BARBIEOLDNEWGREENREDO--JUST A GRANNY HAVING FUN WITH DOLLS< DIORAMAS STORIES AND DIY

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Trish's "Blue Sprinkling Can" Garden Center.

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Something New in the HFIM Neighborhood---the


Blue Sprinkling Can Garden Center



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Trish has been hard at work setting up the "Blue Sprinkling Can" garden center,  just next to
 Vickie's Vintage in the HFIM neighborhood.
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Trish: I'm almost ready for the opening on Monday. Just a few more pots to fill, and signage, and labels, and price tags! Yikes, there is still so much to do and it's getting to be dusk, and where are the fence guys?
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Trish: I hope everyone likes my garden designs. We sure have lots made up.
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The greenhouse yard is filled with fresh flowers, plant sets, potted plants, and planters. Lots of shells, cactus planters, and garden ornamentation too. 
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Trish: Welcome to "The Blue Sprinkling Can"! We aren't quite open yet. I'm Trish, can I help you with anything. We still have some plants, lots of tags, and signage not out yet. ?
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Mulan: Oh, wonderful to meet with you---so numerous lovely plants. I must look for my office.
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Trish: Well, we will be doing custom designs for your specific needs. I'm a third generation greenhouse kid and a Master Gardener. We have lots of vintage and new pots and planters to choose from.
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Mulan: You have those little garden gnomes---how small and color filled.
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Mulan:  I see in the green house, may I enter?

Trish: Sure, look around, while I water the plant flats.
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Mulan: Lara come all the beautiful small gardens in this glass house. My father grows bonsai at home.
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Trish: Ms. Roberts how nice to see you, again. We will be ready to open on Monday!

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Lara Roberts: I'm so glad you leased this space. You have a wonderful selection and you placed so much in so little space, I'm impressed.

Trish: Well, I can bring fresh product in from our place in Lake Zurich each day. Hopefully the fence installers will be here soon. They promised to put up the fencing today.

Lara: We still have some daylight. This will be a fine addition to the neighborhood. So many people live here and take public transportation or walk and don't have access to outdoor plants.
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Mulan: Lara, look at this for Dr. Myrr's birthday. It's very fine planter.

 Trish: Let me help you, which on are you interested in?
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 Mulan: This one in a book stack!

 Trish: Oh, yes, we hollow out old books and place a planter inside. Our special design. We can even do them with your specific types of books.

 Mulan: Dr. Myrr is  Department Head of 19th Century Art History at the Art Institute. Those books will compliment in his office.
Mulan: Dr.Myrr will love this. I will need for the end next week. 
Trish: Great, I can save it for you and still show it at our opening. 
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Trish: Thank you both for stopping by Ms. Roberts and Ms. Kyori. I will save the planter for you--and see you next week!

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Trish: I'll put the rocks here, now where are those fencing guys? I'm bushed...(chuckle). 

As always---to be continued....
I used Old, New, Green, and Redo in this post.
A list of materials and tutorial will be in the next DIY Doll Greenhouse and Garden post in the future.




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DIY Diorama: Vickie and Joe's a work in progress!




Vickie and Joe the first day in their condo, which is currently on two shelves in the craft room.


Like many millennials, Vickie and Joe have moved in together. They are officially engaged---and aren't in any hurry to get married. The 'townhouse' they are in resides on two shelves in the craft room. 

Upstairs is a bedroom, still basically under construction. And, well a little bit of hers and a lot of his. Joe is older and has traveled extensively. His furnishings reflect this, it's nice he likes vintage---since that's what Vickie's business is about.

They keep rearranging the bathroom dressing room and still haven't decided if these are the fixtures to use. Joe loves the old handmade dresser...it so speaks, "I'm manly furniture!" Not real sure on the pink shower...or the pink closet, or the pink sink. 
 I say, "How can I be a Barbie collector and hate pink, but I do."

Here's another configuration...love the little chair.(one of those jewelry boxes)..we will see how this space comes together. The toilet won't be here until later in the month. (toilets are so hard to come by)

So far we are all liking this arrangement the best? Vickie needs a shoe rack though...you know a girl and her shoes!

