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Happy New Year dear Doll Addicts, Readers and Friends.
Before this blog floats into 2023 and I move into a new computer, I wanted to do a post on the past year.
Well, coming out of Covid in 2022 was wonderful. Emphasis on family, friends, community---and helping with Windy City Barbie Doll Collectors host the National Barbie Convention here in Chicagoland ate up a big chunk of time and loads of my creative energy.
I want to do a quick overview of my doll stories and projects for the year. I pulled out photos that depicted a story line, character or featured a project as they occurred real time.
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January: For Vickie's Vintage, New Years' Eve meant more sales and EL started out the year doing a commercial shoot for the fictitious store website. Happy New Year 2022.
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Joe got a promotion to Lieutenant and spent more time at work.
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El and Kurt had a real date?
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Meanwhile it was serious business at the HFIM house---with the Chicago market so hot---all the residents decided to cash in on their investment and let BMR enterprises buy the property as an investment.
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Barbie and Dr. Ken actually became a couple, now that the HFIM house is breaking up---and everyone is going their own way.
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February: One of the last scenes for the HFIM house was snowball fight in the backyard.
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The guys on the third floor moved to the basement apartment that Ryan and Richelle vacated and moved off grid, LOL. I took photos but I don't think I shared these in a post.
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It's bare bones down there, but then guys don't need much.
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Belle and Mulan moved to the girls' townhouse with some of the other pals, and suddenly the combined HFIM house was worth more as two separate properties....moving out wasn't pretty! They are barely gone, and I'm was already planning with furniture to see what will work.
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I had done the original townhouse remodel over 5 years ago on my oldnewgreenredo blog---but, I've always wanted to eradicate ALL the PINK, and add some square footage with new lighting.
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Lights:lighting townhouse Isn't this an amazing change---again.
And shooting for a quick sale...BMR Ltd. knows the market and what north Chicago area wants. I did real research on the neighborhood where the HFIM house has been fictitiously located...and wow---800K-1.5M...for properties updated with rental apartments, too. YIKES.
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In order to upscale, I made my first batch of custom cabinetry besides remodeling the magenta kitchen cabinets.
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Meanwhile the other half of the HFIM house, the Victorian Mansion---really had some changes done also.
A real honest to goodness kitchen was added, with old plastic kitchen pieces all unified with white paint, new counters and shelving.
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Upstairs we eeked out two bedrooms and a new bath/laundry room. It's tricky to photograph so the walls are removed here as the 'tile' goes in and we search for a small sink solution.
I really try to make everything removable. If I were to move---all these houses and projects will break down and fold up. Velcro is a wonderful thing and so is contact paper as tape can easily be removed from walls.
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I'm jumping back and forth, but that is how I work; on multiple items at one time. The townhouse got a large floor extension...literally an addition of @ 12 more real life feet out across the kitchen and living area.
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I promised myself not to buy anything new to do these two houses---so I did lots of redo's. And managed to only purchase a $2.00 bowl for a sink in the furnishings department.
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Townhouse again, new floors, an extended new bedroom, a folding wall....wow, and built-ins made from old furniture pieces.
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I envisioned the back of the house as totally glass---a wall hides the elevator now, which is still there, and custom built-ins surround the window. Faux stone walls, define the back of the house facing you. A two story atrium over the table area---really gives this Renovation a modern vibe!
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Adding an extension to the second floor also gave another bedroom and a sitting area. Making a pattern for the floor, and how is it going to stay up? Posts and velcro...of course.
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The sitting area has a chaise, fireplace and a student desk as well as the elevator.
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The small second bedroom ended up with a window to the atrium and is perfect for any age.
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Bathroom (glass walled in imagination) was freshened up with a privacy curtain, new 'tile' and a gray/plum/tiny bit of pink palette.
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A new closet wall on the third floor---the perfect thrift store desk for working from home with a fresh palette of green/blue and gray puts this home into the 2022!
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Russel Pittman was a busy character as he's head of construction for BMR. Here he is checking the final product.
And not a bit of pink anywhere! Phew, mission accomplished!
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The backyard got a small makeover, and it's changed several times throughout the year with the 'new' owners. Oops, pink garbage can, lol.
Meanwhile, the living room area in the Victorian mansion had very little changes, but some freshened up furniture for showing. Burgundy, touches of red and black with gray, work well on the first floor. Honoring the Victorian style, the home has a more modern approach.
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The Victorian house was missing a door----so we pulled one out of the scrap heap and added a stained glass window to match the others in the original house.
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Built-ins were perfect to make space in the bedrooms. Battery lights work for lamps.
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New lighting was a must for the downstairs in the Victorian, upstairs the two bedrooms are small, but work well. Again a fresh palette for the bunk room, some pink showing in the master bedroom furniture, but those can be changed easily. Black accents downstairs with plant pots and furniture really update the look of the house.
