Time to Go Around the Curve

Happy New Year's everyone.  I thought I'd end the year with a few hours in the workroom.  I gave staying up past midnight a trial run last night, with a little time spent researching how to curve wood without breaking it.  Did you know the ammonia in glass cleaner will do the trick?  Of course that is provided your wood is not too thick or the grain of wood is not too loose.  It was certainly new information to me.
So this morning I was ready to tackle that curved sofa I'd been dreaming of making.    I won't bore you with the details but after several hours the sofa came together.
I can't wait to design an entire room around it.  But for now, here it is in its most minimal form.  I could not resist upholstering the legs.  I must admit it was tedious.  Just as with my last sofa, curved needles are helpful at certain points.  I decided to hand tuft the back too.  That also was tedious.  I was determined to "stick it out" (Literally, my index fingers endured a few sticks.) and finish the project today.  I started around 9 am and finished around 2:30.  I am pleased with the way it turned out.
Hope you like it!

After Christmas Markdowns

Hope everyone had a great holiday.  Sometimes it pays to take a stroll down the holiday decor markdown aisle.  The wall art birds and silver stool were found on the Christmas ornament aisle.  

The birds were formerly mini tree ornaments.  I removed the hooks and gave them another wash of gold paint. Then I applied backers so they could be wall mounted.  These would also look great in a white lacquer.

The stool was a formerly red ornament.  A little spray paint and removal of the hanging cord and voila, a perfect 1:6 scale stool.

How do  you like the fireplace?  This one was handmade from plywood.  Rocks were applied to the front.

I think some birch logs will be the perfect finishing touch.  Time to find my handsaw!

Stay tuned for more fireplaces in varying styles which will be for sale.  Email me if you have an interest.

A Recycled Room in Red and Black

Sometimes the materials to make one of your creative visions a reality can come from the oddest places.  I had been wanting to tackle constructing a chaise lounge.  I had seen a tufted black patent upholstered sofa in photos from the Barbie Malibu Show House in Las Vegas a few months back.  I couldn't get that sofa out of my mind.   I wanted to marry the idea of the black patent with the style of a chaise.

Fast forward a couple of months and here I am going through some outgrown clothing items.  Viola!!!, there it was... my daughter's funky jacket she'd long since outgrown.  It had the perfect black sheen and was quilted.  What a bonus.  So after a couple of second thoughts about cutting it up, out came the scissors.  The chaise fashioned from a coat was the perfect compliment to the red modern credenza I made a few days ago.  So a little recycling mixed with red magic, mirrors and silver paint and here's what materialized.  It is for sale for $78.00 plus shipping.  It is listed on Etsy.  

Hope you like it.

She is wearing a festive crocheted dress, perfect for the holidays.  Where are the cookies and milk?
http://www.etsy.com/listing/88760106

Have a Seat

Do you love ottomans?  Round? Tufted? modern?  Here's a little set of three straight from the workroom.  I threw in a little lamp I've had in the works.   I may apply a shade but I somehow like it as is.  The chandelier is a little found item I repainted.

The last picture is to prove that not all things are glamorous.   You should see the kitchen right now.  Thank goodness for the crock pot :).

I wonder what this is going to be?

Coming to a 1:6 Scale Room Near You

Wanted to share a few pieces that will soon be coming to a 1:6 scale room near you.  I made these little pieces over the weekend, between finally getting the tree from the lights only to fully decorated stage.

I love the modified cantilever style bookcase.  I applied a stain wash with gold finish supports.

I made two sconces.  They are very glamorous.  I haven't decided if they are going in a dining room or bedroom.  Maybe I'll make a second set.

The table features a few little accents I made over the past few weeks.  I made the striped table a while back.

Santa's Workshop

Morning All!

Can you believe Christmas is less than two weeks away? Hope Barbie, Tonner and all their friends have finished shopping. For those of you coming into the home stretch or still possibly searching for the perfect holiday piece, I wanted to share a link with you.

One of ReallifeMinis pieces was used in this Santa's Workshop Room. Check out Santa's workshop table, it is one of mine.

