Custom characters

Recently I attempted to paint some factory seconds Sheep, here are the results.

As you can see some of the paint ended up where it wasn't supposed to be, & some sheep did end up with smudges on them.

Unfortunately being factory second they had some patches of flocking missing.

The adults & one baby I painted with watercolour paint straight from it's tube, but the child & other baby I took apart & painted with watercolour paint that was slightly watered down, they turned out much better in that there were less smudges, it was easier stay within the lines, & their flocking stayed softer,  but due to the paint being watered down they needed more layers & still didn't end up quite as dark as the one painted with undiluted paint.

I don't mind the end result, live sheep often have colour spot "blemishes" anyway, so they are still realistic enough for me!

Here is the link for the tutorial I read before attempting any painting customs: 

http://www.ladylollipop.co.za/cheetahcustom.html

DIY Ceiling lights.

After buying lights for the lighthouse I had a few left over & decided to experiment with decorating them to use in houses. 

You will need:

Battery operated tea light (from eBay)

Double sided tape

coloured light card or scrap booking paper. 

Straight cut scissors 

Wave cut scissors. 

Method:

Measure 10cm x 1.5cm of the paper with the straight scissors, then trim one edge with the wave cut scissors. Attach around the lower half of the tea light with double sided tape. 

Finish:

Attach to the roof of your house with double sided tape. 

The ones I bought twist on & off. If the tea lights you buy have a different on/off mechanism you might need to adjust this the suit them. 

Also you can use ribbon or lace instead of paper, & if you don't have double sided tape you can use glue, but I found that a bit tricker (as you have to be careful not to get glue in the light mechanism or accidentally glue the light together). 

DIY lighthouse conversion

Recently I bought a Field View Mill to convert to a lighthouse (at that time there wasn't a Sylvanian lighthouse). 

1. First step- take the top off the mill

There is a lovely groove which makes the conversion easier. 

2. Second step, cut a circle the size of the base of the blue observatory. 

3. Cut a straight piece approximately 11cm wide & long enough to wrap around the circle. 

4. Glue together & place on top story. Make sure it sits snuggly inside the groove. 

It's starting to take shape. 

5. Cut the style of lighthouse lantern that you want. 

Testing it to see if it works. 

6. Paint it your desired colour. 

This is my inspiration. 

DIY with foam board.

Recently I decided to experiment with making things from foam board (like the small pond). Here is the latest one...

2 layers of board, 1 thin layer for the walkway/pier, 1 full width layer for the water. The brown cardboard glued on & planks drawn in. The water is blue paint. 

The rocks are there at the moment keep the 2 pieces together while the glue dries, & then some of the rocks will be used as scenery. 

DIY Pond -Mimi's tutorial

I decided to try & add a few little extra touches to the village & have started with a pretty simple pond tutorial 

(found here: http://ashmimi.com/language/en/2015/04/25/tutorial-ponds/)

Mine didn't quite turn out as good as the tutorial, but I'm pretty sure the kids will enjoy playing with it. 

I haven't made a park/street base for it yet, but I'll get there. 

DIY paper tablecloth

I've had a couple of people ask how I made the tablecloth in the harvester restaurant. Here it is:

What you will need. 

Your table

Scrapbook or light craft paper

Scissors

Ruler

Pen

For this example I've chosen a checkered pattern, but if you choose a floral pattern you will need to decide what part of the pattern you wish to use. 

Place your table on the paper & trace around it. 

Now measure 2.5cm/ 1 inch from the corners & place a dot. (You will need 8 dots)

Using the ruler, draw lines using the dots. 

Cut on the outer lines 

It should look like this:

Now extend the lines to the edges

It should look like this

Fold on lines 

Both ways

Draw line in corners like this 

And fold that towards centre 

It will look like this 

Then put it on you table

This will work for square or rectangular tables. 

Giveaway Winner

We have a winner!!! (random draw)

I will post this on the Sylvanian forum & will be contacting the winner via email as well to arrange shipping. Thank you to those who participated, it was lovely reading your entries. 

 

A bonus for the canal boat giveaway

I recently had to order an accessory pack from the Sylvanian Store in London, so I ordered an extra pack for the canal boat giveaway. 

So who ever wins will have a little extra to work with in the boat renovation! (The boat wreck fines have any of these accessories at present) 

Remember to email your entries for the canal boat giveaway before the end of March 2016! 

On another note it is definitely worth checking with wwwsylvanianstorekeepers.com 

If you have accessories missing. 

March Madness

Why is titled "Match Madness"? Well once you read it you will either think me crazy for doing this, or maybe yourself crazy for wanting to enter, or possibly both!! 

Now, it's freebie time!!! 

Early in 2015 I bought this canal boat with the intention of giving it a make over, or at the very least I thought I would never get hold of a better one for a decent price. 

Fast forward to later in the year & another canal boat in better condition came up for sale locally (which I then bought). And much as I love the boat I don't need 2 of them, so I am giving someone else the chance to own this "fixer upper" for free, postage paid worldwide! 

What do you need to do to enter? 

1) Be a member of http://sylvanianfamiliesforum.co.za

2) email me at:

Tinuvielcat@gmail.com

With your member name & a concept art/picture idea of how you would renovate or decorate the Rose of Sylvania 2 (which is the name of this model of canal boat)

Just to be clear this canal boat is in poor condition & only people who are willing to do a DIY renovation should consider entering. (Although my main aim is to send this boat to a loving new home.) 

I will run this competition/giveaway for all of March & will notify the winner via the Sylvanian forum & this blog on April 1st. I'm quite excited to see what entries we will get!  

DIY Sofa or Bed

First up you will need: 

Cardboard (light, like from a cereal packet or biscuit box)

5 small boxes (matchboxes or tictacs)

Cottonballs (I used 13)

Glue or needle & thread

Cotton of choice. 

Method:

There are 2 ways to make this, you can either glue or sew it depending on what you find easiest. 

To start you need to glue 3 of the small boxes together 

This forms the seat or your sofa, or the base of your bed.  (I am making a sofa here)

Next measure your cardboard 

For sofa measure length of boxes 

For bed measure width of boxes

You can make the sofa back or bed head any shape you like, for this one I'm doing a simple arch shape. 

Then glue at least 2 cotton balls on each small box. 

Glue cotton balls on your cardboard (leaving a space at the bottom to attach to small boxes). 

Measure cotton material for sofa seat/bed base. It should be enough to wrap around tightly with a small extra for seam. 

Glue or sew onto base. 

(Note: this one is glued, here is where I ran out of glue. Remember to check that you have enough glue to start with. From now I am sewing this sofa). 

Remember to fold all seam edges in when you sew or glue. 

Now base is finished. Glue or sew material to sofa back/bed head. 

It is best to have the seam at the top, so you can shape it properly. 

(Although I've sewn this you can glue it.) 

Now time to attach the base. 

For sofa sew/glue together along length 

For bed sew/glue together along width

(Picture is of sofa). 

This is last step for the bed, continue on for sofa. 

Cover (sew or glue) the last 2 small boxes with material separately 

Then sew or glue 1 box on either end of sofa. 

First side done. 

All finished! 

With adult & child for size comparison 

It's a lot bigger than I was expecting. 

It's quite a bit bigger than one made with matchboxes. 

All done! Thanks for reading.