Dollhouse Updates: Painting the Ceiling, Door and More

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I was able to spend a little time in the dollhouse today.

If you read last week’s post you know that I had a few things I wanted to work on this week and I was able to check them all of my list along with painting the ceiling-a project I have been putting off for some unknown reason.

I was able to paint the exterior window trim trying out the gray color I painted the door and I really like it. I am still deciding if I want to add shutters but with the door fully painted and the exterior colors mostly settled on I was ready to wrap up some things on the first floor.

I spackled the kitchen window and touched up the paint there. I used a fine wood filler and just smeared it into the cracks where I didn’t cut the wood perfectly. I also added some to the scallops on the front of the house to close up some very noticeable gaps I had.

As I mentioned I painted the ceiling and I have decided to move on to the second floor and get the walls prepped and the floor done before going forward with the kitchen. I think it will be nice to see all the walls and floors done ready for “moving in” so to speak so I’m going to see how that goes. I really want to tile the bathroom and make my own tiles so I need to do some research on the best way to do that.

So that is my little update for this week. For next week I am hoping to have a little character ready to introduce to you. More on that to come.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettant

Paper Dolls from Cardboard

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I am trying out something today. I am playing and having fun making some paper dolls in a cardboard journal.

I was inspired by this video by A Bit of Birdsong where she makes what she calls “trashy dolls” out of cardboard. I love the freedom of making something out of items that are normally tossed in the trash or recycling bin. There is nothing to do but play around and see what you come up with.

I decided to make a small journal to house my doll using cardboard I had here in the studio. I drew a face on the back of some scrap paper for her head and attached arms and legs using brads so they would move a bit.

It was such a simple project and this is only the first phase. Next I am going to make her some clothes and possibly a friend or two. I had thought of making each page in the book a different room in a house for her so that might be a possibility too.

I will be doing more of these so you can be sure to see how she progresses but for now you can watch a sped up video of me putting all the basics together below.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Dollhouse Update 2024

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I am excited to finally be sharing a dollhouse update with you.

If you remember I shared how I was focusing on my shop and getting things ready for the holiday. My dollhouse had become a storage place for fabric as I made lots of handmade gifts for the kids and friends. January has been filled with colds, a new job and lots of just being.  I had some amazing plans for the new year but things that needed my attention were coming first so my little dollhouse sat patiently waiting.

Then I was able to get some work done and do some filming! Only to lose the footage lol. Ah well, things happen. Still I am excited to share my little update for my fellow miniaturists and let you know that I should be able to plan regular weekly updates going forward. So let’s see what’s new!

I stained the floors on the first level. I am really happy with how it came out. I used Minwax Natural 209 and it really makes them look like hardwood floors-instead of cut up Popsicle sticks!

I finished the kitchen window and painted the door white on one side but have decided instead to make it gray. I was going to have the outside of the door be white which I liked against the pink siding but decided I really like the gray so I am going to have the door gray inside and out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also started cutting out the pieces for my first ever piece of furniture! I am following Julie Warren’s tutorial in her book “Creating Dolls’ House Kitchens in 1/12th Scale” and making the sink unit found on page 120. I want to put the sink under the kitchen window and then want to see how much room I have so I can plan out the way the front door will swing open and also the direction of the stairs.

This week I am hoping to finish painting the door and then decide what color I want to do the window frames on the outside of the house. Do I want shutters? That might be fun! Once I decide I would like to finish the outside frame, spackle the interior of the kitchen window, touch up the paint and then continue on with the sink. I am planning to put all the fixed pieces into the kitchen and then move on to the next floors before I go ahead and decorate etc.

So that’s where I am at. I am really excited to get back into my regular miniature making and sharing the journey with you.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Book Club and the Faebruary Challenge

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I am so excited for this month’s Pile of Possibilities!

I found about this Book Tube Challenge from Chantel Reads and I watched all the host videos and compiled my list accordingly. The challenge is focused on Fairy Tale Re-tellings and after reading Heartless by Marissa Meyer in January I feel like I need more for this genre. I absolutely LOVED “Heartless” which is a story all about the Queen of Hearts before she became the Queen of Hearts. Someone left it in our Little Free Library and I am so happy I picked it up.

