Troubles in Posting

Lately I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time for new posts.  I had a tragic incident happen (or so it feels tragic to me) which is also holding up my posts.  My SD card, which I keep my documents for the blog, crashed.  I back it up every other day but I hadn’t in a few days due to a busy schedule and during those few days, quickly jotted things down in entries I was preparing for the next few posts. With that and some of the photos gone, I have an outdated backup that I must now rewrite.

But it doesn’t stop there!  Oh no...

Many of the posts I’ve pre-written for the blog.  I’m sure I’m not the only one who does that since you must have some sort of outline of what you want to add as you go along.  I am a writer and I edit until it says exactly what I mean to say.  As a writer, I know that your reader cannot see into your head.  They don’t know the background or the supporting information you know.  Everything must be crystal clear for your reader to be able to ingrain themselves and participate in what they are reading to enjoy the experience.  Needless to say I try to be quite thorough.

And then it happened.  I am moving into a new house.  I am very excited but now many of my future posts do not apply anymore.

I’m an extremely organized person and I wrote several posts on how I organize my dolls and craft supplies.  Organization is very important to me.  With all I do with my dolls, if I wasn’t organized I’d be in real trouble.

In my new house I have to set up a whole new program because the layout is much different.  I’ve thought about still posting my old way to inspire those that can use the ideas I’d implemented in my old house.  After 15 years I have to make this big change.  But being as organized as I am, I started to dismantle everything as soon as I got my new house and began moving things over the moment I took possession.  I have two months to move everything but knowing me as I am, I had to begin right away.

However, after realizing that I should have taken photos of the way I organized things, I had already cleared out a lot of the stuff.  I quickly got my phone and snapped a few photos but they are not that good.  Still when I do post them, one should be able to get the idea of what I had set up prior to moving this all.

So needless to say, with all the activity of moving and preparing my new house (painting and so on) as well as cleaning my old house, I am crazy busy and don’t spend much time on my dolls.

I haven’t had any time to update the outdated materials I lost from the SD card crashing and so I know that the next posts on the girls are going to be few and far between.  I think about this all the time but it’s fleeting because I get immediately pulled away with all the other activity going on.  And I do get very depressed when I think about all the updated data lost from my SD card crashing.

I know there are many worse things in the world but currently in my world, my SD card was my lifeline to my doll world.  Sigh….

Through this I have implemented the next tool which I hope will work better for me in the future.  I now immediately email myself a document when I create it or update it (this includes photos).  And when I create new documents from scratch (as I am doing with this post) I have created it in Google Docs.  I can access it anywhere and I don’t have to worry that it will crash (at least I hope not!)  Then I copy it into a Word document (which is emailed to myself).  I keep a word document of all my posts which include the pictures in the document as it was originally posted.  All posts are labeled and filed in my Teen Trends Dolls hard drive.  This way if I ever need to access the information as I posted it when I am offline, I can with ease.

I think I’ve solved the documents problems and I know that once I am moved and settled in my new house, I will be able to resume the posts on my blog on a regular basis.  I will have set up my craft area, my doll area and the space I will use while creating the Magic and Mayhem series.  Yes, things will get back to normal and I’m looking forward to that.  

All is not lost...just delayed a bit...

As always, let kindness and positive energy

fill your mind, body and soul.

Blessed Be, My Friends!

Bathroom Toilet

The bathroom toilet proved as eventful as the sink.  Try as I might, I just can’t successfully bend and shape foamcore. (grin)  However, I was starting to like the contemporary boxy look.

I measured and cut the foamcore to the dimensions I thought the toilet should be for Wiccah’s size (measuring her first in a sitting position).  Using the top half of the tin shell butter dish as the toilet bowl, I traced the shape and carefully cut it out of the base of the toilet.  I covered all the pieces in MacTac and glued them together, opening the hole for the shell bowl to sink into.

Prior to sinking the toilet bowl into the base, I traced the shell onto foamcore, rounding out the scallops for a toilet seat and lid and used a bit of tape for the temporary hinge.  The foamcore seat/lid is very lightweight so in the future I may cut a new one out of sheet foam instead as it is a little heavier and sits better on the toilet bowl.  I then sunk the shell toilet bowl into the base and secured it with hot glue.  I still must affix a flushing handle when I decide on all the bathroom fixtures but you get the picture.  (grin)

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The finished product turned out nice.

