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Monday, December 31, 2012

Handmade felted doll


Meet our sweet new friend Valarie.  This is one of my handmade favorites this year.  I came across this pattern on Etsy by accident and fell in love!  I have 3 more in production now. 



The pattern also came with a little stuffed toy rabbit for Valarie, a purse, jacket, and shoes.  I made Valarie for Madeline and felt those items would be lost.  I can't wait to finish another one with all the accessories.  The pattern is excellent!  It is well written and very easy.  It would make a great pattern for young girls.  It's all hand sewing and supplies are minimal. 




I made a few mistakes with the eyes.  I used 100% felted wool, found at Hobby Lobby, and it fell apart a little.  Next time I plan to use a wool blend for the eyes.  I was also able to find 100% wool fabric at Joanne's and felt it in the washing machine for the main body which made this project much more affordable than the recommended Etsy store sources for felted wool.  The rest was made out of synthetic felt and it still came out super cute.  I can't wait to get started on more of Gingermelon's sweet dolls.  Pin It

Friday, December 14, 2012

Handmade gifts and such.

I feel like it's been forever since I last posted and I was thinking it's because I haven't been doing anything creative.  The past few weeks I have really felt the daily work load of directing a Classical Conversations group, violin lessons twice a week, art classes, and all the other work that comes with keeping up a home and educating little ones.  Most of it has finally come to an end until next year and when I sat down and thought about what I have done creatively over the past few weeks, I realized I have accomplished quite a bit in the midst of our busy schedule.

I need to touch up the walls still.


I changed things up a little in the homeschool room.  I really needed a dry erase board to help me focus on a few key things during the week.  I didn't however want the room to look to much like a classroom so I ended up painting some black Pottery barn frames that I already had with an antique finish and putting maps from Ballard design in them.  I used a sheet of scrapbook paper for the middle one with notes for violin practice.  I also hung the violins to make practicing daily easier.  I like how it turned out.  It's much more functional and still feels like a home instead of a classroom. 



For our Classical Conversations Christmas party, Tony cut wood discs so the students could make Christmas ornaments.  I love having a handy husband!  It was fun and they turned out great. 




We have started renovations on our new family doll house.  I wish it was vintage but it's not.  It is however in need of a huge makeover which is exactly what I was looking for.  We found it on Craigslist and Nate went to work on the electrical problems right away.  This will be a fun project we will enjoy as a family for many months.  I have been wanting to do a dollhouse renovation ever since I first saw my sweet friend Corey's doll house collection.  If you love vintage you should check out her site.  She is absolutely amazing!




 I whipped up a nook cover for a Christmas gift and started painting this vintage chair I found.  It doesn't look like much but I love this chair!  Notice the slats on the bottom for holding books?  I have a special plan in mind for this lovely chair so I'm hoping to finish it up over Christmas break.  The flowers are for a wreath I'm creating for the front porch. 


I hope you are having a wonderful time with your family this Christmas season!  Pin It