New Puppy--July Subscription Box is LIVE

 It's Adoption Day today!!!  Lena and Abbie are volunteering at the animal shelter, in hopes of finding all these adorable puppies their Fur-ever homes!

Are you and your MSDs ready for the responsibility of pet ownership? If so head over to D-Lightful Designs to adopt your new family member!

Adoption fees are just $20 and include not only your adorable new puppy (we have many breeds to choose from!), but a starter bag of kibble, a couple cans of moist food, dishes, treats, toys, a collar and leash as well as some New Puppy/Dog training books!

Ethan and his girlfriend, Mari have come in looking for a dog for Mari, to keep her company at her shop.
Abbie is attempting to keep the puppies rounded up and at the moment she seems to be doing a good job of it.

 "Hey Mar... I think this little guy likes me!" Ethan whispered as he reached down to scratch the fluffy head of the black puppy who toddled out of the 'pack' when he sat down.
"Oh Ethan he sure does!  I bet he'd make a great farm dog for you.  I've heard about people who keep large breeds like him as guard dogs for their livestock." Mari replied from amidst a pile of puppies.

"So love, do you have a favorite? Have you decided which one to adopt?"
"Honestly Ethan, they are all just too cute, but none have really spoken to me."
"What about the little guy in your lap?"
"Oh he's too cute, but Abbie said he was adopted this morning, but his new family had to go pick up a few things for him first."
"Well, the right dog will come along at the right time I guess."
"Like that cutie there at your feet?" Mari snickered a bit watching her boyfriend play with the cute roly-poly puppy.
Ethan looked at her, then at the puppy gently chewing on his fingers, "I hadn't planned to adopt a pup today, we were looking for you!  But...this guy is pretty darned cute. And he should make a pretty good farm dog..."
"YAY!!!!  You're getting a puppy Ethan!" Mari exclaimed, much to some of the dismay of some of the puppies around her. "Sorry little lovelies!"

Ethan and Mari headed over to the desk that Lena was manning to fill out the paperwork and start the adoption process.

I hope you've enjoyed Ethan and Mari's adoption adventure and if it inspires you to adopt a dog for your own resin folks, I hope you'll come over to D-Lightful Designs .


Ethan is a Wilde Imagination Rufus Rutter
Mari is an Iplehouse Tatiana JID
Abbie is a Wilde Imagination Ellowyne Wilde
 

And they're LIVE!!!!

Hey y'all, I apologize for leaving everyone in the lurch the past couple weeks, been busy getting the 1st wave of the Subscription boxes out and ready to go live!  
And I am proud to say they are!!!  =D  The March 2017 box Snuggled on the Sofa is available for purchase HERE

The lovely Mari (Iplehouse JID Tatiana) is showing off the bevy of items included in the inaugural box.
Each box will contain a large plush creamy white throw blanket, a white tonal print pillow, a glass of red wine, a ceramic plate with 2 chocolate chunk cookies, a creamy candle, a large succulent in a striped planter and a trio of books from author and BJD collector Diana Wicker

The books are designed from Diana's coverwork and while not readable they are openable with individual pages.

When I first put this plan into action I sought out several people in the BJD universe, who agreed to accept an advance 'copy' of the 1st subscription box in exchange for their honest and individual reviews. I hope you will go visit these wonderful folks and check out what they had to say about the Snuggled on the Sofa March 2017 box. 
Danielle at Vita Plastica has done an indepth video review on Youtube
April at April's Sea of Dollie Sweetness created a fun review 
Ternessa at Confessions of a Dolly Lover  did a short and sweet review featuring one of her larger dolls 
ShellyS from Flickr  took several great shots

There should be a couple more reviews coming in the future. :-)
If you are interested in purchasing your own box of MSD sized props and accessories head over to my shop and grab one for just $20 plus shipping! 

Another List Finished

I gotta say I am loving making lists again.  It is so satisfying to cross everything off the list!  Yep, I completed everything on my To Do List!

 I started out my day pulling the resin I poured yesterday.  I had real high hopes that these would come out fully cured with no stickiness since I mixed the resin in a plastic cup rather than the wax coated Dixie ones.
Le Sigh... I was disappointed yet again, nearly every piece I pulled out was tacky!

