The Yellow Mouse? Full of short words for young readers.

        One evening Mousey made up his mind to leave his home and see the world. His world was the nursery, where just now all was dark and quiet, except for the flicker and glow of the fire in the grate. His home was a warm and cozy nest right under the boards, which his mother had made for him and his brothers.
       But Mousey was tired of the nest, and when Mrs. Mouse had left her children to look for her supper he slipped out after her, and ran up the dark passage to the world above. He was a pretty little thing. His toes were pink and so was the tip of his nose. His coat was soft and brown and furry and his eyes shone like big black beads. His tail was a wonder, so long and so slender.
       Scrit-scratch went his tiny feet on the nursery floor as he ran. What a lot of strange smells! thought Mousey. He sniffed first round the coal-box, and then near the cat's basket, and then under the table, where some cake-crumbs had fallen. The last smell made him so curious that he tasted a crumb with his little pink tongue, and then for the next few minutes he was busy. Nibble, nibble, one crumb after another, till he had had a good supper.
       Soon Mousey found himself at the foot of the table-leg. "This goes up," said he, "and so will I.'' He stuck his sharp claws into the wood and up he went. The table-cloth, too, was a help, for he could stick his claws int that as well.
       At last he was up, and there was a great surprise for Mousey. For in the middle stood a strange little house shut in by bars that shone like gold in the firelight. Behind the golden bars sat a golden prisoner. "Hurrah!" cried Mousey in his thin squeak, ''this must be the yellow mouse my mother has told me of. It is he who sings so loudly in the sunshine when we brown mice are hiding away. I will set him free and take him home and he shall teach us to sing loudly too."
       Mousey gripped the golden bars with his tiny sharp teeth, and bit hard and fast. "Twing, twang," said the bars, and the golden prisoner woke. He ruffled his feathers and gave an angry squawk. "Ugly little brown mouse, what are you doing here? Squawk! squawk!"
       Timid Mousey gave one look at him as he flew, beating his wings round his cage, and then rushed to the edge of the table. Down by the cloth he swung and scrit-scratched across the floor. He did not stop till he was safe in his cozy dark nest again. by H. W. Seers.

 

"He ruffled his feathers and gave an angry squawk."

Decorative Sheet Music for Scrapping

        Antique looking sheet music for scrapper's crafts. This one for all kinds of projects that require musical notes integrated into the design. I have a few more pages like this that I'll upload under this post in the future.

This sheet music printable has color background for those crafters
using white paper for printing.

How Grasshopper Green defended the Meadow Mice

 

       Early one Saturday morning-it must have been about the end of February- Father Meadow-Mouse looked out of the window and saw that there had been quite a thaw during the night.

       "Mother Meadow-Mouse," said he, "it is much warmer this morning, and I think the ice that filled up that hole under Farmer Green's corn-crib must be melted away. Now our larder is nearly empty; so you and I'd better go over there right away and get some corn before the squirrels wake up." 

       So Mother Meadow-Mouse put on her little dark blue shawl, and Father Meadow-Mouse put on his little bright red muffler, and, taking two sacks with them, they started off to get the corn. 

Meadow-Mouse children clean up the house while their parents are away.

    

   Grasshopper Green stayed home with the children (the day being Saturday, they didn't have to go to school), for in spite of the thaw the weather was still too cold for him to safely venture out.

       Making Everything spic and span "Now, children," said Grasshopper Green, "we'll wash the breakfast dishes, and sweep and dust the room, and make everything spick and span to surprise your Mother and Father when they come back." 

       So Long-Tail, Sharp-Eyes, Pink-Ears and Mouseykins all put on funny little blue aprons and fell to work, and in a very short time the dishes were all washed and dried and the room was as neat as a new pin.

       When all the work was done, Grasshopper Green got out his fiddle and said that it was time for a dancing lesson. 