Boudoir Barbie did a beautiful job. Santa would be proud to make toys here. By the way, she has the item for sale on EBay.

http://boudoirbarbiesienna.blogspot.com/

Don't forget I still have a few items for sale on EBay ending today and tomorrow. I also have my Etsy listing. Look for ODesign on EBay OOAK Barbie Furniture listings and the Reallifeminis shop on Etsy.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OOAK-Barbie-Fashion-Royalty-Momoko-Happy-Little-Place-Workroom-Office-Furniture-/150713579016?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23173ab608#ht_500wt_1413

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OOAK-Barbie-Fashion-Royalty-Breakfast-nook-banquet-bench-table-furniture-room-/150713587021?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23173ad54d#ht_500wt_1413

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OOAK-Barbie-Fashion-Royalty-cottage-bathroom-tub-sink-furniture-room-/150714144106?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item231743556a#ht_500wt_1413

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87842777/16-scale-fashion-doll-diorama-custom?ref=ss_listing

Bye for now!
Some of the content on Boudoir Barbie's blog is best for adult eyes. By the way, Ken has some great dating tips out there too.

A preview of 2012

Just wanted to check in and give you a little preview of some things I will be working on for 2012. I spent a little time yesterday trying to find a muse or two. Did you hear tangerine is going to be a big color trend next year. Perfect for me since my favorite piece of life size furniture is a vintage 1976 Heritage tangerine chenille covered sofa.
Purple seems to be getting a great deal of coverage as we close the year. From velvets to chenilles, geometrics and oversized designs, it' passionate purple.
Be on the lookout for chaise loungers, daybeds and a few other thing in these colors. I'll also be working with more glass and plexiglass. A modern dining room and fun art pieces are also on the design pad.


My new fan page is up on Facebook. Be sure to check it out.

Handy Link

Just checking in...Thought I'd go ahead and provide the link to my Etsy shop.  Although there are many ideas in my head, they haven't become a tangible item as of yet.  So there is only one item there now.
But, here's the link.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/reallifeminis

A Cup of Tea and A Bubble Bath

Just thought I'd share a couple of little rooms I finished up yesterday.  I love the challenge of redoing an old  plastic piece of furniture.  I took the banquet and refurbished it.  I should have taken a before photo.  This was formerly a plastic love seat with arms.  I removed the arms which proved to be difficult because apparently someone superglued them on at some point.   This was an item I found on EBay.
Anyway, arms were removed and the connectors were removed with pliers.  Batting and fabric were applied.  I added a bottom to increase the height and added a backer board to allow for a more life like upholstery of the back.  This took about an hour.  Since I love Anthropologie, although I wish their prices were a quite a bit lower, I applied a fabric that reminded me of some of their home goods.  I think it is a nice vintage look.
Some of the other pieces in the room are made of recycled home items which have been paired with wooden objects.  That is all I am going to say about that.  I'll let you imagine what they are.
The second little room is a cottage bath, again made of refurbished plastic pieces.  I have had the sink for several months. It has been sitting in the laundry room with a primer coat just begging to be completed.  It originally had an attached mirror.  I played with it for a while but ultimately chose to remove it.
Hope you like the items.  I couldn't resist throwing in a shot with the poodle!

With Christmas coming up, I decided to list these on EBay.  Check them out.  You can search them under OOAK Barbie furniture.  I am ODesign on EBay.

And here it is....

Hello all.  Just took some pics of the completed glam living room.  I am so pleased with the way it looks.  Now if I could just shrink myself down and curl up on the sofa.

I hope you like it.  

It is for sale.  If you are interested please email me or you may visit my Etsy shop at Etsy.com.  The shop is reallifeminis.  

Have a great day!

Four hours and a couple of needle sticks later

Wow, four hours is a long time to spend creating a little chair under 6 inches tall.   Yes, four hours later and couple of needle sticks later another piece to the glam room puzzle is complete.  I don't know, is this the typical amount of time something like this takes?  The sofa seemed to go a little easier albeit about the same amount of time.
Lessons learned...
1.  Call your upholsterer and see if you can come down and observe a few large chairs being done.  You might pick up a few time saving tips.
2.  Use the curved needles.   Your fingers will thank you.
3.  Don't run out of band aids.
4.  Don't choose a slick, silky fabric.  Oops...that is exactly what I used.  There it was tempting me in the fabric store.  My head said NO but my heart said yes.  Oh well, maybe next time it will be a breeze.
Hope you like it.  Pillows, rug, lamp and accessories are next.  Stay tuned.