My Latest Obsession!

My family is always asking me "what are you going to create next"?  And they got quite the surprise when this dollhouse kit arrived at my door.  For most of my life I have wanted to build a dollhouse.  As a little girl living in Scotland I had the most precious doll house but had to leave it behind when I moved to Canada.  I finally made the decision to make my own and I chose the Magnolia dollhouse kit by Greenleaf.
This classic country farmhouse features long pointed gables with decorative trim, fixed double hung windows, and four spacious rooms. Two sets of French doors leading to balconies and a cozy fireplace add to its country charm. Other features include a full porch, silk screened windows and a curved staircase.  The 25 pound kit came with 7 pages of schematics, 11 pages of step-by-step instructions and 10 sheets of pre-punched wood pieces.  I was very nervous about being able to tackle this project on my own, but I completed it and I know that my father-in-law would be super proud of me!  This one's for you Ed.....

I knew it was going to be a daunting task, but I had no idea it would involve so much time.  I bought my kit 6 weeks ago and have spent countless hours sanding, painting and glueing.  I've loved every minute of it and found it somewhat relaxing working on it throughout the summer evenings when there was nothing to watch on television.
I took a lot of photographs along the way but will just post a few so you can get the idea of just how much work is involved in putting this thing together.

Started with assembling and painting all the windows, walls and doors.

 I created faux stone work on the front porch and steps.

Left side - Fireplace Wall

Right Side Nursery Balcony - Notice the cute little red wagon!
Both sets of balcony door open.

Laying shingles on the roof - These took 6 hours to stain and 2 days to install

The adorable baby pram and cute little wellies on the front porch.

Inside the Kitchen - Yes there are cute little food items in the cupboard!

Inside the Living Room - love the persian rug that my friend Maureen gave me!
Faux stone work on the fireplace wall complete with a hearth and mantle.

Notice the old fashioned television (3 bolts of sewing fabric on top of the TV) 

and sewing machine with the cute rack of threads.

Inside the Nursery - complete with matching wallpaper, border and mat

Inside the Master Bedroom - Furniture all the way from the UK for this room!

 The finished product - Front View

The Rear View

My husband kindly mounted it onto a turntable for me so it was easy to manoeuvre while working on the last bits and pieces and it will make it much easier to "play" with!!!
Now, the exciting part..... continuing to decorate and furnish it.  I have collected a few items so far but have a long way to go to get it fully furnished.  Stay tuned for more pics!

Canadian Scrapbooker ~ Passport to Creativity!

I was beyond thrilled to open an email from the amazing Jackie Ludlage back in April asking me to be a contributor in the "Passport to Creativity" section of the Fall issue of Canadian Scrapbooker.  Not only did it make my day, it made my year!  Thanks to Jackie and Katharina for the best Scrapbooking magazine and for giving me a chance to "shine".  Love you gals!

Here are the layouts that I submitted:

"Happy are they who Travel" Featuring Glitz Design products.

If you get a chance, pick up a copy and take a peek at pages 74 & 75.

London 2012 Printers Tray

In celebration of the London 2012 Olympic Games and my daughter and her fiancé moving to Canada from London; I created this 7 Gypsies Printer's Tray.

I found these playing cards at  Spitalfields Market in London when I was there last year with my daughter and they came in perfect for this project.
Here are a few close-ups of the Printer's Tray.

A tiny corked bottle full of beads representing the colors in the UK flag with a Tim Holtz memo pin holding the Tim Holtz rolled-up film strip.

 This is a map of the London Tube with a pin locating their stop at Wanstead.

I'm heading over to hang it in their condo before they arrive later this afternoon.  Hope they like it!

From Drab to FAB!

Lately I have a "thing" for birdcages... mostly because we are using them as props in the wedding decor.

I saw an old painted green one for sale in my local craft store the other day and picked it up along with a can of silver spray paint and this is the end result.  Simple and elegant.

 A few pearls, rhinestones, ribbon and a Melissa Frances organza flower.

 As the saying goes.... "It takes three of anything to make a collection"... I think I now have a collection of birdcages.  Notice the cute little birds inside each cage!

Subway Art Canvas

While scrolling through Pinterest the other day, I came across Amy Lou's Blog and her amazing art.  So.... I decided to give it a try and this is what I came up with.

I found a set of 2" vinyl letters at my local craft store on sale for $1.99 so I picked them up along with a 12"x14" painters canvas. I tore several pages from an old book and used Mod Podge to overlap and adhere them to the canvas.

Make sure you cover the canvas completely with the Mod Podge and book pages. Lay the letters down on top of the canvas. Because the Mod Podge makes the canvas shiny the letters will stick, but not permanently. Choose your favorite color of acrylic paint and paint the entire canvas, right over top of all the letters.

Once the paint is dry, lift the letters from the canvas. And there you have it. A very easy type of subway art.   I used my sanding tool and distressed the edges of the canvas so that a small amount of the canvas and lettering showed through.

Use your imagination and your favorite names or quotes and create a few. They are fast, easy and very inexpensive. Would make a wonderful addition to your baby's nursery with a line from a favourite children's book or the baby's name. You can use a multitude of papers as the background, your favorite scrapbooking papers, magazine pages, newspapers, pages from an old music book.... The list goes on and on.