DIY Halloween Costumes for LPS.

Here's the part two of our Halloween LPS craft special. Hope you will enjoy it.

Happy Halloween everyone!
xxx

DIY Mini pumpkins for Halloween

We might be in the middle of our LPS Christmas crafting but we haven't forgotten Halloween! How could we?
Halloween is so much fun; dress ups and lollies! Plus the chance to walk the streets and knock on doors!
We love it!
And so do LPS! SO we've started with them; a cute mini pumpkin patch, for their cute mini world. No clay required because it seems it would be just too easy and too... "blah".
We've used bottle caps instead; the best part is that you can light them up with a small LED light.

They are fun and easy to make. The kids will love making them all by themselves.

Here's the  full tutorial:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

DIY mini Fairy Lights for our DIY mini Christmas tree

As promised, here is the full tutorial to make our simple and very cute Fairy Lights Garland to dress our tree.
Enjoy!

See you soon for some more LPS craft fun!

DIY Doll Christmas tree: Our LPS are getting ready!

A bit too early for Christmas trees? Yes...and no. Yes, because we haven't even gone through Halloween yet, and no, if you are intending to make animation movies and you need to get your props ready!

So for all the producers, directors and voice over actors, here's an early, easy project for your big Christmas production!

Whether a glorious green,

or a snowy white,

with or without a string of lights,

these little trees are just too cute to miss out!

For a full tutorial on how to make these adorable trees, click below or visit the

LPSCraftandMore Channel for more tutorials.

Coming soon: How to make the string of lights.

It's the little things: DIY doll accessories and the birth of LPSCraftandMore channel.

A while ago, we retrieved from the attic an old box full of LPS. Littlest Pet Shop: little plastic animals with a bobble head which I think were very popular around 2009. Mia fell in love with them all over again. Little did we know  that those are now retired from the shelves and have become collectibles. (There is a new generation but Hasbro completely missed the mark and nobody is keen of them: they  have no charm whatsoever.)
We've also discovered a little community out there, on the Youtube planet, completely dedicated to the bobble heads; mini movies, customisation and lots of DIY accessories. 

And that's the part I got hooked on. Dollhouses and miniature furniture:  always had a big love for them but never made my own. Well, let me tell you, it is so much fun! Possibilities are endless!
Now, I am not a "purist"  in the sense of making mini replicas. I still like the furniture to look like toys and not a mini version of adults' world.

We use cardboard and recycled packaging, foam paper, matchboxes, felt, beads, straws, popsicles sticks AND lots of glue!

We made an LPS Beauty Salon:

and our very first video:

LPSCraftandMore Channel

There are plenty of talented Craft Masters out there but our favourite is the PipeCleanerCraftsb. We simply love her and all the coll stuff she makes. This Beauty salon was inspired by one of her post but we did add our own ideas and little twists here and there. You can check hers here.

We made a Bathroom:

and a vanity:

 and lots of fun accessories:

Since then we have not stopped! We've made an Ice Cream Trailer, a Catwalk Podium (you can check the LPS Fashion Show video here.)beds and sofas...and more!

Some tutorials are on their way, so keep an eye out for them; they're coming out shortly. Plus a Christmas Special; It's going to be awesome!

A chimney for Christmas

As a kid, I was lucky enough to grow up in a house that had a chimney. A big big chimney. It was wonderful in winter and of course, even more magic around Christmas time. This was in the north of France. Here, in Australia we do not have a chimney in our house.  Christmas here means summer. Hot summer... But after all those years, I m still not quite used to a summer Christmas... My children are dreaming of a cold white Christmas too although they' ve never experienced it...
So,  I thought this year, we'll make a Christmas chimney!

With lights,

and real cardboard logs...

All we used was a cardboard box, white paint, washi tape, a hot glue gun, some batterie powered led lights and some trimmings...

There is no special skills required and possibilities are endless.

A little tour chez Mademoiselle...

Chez Mademoiselle Mia that is...

