Updates to SS-Designs Doll Interiors

Made some updates to my website today. Most notably I have a few items for sale on the front page. I will be adding items throughout the week. Email me if you are interested in purchasing.

 Sometime in early October my service provider lost a significant amount of data and some of my web pages were inadvertently erased. I recreated my before & after photo gallery. Check it out if you have not seen it before. I hope to inspire you to create your own fabulous furniture transformations!

 I am ALMOST done with the dollhouse project! Can't wait to share photos. Stay tuned!


Stephiejo

Garden Style Tablescape

Yes, it is October and autumn is in full swing. Mother Nature on the other hand has her own plans. Since it has been such a warm and sunny week here in the mid-west I thought I would hold on to those last fleeting moments of summertime. What better way than to host a casual garden inspired brunch.
Thank goodness I live in a tiny house or my obsession with dishes would spill over into the 1:1 world. That would be bad. Very, very bad. Pretty tablescapes require not only dishes but linens, silverware, napkin rings, centerpieces, flowers, and all kind of accoutrements that I have no place to store. It is challenging enough storing the little ones!
Although I am not able to create fun little vignettes on my own dining room table, I certainly can and do create them in miniature.
Treasure hunting recently I stumbled upon an assortment of vintage handkerchiefs. Darling little floral prints for under a buck a piece. What to do with them?

Hmmmm...how about a tablecloth?

The vintage floral pattern had the most darling color scheme. Fresh like a summer garden.
The yellow ties in well to the breakfast room patterned wallpaper and the greens coordinate with the banquette pillows and chairs.
Can I just say how easy it is to whip up some pillows when they are only 3" by 4" in size? My kind of craft project!
 Delicate gold trim on the charger and sandwich plates add a feminine touch. Blue bird is enjoying his view perched front and center near all the activity. He's from the Fairytale Dinnerware collection. Can I just say that the Fairytale set is divine! You'll see more of that later. (I bought 6 full sets!!) Crazy I know.

The blue ruffled dishes add just a hint of color in an otherwise monochromatic place setting. The prosciutto wrapped melon is light enough to enjoy with the entire basket of crusty bread...hmmm...carbo load anyone? Do you like your tea with cream and sugar? One lump or two?

An elegant table setting must always have a shiny object inserted randomly in the vignette. Shiny. Gold. What more can a woman ask for? The porcelain flowers in urns are part of a tic tac toe set I picked up a thrift store on one of my travels. Aren't they just the cutest things? I didn't even have to paint them! Bonus! I have a habit of repainting/repurposing most of what I buy second hand just to put my own stamp on it. Annoying, right?

Thank you so much for joining me for a cup of hot tea and a little something to whet your appetite.
I'd love to see what inspires your decorating vignettes.

Credits:
Kitchen Breakfast Room Diorama: SS-Designs Doll Interiors
Gold Rimmed Dishes, food, baskets, silverware: Re-Ment Luxury French Restaurant Series
White Patterned Dishes, tea set, gold serving tray, cake pedestal: Re-ment Princess Tea Party
Table and Chairs: Barbie

To view more inspirational tablescapes I am linking to Tablescapes Thursday at Between Naps On the Porch

Happy Crafting,
Stephiejo ♥

Barbie Craft Project: Bulletin Board

Today I am paying homage to the title of my blog and offering a little craft project. One would think with my prior experience creating user manuals in the corporate world I would be able to draft a simple how to tutorial. I will apologize now for my shortcomings. While I know exactly what I need to do in my head, that doesn't always translate well to my directions. ☺

Yes, I am still creating the illustrious "Craft Room" diorama. What can I say, when I get stumped I put the project aside and work on something else. I have furniture, some walls, and quite possibly a floor it is the small finishing touches that I am struggling with.

One item I knew for sure that I wanted in this space was a functional bulletin board. Super simple-you'll be finished in 30 minutes. I have completed this project not once, but twice for good measure ~ only because I was unhappy with my first attempt.

These are the supplies you will need:

Miniature frame (mine was from Michaels Crafts-picture frame ornaments work quite well)
Cork tile (from the Dollar Tree)
Head pins for jewelry making (sorry, I'm not sure what gauge)
Craft knife with new blade
Needle Nose Pliers
Wire cutter
Ruler
Super Glue
Pencil
Seed Beads in your choice of colors(to fit on head of pin)
Wax paper (small square is plenty)

Step 1. Lay your frame on top of cork tile and trace just inside the frame. Make sure you get the line as close to the inside edge as you possibly can.

Step 2. Re-trace your lines using a ruler to make sure they are straight and score along the lines with the craft knife using your ruler as a guide. This will result in the cleanest cuts.

Step 3. Clean up any rough edges.

Step 4. Place the cork inside the frame. I had to bend mine slightly to get it into the frame but it fits very snuggly and did not require any glue. You may glue in place if you wish. (dry fit it first!)