For the Faebruary Challenge (and you can get all the details here) I have picked out a few reads that will all check multiple boxes on the challenge. Here is what I have chosen:

 “A pirate, a pixie, and a plot to foil Peter Pan…
James Hook never meant to become a pirate, and never dreamed that he would turn against best friend, Peter Pan. Every adventure and eternal youth awaited them… until a pixie exposes a shocking revelation. Tinkerbell’s information forces James into acknowledging that, far from being the benevolent hero he painted himself to be, Peter Pan was kidnapping innocent children.
After accepting the traumatic loss of his hand and of the family he can barely remember, James deserts Pan. In the fight to rescue the Lost Boys, Hook will risk everything, even if that means becoming the most notorious villain in Neverland… or losing the fiery pixie who is stealing his heart.
Can the original Lost Boy vanquish Neverland’s greatest threat?”

 

 

“A siren’s song holds power over skies and men.

Stella has never seen the sky until the day she speaks her oaths and is brought above the surface. After her first encounter with a land-walker’s ship forces her to sing up a storm that pulls a prince into the water, she chooses to rescue him.
When Stella’s blossoming affection for the prince is threatened by another, she makes a choice to trade her fins for legs. The phantom glass in her throat if she dares to use her voice and in her feet when she walks.
Captain Dillon Carvy is determined to have his revenge after a siren’s song costs him his both his ship and his favored position as the Prince’s captain. While searching for signs of the siren, Dillon discovers a struggling maiden instead. Pulling a silent girl from the sea, he sees the perfect opportunity to gain his position back.
A case of mistaken identity puts Stella right where she wants to be in the Prince’s palace. But unless she breaks her silence, continuing her charade may cost her the happiness she hopes for, and quite possibly her life.

“She is one of the protected elect. He is a shunned shapeshifter. Can Scarlett rescue her grandmother before her heart is stolen?
When her grandmother is cast out as unworthy after facing Hamelin’s annual Shunning, Scarlett knows she must brave the dangers of Darkwood Forest if she will have any chance of saving her grandmother. Her perilous adventure becomes a race against time. She needs to find Gran before the previously shunned get to her first.
Scarlett’s efforts came too late. As her magic dwindles the farther into the forest she ventures, she becomes hopelessly lost, and is forced to accept help from Greyson, the shapeshifting wolf who is stalking her every footstep—and who Scarlett suspects of knowing Gran’s location.
If she manages to save her grandmother, Scarlett is faced with another impossible join Gran and live her life as an outcast or return to the rest of the elect, safe but alone. As she struggles to find the right path forward, Scarlett realizes that more than her grandmother’s future is at stake. Her heart is too.
Can Scarlett resist her inexplicable, rising attraction to the shunned wolf she despises long enough to protect the woman who raised her?”

“What if Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger on purpose?

Princess Aurelia’s kingdom is plagued by the Eternal Slumber, a disease progressively ensnaring the minds of her subjects. After Aurelia wishes for the means to revive her brother, her sinister fairy godmother presents an ominous Aurelia must stab herself with a poisoned spindle.
Accepting this fate plunges Aurelia into a nightmare where victims of the Eternal Slumber are being held hostage by a dark djinni. However, Aurelia’s brother isn’t the only familiar face she finds herself reunited with; Everett, the love of her life who mysteriously disappeared years ago, is there as well. As the djinni’s power grows, Aurelia must decide who to save before the djinni escapes and enters the waking world.
Failing on her quest could trap her in the dream world forever. Will she forgo her chance at a happily ever after and protect her brother, or will she choose to rescue herself and the man she loves?
No matter who she chooses, someone will be doomed to remain in the nightmare that never ends.
To Defy a Dream is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. It is one of twelve novellas in The Shattered Tales, a collection of twelve fractured retellings of your favorite fairy tales. They can be enjoyed in any order, so fall in love with the swoony sweet romance, magical adventures, and tale-shattering twists one happily-ever-after at a time!”

“Robin of the Wood spends her days robbing from the rich to feed the poor. But she and her merry band of brothers never seem to get anywhere. The more she steals, the more the evil Lord Guy “Bluebeard” taxes the villagers.
When Robin discovers that Lord Guy plans to marry yet again, she conceives a plan for a final, big score. As Guy’s wife, she will have access to his wealth. The lord is notorious for killing his wives shortly after he marries them, but Robin has no plans to be dead wife number four.
The only problem is that Lord Guy is devastatingly handsome, brooding, and nothing at all what she expected. If she isn’t careful, she might just find that he steals her heart before she can rob his riches.”

