Blythe Ponytail Parades

DIY Doctor Who Terrarium

So as a lot of you have probably figured out, I am really obsessed with terrariums or anything inside glass domes/jars/etc. And I love miniatures. So I have had this idea for a long time...it just took me a while to bring it to life. One day I was playing with some of my glass pieces and really wanted to create a mini scene in one. Nothing too fancy or extravagant. Just a natural scene with something miniature and unnatural. So I decided to bring the world of Doctor Who into a tiny scene in my jar. It kind of makes me think of the Tardis in some really grassy green place in the world...like Scotland or Ireland!

I originally had considered doing a Tardis AND a random villain or maybe some miniature people, but that just got too complicated to think about. Plus my jar wasn't too big. If you aren't a Doctor Who fan, that's ok! Use your imagination and make something else the center focal point of your own little terrarium. So here's how I started....

I used some moss, moss covered faux rocks, bake clay (for the tardis), pebbles, paint and my jar! Altogether this project cost me about $18 (including the jar which I got at Marshalls for a STEAL). BUT I had to buy new paint for my tardis and instead of searching for rocks or pebbles, I just bought some for lack of time. Use your imagination and you can find things from around your own backyard for a terrarium. I have before!

I carefully sculpted my little tardis out of Bake Shop clay (this was the most time consuming part of the project) and baked it at 275 for 12 minutes.

Next I painted it with a tiny tiny paintbrush trying to cover as many details as possible. The top "police public call box" writing was FAR too difficult to paint so I ended up printing off a tiny version of it and glueing it to the top.

Next, I arranged all my moss and rocks in a pleasing way inside the jar and let the little Tardis rest right in the middle on a moss pile. 

Thanks for letting me share my newest silly project with you guys! I had a blast putting it together :)

blythe customization how to: step #2 custom eyes, sleepy lids & lashes

So today I am sharing the next steps in customizing my little doll Antoinette. I showed the first step (matting the face) in my last post featured HERE! Take a look if you want and then check out the below tutorial for changing out the eyechips, creating sleepy eyelids and changing out the eyelashes.

There will be one more post to follow and it will reveal the final look. :) Enjoy and comment if you have any questions at all!

1. With the eye socket removed from the head per the past post, we begin ripping out the current stock eyelashes. I used a tweezers and pulled at the base of the lashes. Once they have all been ripped out, the crease in the lid should be clean and ready for a new set to slide in. I used regular human lashes and trimmed them to the size of lid. It was extremely difficult to take a photo of this, but once you pull out the lashes, you will see for yourself where the new lashes should go. I used a needle to slowly push the new lashes back into the crease.
2. Now we can change the eyechips! The way to remove the stock eyechips is to warm the end of a glue stick (holding it over a candle or match to warm the end) and to firmly press the end against the eyeball. I took a picture of this step, but somehow, it has disappeared in the crevices of my computer. So click HERE to see an example from my instagram! 
   
   Let the stick dry for a while (about 30 minutes) and then gently twist and pull the glue stick to remove the eyechip. They should pop out with ease so long as the glue stick was completely dry. Now take your new eyechips (you can buy them on eBay or other online retailers) and squirt a tiny bit of glue on the back and place it in the socket the same way the stock eyechips were.
   
   
3. Once you are done, you can move on to adding sleepy eyes! This is where the lids can stay closed without popping back up everytime the string is pulled. Put the eyesocket back in the head and now and start to reassemble. Redo all the screws and screw back on the T-Bar. Now, where the spring was originally looped through, take a string and tie it through that hole. Now you have two pull chords. One chord is strung through the silver hole in the back of the head and your new chord will go through the square hole where the spring was originally attached. You are now ready to close up the head. You are finished with the inside!

If any of this was a tad confusing or if you would like more information, leave me a comment. I would be glad to walk you through. The next step is the final results so stay tuned....

A Nintendo Coffee Table

My baby brother is extremely creative (like my mom) AND he's great at building and putting things together (like my dad), so when he puts his mind to something, he makes it happen. When I first saw him working on this table for his room, I completely freaked out! Even half way through the design, it looked epic! Definitely perfect for a any gamer guy ;) But my inner geek completely loves it too!

I've told him over and over that he could sell them on Etsy or make an online shop for them, but he wasn't sure about it. I know they would do well. So I wanted to share with all of you guys today! And a big thanks to my mom Jean Loper Photography for the pictures. Enjoy! :)

Happy Friday everyone! I am going camping this weekend and fully intend to lay in the sun for hours and hike around for pretty pictures! First time tent camping in years....hoping the rain predictions don't come true!