New Birdhouses

Just wanted to stop by real quick and give you a sneak peek of the birdhouses I just listed on Etsy:) 

Hope you like them:)

www.katiesclaycorner@etsy.com

Putting it all together..

I've been playing with a few things I have around here.. And thought I'd show you what I came up with:)

I made a few more pillows for the bed and brought out a polymer clay puppy I made. The night stands were planters I made a few nights ago. They are real stone:) The picture above the bed is one I pulled out of Cora's house... It's of Jackson's Mill. I made the birdhouse and the Alice in Wonderland book. I even made the dress that Mrs. Bear is wearing! The bookcase I bought off line sometime ago- it's too small for 1/12 scale, but looks great with this scene. The roses I bought from our local dollhouse shop. 

And the chair was a gift from a friend:) That post will soon follow!! I hope my friend doesn't mind that I borrowed her chair for the scene?!

I'm really happy with how everything came together.. Now I just need a room box for it:)

Until next time...

When there's a will.... There's a way!

I don't have "real tools", as the bf would call them.

And I'm ok with that...normally.

Don't get me wrong.... I am starting to get to the point of wanting something more than a hand saw and an exacto knife... But we all know how dangerous the power tools are in My hands...

However... this wood on this little house is a pain in the butt to cut..... So



 I used a drill bit attachment in my Dremel as a jigsaw, so to speak.... and it did the trick. And I didn't hurt myself. lol

OK... So you see the new holes where the stairs are- this is where the two houses are going to join together to make one long house. All the cracks will get filled in so you'll never know the difference. And I went ahead and started building up the top floor. I want a box- so I'm using a piece of foam core board. After I get everything glued together- I'll go back and 'wrap' the outside in foam core too. Then I'll coat the outside in sand before it gets her grass hair:) But that's something I still gotta figure out.

Now that I've started this build, I'm having a hard time putting it down. This is usually my favorite part- the build.....It's the detail work that slows me down.

Until Next Time:)

And How many projects are you working on?

I'm working on several...

I think that's how miniatures work- One project gets you hooked.... and then you get all ADD with it.. and through the years you add more houses... You know- cause the 3 you have sitting on your desk aren't enough to keep you busy, lol.

The gypsy wagon is a good example of this. I love this little 'house'. But I do Not like all the painting that is involved.... It's taking several coats- and it is sooooo boring.....

((I did change the colors since the last time I talked about it- the doors and window trim are now blue- And I love it!!))

All the trim will still be gold

 And the inside is going to be a light pink.....

 with blue accents.... I built these little shelves- there's going to be one on each side of the window- and I've got some scrapbook paper in there to make it a little more girlie:) I am so glad I changed it to a girlie wagon- it's just going to be the cutest thing- When I get it painted, lol....

 And then it happened again.

I've always love looking at Brambly Hedge pictures...

My Mom says she used to read them to me when I was little.

So a few weeks ago I ordered my first Big Girl books...

and have totally fallen in love. Now I do like all the ones you see all over the net- But I'm really in love with Sandy Bay:) You can find it in Sea Story.

 I think it's the beach. I'm just drawn to it.

And So...

a new project has been started:)

I took 2 of the puzzle houses from Michael's and have joined them together. This will be the top 2 levels of the house. At a later point I will add the bottom.....

Please excuse the mess- we were trying to figure out space and where what would go.

The bf helped- he assembled the stairs for me- I swear we spent an hour fussing over who the designer was and who the helper was. He was right though- the way I want it won't work- so I'm going to have to think on it...

 I cut out all the holes- took me all night to do this- I must invest in some real tools! We still have to cut out the holes between the 2 houses- After we figure out where and how the stairs are going it, lol. This might take awhile.....

I am so in love with this house. There's going to be so many things I can add... and living here at the beach is really going to help. I bet I can find all kinds of neat stuff to use.  

 And I love the over sized fire places...

I built one last night.

