Mini doll Valentine scene...and other nice things.

I'm trying to get my mini dolls more involved with my life. Why have dolls if you don't play with them once in a while?

I'm planning to switch out a scene for each holiday for them in 2018.

Here is my little scene for Valentine's Day. I created the banner from foam stickers and ribbon.

I took a piece of foam board and covered it with fabric.

I measured it to fit the back of the cubby on my computer desk. I think it turned out well. It was very easy to do!

The furniture is from Our Generation and is very cute. 

It came with a table, 2 chairs, and the cutlery and dishes.

I added the pillows and the Valentine cake.

This is a Valentine design I created for a few cards I made to send out to doll friends. I love to make cards.

I participated in a lovely Valentine swap online, and this is what my new friend sent to me, including cute items for my dolls. I just love it!

It's such fun to meet new friends online, and send nice things to each other.

By Loretta Houben

Boxing Day sale!

I usually don't go out on Boxing Day, but the snow had stopped and the roads were clear, so we ventured forth to Market Crossing on Marine Drive.

I believe these stores were built in 2009, and at the time I was very excited as a Michael's craft store was added, and it's the closest one to our home. I used to spend $70 each time I visited but those days are long gone. I now spend around $10 or less! 

I found a darling Christmas fireplace which lights up. It's perfect for the mini dolls and it's so cute! It was marked down to $6.95 from $22 Cdn!

Nanea received a darling mini tea set from Frankfurt Germany! Actually, Robert got it for me and put it in my stocking. I picked it out on that hot May day when we spent 2 nights in Frankfurt on our 35th anniversary trip to Europe. We didn't have much time to shop there, but I found it in a souvenir store near our hotel. 

The little Bible is a New Testament with teeny print. It was a gift from Steve Jensen, Robert's childhood friend he still keeps in touch with. It belonged to his maternal Grandmother. He sent it as a surprise in the mail and I waited until Christmas to open it.

The hand embroidered doily is from Heidelburg. I love these sorts of presents the very best of all!

By Loretta Houben

Mini Nanea's new Christmas dress!

I love to get Wren*Feathers lovely newsletter each week.

In it Jenny has FREE dolly patterns, and they are darling. She also has an Etsy shop.

I usually procrastinate, save the pattern, and never get around to sewing it, but mini Nanea (who arrived last week) wanted a new dress very badly, so I printed the pattern, found a cute Christmas print, cut it out, and hand sewed it. I even put the snap on the back.

I'm very pleased with myself, and Nanea is quite happy.

By Loretta Houben

Lea's mini jungle hut craft.

(originally posted Jan 23, 2016 on my other blog)

Ah....now don't you wish you were here, in a jungle hut?
I had such fun creating this today!
I woke with a migraine at 4 am so I had to take it easy today. Yes, crafting is taking it easy! It's such fun and so relaxing. I got this idea from Doll Diaries online.

Karen Owen came up with the idea of using a Dollarama store basket.

I found the same basket and so I started with the same idea, but added different things. I made the loft using bamboo skewers, and added a felt layer and made felt pillows sewed together and stuffed with cotton puffs. I cut out felt flowers without using a pattern and used quick drying glue to attach them.

The hammock was made with a piece of burlap tied with string to two posts which I wedged underneath the skewers. I think it turned out really cute. The rug is also felt.

The table and stool are simply a paper towel roll covered in felt. I added the tops using a piece of cut out cardboard.

Lea fits nicely in the loft or the hammock.

With frogs and fresh fruit at hand, she will have lots of fun in the jungle. She just has to watch out for snakes!

By Loretta Houben

Mini Grace in Ham Hill, Somerset

I never did finish writing about Grace's adventures in Europe. She had a grand time! 

(when I remembered to photograph her)

Here she is with me and Robert and our new friend, John Chant who lives in Stoke sub Hamdon, and who kindly drove us there, and to Ham Hill.

I had read somewhere that the standing stones were very old. Well, they are, but they were erected in 2000 for the Millennium celebration! I was rather upset when I heard that. I still haven't been to Stonehenge or Avebury, so I'd hoped to see an ancient site.

But this place was lovely. The stones are Ham stone; very old and rare. Many of Stoke's buildings are made out of this stone. A new excavation is taking place where some more Ham stone has been found. It's very valuable.

The most exciting thing about Ham Hill is the monument at the top. My ancestor, Alfred George Palmer, has his name inscribed on it! He's my paternal Grandma's first cousin. He died at age 21 on May 31, 1916 in the Battle of Jutland and is buried at sea. It was so thrilling to visit this memorial but it was very windy and shortly afterwards it began to pour.

Here I am beside a standing stone.

I really loved this place.

By Loretta Houben

Thrifty Finds Thursday!

If I stick to a theme, I find I blog much more often! Do you?

I'm very scatter brained, so if I have a goal it really helps me to stay on track, as I flit from one thing to another. 

