around here

As I sit here, during naptime at the day care, with paint on tiny aloe vera leaves drying in front of me I felt I needed to check in.  I will admit that this blog of mine is not my priority hobby right now although I am anxious to share what I have been up to and my dollhouse progress.  Actually, the dollhouse itself still sits as it was on my last post.  I dare not bring it to the day care to work on the interior and exterior  because the kids would get away with any and everything and probably wouldn't eat lunch.  So, I am saving it for the weekends at home.  I have however managed to build up furniture and accessories and loads of ideas while here.  I have a bed frame drying as I type... I never really liked the old one... it was too clunky and too big for the bedroom so I hope this one fits.  And that's the other thing.  I am totally winging the little pieces I make and get so giddy to go home at the end of each day to see if what I made will fit.  I have currently made, furniture-wise, a farm kitchen table and one chair, a fireplace and a kitchen hutch.  All of the measuring sure has taught me a lot.  What seemed to be "too much trouble" before has begun to be fun.  Especially since I have been happy with the end results.  I am still getting a lot of the paint job ideas on CinderallaMoments.  Since she has tutorials on how to do things I figure it's ok.  Plus I don't intend to sell the work as my own creation through and through.  I am thankful to this lady because without her inspiration I wouldn't be having all this fun!  Here are pics of my latest things minus the clay items like plates, bowls and picture frames.

The hutch was my first big furniture piece.  I wasn't sure I even wanted a large item in the kitchen.  But as it turns out I do really like it.   I do wish the doors and drawer opened.  I found the tutorial for it HERE.  I finished the bottom half first and took it home.  I was disappointed at how large it was until I added the shelves up top.  Now it seems right for the room.

I admit I wasn't totally happy with my fireplace.  Another creation done without proper measurements. I was impatient with the glue drying too so it is crooked here and there.  Since I felt I might make another one I painted this one whimsy.  I like the addition of the yellow flowers.  I've only used pinks and reds so far.

I am aging most of the furniture in the house.  I like the shabby "used" look.

I found a table on etsy that I liked and winged the measurements from scraps of balsa wood.  I bought a pack of various sizes at Hobby Lobby and have used the fire out of it.  The little chair tutorial I found HERE.  It literally weighs nothing because I used some of my thinnest scraps.

Aloe Vera leaves before baking.  I found the tutorial on MiniEden.