Latest BJD Commission

Last month a friend asked me to recreate an outfit for her incoming Minifee for her.  The outfit to the left is the one she's asked me to make a version of.  This outfit was originally for Delilah Noir, who is about the same height as a Minifee, but a good bit slimmer, so her clothes don't always fit well on the MNFs.  She also asked me to do it in blue rather than pink. 

I've been working on it off and on for a couple of weeks now, as I had to search for the right plaid for the skirt, as well as a light blue striped knit for the sock and the lining of the hoodie.  Not to mention needing to find a hoodie pattern! LOL

Thankfully I was able to find all of the pieces I needed. I found several different plaids and this one is the one my friend chose.  I just love the bright colors!  The skirt took me a few days, as initially I traced and began cutting out the skirt pieces in the wrong fabric! LOL  I actually traced it out wrong 3 times, as the first skirt pattern I traced was too long, then when I traced out one that was the right length, I realized that I was using the wrong pattern too!  It was at that point that I realized that now I had the pattern/style right, but was using the wrong fabric! *facepalm* So eventually there will be 3 additional plaid skirts for my Minifee.

I also ended up tacking down the pleats on the skirt as it flipped out way too much.  Thankfully my friend loved that detail as well.

The pale blue lace is attached to a simple knit tube underskirt.  That way it can be interchanged later with other colors if my friends wants too.

I had originally planned to us a thicker striped, slightly darker blue knit for the stockings and hoodie lining, but the amount I had of that material was not enough to do both items.  So I went searching for another lightweight blue knit material. These are re-purposed from a pair of baby leggings.  They are subtle in photographs, but a bit more bold in person.  I think they are super cute!

Up next, I'll start on a white t-shirt which will have an adorable Hello Kitty image on it.  Once that is complete I will start on the white hooded sweatshirt.


The last thing I will create for that outfit is the shoulder bag which will also have a Hello Kitty image on it. :-)

Hello November

And here we are already into the 11th month! Does any one else feel like the year has just flown by? Yesterday was Halloween and the the boys and I did our annual trek around the neighborhood for candy.  My youngest son decided to be a knight and the middle one a mad scientist.

Hunter's mad scientist costume was made using an adult white button down, that I pinned open to look like collars, then I chalked the heck out of the front to make it look like an experiment blew up.  His beaker is the bottom of a spray bottle that I topped with a soda bottle cap.  On the cap I glued some fiber-fil to look like smoke.  Donnie cut open a large glow stick and poured it inside.  It made his beaker glow really neatly all night long!  Using a TON of hairspray and half a can of white hair spray we slicked back and spiked up his hair.  Last but not least was a pair of glow in the dark glasses. :-)

Bradley's knight was a mix of hand made and store bought. We found his breastplate, gauntlets and the small shield at the Dollar Tree.  I bought him a dark grey sweatsuit and a nerf sword.  We added 2 long thin orange glow sticks to either side of the sword to make it glow.  The red cardboard shield was a prop that Hunter used several years ago in a school play he was a part of.  I adhered the small plastic shield to the center of the cardboard one to give his shield a bit more of a presence.

I know he's not smiling here, but B-man LOVED his costume, and as you can see in the next picture, really enjoyed striking a knightly pose! :-)

 

We walked around our entire housing area and ended up with a rather large haul of candy! :-)I look forward to baking with and nibbling on the candy for quite a while to come!

Peacocks and pants...

Well actually peacock pants is a more apt title, but... *shrugs* I took these pictures on Tuesday and had planned to blog about them yesterday, but wouldn't you know the card reader in my laptop decided to go on strike!!!  I couldn't get the pics off my memory card. :-(  I thought I was going to have to buy an external card reader just to be able to get the pictures, but late last night the card reader decided to go ahead and let me have my pictures!  (Although I think I might go ahead and pick up an external reader any ways.  This is the 2nd time this has happened in the last few months.)

I bought this fabric about 2 years ago, when I decided to decorate our living room with a peacock theme.  But I honestly had no CLUE what to make with it.  Thankfully though Lena realized it would be perfect for a pair of lounge pants for her!  And well, I couldn't agree more! Instead of an elastic waistband like I did on the Christmas pair, I added navy blue eyelets and a bright green sparkly drawstring.
While I love the look of the drawstring, there is something to be said about the ease of elastic.  I am thinking I might combine the 2 in the next pair I make.

The weather has started getting colder here in NY, and the trees are all bursting into a riot of glorious colors.  Lena decided it would be nice to enjoy her morning hot chocolate at the window by the back patio.

(That reminds me I SO need to take care of my garden pots and get them ready for Winter...which will be here before we know it!)

I just love this shot of Lena...she just looks so pensive.  I am so glad I finally got a BJD, she just makes me happy every time I see her! (Thanks for the nudge, Ban! ;-) )

Here's Lena hanging out by the patio window, drinking her hot chocolate.

After I took all the pictures above I realized that the sun coming in through the window didn't really showcase the bright colors of her lounge pants, so we moved over to this little corner... MUCH BETTER.

