And Then I Got an Idea

Earlier in the week I let the girls see the NEW doll room.
On Thursday I went down with them while they played.
We talked about how they will each have a spot to keep the things that belong to them/their dolls, and how we can keep their brothers from messing with their stuff.
We also talked about how we all have different expectations for how things "should" be, and what we can do to make it workable for all of us.
They had very good thoughts on all of this.
Since there is a 4 1/2 year difference in age between the two of them, I'm amazed with their ability to respect each other while playing in their own particular way.
It really is amazing

While we were talking I was looking at the blank, blah, gray partition.
I got an idea.
While the girls played I went on a hunt for a curtain panel that could look like old-fashion wall paper from the 1930's (my doll is from that time period).
Since it's a partition wall, everything is held up with T-pins and pearl head pins - the long kind.

 For now I've added blue paper to the windows, but I'm thinking I'll find a pleasant scene, take a picture, and enlarge it to 11x14.  Something rather plain.  Maybe a tree?  I could make a print for every season (more ideas!).

Um, yeah.
I have to keep reminding myself that I am doing this for Hertsje and Famke.
They don't have to send their dolls back to the 1930's, but we are enjoying talking about what it was like for their great grandparents.
Of course, that conversation got started when they noticed that my doll had "weird" underpants. 
Now they even know about feed sack dresses.

Me being me, I had to add a picture with a windmill.
I also remembered that I had a mini plaque like the kind everyone I knew had hanging in their homes when I was a kid.
If my memory is correct, these plaques always seemed to be hung way too high.  So I hung mine lower.
It is easy to change things around when all I have to do is move a pin!
Anyway.., I'm having WAAAAY to much fun with this!
The kitchen is taking shape too, but I still have to work on the school room, and fashion a stable for the horse. 
Not everything will be able to stay out all the time, so I've got some ideas for storage AND
I've also got an idea to make a dollhouse for our dolls.
The grand daughters thought THAT was a fabulous idea, so maybe this winter we will work on that after school. 

Five Days Until Christmas!

So, this afternoon I did this in the corner of my basement by the laundry room door.
I was meaning to decorate the basement a bit more while doing laundry.
But then I got an idea.

I blame those three little stockings.
They called to me.
But, I first needed a fireplace to hang them on.
While looking for an old picture frame (an idea I saw on pinterest) I found an old drawer instead.

And then I found an old florescent light, a tree, a Nativity, a small book about angels, and oh.., soooo much more!

Will I be able to stop here?
No. No I will not be able to.
I see a few little nutcrackers, some bead garland, tiny wrapped presents, a tartan table cloth, blankets for the dolls to cuddle up under, etc.., etc.., etc......

She Is At It Again

Over the weekend a delivery arrived at our house.

Me, being me, was most excited about the box it came in!

And the wad of brown paper that was stuffed into it!

On Monday we used the brown paper for a road, a river, and something to run on just to hear the sound it made.

And the box was a doll house, a bed, and a jack-in-the-box!

Today as I was removing it from the living room, I got an idea.

I get those sometimes.

It seemed possible that if I made a few cuts here and there, folded some flaps around, glued down a bit of scrapbook paper, I just might be able to turn it into something for our beloved American Girl dolls.

So I present to you, in horrible lighting as it is in my basement, my attempt at making an American Girl doll lemonade stand.

This was the only picture I could get of the inside of it.  This will need some finishing.  I think Famke will enjoy doing this part, and adding the food and dishes.

It's all cardboard and paper, so who knows how long it will last. but it seems to serve the purpose.  I
cannot tell you how badly I now want to make a beach for her to lie in the sand, and I actually DO have the sand.  But even I know that at some point, I'm just going to have to stop this.
(Maybe.  Maybe I know this.  But then again, maybe not.)

My Saturday Thrift Finds

 Wow.  It was another GREAT Saturday at the thrift store.  I found even MORE material to use for eventual AG Doll furniture.  I also found a cute box to use as a coffee table/foot stool for her brown couch.  It fits nicely.  I'd show you but it is all in the basement now, until after Easter when I have plans to turn a small corner of the basement into an AG Doll play area.  This may never happen, but I am going to give it my best shot.  I've looked at a lot of ideas for AG Doll houses, but they look so squished to me.  My hope is to have enough room for three dolls, two girls, and one old lady (me!) to play in there together.  With the doll houses one is rather stuck just moving the dolls about in a very small area.  But, who knows?  Generally I have more ideas than sense, so only time will tell.

This Coats & Clark book was a mere 5 cents, as books were half price!

It's quite possible I will do nothing at all with this book, except to look at it and squeal with delight!

The uncut patterns are still in it!

Oh, my!

I have these dreams that I will someday make all the things I dream about someday making.

The rational part of my mind finds this laughable.

The dreamy part of my mind dreams on...

It even has crochet patterns.

I don't happen to like them, but, there they are!

1964.  I REMEMBER 1964.

I was six.

This books is now ten years old, but still worth it!

I was SO excited to find it!

It's Sally from Mostly Hearts on Wealthy St. across from Blodgett Hospital.

She isn't there anymore, and I miss her.

Sally had a lovely rubber stamp store in her beautiful home on Fisk Lake.  My mom and I used to make a day of it, go out to lunch and then to Sally's to buy rubber stamps.

A few times, we even went there when my dad was in the hospital.

This book was a buy at 50 cents, as books were half off on Saturday.