Downstairs---the kitchen has come together---Vickie isn't a big cook, but likes the lines on this counter set. and the slimmer refrigerator and microwave. Open shelving works great and of course there is under counter shelving.  The table works for now---they would like something a bit larger to have friends over.
The bamboo shelf with the vintage Japanese tea set is their favorite! Joe picked up all these items while stationed in Japan.

Joe's career in the service took him all around the world. 
Some of the items are from Germany, 
the Mid East, Japan and Asia. A large wall mural is on order---they are secretive about that.

The furniture is non-Mattel, but from the 1960's (Ebay). 
I used some batik fabric for the cushions. Vickie and Joe, say they are very comfortable.



Vickie and Joe say, "Thanks for visiting! Come again for dinner sometime!"

Sources: 

Wall shelving units are drawer dividers and mini shelving---vintage from thrift stores. I never pass  these up, even if I don't have an immediate use for them. The living room unit was a glass covered shadow box, I removed the hinges and the cover and just cleaned it up.

Living Room:
Tea chest/desk in living room. This was an extravagant purchase of $6.99 at a Savers. It has incredible hardware, lots of drawers and a drop leaf door that makes it work as a desk for 1:6 scale.

Couches chairs/vintage 1960's on eBay. I have since seen this in a lighter wood color also--great mid-century design. Plastic is quite brittle at this point--not recommended for children or klutzy collectors. I have super-glued them together at this point.

Flooring is IKEA placemats.

Kitchen: Counter is from 2008 Mattel Barbie TV Chef-(minus the lighting)-I replaced the graphics with dull silver cardboard and put shelves underneath. I also weighted the base down with some heavy metal hardware taped into the corners, otherwise it tipped over too easily. I added chain-hooks to the light bar for tools and copper pans. It was in bare bones shape when I found it.

Light above--one of those glue on battery lights.

Refrigerator is Mattel from 2008, (TV Chef) I think this was released in many sets. It has the flip microwave, for making raw plate into a cooked dish. Inside all the shelving was missing, and I made replacements from plastic odds and ends, even a meat drawer.

Kitchen shelves are slowly being stocked---I'll do a post when all done.

Table and chairs-a Mattel current set still available, I silver taped on top of the beige table top and covered the hot pink chair seats. (I have maybe 5 sets of these now)---when they are $8.88 I grab one.

Bamboo shelf--A thrift store find.  I swear it was made for this 7-piece Japanese tea set I found in an antique mall for $7.00. Small Geisha doll under glass, bought at GoodWill for 50 cents.

Bedroom: --I spray painted the bed white, bedding is the reverse side of the vacation hut bedding. 
The white Bamboo chair is from a non-Mattel set--70's updated with new cushion. Joe's robe is very old Vintage Ken. 

Bedroom light fixture: is two clear creamer bottoms fitted together with a set of seed lights inside. Everything is stuck together with double faced foam-tape and clear double-stick tape. The seed lights are the kind with the tiny flat disk and a flat LED battery---so no weight. Not really Kid safe---but seems to be working fine for an adult---I like the soft light it gives off!

Carpet: Thrift store placemats, I bought an entire roll (6) of these with original labels still on in 6 different colors. I think I have used them all somewhere or another.

Dressing Room and Bathroom:

Wood dresser-handmade vintage as found 
Closet---Barbie closet---there was a glut of these on the thrift market two years ago,---now I haven't seen any for months. 

Shower: Mattel Glam shower 2008, I think.

Sink: 2009 Mattel---Glam Dream sink--love the round mirror on this, but I think they are a double sink couple?

Toilet: on the way! And we need storage and towels, and....

All the tiny goodies---I've picked up in thrift stores, here and there---I'm a magpie when it comes to collecting 
anything small a dollar or under.

