Barbie Case update

I've come across a slight design flaw in my carrying case. The drawers are much flimsier than I would like. If this is truly going to be played with, they need to be sturdy. It was also brought to my attention that sometimes felt pills, and with daily play this could be a problem. I hadn't thought about that, but Barbie girl isn't here enough for that to be a HUGE issue, I don't think. However, it does pose another problem. I think I'll post the felt version and supplement after the fact a cotton fabric. That means I'll get to pull out the sewing machine and maybe do some embroidery on regular fabric which I haven't done before.

For another update, I believe I'm well on my way to a pretty good method of organizing all of my craft materials. I have another couple of ideas rolling around in my head, but I'm going to get some pictures of what I'm using for embroidery floss and my felt/fabrics. I did also get a rolling drawer unit from Joann's the other day for projects in progress. Since I do all of my crafting in one of my main visitor areas, I feel it's important to be able to craft and still have some semblance of order for both my guests (I hate a cluttered house) and myself when I get back to crafting after I've had to put things up for awhile. We'll see how it works out. It will be nice to have the attic for a craft room for both my husband and I when it gets vacated. That means an upstairs heater and A/C, but I think it will be extremely helpful.

I'm a little excited...

This is a random post, and I shouldn't necessarily be excited, but when I got married, I made pomander balls. Lots and Lots of pomander balls. Big ones. Little ones. In between ones. Today I  had a request for an estimate on some pomanders. I was looking for flower ideas online, and came across this:

http://withoutahitchweddings.blogspot.com/2011/05/seasonal-blooms-flower-of-month.html#comment-form

Some of you may notice this from my wedding (not that this is an excellent picture, but WAY OVER on the left side of the fountain, you can see it...

After catching that post, and freaking out a bit, I decided that maybe I would do a tutorial on how to do the larger pomanders like these from my wedding:

Or these:

So keep on the lookout for another tutorial which will be coming soon. The barbie case is almost done!

Update on the Barbie Carrying case

This is turning out much cooler than I thought it would. I can't wait to share with everyone! I've got one side completed, and the other side is at least attached. I have to add the drawers, and I think I'll figure out some separators for one side, and how to hang clothes on the other. Maybe I'll attempt some baby clothes hangers while I'm at it.

Front of Barbie Carrying Case as it currently is.

Inside of carrying case as it currently is.

When does crafting become an obsession over a hobby?

As I'm attempting to finish up my Barbie carrying case, I realize how crazed my crafting area is. As hard as I try to stay organized, I constantly loose space. There's never enough room. At what point does the interruption of my crafting due to my crafting become crazy instead of relaxing?

Barbie Dollhouse on a dime

I was just saying that I'd like to do something fun for Barbie (outside of the carrying case I'm making right now) and for the young lady who comes and visits us from time to time. We'll call her "Barbie Girl" for this post. It may change from post-to-post, but for this one, it's going to fit.

Barbie Girl got TONS of barbie's for her birthday and Christmas. The challenge is what to do with the clothes, dolls, etc that come along with Barbie. That's where the carrying case came from. None of the new carrying cases are anything like the ones I had growing up. A place for Barbie, a place for her clothes, and a handle. That's all. Not 20 barbies but no clothes, or clothes and no barbies. A little of both. So, I decided to make one. In the process of looking for a tutorial (which I didn't find), I thought of how fun it would be to do a Barbie house. I didn't mean to come across this tutorial while I was looking for DIY barbie hangers, but there it is. Here's the next project I think might get tossed to Barbie Girl since she's been dying to craft with me:

Blog: Southern Disposition

Where in the world...

I may be showing my age, but does anyone remember "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?" Is that still a thing? ANYWAY, with the holidays in process, I'm sure I'm not the only one who hasn't had an opportunity to breathe, let alone blog. With that, I'll say I received a new refrigerator for Christmas. That is where I've been.

The new fridge was 1/2" too big for the previous space, so I got some new cabinets. In the process of taking out the old cabinets, I decided to take down old tile. The wall came down with the tile. It's been a rough couple of weeks, but it's been well worth it. The new fridge looks fabulous, and the new bit of cabinet and wall looks pretty good, too.

Above: The space after we took out the cabinets. The previous owner just decided to add a new subfloor instead of doing anything else. It made for an interesting leveling process.

Above: After the tile came off. Those dark spots? That's cement board, after the upper-coat of plaster came off. We did get to see the colors the kitchen was before we moved in though...

Above: The new beadboard, the side of the new fridge, and the top of our stove. We painted the beadboard white, and the upper portion is gray. When the side of the cabinet is in, I'll post finished pictures. 

I also decided to decoupage some outlet covers which I've not done before. I think I'll also make some curtains, since I figured out that I can use a pressure rod in the windows (huh... wish I would've figured that out a long time ago...). SO I have a couple more projects to add to the list.

The Question:

How was your holiday? Did you add anything to your crafting list?

The Led Zeppelin Mobile

A friend of mine asked me to create a mobile for her first grandchild. Her daughter is, apparently, a big Led Zeppelin fan. I say, sure... no problem. I can do that. It won't take me too long, I can have it done by the weekend. Great, she says. I'd like the symbols, plus a guitar and a mandolin.

The Challenge: How exactly am I going to get all those symbols? Out of felt? I can totally do the other things, but the symbols are going to kick my butt.

The Materials:

• Macrame hoop 
• Felt in brown, cream, and... fabric in sage? I'm having a hard time finding sage felt
• Embroidery floss in brown, cream, and sage
• Ribbon
• Fray check for the fabric
• Computer, Printer, Paper
• Fabric Pencils or embroidery transfer paper

The Process:

I found the symbols that I wanted to use, then printed them up. As I look back, I probably should've just put them in paint and enlarged them. I chose to cut them out... and magically make them larger. Don't ask. I still don't know what possessed me.

Luckily, my embroidery/sewing skills are pretty good. I've got all of the circular items done. I'm working on the items with strange shapes now. We'll see how it goes.

The Question:
What are the hardest crafting projects you've worked on? How could you have done them differently? Have you done that item since you initially tried it, or did you give up halfway through (like I've done so many times)?