 

 

 

“England, 1381: Delia’s idyllic life as daughter of an earl is shattered when her father dies and his wife accuses Delia’s seven brothers of treason and murder. The youngest is only ten years old, but this doesn’t stop the guards from hauling them off to the Tower of London. There they await a grim fate, as child-king Richard II is executing anyone who poses a threat to his throne. Delia is their only hope for pardon and freedom.
Sir Geoffrey did not expect his first assignment as captain of the guard to be the arrest of boys so young. He dutifully imprisons the brothers, but he can’t ignore the sense, rooted in personal experience, that injustice and treachery are at work.
Determined to rescue her brothers, Delia secures a position as a seamstress for the queen. Her quest is all but impossible as the executions continue. Sir Geoffrey offers to be her ally, but should she trust him in a court where everyone has an agenda?”

 

So that is my list of potential reads for February. If you end up taking part in this challenge please let me know I would love to hear!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

 

DIY Paper Clips: Valentine Your Planner

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I won’t say that I can’t believe we are at the end of January and it’s almost February.

While time continues to move quickly I am really excited for Valentine’s Day. Not so much the day itself but I love pink and I love hearts so it’s so much fun to decorate and craft this month.

Today I am sharing some really simple paper clips you can make to decorate your planner, journal or Bible.

These are simple to make, use up scraps and would be a fun project to do with kids or to make as teacher or gifts for Galentines Day so let’s get started!

Supplies:  Cardstock (scraps are fine you just need it big enough to make your heart shape). Then you will want some scraps of fabric or paper, a glue stick-something strong and permanent. I would have used Tacky Glue if I had some. Then some embroidery floss, a needle and thread and lastly some fleece or felt and a marker and some stuffing.

Let’s get started!

I began by cutting a simple heart shape from my cardstock. When I was happy with it I made a second one by tracing the first. Then I started adding strips of my scrap fabric. You can use one whole piece of fabric, an image-whatever you like! I decorated both sides then I sewed around one with regular thread adding my paper clip and sewing it into place, and another I used embroidery floss. You could hot glue everything together as well but I didn’t feel like getting hot the glue gun.

The last style I made was a cute fleece heart. I cut out the heart shape the same way, duplicated it and stiched on the features with embroidery floss. I did 3 lines for each eye with a long one in the center and shorter ones on either side. I added eyebrows and a mouth as well. Just be aware if you are using thinner fabric that your embroidery floss might show behind the fabric so you may want to do each feature, knot if off and start again rather than stretching the floss from one part of the face to the other.

I used a blanket stitch to attach the two hearts and added some toy stuffing and the paper clip. The last addition was a cute bow-my daugther’s idea-with some more fabric scraps. You could make it out of ribbon too which would adorable too.

I made a quick paper clip with a piece of scrap ribbon tied into a little flag. I love making these and adding them to my Bible and journals-it is a really quick way to add color and you can make them to coordinate to any theme. A big plus is it’s a great way to use little bits of fabric.

And that’s it! These look so sweet and I am hoping to make a few more. If you make some please tag me on social media or put a link in the description below. Happy crafting!

 

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Book Haul: First Used Book Purchase of 2024

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Welcome to Book Club. I hope your reading year is off to a great start. I have already fallen in love with a book that has completely ruined all other books for me. I’ll be sharing more about it in my January reads but I am excited to find some more books by this author.

I also placed a Thrift Books purchase (affiliate link-if you use this link you can earn a free book and so can I 🙂 The books pretty much all came from a videos I watched on OceanaGottaReademAll’s channel but I thought it might be fun to share with you as well. So here we go!

First up is Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard which is book 1 in a series and you know how much I love a series! Here is the synopsis from Goodreads:

“This is a world divided by blood—red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance—Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart.”

It sounds like a really interesting read. I’m not quite sure when I will get to it. I wonder if you have a TBR shelf? I’m thinking about organizing my books a bit more but for now this one will stay stacked with it’s other newly acquired siblings.

