DIY Hope Chest Dollhouse

I’ve always wanted to make my daughter a vintage dollhouse, and now I finally have a little girl, and she is finally old enough to have one! So for Christmas I’ve been playing Santa’s helper, and working at night after the babies are asleep.

This hope chest has been hidden away, used as a toy box in our closet for years. We found it at a rummage sale for 5 dollars.  I started by painting the outside, and adding wood slats on the inside, for walls.

Then I painted the ceilings white, and modge podged the walls and floors with craft paper, and cutouts from a book I found at a thrift store! 1 dollar for the book! Thrift stores are the coolest, and the MVPs of this post.

I then made my furniture piece by piece, using inexpensive items from around the house, and thrift store finds. One of the toughest problems with dollhouses, are how costly the furniture can be! 44 bucks for a living room??? Umm no!  Each piece cost me a dollar or less to create.

I then put all the rooms together making sure my windows lined up where I wanted them.

Then I set out to create the family I wanted for the house. I always thought it would be cute to have a little fox family!  I made the bodies using foam, wire and felt, so they would be pose-able and free standing.  I got lucky with the heads, they were broken ornaments from Target! They gave them to me for free! I then made the little clothes, keeping to a vintage theme.

And there you have it! A DIY vintage dollhouse, so fun to make, and SO inexpensive! Merry Christmas DIY babes!

 

 

Moving Medusa Head- Piece!

Check out my first semi-tutorial 😉

 

 

DIY Ghosts and Harry Potter Candles!

I know it’s a little late for decorating this year, but if you’re anything like me, you are already thinking of next year’s decor for Halloween!

This year, I really want to have ghosts sitting at my table, so I set about figuring out how to create that look. 

I decided to try and create an idea, a story. This is my haunted tea party. Mabel and Edgar led a long and happy life together, and still have tea once in a while even in death…..te he he. I am a huge dork.

The gloved hands pouring tea were created by connecting the kettle and cup with steel wire. The liquid, is hot glue painted lightly with wood stain. The gloves are stuffed with dollar store mummy hands, and the whole piece is hung from the ceiling with fishing line.

Edgar was very simple. Just a dollar store felt top hat with dollar store black glasses hung from it from fishing line. The whole piece is then suspended from the ceiling as well.

For the table decor, I wanted it to look like a tea party that had been sitting for quite some time. So I did some wilted roses,  webbing, and of-course some critters have gotten to the biscuits.

In the entry I wanted a fun haunted feeling as well, so I hung 50 DIY candles from good old fishing line (the hero of this post). Check out the tutorial here http://houseofdewberry.blogspot.com/2010/08/diy-halloween-project-black-candles.html

I am definitely going to miss our ghosts when Halloween is over 😦   But hey maybe they’ll make an appearance next year too….boo.

Happy haunted DIY adventures!

-Kari

Halloween, it’s not just for kids!!!

It’s that beautiful time of year! Halloween is just around the bend, and today I’m sharing some costumes just for the ladies!

I know I know, you’re trolling the internet for your kids costumes right? And OF-COURSE that is number one, but if you’re anything like me, you love Halloween just as much as the kiddos! You probably used to get all gorgeous and go out with your girlfriends every year! But now, it’s all about the kids, and maybe, just maybe you’ve given up on dressing up…

If so, this post is for you!!!!!!! I adore Halloween! I always have. My theater background is definitely part of it, I just love becoming something/someone else for a night! BUT, when my first child was born, a couple years went by, where I lost my mojo, and just made it all about my little one’s costume, which is natural, and fine, BUT Halloween brings me such joy, and my process of recapturing that joy, is something I wanted to share.

YES, we are moms. Our lives revolve around caring for those we love, and we love it. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have some serious dress up fun at least once a year! Whether you want to match your whole family, or you have an adult only party to go to, You can and SHOULD dress up if you want to. Here are some of my past costumes, all DIY, and ALL cost me less than 40 dollars each to create. (Some of these are from other projects, but would make great Halloween costumes) 

Malificent!

