a simple wedding party

when i was asked if i would do some decorations for my friend jen's wedding, i instantly said 'yes', with the next step being putting together an inspiration board on pinterest. jen's pretty relaxed about this sort of thing, and the mood was delicate and simple. we wanted pastel colors and some brights, as well as a tie in with her yarn shop. it was held outside at old fort jackson, on the savannah river.

i recreated the washi bunting from her cactus store opening gift. the twigs were collected from my backyard, then wound with bits of colorful wool roving.

recycled paper was laid down to cover the picnic tabletops; giant binder clips work amazingly well to secure it. going for a good mix of delicate and large flowers, along with cotton still on the stem, each table was set with a mason jar of blooms. it was fun to arrange the flowers; we picked up a couple of bunches of flowers and one bouquet, which i separated, then arranged into ten jars.

it was just right for jen and connor's wedding festivities. 

tweaking the same old, same old

when not at my 9-5, my time has been spent on some projects i've been working on to bring a little transformation to my living space. mostly small details to things i already own. recently, i was finally able to acquire a set of linen sheets; which beyond the expected visual treat, makes going to sleep at night a delightful pleasure.

but then i needed to spruce up the sadly worn yellow striped bolster cover. with a linen one (of course), made of an antique flour sack i came across years ago and which has been languishing in my closet. it's soft to the touch, almost like flannel, but very thickly spun and woven. i had just enough material, with some creative patchwork and different linen endcaps, to recover the entire length.

which led to replacing the simple nightstand lamp with a cheeky edison steampunk concoction i was inspired to make after obsessing over an anthropologie version on pinterest. a bit of legwork to hardware, antique stores, and hobby shops combined with things i already had, and i was able to create something of the feel of the original. it's very nifty, and the delicate bits are safe from the kitties and dust.

after a little rearranging of the pictures above the lamp, i'm quite content with the feel of the space; still mine, just renewed.

an army of miniature servants would be nice

i've been having a few late night dollhouse redecorating moments lately. the halloween decorating was just the beginning. now i've finally gotten around to ordering a toilet and bidet for the bathroom (won't that be a relief!), added a wardrobe to the master bedroom, and have an idea to create a fortuny dress for the lady of the house.

sometimes pieces of furniture you've had for awhile finally "click", and make a room feel finished and at the same time help to create a more sensible layout. i've placed a grandfather clock in the living room, adding height and warmth to a bare corner. a wardrobe i bought maybe two years ago, but is quite large and really can't go too many places without dwarfing the space, finally found a place which suites it in the master bedroom.

or, perhaps, the piece was in the wrong area this whole time and just needed to be moved into another room. in the upstairs hallway, i moved a master bedroom night stand to just under the window, creating nesting tables with the one that was there already.

i went with a nonconventional dining area; using a bench and three cork stools as seating, around a baroque marble table. i love mixing things up, and anyways, this provides easily movable seating for when the dollhouse people have company.

one thing which happens when a dollhouse is left dormant for some time, is dust. which takes just as long to remove as a full size house because you have to be incredibly careful handling pieces, there are multiple nooks and crannies, and things need to be put back where they were without knocking over other things. i find masking tape works well to remove most dust from the floor without leaving remnants of paper towels behind and a simple swipe of a tissue works fine for the furniture. as long as i don't take it into my head to start rearranging things, this housekeeping generally doesn't take the entire day.

more cowbell!

more halloween! i've created several decorations for the foyer and kitchen, going with purple, orange, and lime green colors. nods to witches, hovering bats, jack-o-lanterns, spiderwebs, spanish moss, eyeballs, candles, sweets, a vampire ducky, a black cat, candy corn, a candy apple dipped in caramel and chocolate, and a ghost. at this moment i may be finished, but you never know!

a new spin on plastic food

it feels funny to do baking for a dollhouse; let's just say you can fit a whole lot of cookies and cream puffs on a relatively small life sized cookie tray.

 i decided to bring the halloween festivities into the kitchen. to me this meant cookies, cookies, cookies, cream puff tower, and pennants. frankenstein green, pumpkin orange, and witch's purple were the main colorways throughout.

 i made all of the baked goods with some sculpey i've had for years (bought in bulk when i was making dolls). painted them with acrylic, and decorated with glitter. glitter is fantastic.

a downside to all of this decorating is that the dollhouse is going to feel empty when i take it all down. don't even tell me about christmas. just don't.

never too early

the days are getting shorter, cooler weather has blown in, and there's a crisper feel to the air. all this means one thing, halloween is coming! well, and fall, of course. but let's focus. halloween, the best holiday ever.

i've started early this year, as inspiration struck, to decorate the foyer of the dollhouse. bats made from pipe cleaners and paper, witch's broom and hat, cobwebs of cotton, and a paper jack-o-lantern. i'll add more as i think of it. but for now, it's very festive!