DIY Barbie art

I've had several little projects going at once and thought I'd share one of my simpler ones.

We all know those data pages that come with your photos, right? You know the ones that have the teeny tiny picture of the prints you ordered. Well, while cleaning out my papers I found several of these from a recent Shutterfly ( Love their prints!) order.  Now I despise getting rid of anything with my precious babes on it. I mean how can I throw away such beautiful faces?

 

 

It then dawned on me. Barbie needs a photo album! I mean how cute would it be to have HRH's brothers hanging on her dollhouse wall? HRH is not quite to the fashion doll stage so this is of course a project for far in the future use for my little one, but I'm happy to share my light bulb with all of you.

 

 

What you'll need:

Teeny tiny picture thingy (Yes, thingy is a very technical term. ha ha)

 

Scissors

 

Photo friendly glue/ mod podge

 

Card stock

 

Toothpicks for frame optional

 

Depending on what type of art you what to create for your doll, you can use a frame or string the pictures together with a small sewing needle.

 

I chose to leave mine unframed at the moment. It makes it easier for storage.

 

Step 1:  Cut each picture neatly. You can leave a small bit of the white for a "mat" around the picture. Remember this is all artistic and to your taste. Have fun with it!

 

Step 2:  Use your friendly glue to tack photos to the card stock.

 

Step 3: Allow to dry. Depending on the type of glue (I used Elmer's school glue) the time can vary. Mine took about 20 minutes. Throw in some laundry or dishes. Do your nails.

 

Step 4: Cut the pictures out of the card stock.

 

You can be finished here. If you want to frame it you can go on to step 5.

 

Step 5:  Trim the pointy end off of the toothpicks. I used scissors but I recommend using an exacto knife or snips.  There were flying bits of toothpicks all across my kitchen. The upside? Photoboy and HRH were in stitches!

 

Step 6: Hot glue or glue tooth picks into a frame shape and attach to picture.

 

Voila! Art for Barbie. I'm sure there are other uses for these tiny little pictures. Maybe in model houses and towns. The sky is the limit. Enjoy!

 

 

~Rachel

 

 

 

*I am sorry for the lack of photos for this tutorial.  Silly me didn't think to do this until AFTER I'd already put the teeny pics into storage along with HRH's dolls I plan on giving her. Please feel free to share pics if you decide to do this. I'll post them to your credit on my DIY page. *

 

 



Giveaway options

I've finally finished the picture of the giveaway applique options. These can also be done in turaqua (totally the yarn brand's name for the color).

 

 

So far there has been a lot of activity and positive feedback on the giveaway. Keep it coming! :) I love to hear the opinions on my work.

 

 

What would you like to see me offer? Is there an idea you've been wanting to see done in crochet? Email me or comment. I can't wait to hear it.

 

~Rachel

 

 

 



Etsy!

Squee!!! I am so excited to announce that my Etsy shop is officially open.  Ladybug Inspirations has its first listing with my mustache cup cozy. Also, I am doing a giveaway which you can enter here on my bestie's blog.

 

It has long been my dream to sell my little projects. I'm certain I'll have ups and downs but I'm excited all the same.  A huge thank you to the bestie, JSmitty, for all her help and encouragement. Without her the shop would still just be an idea in my head.

 

Love ya Smitty!

 

 

~Rachel

Busy autumn

It occurs to me that I've been neglectful of my poor blog. Never fear ; however, for I am back and ready to write again. And I'm still a dork. Hehe.

 

Autumn is a very busy time of year for the Ladybug family. Superboy and HRH both have their birthdays as do Superman's trusty sidekick the Waibel and my sister D. Actually there are a TON of birthdays in the family during autumn.  Those are just some of the main ones. In addition to birthdays we have the beginning of school for the boys, vacation time for Superman, and a baby shower for my bestie, JSmitty.

 

Phew! That makes me just tired thinking about it. With SB's birthday finished and HRH's fast approaching, I've been in serious party mode.  She has tons of new outfits just waiting to be wrapped. Also, I started on her princess costume (not that she isn't already a princess) for both trick-or-treat and her birthday party.  We are doing a costume party seeing as how she's our little Halloween baby. 

