I absolutely owe you a BIG thank you! Thank you SO much for allowing Jen and I to have a few extra days off this holiday season. I know it was probably an inconvenience (and you know you can always email me if you have a paper emergency!) but because of you, I was able to spend some quality time crafting with my daughter. We spent New Year's Day and January 2nd building "Julia's Toys". Have a look at our creation.....
In case you are not familiar, the doll in the picture is a Monster High.
So I have to give you a little background on this toy shop. Every day (like EVERY day) Julia comes home from school and immediately grabs the iPad. She frequents various sites but her favourite has to be watching YouTube videos from My Froggy Stuff. This woman is incredible. She is all about upcycling and using products like card board boxes, cereal boxes, paper towel rolls and scrapbooking paper to make wonderful play items for your Barbies, Monster High, Ever After High and even American Girl dolls. It is wonderful how she transforms this "trash" into affordable and playful accessories for these dolls.
We made a doll vending machine (like a year ago!) so I figured it was time to make something new! At the beginning of the Christmas Holidays, I promised Julia we would make a "My Froggy Stuff" project. Here is the video My Froggy Stuff created and which we based our store. You will notice we made some changes but we were thrilled with our completed project.
The Process - Day 1
Now don't get intimidated when I say it took two days! Really we worked on this part of the toy store (cutting the box and adding the paper) for about an hour before my parent's and in laws stopped in for a little New Year's Day cheer. The balance of the project took about another 1.5-2 hours. Definitely doable in one afternoon.
I did all the cutting with an exacto knife and used my 12x12 paper trimmer to cut all the paper for the floors and walls. Froggy always talks about Mod Podge but to tell you the truth, I cannot stand how sticky that glue is. I use nothing but Perfect Paper Adhesive from USArt Quest. It is beautiful to work with (never sticky) and clean up is so easy. We have been carrying it at The Pickle for over a decade.
A squeegee or old credit card is a must so no bubbles form while adhering the large sheets of paper.
The Finished Product
We used fun Basic Grey, MME and Crate Paper 12x12 scrapbooking papers to dress the store's walls and floor and for the shelves and counter. FYI, the finished project measures about 14x14.
Fun paper banners from American Crafts were strung from the ceiling to add a little charm. I love this look! Maybe you will even see it at The Pickle and Homebaked in the near future!
We used fun little toys (Littlest Pet Shops, etc.) and flyer cutouts to add inventory. Julia also decided that prices were necessary so she cut out pricing ($10, $1, etc.) from the Wal-Mart flyer! It was adorable as she asked me, "How much should this be, Mom?" I think I am "growing" a little entrepreneur over here and I couldn't be more proud!
A top look at the shop. Originally, we had left the full ceiling but it was almost too dark. We left a 1.5" border around three sides of the box top and added a scalloped awning at the front of the store. This allowed us a place to fasten the banner which was nice. It also makes the store more accessible.
Thank you
So this is what it is ALL about! One thrilled little girl. She absolutely LOVES her toy shop. I am so happy I had the time to keep my promise to her and you know what? I had fun too! I got to craft using my adored papers but got to create something that I would not normally choose to create. The time we spent together will be forever remembered and cherished. Thank you again.
Kim
PS....after some very enjoyable time off, we are energized and are now ALL business! We are back TOMORROW so stop in and share your holiday stories and projects! Please note we have decided to change our hours slightly and will now close at 5pm through the week.
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