But oddly the spheres I cast in a commercially made silicone mold came out fully cured and rock hard...again.  Actually out of every single batch of resin I have poured, those have properly and completely cured each time. *ponders* I have a feeling that the molding compound itself may be to blame. Grrr.  I don't want to chuck the molds since the casts themselves are shaped perfectly AND there are ways to counteract and clean up the tackiness, but it adds a few extras steps to the process.  C'est la vie!

After fussing with the resin for a while I moved onto the clay candles.  Not only did I get the 6 candles I planned shaped, but I also made a few extra.  I need to pick up a bit more translucent clay, but for now I am happy that all the candles for the Reviewer Boxes are ready to hit the oven tomorrow.

I finished painting the little pencils and I am just thrilled with those. Then I went through my tiny ceramic plate stash and found the perfect plates for the cookies that will go in the Snuggled on the Sofa box.  I even decided how I want to package those when they go in the box. So that makes me happy. 

Time to go plan out tomorrow's list and play some FaceBook games before The Walking Dead comes on! ;-)

Almost Got it All

So, when I left you last night this was my To Do List for today, plus taking the dog to the groomers and the boys for haircuts.
 As of 5 minutes ago I had crossed off everything but the candles. (Also the boys didn't get their haircuts today, but that was by their choice.)

I had every intention of getting to the groomers when they opened at 10, but last night I couldn't sleep, despite my best efforts including a mug of Sleepytime tea. :-( So when my alarm went off at 9... I turned it off!) I was up at 10 though when the dog scared the crap out of us by wagging his tail into the door! 
Ichabod is an 80# Black Lab/Great Dane mix with a whip like tail, and needless to say that whip against the hollow core door...yeah, not exactly the best way to wake up! 
But he and I were off to the groomers shortly there after and then back home not much later.  I stopped at our mail box (our neighborhood has banks of mailboxes at one end of the street rather than individual ones) and found a check I had been waiting on.
So after dropping the dog at home I was off to the OTHER side of town to deposit it and grab a few things from the store.
Needless to say it was almost 3pm before I got home and into my studio.

That being said I, first, set to work getting a batch of resin mixed up in the new plastic cups I bought, and then once those molds were set aside to cure, out came the clay and a few hours later a squadron of succulents was ready for the oven! They will get baked tomorrow.


 Oh and I did get the miniature pencils on my list painted.  Tomorrow they will get the metal band-thingy and their erasers then those will be ready to show off.  Those are also for future subscription boxes! ;-)

Time to go make tomorrow's To Do List!   Night! :-)

Keeping on Track

I am a horribly unorganized person.  My dear friend April over at April's Sea of Dollie Sweetness can  tell you how often I lose things that were literally sitting on my desk! So while working on these Subscription Boxes for March, I am going back to something that has worked for me in the past. LISTS!

On today's agenda was to finish the last 3 pillows for the Reviewer boxes, cast (and finish) some resin pieces, and create a Word doc for some books that were generously donated to me by an author who happens to collect BJDs!


Of course I also wanted to complete 6 sets of her 3 book series. This pic doesn't show it, but I completed everything on my list today! :-) I was very pleased with myself.  Although it wasn't without any hiccups.

 While in the end they turned out fine, I have been having trouble with my resin castings.  I have poured probably hundreds of ounces of resin over the years, but never dealt with sticky resin before! Every batch I have poured in the last few days has produced several pieces that were tacky even after 24 hours.  The weather has been lovely, and the resin was mixed in the proper ratios so I wasn't sure what the issue was.  However upon doing some research, I think I discovered that the Dixie cups I was using (which are lined with wax) was in some way reacting with the resin.  It was weird that not all of the pieces ended up tacky, but whatever. lol I was able to counteract the tackiness by using pearl powder on some before sealing it with either clear gloss paint sealer or clear nail polish. Needless to say I'll be picking up some plastic cups tomorrow to mix my resin in!

