Ode To Scrapbook Paper Pad Designers

Someone mentioned in the comments before about the brave use of color and pattern in my projects. I can't take credit for that with the trailer project because all I really did was to pick a scrapbook paper pad. It's the Flower Garden paper pad by Carta Bella. I ordered both the 12" x 12" paper pad and the 6" x 6" paper pad so I'd have various scales of patterns to use. 

I've done that many times over the years with various projects and the hardest part is always finding fabrics to coordinate with the wallpapers. But because I replaced my horrible entry level Canon printer with an Epson Eco Tank last October, I was able to scan in the papers and print them onto inkjet printable cotton fabric sheets. I used these to make all the material I needed for the project. The only hard part was figuring out what fabric pattern to use where! Oh, and my opinion... The printer is fabulous after nearly a year of use and, like the name suggests, I have hardly even touched the maiden ink! Eco yes!

I made simple no sew blinds for the bedroom and bathroom windows (I'd already made them for the kitchen when I made the pop out).

I made a fabric privacy curtain for the bedroom. It is all Tacky glue and jump rings. Simple but effective. 

The bedroom also got a coordinating rug. Even trailer dwellers don't like to put their warm toes on a cold floor in the morning!

And the bed looks so inviting and comfortable with its coordinating sheets and comforter.

To finish off the furnishings in the bedroom I enlisted my trusty Cricut Maker and Design Space to create the frame for a 70's inspired cane chair. I stained the frame with the same oak gel stain as all the other "wood" in the project, then sandwiched Penelope Canvas between the seat and chair back frames. It gives the chair a nice looking mini cane effect. We had similar chairs for our oak and glass hexagonal dining table growing up. Who knew they'd ever come back into style??? Now Roxanne will have someplace to throw her clothes at the end of a long day.

The kitchen got a few essentials that I had leftover from all my 3D printing experimentation. Shelf, canisters, coffee mugs, coffee maker, toaster, napkin holder, hand soap pump, spice rack, dutch oven, spoon and saucer. Another victory for hoarders everywhere! And it is so much fun to paint things to go perfectly with my color palette. 

Just a shameless reminder that all of these  stl files and more can be found in my Etsy shop. 😊

The kitchen needed a rug, of course, and the Flower Garden paper pad came with some great artwork to use! 

And the banquet needed comfy covered seat cushions...

And coordinating throw cushions...

Looks like a great spot for good meals with great friends! Or is it great meals with good friends?

I hope Roxanne and her friends don't sit all the way back just yet... I have some bracing to add once I decide if there will be a removable fourth trailer wall or not.

I heard someone ask how the progress goes on the bathroom? It's nearly done! Just a few essential accessories to make and install. And to everyone's delight the 70's diagonal siding style door (also courtesy of the Cricut) has been installed. No more embarrassing moments!

From inside the bathroom.

From the trailer's future front door.

Looking from the "main cabin".

In spite of it taking me three times as long as usual, Roxanne is delighted with the progress! She also asked me to share her excitement about a new set of clothing that is being made for her by Ola at Rainbow Daisies! She wants to model for you as soon as they arrive.

I am just grateful to be finding any mini (or me) time at all. My next opportunity will be all about making some of the details that will give Roxanne a lovely life in 1/12th scale. There's also the small matter of a roof but that's still several steps away.

One last thing before I go. I am always just amazed and inspired at the folks I have met and become friends with on this mini journey. You have all enriched my life in ways I will never be able to express or show sufficient gratitude for. You fill my heart and set my creativity on fire!

One such talented and wonderful friend is Aina in British Columbia, Canada. She has made and sent me the most incredible gifts for Roz, Goldie and Alice. I am gobstopped at her tiny, perfect crochet, and even more touched by the amazing friendship (and patience) that she has shown to me. Roz, the girls and I just love these darling jointed bears! We are so happy to have them be a part of the treehouse project!!!

Thank you, Aina! Your gift came just when I needed to remember that the world and most of the people in it are still good! 

xo xo,

Jodi

Fe Fi Faux Fun

These days it seems to take me twice as long to accomplish half as much. Probably because I have less than half as much mini time as I used to. Sadly, this means I just don't have the time to engage with your encouraging comments (though it fills my heart to read them 💗). I have little time to enjoy your blog posts or post as often to mine. 😥 Please forgive me, bear with me, and I promise - one day things will be back they way they were once again. That's enough with my lamenting. Let's just enjoy some progress, shall we?

As soon as I got the chance I continued with the trailer's tiny bathroom, applying wallpaper and a "Formica" countertop to the lower half of the curved front wall. I also took the opportunity to add a TP roll holder and a couple towel bars while I could still get my hands in to hold things while glue set. Like typical trailers, there's only room enough for small folks to move in here.

Bathroom Bird's Eye

A cozy place to poop.

I installed the banquet in the main cabin - here's a look from the front door and one looking into the bedroom..

When deciding on the finishes for the countertops in the bedroom, I wanted to bring in a bit of a wood element to tie in with the floor. Like so many vintage trailers from this era, what better homage could I pay than with a faux wood finish? That's when I set out to attempt a faux wood look on chipboard.

Painted faux wood on chipboard.

Here is a tutorial with the steps and products I used to achieve the faux wood look.