Lena loves her comfy pants and so do I!  (Heck I'd love a pair of these for myself!)

Next on the To Do List...

CHRISTMAS!!!!

Hmm Can you tell that Christmas is a holiday I really enjoy?  Well just in case it wasn't obvious, I LOVE Christmas!  Decorating for the season is one of my favorite things to do, and most years I start decorating the day after Thanksgiving.  I figure this year will be no different.  

What is different though, is that this year I actually seem to be ahead of the game for things to put into my shop for Christmas.  Part of the reason is due to a couple of awesome purchases made a few weekends ago while we (the family) were out yard-saleing.   I found these 3 containers of fabric and craft supplies for a total of just FIFTEEN dollars!!!!

   The 2 bags on the left are packed full of mostly Christmas fabrics!  When the girl selling them asked what I was going to do with them and I said 'make doll clothes', she got a big smile and said that the lady that they originally belonged to also made doll clothes!!!  :-)


The tote to the right is full of all kinds of different fabric, trims, yard, ribbon & notions! 

 I was truly blessed that day! 

 I decided that once I was done with this year's Halloween items I would start with some Christmas Pajama sets.  I found a pattern for a set of menswear style 2 piece pajamas.

 I started with the pants as well, they are the easiest.  Lena here is modelling them for me.  They fit pretty well using the pattern as is, but since it was an Ellowyne Wilde pattern, the waist was pulled pretty snug getting up over Lena's hips. I used elastic at the waist band so they do look good.  I decided to add about a 1/4 inch to the pattern to allow them to slide over the Minifee hips without stressing the fabric. Much better!

This red holly fabric is just one of many pieces, but I think it's the PERFECT scale for dolly PJs!  

Hi it's Lena, modelling is tough work so I headed to the kitchen to grab a snack while Mom grabbed the other parts to the PJs.  There is nothing quite like fresh from the oven chocolate chunk cookies! YUM!

And these PJ pants are SO comfy!  They are nice and roomy too, very easy to move around in.  Hopping up on the counter was a breeze! ;-)

Here is the matching button down top.  (although it's missing it's buttons. LOL)

I want to use either red or green buttons but only had black and white.  So I ordered an assortment of small buttons, but they'll take a while to arrive.  So for the moment I just used a safety pin to keep it closed.

I'm not entirely happy with the top,  I think it looks a bit too boxy. Everyone that saw it on Facebook said it looked fine!  But I went ahead and trimmed a smidge off the sides of the pattern, so the next set will be a little more form fitting.

I think I need to try and find a pattern for making fuzzy slippers next! ;-)


Lena informed me that these jammies are perfect for curling up with a good book and a mug of hot cocoa in front of the fireplace.  I, of course had to remind her that they don't HAVE a fireplace.... needless to say, it's been strongly suggested that I GET or MAKE them one before the winter sets in! LOL

I originally thought to make the Christmas PJs a 4 piece set: top and bottom, matching ruffled panties and a coordinating solid tank top.

While I think I will still offer a few full sets, I will most likely offer mainly the bottoms and a solid tank top!  Those I can knock out pretty quickly, which will allow me to offer them at a lower price too! 

BUT I must admit I LOVE this look I created for Lena here!  It's cute and sexy all at the same time!  The panties came from an undergarment pattern I bought, that includes a bra too!  I had to alter the panty pattern quite a bit to get a pair with full coverage in the bum area.  The original pattern was nearly a thong!!! o_O  Lena and I both agreed that was a No-Go! 


Well that's about all for tonight.  I've got a few more things to share with y'all tomorrow though! 
Hugs,
Deborah

And another month has just flown by!

Is it just me or is it crazy to think that we are more than half way through October already!!!  I've been so very busy with creating things for my shop as well as working on custom orders that I haven't had much time for anything else. earlier this month Wilde Imagination (the company that makes Ellowyne Wilde and friends) released their upcoming dolls email.  They are putting out another resin Ellowyne next month!  

I LOVE my Abbey... she has a great face, but well compared to how well Lena (My Fairyland BJD) poses, I tend to play with Lena more and Abbey gets left on the shelf. :-( (Much to her annoyance!)  So when I saw that the resin version has her wonderful looks albeit a bit paler, but all of the joints and posing ability of Lena I just knew I had to have her!  So I went nuts getting stuff made and listed in my shop.  The resin version is not cheap (http://www.wildeimagination.com/ellowyne-wilde/shop/weeping-violets-resin ) So I knew it was going to take a lot to get me there.  But I found someone who wanted her outfit only and we were going to split the order.  I was well on my way to having the cost when my husband got a speeding ticket... in a construction zone!  UGH.  I know he didn't do it intentionally, but well it kind of blew my plans.  However, I know that the resin girls often show up on ebay so I'm not going to stress over it.  Thankfully the guy that wanted the dress had also had a change of heart.  So  it all worked out.
But in the meantime I'm still creating lots of goodies for the shop! 