Step 5. Pull out the number of head pins and seed beads you need for push pins. Hold the sharp end of the head pin with a pair of needle nose pliers in one hand and clip off the other end with wire cutters. I cut mine about a quarter inch in length.

Step 6. Over the wax paper place a small dab of super glue on the head of the pin and slide the seed bead over the top. This will be your decorative push pin for your bulletin board.

Allow the beads to dry for about 10 minutes or so. You may need to use the pliers to push the pins into the board as the sharp end is no longer there.

 Here's the finished product:

If I lost you anywhere along the way-please let me know! I like comments...
Happy crafting!
Stephiejo ♥

Fall Inspiration in the Retro Kitchen

Long time no see! Bet you thought I had abandoned this here ol' blog didn't ya? Nope. I'm here. Alive and kickin'.

Summer was a blast. So much traveling left little time for play but with the return of cooler weather and the tendency to hibernate I'll have project time again.


Fall happens to be my absolute favorite time of year. What better way to welcome autumn then with some fabulous decor in my mini retro kitchen.

Shall we take a tour?


In the beginning...

My little kitchen cabinets received a fresh coat of moss green paint.  A nice contrast to the fresh white counter & upper cabinets. I intentionally left the stove top bare so that it could double as counter space. Need a stove-just add a pot or pan and voila! Decorative paper backsplash adds a touch of whimsy.

Close up of the adorable woodland friend pattern. I ♥ scrapbook paper!

The sink received the same treatment although I am hesitant to leave the backsplash paper, just not digging it.

Backside of the sink unit offers premium display space-nice bonus!

Nice pop of color in the cherry red stools offers some visual interest.

Dinette set received complimentary finishes. The houndstooth wallpaper is set temporarily on my background wall. Since this is a piece I use frequently for auction photos it will not be part of the permanent kitchen set. One side has the faux wood panels (real wood strips glued to foam core). The reverse side of this wall is my faux stone finish.

My first attempt at accessorizing. Continuing the whimsical theme. Notice the absence of floor tiles?  This floor is the butcher block top to my island that I am now using for photo staging. I'll share photos of my set up in a future post. (too messy right now!)

The addition of a banquette seat in the dining area creates more options for staging. Vibrant pillows continue the color story and lend to the warmth of autumn. The window view showcases my backyard with hints of fall foliage just peaking out of the hedges. The wall unit for now is a prototype made out of foam core. My plan is to make a more permanent structure out of book board for photo backdrops. Foam core is easy to work with but since my studio space is in the basement the moisture is not friendly to this material. (even with a dehumidifier) Not to mention foam core is so light weight that it seems a bit flimsy especially for a piece that will house a bench & display space. The prototype is only twelve inches wide by 16 inches tall. The new unit will be wider & taller and adding a decorative ledge above the window for more merchandising space. (yes, that is a slight reference to one of my favorite designers Christopher Lowell).

Back to building the walls-my first attempt at using book board.

Thank you for visiting!
Stephiejo ♥

Still Busy with Auctions

Working on clearing out excess inventory so that I can customize new pieces. I have a HUGE project in the works that I can't wait to share!

I LOVE this oversized soaking tub. It is PERFECT for the larger Fashion Royalty dolls. Since I am no longer collecting the tall one's I've decided to put this gem up for sale.  Darius is demonstrating how large the tub actually is.

You can see the auction here. *nothing currently available!

I have 42 items listed this week. Already working on next week's listings!

Have a great week! I'll give you a sneak peek soon on my BIG project.

Stephiejo

Shameless eBay Plug

Forgot to mention that I have lots of goodies available on eBay. Mostly larger fashion doll clothes for the 16-17 inch gals. Some really cute Barbie pieces as well. Making room for new OOAK inventory! Take a peak if you'd like:

Auctions

Just some of what I have listed...

Cheetah Print Chaise for 17" dolls

OOAK Barbie size Chaise

Mid-Century Modern Barbie TV Cabinet w/TV & Accessories

Upholstered pin cushion chair

My Scene Party Pad TV Unit & Columns Barbie Size

OOAK Jewelry busts

Until next time...Stephiejo

Tiny Doll Madness

I'm not sure what possessed me to take the plunge but I've gone over to the dark side of collecting. The world of BJD's. Tiny ones at that. I've been fascinated by those enchanting faces and amazing articulation. On a whim I asked hubby if I could get one. He said yes!! So I proceeded to order this teeny, tiny, itty bitty sweet faced Lati. Does anyone know if she can wear Kelly clothes? I certainly hope so! At just under 10cm she will be just right for all the Kelly furnishings & accessories I've seemed to accumulate.  I see a little girl's room diorama in my near future. Now the wait begins.  Did I mention that I'm an impatient individual?

Photo courtesy of Latidoll.

Hubby says the eyes freak him out a bit. I hope that's only temporary! Isn't she stinkin' cute? What was I thinking?

Stephiejo