This is just my base. It's going to have seashells on the sides and I want to get the top to look like an old piece of drift wood.

I don't measure when I build... I just kinda use my guide (my gray bear) and build around it going from what I see in the picture. Not really good advice... But it works for me.

 Not sure if I'll use this blue cabinet- It was one of those things I built without a pattern- so it's not 1/12 scale (this whole project is almost 1/2 scale but a little bigger)... but I do love the cabinet.. and have always wanted to use it in something- and this project is going to have the right colors for it:)

 This is what the whole house looks like.

I'm working on the top 2 levels. Later I can go back and add the rest. I CAN NOT wait to do the grass:D I'm thinking another piece of carpet (like I did on Marshmallow Manor) but longer- Much longer. And maybe I can brush it out before I paint it to make it a little more fluffy? Most of the House will be coated in sand.

I'm excited about this project:) I just hope it doesn't take years to finish... I do tend to work slow:)

And before I go..

Thought I'd update you on the Chops:)

He's doing Great now.

There for a while he really had me sad. To the point where I was thinking about having him put down because I couldn't bare to see My Baby like that any longer. He had gotten to the point where he didn't want to even get up- and was using the bathroom on himself. So I rushed him back to the doctor... And the doctor told me he was just being lazy from all the babying he was getting... And that before we knew it he'd be up and running around. Well.... I guess Porkchops heard him, and realized the gig was up- because it was all up hill from there. He spend the better half of his time wallowing in our bed... then he started scooting... and before we knew it, he was up and walking across the bed. And then he was running across the bed.

...and then last night I was in the kitchen cooking and Someone decided it was time to get out of the bed and visit:) His legs will always be crooked, but at least I have my crazy Chop- chops back!

I do want to apologize about being so slow getting the store loaded up.

A week before Thanksgiving I had a wisdom tooth pulled and ended up with a dry socket that just doesn't want to heal. It's just slowing me down.....

I've got most of the signs in there- and I'm hoping to get the birdhouses loaded next week.

 

So

Until Next Time:)

I got sidetracked!

My Poor work area just keeps getting larger.... and larger.... and larger. I am totally guilty of starting a project- getting it almost done... and then I think of something else to do- and off I go. I have several paper plates* sitting here full of birdhouses.... and yet- I had to make some cupcakes. lol!

*When I work, I keep the items I'm using for each project on a paper plate- or bowl- or whatever else is handy. Right now I'm up to 5 plates of Almost finished items. Terrible! I know. But bear with me:)

I do love making miniature food, I'm just not very good at it. (At least in my mind) ...Nor do I have the patience to do it every day to get better. But I do like playing around:)

....So the other day while I was in the Dollar store- I found a pack of electrical caps with 5 different sizes in it, And thought- Perfect! I can make big cupcakes- regular cupcakes... and mini cupcakes/muffins. So...the process of getting sidetracked began, lol. I made my molds.. and spent an evening pushing out cupcakes. I like mine fat on top:) I bake like that, too... I fill up my cups with as much batter as I can get in them:)

I have made mini cupcakes before- You can find out more about that and the DIY 'molds' here.

After they were textured, they were chalked and then baked. Then comes the part where I'm still playing. The decorating:) I want piping... and for the longest time I've been trying to find a 'medium' that would work well for this. I had some nail fruit slices put away- so I used those on top. On the single cupcakes I used puffy paint for t-shirts.....and on the plate with the "Strawberry Lemonade and Blueberry Limeade" cupcakes I used joint compound that I tinted with acrylic paint. Both work OK.... But it's not really what I'm after. I have used liquid sculpy before, but I wanted to try something different this time. It is always fun to just play:) ...oh- and the plain 'muffins' on the table have poppy seeds in them- but I went a little overboard with the chalk and you can't see that, lol. I even tried to make cupcake wrappers- not too bad, but I'm thinking a thinner solid color paper might work better next time.

