Miniature Crafting Challenge 12 :" It´s Too hot"

Dear Readers,

"It´s too hot" is the theme for this challenge.The aim is to make something refreshing to help you beat the heat in the hottest of hot weather days.

It is actually very hot where I live at the moment and the beginning of summer is just around the corner so it´s time to think of some ways to cool off.

One of the first things that comes to mind to keep you cool in the heat is a hand fan.
Fans are very popular in Spain. They´re part of Spanish culture so ,when the heat wave strikes, you can see women of all ages fanning themshelves.

This tradition has also arrived at Sweet Berry Valley. Hazel, Theodora, Tilly and Rhianna Dappledawn are glad to find a solution to cool themselves down.

Creating a breeze when non exists can be an absolute saving grace on days of scorching heat.

As you can see, I just folded small pieces of paper. For two of them I used scrappbook paper and I painted the other two myself.

My second project is about the beach. 
A day at the beach is also a good way to cool off.
The gentle breeze blowing, a swim in the sea letting the waves wash over you, a cold drink at the beach bar...

I chose some of my sylvanians, those more related to the beach,to set up some beach scenes.
Actually, before setting the scenes and this is what my project is about, I made some swimming outfits for:

Narrisa, Shelly and Sandy Neptune

Penny, Wren and Rally Farthing. 

Jane and Captain Horatio Seadog.

You have probably noticed that these swimming clothes, except Captain Horatio´s swimming trunks,aren´t made out of fabric.

They are made out of balloons! 

Some time ago I saw a You Tube tutorial on how to make clothes for a Barbie doll and I remembered the bikinis were made out of balloons.

I tried to make some for my sylvanians and here they are wearing the perfect oufit for a day at he seaside.

Making swimming costumes using ballons is quick and very simple. You just have to find the right size ballons. Regular size are perfect for barbie dolls but for sylvanians you need a smaller size of ballons.

I took some pictures of these happy families enjoying a beach day.

The Sea Otter Family is looking for the perfect spot to put up their beach umbrella.

Narrisa is making sure her family doesn´t get sunburned. 

Shelly and Sandy are picking up sea shells.

"Look, there are lots here"

The Farthings love the beach and they come very often. They are well equipped to enjoy their day off at the seaside.
Penny likes lying back and relax on her deck chair.
Harley and his son Vespa love swimming in the sea and playing ball.
Wren always helps her little brother Ralley make sandcastles.

I have always wanted to take a picture of the Farthings at the seaside. Shortly after buying the "Cycling with mother " set I bought "A day at he seaside" set. I wanted to have the whole family . I was happy to add Wren later on.

At last, I have a picture of this family posing at the beach.

Captain Horatio and his wife Jane enjoy long walks by the sea shore. 
After their walk Captain Horatio feels like having a short nap and Jane keeps herself entertained doing crosswords.
A bucket of ice cold drinks will help them stay hydrated and quench their thirst.

You can buy ice cold drinks and delicious and refreshing non-alcoholic cocktails at the beach bar.

Peter Bablebrook is the owner of the beach bar. He runs his small business during the summer months.

This summer he will have nice company and some help to run his bar on busy summer days.
Peace, a girl he met on his last trip,was looking for a job during the summer and Peter offered her a job at his beach bar.

The truth is that Peter has a crush on her.

I have the feeling Peace has a crush on Peter too.

I wonder if their relationship will just be a summer romance or the beginning of a long lasting love. Time will tell...

Peter is an expert at making coktails.

Water melon heart and clear blue sky cocktails are very popular and Peter´s and Peace´s favourites.

If you prefer to buy some cold drinks for all the family, ice buckets are also available. 

Do you know how to make some ice cubes to chill your Sylvanian´s drinks and keep them cool? You just have to cut small squares of hot glue stick with a cutter.

Do you know how I made Peter´s beach bar?
I used a small medicine carton box and covered it cutting sticks of bamboo table mats.
For the roof I used a piece of cardboard. The material that covers the roof comes from a witch´s broom my daughter got a Halloween birthday party.

I made the cocktails out of small beads and the drinking straws out of paper clips.

I made the table at the bar using the top part of a mikado fragance  and that round piece of wood.

If you have questions about my projects I´ll be happy to answer them.

To finish this post, I´ll show you some pictures I took at the seaside ice cream shop.

As you can see my Sylvanians know how to beat the heat and stay cool in summer.

Hope you have a wonderful summer or winter, if live in the Southern Hemisphere.

A big hug!

Illustration by Racey Helps

Miniature Crafting Challenge 11: Paper

Dear Readers,

This challenge is about paper: any kind of paper, from typing paper to cardboard.

The aim is to use paper for your projects in some way.

My first project is a flower planter and some paper flowers.

Look how colourful they are!

The flowers come from the Dingles´ flower shop. Dominic works as a gardener. He has green fingers and does his best to make gardens and parks look stunning.

Around this time last year, I made some paper daisies for a flower bed.

I used paper and a punch, exactly the same punch I´ve used for this challenge but this time, the flowers I´ve made are totally different.

I used this ball tool to press down in the middle of the flower to give them a kind of bowl shape. You need a soft surface to do that. I used a cushion.

For the planter, I recycled the cardboard where the toner comes from.

It´s a very thick cardboard that reminds me of the look of stone.

I filled the planter with a kind of foam I found at a flower shop .I covered it  with glue and sprinkled some tea leaves from a tea bag all over.Finally, I sticked some fake plastic stems and then I addded the flowers .

For my second project, I made some vintage/ shabby style jugs. This is something I wanted to try for a long time and this challenge was perfect for it. Even though they are made with paper (card stock and scrapbook paper) the final result resembles the look of enamel, or at least that´s the look I wanted to achieve.

The size suits Sylvanians perfectly.
As the jugs are so light, they can be held easily.They are perfect for figures with gripping hands.

"Can I have some milk, mum?"

I also made some plates out of scrapbook paper.
They can be used for decorative purposes but also to serve food.

I´m quite happy with my enamel looking ware.

I took the template from this blog.

I couldn´t find a tutorial but I figured out how to make them and it is quite easy. For the handle you need to cut a thin stripe of paper. After attaching all the parts together, I applied some layers of varnish to give them a glossy finish.

My last project is something I wanted to make since I added the Woodland bus to my collection.

A bus shelter!

I found the instructions and plans in the SSK catalogue. 
I didn´t take pictures of the process because the guides and poster picture are in the 2017 catalogue  and also in this year´s catalogue

I was a bit lazy to follow all the steps so I skipped the most tedious one. I was supposed to cover the main structure of the building with 45 pieces of carton boards and then paint them. Instead, I used brown corrugated paper for the outside of the building and scrapbook paper for the roof. First, I drew the plans out onto a piece of carboard from a cereal box and I stuck the corrugated paper to the carton board.The inside of the building is the carton from the box of cereal.

From now on villagers from Sweet Berry Valley will have a shelter  from the rain and sun while they wait for the bus.

I also made the suitcase out of a piece of cardboard. It´s not the first time I make a suitcase following Aranera´s tutorial.

I made this one specially for Peter Babblebrook.He loves travelling all around the world.

Bye- Bye Peter! Enjoy your trip!

The Forest Nursery provides a bus service with a route that goes around the village. Children are picked up at this bus stop to go to the nursery.

"Line up, kids!The bus is coming!"

"Bye- Bye, children! Have a nice day and be good!"

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And these are all my projects for this challenge. 
Hope you have enjoyed today´s post and I also hope you found some inspiration for your own crafts and projects.
Thanks for reading!

Illustration by Susan Wheeler