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Barbie Craft Room and Storage


Hi All, thought I would share my craft room.         Ad-Free Blog


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This is last year when we finished the craft room(Barbie Room). I had been banished from the kitchen table when the dolls outgrew the extra bedroom. So we took my old clay shop and gutted it and set up this workspace. 

For this series I straightened, but did not clean my workspaces as whenever I get the chance I have something in the works.
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We chose LED lighting in here which is fabulous and photographs very well. 
I seldom have to tweak photos---color wise. The mini bins--are wonderful for tiny stuff---and they all have something sorted in them. 
The rotating tier tray (Michaels craft storage brand)---I'm not crazy about. It holds, glues, glitter, and a few odd bits. It is already crooked and I haven't even used it that much and it barely spins. 

 I have two work tables, this is the left one---for glue, paste, and painting small stuff. My girl dolls are all stacked on the shelf above--I plan on having something more dust-free and organized for them eventually.

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The (extras) girls for my stories have been unceremoniously dumped here. They are handy, but this really is substandard living conditions, said one or two of them.

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The walls above this table are packed, with tools, and project needs. Quite a bit of this will go into another room, when that is cleaned out. I use buckets and totes to sort tools and painting supplies.


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This is the right workspace, which also serves as the space to set up extra room/exterior shots. I shot Joe and Vickie's entire vacation here, the schoolroom, the black history stories, and Vickie's exterior shots from here. 

The wall buckets hold glue guns/sticks, doll stands, power tools 
and whatever I'm working on at the moment.
I have to glue up some 'reinforcements' on the stained glass hotel window---one of these days.


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Above on the right, the guys are basically happy here, long as I throw them a pizza now and then.

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Above the boys are labeled bins with sports, kiddies, music, beauty&doctor stuff--
a photo booth, and odds and ends, plus black food bins of guys shoes.
 This wall isn't permanent as we still have to put the water in the sink.
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Under the work tables are sorted storage, and some seasonal. Fall and Christmas are under here, and tool box and hardware pieces. Most are categorized...from chairs, to kitchen, to bedrooms.

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Along the next wall is the table with the backyard, and HFIM house and 
the townhouse condo for the girls. 
Below are two mini apartments --one for the guys, and one for Richelle and Ryan. The rest is storage 
for clothes and accessories. These are sorted and labeled. 
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Under the girl's townhouse---are picnic baskets, and items sorted for the hotel- the bin on the right is items I may use for the hotel and the apartments. 
To the far right is a large stash of foam core and back drops.
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Here you can see the labels---not too sophisticated. The Grand reads now---so she knows exactly where everything is for playing.



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The grand girl has access to everything, except the two bins on the lower right here, they hold valuable vintage, barbie no.3 and the accessories for her. Everything else is designed for play!

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I don't leave a ton of clothes in the doll houses anymore---because the girls are too messy. Here you can see lots needs to be put away. The divided colored boxes are excellent for shoes. 

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Shoes still need to be put away from the weekend.

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Laundry room, and the drawers hold undies, tights, and swim suits. Closet has one extra outfit for each of the girls. And of course the laundry is always running.

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The boys have very little stored in their rooms.
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The two walls next to the door are filled with miscellaneous. The clear bin with the green is all garden related. Body swappers are in the tote marked girls, the other divider box is filled with picture frames and mirrors. 
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Here are structures to be used in temporary setups...hot tub, racks for Vickie's,  hot-dog stand---grocery carts, counters and minis.
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This wall is under used---temporarily holding odds and ends, and totes. I originally bought the totes for the graphics to frame?


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The sink, back center is housing my wood stash at the moment and a garage bag. 

A greenhouse is next on the agenda along with the hotel. Waiting for warm temperatures for spray painting.
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Vickie's Vintage is actually a storage facility---all the little stuff is accessible and clothes for the Grand to play with---she loves having the dolls shop!
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When not been used, Vickie's is covered and supports all my portable walls. The heat vent is right above and this cover keeps everything clean.



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Currently the Grand Hotel is waiting for paint inside and out, soon when the weather cooperates.
Welcome to my semi-organized chaos....at least I can find most things!



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