       Oh, how the little Meadow-Mouse Children enjoyed dancing lessons! Of course they couldn't equal the wonderful twirling leaps of their teacher, Grasshopper Green, but they did very well, and you should have seen how gracefully they waved their tails; and that was something that Grasshopper Green couldn't do for the reason, of course, that he hadn't any tail to wave. 

       The first part of the lesson was over, and Grasshopper Green was just starting to re-tune his little fiddle, when they heard a creaking sound - as if someone were cautiously trying to push open the front door, which was bolted on the inside.

       Long-Tail, who happened to be standing near the little window, peeped out to see who was there, then suddenly jumped back and dived into the corner cupboard, squeaking in a trembly voice, "It's Mouser!"

       Now "Mouser" was Farmer Green's big, yellow-eyed, black cat! 

      Father Meadow-Mouse had once said to Grasshopper Green, "Our home is so far away from the farmhouse and barn and is so well disguised that there is really no danger of that terrible Mouser ever finding it." But here he was at last! 

       Mouser, no doubt, had heard--perhaps the weasel who lived near-by had told him--that Father and Mother Meadow-Mouse had both gone out that morning, leaving the children alone. 

       He probably did not know that Grasshopper Green was there with the little Meadow-Mice, though, of course, even if he had, he wouldn't have thought anything of it. And what, indeed, could a little Grasshopper do against a big cat? 

       There was only one thing he could do, Grasshopper Green decided, and that was to go for help without a moment's delay. 

Thistlewhistle the fairy, lived with 
some rabbit friends.

       Now Grasshopper Green knew that Thistle-Whistle, the Fairy, lived with some rabbits in a rabbit-hole among the briars not far away, and he was sure that Thistle-Whistle, who was quite a powerful Fairy, could in some way drive off Mouser and rescue the little Meadow-Mice.

       So, not even stopping to put on a muffler, he raised the window very quietly and hopped out.

       Mouser was intent on trying to open the door by clawing and pushing, and didn't notice the window at all.

       Then you should have seen Grasshopper Green's tremendous leaps! You may be sure he went faster than any Grasshopper had ever hopped before. Warmed by his excitement an d exertions, he didn't feel the cold a bit.

       He soon reached the rabbit-hole. Alas! The Fairy was not there. As Grasshopper Green turned to go, he spied a small chest standing near the door. At the sight of this a brilliant idea immediately popped into his head!

       Now Listen! In that chest were some tiny black pellets, magic pellets, about the size of mustard seeds.

       Thistle-Whistle and Grasshopper Green had become great friends that winter an d the Fairy had told Grasshopper Green about these magic pellets; if you swallow only one, and then wished yourself any size you wanted to be-as small as a Flea or as big as an Elephant, or any size in between. You would become that size instantly!

       Grasshopper Green returned to the whole promptly and with the seed in his mouth, wished to be as large as a small dog!

       The moment Mouser poked his head inside of the mouse hole, his eyes met with Grasshopper Greens'. The sight of the massive insect nearly paralyzed Mouser with surprise!

       Although a grasshopper is usually a very good-natured little fellow he has a really terrifying face, but we don't notice it often because he's so very small.

Grasshopper Green very scary when he's the size of a small dog!

       Look very closely at one sometime and then try to imagine what a strange looking monster he would be if he were as big as a dog!

       Great-Grandfather Goodheart said, when he told me the story, that Mouser never stopped running until he got to the next village, five miles away, and that he shrieked out to every animal he passed on the way that he had seen a dragon!

       At any rate, he was never seen about Farmer Green's place again. And that certainly was a great relief to all the Meadow-Mice, I can attest to it.

       As soon as Mouser disappeared in the distance, Grasshopper Green swallowed another pellet and wished himself back to his usual size. Then he called to the Meadow-Mouse children to come out of their hiding places and told them the good news. For Long-Tail and Sharp-Eyes had been squeezed in the cupboard and Pink-Ears and Mouseykins were under the bed all that time.

       Pretty soon Father and Mother Meadow-Mouse returned with their sacks full of corn.

