Walnut shell knitting basket ornament

We used the walnut shell many times in our small crafts, one of our favorites,
was the knitting basket from this post. 

This would make a really cool, unique ornament for the knitter in your life, so we made new

Christmas baskets, with red and green yarns.

Yet another easy small holiday ornament

I love the kitschy awesomeness of the Yule Log, and even more so as a cake. 

Also known as Buche de Noel.

It's not too late to make more gifts!

There are still a few days left to come up with some creative, quick handmade gifts this Christmas.
Here is just one example, one of our most popular Christmas gift ideas, tiny book charms!

With the holidays approaching I am once again struggling to come up with some inexpensive, original gifts for my family. How about you?
 First order of business for me: a present for my mom. She has a home filled with festive dishes, Matryoshka dolls, quilts, tea sets and books. I try to make her a gift every year. My mom is rather obsessed with the Bloomsbury Group. She collects their various first editions, gives a dramatic slide show detailing their capers and love affairs and for many years even had a big picture of Virginia Woolf hanging in her sewing room. (If you would like to see the Virginia Woolf quilt she made it is on Tumblr) So it did not take much imagination to determine that I should make her something featuring her favorite tortured author. I decided that at the same time I could make my daughter something for her dollhouse.

Matchbox Mayflower Diorama

Thanksgiving is around  the corner, thought we would share this old favorite from a few years ago!

I gave this to my mother who hosted our Thanksgiving dinner that year!

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It is November, and Thanksgiving is approaching! 

Here is a clever gift to share for the holidays: a matchbox diorama of the 

Mayflower voyage with a ship you can move around through the waves like it is sailing to the New World.

Little Fimo Chocolate Bunnies

Easter always brings to mind the images of chocolate bunnies!

I have to admit, I rarely find any of the giant chocolate bunnies to taste very good, but I feel they

need to be included every Easter for some strange reason. 

Well these little bunnies look cute and chocolatey but are not edible, they are for play!

 They are very easy and quick to make too!

Here is what you will need;

• +Fimo clay in shades of brown and dark brown, white, and pink
• +a toothpick
• +small knife (like pearing knife) or sharp clay tools

 So first, you see all the shapes you will need to make. The final bunny is just over 2" tall.

Roll your clay into the following shapes, just molding with your hands

• Brown oval shape for body, about 1" tall
• 2 brown flat circles for legs, about 3/4" tall
• 2 brown small rolled ovals for feet
• 1 brown perfectly rolled ball for head, about 1/2"
• 2 brown 1" flat ovals for ears
• 2  lighter brown/white flat ovals for inside ear
• 1 lighter brown/white 1/2" long flat oval for belly
• 1 pink tiny little triangle for nose
• 1 pink rolled ball for tale, about the size of a pea

When the pieces are ready, take the two brown flat circles and attach to sides of the main body shape.Position the feet on bottom, facing front.

 Using the knife or flat tool, smooth the edges across the back of bunny, so they look like one surface. Leave edges on sides and front, to make legs.

Next, position the lighter brown/white pieces on the ears and belly. Flatten them a bit so they become more flush with the surface.

 Get the head and attach the ears side by side to the back. Use the same technique with the knife, so flatten the edges smooth on the back of the head.

 Then get the head ready to attach to the body. Rough up the "neck" area and the bottom of the head, so they  attach better.

I curled one ear slightly, just because it is cuter.

 Again, smooth out edges in back of head, so it becomes one surface.

Add the pink triangle nose to center of face.

Use toothpick to poke an eye on either side of nose.

Roughen up the areas where the tail will attach to bunny, then attach. I gave the tail a little more texture just using my finger nail, so it was not a perfect ball. 

Use the knife again to lightly add "hairlike" texture over surface of bunny. 

Also, the toothpick along the paws, for toenails.

Then bake in the over, following directions on the clay.

Now they just need somewhere to live! 

Bunny house coming soon!

Matchbox Valentine Keepsake

Here is a fun Valentine you can make with an empty matchbox.

The best part is the surprise inside.

A little diorama of arrows and a lacy Valentine heart.

