#manic pixie dreamhouse

[roisnoir]

Hey i absolutely loved your mermaid dollhouse, have you made anymore progress on it?

Thank you! *heartblushemoji's here*

It's been finished for a while, but I went looking for pics and realized that the best photos I had were the just-finished-still-on-the-workbench ones, so I tried doing nicer pics (with a paused sealife doc behind for a suitable background, even!)

I'm sure I can do better if I actually try to use decent lighting, but for now, here's its current state. (I want one of those endoscope-type cameras so I can get pics as if you're in the room, at the appropriate scale, but that's so very much not happening any time soon.)

One of my friends said it "looks like the 70s" - I suppose she's not wrong, but I was just going for cozy!

The idea is that it's an upside-down shipwreck that the mermaid has turned into a home, which is why the floor is covered in sand, and why the outside is a bit overgrown.

I am inordinately amused with there being dishes in the sink.

The painting studio is replacing a piano, I swapped out all the fabrics, repainted the frame, and added a lot of brightly-colored foliage. I knitted the blanket that's on the bed, and I hand stitched the pillows because why not? The ladder to the loft was supposed to be life preservers, but I decided that was a little too cheesy, so I made a rope ladder, and used the rings as portholes. I painted the teeny canvases, and carved the paintbrushes out of toothpicks. I have some ideas to improve the paint tubes for next time. (humidity did them no favors is all I will say.)

Pics of the unaltered kit I started with behind the cut:

I like my 70's hobbit shipwreck conversion much better. :)

[lolapath]

[grumpyypumpkin]

Runaway with me.

[imjustheretoseetheprivateblogs]

Barbies Dreamhouse is what happens when you put five manic pixie dream girls into a single room and let them vibe for at least 11 minutes.

[damonalbarngirl]

just realized i fell asleep last night listening to my the head on the door vinyl while reading in the dreamhouse. manic pixie dream girl moment

[roisnoir]

the kit I started with looked like this:

I made a few changes.

The view out the windows ought to be a city skyline at night. I will eventually figure out a good way to make that photo happen.

The story I told myself about the person who lives here is that he a) hasn't been living here long, so there's not much clutter yet and b) he wants to be Trent Reznor when he grows up.

[roisnoir]

I apparently do not have much talent regarding precision. I made a freaking template! I measured each cut! I used a straight edge for all of it! And still this is a wobbly wonky thing, but thankfully, it's just the test piece.

This is scrap from making the insides of the box, so why not use it to test out an idea? And some glues. :)

The final version will be clear, not mirrored. And now I am rethinking maybe saving up for a cricut or something along those lines.

This is making me kind of want to make a miniature based on of one of my favorite pieces of sculpture: Mirrored Room!

[goofygooberton]

Barbie manic pixie dreamhouse

Guys I’ve mixed up words In The funniest way possible

[roisnoir]

Turns out, I didn't make enough books. Back to making a zillion more itty books! (Oh noes. Totally not a pleasant thing to do! hehehee)

[roisnoir]

The stained glass hut is taking on a hint of a sleeping beauty theme, so sure, why not?

I made a mini drop spindle (also a set of hand carding tools that I've not photographed yet), and one of the exterior walls is going to be covered in climbing roses.

I am delighted with how well the roses are coming out! I've been worrying at the edges of how to approach this for a couple of weeks, and I think I'm on the right track here.

[roisnoir]

...it's like I can't help myself.

I salvaged a red LED from a broken necklace of LED skulls, and was using it to try and light up the wood stove in my current project. The light wasn't showing right - it needed something to diffuse it, and the first thing that came to hand was the skull I'd taken it from.

Of course I don't put the fire back in there! This is too funny - the piece this stove is going in is the shabby chic boho whitewashed stained glass greenhouse shed, now heated by glowing red skull!

Left to do: build hammock/hanging chair, chandelier, shelving for plants, make plants, make more stained glass to fill in empty bits of wall!

[roisnoir]

I think I need a very fine liner brush and a slightly steadier hand. The "leading"is black gesso applied with a toothpick, on both sides of the plastic sheet.

[roisnoir]

Annnnnd (maybe*) done!

(Battery pack arrives Friday (I borrowed one from another project for testing), so I will finalize the wiring and maybe take some staged and styled photos this weekend.) (Maybe.)

in addition to the stripping around the window, i forgot about the paintings for downstairs. although my watercolors are still missing. March starts frantic housecleaning season at my house, so hopefully they'll turn up in the coming weeks. I'm sure I'll think of other things to add. I'm fine with this being an evolving piece. :)

[roisnoir]

During the slow times at work today, I started a new project. My first time working in quarter-scale!

It's all paper and marker and glue. The box is from something that was gloriously overpackaged, and I've been holding onto it thinking I'd use it for something.

I have a ton of books, some clutter items to build, a few plants, a mirror wall, a barre, a folding chair, and a couple of paintings left to make. Also wallpaper. (I may scrap the table, or put it downstairs. The original plan for upstairs was art studio, but I've already done one of those, so why not do something else?.)

Are mini book nooks a thing? Maybe they should be. :)

[roisnoir]

I finally got the hammock made! I need to refine the dowel - I want to shorten it a bit, and the paint on the end beads is too bright - either I need to paint the whole thing, or beige-up the beads.

I wove a tiny basket from strips of paper, to hold the wool, hand carders, and drop spindle.

And I finally got up the nerve to start sticking roses to the back wall.

This one is so nearly done I can taste it!

[roisnoir]

got the back false wall in enough to decide on the size of the bookshelves for the next tiny nook - this one is *supposed* to be a combination gaming store and book store - i have no idea how i'm going to do dice at 1:48 but I'm gonna try!

The little boxes are supposed to be games, but I'm not sold. I've got some ideas for how to make them read a little more clearly.

First, though, i build a bunch of shelves. :)