Poacher!

Earlier I Googled my blog and started perusing the images. It turns out a woman with another blog did an entry back in 2006 entitled "Pimp My Barbie Dream House." Crap. There really are no new ideas. I just have to say that I didn't intentionally poach her idea and actually I give her a tip o' the hat for her mad decorating skills! She did a pink shag carpet which I actually considered using early in the project. I actually purchased a pink shag toilet cover from Target but wound up not using it. Now that I see what it looks like I'm reconsidering. 

I want my B-TV!

The "find me a television" dilemma has been one that has plagued this project since its inception along with the "how do I create a toilet?" or "how do I make faucets?"  I bought this Barbie cell phone as an impulse buy at Target. It was only a buck so I figured I might as well. I could probably use it of something. As it seems, it wound up making an awesome television! 

First, I examined my own television and painted the phone to match. Since it's plastic, I had to prime it using house paint primer. I'm broke and couldn't go get the spray-on plastic so I used what I had on hand. I wanted to cover up the corny barbie images to make it look like a real television. I'm a person that collects all kinds of cool things. My favorite things to bid on eBay are the "Antique paper ephemera" auctions. Now don't y'all go poaching my favorite auctions! Cheeky monkeys! 

Oh, that's right.....television. In one of my auctions I found a few photo negatives that were roughly the size of the television. It was hard gluing it to make it stick without it curling so I used my Shakespeare anthology (ha ha, me gots a big ol; book!)

Oh

 I also constructed a little media stand using those little wooden squares from Michael's that work so well for just about everything.  Of course when I did that I knew that the next step was to create more electronics. 

I 

I

Hey! Looky here! You can see my reflection in the screen! 

I opted to use two matchbooks for the cable box and dvd player. Again, I modeled them after my own. Naturally, I used silver and black. I should probably just buy the large sized bottles of black and silver acrylic pant.. Sheesh. 

.I used small hematite body jewelry beads for the knobs. The design of the boxes are beginning to resemble a Cox cable box and my DVD player (more or less). Notice my hair pins in the above photo. Just call me Witch Hazel. 

 haSo, here it is---my media center in all its glory.The last thing I did was make a remote which you can see on the table next to the Target fashion magazine which is so silly but goes well with the house. 

Cinematic Tributes

As was previously stated, the dollhouse with the pig is my tribute to my favorite season of True Blood (season two). The pig s really Daphne the shapeshifter, by the way, 

The gazebo is a loving tribute to the movie The Lovely Bones. It's even got blown-in leave (post-mortem for Susie) and a small envelope featuring Ray's poem to Susie: "If I had but an hour of love, If that be all that is given me, An hour of love upon this earth,  I would give my love to thee."

Life Is art, especially for Barbie

The house has begun to show art which is pretty incredible since I've been working on this for close to two years now. In the photo you can see Virgo Barbie who looks like she's been at the club all night. Hey, it's happened to the best of us here in Vegas.. 

I think I've posted before that the master bedroom has the West Elm thing going on. The other room has a Laura Ashley theme and the room in the guest house is the one with the Kerouac and the Velvet Underground posters on the wall.. The office is a orange and green '60s/'70s pop masterpiece. 

Oh, and the tiny bunnies and ladybugs are real candles! If only there was no danger of burning down both the dollhouse and MY house.......

Nothing sparkles quite like asbestos!

IN addition addition to the soda ice chest I felt the patio needed a lovely lounge. I used a gift box from a set of small jars of jams and jellies. I glued and painted some foam rubber and here we go! I didn't photograph this but I also moved the sauna to the patio on top of the guest house. There's nothing like asimmer in the sauna followed by a frosty beverage. I'm imagining that there's a lake nearby. 

When Chris and I lived in our old house we found two big boxes of '50s floor tiles--salmon pink with foil confetti. Unfortunately, they're also asbestos so we weren't able to use them. I just couldn't bear to throw them away so I figured one piece sealed within an inch of its life couldn't kill me. I decided to use it in the Laura Ashley room. For fun I decided to paint a shelf to match the floor. I painted the actual shelf copper and painted the braces salmon pink with matching glitter.( Oh, in the background, you can see the dollhouse dresser I bought in Nogales when I was ten.. )

I wound up changing the tall shelf into two smaller shelves but you can see in this photo the bed and vanity. 

I have these little cats I've been dying to use in this project but I wound up having to glue them down. Their legs are so tiny that they won't stay upright.  I need to post more photos of the artwork that's now on the walls but my camera battery pack is charging. Trust me......it's super-girly-girly.

How to make a Barbie ice chest!

Originally, this chest from Michael's Crafts was meant to be a steamer trunk. I decided to turn it into an ice chest for the dollhouse patio area.

These are small glass beads used in crafts. They make fantastic ice cubes

I love these little glass bottles! They're about an inch long and are sealed with a cork.

I used a drop of color per soda bottle---pink, purple, red, blue, green, and yellow.

I sealed each bottle with wax.

Again, here are the bottles. I used a corresponding star sticker on the bottles. 

I also used Shag stickers on the bottles.

Bottle photo #2

Bottle photo #3

I painted the chest red and white with a silver interior. I also used other Shag stickers.

Here is the finished product! I'm really proud of the results.

Let me sleep all night in your soul kitchen

Well, the clock says it's time to close now 

I guess I'd better go now 

I'd really like to stay here all night 

The cars crawl past all stuffed with eyes 

Street lights share their hollow glow 

Your brain seems bruised with numb surprise 

Still one place to go 

Still one place to go 

Let me sleep all night in your soul kitchen 

Warm my mind near your gentle stove 

Turn me out and I'll wander baby 

Stumblin' in the neon groves 

Well, your fingers weave quick minarets 

Speak in secret alphabets 

I light another cigarette 

Learn to forget, learn to forget 

Learn to forget, learn to forget 

Let me sleep all night in your soul kitchen 

Warm my mind near your gentle stove 

Turn me out and I'll wander baby 

Stumblin' in the neon groves 

Well the clock says it's time to close now 

I know I have to go now 

I really want to stay here 

All night, all night, all night