But over the past few years, writing my goals down and sticking to them as helped me achieve a lot of things and also finish projects which would otherwise not be complete.

I've turned Wednesday mornings into gym days. 

My gym isn't too far from my house, so I take the Skytrain there, and walk part way. After the gym yesterday I visited a thrift store. I love thrift stores as you just never know what you'll find! 

I found an adorable little jar/pot for Josephina, only 99 cents Cdn! It has a substance inside which is like a gel perfume, but I can scrape that out. It's very well made out of clay, and painted. I believe somewhere in my doll bins I have a mini Josephina, but I'm not sure.

One of my goals is to organize my dolls and make a list of what I actually own.

I also bought a cute set of 2 playmats for the mini dolls, which would look really cute in a school scene.

But our local children have only been on summer holiday for 3 weeks, so there's a long stretch to go before they return in September! 

Anyhow, it's a lot of fun to shop for the minis. I'm quite addicted to them this year.

By Loretta Houben

Mini Grace in London, England

Our 2nd day in London we visited the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood at Bethnal Green. It was moved here in 1872 from South Kensington. It's a lovely museum with 2 floors of beautifully displayed toys through the centuries. 

Grace was delighted with the doll house and miniature displays.

Grace had never before seen such a neat miniature butcher shop, and neither had I!

Another doll house. One could spend hours staring at all the miniatures.

A view of the museum in 1872.

A view of the museum in 2017!

There is a cafe on the bottom floor and a gift shop.

All museums in London are FREE and this one is well worth the visit.

By Loretta Houben

Mini Grace visits Europe!

Mini Grace was the lucky one chosen to come along with me when I recently paid a visit to Europe from May 17 - June 2, to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary.

It's a little difficult getting a mini doll to come out clear in photos, because you really need 3 hands! So hubby often helped. The pic above shows Grace in the evening on May 25 in a lane we walked down after supper in Oxford. I really wish we had stayed more than one night here, as by the time we came from Dublin on a 2 hour ferry, and then all the way to Oxford by train, it was 4 pm! It was very warm that evening.

One of the highlights of Paris was visiting the Musee de la Poupee down a quiet back lane in the middle of the bustling city. It felt very calm and safe there. It was enjoyable. It cost 8 euros each; not bad. All the 4 rooms of doll displays were very lovely. The museum will be permanently closing on Sept 15, 2017, so I'm glad we got to see it.

We checked out the beautiful but too expensive Layfeyette Galleries in Paris. Grace remembered to wear her Paris dress.

Here is Grace on a bicycle just her size in a very nice shop in Maastricht, Netherlands. Grace does get around!

I'll upload more photos in another post.

By Loretta Houben

Mini American Girl props

After our chiropractor appointment yesterday my hubby asked if I'd like to stop at Chapter's book store on Broadway. Would I? Tee hee...anytime he asks I'll always say yes!

I looked at the new Gabriela AG doll of the year, and took a few photos but her costume doesn't appeal to me and I don't like her face mold, so I don't think I'll be buying her. Now Grace on the other hand really appealed to me when I saw her the first time. But of course I much prefer baking to dancing any day!

I looked in the Lori department and did find something to buy. A darling mini patio set for the mini dolls. For $20 Cdn this is a really good deal; 9 pieces! A lounge chair with detachable umbrella, 2 chairs, 1 table, 1 tray and 2 glasses of iced tea with 1 pitcher. It's just so cute.

I set it up on my desk, and now we're waiting for those warm sunny days.

By Loretta Houben 

Grace and her Halloween cards.

Mini Grace is making Halloween cards.

I bought a package of really cute paper embellishments at the $ store and on the back of the package was a photo showing what the package contained.

They were really small and I thought Hey! These would work for the mini AG dolls.

Here is a closeup of the cards. 

I cut them out with my Stampin' Up tiny scissors.

Here is Grace with her friend dressed in a witch outfit, bought at Winner's for only $1.50. It's supposed to go on a wine bottle, but it fits the mini Lori dolls really well. The yellow pot was found at a thrift store for $1.50. It's hand made and the tiny pumpkins are just so cute!

It's amazing what you can find if you look!

Hope you all had a happy Halloween!

By Loretta Houben

Mini dolls and miniatures...

Today, September 3, I had fun!

First I shopped at the local Michael's craft store on Marine Drive, about 15 minutes from our home. This is a very large store. My hubby was on the hunt for glue to repair an item of his.

He got it for 1/2 price due to Michael's online coupons.

Cell phones are handy devices!

I also used a 1/2 price coupon to purchase a set of mini pencils for Grace. They are the perfect size for her.

The above photo was borrowed from this BLOG.

I found it accidentally by clicking on something on Pinterest.

Aren't the items darling?

I'm putting the link here as I'd love to create these for the mini AG dolls. 

Here is a snippet of the printouts provided.

The instructions and everything else is included in the blog link above.

I got something else for Grace today, that was so exciting it needs it's own separate blog post!

By Loretta Houben