Vintage Faux Wood Finish

I wanted to tie the trailer's wood vibe into every room, so set about making a magazine holder, shelves, a letter holder, mirror/coat hangers, chair and banquet table all in Design Space. As always I used chipboard for everything except the dowel for the table base and the tiny 1/16' x 1/8" shelf slats.

 I applied the same faux wood technique to everything.

The magazine holder adorns the bathroom. Before cell phones, having a variety of interesting bathroom reading was essential!

Mirrors always help to make a small space feel roomier and I guess that's why so many vintage trailers had them. Mine also have handy hanging pegs because there is no such thing as too many storage options!

Bedroom

Entry Way

The storage hutch needed a little wood trim, too.

A handy mail and letter holder. Remember those?

The banquet table

These shelves are going to hold fresh herb pots. How will they get sunlight, you ask?
Stay tuned and you'll see!

If you followed my Beachside Bungalow project then you may remember Roxanne (read to the blog post's post script to learn more). Her dream has always been to live a sustainable life, growing her own food, selling produce and flowers at the local farmer's market and enjoying a very simple life. The travel trailer is a big part of her dream and I am so happy to finally be working on it for her. In light of that she has been working with me in the background so I can make sure everything is a perfect fit both literally and stylistically. I am thrilled to report that she is thrilled!

Her wardrobe needs some serious attention. Anybody know where to get Heidi Ott sized overalls and garden boots? I think I have a cute sun hat around here someplace!

One more thing before I sign off... I Haven't discussed the lighting plan with you yet, but the trailer will definitely have lighting. For the bedroom, I installed puck lights in the cupboard above the bed cubby. To tie into the wood element here I cut trim circles from wood printed scrapbook paper. Roxanne appreciates the attention to details that only she will see.

Hopefully I'll be back in a couple weeks with progress that makes the trailer seem more livable.

Take care, my friends!

xo xo,

Jodi

First Things First

Sometimes I get working happily away and then suddenly realize, with shocking clarity, that I'm about to make a big problem for myself. I am so grateful for that little voice that screams inside my head! Here I was, totally engrossed, making furnishings and fillings for Wayne's apartment. Thanks to that little voice, I began pondering when I should glue his partition wall and where I would run the wiring for his lights. Then it hit me: you're going to have to attach the roof. That realization sent me into an existential crisis about what I had left to do, how those tasks would affect future tasks and exactly what order of operations was going to be the most beneficial/least problematic!

That's when I totally changed gears from Wayne's place to the great room. As a reminder, it became "great" when I cut big swaths out of the second and attic floors leaving behind only the balconies. A three story room is pretty great, right? God I LOVE dollhouses!!!

You see, I always wanted something really great and worthy of a great room. And that meant a fantastic fireplace. Last February (Valentines Day to be exact), while gathering ideas about what the treehouse wanted to look like, I came across this photo. OMG instant crush!!! Cupid's arrow hit me hard. I knew I had to try and achieve the vibe of this amazing fireplace, but how? I've spent the last year working out possibilities.

First, because a lot of the wiring had to run behind the fireplace down the center of the treehouse, I'd need a hollow wall. But not a thick wall because the floorspace in the great room, thanks to the balcony, was already pretty limited. So a wall thin enough to be passable to the eye and also allow for the wiring. Thank goodness I did not attach Wayne's wall because that provided my pattern for the gabled roof. And thank goodness I did not attach the roof because I might have had a dickens of a time getting this hulking fireplace installed afterwards. I created a gabled roof pattern on cardboard from Wayne's partition wall and with this, and a few more measurements, I created the great room fireplace wall.

As you can see I used art board for the wall and lined three sides with 1/4" x 1/4" basswood to create the hollow, also providing a nice gluing surface.

And then I had to come up with a substrate for the fireplace. The gnarled tree bark will get created from paperclay or paper mache but I needed something with the basic tree trunk shape to attach everything to and to lend stability. Hello Design Space. Hello chipboard.

I started off with a bottle shape then sliced and welded until I achieved roughly the shape and size I wanted. Because my Cricut Maker only cuts chipboard that is 10.5 x 10.5 inches, I had to make the substrate in two sections to achieve the 22 inch height. The front would have a cutout for the firebox and a niche high up the chimney. The back would be solid. I was able to replicate the shape of the openings in the balcony and staircase windows to tie the firebox opening/niche in with the fairytale theme of the treehouse.

I attached the bottom and top sections of the front and back fireplace pieces, gluing art board across the inside seams to lend strength. For the sides of the fireplace I used more art board scrap. It can easily be scored to make the gentle bends I needed but also makes for a sturdy substrate. 

Once I had the sides securely glued it was time to make the firebox and the framing for the niche.

And that is where I'll stop for today, my friends. Today is mine and Russ' 37th wedding anniversary and he's playing hooky from work. 😉 

A shotgun, Vegas wedding, no money for rings and no clue what was ahead. But here we are, 37 years later, still in love, still really liking each other and proving love truly does conquer all. 💘💗💘💗💘

February 22, 1987

One last thing before I go... I made a bunch of newspapers for Wayne's apartment and thought I'd share the printies. They are great for filler or to use as props under mini art projects, on attic walls or shop windows, crumpled in trash bins or stacked in messy rooms. 

xo xo,

Jodi