A Nice Place To Dream...

Even a fairytale treehouse cannot become a home until you've dreamed there. That's why making beds for everyone, even before the place is finished, was so important. Dreams are important, And making them come true is one of life's sweetest feelings. Since the whole project started with my dream to create a lovely place for Goldie and Alice to grow up in, I started with their beds. 

These are the first fitted sheets I've ever sewn, and given my lousy sewing skills, I am really proud of how they turned out. Don't worry - they are totally removable if ever I want to see the pretty mattresses again. 😊

Since little girls are too busy for much bed making every morning, Goldie and Alice will have reversible duvet covers. It's as close to toss and go as you can get! They wanted similar fabric and trims, but not exact matches.

Delicate floral spray is nice...

Or jaunty stripes if it suits your mood!

And of course you've got to have GOBS of pillows!!! These below are my attempts at sewing them... I'm grading myself 'Passable But Still Needs Work'. 😐

But luckily I also hedged my bets with these lovely Etsy purchases from much more talented seamstresses and crocheters (trust me, it is a word).

Goldie's sleeping nook...

She can't wait until bedtime for a change!!! Usually we have to send out a search party at sunset to find her!

And Alice's sleeping nook...

She's doing her Happy Dance!

Now they're Happy Dancing together! This is the reaction I was hoping for!!! Story time tonight is going to be SO MUCH FUN!!!

The only thing missing are the bolster pillows. I'm still working on those but the girls don't seem to mind!

Next we'll take a look at Rozario's pet bed. He's got a removable fitted sheet, too. Plus a reversible duvet cover, a couple bolsters and a dragon scale pillow made by me. These were custom printed fabrics especially for him. The ultra fancy regal pillows were also purchased by an expert pillow maker on Esty. They seem to have been made especially for Rozario, too!

Whooooo! Fancy!!! He's even got a dragon rug to play on! 

Roz said she couldn't have done a better job if she'd waved her magic wand! I have to say... That kind of sentiment makes my eyes leak a little! 😊

Next up is Wayne's bed. He's a bit of a minimalist, so he didn't want "a bunch of frilly, fancy stuff". Roger, Wayne! Just plain old Egyptian cotton comfort for you! In manly blue. He's got a fitted sheet, a top sheet, a pillowcase, a pillow and a very soft comforter. Oh! And my first ever handmade tassels. Don't point those out to him, though, okay?

I really enjoyed sewing Wayne's things, and my sewing machine really liked the thicker material. Okay, so maybe it's not ALL my fault. I just need higher quality fabrics?

He looks a little um... un-thrilled? But trust me...

He couldn't wait to climb in!

I am still working on Roz's bed. Though hers is a lot more complicated, I am really having fun with the challenge and I can't wait to share it with you! Hopefully, I'll have it finished for next week's post!

Until then, my friends, I hope you have a nice place to dream and that the good ones come true!

xo xo,

Jodi

Postscript: I don't like to get political in any way on my blog. I feel it is not the place nor platform for such. My heart is breaking, however, for those in our world who find themselves ripped out of their lives through no fault of their own. This week I need to hold space for the innocent people of Israel, Ukraine and all the other people in places who find themselves held hostage by powers they have no control over. My prayers are with all of you. I care deeply. America and Americans care. We hurt for you. Dear God, please encamp your angels around all who are in harms way. Let your spirit whisper to every heart what is right, then let us choose love. Amen.

For The Boys...

While this Fairytale Treehouse Project is full of what is traditionally thought of as "feminine" aspects like flowers and frills, I didn't want to forget that there are a couple strong masculine personalities living here who bring just as much joy to the story. Wayne and Rozario, having strong opinions on their own design aesthetics, gave me plenty of ideas about what kind of beds they wanted to spend their nights in. This week's focus was for the boys. 

I first consulted with Rozario to give him a bunch of options for bed styles. He, being a beloved pet, wanted a pet bed. But not just any old fabric covered floor cushion. No. His bed had to befit a creature as special as he is. After all, you don't see pet dragons every day! I jotted down things that were important to him (comfort, grandeur, outdoor elements and, because of his limited bedroom nook's size, storage), then got to work in Design Space.