But that is not all, one of the arrows is on a stick, so you can slide it from side to side to reach the bulls-eye. 

There you go.

Stick Puppet Stage Valentine

I personally love nothing more than a handmade Valentine, from just about anyone!

Even more, I love to make them for others. So I will share here one idea that is pretty fun.

This will go to one of my children.

Here we set the stage!

Just pull up the curtain flap....

To reveal a sweet couple, and cupid waiting to take aim.
They look 3-d, but there is another surprise...

They are also stick puppets so the recipient can interact

and make their own story.

This is really not to difficult to make, whether you draw your own or not.

Just gather some supplies;

*Thick, card-stock paper

*toothpicks

*tape/glue

*colored pencils, drawing materials if you choose to draw your own, or magazine clippings and/or photos

if you wish to use that.

The card measures 5 1/2" wide x 3 1/2" tall, closed. (7"open)

The stick figures measure about 2" give or take.

You can easily customize this if you are not using an envelope, and make any size you want.

If using an envelope to mail just check the sizing. Here is an example of some options in standard envelopes.

You can glue or tape the toothpick securely to the back of the puppets. I ended up just

using tape, since they were pretty lightweight.

Once you have decided on your size, time to design the stage!
I drew my own, which I think could be really cute if drawn by a child.
But if you prefer to go the printed image way, here are just some examples 
that can be found with google for stages. Print out, and glue to the inside of the card.
Trace the negative space inside the curtain, for your opening flap-curtain.

As I said, you can draw your own characters, as I did, or use images of people you know, such as

you and your significant other, your kids, your pets! Personalize it, make it your own, because that

is what makes the handmade Valentines so special.

Holly Wreath Center Piece

It seems the events of the holidays often require a good centerpiece.

 I was inspired to make this one in, of 

all places, the dollar store!

I purchased all the supplies, with the exception of the wool felt (which I have a stockpile of, but you could 

purchase the amount you need to make this for very little cost) in the store, making 

this one inexpensive little craft ($3!!). 

Thanksgiving dinner magnetic paper dolls

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's a little sad when I look around the house, and realize we go all out to decorate for Halloween and Christmas...but not Thanksgiving. I remember it being a much bigger deal when I was a kid,  so I thought I would make some festive toys/decorations for our house this year.

Felt Fold-Up Snowman Toy

 

Mayflower Matchbox Diorama

It is November, and Thanksgiving is approaching! 

Here is a clever gift to share for the holidays: a matchbox diorama of the 

Mayflower voyage with a ship you can move around through the waves like it is sailing to the New World.

Happy 4th of July!

This is one of our very first posts, we thought it was worth another view, since likely many have not seen it.
We have here, a little patriotic party Sarah and I prepared for the kids
dollhouse family.

Hope everyone celebrating July 4th, has a safe and happy holiday!

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The kids are out of school, the weather is heating up, Fourth of July is coming!

The dollhouse folks are totally prepared and ready to celebrate!

A picnic feast has been prepared.

We have our American flag (made from fimo clay) and tiny paper pinwheels,.

Little Clover Clips- for St. Patricks Day

You can make your own luck...or lucky charm this St. Patrick's Day, with these cute 

Four leaf clover clips.

You can clip a note to them, as a holiday surprise..clip to a treat from 

a leprechaun. Or even stand the clip upright, and use as a place card holder.

These are really simple to make. In fact my kids came up with the idea, when I let them play
around with a bag of random wooden shapes and some Popsicle sticks.

 I used a regular, wooden clothespin, and then I had

a bag of irregular wooden shapes, you can find at most craft stores.

Pick out 1 star, and 4 little hearts, the same size.

The star will be your base, add glue to this, and attach the petals

to the glue on the base. 

 All points toward the center.

 Then allow your clover petals to dry.

You can attach these clovers to anything...when my kids made these, they

attached them to popsicle sticks, and we displayed them in our plants.

 Then attatch to your clothes pin....the end that pinches things...not the 

end you press on.

Then wait for it to dry. They look pretty cute natural wood color, but 

I liked the green for the holiday, adding a little gold glitter paint over the final coat.

Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!