 

 

And the bathroom looked like this in the end!  I liked it (grin)

As always, let kindness and positive energy

fill your mind, body and soul.

Blessed Be, My Friends!

Bathroom Sink

The next piece I made for the bathroom was the sink.  To be honest I didn’t know what I would do for the sink.  I looked at pictures on line but I didn’t think my talents were able to bend foamcore into the sink parts I saw in the pictures.  I came up with an idea based on the finished tub/shower and began to cut the foamcore into the basic sheets I needed for the base, counter and back of the sink.  I didn’t want just a straight up box for the base so I angled the front inward to accommodate my doll’s feet as she stood close to the sink.  

I used myself as a guide by standing at my bathroom sink and seeing where the counter came up to my body and then stood Wiccah up and measured the counter based on this visual measurement. I covered all pieces in marble MacTac and glued the pieces together, finishing them with the black bump ribbon.

 

  

Thinking about what I would come up with to use as a sink bowl, I rummaged through a box of odd kitchen stuff and found a tin shell butter dish I had from years back.  It is silver with a shell glass dish that nests inside.  I took it apart and used the base as the sink bowl since it had small protruding feet and was stable as it sat on the sink’s counter.  I thought about dropping it flush with the counter like the bathtub, but I liked the look of it on top so I left it for the time being.  What’s nice is I can always cut the hole in the sink counter and drop it down if that is what I want in the end.  That’s the great thing about foamcore.  You can modify it without much trouble.

I had a bunch of ideas for the mirror but in the end went with a jewelry box I bought at the dollar store.  The lid is the mirror and is wood framed.  I took it apart and later used the divided box for a shelf in the bathroom.

  

As per the other pieces, I still have to make the faucet and taps and I think I will paint the mirror frame either black or silver to tie it in with the rest of the trim.  Otherwise I liked the look of the finished piece so far.

As always, let kindness and positive energy

fill your mind, body and soul.

Blessed Be, My Friends!

The Bath & Shower

Since I never thought I would find much to furnish my girls’ house, let alone bathroom fixtures, I knew I had to make them myself.  I admit I was a real amateur in making stuff for this size of doll so everything was a big learning curve.

To make the bath and shower I needed the tub portion and searched many stores looking for the right oval “thing” to use as a tub.  I found my answer in the dollar store…a plastic oval casserole dish.  It was large enough for Wiccah to sit with legs stretched forward and if she wanted to lay down, her knees bent up like we all do in a bathtub so I was pleased with the fit.

Armed with the standard foamcore and some really cool white marble looking MacTac I went to work creating the first bathroom piece.

The tub-surround pieces I cut from foamcore the length and height I thought would work well when I put in a shower head. (approximately 18 inches high)  Using the casserole dish as a pattern I cut the hole out of a separate piece of foamcore for the base of the tub and slid the casserole dish tub in to work the fitting.  I wanted it snug inside even though there was a very slight lip on the casserole dish to hide imperfections.  I covered all pieces with the marble MacTac.

Since the hole for the tub was now covered with the MacTac, I made cuts in the MacTac starting at the center in triangle slices and carefully bent them over the hole.  You can see in the picture how it went.  Since MacTac is really thin you have to be really careful when folding the strips over so they don’t rip.  It’s a tedious but worthwhile procedure and works great in the end.

 

I trimmed the edges of the base of the tub with a pretty black bump ribbon to finish it off and I think it turned out great.  The only thing left to do was put the shower head, faucet and taps on.  I have not made the fixtures yet because I don’t know quite what I want them to look like yet, but the below picture shows the semi-finished project.  I was fairly happy with the results…but you be the judge…

Plants always add a certain amount of class to any room.  I placed these in to give color but really they are to enhance the whole bathroom.

As always, let kindness and positive energy

 fill your mind, body and soul.

Blessed Be, My Friends!

The First Bed

When I made Wiccah’s first bed my idea was to cover it in velvet – a rich royal purple, to be exact.  I wanted the upholstered padded look for the bed trimmed with gold braid. 

