Arabelli Decor, Dolls, Frills, & Bowdiddles

Presenting Arabelli

I'm excited to present my "Arabelli" blog which is just one big portfolio of my Interior Design projects, Refurnished Furniture, Crafts, Dolls, and Parties. By doing this I hope to find my niche of what to do or sell on Etsy/ Ebay or maybe it will help give you all ideas for your home or gifts. It's named after my daughter, Arabella's nickname. Alot of this is for growth documenting purposes and as you will see, cakes and parties are not my strong point, but talents I hope to develop.

I'm going to add a Jewelry, Quilt and Art portfolio soon so stay tuned.

I also hope to write and illustrate a children's book series called "Ainsley Painsley Pudding and Pie" and make quietbooks to go along with the line, but it's mainly for Ainsley to remember all the crazy and cute things she did, but that probably won't be accomplished til I'm a grandma.

Enjoy looking around my portfolios and viewing my monthly projects.

Monday, December 5, 2011

This Year's Christmas Decor

I love my snowbabies.

Made a seat cushion for this old box. Someday will paint it.

Painted this shelf my sis-in-law, Alyssa gave me. Finally made stockings for Andy & I, plus one for Lennea out of old material scraps. Working on stockings for Jesus and an imaginary baby brother at Ainsley's request.

Ainsley and Arabella's tree to decorate in their room. It changes or gets things added to it everyday.

The Girls have already got a early Christmas present from their Aunt Lacey. A big gigantic doll house! They love to play in it everyday. Thanks Aunt Lacey!

We added furniture I had as a kid and made. All it needs is a Christmas tree!

What I started to make, but needed it for our books. It had carpet and the furniture in it, but a little cramped for all of Ainsley barbies.

A bed I made when I was about 12yr. old.

Turkey Pots

Crafting with Grandma Weight and Aunt Lacey

More Babyshowers & Birthdays

Well my crafting for the Holidays have begun with lots of B-days and Birthdays!

Diaper cake for my cousin Kaylee's baby boy:

B-day present for Ainsley's Friend Samantha (gave these ponies a make over and a new wardrobe):

B-day Presents for Ainsley's friend Savannah (gave this horse and bear a feathery make over and wardrobe):

Made over Ainsley's dress-up shoes, too!

Had to make over one of Ainsley's horses, too and give her a bear, just like Savannah.

Ha then Ainsley wanted to do poses with her horse.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Tangled Themed Costumes

So if you haven't figured it out we are the characters from Disney's Tangled- Ainsley/Rapunzel, Arabella/ Pascul, Andy/ Flynn Rider w/ wanted poster & frying pan and I'm the mother that knows best/ Mother Gothel. It was really funny going to the mall because we had a couple of people (mostly orientals with cameras ready) want to take our picture. We even had an elderly grandma wanting to take our pic, but she forgot her camera. Everyone loved the wig I made for Ainsley. Again pinterest.com had some turtorials and then I made it my own. All costumes were scrounged from DI, our closets or my fabric scraps (my cape from my mom and my wig from Shopko clearance) which all totaled about $50. That's like a costume and a 1/2 maybe found on amazon.com. I guess you can get cheaper or just not dress up, but Halloween's my fav so I tend to go out a little more than I should. :) Plus it's memories and makes our little girl's dream world a reality when we do it and maybe mine, too....

This is what Arabella's costume was fashioned after- Disney's Tangled Pascul

Ainsley did such a good job holding her heavy wig and took really good care of it for the most part. Bangs got a little stringy, but for a $11 homemade wig it did good (took 11 skeins of yarn found at DI and scrounged up flowers from my mom's fake flower arrangements- flowers are attached to hair clips so they can come off). To buy one online like Tangled's Rupunzel with real hair made by a gal named Tracy Hines costs $600+. I should look into wig making!

Halloween Decor & Birthday Gifts

So another craft itch blog. I just love Halloween so I got down and dirty and maybe scary for my family with all the crafting I did. :)

These were our little ghosties that we made out of milk jugs. The tall one is an owl, but Ainsley calls it E.T. (her obsession lately which was a nightmare, but now he's her imaginary friend).

Here's Mr. Bottle Bones. He took about 6-7 milk jugs to make. We got the idea from the Family Fun magazine on the internet which is saved on my pinterest boards.

We made a little death trap out of rods from a broken shoe rack I had.

The pumpkins were thanks to my Grandpa Neil. Just spent too much time on costumes that we didn't get to paint and carve them, but we are going to make them into turkeys instead for Thanksgiving.

My friend's little boy had a hat birthday themed party. This was my hat. $1 at the dollar store. I made these bows and pins that will come off to use for other things.

I'll add these feathers for next year. I really want to be a witch.

Sassy snake I made for Ainsley's friend's b-day party + gave her a pumpkin. I also made a super hero snake for my friends little boy, but I guess I forgot to take a pic.

I played doctor Frankenstein and doctored up these old dolls. One of these were going to be for Ainsley's 6 yr. old friend, but Ainsley just loved them too much and well I liked them too, so they will be for Christmas and birthday probably.

This bendy doll was just wearing that pink shirt which was a skirt and some see through shirt and a bikini. DI has some weird dolls, but Ainsley liked her. I called her Miss Frizzle because she had some frizzy hair going on. Anyway with some scraps and some broken bling costume jewelry I had, I turned her into a caucasian Arabian/ India Princess or Jeanie and gave her a fancy sassy snake.

I turned this broken headless barbie into a jeanie with a lamp, again with broken costume jewelry and scraps I had and of course some strong Rhino glue for the head. I got the lamp from my neighbor when she was moving and I was going to bling up the lamp, but since Ainsley was going to get her I gave the lamp to my Primary Pres. I think I'll use a little milk glass bottle from DI for a jeanie lamp.

New Decor Make Over

So I've been just itching to craft craft craft. I'm sick of my color booklet project so I took off two weeks to get ready for Halloween and just change up my house with some more color.

This was my inspiration- Agave plant. Someday I'll get the real big print or paint one my self.

I got these drapes from my neighbor (hung them with a shower curtain rod), saved these chairs from the dump and got the blue fabric from the bishop's wife.

Couch and side table I got from my neighbor as commission for helping her move and sell her furniture.

It came with 3 pillows which I made covers for (fabric from bishop's wife and scrap fabric I just had) + 2 pillows were chair cushions & one I already had. I love pinterest.com because I found some great easy pillow tutorials. Camera made the fabric look brighter.