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.
Hello and Merry Christmas! Hope you are enjoying time with the family and enjoying time to yourself! I have had some wonderful days off. Check out my new gift above. It is the new version of a Polaroid camera! I cannot wait to "smash" these pictures and other special ones I took over the past week. So fun!
The Paper Pickle and Homebaked Kitchen will be open tomorrow (December 31) from 10am-3pm. Stop in and get your crafty supplies and goodies for some lazy holi-days! The kids and I are all ready for a New Years Day full of crafty fun!
Please note the store will not reopen until January 7th so stop in tomorrow if you need anything. Otherwise, you can email me and I will do my best to accommodate your request!
Good morning! Just wanted to remind you that we are open Tuesday, December 23 10am-5pm and Wednesday, December 24 10am-2pm for your last minute shopping needs.
We have great stocking stuffers including all the Tim Holtz mini distress inks, gift cards, paper pads and more!
In case you missed it, here are our holiday hours for the next couple of weeks.
I don't know about you, but I only JUST began wrapping a couple of gifts last night. It was after my daughter said "Mom, it's weird, all the trees on tv have tons of presents under them and we only have one and it's from me to you!" Talk about guilt. Ha. I swear that girl is my personal assistant and keeps me on the ball reminding me things to do and things coming up....and she's only 8!
Well if you are like me, you are in luck! The Paper Pickle has some great gift boxes ready for some crafty business. Add ribbon, burlap, washi tape, twine paper are more to these gorgeous kraft boxes in sizes 6x6, 8x8 and 12x12. We also brought in an adorable pink giftalicious box with comes complete with tag and ribbon. These boxes are Santa approved and sure to keep your most precious gifts safe!
Keep smilin'....
Kim
PS....did you see we will be open this Monday (10-5), Tuesday (10-5) and Wednesday (10-2)? Let your people know so they can pop in for a gift card or we can help them surprise you with new goodies as there have been quite a few deliveries over the last week!
Oh wow! You guys having some pretty busy days? Me too. The crazy part is that I feel calm. I still have a lot to do but the critical gifts are bought (aka kids and hubby) and a few must do things are now done so that is awesome and maybe the reason for the calm! I will share with you the fun I have had over the last couple of days in very near future posts!
So have a look at our holiday hours above. We will be open this week business as usual (Wednesday-Friday 10am-5:30pm and Saturday 10am-3pm and Sunday closed). We will also be open THIS Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for any last minute gift cards, gifts, goodies, supplies and more!
If you know of any brides who are in town over the holidays and would like to discuss wedding stationery, please feel free to pass on my email address (thepaperpickle@gmail.com) and I would be happy to try to accommodate them!
The holidays are almost here. I hope you are taking some time to relax and soak it all in!
