Mushroom Journal

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Happy Monday!

I hope your weekend was a nice one. My youngest had a horse show and it was such gorgeous weather and we had a really nice time. I am gearing up for the holidays as I am sure many of you are and I am planning on sharing the handmade gifts I will be making for everyone this year. I spent this week figuring out what I was going to make for everyone and I think I am even being some what realistic. I am still hopeful to finish the Coraline dolls for the kids and that is my plan for the coming week. In fact I couldn’t sleep last night and as I was lying in bed I came up with a really cool idea for a box for the dolls. I will be sure to share the results with you all and how I make out.

I was going to film a video on my setting up my Christmas planner in my bullet journal but the weekend got away from me so I decided to share this video I recorded maybe two weeks ago instead. I was hesitant to share it as I can’t seem to find this journal anymore! I know it’s around and most likely right in front of my face but either way it’s a really fun project and if need be I just may have to make a second one. I also have my fall journal to fill up and then I am hoping to get my Christmas memory journal caught up.

Perhaps I am not being so realistic with my holiday plans after all.

Regardless it’s fun to have to ideas and projects on the go and at the end of the day I am determined to just enjoy the making and I get done what I get done.

Today however I am sharing my little mushroom journal with you.

I made it out of a mini composition notebook that I believe I bought in a big pack off of Amazon but I know you can get these at the Dollar Tree too. I was prepping the pages to make art in them but never really got beyond that. I saw Janet Nash’s mushroom journal and I really loved the idea so I decided to turn this notebook into my own version of a mushroom journal.

I gut out of very simple template leaving a hinge of sorts to keep the journal together. I traced it on the notebook and then cut out the pages a few at a time. I found my scissors worked perfectly for this. I love the idea of maybe adding fabric collage to the cover and then maybe even a combination of hand stitching and paper collage to the inside pages.

I hope you will make one too and maybe we can work in our mushroom journals together.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

The Puzzle Cottage: Step #1 Putting it Together

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Hello,

In today’s dollhouse post I am sharing my thoughts on the 3D dollhouse kit I received for my birthday. I will also link below the video I made if you would like to watch.

Overall I am very happy with this item. It went together pretty quickly. I would say all in all it maybe took me an hour to put it all together. The only thing I would say is that I ended up asking for some help from my husband just to help me align and snap some of the pieces together. This had more to do with my own wanting to make sure I had assembled things together correctly before potentially snapping parts as I tried to force them together. Otherwise I would say that you most definitely can do this on your own.

I didn’t necessarily have a plan for this dollhouse and I am still working that out but it looks absolutely adorable. I picked up some Calico Critters from Barnes and Noble and I am thinking of giving the little elephant family their very own cottage in the woods. The poor dears are currently staying in the unfinished childhood dollhouse and they really do need their own place.

I have some ideas on the exterior but really haven’t thought much about the interior design so I’ll be sure to keep you updated. I have the furniture kit that came with the house so I may start putting those items together and let them lead me in the way of decor so that should be fun.

If you are thinking of getting one of these I would say go for it. They go together quickly, are very inexpensive and if you just love decorating houses this is a great way to get started. You also can choose to purchase just the house without the furniture which is a great option if you are someone who likes to make your own furniture.

Well that’s it for this week. I am looking forward to getting some more work on the childhood dollhouse done to share with you all next Friday so stay tuned! The kitchen is coming together nicely and I have two more furniture pieces just about done for it.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Slow Stitch Diaries Entry #1: Making a Mushroom Journal

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Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you had a lovely weekend! The weather in the Northeast has been wonderful. In my opinion it’s been perfect fall weather and the leaves are looking amazing! We went trick or treating for the last time in our neighborhood really enjoyed time together as a family.

With all that has been going on though I was feeling called to slow down a bit. When I was attempting the Coraline dolls last week I found myself really decompressing while I slow stitched the faces and it had me thinking about making myself a simple slow stitch diary.

I had a piece of denim from a pair of old jeans lying around. Initially I was going to use it to make curtains for the dollhouse but I think it will make the room too dark so I decided to use it as a cover for a little slow stitch diary. Since there has been so much lovely fall leaves I decided to add a mushroom to the cover and use a reverse applique technique. I did this with a sweatshirt of mine and I love how it turned out.

I already had some batting pieces cut out so I trimmed the jean down to match and made a wrap around over. I took out my little scrap bins and had a nice piece of hot pink fabric I chose as a base Then I used a regular glue stick to glue down strips of the fabric scraps. Once I had filled the base fabric, I stitched it onto the back of the cover. Next I took a little mushroom template I had made and traced it on the cover using a fabric pen. Next I used my seam ripper to cut into the top layer of fabric only and the cut out the mushroom shape from the denim material.

Once this was done I stitched around the edges with some bright yellow embroidery floss. I am planning on going back in with some embroidery floss to add some stitches to the mushroom itself but for now I think it came out really nice.  I am planning on working regularly in this little slow stitch diary and I hope that you find the videos relaxing and maybe even pick up your own project to stitch along with me.

Until next time!

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Watch this week’s video by clicking the image at the top of this post or you can watch it below

Dollhouse Update: Sinks, Stoves & Stairs

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Hello everyone! I hope your week has been lovely and that maybe you were able to get in some creative time.

I am having one of those weeks where everything I try to do, doesn’t! If you read my post on Monday you know I am trying to make some Coraline inspired dolls for my kids and they are just not working out. I decided instead to just put them aside and try again next week. I did want them for Halloween but I remind myself that I make them for enjoyment and if I am stressing and getting frustrated that’s the opposite of enjoyment.

