pirates and mermaids

The party loot bags are coming along. I always feel inadequate, so last minute, I decided to make some pirates and mermaids!

The mermaids were from Disney crafts
These are the first ones I made. I changed it up a bit for the rest.

Although there are many steps to complete them, the paint dries quickly so you don't have to wait in between steps.

My favorite is the bandana on the pirate. The pirate is my idea.

They are pirates with heart.

But sometimes..... they have to walk the plank!


have a good one!
Amanda

wee needlefelts

Some time to play with everyone sitting around the house after a long, hot, fun day of hosting a yard sale and watermelon/lemonade stand. Oh, and rice crispies. They made more money than I did!
Here is my needle felted toadstool pic.

And a sailboat!

it's what i had in mind when I made my Button Felting pictures
But this time, I had the frames first.

Wee little frames my uncle had.

Tiny enough to put on a gnome's living room wall.

But fun all the same!


have a good one,
Amanda

invasion of the peggies!

THese guys have been steady companions over the summer.

And are most fun to set up...

A motley crew of pirates, gnomes, fairies, elves, santas

all coming together for a morning meeting.

some with hats, some without.

A few of them escaped!!!!! and were hiding in the garden.

Almost lifelike!

With limbs and all. And gardening tools to boot.

Oh the excitement of it all! He can't believe his eyes!


Bom Dia,
Amanda

frozen colour cubes

Someone, please tell me who did this first? Remember it from my blurfing....
One night, I put food colouring in the ice cube tray.

My DH did a double take in the morning!
silly girl
We set it up on the trampoline outside with a piece of white fabric on the bottom to catch all the wonderful colour!

see how purdy it is?!

They started painting with the ice cubes, but the colour wasn't very vibrant, nor could you really tell what they were painting.

So we decided to draw pictures with a white crayon.

It worked a little better..

but the colour was still dull.


Can you see the squirrel!??

But look at the nice cloth we have now.

We took this big cloth inside. my intent is to cut it up to make some napkins. I have a feeling the colours will wash out.
Here's the sad part of the story... we left the rest of the paintings on the clothes line. It has rained all night and day. No colour anymore, just some crayon markings. But hey! Now we can use the canvas to paint something else.

Have a good one,
Amanda

Little Red dress and cape

The big reveal day is getting closer and I'm still so excited! Her birthday is next week.
I had some red velvety like stuff (do we still call it velour?) in mind for this dress, but no satin or shiny for the bottom. But, I had this grey linen table cloth that I love. And it was big enough for the skirt. Gosh, it sure does take up some fabric for the bottom!


I used the hem of the table cloth as the hem for the dress. That's why it's so long. I also used the fancy stitch on the machine to add some interest.

And here....

this dress did take a long time. Maybe 2 hours. For a doll's dress! I didn't bother to cut a lining for it. I could have made a Neve size in that time. Maybe I will try to find a pattern for her.??
With extra red fabric, a fancy cape was in order...

With this gorgeous cotton trim...

They didn't make the pattern for big haired dolls! :}

I also made another suit for a reader who wants to barter. 1st time anyone has asked. fun!

For a bit of comparison, both dolls are 18 inches. The Waldorf doll is a little thicker in the arms and then the bigger hands.

The red dress is a modern pattern. If I were to make it again, I would have a smaller seam allowance in the wrist area. I know it will be a problem for her putting it on and off.

All in all, it was a nice way to spend an afternoon alone, in the air conditioning!

Have a good one!
Amanda

Treasure Stones

The parenting Centre, where we frequent, has this activity at times.
It's an altered playdoh with an added bonus. It takes a few days and you get 2 activity times from it!
Here's the recipe:

1 cup flour
1 cup used coffee grounds
1/22 cup salt
1/4 cup sand
3/4 cup water
Mix dry and slowly add water. Knead mixture. Cover little bits and bobs so it's in a ball. Let dry 2-3 days or bake in oven at 150 degrees 15-20 minutes. Let me say, that the baking in the oven takes much longer than that. it's not worth it. let it dry for a few days. Put it on a baker's rack to let the air flow underneath too and turn them over now and again.

Choose your treasures. these are mostly bugs. it was what was close to me in a cup. i didn't feel like getting adventurous and looking for things. there were no complaints.


Here they after more than a few days. i kept the activity until a friend visited.

Actually, a different friend was here for the making of them. She took some home with her.

The various digging implements that you saw from the ice treasures.

And a reward! The doh is still a bit soft in the middle, so it's not so difficult to get out.

There you have it.


Next time, a post about some more clothes I made for the doll. A beauteous red velvet and grey linen dress. All fancy and with a cape too! i got a tremendous amount of time to sew yesterday. Ahhh.... so nice.

have a good one,
Amanda

mini Toadstool goodness

Last Saturday, Neve and I had a girly day. We went to Michael's and then to First Markham place. It's a chinese mall in Markham. I knew of it b/c I've strolled through the mall on many a Christmas' past in my caroling costume, spreading cheer to all who hear.
Anyhow, we had a good time looking for the good stores. the ones with the little Chinese and Japanese minis.
I couldn't resist buying this....

It came from this box.

It's like a surprise bag. You don't know what you're getting.

How cute is this stuff?

I'm so in love with these toothbrushes and holder!

And the little rug and the slippers.

I know, the gnomes don't have any feet. you just can see them they are under the robes!

have a good one,
Amanda