Mia has swap room with her big sister recently, so it was a good excuse for me to spend some time in my garage and whip up something fun, colourful, sweet and a bit quirky...

A fun bedspread made with all my bits of fabrics and an old embroidered tablecloth. As usual, I only measure as I go, which makes the patchwork process a lot more enjoyable. I hate measuring every block in advance! I start with the centre and build around, cutting as I need, et voilà!

Whenever I step in her room now, it kind of lifts my mood. It's not just the bedspread of course. I love all of her little 8 years old knick-knacks.

 (Yes, like all newborn babies, Mia was soooo beautiful!)

and her little-and big-friends.

A big deer,

and a little mouse. This one collects teeth. Because in France, it is not a fairy, but a mouse that is in charge. Put your little tooth in her pocket, and the next morning, find a coin instead. Too cute!

(La Petite Souris a dent de lait. Moulin Roty)

On the wall, big Maman mouse is watching over everyone... I painted this while I was pregnant with Mia. I knew nothing would be black and white for this little girl.

Up in the air, Azul the Chinese dragon is warding off any bad dreams, while back on the bed, Mr Rabbit-snugly snuggle- is always happy to share cuddles.

Thank you Mia for letting us have a little peek in your world.

DIY Gift Tags

I have been wanting to do this for a while now and today's rainy weather has been the perfect occasion: DIY gift tags.It's quick and fun to do. I have a big collection of Little Golden Books that I have pick up in op shops and garage sales. The illustrations are gorgeous. They are not always in good condition which makes them perfect for craft projects. (I find it difficult to cut books that are in good shape.

I simply cut two rectangle shapes for each tag; one with the chosen illustration, one in a recycled brown paper bag. I zigzag stitched the two layers, sandwiching in the middle an office tag. If you have a punch hole, you probably don't need to do this. I had these tags sitting in my drawers so I decided to use them. It gives a "luggage" tag effect which I like.

They could make a fun garland too...or be hung in the tree...

A little TLC for the bathroom.

The main bathroom in our house has been for a long time a place of no interest.  It has pink tiles, the wrong kind of pink, yellowish tiles on the floor, dull white walls. A cheap vanity with a marble top...

With a budget of nort, but inspired by my friend Geraldine's desire to update her own bathroom and a wild pinning session on Pinterest, I went and gather a few of my favourite Bali items and decided to dedicate them to the bathroom.

Like my little fun mirror with beads and tassels. Very gypsy. Love it.

And my set of aluminum tins.

I have a hard time finding shower curtains attractive. So i bought a simple clear plastic one ($6 from Bunnings, rings included) and retrieved from my stash of fabrics a sunny happy cotton and a green flower power vintage bed sheet. I sew the two together. And voila!

A nice, vibrant shower curtain.

I love recycled plastic rugs. This one, picked up at Ikea for $12 was just the right size and colour. Plastic rugs are awesome in the bathroom.

I love a bit of live green in bathrooms, so...

I added these two little guys. The jute hanging pot holders are from Apple Bee.

I retrieved  unwanted wooden shelves from the attic and added a few more of my Balinese treasures.

And I have finally made the switch and now only use Pesthemal towels or Turkish towels. Absolutely brilliant and beautiful! Fast drying, ultra soft and absorbent. And if they are good in the bathroom, they are perfect at the beach too; they remain sand free even when wet!

I did a quick paint job on an old cabinet found on the side of the road and now we have a first aid cabinet too!

It may not be the bathroom of my dreams but you know what, I quite like my bathroom now. Yes, it still has pink tiles and a cheap vanity with a marble top but I don't see them as much now. It goes to show that even without a big budget you can turn ordinary into ... nice ordinary!

Gift bag

In preparation of the gifts giving season, Mia and I have been working on a little quick easy project, recycling paper brown bags I keep when I shop. ( I love shops that use paper bags!).

We opted for a bird but of course A reindeer would make it more Christmassy. 

We used Gel Pastels from Djeco. They are terrific. A great gift for any little -or big- artist.

A litte bit of decoupage and a little bit of collage and lots of colours. Very simple.