I used paper towels adapting a technique I saw on several YouTube videos only I was experimenting with the technique. It didn’t work all that well….

This was done with sheets of paper towel, mod podge and white acrylic paint. There was a lot of bubbling, and the seams weren’t really covered much at all.

I have learned several things with this attempt, a main one being not to forget to cover All of the paper towel with mod podge before painting. That’s why there’s bubbles I’m pretty sure.

It was a fail, but it wasn’t an epic one so, I’m okay with it. I’ll take it down and on my next day off, I’ll tear up paper towels into much much smaller pieces and make sure it’s ALL covered in mod podge before I paint.

If anyone has any other tips or tricks or suggestions, comments feel free to leave them below. I’ll happily consider all of it as long as it’s constructive and respectable.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

I was finally able to find time to work on the dollhouse again, and I’ve gotten a little bit done. The last time you saw it, it looked like:

You can clearly see the gap between the walls on the left hand side. I used a technique I saw on one of Ara’s videos. Ara is the creative behind Bentley House MInis, and she is one of the two people who inspired me to try this project!

The technique involves using what she calls a paper “bandage” to cover up the gaps. You basically cut out strips of paper wide enough to cover the gap and attach to the walls on either side. Here’s what it looks like in place:

I used strips cut from the very thin box my cat’s wet food comes in. I measured them to fit, and I folded them in half before gluing them into place. They’ll be covered with wall paper and will never be seen again.

Update : Here is the link Ara kindly sent to me showing the paper “bandage” though she doesn’t actually use that term in this video. I think she does in one of the Fairfield videos :

Now, my attention is turned to the exterior of the house. I wanted to get it done before I put the roof on because of the overhang. I didn’t want to try texturing or painting in what’s going to be a very small space.

I used a technique I saw on Chantal’s channel for this. Chantal is the creative behind Darkest Raven’s Movie Minis(it used to be Darkest Raven’s Designs). This technique allows you to make wood look like stone using watered down glue and tissues or paper towels. I have only done one layer so far because I’m actually experimenting with the technique.

The above is the back of the house. It’s not fully covered and as you can see, there’s some transparency happening. I’ll be doing a second layer, and I will be painting. Second Empire French chateaus had white paint via a lime wash over the stone, and this is what I’m trying to recreate.

Since the house is half scale, the stone texture has to be very small and pretty subtle. I’m hoping this technique will work because ripping tissue into tiny tiny shreds is the only other option – not a fun one either.

I’ll keep you updated on the progress of this experiment as I can. My work schedule is still all over the place so planning time to do anything is nigh on impossible. Still, I’m trying.

I’ll be adding links to the videos showing both techniques as I learned them as soon as I find the videos again. 🙂

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

I had to work some long, varied hours so I didn’t get as much stitching done on the Land Baby as I wanted to. Still, I have made progress>

Here is where I was at my last update:

Here is where I am now:

My apologies for the blurred picture. I was having a hard time holding the camera still. As you can still see, I didn’t get very far. Despite this, there’s a great more detail including the side of her face.

I’m hoping to have a lot more done by the time I post for this project again. My goal is still to complete this side of the picture by the end of the month.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!!

The last time I posted about my project: my first ever dollhouse made almost from scratch, I had just put on the second floor.

This isn’t the greatest photo of it, but as I’ve said in the past, I’m not a professional photographer so I do my best.

Anyhow, I have now gotten the third and fourth floors on as well as the left wall so here is what it looks like now:

Again, not the best picture, but you can see I’ve made a great deal of progress. 🙂 Not all of the walls are straight which was my fault because I thought they were when I glued them on. Since it’s not a major slant, I’ll be leaving them this way. This is a learning project after all.

I still have to put up the walls for the attic rooms and place the mansard roof on. Because this is supposed to be a renovated French chateau Second Empire style, I’m not going to be period on the inside, and I’ll be doing my best to be on the outside. I’m also debating what rooms should be in the attic since this is going to be a large space.

I was also given a vintage miter saw and it’s box by a customer of mine with whom I’d been discussing this project and the issues my son and I were having getting the walls cut straight. He gave me this saw because he’d gotten a power saw for his business, and he knew I can’t afford power tools right now.

This is a Sears Craftsman Miter Saw Model 881.36343 made originally back in the 1980s. It’s still in great working condition despite its age and the rust on the saw blade. I’ll be looking to replace the blade with something newer and not so rusted. If I can’t, I’ll be cleaning as much rust as I can off the blade and continuing to use it. I’ll be getting some WD40 to help clean up the parts that need it too. Overall, I’m blessed to have received this especially in this good condition!

Once the roof and attic are in place, I’ll add the fireplace bodies on the outside, and I’ll begin work on the walls turning wood to stone. I’ll also fix the gap on the left side between the left wall and the back wall. There’s still a lot of work to be done on the body of the house before I can begin work on the inside.

It’s been fun so far despite all the issues, and I’m looking forward to progressing further as time goes on. This is not going to be a rush job as I want to do the best with every part of it I can. I haven’t had any epic failures, yet, and I hope I don’t. We shall see.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

It’s been a while since I posted about my stitching so I want to get everything caught up at once.

Matrix Stitch A Long

I stopped doing this. I was paid to make this by a woman who wanted it as a gift for her boyfriend. She and said boyfriend broke up, and she said for me to keep the money since I did so much work on the first page. The first page was actually done early so she could see I was serious about getting it done for her. I haven’t continued with it because personally, I found the pattern boring.

Fox and Rabbit’s Changing Season’s Mystery Stitch A Long

I not only finished June’s design, I also finished July’s:

I was originally going to July’s design – the box on the left – in shades of purple, but I changed my mind when it came time to actually begin stitching. I’m glad I did because I think it turned out much better this way. Next month begins Fall, and I’ll be using oranges, dark reds and browns mostly, for the design. I’m curious to see what it’s going to be. The middle will most likely be a pumpkin, but we’ll see.

Land Baby

Here is where we were my last post:

Here is where I’m at now:

So much pops out when you take a step back from the piece!

I’ll be working this in rows from now on – 20 squares down and 50 squares across.

My Small Project

In my Update posted earlier this month, I mentioned I’d chosen to make a small as a gift for a wonderful woman who runs a Facebook group I’m in. Her name is Diane Gill, and she is the owner/operator/admin/main moderator for ☀️ Cross Stitch Kindness ☀️ Stash Donations & Rescue Party! She has rescued and rehomed more charts and threads and other cross stitch related items than I can count, and she does it for free!!

I decided to ask her what her favorite colors are, got her opinion on the flowers and finished the rest without her knowing exactly what I was making. I’ll be sending it to her with an envelope full of charts for her to rehome:

It’s a mini biscornu. I forgot to take a picture of one of the sides so you can see how it looks. This is great for a little pin cushion for her I think. 🙂 I made it using 18 ct whilte Aida, DMC floss in shades of blue and green and medium yellow for the borders. It’s about three inches at the widest. I used small blue beads instead of buttons the pattern called for because I couldn’t find any small enough.

I have a Dimensions project I’ll be using as my next small thought it won’t be as small as this one.

That’s all for my parade. 🙂 Next week, I’ll be posting my progress on Land Baby. I don’t think I’ll be starting my small this week. I’ll be too busy with work and Land Baby, but I will start it this month.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!!