More sandcastles

When I can’t play with dollhouses I build sandcastles

Blythe sewing

My best friend bought me a Blythe doll for my graduation from grad school. Perfect, perfect gift. For so many reasons. I used the Simplicity Pattern for Blythe.

Barbie house kitchen accessories

Turns out I found 2 Barbie houses this weekend at garage sales! This one happens to be the Hannah Montana house. Doesn’t matter, I’m gutting it. Mid-renovation, I had to start playing in the kitchen. Some of the appliances are cut from magazines and will be Mod-Podged to the walls. I like the depth of that, a cluttered counter is more true to life Cheers to no more hot pink!

Dollhouse Living Room

Dollhouse bedding made by me

This is part of my Playskool Dollhouse makeover. I fell in love with the layout of the Playskool Dollhouse. I picked one up at a garage sale for $5.00 with the furniture! Only problem…the colors were for little kids. I painted the thing about a million times with both spray paint and indoor/outdoor latex, bright white. Tonight, I made bedding. This is too fun. If only decorating my real house could be this instantly satisfying!

Rediscovering Barbie

A Fairy Garden

I’ve rekindled my romance with all things miniature. I made this today and can’t wait to play with it more. I now look at everything tiny and wonder how to use it in my garden. 

McCall’s 5977

I made this. Its been a while since I sewed a garment. So, I thought I would reattempt M5977. I guess it is a little like riding a bike, I quickly jumped back in. I cut the pattern to a size 8, and wound up letting out the sides a bit, otherwise it fits great! I usually loathe finishing work (read: hand-sewing) but my mom came over and taught me a quicker way to do it! Maybe I will post a tutorial on that soon. I bought the fabric in the clearance section in the back of Joann Fabrics. It was $3.00 a yard, I bought 1 1/2 yards. Quite. A. Bargain. It was labeled something nursery, but I really liked the pale beige polka dots on white and the soft 100% cotton. I was nervous this garment would end up in the pile of unwearable items that I didn’t want to spend a lot on fabric. $4.50 works for me. A while back I ordered some labels from Etsy, and I love them. Overall, this pattern was easy to sew, and very quick. I made the whole thing in a day (with a 7-month-old so lots of breaks). Probably 2 hours uninterrupted would be a better estimate

 

 

 

my addiction to all things mini – individual 7 layer dips

 

This recipe was so much fun to make that it felt like a craft project! I made 24 individual dips, they came out adorably. You’re quantity may be different depending on how big your layers are! They took a little finesse with getting the layers neat and pretty, but well worth the effort. I brought 12 to one party and kept 12 for a party we were having the next night. They also kept beautifully until the next day. They were a huge hit, everyone loved them. I think mostly because they could double dip! SOOO yummy.

 

Layer 1: 2 cans refried beans mixed with 1 packet of taco seasoning

Layer 2: 1 large container of sour cream

Layer 3: 2 packages of pre-made guacamole (or make your own)

Layer 4: salsa

Layer 5: shredded cheddar cheese

Layer 6: chopped tomatoes

Layer 7: green onions and black olives I found that tapping the cup after each layer helped with leveling.

Finish each off with a chip!