Such a fun costume! My horns are DIY tinfoil and electric tape. Great tutorial here:

http://www.breannacooke.com/how-to-make-maleficent-horns

My dress is a black, thrift store find, and the wings were borrowed. Please check out the awesome photographer! http://www.killerimaginginc.com

Snow White

Instead of the Disney version, why not try your own take? This is a borrowed vintage wedding gown, red bow, black wig and apple. SO simple, so fun! http://www.killerimaginginc.com

http://www.placestogoinlasvegas.com/places/439428-Sandra-Huntsman-Costume-Studio

Carrie!!!

Thrift Store pink dress, red roused fabric, spray painted popcorn bucket, heavy duty wire….BAM!

The White Queen

I glued handmade butterflies to this gorgeous thrift store find! White wig, grey mouse, and voila!

photo credit Josh Downs

Vintage Housewife

Thrift store vintage dress, rollers, apron, and a baby makes the perfect accessory 😉

Check out the amazing photographer! This shoot was featured on Merci New York as well!

http://mercinewyork.com/blog/?s=vintage+housewife

http://cindergirlphotography.blogspot.com

“Drink Me” Alice

So again, I tried a less Disney version of Alice, and this refrigerator box could easily have been made into a backpack as well.

Photo Credit Josh Downs

White Trash

So easy! Just mix together every tacky item in your closet! And don’t forget your “Chanel” bag!

So remember, Halloween, it’s not just for the kiddos 😉  Have a blast! You deserve it!

Baby Onsie Turned Wall Decor

Hello all! I’ve been feeling a bit nostalgic lately.  I can’t believe how quickly my littles are growing! My son is now four, and this newborn onsie he wore is so fitting of his personality today 🙂  He is in LOVE with cars! So I thought I would try preserving this special onsie in a way that not only keeps that sweet baby memory, but updates his big boy  room as well.

Here is what you’ll need:

1. Baby outfit with cute print. A medium size print works best. Cotton is also the easiest fabric to work with, but other fabrics work as well.

2. DIY modge podge. I never use store bought, it is way to pricy! Check out this great tutorial! So easy and crazy cheap!  http://www.themakeyourownzone.com/2013/02/make-your-own-mod-podge-for-decoupage-crafts.html

3.  Scissors

4. Canvas

5. Paint brush

This project is easy as 1 2 3 ! First cut out the material, a piece large enough to cover your canvas, then apply the Modge Podge on the canvas and over the top. Let dry, and cover again.  Dry overnight, and there you have it! An adorable piece of decor with a very special story.

I know the thought of cutting up a piece of  baby history can be hard, but keeping those memories boxed away is not the answer, safe a few, give some to others, and make special memories with the rest. This would make a great gift for grandparents as well!

Happy DIY adventures!

-Kari

If you liked this Modge Podge craft, check out my post today on http://www.orsoshesays.com! Tupperware Town!

Mismatch plates become Shabby Chic Serving Tower Trays

I love to bake! And cupcakes are near, and maybe too dear to my heart 🙂  So naturally I love having fun and elegant serving trays to present them on. However, serving tower trays can be super pricey, not to mention a bit boring…..  enter the up-cycled serving tray!

These fun shabby chic trays are not only SUPER easy to create, but also inexpensive and one of a kind!

Here is what you’ll need:

1. Large, medium and small plates. You can use your own mismatched ones, or pick some up on the cheap. Target, Dollar Stores and thrift stores all have great plates for next to nothing prices!

2. E 6000 glue (this stuff is incredible! and you can get it at any craft or hardware store. Walmart also carries it)

3. Candle stick holders. You need two per tray. I got mine at Dollar General and Thrift stores, all for under a dollar a piece.

Before you start gluing, make sure you like the tower, mix around what you have, and see what fits best. Then stack each piece one by one, letting the glue stand for at least an hour before stacking the next piece. Once it’s all stacked, let it dry for at least 24 hours before using it.

And there you have it! Instead of throwing out  mismatch plates  you’ve created something beautiful to use for years to come! Happy DIY adventures!