I did, however, manage to get the little birdhouses done- well.... that's not true. They still need a coat of sealer. But they all have roofs now:) I think the Tinker Bell ones are my favorite.

....ohhh.....and look at what I found:) Harry Potter Crest nail stickers. These will be sold as a set... and I have a few extra single ones as well. I thought these were too cool!!!

Let's see..... I found a new stamp set:) I think the font works perfectly for the Bakery signs!

And while watching the movie Julie and Julia the other day.... I came up with a few more signs:)

I think that's about it. Now that the kiddos are back in school- I'm having a lot more free time to get lost in my work. If I could only stay focused....... LOL

...ok....here's a link to some of the other cakes I made- way back in 2008, lol. Some aren't too bad. And please excuse the little doll- she makes every thing look really big.

Until Next Time:)

My honeysuckles are starting to bloom:)

In between the little rain showers we've had here the past few days, I've been taking full advantage of the honeysuckles that are starting to bloom.

I've been loading up the store for Halloween and have made a few of 'The Sweet Life' signs in purple.

And, as always.... trying to create New beach signs:)

I know the ones that say 'beach' and 'ocean' sell... but I really like coming up with ones that only a few people might enjoy.

Hope everyone is enjoying their last week with their children. We all know how much we'll miss them when they go back to school next week, hehehe:)

So..... Until next Time:)

This past weekend, we took my daughter, Cora to camp. She's a camp counselor now for Camp Catch Your Breath- a special camp deep in the mountains for kids with asthma. And although we didn't do any sight seeing this year, I did manage to roam around a Dollar General near our hotel. You never know what your gonna find, right. Well... I got lucky! I found a miniature Beauty and the Beast Tea set. That's what you see on the second shelf. And as you can see.... My shelf looks complete now. I say it that way because you never know what will turn up next:)

The tea set came as a key chain...The lid of Ms. Potts pops off and everything fits inside. Super cute, huh?

And.... at a gas station I found a Pink t-shirt from one of My favorite places:) Couldn't beat the price for $3.00... and it's pink! LOL... Somehow I've managed to start a pink t-shirt collection from all of our travels, lol.

All in all the trip was good. It took me 8 hours to get there... and somehow only 6 to get home? Wish it only took me 6 every time. Driving through the mountains is No joke! LOL.

So... I have minis everywhere right now. I'm gonna blame it on my camera. My memory card is full, and I can't delete anything right now... And it's making me lazy, lol. I have kettles, teapots, wash tubs and signs to finish. And we wont discuss the finished items that are stacking up over here. (or all the unfinished, put away projects, that I once told myself, "I'll do it later" items.... don't laugh, you know you have some of those too:) Why is it the older you get the less time there seems to be?

Until Next Time...

A Good Place to read a Book:)

When my youngest came in earlier and told me there was mushrooms growing in the yard.... I had to check them out. And after realizing they were the perfect size for a photo op... I grabbed my camera and took a few shots:)

Can you guess what she's reading??

But of Course! Alice's Adventures in Wonderland:) LOL
Yes! These kinda of things make me happy:)

Sorry I haven't been around.... I've had a headache/migraine that has had a storm cloud hanging over my head for the last week. Yesterday was the first day I didn't have one, and it felt good to feel good. I did get some white benches built and painted.... And then I got sidetracked. We will just say I ordered a new 'home' for one of my critters. I got it on Ebay for a steal... and sure wish the mail man would hurry his butt up and bring it! But now It's all I can think about! I want to leave it a surprise... But I'll give you a hint. I've been making copper kettles and jars for days now. You know me, when I get that clay in my hand, I can't just make one. So I have an army of them now... In the process of being painted and aged. Once I get a set done, I will have pics:) But until then.... I'm watching the mailbox.

Until Next Time...

Someone got a new Dress...