This water bottle turned out fabulous!  I am looking forward to casting many more of these. They will also be included in an upcoming Subscription Box called Purse-u-ing Greatness!

 

Next up on my list was the books.  A fellow BJD collector Diana Wicker  who is also an author (be sure to click her name to visit her website!) has generously allowed me to use her cover art in making the books for the Snuggled on the Sofa box. I originally planned to include just a single book, But her series looks too good not to include all three! =D

So YAY!  My list making worked today, hopefully it will work tomorrow as well.

In the morning before I do any work I need to take the dog out for a paw-dicure ;-) and then the boys to get their hair cuts.
But once I get home it's nose to the grindstone and fingers to the clay!
Hopefully tomorrow I will have loads to share with you!

Pillow Pile Progressing Perfectly

I am settling in to work on the items for my upcoming Subscription Boxes.  Today's agenda included working on a dozen and a half pillows.
I started with a tone on tone vine printed white cotton and cut out two rectangles roughly 4x6".  After cutting out the matched pairs, I sewed around them leaving an opening on one side.

I like to use both a straight and a zig zag stitch to help guard against fraying and the seam blowing out. 

Sew, sew, sew and well, sew some more.  I tend to try and work assembly line style when working on things like this.  It seems to make the process quicker.

So I cut everything out, then did all of the sewing around the rectangles. Next up comes the turning, stuffing and blind stitching the openings closed.

Four down and 14 to go! =D

MSD BJD Mini Subscription Boxes Coming SOON!!!

Now that the American Girl commission is all done I can get back to my preferred scale. My MSDs/1/4 scale crew.  I just adore this size and love creating unique clothes, foods and props for them.
About a year ago I got the idea to make up a Subscription Box series in this scale with the hopes that other people who enjoy setting up dioramas would enjoy getting a monthly box of themed goodies.
Due to moving, working and so many other things it never really got off the ground.  Last week I decided that maybe MINI boxes was the answer.  I brainstormed and created for a few days and came up with the items for my first box as well as the theme for 6 more!
I think to start with, I will do Bi-Monthly since most items will be hand made by myself.  Every other month will allow me plenty of time to get enough items created for each box.

The first box in the series will be called Snuggled on the Sofa. It will include a nice fluffy pillow and a big comfy fuzzy throw blanket for burrowing under, as well as a mug of either cocoa or coffee and a plate of cookies.  You've got to have something to nibble on while snuggled up!
Lastly the set will include a novel of some genre to read,  a potted plant and a candle (which I forgot to photograph. smh). I love the little details that knick-knacks and accessories on shelves add to a scene.
 All of these items will either be handmade by me or purchased by me for the boxes.
 I am  currently looking for 1 or 2 people who love filling their scenes with fun props as well as blogging, Flickring,  Instagramming or doing YouTube videos. I need a couple reviewers, in exchange for your honest posted review I will send you the first box in the series free of charge.
If you are interested please contact me! Thanks in advance!
 

Finally Finished

It took a bit longer than I anticipated, because of a rough weekend, but I finished the 3 My Little Pony: Equestria Girls cosplay outfits for my customers' American Girl dolls!  They shipped out yesterday afternoon and should arrive on Friday.
Good news is that my customer LOVED the pictures I sent her of the final outfits! That is always a relief for me to know the customer feels their vision was realized! :-)

So as a reminder I started out with these images of the 3 My Little Pony Characters; Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle.
 I used this image to make notes on which patterns to use and adjustments I wanted to make.

Worked out really well to have this nearby as a reference. :-)

When all was said and done I ended up with 3 what I think are pretty faithful representations of the images I was given as inspiration.  While I can see things I would have changed or done differently, I think in the end they worked out really well.  I hope my customer enjoys them!

Two out of 3 ain't bad

Well the world didn't really cooperate today. I couldn't sleep last night so ended up awake until almost 4. Hubby had to be up by 5 for work. Oldest (still at home any ways) had to be up at 6 for school, and then when I went to get the youngest up at 7 he was sick.  Slight fever, stuffy nose, and sore throat. :-( Poor kiddo. So I gave him some medicine and sent him back to bed. I wasn't far for my own bed and napped until about 11.  Not a great way to start the day, but well I needed the sleep. (Of course there is a good chance I won't sleep tonight either, but...c'est la vie. *shrugs*)

 BUT even with that, I was rather productive today!
The Twilight Sparkle outfit is now 100% complete!  I painted the cutie mark on the skirt, as well as the argyle print on her leg warmers.