Rozario thought it would be really fun to pretend he was sleeping in the yard every night like a lot of dogs get to do. But he didn't want a dog house. A roof that is too close to his head can be dangerous, as he sometimes breathes a little fire when he snores. He discovered that the hard way, long story. He said a yard would have a fence, so he wanted some kind of fenced in feeling. His wish was my command! I created a three sided fence atop a princely platform.

In order to make it easier for Rosario's tiny legs to climb into bed, I made a pull out step drawer.

And included a storage cubby in the back of the drawer so he can store some of his favorite toys. I also added a couple fancy fence posts to the opening. He can pretend that he is guarded by powerfully magic staffs as he drifts off to sleep each night. 

While I was busy on Rozario's bed, Wayne popped in to share his ideas. He's a busy guy so I gave him my full attention. Wayne told me his wishes were pretty simple: he's a craftsman, so he wanted Craftsman styled furniture but with a Tudor twist. And he'd love a comfortable mattress and bedding. Wow! I love a guy who knows what he wants! 

Designing Wayne's bed in Design Space was fun, especially since this was my very first piece of furniture in true half scale. It is so adorably tiny, but at just 2", so is Wayne!

His bed is pretty simple: a three layered headboard, a three layered footboard and a simple mattress support piece to bridge them together. I couldn't resist including a few fun trim accents to the posts, which Wayne really appreciated. The assembled bed measures just 2" W x 3-1/2" L x 3-3/8" H.

Before I could begin to accentuate the beds with paint and detail, the boys needed mattresses. They got the same cushy models as the girls, only their ticking is a dark purple stripe with no hearts or flowers. Way more masculine! Rozario needs just slightly less sleeping room.

With that done I could get to the fun parts! I added many "carvings" to Wayne's bed to make the simple craftsman design feel more Tudor-like, as requested.

Then gave it a base coat of Coffee Latte.

Then a glaze coat with a darker chocolate color. Wayne loves his wood fairly unadulterated.

And with the mattress...

Let's see what Wayne thinks... Hooray! He approves! And with all the work he's got on his plate, he really appreciated my help.

But he said the ultimate test required him to take a nap. He'll get back to us shortly...

Rozario's bed needed a base coat of white.

After a little sanding of the rough spots, I gave it a base coat of Purple Cow followed by a couple coats of Amethyst metallic paint. Some areas were highlighted in Emperor's Gold paint, then I added metallic domes and Dresden trims, leaving them gold. Now it's fit for royalty!

 And with the mattress and the drawer step deployed.

But the final test was to present it to Rozario. He seemed thrilled, but it was hard to tell.

Because once I showed Rozario how the drawer worked and he saw the toys, the consultation abruptly ended. Time to play!

I am so happy that the beds for the boys were a success! And don't worry! I haven't abandoned the girls' and Roz's beds. It's just that for the sake of organization it seemed more efficient to get everyone's actual beds completed before I drug out the sewing machine to make all the bedding for everyone. Me + Sewing = Knots In My Stomach so any sewing project is always preceded by a little avoidance and/or procrastination. But, I'm determined to become a decent seamstress, one day, so off I go... Wish me luck! 

Back next week with, hopefully, something resembling bedding for everyone!!!

xo xo,

Jodi

Fit For A Queen

Or, more accurately, a Fairy Beary Godmother. What I'm talking about is Roz's bed. As you know, Roz falls perfectly into twelfth scale, though at just 4" tall, she's at the petit end of the bell curve. In addition, her trunkhouse, having been custom designed for her, is also what the realtors like to call cozy. So, when it came to making the perfect bed for her, I had to think a little outside the scale.

Roz's Bedroom is just 9-1/4" in diameter.

I started off with a House Of Miniatures Chippendale Canopy Bed kit. If assembled as intended, it would have taken up nearly the entire floor space of the bedroom.   

