January 25th, 2013

Today has big plans of staying home (its  a rainy day) and working on projects. I have my bingo project to get ready...(No I'm not telling yet But I promise this is different and hopefully a fun bingo game in our dollhouse Yahoo group) I also want to make my own stamp with a Hitty Head on it. Something I can use a stamp pad over and over.. since I use this feature  alot on the back of my envelopes. So I learned how to do this on PINTEREST . They said go buy a block eraser and draw on your design and carve around it with a small scoop carving knife, which i just happen to have. you can see in my photo, I've started. Found the Erasers at the Dollar Tree Store. You really have to search them out and that's why I have included the package, an easier find. Carving on an eraser is easy, even my old sore hands can do this... go slow and be accurate.

And also Some nice member of our Group PIFFed us bingo players a small Glow in the Dark Fairy to go along with this Bingo story of fairies. So nice of her and I want to thank her.. She sent me 4 of them...I plan to make them into the Ice Fairies from the story today. I just figured out how to make them twinkle. 

And I want to start a new art brooch/pin today... I made another Dorset button last night while watching TV.So let's see what I can get done.

I did manage to finish this rubber stamp made from an eraser.. It came out GREAT

One project down.. more to go...

I love a rainy day!

Lora: a Friend of mine blog with crafties and art

January 20th, 2013

I found these nifty Dorset buttons tutorials on Pinterest and have tried my hand at them...
I like them... hee hee

Anyhow they were from centuries ago used for closures on real fancy outfits (men's included and mostly until women took over and did some adjusting.)Then somewhere in time in London, factories allowed women to make these at home so they could be with their children. I think they also got the children involved. They were given the meager supplies needed and used real bone rings to make them into the sizes needed. They had to make a gross per day... Imagine having to make 144 of them... It was truly one of the few jobs women could do without the husband's objection. Just making Buttons? But see it paid 3 pence if they got it done within a day.I imagine they turned them in for money and restock their new supplies to make more of. I even think they mayhave stayed up many hours at night to finish what wasn't for the next morning.
Now it took me a long time to make the first one (purple) but the second one went rather smoothly.
I made one of my  felt neck purses with crochet edging along with the purple one, in case you want to know what that might be...
the second one I will try and incorporate into one of those felt brooches.

January 15th, 2013

Ive been home designing new designs for these large felt pins. Ive used any piece of paper I can find to draw on. Below is the new one I just made, Pansies and Dragonflies.

On this one, I added a crocheted frame. The two Dragonflies are glittered and therefore take some pretty sad photos because of the glare. 

And today I have a few UFO's(UFO= un-finished objects) to finish up, starting with a pinafore for Hitty. It only needed hemmed. And a few roses.

January 12th, 2013.

For the last two days I've been working on my barbie clothes situation for nude barbies that needed clothes if they are staying here for a spell.  I made skirts and halter tops...



And then in the picture, I finished this piece of art ......
I cant wait to see what my hands will bring forth next. 

Sometimes its as much as a surprise to me as it is you! I made this one for my mother who adores Cardinals. She has one of these in every corner of her home.

This a a piece I hand embroidered on felt. It has three lovely Bullion roses on it and extras also embroidered on and I included my infamous Redbird Cardinal. This is a piece of art wielded by my hand. It has a pin on the back sewn on to use as a brooch and it quite large: 4" by 3" approx.
A lovely piece and its my first of I hope many to come.
I have a non-smoking home.

January 9th, 2013

I finished my embroider applique` pin/brooch ( the blue and black). its 4 inches long. It could be a great knee patch for jeans as well by removal of pin. 
And over on Pinterest, I found the most unique tutorial for making vintage brooches (one needs to be finished  with its starbursts I started) like my grandmother wore on her lapel or above her bosom. My mother tends to wear them on her folded down turtlenecked shirts on the neck. Im sending her a couple as i know this is something she would enjoy wearing. mom is in her 80's.
Ive also finished all those Barbie doll skirts (4) and they are put away....
(3 cheers hip hip hooray) now i need to make 4 shirts to go with them.
and i also need a plain dress for pre spring for Hitty...so onward for my day..I think I'm staying home to day to work.

January 8th, 2013 real life

Yesterday Real life got in my way of playing. I got the hangers done... and got the skirts sewn and worked some on that Applique` as pictured. 
then i decided to organize my life... and stashes.. now i have to clean the mess i made to organize, bear with me.. for the next few days... I tore up my whole sewing room...

These hangers are easy to make.. I use an aspirin bottle to form and twist with my small pliars, make a hook end and remove and then pull with my fingers and indent with my pliars once again.

These are the skirts and embroidery applique` im still work ing on.. maybe able to finish today.