While this picture doesn't show the buttons, I have sewn them on.  She got 3 vintage mother of pearl buttons down the front.

I am just thrilled with how her outfit came together and turned out!

I also got the Pinkie Pie outfit about 90% finished. I sewed the turquoise knit bolero jacket today, gave the big heart a light coat of pink paint to bring the color to the shade I wanted.

I also hand painted her balloon cutie mark today too! I LOVE her balloons!  They are just adorable!

All that's left is to make her boots.  That's on tomorrow's agenda!

While I started out these outfits less than enthused about creating them. I am so glad that I did!  They were a bit of a unique challenge, but they have turned out even better than I anticipated!

Tutorial Tuesday

Howdy friends!, So yesterday I had big plans for getting both Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie finished up today.  That didn't happen. :-(  
Ever have one of those days were nothing seems to fall into place.
That was me today.  I did at least manage to get the pattern made and pieces cut for Pinkie Pie's turquoise bolero jacket.  So as long as the world chooses to cooperate with me tomorrow I *should* be able to get them finished.

Since sewing wasn't an option today, I decided to turn to working with some paper goods.  Ages ago I found a little tutorial online for making miniature books and journals and such.  I have sadly long since lost the link, but I basically remembered the process. So while I was making up a couple journals for my 1/4 scale gang I decided to make up a tutorial for the method and technique I use. I hope you enjoy!

 MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Standard sheet of copier paper with a grid drawn on. Each rectangle should measure 2" wide by 1.5" tall. (an 8.5"x11" sheet should yield 28 rectangles)
• In-scale scrap book paper or wrapping paper
• Cardboard (such as from recycled cereal boxes)
• Scissors
• Glue
• Stapler & Staples
• Washi Tape (optional)

1. Cut apart the grid of rectangles & stack into sets of 5. (You should end up with 3 extras. Either set these aside to use with your next page of papers or add one to 3 of the sets.)

These will become the pages in the journal. (called a FOLIO) Fold one of each pile in half  to give a reference for stapling. Once the pages are lined up neatly add a staple to the center of each stack.

 2.Fold each stack in half with the smooth side of the staple on the outside.

Do this for all 5 stacks. We now have the folios all set for 5 journals. (If you choose to make books, you can stack 2 or more and add a layer of glue along the stapled spines. If doing this add a couple of binder clips to your supply list and clamp the inserts together while they dry so the pages are nice and tight!)

3.Now it's time to get started on the cover. Cut 2 rectangles from the cardboard. These should measure 1" x 1.5". (They will be the size of the pages once they have been folded in half.)

4.Ok sorry I missed a step when I was taking pictures. I took my cardboard cover pieces and traced them onto the back of my preferred cover paper.  This isn't necessary unless you are trying to line up an image (in this case a shoe) or a word. Other wise, spread a thin layer of glue over the paper in an area about 1/2 an inch larger than the 2 cover boards.  

5.Position the 2 cover boards onto the freshly glued paper. Be sure to leave a small space between the 2 cover boards for the spine of the pages.  IF you are doing more than one stack of pages be sure to measure the stack and leave that much room plus a little extra so the cover folds neatly over the pages.
While the glue is still wet trim off the corners of the paper to help create neat edges.

6.Fold over the edges to completely encase the edges of the cardboard. Add a little extra glue if yours started to dry.

Set this aside to dry for a few minutes.

7.On the outside sheet of the folio, trim off a tiny sliver at an angle from both the front and back pages.

Cut 2 "End Papers" from either scrapbooking paper, cardstock, or washi tape that are just a bit smaller than the 1"x1.5" cover pieces we made.

8.I prefer to use a brush for this next step as I think I have better control of the glue.