Well, I couldn't have Miss Pig running around in her bikini.... So I made her a dress:) Besides, if you could of seen what her back looked like with the bikini on, You'd of laughed! The strings were to short to tie around her, so I used tiny bits of blue tape to attach it to her. It was a mess... but it worked:) If anyone would like for me to do a tutorial on the little dress, I can... it was really simple.

...and then you know how it goes, You can never make just one. Everyone decided they needed a dress, too. Actually, I made the yellow one first and even though I love a dress that hits the floor, I decided the next one should be a little shorter. So then I made the dress for Miss Pig. Then I started cheating. The purple dress is just material folded up and wrapped around, and held in place by a headpin... And the pink one is held together the same way. I did however make 2 pleats in the front of the pink one to give it a little more volume. I think they're happy.... for now.

I've also been working on bits and pieces for the Glass House. I sat last weekend and watched the new Alice in Wonderland movie again, and cut out printies that Ira had sent me so long ago. OK... so I am really bad about finishing things, but they do get done, one day! I even put poppy seeds in each pack to make it feel and sound like a real seed pack.

She also sent me the bulb packs... which now house seed beads:) Let's see.... I put the marble in the urn- not really liking the marble, but it will do for now- to me it's one of those big glass balls people put in their yard:) And then there's some new books. I bought them here. I put one behind the bulbs and the other two, because they're so colorful, are on the foot stool so the ladies have something to read. ...There's a metal wheelbarrow on the table- that's a monopoly piece. Oh, and I swapped out the panda for a polymer clay doll I made.

I will have better photos of everything when I figure out how I want it. LOL.. It changes daily.

So, Until Next Time...

A Day at the beach...

Last summer I participated in an International Summer Swap.... and I received this Amazing bikini from Auxi. And have wanted to do this ever since! :)

I had plans to take Miss Pig to the beach, even took her to the beach house when we went...But she never made it to the actual beach:( ...So... This morning we got up early (because I really don't want everyone watching me 'play with my dolls') And took her to Chic's Beach:) You can see the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel behind her.....and if you look close- those are my 3 kids in the background:) And they say I never take pictures of them anymore, lol.

A girl after my own heart... She decided to build a sand castle first. She went walking for something 'special' to put on it.... But this green stuff was not it. No way was she touching That!

She found a few shells and built a modest castle.
Next time I will bring better tools for her to build with.

Quite pleased with herself, she decided to relax for a little while... But the sun was just a little too much for her delicate skin.

Luckily I had one of those Cocktail Umberella's in my purse for her to borrow. She built a mound and said she would get better coverage if it was up there...

I didn't argue... I just enjoyed my time talking with a grown up.

After awhile she decided it was time to sunbath for a bit. I only let her lay out for a little while.... I wasn't about to let her experience what I did the last time I came to the beach!

Hopefully we can do this again soon... And next Time I'll remember to bring a shovel!

Until Next Time...

The Poor Fella and the Tree Root

Earlier this year, my bf got himself a blueberry bush. Every day he goes outside and waters it... and talks to it... and picks the grass and weeds from around it. He loves blueberries and was really excited to see all the berries on it.....BUT.... so are the birds, lol. He'll got out and see them just starting to turn colors... and then he'll go back the next morning and it's gone. It's actually been kinda funny... in a cute way. However... He was finally able to pick one the other day and bring it in... And then it got taken again.... It sure does look like a yummy blueberry, Doesn't it?

...So... all that talk about tree roots, got me wanting to work on my Tree House. Yes... It's been a long time:)

First thing was first... I had to go outside (early this morning so my neighbors didn't think I was crazy, although.....) anyways...I had to study it... and take pictures of it.

Then I came in and worked.... I got both sides done.

All I have left to do now is the front and the top...

The top is where my knots will go... When I figure out how to make them look a little better. And....I ran out of paper clay ( I had found 2 packs stashed away:)).... So, My little Tree House will go back on the shelf until my clay arrives:)

Hope everyone is having a great 4th of July:) Be safe!!

Until Next Time