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Art imitates life

I think I’ve mentioned that I have a rescue doll house. I bought it off of Craigslist and the thing is enormous and in much need of restoration (mostly of the decorative kind). I haven’t made much progress on it because, truth be told, the work is daunting. The interior walls all need a good skim coat of plaster and sanding, the floors need replacing and, well, we just won’t talk about the staircases at the moment.

At first I was very inspired and then very intimidated by all the very realistic, authentic looking dollhouses out there and it kind of paralyzed me. So I started working on the furnishings as a way to distract myself.

Now the little details I can wrap my mind around. So I started making the odd bit here and there. After making a few pieces I realized that I was essentially replicating my own decor.

I tend to buy dollhouse furniture and then modify it to suit my taste. The bed, for example, was an orangy wood stain and I immediately painted it white and added some crystal finials. Much like my own bed.

The table and chair are actually plastic, assemble yourself pieces that I also painted white.

I guess what works for me will work for the dollhouse (which I keep saying I’m doing for my granddaughter but we all know I’m really doing it for me. I will share though…).

I did create the stove myself out of scrap bass wood and lots of sanding and coats of paint. I even made a little Wedgewood emblem like our stove has. I followed a couple of tutorials to come up with my version. I have a Pinterest board full of inspiration.

I’ll feature more things I’ve made and my progress (slow as it may be…) over the next few months. It’s such a fun little hobby and I love how creative I can get with it. You should see all the stuff I’ve made for the attic space. I wanted it to tell a story of the person that lives in the house and what an interesting life they have led.

P.S. Sorry about the lack of post on Monday. The weekend just flat out wore me out. We had my mother in law visiting and a birthday celebrations and I just ran out of hours. Here’s a picture of the finished doll bed. It was a hit!

Friday Favorites

waiting ◊ Chandelier ◊ Ready for summer! ◊ obsession

How cute is this stool. It says it is for kids but I think it would work anywhere you need a step up
Pretty, shabby Instagram feed to follow: beata.bp.57
Lovely moon and star earrings. I do love a celestial look
I am totally hooked on this Chinese food blogger's videos. It is a very idealized view of life in a remote Chinese village but the videos are pretty and you can tell she knows how to cook. As Clarice (from Storybook Woods, who introduced me to her ) said – she's like the Chinese version of Tasha Tudor

Goodness has this week made me all discombobulated. I'll happily take any day off but having it mid-week just threw me off my schedule. We had a lovely 4th of July celebration at my son's house. Really – one of the best ever. We went to a parade in the morning and then bbq'd in the afternoon. It was relaxed and just the perfect way to spend the day.

This weekend my mother in law is coming to stay with us and we are going to have a big birthday celebration for my son and granddaughter. Their birthdays are a week apart. I get to give my granddaughter her doll bed. I'm still anxiously waiting for the furniture decals. They are supposed to arrive tomorrow. I sure hope so.

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Pickled onions

Happy 4th of July! This is going to be a quick and easy post. I am packing up to head over to my son's and his wife's house to do grandma duties then we are going to have a bbq to celebrate our country's independence.

This recipe for pickled onions is so easy and is perfect for Summer menus. It's great thrown in a salad or coleslaw or used as a topping for burgers, hot dogs or any kind of sandwich (banh mi, anyone?). And some people are known to just eat it straight out of the jar..ahem.

The jalapenos add just the right amount of heat but if they aren't your thing feel free to leave them out. I prefer to use rice wine vinegar because I think it is a little more delicate than regular white or apple cider vinegar but either will do in a pinch.

On to the recipe!

Pickled Onions

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

In a medium sauce pan bring vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a boil. Add sliced onions and jalapenos and simmer for a minute or two. Take off heat and allow to cool slightly. I used a clean 13 oz. jam jar and this batch fit just perfectly. Let chill at least an hour, overnight is even better. It will last a week or two in the refrigerator (if it isn't eaten before then.

I hope you'll give them a try!

Doll bed and quilt – part 2

Doll bed and quilt – part 1 (in case you missed it)

I am 95% finished with this project. I finished the quilt and the pillow case this weekend and even made a mattress for the bed. The bed is painted and assembled but I don't have the retro nursery furniture decals for it yet. I thought I had some saved from the last time I did this project but I must have tossed them. The waterslide decal paper doesn't age well. It tends to curl up after a while. Next time I'll keep them pressed in a book (and will have to write down where so I don't forget).

Don't look too closely at my piecing work. No matter how carefully I cut, how carefully I watch my seam allowance; things always get wonky. Ah well – I know you don't come here for my mad quilting skills.

The quilt is made up of 1 1/4" squares (12 wide and 10 long) with a 2 1/2" white border all around. The overall dimensions are 19 1/2" x 22 1/2". If I did it again I would have gone with a two inch border. It could have been a smidge smaller.

I used flannel for the backing (no batting) and did a simple diagonal quilting across the white squares.

I used the sweetest crocheted edge double fold bias tape for the binding. I just sandwiched the quilted top and back in the fold and pinned the heck out of it and then sewed it on, praying the back would catch properly (it did). We won't talk about what I did at the corners. Like I said, I hope you come here for the witty repartee and not quilting tips.

I decided at the last minute to make a mattress for the bed. My original plan was to just paint the mattress platform white and call it a day but it sits about an inch below the side rails so the quilt looked funny when the bed was made. I just made a simple box cushion type cover and stuffed it with batting.

I did a simplified version of a box cushion. Rather than cutting the top, bottom and four sides I just sewed two pieces together and then sewed across the corners and clipped them. I wanted the mattress to be about an inch thick so I opened up the corners so the seams were matched up, and the corners formed a 90 degree angle, with the seam down the center. Then I lined a ruler up with this seam and marked a 1" clip off the corner. I sewed across my marking and snipped off the corners. I think a picture (even a crappy one) is warranted:

I tufted it using some vintage mother of pearl buttons. If I had used foam for the mattress, instead of batting, it would have been a little more structured looking but I'm happy with how it turned out and it was worth the effort for the overall effect.

My granddaughter turns two on Sunday and this will be one of her birthday presents. I hope she enjoys it as much as I did making it.

Friday Favorites

Oil Paints ◊ spices ◊ Eskimo ◊ Verse

I seriously need a greenhouse (or conservatory, as I prefer to call it…)
What a beautiful fruit bowl. A statement piece (and price) for sure
So true story here – About two weeks ago I was walking in our local supermarket and the woman in front of me had the prettiest, casual kimono on with jeans and a tank top. I ran into her again in the produce section and I complimented her on her outfit and she said she got the kimono at Target. You better believe I made a bee-line over there and bought it and I have had more compliments on it than I can recall getting on a clothing item
Okay I know everyone and their grandmother has probably seen this but this video of Paul McCartney had me grinning and getting teary eyed all at the same time. Just lovely. I remember my older sisters listening to the Beatles so I feel I like I grew up with their music. Blackbird is my favorite Beatles song

Happy Friday! We made it to another weekend. This week has been rather hectic. It's always hard to re-enter the workplace after a few days off and I had to hit the ground running when I went back on Wednesday. I did have such a lovely few days off with my dad and my sister. I am so happy I was able to do that. It is so lovely to be home with Rick, though. Home is where your heart is, that is for sure.

When we were sitting in the gate area, waiting to board our return flight, my dad turned to me and said "That is probably the last time I'll see my sister" and it broke my heart in about eight million pieces. I said "who knows – we could be back next year."

Spend time with your family. Treasure every moment.

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