Add a thin even coating of glue to the back cover cardboard and then press in one of the trimmed outer pages. Make sure the folio is centered before gluing in place.

9.Follow up with the End Paper.  Brush more glue going almost to the edges of the cover on top of the trimmed page we just glued down.
Repeat on the other side of the book, so that both the front and back covers are glued in place and the page folio is glued in place.

At this point your handmade 1/4 scale journal is finished. You can set it aside to dry. I often will place single journals under a stack of books or something flat and heavy to help it cure flat.
 If you would like to decorate your cover with washi tape, I recommend doing that after Step 6. Once the scrapbook paper has been folded over you can add a strip of tape either along the spine so it shows up on either side of the cover or on the ends. Be aware that many washi tapes are sheer, so they might not look good over colored or patterned papers.  If so then cover the book with white paper and allow the washi tape to be the decoration.
Cut a strip that is long enough to wrap over the edges and to the inside of the cover. Then proceed as told in step 7!

If you make any journals using this little tutorial, I would LOVE to see them!
Have fun. :-)

Swirly, Twirly Pinky Pie

I completed the last piece of sewing needed for yesterday's Twilight Sparkle (TS) outfit, her leg warmers.  Tomorrow I will add the buttons on the front and paint on her cutie mark on her skirt as well as the argyle design on her leg warmers.  But by the end of the day TS should be all finished!                    

I gotta say I just love how her outfit turned out!  It's super cute on it's own, but is a pretty faithful representation of the character.

  Next on my agenda was Pinkie Pie! (PP)
I had originally planned to make a shirt and skirt for PP as well, but once I got started, well it just didn't sit right.  So I revamped my plans, adjusted my patterns and made some on the fly decisions.

Had a couple minor issues, (Sewing bias tape around small scale corners and curves is not easy! :-( And yeah accidentally sewing the skirt portion on backwards the first time was a bit of a drag! lol) but I persevered and Pinkie Pie is almost done as well.

              I even got so far as to paint the big heart on the bodice of her top.  I custom mixed a pinkie lavender shade that nearly matches the satin skirt portion too!

I'm not entirely happy with the heart so I think tomorrow I will add just a light layer of shimmer.

While that is drying I will get started on the turquoise bolero jacket she wears and her boots.

Those boots are going to be interesting, as there are no patterns out there (at least not in AG scale) for similar boots, so I'm going to take an existing pattern for a plain boot and customize them!  
Wish me luck!!!
Once her boots are finished all that will be left for PP will be her cutie mark on her skirt. :-)  And then it's back to tackling AppleJack!   

Moving forward

Howdy...so when I last left you I was working on a cowgirl hat for an 18" American Girl doll.  I have given up on making my own and broke down and bought a tan one from ebay that I will customize.  The patterns I was using just were not working out no matter what I did to them.  Some times you have to know when something is beyond your talents and abilities.

Needless to say that put me in a funk for a couple of days.  Today I decided to set Applejack aside and decided to work on one of the other characters.  Twilight Sparkle.
 
She's a cutie!  I found the perfect pattern for her top and set to working on it this morning.  I will be honest, I was having a hard time getting into this commission, but Twilight Sparkles' outfit just seemed to flow together, so I am feeling more motivated.

Not counting the breaks and FB game playing I did, the top only took a couple of hours and the puffed sleeves actually went together really easily. (I am not a fan of sleeves! LOL)

 
 I made a little bow that goes at the neckline which I adore!

The last piece I finished today was the pleated skirt.  I went pretty simple here and just hemmed a long rectangle of the deep purple cotton.  Then I figured out where I wanted my pleats, pinned and ironed them in place.  Sewed a couple of hems (shortened the skirt a couple of times to get the look I wanted) and then it was all done.
The skirt will get a hand painted 'Cutie Mark' tomorrow.  I will be making hand painted leg warmers as well to go atop some premade black flats.Oh and the top will get a couple of buttons down the front as well!

Hopefully tomorrow I will have this outfit finished and move on to either Pinkie Pie or head back to Apple Jack!

