Black Friday thru Cyber Monday Sale

I am having a sale for Black Friday thru Cyber Monday in both of my etsy shops. Use the coupon code BFCM2011 for 25% off of both shops, links below.

dalesdreams

dalesdreamsII

Thanks for stopping by! :)



Latest Acquisition and WIP

I bought a new dollhouse last week. :)

Did I need a new dollhouse? 

Absolutely not, if you recall, I have two other houses already.

This one, that I left with my friend Richard over the summer, he's wiring it for me. :)

Which reminds me I have to send him some fixtures to put in it!

Wow, this is in far rougher shape than I remember. ;)

And, this one, that my hubby surprised me with, he nabbed if off the curb. I was so tickled when he found it. He wasn't sure I wanted it, but, of course I did!

So, yup! Another house. This one is actually in the best condition of all that I have.

View of the inside. There are two more rooms on the top floor, but you look down on them through the roof when removed or just peek in the windows.

The first thing that had to go was the pink accents. It just really dated it back to the 80's.

I wanted the majority of the house to be a dark charcoal gray.

Many people have suggested using the little paint samples that you can get from your local hardware or paint stores. I was worried about it not being enough paint, but took a chance and only bought the one container. It is just the right amount, thank goodness! This is Besalt D36-7 Paint Pod from Ace.

The white trim was just a bit to stark and bright for me. I toned it down with Oyster White from Ceramcoat. It is just the most subtle difference from white to off white, but, I think it has a richer look to it. 

Cutting in around and in between the gingerbread and trim was so tedious! 

It's so dark it looks almost black, but it's just a dark charcoal.

And what is more welcoming than a red front door?

This obviously needs a few more coats on it.

Does anyone else think Elizabeth Arden Red Door?

As cute as it is, the quality of craftsmanship is not the best, but, I'm not going to complain all that much, because I am not a builder! Originally, I had the window trim on the third floor painted the oyster color. But, it just cried out how crooked those dormers were, so I painted them black along with the roof. They seem to fade back now a bit.

Still need another coat on that door! That is Folk Art Lipstick Red.

The roof is Crafter's Edition Acrylic Paint , Black.

And, with the roof on. I still have a bit of touching up here and there to do, that blue base must go!

I'm pleased with the progress so far. :)

Amazing what a difference a bit of paint can do, isn't it? :)

I hope all those that are celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends have a wonderful and safe time. :)

Making Miniatures for and with Children

A while back, I was asked to donate for a Girl Scout function from someone on etsy. 

I have a special place in my heart for girl scouts, I was a girl scout, my daughters were, I was craft-mom for the scouts, cookie mom for five years. My sisters were scouts, my cousins, my mom. My aunt was a leader, my grandmother was a leader. I guess you could say scouting runs deep in my family. ;)

I did my research and made sure that it was a genuine request for a real troop. Well, when I did, I was quite impressed with the troop and it's leaders. They did a lot of philanthropic work in their area/community.

They were having a girls day and it would be of girls of all different ages, I was asked if I would provide a gift for a giveaway and perhaps a project?

Of course, I immediately thought of pillows. I know for myself as a child and lover of dollhouses that pillows were one of my first creations and, also one of the simplest things you can create. 

I chose these two fabrics for the fronts and backs of the pillows. Although they were produced by different manufacturers, I thought they worked really well together.  I especially liked the fabric featuring the girls. It spoke Girl Scout to me, because it represented all different types of girls, just like scouting does.

I sent the fabric cut so that the girls could easily put them together and sew them up by hand. Yeah, I sent along something for the giveaway and little extras for the girls, too. I later heard back that it had been a great success and they had appreciated my contribution. It's nice to do something nice for others, isn't it? :)

When I visited my girlfriend in June for her daughter's wedding, of course, I could not help noticing the Fisher Price dollhouse she had for her grand daughter. She's just a little thing, so I wanted to make her something that was relatively safe, but that she could have fun with as well. :)

In my etsy shop, I create for the adult collector. The majority of my items are too fragile to be used as playthings for children, plus, I don't have my items tested according to CPSIA requirements. I feel I have to make note of this for those of  you that do buy my miniatures. Those that I create for sale are not intended for children.

But, I can create gifts for the special people in my life. :)

I remembered the fabrics that I had picked out for the scout troop. When making things for and with children, I like them to be tactile. That both of these fabrics were flannels, just felt so right for a little person. It feels nice and soft, you can rub it on your cheek. :)

So, I made as many pillows with the different gals as I could and made her a little quilt to play with as well.

Serendipity!

I discovered it could even be a learning tool! You could play a simple version of tic tac toe with the pillows on the quilt. Tic tac toe is probably one of the earliest games I learned to play with a piece of paper and a pencil. Good for hours of quiet play. :)

My one gf once told me that I was very intimidating when it came to raising my children. I couldn't understand what she meant. She said I was constantly teaching my children. I never realized it, it was just instinct, just what I did. :)

So, if you have a little person in your life and you want to get them started with miniatures, think about sewing a little pillow together. Even very young children can sew a simple pillow together if they are being supervised with needle and scissors.

Keep your eye out for vibrant fabric such as this, that feels soft to the touch.

If you are going to venture out to make miniatures or any items to sell for children, make sure you are informed about the requirements for CPSIA.

Happy Crafting!

dale :)