-Kari

If you liked this post, check out my fun kid friendly 4th of July craft on orsoshesays.com !

Fun DIY Father’s Day Gift (Match Box Mosaic)

Fathers Day is just around the corner! And today’s post is a fun and easy DIY gift for good old dad.

If you are a parent to a young boy, chances are your house is like mine…filled to the brim with Match Box cars. Why not use those messy-colorful-four wheeled-die casts to create some original Father’s Day artwork? Get the kiddos to help you sort the colors, then use the color you have the most of to write out your message. Let your little spellers join in the fun.

You could surprise him, and have it all laid out the morning of Father’s Day…

…Or you could take photos and have it framed for him!

Either way, it’s a fun way to let dad know you love him, and to commemorate this fun time in your child’s life. I know someday I won’t slip on the parking lot in my living room….and I will miss it greatly.

Happy DIY adventures!

-Kari

And come check out my post at Or So She Says for some fun Father’s Day Tradition ideas!

http://www.orsoshesays.com

Up Themed Birthday Party!

For today’s post, I dug through my archives, and decided to post about  my son’s  first birthday.

I wanted to do something magical and memorable, so I decided to theme the day around one of my all time favorite films, UP.

I knew that the main thing I wanted to do was make the cake FLY!  So I decided to make the house it’self out of modeling chocolate, and hang it from fishing wire above the actual cake. I also added felt stuffed clouds, for effect and dimension.

As for decorations, I went crazy with Balloons, of course! I love balloons! They are easy and inexpensive, and they add so much!!! One way to stretch your balloon budget, is to avoid helium balloons, and instead string up hand blown ones, and hang them throughout the house!

Another fun way to avoid breaking the balloon bank, is to make construction paper balloons! I attached these to the wall with painters tape, and added dimension by adding yard strings to each one, gathered together with a bow.

I also Made a “Kevin” to peak out from around the corner. He was cut from card board and painted, then I added some craft store feathers for effect.

I wanted the theme to be evident on arrival, so I made this fun Up Wreath, with yarn, construction paper cut outs and craft store moss.

For table top decorations, I printed these great FREE printable characters!  http://family.disney.com/crafts/up-carl-3d-character

 I also wrote up some “Adventure Scrolls” for take-homes. Each scroll listed fun things to do with kids in our hometown.

As for treats, the more colorful and whimsical the better! So I purchased vintage lollipops frombsweetlv.com. I also made balloon cupcakes and sugar cookies shaped like clouds, and added fun colorful candy in class dishes.

I also made these fun take-“homes”, by printing little Up houses, with lollipop balloons! The little boxes were filled with jellybeans.

It was such a fun celebration!!!! And he loved every minute!

Happy DIY adventures!

-Kari

7 Cake Decorating Hacks!

Cinder Girl Photography

Cake decorating is such a fun and creative outlet! BUT it can be costly and overwhelming to get started. Here are 7 tips and tricks to help keep your costs down, and your creativity flowing!

1.  Make your own marshmallow fondant! Store bought fondant is pricey and barely edible, but marshmallow fondant is extremely easy to make, inexpensive and yummy! Here is my favorite recipe:       http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/Fondant.htm

2. Use dollar store /hardwood store putty spatulas instead of high priced cake decorating ones.

3.  Use these three dollar store finds (screwdriver set, pumpkin carving set and dental cleaning set) instead of this pricey kit.

4. Break dollar store craft scissors in two to make fondant edgers. You get more variety for 1/4 the cost!

5. Shop smarter! For example wooden doweling rods will cost pennies at a hardware store, where plastic ones can be extremely overpriced. They do the same job, so why pay more?

6. Use reusable cake trays! A fun way to do this is to wrap a carving board in wrapping paper, then put down a wax paper liner, so the cake doesn’t get moisture on the paper. This way you can make the cake trays part of the presentation, AND it can be used again and again!

7. Lay out  a plastic painting drop sheet over your counter on cake day. That way you won’t have to spend hours cleaning up, just roll and toss!

Here are a few of my cakes that have been created using these very tools and methods!

Happy DIY adventures!

-Kari