As I cleaned, I found supplies all over the place and thought that it might be interesting for those of you that haven't seen me use some of them before.
Walter is used to me carrying strange things out of restaurants and other places, so he wasn't surprised when I started taking these home with me.
They are heavier than the old egg cartons. Great for rocks, stones and bricks and look at all of that area!
I first learned to do these on juice cans, but the crochet cores are much easier and they come in various sizes. Even the tatting thread cores are small enough for quarter scale.
This one is not in scale at least height wise, but the bottom half of this doll has one in it, covered with batting. She can be used as a pincushion.
I have also made tables with one that fits over another that have secret compartments. That is on the blog somewhere too. Have fun searching...I think that "table" should get you there...
I look for and save old handkerchiefs. The lady with Tessie is in a dress made from one handkerchief. All I did was cut three pieces from an embroidered one and made a curve at the top of the sleeves and turned them under. I glued the main tube to her body and the sleeves over the arms. All of the embroidery was on the handkerhcief. All I added was a couple of bows in the back and the piece of lace around the skirt.
Tessie's dress is also made from one. I used the edge as the hem of the skirt and sleeves and added lace. There are more detailed instructions somewhere on the blog....Use the search, if you are interested.
The chair has legs made from Mesquite tree thorns. They make great cone legs for Mid Century Mod. The thorns, cut shorter, also make great high heels for shoes. And the upholstery is an old tee shirt. The chair really looks a lot better when it is on it's feet... The knit fabric is great for MSM. It stretches in all directions for fitting around curves.
The cup in Tessie's hand is the top off of a tacky glue bottle.
The strange bottle is a marble with fimo added to the top.
The purse and the little round box are from tampon tubes. One of the greatest things ever invented for making minis! I also make bolster pillows and anything else that needs to be that size and tubular.
The moral to the story? Never throw anything away! You never know when it will come in handy.
See you tomorrow.
10 comments:
Hi Casey. I have bought into the
"never throw anything away" concept
for years. However, after saving enough stuff for two banker boxes,
I have decided to cut back on saving the same things over and over until I use some of them. Tubing from paper towels/bathroom tissue/gift wrap is easy to find when you need it, as is clear acetate from baked goods containers and pill containers. So I am not saving more of these right now. But I am always on the lookout for unusual items to go in my Trash-To-Treasure box. As for the egg cartons, I have a high stack of them waiting for when I am motivated to make bricks or rocks.
Phyllisa
Phyllisa, I am lucky enough to have a whole room to fill. But that is why you see me continually cleaning. I save about the same way that you do, but I still have to sift through it and get rid of the stuff that I know I'm not going to use. I really dont save everything... Honest!
Thanks for the tips. I have to say though that I had never thought of using thorns before. They would be great for high heels on shoes. Now to find a thorn bush!
Even as a beginner, the "stuff" is already invading my house, but whenever I do throw something away, I come across a use for it a few days later, so I have learnt my lesson and keep at least one or two of everything. Next step: rummage through other people's trash...or is that taking it too far?
:-D
Véronique
Sharee, the thorns on mesquite trees are more like spikes. Quite large and wood like. Some are over an inch long! Those are the ones I use.
Veronique, early in my mini career, I asked a waitress in a restaurant to save me some of the little plastic cream containers. The next time I went back, she had a huge garbage bag full waiting for me... I didnt save them all...
Our garbage man would have been very puzzled if he had looked in that bag!
Merry Christmas, Casey!!!
Merry Christmas Casey (and Zar and Tessie) I had to post a comment Your "pin cushion " doll is just like one my grandma and dad made and made me smile when I saw yours. I am so trying to figure out how to store my doll house "items" my daughter says I have gone to the dark side and become a hoarder when she saw my egg shells soaking lol- well back to the drawing board to try and figure how to store and where I will find what I need, any suggestions would help
Lisains, if you go to the labels section on the right of the blog, you will find a listing for workroom entries. There are 138. Some are just mentions. Others tell how I organize things. I am afraid that I am not very successful. It seems like it is an ongoing task. Don't forget to poke "older posts" at the bottom of every page.
Casey, when I first discovered the blogosphere almost two years, I read your blog from the very beginning. I learned so much I couldn't imagine there would be even more you could teach, but you continue to amaze. The marble with fimo on top to make the beautiful "bottle" is a case in point (no pun intended). It is brilliant! As for tampons, well one always has to have some in reserve. (I have to admit, I have had house guests ask if I have any extra and they have looked at me strangely when I say, yes, in one of my craft bins.). With e-books making it very easy to publish, I urge you to collect your favorite posts and publish them. You will be pleasantly surprised at how many copies will fly out the door!
Thank you Cassie, I will be reading tonite and motivated by your words of wisdom and implement some tomorrow. Again I love reading your blog!!! and thank you for sharing all of your wonderful ideas.
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