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Friday, September 22, 2017

Sweet Christmas Cottage - In The Pits? Make Kits!

Hello Dear Friends! Hope this post finds all of you enjoying the change of seasons. We went from A/C to heater weather in a flash, and it has put me into a bit of a funk. :O( Not so much the cold, but the loss of sunshine really affects my motivation.

I have been slowly plodding along mini wise, working on some mini kits for the Sweet Christmas Cottage living room. I'll share some of the progress here, and save the complete room photos for later. I still have much assembling and arranging to do, but more than anything I need to catch up reading what you've all been up to! A couple weeks is way too long for me to be out of touch!




I added a light and a new dial to the Jane Harrop 30's radio kit to add a bit of realism to the room. I have an extra kit, so when I feel inspired I may actually assemble it with a light and with a speaker so that it can play Christmas music. A good use for one of the old iPods we have filling up "junk" drawers around here.



I made a little SDK Mantle Clock Kit - super simple and fun, then filled the clock face recess with Glossy Accents for a bubble glass effect. It took several layers and lots of waiting but it's a great effect!






I used a very affordable Grandpa's Toy Dollhouse Kit in 1/144th scale to make a dollhouse for Ellie. It was fun to accessorize using scraps of lace and ribbon for the window coverings, scrap fabric for rugs, scrap wood and fabric for the bed and linens. The exterior was adorned with window boxes using scrap wood and ground cover, cardstock for the "timbers", and ink marker colored sandpaper cut into strips with pinking sheers for the roofing. The tiny kitchen appliances came from HBS, and the dining room table and chairs set are a kit by SDK.

Betsy - I have a whole new admiration for your Secret Christmas House and all it's tiny detail after working on that dining room kit!

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The little Christmas Lap Desk kit is by Art Of Mini. Super easy to assemble and comes with lovely little paper accessories for in and on the desk. Also includes the wood and plaque print pictured. I distressed and had a little fun with it.

I have to take a moment here to say what excellent service I received on this order! The shipping from Germany was very reasonable to begin with, and then they even refunded me for part of it! And the package arrived so quickly! I will not hesitate to spend my mini budget there again in the future, and I already have my eye on several more kits! ;O)


I also purchased a digital file of Christmas cards on Etsy. At $3.00 it was a great deal. Lovely vintage art work, card files in two sizes, and I can use them as long as I can still print and cut. I'll also be using several of these cards as accents in the build.

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The "vintage" Concord chairs that I purchased and planned to recover for the living room looked much too overbearing in the room. I loved the style of them though, so decided to adapt a couple HOM kits to resemble them and better fit in the space. By cutting the wings down and adding some curved bits of wood, I managed to come up with a happy compromise. I got the kits from eBay a couple years back. They were opened and the leg assemblies were missing. I rummaged up some Tim Holtz Hitch Fasteners from my stash for the legs and came up with a better height for the Heidi Ott dolls who will be sitting in them.




Those wonderfully charming hand embroidered pillows you see were so kindly made for me by Kat of Kitty and Kat Miniatures! I absolutely adore them! There is no substitution for handmade minis from very talented friends! They make these chairs and the whole room so very special! Just wait until you see the ones she made for the bed! Thank you so very much, Kat! :O)

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I made several poinsettia kits using both SDK and Bonnie Lavish kits. I've had both for a long time now, so the Bonnie Lavish one might be hard to find at this point. The SDK kit was wonderful, though, so you won't be disappointed.



The sleigh is a laser printed kit from Alpha Stamps. That is also where I got the kit to make the gingerbread house. The reindeer was a purchase from TinyTreasures on Etsy. He started out as an unfinished piece but I had fun giving him a nose, tail and a little vintage charm. I also swapped out his arrangement for mine and used his in other areas.

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The Christmas tree has been a challenge. I had purchased a tree on eBay which was touted to be the perfect ready to decorate tree. It was somewhere around $30. Unfortunately, the minute I attempted to start stringing lights on it, it began to crumble in my fingers. There was no good way to reattach the very fragile "fur branches" back on to the pokey wires, so consider that a rough lesson learned. I rummaged through my landscaping stash and came up with a solution, but I will save that for the next post. I am still waiting for the topper, which is taking many steps and immense patience, to dry. Hopefully, the attaching will go perfectly!

Luckily for me, I know the perfect solution to keep the seasonal blues away. I will gleefully sit tomorrow morning, warm cup of coffee in hand, catching up on all the exciting blog posts I've missed! You all inspire me so much, giving my mini dreams and ideas wings!

Be well, my friends!

xo xo,
Jodi

26 comments:

  1. Dear Jodi...you have been so busy creating all manner of wonderful miniature things to bring life to a small house. The dollhouse is very tiny and I wonder if my patience would be tested beyond its capacity to work with such small items. The redesign of the two chairs for the living room is brilliant and the hand stitched cushions are just lovely...thank you for sharing what you have been up to and enjoy that cup of coffee while reading other blogs! Cheers, Alayne

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    1. Thanks Alayne! I tend to only work on things when they excite me so it doesn't become tedious - no fun in that! My weekend was hijacked by a migraine and a head cold, but today is the day for blog catch-up! Yippee!

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  2. What a wealth of nostalgia and comfort - a well earned feet up moment. Love everything but thought the chairs were inspirational. M

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    1. Thanks Marilyn! I am glad you felt inspired! Coloring outside the lines and finding new ways is one of the most wonderful things about minis!