 I started out making Halloween goodies!  I found the perfect sized pails at Michael's in both pumpkins and cauldrons.  Then I created 2 different types of cupcakes. I made a vanilla cupcake in an orange liner frosted with rich chocolate icing and topped with a candy pumpkin!  The 2nd cupcake is an orange cake, in a striped liner with mounds of vanilla buttercream and decorated with a candy corn.
I also made Autumn Apples!  Bright green Granny Smith apples dunked in luscious caramel, and crisp Red Delicious apples coated in a layer of cinnamon candy!

 The Pumpkin pails can be found here, and the Cauldrons here. Both sets include a choice of apple and cupcake as well as 15 pieces of assorted fun sized candies (that I created by scanning REAL candy boxes and wrappers!), an orange lollipop, an orange cream sandwich cookie and a bag each of candy corn and gummi bears!

It's quite a Trick or Treat haul! =D

Here is Lena with some of the treats from the basket.

I enjoy creating thing for Halloween, but am ready to move on to Christmas.  I still have a few ideas for Halloween, but they most likely won't make it to the shop until next year... or in Monster High form.

I have started on my Christmas projects, but will save those to post tomorrow!

Have a great day! :-)

I'm so excited...

...and I just can't hide it!!!

Heeheehee... I'm sorry I just can't help it.  Do you ever have phrases that just cause songs to pop up in your head?

Ok but back to my actual news!  I have finally; yes finally after geesh, months now; gotten some of the 1:4 scale foods and drinks listed in my Etsy shop!

Right now I have  Sodas, Chips and Cheese Curls, Coffee and 3different drinks in stemmed glasses: HERE, HERE and HERE ! 

Today I did up mugs of hot chocolate topped with either marshmallows or whipped cream. The resin is currently curing but I hope to be able to list them tomorrow.

Earlier in the week I had fun setting up a small shelf along the back wall of the girl's kitchen.  I used a bamboo silverware drawer divider turned on it's side.   I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

I also decided to work with the pink of the appliances and made this cute little cafe style curtain for the kitchen window.  The shelf is the perfect height for the kitties to perch upon and look out the window to watch the birds!

I've filled many of the shelves with knick-knacks and fun things I've collected from all over.  I've also added some books in there for the girls, including a copy of each of the new Cookbooks I created!  (Clicking the word Cookbooks above will take you to the listing for them in my shop for a better picture!)  The girls love their kitchen and can't wait for me to get some barstools made for them!

Welcome to September

Fall is almost here and here in New York the mornings are already getting brisk.  I've really been trying to get up at 6:30 with my husband each morning and stay up, some days it works and well...some days it doesn't. *shrugs*

I'm working on several orders right now, some are carry-overs from August... ok actually most of them are carry overs, but there are some new ones as well.  It seems I was very ambitious in my To-Do List I posted back on the 13th of August . As well I didn't complete anything off my list. :-(

So my list will carry over into September... with a few adjustments.
These are the last of my commissions:

• Small scale Harry Potter inspired Bookends and books These will be finished tomorrow and shipped on Monday
• Monster High sized copies of the Harry Potter series, Hunger Games trilogy, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and The Hobbit  All but the HP series has been printed, there is still more steps until they are done, but they ARE in the works
• 3 custom Monster High dresses, Red, White and Aqua My customer has decided that the only one of these that is a MUST is the Aqua dress as it will be  the tree topper for her Doll-Themed Christmas tree! (I cannot wait to see pictures of that!)
• large Barbie scale Christmas tree decorated in Burgundy, Purple and Gold
• 2 Barbie coffee mugs DONE
• 2 custom Queen's Jubilee Picnic baskets

And my goals for my shop:

• Sew 6 1:4 scale t-shirts
• List 8 new items in the store While I didn't get 8 new items listed, I did get 5 new pair of MH shoes listed, so almost there.
• Make 4 sets of atleast 6 cupcakes each for Monster High, Barbie, & 1:4 scale This is partially done... I created 3 sets of cupcakes for 1:4 scale, but that's it. Will continue to make more with these focusing on Halloween themed design
• Finish sewing and LIST the 3 reversible 1:4 scale skirts I made last month
• List at least 5 Monster High items (shoes or clothes)  I did get 5 pair of MH shoes finished and listed in my shop
• Sew 3 of the Barbie dresses that have been cut out since oh... 2011!

And my final goal is for the Monster High Weekly Photography group I started in January.  I started the group to challenge myself to do more dioramas and take more pictures of my MH gang. Sadly I have fallen WAY behind in even that! :-(
So my goal for that is to:

• Take pictures for the current weeks theme and 1 past weeks theme. So by the end of the month I'll have taken at least 4 sets of pictures! Well I managed to get one of the current weeks challenges done, but I just haven't been able to get anything much beyond shop photography done.

Hmmmm looking at all the purple, I guess I actually DID get a good bit of stuff done, but I am my own worst critic and tend to be very hard on myself.  But I think I should actually be pretty proud of everything I managed to finish in just 2 weeks.