January 6th, 2013 Hitty Dresses and Sizzix Punches

Sunday January 6th.
Its almost sunshining here on the mid Oregon Coastline... Still pretty coolish and brisk, but the air smells so good.
this morning I got up, played my farmville (hee hee) and made two dresses, one for my Mom's hitty "Linda Louise" down in N. Calif and for my hitty Geraldine. They both came out great. I love the snomen... But I wish the manufacture would either put them all rightside up or upside down..I guess they don't trust us to try and sew it right?

Then I went off to the thrift store (Goodwill) to find treasure on a Sunday. They change the color of the tags once a week on Sunday and that means anything with this tag is 50% off. I found two bags worth and it still did not clear 10 dollars... so wooooo hoooo for me...

I did manage to find 3 more barbies to make dresses for the end of the Year toy drive. These 3 dolls were in great condition... and I was impressed... 

I have adopted this wonderful family with their smaller children. There is 2 girls (ages 4 and 5) and I have plenty for them to do..when they visit, like dress barbies or skippers or Kellys. They have to help keep the dollhouse straight and such. There is also a small boy and  he needed Gramma house toys too, so I found a whole bunch of matchbox and plastic cars and trucks.. This keeps this child busy for hours and out of the goirls hair when they are trying to dress the dolls. or help me with all my work... 

Oh and I found a great cutting board for my Sizzix punches. Ive been killing my old one which was for fabric not pounding a hammer with these sharp edged designs. I have a lot of fun with these and found many things to do with them. Last year I bought (again at the Goodwill) several combined Occaisional cards all dumped into large boxes like the oranges come in at the supermarket... Mine to use as I please. Some were used, most were not. I always save cards. I like the pictures..

I've made some beautiful pins from Christmas Card stock and glitter and a pin back to be two Dragonflies. These are very durable.

                                   

January 5th, just another day, Saturday

Saturday's are rough when it's cold outside and rainy which seems to be both on the Oregon Coast. So this morning I decided to finish my HITTY dress which I crocheted at the top and Knooked (a form of knitting with a crochet hook and silken cord) See my photos.

                                                                                   

I have to add a pure white ribbon and some sort of closure... I'm calling it the "Snowdrift Dress" Not sure if I'm selling it or keeping it yet. Geraldine Raikes Hitty looks so cute in it..

I have so much to finish today, some i started last night while watching tv and some I got up early to start and finish. 
Also I am still trying to make that tissue paper rose... last night I tried this:
to glue my tissue paper onto regular white typing paper.. pattern on back side and tissue glued and scrunched just a bit. This morning after it dried, I cut it out.. I love the tissue paper look, but i want it stiffer, so it would last.. 

Not sure if this method might be too stiff almost like the card stock..not the Tissue look I had in mind..

so I drew out two patterns last night on my fancy tissue paper and intend on only using them glued together today... I will get back to it.. so much to do, so little time in each day

The other thing is in our yahoogroup:I put in a link in case someone wants to join.

handmadedollsandfriends · Handmade dolls and Friends

• My Groups

We are doing swaps and one of them is a make a small dolly swap... I chose to make a reborn. Reborns are stripped of their selves and remade.. In this case I removed The body and made new, the paint off its face and gave her a new do after tearing off that ridiculous wig... I cant show it till we swap in April, but let me tell you, its real good, so far. I also made her the sweetest pink outfit to fit..

And I made 4 of my paper napkin hats, with glue and hat forms.. I made the hat form from an old medicine bottle top glued securely to a plastic ribbon spool. I have several of these forms to work with. I make these when I have a minute to spare. The napkins I get from the dollar store and even the white glue...
I make them for dolls and sometimes real people as they seem to like to wear them, adding a snap clippie. They call me the ittybitty hat maker gal. But really I started to make them for my hittys and small dollys.

Last year I had a project of finding these lil Kelly dolls(Barbie's smallest sister). I had friends find me these small dolls all over the country in our doll group (handmadedollsandfriends@yahoogroups) in Yahoo. Well we delivered to the Toy drive 23 packages that I made about a dozen different types of clothing for the lil doll and packaged them up to donate to my local toy drive. They also went out to a few other organziations. 
Mostly i found these small dolls in thrift stores and garage sales. Someone so nice helped me out and sent me a few more about 25 of em... Some had clothing...we included one or two dresses in the packages, also.
THAT WAS 2012.
This is 2013 and Im already searching out for more of these kelly dolls to make for toy drives and needy children who need a dolly. 

How about you? Are you finding toys for your local Toy Drives? I know they only want new and unused... but sometimes they make an exception like what I did. This is a photo of my packaged Kelly with clothes. Do you wait till the last minute? Im starting now. If anyone want to help me... make clothing or gather these small dolls, or has these small dollys, I need donations. I can always offer in return to make a package for you and one for me for your own TOY drive. It must be a donation thing. You cannot sell them. 


And if anyone has a great idea what we can do for lil boys, Im all ears and eyes...Something we can make for them...