Since it is Friday however I wanted to share a little dollhouse update with you. I am making some nice progress on my childhood dollhouse. I finished 3 pieces of furniture. A bathroom sink which was my first furniture piece made from scratch. While it is quite wonky and unique I really loved making it and that is the most important thing.

Next I made the kitchen sink and some curtains for the kitchen and I just love the fabric! It works so well against the wallpaper. The curtain rod is one my mom used when she first decorated my dollhouse when I was probably around 5 or 6 years old. It’s nice having that little nod to the past hidden amidst all the new.

I also made a little cupboard that I planned to put in the kitchen but instead decided to add to the upstairs hall and it looks so cute! I am already imagining a small vase of flowers sitting on it.

Lastly I am working on a stove and brick surround. It is so sweet and I think I have finalized it’s location but I would love to hear your ideas.

In addition to the dollhouse makes I am so excited about my new serial I am making based on the dollhouse! It’s going to be a fantasy mystery style story that I will share in installments each week here on my blog and my Substack. I have already started chapter 1 and I am having so much fun!

So that is my update for the dollhouse! I hope you enjoy hearing about the project and if you would like you can see the video about the update below. Be sure to comment and let me know what you are working on I would love to hear!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Junk Journal MashUp

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Happy Monday!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. The weather here in the North East was absolutely beautiful and we were very excited to celebrate my youngest Baptism on Saturday. It was a small, private ceremony and dear friends acted as godparents. After we went to my daughter’s favorite restaurant. The entire celebration was perfect!

I also was able to get in some more dollhouse time and I am working on a brick wall which should be really fun! I cannot wait to share that update. I may need to sit it aside however since my kids have requested Coraline dolls for Halloween.

If you have been visiting my little corner of the web for a while you may know that I like to make little gifts for my kids on the holidays. I purchased this Coraline-style doll pattern last year thinking I would make them for Christmas but ended up doing other gifts for the. Now that Halloween is only 6 days away it makes sense that I try and tackle 3 fabric dolls between now and then right?

We shall see how they get on and I will even try to film some of it for you. It will however require a massive desk clean as I have been in the midst of 2 projects right now so I think today I will start with a good clean up and then try my hand at making the dolls. I had to order some fabric (it would seem everything I chose to pack up is now required) which came in Friday and I picked up some felt sheets at the craft store for the clothing. I think they will go together pretty quickly so I am happy to get started.

For today however I am sharing a fun little junk journal mash up. As we were going through our attic, basement and barn we found lots of papers and things that were saved. The certificate from when I purchased my love bird back in the late 90’s, some cards and even some items much more recent. I am trying to keep my “junk journal” supplies to one small box and when it starts to overflow that’s when I sit down and do a few pages. It was so much fun. I absolutely love this journal I made and I think the pages are coming out nicely as well.

If you have some crafts to work on, why not hit play below and join me for about 15 minutes of creative time? I would love to hear what you are working on!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Dollhouse Day: Haul Video & New Items

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Happy Friday!

I wanted to come on here to share some new items I picked up for my dollhouse as well as some items I received for my birthday.

The video is a little choppy and I am sorry for that. I filmed it in different sections and it wasn’t until I was going to edit that I decided I wanted them to be a video all on their own. Still I think you will enjoy seeing what I got.

The first things were items from Miniature Crush. This was my first time ordering from them and I am really happy with my purchase.

In the video below you can see my purchases but I ordered a 3 pack of adorable guinea pigs which I really just love! They are so sweet! I was going to also make them a little C&C cage like we had for my real life guinea pigs but my son suggested just having them placed randomly in the house and I kind of love that idea!

I also purchased these pretty door knobs for the interior doors of the bedroom and bathroom. I am building my own doors so these are going to work out really well.

While I was shopping around I saw they had these little light switches and I loved the idea of adding this detail to the rooms. I am considering decorating them first but we will have to see how ambitious I get.

I had originally started my order because I needed to get these faucets for the upstairs bathroom and these railings for the bottom of the staircase. I am happy with these as well and think that the spindles may need to be trimmed a bit but that they will look great once they are all painted.

I also was kindly gifted some lovely dollhouse items for my birthday. The first was this book on building a garden shed by Julie Warren. If you haven’t visited Julie’s channel I always recommend it. She is such a talented miniaturist and an amazing teacher. I also received another of her books on building furniture and there are some really wonderful projects. The last item is the puzzle dollhouse and furniture. I had mentioned in the video I thought it might be 1/24th scale but it’s actually half scale from what I was able to research. I am still thinking of putting this together soon I have so many ideas! I was also realizing that I haven’t added anything to the Alice’s Dreamy Bedroom room box since the first video and I was wondering if you would like to see more on that? I also have a Christmas room box kit I would love to get done for the holidays!

The last items were from The House of Miniatures and I was able to pick up 3 kits on Ebay. I am going to use the Chippendale Desk Kit (Kit #40042) to make new pieces for my old childhood kit I had put together in 1988. It’s missing a drawer and the drop down so I am going to use this kit as a template to remake those parts and then use the new kit to make furniture for another project.

As part of this purchase I also received the Chippendale Low Boy (Kit #40024) which I may put in the living room right next to the front door.  Lastly I received the Chippendale chest on chest (Kit #40009) that I think might go in the bedroom along with the desk.

So there you have it! Lots of fun dollhouse ideas. What do you think, should add to the Alice Dreamy Bedroom or start up the puzzle house? Please let me know if the comments.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante