose to give it. A picture frame! I tacked the photo in, using semi-permanent glue dots. Well, why write it out when I can just explain it in a video? Enjoy! 

 Remember, it is the little things. Giving us joy. Purpose. A sense of accomplishment. I don't have to spend hours working on something to feel like I'm doing something worthwhile. So take a moment to appreciate a small accomplishment you have too. 

Netflix in the Dolls Game Room!

My mom sent me some Netflix themed Mini Brands capsules. When I first heard of them, I thought they wouldn't be worth my time or money. But I'm seeing some pretty cool things (even if I have never seen the shows) that fit into the 1/6 scale world. Even better is that these additions I have been getting from them are great in a gamer room, or even for those that incorporate pop culture references into their builds. So let's check out the ones I have received, shall we? 

Let's start by going over the recent revisions that I did in the doll room. That is where I opened the first capsule I was sent. 

And now we open 2 more to see what we can add! I like that some even make accessories for my mini me too. 

These capsules add fun details to the scenes I build. I think if I am able, I'd love to keep trying for Emily in Paris and Bridgerton items. What are your favorites? 

Teeny Tinies - Bazooka Themed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I have showed you the Smarties and Dum Dums versions of Teeny Tinies Candy Shop. Now, let's see how well the Bazooka variety fits with our 1/6 scale world, shall we? You can check your local Five Below to see if they still sell these near you. I think they have been sold out in ours to make room for new products. 

Still not a huge fan of the shelf, but one of my followers had given me advice on making the backing stay in place. So I think I will give it a try and move things around soon. She also had a great idea for making a stand for the lollipops.

A little bit of foam makes a great way to display the tiny lollipops! Thanks to my reader/watcher Robin for the idea. This will be on display in the shop with the others. 
In the meantime, I will happily have Grandma carry around some candy! 

Dreaming of Vacations

I really hope we get to take a vacation next year. To get away and see some sights. We had talked about doing weekend trips around Texas, but that has not been happening. So instead, I dream on! Part of that includes making doll-sized travel accessories. And this time, it is the luggage set. 

I had picked up 2 of these tiny rolling luggage cases that were actually Barbie activity sets. They were on clearance and looked like the perfect thing to doll up (get it, doll up?) for those future trips we may try to take. 

I highly suggest using the spray paint + primer to make it easier to paint the plastic. From there, decorating it is however you might want it to be. They do roll and they can be too tall. However, just don't raise the handle up all the way. I decided to go with rub-on transfers. You can see that in this video I made. What are your thoughts?  

Creating a 1/6 Scale Laboratory

I've been wanting to create more fun doll rooms. Ones that explore my nerdy side more. I made the game room. That place to hang up favorite posters, play video games and watch the favorite movies. Then there was the Steampunk food court. A grocery store to put my Mini Brands in... So what comes next? A laboratory!

How do you pronounce it?

I say la-bore-ah-tory. I guess in some ways, I like to sound a little British when I say it. I think of the Mary Shelley classic, Frankenstein. Or even the comedy, Young Frankenstein. Remember the place where Igor has to go for the brain and he finds one from Abby Normal?

Or when they find the secret lab with shelves lined in parts. Kept in jars of formaldehyde? My daughters have a continuous flow of broken-off Barbie appendages. Hands, feet, whole legs, heads... Comes as an occupational hazard for dolls in their collection. Inevitable, you could say. Well, those keep going to Mom's stockpile. Especially after the first time I used a broken hand for a hospital scene that introduced my daughters to the idea of an amputee in their collection. 

So here is where I started.

Like I said, I began by collecting body parts that would snap off the girls' dolls. If I couldn't fix it, at least. I started putting them aside. Then I saw something in the Halloween section at our local HEB that sprung another idea.

A skeleton! Perfect! I grabbed this, removed it from the cage encasement and painted it white with a primer+paint mix that you can grab at Walmart or your local hardware store.  

On another wall, I wanted floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with books. One of my YouTube followers had the great idea to add trinkets, statues, and bookends. Which will help so much in making those shelves fill faster! I used printables from Delightful Dolls and My Froggy Stuff. There are also others on Pinterest that I have printed out. 

Creating the bones of the build (Pun totally intended)

My daughter had a presentation project to put together, but didn't need the whole project board. So she cut a short piece off the top and gave the remainder to me. This would serve as the walls of my build. I grabbed a foamboard piece from the Dollar Tree to make the floor with. While there, I also grabbed some decal stickers to use as the floor design.

When it comes to my builds, I usually start one because of items I see and want to put in it. In this case, I had books, shelves, and jars. Lots of jars! I had inspiration from the movies I listed above. And it blossoms from there. I gathered up these various items with the intention of piecing together the room around it.  

He's There! The Phantom of the Opera!

Okay guys, I am a HUGE Phantom of the Opera fan. I've read the book. I even read the fan fiction short story of an alternate ending (definitely a better one than the original). I've seen multiple movie versions (including a truly gruesome horror flick...) AND my dad once took my mom and I see to see a theater version. I even cosplayed as a Lady Phantom once. Planning on doing it again! I also did a Steampunk Lady Phantom. But you know what I'm even more proud of?

My mom and I created the OOAK (One Of A Kind) doll versions way back when. While the Christine doll disappeared, I do have the lacy dressing gown outfit that my mom made for me. I love these so much. Which is why, when I was moving my dolls to my crafting shed, I decided to make a dedicated space just for them.

I had imagined shelf box that would be absolutely perfect. I wanted to have the Phantom reaching through the mirror to draw Christine towards him. So buckle up and let's dive into my latest craft! 

First off, we needed a frame. I found my large frame at the local thrift store. It has a great hardware piece on the back to make hanging it easy and sturdy. 

Next thing I had to do was get more foam board. I grabbed mine at Dollar Tree. $1.25 gives me plenty to work with on this project. 

I measured and wrote out some notes for what I wanted to do in this project. Then I started cutting the foam board to create the scene. I will say that foam board and I are not very good friends. I have a difficult time making this work and it never cuts smooth. If you know any tricks, leave them in the comments below so I can try to get better! 

Gluing comes next. I started with the hidden room walls, floor and ceiling. As I mention in my video, it did not come out smooth, so I covered the dressing room facing pieces in a Fleur-de-lis wallpaper pattern. It was the closest pattern I could find that I liked. Her dressing room was pink. Most rooms back them were also gilded. But I'm not usually big on things like that, so we are taking some creative liberty here and making it a.... calmer toned room. I don't have to worry much about the hidden room pieces. However, I at least wanted to cover the sides with paper so that you can't see the raw edges. 

You can follow my progress a little quicker in these videos I put together. Easier than reading the steps. However, I'm not the best for videos and I also don't have a dedicated space yet. So be warned!

What do you think? Did I pull off the right look? Let me know in the comments below! I have another project coming soon. And this time I will try to do better with the videos.

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.