This is the kit I used for the "foundation" of my kit bashed dollhouse. It really looks nothing like the kit. I have had so much fun with this one.

The entire interior was based around this gorgeous little sofa that came all the way from England. I waited for it's arrival before choosing the colors for many of the fittings and furnishings.

  

 

The flooring is 1 inch squares of marbled paper set on the diagonal.

Notice the piano in the back of the room. I made it from Bristol board. That was a fun project.

WOW! It has been years since I posted on my blog. Lots of life getting in the way. However, I have been building dolls houses. I had built a small one while we were in Missouri which sort of looks like the 1892 Victorian we spent TWELVE years restoring. Since I am from Houston, Texas, where it is hot and humid 11 1/2 months of the year, the Missouri winter finally got the best of me. Three years we suffered the loss of two family members in one week. I got so depressed I couldn't function. Since I had built the small dollhouse, my husband thought a large one would help me out of my depression. It did. Slowly.

The one I built is called Rose Hill Manor. {Tyler is the rose capital of the world! And the rose is my birth flower.} Here are some pictures of the beast. I started with the kit my husband bought for me and added a basement and a two-story extension.

                                                                                               

It has been a while since I last posted on my blog.  Way too much has been going on.  However, I finally finished some things from my niece's expected baby girl.  I do love making pretty things for baby girls!

 The bonnet, bib, and booties are made "in-the-hoop" on my Babylock Ellisimo sewing/embroidery machine.

 This old fashioned baby dress and slip were made using a very vintage pattern.  They are made of very soft batiste with machine embroidery and lace details.  The newborn size is very tiny so she will have to wear them very soon after making her arrival!

This is a close up of the embroidery.  The baby's name will be Kaydance. (I think I spelled that correctly even though Google is telling me otherwise!)

During her pregnancy, my niece and her husband have referred to the baby as Baby K, since they had chosen names for boy or girl beginning with the letter K.  The baby's two year old, soon to be big brother, Wyatt, calls her Baby Kake.  I am afraid that Kaydance will be stuck with the nickname Baby Kake.  I love it!  I also can't wait until she makes her arrival in early October so we can see her dressed in her old fashioned finery!

Graduation and Birthday Month

In addition to sewing a lot for my little great niece,  I have another great niece graduating from high school!  Courtney is a young woman who is a triple threat - smart, beautiful and talented!  I made this card to celebrate her graduation.  The easel card is my all time favorite format.  And yes, I made those roses using Heartfelt Creations Vintage Floret stamps and dies.  They are very labor intensive!  But Courtney is worth the effort.

Then there are several birthdays to celebrate this month.  My sister, Charlotte, is another year older!  I made her a pop-up card using the new die from Stampin' Up!  Since we both sew, it is perfect.

And since I am an interior designer, I couldn't resist the temptation to add wallpaper, a chair rail and a window!

Making masculine cards is always a challenge.  These two are for a couple of my "adopted" sons.  This little pinwheel die is so cute, but sooooo hard to put together because it is very small.  However, it is worth the effort.  And I adore this stamp set.

And one more!

Baby Diva's Need Great Wardrobes!

This is the first of several outfits I have made for my great niece, Isabella aka Bella.  She is an adorable little girl who always seems to have a big smile on her face and doesn't mind having headbands and hats on her head!  Her mother, my niece, has been putting them on her since the day she was born so Bella doesn't know any better!

With the protracted winter and a very wet spring, it has been difficult to get to my sewing and crafting.  Everything is located in the bowels of the house which has taken on water several times in the past month!  The basement gets an inch of water in it every time we have a long stretch of heavy rain.  As much as I love the water, that is not my idea of a good time!

At any rate, the weather has finally settled down.  We are enjoying comfortably cool weather and my work area is finally fit for service.

The dress shown above is called a "pillowcase dress."  Although it is not made from a pillowcase, the concept was used to create it.  My niece sent a picture of one she saw online and asked if I could make one.  My reply,  "I can make anything!"  So that is my interpretation of a pillowcase dress.  The shoes jumped out at me when I was shopping.  I love shoes and Bella needs cool shoes to go with her hats!

The next project was a cute romper.  I embroidered flowers and put a pocket that looks like a little flowers pot or vase.  The matching hat completes the ensemble.  (Either pair of shoes will go with this outfit!)

I really love this one.  The little flower is attached to a headband.

The embroidery on the bib of the romper was done on my Babylock Ellisimo sewing/embroidery machine.  I love my Babylock! 

 I made this little bib using a Diva Baby pattern.  Can't wait to make more.  The possibilities are endless!

Pretty Pretty Paper!

My mother's birthday is next Tuesday, the 19th.  I made this pop-up card for her using some absolutely wonderful paper called Ladies Diary from Graphic45.  I just love it!  I also used the new Pop 'n Cuts dies from Stampin' Up! for the inside.  Love that, too!  Hope my mom likes the card.

 

 

In addition to the cute card, I made a little "dresser" for small trinkets and goodies.  I used the same papers and the Matchbox die from Stampin' Up! (retired).  It is approximately 6" wide and 3" deep.

 

I like it!  Ribbons, pearls, buttons, and bows - what's not to like!

 

 

Birthday Purple

I recently made this card for my precious daughter-in-law's birthday.  She is a lover of all things purple.  I used the new Card Base Pop n' Cuts and Dress Form Pop n' Cuts from Stampin' Up!  The accompanying stamp set and Framelits Dies are appropriately called "All Dressed Up."  This was so much fun to make.  It was a bit like playing with paper dolls which I absolutely loved as a kid.  I created the "mirror" behind the dress form with the Stampin' Up! Labels Framelits Collection (as well as the shapes for the larger DSP.)  I put two graduated size together and cut the "frame" then added aluminum foil as the "mirror."  The greeting is from the SU stamp set "Perfectly Penned."  Pretty cute even I do say so myself!