Trash to Treasure Doll

I have been trying to go to the thrift stores in my area on a fairly regular basis and this week I would like to share a treasure that I got that I remade into something a bit more primitive that will fit into my decor better.

Here is a picture of the doll I bought for $2.97.  I figured that it would cost me alot more in time and money if I were to cut, sew and stuff a new doll so when I saw this cutie at the thrift store I snagged her up in hopes that I could grubby her up.  You can see her face is dirty and her features need to be updated.  So now I will be on the look out for more fabric dolls.  I don’t know why I didn’t think to do this before.  It Certainly saves me some serious time and money.

Before of thrift store doll.

And now for the final picture of the makeover doll.  I didn’t change a whole lot but I did sew a nose on her and lips and added button eyes with lashes on the bottom.  Stained her in my favorite grubby mix, rubbed her with cinnamon and then baked her in the oven to dry.  I did the same with her dress and apron too.  Her original hair was glued on and if I were to remove it the doll would of been ruined so I left her have brown curly hair.  Her dress sleeves were a little stretched and I didn’t want to sew anymore so I added a peice of stained cheesecloth to each arm to give a little something different to her.  Sorry I added that after the picture was taken.   I love the look of brown mottled stained fabric.

Valentines Tutorial

I have been making ornies for on my valentines tree.  This is one of my fovorite, and I thought I’d share the directions with you.  Enjoy!

First off I took an envelope the size that I wanted my ornie to be and opened up flat.  Then I traced around it onto to card stock to make a pattern.  Then I traced it onto a piece of muslin.  Then I cut out the the pattern on the drawn lines.  I also cut out a piece of card stock to go into the center of the envelope to make it sturdy, Lay aside until after stained & dried.  Once cut out I stained with my favorite grubby mixture, folded flaps to look like an envelop and then dried in the oven for a few min on low heat.  Once dried I put the piece of card stock in the middle and glued all the edges down and sealed with a kiss.  Actually I didn’t seal with a kiss but it would be cool to do if you have a lip stamp.  Then just embellish with the names of your valentines using a sharpie.  I made a glitter heart just by drawing it on with a pencil and then used modge podge and filled the heart shape and glittered it to look like a stamp.  On my dd’s I used glass glitter around the edge to give a little more glitz.  Feel free to embellish any way you want.  Also would be cute with a black & white photo used as a postage stamp.  The possibilities are endless.  I already have plans to make letters to Santa for christmas.

 

Trace around pattern onto muslin.

 

Cut out on the drawn lines

Finish it up Friday’s

 I have declared Fridays to be Finish it up Friday’s.  I decided to do this because I have so many unfinished projects around my office I’m starting to be overwhelmed so to hold myself accountable I am going to finish one craft a week and then post what it is I did for all the world to see.

This week I finished up this raggedy doll.  This is a Sweetmeadows Farm pattern that I bought at the Lititz craft show here in Pa.  I really admire her work and really wanted to make an eyelid on something so I went for it.  Well I soon put the doll down because, well, I’m a perfectionist and the eyelids weren’t working for me.  I decided to finish her anyway and call her primitive.   I really like her dress it has a great stain to it.  I love when the stain has a sort of verigated look to it with dark and lighter spots all over.

I’m not sure if I will attempt the eyelid anytime soon but it sure was a challenge.  Well now that I think about it, it wasn’t so much the eyelid as it was the coloring of the eyeball????  lol. 

Check back next week as I have an unfinished snowman from the same pattern that needs to be finished eyelids and all.