Black and White

Over the past several months, maybe the past year, I have been enamored with black and white dishes. Every time I go to a thrift store I look for something to add to my collection.  I collect dinner plates, dessert plates, bowls, serving dishes, etc.  I think I have enough for about 14 place settings now.  I love the eclectic look of mixing and matching the different combinations. A couple of weeks ago, I found some double knit fabric for only $2, and some plain black fabric for another $2.  It was enough to make placemats to go with all my place settings...not bad for only $4!  I used some of my dishes to decorate a table at our church's garden party the other night.  I just happened to have a black and white checkered teapot (purchased secondhand, of course!) that I was able to use for a centerpiece.  Just in case you were wondering why silverware is missing from the place settings, they only served finger foods and, therefore, wasn't needed.

The Dollhouse

Well, until I get some new projects done, I thought I would post some older ones. Some of you may have seen these, some not. Anyway, this is the dollhouse that I made for my grandkids. It was made from an old bookshelf that I got for free. I had to remove the center shelf and reposition it to make the "floors" evenly spaced. I also extended the sides up, added the roof framing, and cut holes on the side of the bookshelf for the windows. I used some scrap wood to create the walls between the rooms.

This is the bookshelf before I repositioned the "floors."

Sorry, I don't have any other "before" shots. This is the finished house.

A side view showing the windows. I used picture frames from the dollar store and replaced the glass with some scrap plexiglass that I had. The roof shingles are cut from craft fun foam and stapled into place. Each row overlaps the other and hides the staples. The tiles in the kitchen and bathroom are also cut from fun foam and glued into place.

A view of the kitchen (and cute cookstove) from outside the window.

Our family picture hangs in the master bedroom. The carpet was purchased from the dollar store and cut to size. The area rugs in the bedroom and dining room are woven pot holders. The wallpaper is cut from scrapbook paper.

The kitchen counters were sprayed with a textured granite spray paint. The "stainless steel" sink is a small plastic container spray painted silver.

The drum set is actually a Christmas ornament, but it was the perfect size. And, since we have drummers in the family, it was a necessity!

The fireplace was made by gluing small river rocks to a wooden base. I then used tile grout as mortar. The mantle is a chunk of wood that I roughed up and stained to look rustic. The hearth is also a piece of wood that I painted to mimic a stone slab. I then clear coated the whole thing. The chimney on the outside of the house was made the same way. This picture was taken at Christmastime, thus the tree in the corner!

It was a fun project...a little time consuming, but fun. The kids have fun playing with it. I have decided that my grandson, Isaac, is going to be a furniture mover when he grows up. He could clear that house of its furniture in a matter of seconds!