       When they heard that Mouser had been so frightened that he probably would never return, you can guess how happy they were. They would be able to caper about freely for certain.

       They sent out invitations right away for a fine big party in honor of Grasshopper Green, who was, of course, their hero for many years to come. The End.

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The winter adventures of Grasshopper Green and his mice friends...

       Grasshopper Green felt so much better when he awoke in the morning, and a fine sunny morning it was, too, for the storm was over. The kindness of the Meadow-Mice, even more than the food and warmth, had made him feel almost like himself again, and if you've ever been acquainted with Grasshoppers, you know, of course, how sprightly and happy they naturally are. 
       He was still rather weak, however; so Mother Meadow-Mouse, who was a famous nurse, made him stay in bed and took care of him as if he had been one of her own family. 
       She put a mustard-seed poultice on his chest, and gave him a little hot corn gruel, and a drop or two of honey every two hours for his hoarseness. 

Uncle Meadow-Mouse teaches the children how to read and do their sums.

       Grasshopper Green improved so rapidly that by the time the young mice got home from school he was well enough to get up. I forgot to tell you that Long-Tail, Sharp-Eyes, Pink-Ears and Mouseykins were taught by a wise old grey mouse whom they called "Uncle." "Uncle" lived in a nice stone house, a hole in the foundation of a ruined barn, near-by.

 

Father Meadow-Mouse tells a story about pie-rats to his children.

       They were all very merry that evening at the supper table. Jolly Father Meadow-Mouse told them a rattling good yarn about the adventures of some young water-rats who put to sea in an old pie plate and determined to become pie-rats! (Your mother will explain this little joke.)
       After supper, while the youngsters were doing their lessons, Grasshopper Green helped Father and Mother Meadow-Mouse with the dishes. It made him feel very sad to think that he must soon be leaving this pleasant household. He thanked Father and Mother Meadow-Mouse for all their goodness, and started to say that he ought to be leaving the next morning, as he had nothing with which to pay for his keep, but Father Meadow-Mouse interrupted him.  

In winter and spring, fairies share in 
fun games with their good mouse 
compainions.

       "You'll do no such thing," he exclaimed heartily. "Now you just listen to me. If you want to pay us, you can do it in this way. Give us all dancing lessons, and play us a lively tune on your little fiddle now and then, for every one knows that all Grasshoppers are wonderful dancers and fiddlers."
       This plan, of course, just suited Grasshopper Green. In fact he was so delighted at the prospect of spending the winter with the merry, kind-hearted Meadow-Mice that he made a tremendous leap which carried him clear to the other end of the room. A second leap almost landed him in a pan of dish-water!
       In the midst of his caperings there was a knock at the door. 
       It was Mr. and Mrs. White-Mouse, old friends of the Meadow-Mice, who had come to make a friendly call. Grasshopper Green had never seen any White Mice before, and he thought them very beautiful and aristocratic with their pale complexions, ruby-colored eyes and long pinky tails. (For White-Mice do look that way, you know).
       He learned later that they belonged to a little boy living in a near-by farm house.
       Rap, tap, tap!-more guests arrived: three dainty little roadside Fairies with these funny names, Sun-Flower-Seed, Thistle-Whistle, and Ragged Sailor. (Fairies and Mice are usually very good friends; in fact, Great-Grandfather Goodheart says-but I'll tell you about that some other time.) 
       Grasshopper Green had met Ragged Sailor before. He was quite a musician and carried his tiny golden accordion in the sailor blouse he always wore. 
       It wasn't long before Grasshopper Green had his tiny fiddle tuned up, and Ragged Sailor got out his accordion. Then they started to play the liveliest little tunes you ever heard. 
       The rest of the party pushed the chairs and table back against the wall, to make room for dancing and then-Bless your heart! What a good time they all had. I sometimes wish that I were small enough to dance with a Fairy or a Mouse. Don't you? 

Fairies and mice dance all night while Grasshopper Green plays his fiddle!