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  3. You've done a lot of wonderful purchases. I love the lot, especially the small scales.
    This Christmas house is getting more beautiful and interesting each time I look.
    Thanks for the links.
    Hugs, Drora

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    1. Thanks, Drora! I really had fun with the 1/144th scale, too! I think there may be more of that in my future! :OP

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  4. Love the little chairs. So cute! Perfect for cuddling up with a book and listening to carols.

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    1. Thanks, Sheila! They just work so much better in the small space I have to work with!

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  5. La casa es muy bonita y en general todo.

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    1. Gracias, Isabel!
      Me alegro de que te guste todo, también!

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  6. Lots of cute stuff there Jodi, and the chairs are really lovely and cottage-y now. They have a much more relaxed feel than the original design.

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    1. Thanks, Shannon! I think the original design just said something like "don't look at or talk to me. I am reading." I like the lower profile and relaxed feel, too!

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  7. little things amount to a lot as well! and you made a lot! nice, to just plodd along without pressure ;-) same here, not up to too much at the moment - indian summer here and still too beautiful outside....

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    1. I envy your ongoing nice weather! Enjoy it as long as you can! Save the minis for cold days! We both get plenty of those! :O)

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  8. I LOVE your arm chairs Jodi!!! They look much more comfortable than if you had made them exactly as per the instructions, so BRAVO! and re. the rest of the Christmasy items; seeing them in all of their miniature cuteness, is rapidly putting me in the mood, so when you get around to adding some sound to your vintage radio, think Bing Crosby and White Christmas ;D

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    1. Thanks, Elizabeth! Bing will definitely have several songs on the list! I also have a Christmas CD that Starbucks put out in 2004, I think. There are many vintage and wonderful songs on that one, too. I always listen to that one several times throughout the season.

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  9. Oh my gosh.. you have been busy! So much to see here.. I love everything. First, what a brilliant idea to put a light in the radio. :)
    I'm a total sucker for a dollhouse in a dollhouse, so tiny and you furnished it too! Gorgeous!
    I just bought myself a vintage kit that makes a wicker lap desk.. seeing yours turn out so lovely makes me want to crack open mine. :D
    Bestill my heart! Could "Rudolph" be any cuter! I love the aged wood finish you gave him, how did you do that? Please share your secret.
    And can I just say, I think your chairs are so much better than the originals.. I've been eyeing of the concord ones for a while to recover, but I have a couple of these kits in my stash too.. I may have to give your version a whirl. :D
    Thanks for sharing all your wonderful creations. They have brightened my day. ((hugs))

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    1. Thanks, Sam! The little house was a fun new adventure into the tiny! The finish for Rudolph was stain pen, then dry brushed chalk paint, then sanded a bit, then sealed with antiquing wax. Super fun to work on, and can be employed in so many mini pieces. Do give the chair bashing a try! It is fun to let the ideas flow and I can't wait to see your take!

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  10. Hello Jodi,
    Wow! you have really been busy. I understand your seasonal funk, but am happy you are coping. I love all the work you have done. the radio is terrific...the light is such a nice touch. THe clock is a lovely piece as is the desk kit...but the tiny dollhouse is superb. You dd a wonderful job with the kit and decorating it. It looks perfect! I also love the changes you made to the chair kits...they look so comfortable and welcoming. Keep up the terrific work!
    Big hug
    Giac

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    1. Thanks, Giac! It is such fun to be able to actually work on and make come to life the ideas I've been dreaming for so long!

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  11. You have been busy! I love all the Christmas decoration and all the other things you have made, I cannot wait to see them in place. Somehow you have manage to give a personal touch to all those kits and the final results are really good. Yeah, summer is gone and the coming seasons might not be the brightest but luckily this type of weather give us more time for minis and that is a plus!

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    1. Thanks Alexandra! You have the right attitude - the cooler season is a perfect excuse to hunker down and mini! I should have the room put together soon and will post lots of photos! :O)

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  12. I love those chairs! What a great hack of the original kit. No sense in reinventing the wheel when an HoM kit will get you most of the way there. :D

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  13. I'm glad you like them! And the best part is that it got rid of two kit boxes taking up space in my stash! Now I have room for more, lol!

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  14. Oh my! Jodi, You have been busy! The radio kit with the light added is Brilliant! And the idea of adding sound too....? Knocked my socks off! LOL! The little chairs you "abbreviated" are more than Perfect! They look just like what we would want for Santa and Mrs Claus! As for all the tiny details you added to the tiny dollhouse... I LOVE the lace curtains you made!!! They have that perfect out of scale child's dollhouse feel.... I adore that! (And I am struggling with the curtains for my kit!) The little clock and lap desk are wonderful kits.... I think I am going to have to get more kits! LOL! I am sorry that Fall has gotten you "down" but it had the good result of all this creativity! Fall still has not made it this far east....I think it is crawling across the country.... we have been having temps in the 90's! I am looking forward to seeing the Tree...! :)

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    1. Thanks Betsy! I think I could grow to love 1/144th really easily! As you said, the childlike finishes are A-OK!
      It was sunny today, and boy was that a welcomed surprise! It is supposed to be 81 here tomorrow, so fall has not really made it's mind up yet. But, whatever the weather, I will do my best to wake up with a positive and grateful attitude!
      The tree is finished! Yippee! I hope to have photos and a post in a couple days! Hope you love it, too! :O)

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