With a basic and simple design, I made the frame out of foamcore to start with.  The bed was about 19 inches long and 5 inches wide, a higher headboard – about 12 inches and lower footboard about 8 inches and the height of the base about 4 inches.  Wiccah is 17 inches long so she had enough room for a pillow and foot room.    When Summer joined the family I duplicated the bed for her.

Finding the velvet proved troublesome and I abandoned the idea of finishing the beds until I had the fabric I really wanted.  I had many different pieces of purple fabric but not the shade I wanted and not velvet.  It was a little disappointing.  In retrospect, I’m glad I didn’t have everything needed because I ended up changing my mind a few times on how I wanted the beds finished.  (grin)

The picture below shows the basic un-made bed.  It’s not the best picture but you get the idea.  It served its purpose for Wiccah and Summer until Rowan joined the family.  My focus on their homestead began to expand and the look of their house was changing from what I had envisioned when Wiccah was my only girl.

I will keep these 2 beds in case I need them in the future but at this time they are stored away in bins.  I know I will probably use them, someday….

And this is the unfinished bed in the first bedroom I made for Wiccah.  It doesn’t look too bad even as plain as it is.

As always, let kindness and positive energy

fill your mind, body and soul.

Blessed Be, My Friends!

Table & Chairs - The Beginning

When I first found Wiccah, my sole focus was Barbie.  I didn’t know about American Girl, Maplea, Journey Girls or Our Generation dolls.  Needless to say I didn’t know about Teen Trend dolls or what was available for clothes, furniture or accessories.  This was a true adventure into the world of larger dolls for me.

When I began to make furniture for Wiccah the first pieces I made were her table and chairs.  I’m a balanced sort of girl so I had to have 2 chairs. 

Making them was a lot of fun.  I had an idea in my head and armed with a crocheting hook, some white wool, quilt batting, beads, foamcore and a memo nail I went to work.

I made the table first.  I cut the foamcore into a round disk the size I wanted the table top to be.  I measured the height for the beads as the pillar of the table and glued them together and put them on the memo nail as the base.  With the memo nail table in front of me, I crocheted the table cloth to the size of the foamcore tabletop and then another to cover the base of the memo nail.  The pictures below will give you an idea of how the table was constructed.  (The tabletop is upside down in the picture below)

 

To make the chairs I measured and cut 2 pieces of foamcore for the seat and back of the chair and glued them with the back in a slight angle backward.  I padded the chair pieces with a layer of quilt batting.  With that part complete, I crocheted a sleeve and slid it over the chair seat and then carefully crocheted it closed.  I had intended to put some kind of edging around to give the chairs a bit of contrast or color but it never happened. (hmmm)

Using wooden beads as the legs of the chairs, I used nails and pushed them through the foamcore and glued them inside the wooden beads.  The legs are not as steady as I would have liked but at the time it worked well enough to use for my doll.  The legs are a little wobbly because the beads are against the crocheted and padded wool sleeve and not against the foamcore on this first design.

I like the look of the table and chair set but I think that if I were to make something like it again, I would figure out a better way to attach the chair legs.

So goes the first attempt at making furniture for my girls.  I have a long way to go to making the “perfect” chair! (grin)  Onward and upward!

As always, let kindness and positive energy

fill your mind, body and soul.

Blessed Be, My Friends!

Introductions Over

Now that my girls have had a basic introduction, the real work of this blog begins. 

This blog is dedicated to achieving all the needs of these girls.  So what do eight little dolls need?  Well…clothes, fashion accessories, a home, furniture, home accessories, food, cars, entertainment, adventure, a personality, a life and a story!

In the “What You’ll Find on this Blog” section is a list of 20 topics I’ll cover as I meet the needs of my beautiful dolls and bring them to “life”. 

From the bare beginnings of things I’ve made or acquired to the tips, tricks, tools and supplies I use to make the furniture, accessories, clothes and their homestead, my hope is to have a lot of fun and display my Teen Trends doll collection.  Having people who share my passion and take this journey with me is awesome.

Thanks for coming along for the ride!

As always, let kindness and positive energy

fill your mind, body and soul.

Blessed Be, My Friends!