“The Bridge of Belle Island” by Julie Klassen is the next purchase I made. I am not really a romance reader but I do love historical fiction so I thought I would give this one a try. Here’s the Goodreads synopsis:

“After a humiliating mistake, lawyer Benjamin Booker resolves to never again trust a beautiful woman. When an old friend is killed, the senior partner isn’t satisfied with Bow Street’s efforts and asks Benjamin to investigate. Eager to leave London for a while, Benjamin agrees. Evidence takes him to a remote island on the Thames, a world unto itself, shrouded in mist and mystery. Soon he finds himself falling for the main suspect—a woman who claims not to have left the island in ten years. But should he trust her?

On Belle Island, Isabelle feels safe and leads a productive life, but fear keeps her trapped there. When Mr. Booker arrives with news of her trustee’s murder in London, Isabelle is stunned. She has not left the island, yet she has a recurring dream about the man’s death. Or is it a memory? She had been furious with him, but she never intended…this.

When a second person dies, and evidence shockingly points to her, Isabelle doesn’t know who to trust: the attractive lawyer or the admirer and friends who assemble on the island, each with grudges against the victim. Can she even trust her own mind? While they search for the truth, secrets come to light and danger comes calling.”

Then I picked up “Husband Auditions” by Angela Ruth Strong. Again, not really a romance reader but this book seemed to have enough of a story line beyond the inevitable romance angle that I feel like it might be an interesting read. Here’s the synopsis:

“In a world full of happily-ever-after love, Meri Newberg feels like the last young woman on the planet to be single, at least in her Christian friend group. So when she’s handed a strange present at the latest wedding–a 1950s magazine article of “ways to get a husband”–she decides there’s nothing to lose by trying out its advice. After all, she can’t get any more single, can she?

Her brother’s roommate sees the whole thing as a great opportunity. Not to fall in love–Kai Kamaka has no interest in the effort a serious relationship takes. No, this is a career jump start. He talks Meri into letting him film every silly husband-catching attempt for a new online show. If it goes viral, his career as a cameraman will be made.

When Meri Me debuts, it’s an instant hit. People love watching her lasso men on street corners, drop handkerchiefs for unsuspecting potential beaus, and otherwise embarrass herself in pursuit of true love. But the longer this game goes on, the less sure Kai is that he wants Meri to snag anyone but him. The only problem is that he may not be the kind of husband material she’s looking for . . .

With droll comic timing, unbeatable chemistry, and a zany but relatable cast of characters, Angela Ruth Strong has created a heartfelt look at the reality of modern Christian dating that readers will both resonate with and fall for.”

I also picked up “The Soulmate” by Sally Hepworth.

“There’s a cottage on a cliff. Gabe and Pippa’s dream home in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect house hides something sinister. The tall cliffs have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Night after night Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge. Until he doesn’t.

When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral…Did the victim jump? Was she pushed?

And would Gabe, the love of Pippa’s life, her soulmate…lie? As the perfect facade of their marriage begins to crack, the deepest and darkest secrets begin to unravel.”

And lastly I picked up “Drawing & Painting Expressive Little Faces” by Amarilys Henderson. I am really focusing on my art this year and drawing faces is part of that. I have had this book on my wish list for a while and when I saw it on Thrift Books I had to pick it up.

“In Drawing and Painting Expressive Little Faces, artist and popular Skillshare instructor Amarilys Henderson shares her practical and creative techniques for drawing and painting faces with style and personality.

Gathering supplies. Consider the creative possibilities of watercolor, ink, and markers, and create a mobile sketch pack so you can capture faces and expressions on the go.

Simplifying the face and identifying proportions. Use photos to simplify the face’s key elements, learn about facial proportions and factors and variables for placing facial features, and apply these concepts through a simple warm up using a single color to paint a face in multiple values.

Facial shapes and features. Learn about the five basic facial shapes and how to modify the chin line, ears, and hairline, and how to draw and paint mouths, eyes, and noses and make alterations to show pose and personality.

Mixing color. The pigments and brushes you’ll need to achieve a wide range of realistic skin tones, shadows, and expressions.

Bringing faces to life. Navigate the process from start to finish, learn to adjust line quality to suggest different genders and ethnicities, and change up artistic styling to put a unique spin on your creations.

Project ideas. Get inspired by some cool ways to apply your new skills: party invitations, repeat patterns, comic books, and more!

Don’t be intimidated by the challenge of drawing and painting faces. Improve your face game with Drawing and Painting Expressive Little Faces!
So that is my recent book purchases. I will of course update you all as I read them and how I like them. You can follow me on Goodreads if you are on there. Wishing you a bookish day!

Until next time…
-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante