Monday, July 25, 2016

Dollhouse Reno


Renovating my childhood dollhouse for Beck + Belle is something I've been over the moon excited for.  My dad made this dollhouse for my sister and I when we were young and I'm so happy that we're going to be able to give it a second life nearly 11 years after his passing.

The dollhouse itself has been in our garage for nearly a year.  I've been waiting for a bit of inspiration before getting started and through recent family troubles I found peace in planning the future design.

I'm excited to spruce it up with some fresh paint and vibrant pastels!  I wish I had taken a before picture.. I'll have to see if I can find one somewhere.  Here's a picture of it stripped of the wallpaper and flooring, with a fresh coat of white paint.


I'm going to use pastel corals, teals, and potentially add a little mustard into the mix.  Here's a few images I'm using as inspiration.






I can't wait to share more, I've already painted the exterior and colorful shingles are in the works.  I hope it turns out as beautiful as it is in my head haha  

On another note, we took our first trip the the American Girl doll store to see if they had dolls for the house.  Ellia Belle ran around in circles from the babies, to the girls, to the babies and then she noticed the dogs... Can you guess what we made it home with?  Meet the doll houses first resident, Cake the dalmatian! 


Clearly we like spots in our family ;)

Until next time, Molly


Thursday, May 12, 2016

DIY Accessory Organizer

As a self proclaimed accessory addict and a clutter hater, I'm always scheming new ways to store Ellia's bows.  We currently have a jar filled with headbands, another small jar with plastic hair ties and another with petite clips. Somehow we still have accessories hiding in every crevice of our home.  It drives me insane.   

I came up with this simple storage solution while 'window' shopping at my favorite paper goods store, Paper Source.  Seriously, I might as well just give them all my money.  They're my first stop for creative gifts, gift wrapping, and fun knick knacks.  Dropping $100 there is easier than I'd like to admit.  Anyway...

They have a wall of fabulous printed paper.  I believe it's meant for gift wrapping, that said they're so beautiful I would literally frame 90% of them & hang in my home.  While browsing I had a light bulb moment. Why don't I use one of these fabulous prints to liven up the tins I use to store headbands in my workspace?  Brilliance, I tell you. 


Side note: when we have left over tins, jars & cans I always try to find a way to use them at home before recycling.  After washing them out, many end up in my work space to hold clips, elastics, nylon, flowers, etc.  

The tin I used for this project is a remnant of my Aloha vegan protein supplement (if you're vegan and/or have an abundant of food allergies like me, it's amazing and I highly recommend).

Okay for the DIY part of this post. 

What you need:
A recycled container 
(any will do!  an oatmeal container or protein supplement container are what come to my mind)

Mod podge
(glossy or matte, whatever you prefer)

A craft brush

A patterned print paper 
(you could you get creative and make your own, have your babe color or paint a picture, use a favorite wrapping paper, etc)  Or hit up your favorite local paper goods store like I did ;)

Ruler

Scissors OR Rotary OR Paper Cutter as shown
Something to do the project on (I used old tissue paper)


First and foremost, you need to clean the container.  Once that's completed get your workspace set up, then measure and cut your paper.  I recommend cutting it about 1/10th" smaller than the width you needed with a little extra on the length. 


Pour out some Mod Podge.  I poured it directly on the tissue paper for easier clean up.  When you're done all you have to do is toss it in the trash! 


Coat the can LIGHTLY with Mod Podge.  Once completed you'll start wrapping the pre-cut paper around.  Take your time lining up the paper and wrapping it around.  You can adjust it a little if needed but you run the risk of ripping the paper if you do.  Smooth out the paper as you go and wipe up any extra Mod Podge that seeps out the edges.  It's okay if there's like ridges or bumps, but smoothing out the paper as you wrap should prevent that! 


I had about 4" of extra paper, I recommend using less.  About an inch or so.  Mod Podge over the paper and seal the edges.  Now you will brush it over the entire container.  Do it lightly.  You can always get more if you need it.  You WILL get bumps, but don't fret!  They won't stand out once the glue dries. 


This is what my container looked like near completion, keep brushing to remove bumps and kinks. 
Now it's time for the glue to dry.
I highly recommend picking it up a few times during the drying process, or else it will stick to the paper. 



& there ya have it!  Simple storage solution for all your Beck and Belle accessories ;)