This meant that I'd need to make adjustments which allowed me to engage in my favorite aspect of mini kits: Customization! After measuring what the perfect width of a bed would be for the room, I found the center of the headboard piece and measured half that amount out from each side. 

Then I cut off the excess and carved the bedpost notches back into the new headboard. I still really loved the curved shape, even after losing the "wings".

Then came the complicated part. Here's where tenacity really pays off. After determining the perfect length for Roz and the room, I had to figure out which kit pieces needed to be cut for both the length and the new width. My advice for anyone attempting this is get plenty of sleep the night before, work in a silent environment, measure and visualize several times and don't go anywhere near a saw until you're CERTAIN about what you're doing. Luckily, I heeded my own advice and everything went well. 😊

The new configuration measures 4-3/4" L x 3-1/4" W x 6-3/4" H. It fits Roz comfortably and leaves plenty of "living space" in the bedroom. Hooray! 

The kit calls for making incremental holes in the frame to string "rope" through to support the mattress. Once I'd drilled the holes for the smaller frame, I realized I could just use a couple pieces of the leftover wood scraps to make cross braces instead of a complicated stringing process.

Here is what the viewer will see looking in through the trunk's opening.

The next step was to make Roz a super plush mattress. Considering the amount of headboard that I wanted to show above the mattress, I determined a good thickness was two layers of 3/16" foam core. Then a layer of Thermolam, and on top of that, a layer of quilt batting. Before gluing the layers to the foam core, I pre-drilled a series of holes for later tufting.

Next I covered the mattress with a very fun ticking type fabric. Purple stripes and hearts? It couldn't be more fit for Roz!

After sewing the tufts in, I made a bottom cover with fabric covered cardstock. I don't know if anyone will ever look under the bed, but if they did and saw a bunch of thread and knots, I'd be mortified!!!

The only thing left to do was to create a boxing strip (to wrap around the mattress) with more cardstock and fabric. I love the finished look and am suddenly craving a nap!

The final test was to check the mattress on the bed. A great fit with room for bedding!

You can see the beginnings of adornments being added to the bed frame, as well.

For efficiency's sake, I made Alice and Goldie's mattresses while I had all of the mattress making supplies out. Wayne and Rozario will get theirs made at the same time, too (soon), but with a more masculine fabric.

Every time I look at this unfinished floor I feel badly! Soon girls, I promise!

Once the mattresses were finished, I could focus on the adornments for Roz's bed. I may have had to skimp on size, but I could still load up on regal detailing. I added lots of Dresden trims, pearl half beads and Roz's initial. Then I painted a base coat of warm white.

I could have stopped right here and it would have been a beautiful bed. But not quite fit for a queen (or a Fairy Beary Godmother). But because this post is already long, and has (I am sure) eaten up much of your blog reading budget, I'll leave you with a... To Be Continued...

BUT... Before I go... I have one last event to share that is sure to make you feel the warm fuzzies that are pervasive in our mini community...

Many of you know and follow Sheila's wonderfully creative blog, Shenandoah And Stuff. This week I was surprised by the loveliest note of encouragement and unique gifts from Sheila. She crafted a beautifully embellished set of china for Roz! There is a serving platter, a pitcher, a large bowl, dinner plates, dessert plates and cups with saucers. Wow! What a thoughtful gift! She intended to give them to Roz for her kitchen, but after seeing the delicately petaled floral spray which was hand appliqued on these pieces, Goldie insisted that they belong to her! Boy, that Goldie has no qualms about stating her opinion! Roz, seeing Goldie's delight, and having everything she needs, couldn't argue. Here are the gorgeous dishes which will soon be adorning Goldie's open kitchen shelving. Aren't they delightful?!?

Thanks so much, Sheila, for sharing your encouragement, creativity and talents with me and the gang! 💗 The china is so adorable and will add a wonderfully unique charm and warmth to Goldie's kitchen! 

More sets are coming soon to Sheila's Etsy Shop. 

Until next time, my friends, find ways to share your talents, inspire others and spread the mini love!

xo xo,

Jodi