 

I've also been working on my crochet in order to make some money for Christmas. Thanks to the wonderful mind of the bestie, I'm getting somewhere in my efforts. Nothing sold as of yet but I've made some nice things.

 

 

A mustachioed cup cozy

 

and a dress just for Barbie

 

 

I also made a Santa hat just for JSmitty's little bundle due in December.

 

 

Things aren't looking to slow down again until well after the end of the year. I'm looking forward to the hustle of the season. A time for me to get my behind in gear and keep up with my blog, my crochet, and my reading. All things I need to do for myself.

 

If you are looking for your very own Ladybug Inspiration item or have an idea for an item you'd like made, please feel free to contact me via email. Or via my Facebook page.

 

~Rachel

 

 



My work

 Today I made my very own lightbox! Completely excited about it. It was rough and I'll be making another one now that I've realized where I went wrong in the first. 

 

Can you tell the mistake?

Newborn headband

Just a little hat

My third foray into embroidery


Those are  few things I can make. My embroidery isn't all that great. I'm still learning. If you have the patience you can teach yourself anything. I'm the perfect example. :)

I taught myself to crochet and can now follow a pattern and make just about anything.


I'm sorry for the short and badly worded posts as of late. My brain has been a bit off lately.

~Rachel

 

Dawes Arboretum

   This past May my family and I took a trip to Dawes Arboretum in Newark, Ohio. It was as always gorgeous! I know of many who won't attend because they think it's just a place for trees. Wrong! There is SO much to do.

 

If you are a lover of history, you could take a walk around the Daweswood House Museum. Originally the home of a farmer/blacksmith, it was bought by the Dawes family sometime between 1917 and 1918. The house and it's gardens would be wonderful for weddings anytime of the year. Those interested in having an event at Dawes can click here.

 

I love walking around and always see something new with every trip. Fortunately, I live only 10 minutes away from the grounds.

 

Japanese Gardens Small Lake

Japanese gardens

Japanese gardens


If you can't tell which is my favorite spot, its the Japanese gardens. The peace is beyond awesome. Even with a few people milling about, it was very relaxing. I also had my three children, my two nieces and two nephews, my sister, the Waibel, my husband and my parents with me.  Phew! I didn't realize there were that many. Ha Ha.

 

The Arboretum is out of this world for photo shoots. Recently I took Mouse and Person's engagement photos there.  The only problem was choosing a spot because of how many great spots there are.   We ended up deciding on the island in the center of  Dawes Lake.

 

Mouse getting ready

Aren't they sweet?


For the parent, it would be a great place to take the kiddos to learn. They do an educational walk for the young and old. Also, they have animals there at different times in the discovery center beneath the gift shop. 


Whether you are a single person just wanting to go for a run or a family looking for a FREE fun day, Dawes Arboretum is the place for you. I hope you enjoy it as much as my little family does.

~Rachel

 



Engaged!

My baby sister, Mouse,  is getting married this December! Squeee!!! I wanted to do something special for her and her fiance(Person), so I took their engagement photos. Today I received my handiwork in the mail in the form of her save the dates.

 

I was fairly pleased with how they turned out. Not too bad for my first ever project, if I do say so myself. :)

 

 

The other option I made for them.

 

If you have something you'd love to do, just go for it. You never know what will come from it.

 

Congratulations Mouse and Person!!!

 

~Rachel

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Shout out Saturday

Shout out Saturday!!

 

Today's shout out is to the wonderful Jessie Smith at Pure of Heart Photography. If you live in the central Ohio area, she is the go to gal for professional photos.

 

 

Jessie is a dream with children and truly enjoys her work. She was so patient and even let one of my children help her take a picture! They adore her.  I cannot brag enough about her. You can see her work on Facebook and her website.  Long story short, if you want quality photos for a reasonable price, check out Pure of Heart. You can't go wrong!

 

~Rachel

 

My favorite of Superman and myself