And last but not least, a LONG strand of jet black glass beads!  I've been know to take old necklaces apart to make bracelets.  But I think I shall keep these as a necklace, since I already have the bracelets and earrings to match.

Good Ideas

Um. When I get an idea, I do tend to get carried away with it.

So, I've laid out on my dining room table just a sampling of what I hope to work on over the next few days.

Hertsje really wants a couch for her AG doll.

Jonge gifted me with this box.  He was going to use it for baseball cards, but he is a kindhearted cousin and gave this up for me to attempt couch-making with.

I may have to make a few to get it right.  I, of course, like the brown and green plaid, but Hertsje's doll would prefer a bit more flair so I'll do that for her.

I'm waiting on batting to cover it in, and paint stir sticks to hold it up in the back.

She also wanted a tutu for her doll. So a tutu she shall have!

In the background you can see my first attempt at covering the next chair I had hoped to make. I was almost ready to go with it when THGGM pointed out that it looks like a car seat.

Now all I can see is a car seat.

Hmm.  We shall see what happens next...

Then I remembered about an old lap desk I found many long years ago.  I used to keep my journals, pens, and whatever books I was currently reading in it.  But with the advent of lap tops and Kindles I had put it away.  Does this not work PERFECTLY for a desk for the AMG doll?

I did some shopping from my basement to see what I already had on hand, and found a few things that just may work.

But not four legs for the desk.

I may have to hit a hardware store for those.

But I did find what would work for bun feet for the couch, and maybe some legs for another chair.

Ooo!  And some small PAINTED beads!

There my be more bunnies in my near future.

You know how those things multiply...

So, I'm thinking a bit of stuffing to cushion the back, and maybe a small pillow for the seat, and this could make a suitable chair.

It's a nice height for a chair with the spool legs, and could work as a bench with the lid shut.

For now it's being held up with four blocks, but I do think spindles would look better.

Oh, and those heavy cardboard tubes.., maybe arm rests for the eventual couch.

And as an added bonus, I found a dozen paper eggs in the basement!

Just in time.

Usually I find things AFTER the holiday I bought them for, so this was a nice surprise.

And now you know what I plan to be doing in the next few days.

Maybe.

(and for the record, because we have established that there IS a record, i have folded and put away those two baskets of laundry in the background.  yes.  indeed i have.)

On Monday We Painted Things

THGGM continued to paint on Monday.

He took Feintje with him to purchase new switch plates for the entry way.

When Hertsje came, he set them up at the picnic table in the backyard so they could paint them for him.

As you can see, these two took the job very seriously.

Very.

Seriously.

They both wanted to continue painting after the switch plates were completed.  So Pake told them they could also paint the sheet.  Oh, the fun they had!  I'm not sure if you can tell, but Feintsje painted trucks, and Hertsje painted flowers.

And now we have a lovely Norwegian blue entry way with matching switch plates (not shown), and an even brighter orange door.

Next I shall need to swap out the green on the bird prints  They aren't really mats, as I just removed some pages from a bird book and glued them to some green scrapbook paper I found years ago on clearance at Michael's.

THGGM has suggest I go with orange, but I don't think I want to commit to orange once the front door is closed for the season and the pumpkins go into a box in the basement.

So I think I'll begin with a khaki color and proceed from there.

I may even go in an entirely different direction.  In that top drawer of the dresser you see in this picture there is a stack of a different type of bird pictures. More the kind that are found around here.  Those are smaller and in more muted tones, so we shall see.

Milk and Cookies

One of my favorite things about summer is having snacks at the picnic table in the backyard.

And one of our favorite snacks to have out there is milk and cookies.

I have five old milk bottles, but if you cannot find old ones, Michael's just had new ones on sale for a dollar.

Then buy any kind of cookie with a hole in the center.  These are red velvet.

Put two cookies on top of your milk bottle and add a straw!

And enjoy!

Judy and Her Rag Tag Garden

I would like to have a gardener.

Someone with knees that still bend properly.

Every winter I think that I might want to be one, but then by this time of year I reconsider.  

While reading Elizabeth and Her German Garden, by Elizabeth von Arnim I became a bit envious of her.  She WANTED to do the gardening, but it was not allowed.  They had people for that.  No woman in her social position would dare to get down and dirty in a garden.  It just wasn't the done thing.

I'd be fine with that.

Just so you know.

White Choral Bells

It's been awhile since I've tried anything new.

I have so many pictures of my Lilies of the Valley that I thought I should try to do something with some of them.

In both of these pictures I am holding the flowers in one hand while trying to take a picture with the camera in my other hand.

I think I need a plan B.

Anyway, if anyone knows of a song or rhyme about ants crawling all over peony buds, could you let me know? Because I have A LOT of pictures of that.

On Monday We Make Things

 Over the weekend I bought some better quality paint paper.  Oh how wonderful to not have Feintsje's works of art turn into something resembling rest area toilet paper.  

 I'm trying to do fast sketches without worrying too much what they look like.  This is not an easy thing for me to do.  Hopefully I can stick to it.  I'd like to at least turn out a set of note cards or something.  I haven't yet decided whether I prefer colored pencils or watercolors.  It is nice though, not having to wait for colored pencils to dry.

Feinstje started out by painting the fruit snacks he had for a morning treat.

But after he finished, he thought they looked more like colorful fish.  I would have to agree.  On Mondays, we make things while having loads of fun doing it!
We did get in a walk around the block before the rain came back.  It smells SOO GOOD outside in the spring!