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Barbara M Roberts congratulates her niece, Lara, on the project and well, the two units are up for sale.
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March: Meanwhile Vickie's was ready for Spring with a new shoe rack...stuffed with boxes of shoes.
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A black 'doll closet' has the doors removed and new rods and shelves put in---
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and installed in the lower level RESORT SHOP.
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Which was really fun...for the little time I spent photographing it.
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The Girls' townhouse now has five residents, Mulan finished her Doctorate. Carly, Zoe, Gilly and Teresa all are sharing the space. I barely did any photos or stories of them, but soon.
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Meanwhile Chris and Robb purchased the remodeled Victorian and moved in with Scooter and Skipper.
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Next door, the Updated Townhouse was purchased by Barbie and
Dr. Ken. Chelsea was thrilled, she and Foofie will be very comfortable in her new room with the added fireplace sitting room on the second floor and right next door to her cousins.
Not skipping a beat, I jumped into ANOTHER project....
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April: I decided to build a small flower shop for TRISH, with a fictitious garage workroom in the back! A seed rack to hold all the seeds, for Spring...a table for ??? the new owner of the Vic Mansion.
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I did several posts of the process of building with cardboard---all I'll say in hindsight is, cardboard--- never again, next time wood!
I stretched myself here with all the trim and doors and of all things, a sliding glass door cooler.
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Of course it is made from a desk organizer that was PINK---the silver helped a lot! Plastic conduit became pots!
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With the new shop area, I did a bunch of painting on some new and old fixtures! Again, gray/white to unify all the pieces.
Filling the fixtures before putting in the completed shop---even in the floral cooler!
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Another lighting project, doors, filling the shop and then realizing it is impossible to photograph stuck back in the corner of my desk.---LOL. I will now use it seasonally on the main table for photos and then move it back into the garden center for those photos. Planning--- not my forte, sometimes.
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Like for every season, the greenhouse and garden center got 'new' stock!
The roof didn't arrive until Fall, but Trish's opened for the spring/summer season, and I edited photos carefully.
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Trish was happy and very busy!
Now, JUNE: Okay, the MIDDLE OF JUNE...and the Barbie Convention is only 3 weeks away
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I have one of those brains that never turns off, and I had been pondering the design of this diorama for the contest for months. I chose Thief of Bagdad for my Silent Movie of the 1920's starring and produced by Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in 1928.
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I knew what I wanted it to look like, but wasn't sure of how, or what it would be built with. It turned out to be built with just about everything you can imagine.
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24x24 with no height limit, it all needed to be transportable in flat pieces, and be able to set up in less than an hour, support two dolls, flying through the air without falling over, look good from all sides...phew, etc.
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PLUS, I wanted to use as many materials I already had as possible. I purchased a 4 x 8 sheet of insulation foam. Hubby cut two 1 x 8" boards for the side panels. I pegged things together, everything else was already in house for the diorama.
I did need more MODGE PODGE...as all the surfaces were coated with that. Layers of cardboard, foam core, lace, trims, scrapbook paper, contact paper, paint and foam abutments and cornices became Baghdad.
A rug I printed out---became the Magic Carpet on Modge-podged on to fabric.
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A cast of characters was created for the film. I did purchase a bit of veil fabric and some fringe for the carpet. I designed the colors to work in black and white for promotional photos!.
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Paint enhanced old dolls that were all from thrift stores, and costumes were this and that. I even stenciled a pattern on Aladdin's robe. Three weeks was tight with drying time for all the layers on the buildings.
I learned how to paint makeup on dolls---to get that over the top---20's make up.
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July: The hero and heroine escaped Bagdad on a flying carpet, and I took a First Place and almost won COMPETITION Favorite, only 6 votes separated the two front runners. It was a great experience and I met so many wonderfully creative doll people at the convention.
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I worked our greeting table for our doll club and helped with the table decorations for all the meals. I realized, I'm old----because running items to tables 25 times---in a huge hall is exhausting.
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Cest la Vie...my evil handmaiden from the diorama---became my travel doll...and she had a great time too at the Decade of Destiny.
And it this was only July 5, 2022
MORE TO FOLLOW!
If you are interested on more information on any of the original posts, just click on any photo and it will take you to the proper post!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi
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| barbieoldnewgreenredo |
Agreed, lighting-lighting-lighting! I also love that Trish's changes out seasonaly:@) Happy New Year Sandi-enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Lynn....having to replan the new year with more stories photos and less ambitious projects! Hugs, and Happy New Year! Sandi
DeleteSame to you, Linda. I know my shop can't handle many more 'big' projects, and I really need to scale back a bit. But, it's always fun to share with friends. So love perusing your blog, though commenting is still hit or miss??? HUGS back, Sandi
ReplyDeleteIt's my first visit to your blog and boy were you busy last year. Love all the details in the rooms and on the clothes. I wish computer land had been available when I was a child - I'd have loved to do that.
ReplyDelete