What's on my Desk Wednesday

 This is what's currently on my desk. (aside from a mess of other things that I would prefer to ignore! LOL)

Looks kind of odd, doesn't it? If it helps this is only part of the project.  It's a cowboy hat brim. :-)  

A few years back I was approached about doing a custom outfit for an American Girl doll. Due to circumstances beyond my control the order fell through and never happened.

Before New Years I was contacted by the original customer asking if I could still make the outfit. 

 Needless to say I needed a reminder.  She sent me this adorable picture and I remembered right away. It's Applejack from the My Little Pony cartoon Equestria girls.

I agreed and we set a price. (She also asked me to make 2 additional 'ponies', but more about those later)
I set about searching for the  perfect pattern pieces to recreate a similar outfit.  I found most of them pretty easily on my favorite pattern site: Pixie Faire
They have a huge collection of patterns for not only American Girl dolls, but about 20 other dolls!  (some which will work perfect for BJDS!  Ellowyne Wilde patterns fit Minifees perfectly and BFC Ink patterns fit JID dolls with very little alteration!)

Anyways, back to the hat.  I found a cowboy hat pattern, the problem I found was that the crown of the hat was made up of SEVEN identical parts!!!! Now I get that they did that to make it easier to sew, but it looked, well, it looked like it was sewn from lots of pieces.  I wasn't really happy with it.  So I started doing a bit more internet sleuthing and found a pattern for a cowboy hat for a small bear that used a single piece to form the circumference of the crown.  Much better than the 7 pieces used in the other pattern. So I printed it out and set to resizing it to fit the American Girl heads.  I *think* I have it figured out! LOL

Next up was the brim.  That's what I am working on now in the first picture.
After talking with my customer we decided to go with a solid firm shaped brim as opposed to one with a wire sewn in for shaping.  So I cut 2 matching pieces and lined them with cardstock. Once I get the crown done, the brim piece that is currently solid will get trimmed and the center pieces adhered to the inside layer of the crown (before it gets a lining).  Then the other brim piece will get glued in place and shaped while it is still wet so the glue will cure in the shape I want.
While I can freely admit that I am having a hard time getting motivated to do much these days, this is for sure an interesting project and should turn out really neat once it's done!

I've gone to the dogs!!!!

I love finding things that aren't designed for dolls and being able to repurpose them.  Today's find I am sharing are some adorable Christmas Tree Ornaments I found at a local craft shop.

Aren't these little pooches just adorable?  They are perfectly sized for 1/4 scale dolls. (Adult dolls that range from 15-19")  The 'breeds' I found were from left to right: Lab Mix, Yellow Lab, Newfoundland and a Maltese. I think last year I found a few different breeds as well, but they are packed and I can't recall what they were.

Since they are so perfect for the 1/4 scale I have decided to make up some doggy accessories and will be offering them in my shop shortly!

I started with the Maltese as I thought she was just so cute. She got a permanent pink collar with silver heart tag.  She will also come with a matching pink leash that is the perfect length for strutting around town.

She is pictured here sitting in the lap of my JID girl Mari.

All of the dogs will come with that permanent collar with choice of collar color as well as tag shape, either Silver Round or Silver Heart.

In addition to the collar and leash, each pooch will arrive with full food and water dishes. (I mean every new puppy needs food and water!)

I also found in my stash some elastic cording that made the PERFECT chew toys!!!

I am considering adding a pet bed to the grouping as well, but am not entirely sure about that.  Any one have any suggestions?
Right now as the sets stand each listing will run $15 plus shipping.  They will be more expensive if I add a bed, but I might also just offer those as add-ons. *shrugs*

I hope to have these listed by the end of the week!  (Once I do, I'll come back and add a link!)

On the left is Ethan Richardson.  He owns a small hobby farm just outside of town and can be found at the weekly Farmer's Market.  He recently adopted this adorable Newfoundland puppy, but hasn't quite come up with a name for him.  On the right is Mari. She and Ethan recently started dating after meeting at the Farmer's Market.  Mari is currently fostering the adorable Maltese while she waits for her forever home! <3 p="">
Ethan is a Wilde Imagination Rufus Rutter and Mari is an Iplehouse JID Tatiana