Bitty Book of Booze!

Have you seen the new Dapper Gents kit from Alpha Stamps? It includes (nearly) all of my favorite things- retro patterned paper, retro phones and t.v.s, retro men, and ATCs. Does it get any better than that?

It just so happened that I had picked up an assorted bag of miscellaneous ephemera from a favorite consignment shop and in that bag there happened to be a really cool, really retro "Professional Mixing Guide" by the Angostura-Wuppermann Corporation from 1950. That little booklet combined with the Dapper Gents kit (and those saucy gentlemen!) turned into a swell, if not slightly naughty, cocktail recipe book.

Brandy is pretty popular with the gents

I painted a Hidden Drawer Book Box- ATC Size with a color that matched the Dapper Bringing Home the Bacon Scrapbook paper and then covered the front and back with said boss paper. The spine is black cardstock that was punched with a vintage shaped mini punch and I also covered the book's "pages" with black cardstock. My retro Olympia typewriter came in handy for the message on the bottom and I was surprised to find the red ink still vibrant. Relatively.

The spine of the book slides out like a drawer, which is where the ATCs are stored.

I followed the instructions of my mentor and trimmed the chipboard ATCs then rounded the corners as she did, and boy, they look great that way! The front of the cards feature a handsome gentleman and a manly named cocktail that I cut from the "Professional Mixing Guide". Also included are a few randy ladies from the Happy Vintage Housewives collage sheet.

On the back of the card is the mixing instructions for the named cocktail.

Here's what you do to mix a perfect "Stubby Collins":

Don't forget the stir rod!

Go RIGHT HERE to see the list of supplies I used.  Cheers to you!

The Mini Quilter's Nook

For the past couple of months, I have been been assembling a miniature craft room inside an 8" x 6" x 5" deep room box. It is a pretty small space but there are so many things going on inside. It started with a Treadle Sewing Machine on Table, then a Sewing Room Thread Cabinet, along with a Library Table that worked out great as a place to store bolts of fabric, and finally half of a Chipboard Steamer Trunk for a bookcase, all from Alpha Stamps. 

Would you like to have a look around?

The sewing machine, like all of the pieces in here, got a thorough sanding and aging to make it resemble a well-loved room. I added a rectangle of heavy weight cardboard to the Library Table on the right, and the Thread Cabinet on the left appears to be the cat's favorite thing to scratch. After getting all the furniture painted an arranged, the fun began! Just how much stuff can fit in here? The answer is loads and loads; enough that my smallish people made a game of I-Spy from the things inside.

I Spy a teacup,
Orange slices, and a duck.
You might find two rabbits
If you have extra luck.

I Spy four golden scissors,
Specs without a case,
And a single smiling cookie
That seems out of place.

I Spy a phone number,
A shell from the beach,
A small home for a gnome, 
And a jar out of reach.

(thanks for the great rhyme, AJ!)

I built the corkboard from balsa wood and cardboard, but adding shutters from the Seaside Doors and Windows Set gave me more places to hold items and ephemera. The stick pins are super tiny Mixed Size Flat Back Pearls!

Did you see the spools of thread? They are made from a snippet of toothpick between two hole-punched disks of watercolor paper with thin ribbon glued around. Easy!

The hoop in the basket is another quick thing; cut a thin strip of watercolor paper, wrap it around a pencil, and glue the ends. When dry, sand the join until it is smooth, then paint. Glue a tiny eyeglasses screw (the kind you get in the eyeglass repair kits) to the top. To make the "embroidery", doodle an image onto printer paper and wrap it around a button that fits inside your hoop. Glue in place.The needle is a tiny piece of wire with a bend in one end. 

I left the top unglued to make it easier to get around in there, especially since none of the pieces are attached or adhered in any way and I inevitably knock something (usually lots of somethings) over. The lamp hadn't gotten its shade when the pic was taken. 

Here is the adorable Thread Cabinet that really opens:

And with a ruler for scale:

There is an excellent tutorial on Casey's Minis for a miniature sewing box, which is what that is on the right. The cigar box is a 1" Faux Book Box and it holds tiny spools of thread. The last thing I made for the Quilter's Nook was a floor lamp, in case the wee crafter wanted to get some sewing done at night. The tutorial for that was posted yesterday.

Finally comes the link to the oodles and oodles of supplies I used from Alpha Stamps.  Happy crafting to you!

Miniature Floor Lamp Tutorial

I recently found myself in need of a mini floor lamp for a project and constructed one from various odds and ends.

Materials:

1/8" wooden dowel
LED balloon light
Finishing washer
6mm Raw Brass Bead Cap or half of a snap would work
Fabric covered wire
Buttons
Heavy/quality crepe paper

Wrap fabric covered wire around LED balloon bulb.

Remove light and bend ends of wire down.

Drill a small hole in both ends of dowel and stick wire in one end.

Glue 6mm raw brass bead cap or half of a snap into other end. 

Glue onto a decorative button for the base. I popped the rose center out of a gold button and tried that out, but ultimately I went with gluing a brass washer onto a white button and attaching the pole to that.

Spray paint entire thing in whatever color. I had white, so white it is. The shade is simply a rectangle of heavy crepe paper that I stretched out along one long side, then glued the ends together.

Place LED balloon light inside and light up your miniature room! Tomorrow I'll show you where I put it and give you a link for all the pieces I used for the lamp.

It's a Circus Around Here!

Craftster has been clowning around all day today. Everyone has new circus themed avatars and some commonly used words have been replaced with circus related ones. The Moderators have shared projects that they crafted with the Big Top in mind, and the Featured Projects is a collection of past circus-y goodness! It is tons of April Fool's fun. 

However! I must have missed the memo about how many projects a mod could/should/would make and went a little peanuts. Well, A LOT peanuts. 

First, I made Mr. Bobinski's Mouse Circus. (Working on a video tutorial in case you have the desire to make your own.)

And then I crocheted Lola the Elephant, who stands tall at 6".

Then came all of the hats I crocheted for Chaircat Mao, the most meh cat on the planet. 

Ringmaster Mao

Chaircat Pow

Cottoncandycat mao

Clowncat Mao

I won't tell you that I have another circus project (for another day) as well as one more hat for Chair. Enough is enough, and enough was five projects ago. Happy April Fool's Day!