        First they played the Pansy Petal Polka-a great favorite with the Fairies; then the Dragon Fly Dance and the Wheatfield Gavotte.
       They danced everything they could think of, from the ridiculous Caterpillar Crawl to the lovely Moon-Moth Minuet, ending up with the Grasshopper Hornpipe. In this dance, the object was to see which dancer could leap the highest and crack his heels together oftenest before he touched the floor.
       Sunflower Seed did this the best of all, for she had a pair of beautiful striped wings, like a butterfly's, which enabled her to stay in the air as long as she pleased.
       The Meadow-Mouse Children, who had gone to bed soon after the company came, were awakened by the noise of the Grasshopper Hornpipe, which was the most boisterous of all the dances. 
       Everybody was in such good humor that the little Meadow-Mice were allowed to stay up and come in, to join the fun.
       Dancing so much had made everyone hungry; so Father Meadow-Mouse got the corn popper and they popped, and popped, and popped, and ate, and ate, and ate! I don't dare to tell you how much they ate. Especially the four youngsters. The Fairies, too, seemed very fond of the popcorn. 
       "It's such a nice change from rose pollen and honeysuckle juice," Thistle-Whistle remarked. 
       Well, finally, Mr. White-Mouse said, "We must really be going now, for it's getting very late.' "
       "And so must we," said the Fairies, and that pleasant evening came to an end. 
       This, though, was only one of the many merry gatherings at the home of the Meadow-Mice.
       Even when no friends dropped in they had fine cozy evenings.
    Sometimes they would all play games, sometimes Father Meadow-Mouse would tell one of his entertaining stories, and sometimes Mrs. Meadow-Mouse would sing while Grasshopper Green accompanied her on his fiddle. Here's the chorus of one of her quaint little songs: 

The funny little chorus Mother Meadow-Mouse sings.

       Although, during the winter, Grasshopper Green hardly ever dared to go outdoors on account of the cold, which of course is very dangerous to Grasshoppers, he had such happy times with his new friends that the months passed very quickly.

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The story of Grasshopper Green and the Meadow Mice

 

       Of course you know the story of "The Grasshopper and the Ant"- and how one autumn, when the winds were growing raw and cold and the nights frosty, the poor Grasshopper, who hadn't done anything but fiddle and dance all through the pleasant summer and had nothing laid by for the hard winter, went to the thrifty Ant and asked for a bite to eat and a chance to warm his toes in the chimney corner. And how the tight-fisted Ant refused to help the Grasshopper.

       Ant said to the shivering Grasshopper, "Keep on fiddling and dancing, it may help to keep you warm!"

       This always seemed to me so cruel. 

       Now you've probably wondered, just as I used to, whatever finally became of that Grasshopper. 

       Well, dear old Great-Grandfather Goodheart, who knows all about such things, told me the following story one rainy day as we sat by the open fire roasting chestnuts. I enjoyed it so much that I'm sure you will too. 

       Now, make yourself comfortable and cozy and listen. After the sneering Ant had banged the door in his face, Grasshopper Green felt, as you may imagine miserable, forlorn and friendless.

       It was growing dark. He turned up the collar of his threadbare claw-hammer coat and shuffled along over the frozen ground, scarcely noticing where his benumbed feet were taking him. He tried wrapping himself in a fallen leaf; it was red and looked as though it might be warm. But, alas! it proved to be a very thin covering against the biting, icy wind. 

       He tried to cheer himself up by playing on his little fiddle, but his fingers were too cold to play lively, cheerful tunes. At last, feeling too chilled and hungry and discouraged to go any further, he sank down at the foot of an old apple tree. This was some protection at least from the wintry blasts which, by now, were moaning, "Whoo-ooh-whee-eeeh!" among the bare branches in a very disheartening way. 

       Poor Grasshopper Green wrapped his leaf cape tightly about him and, in spite of his chattering teeth, finally fell into an uneasy sleep. 

Grasshopper's bad dream.

       He dreamed that he was wandering over an immense field of ice. Suddenly there appeared before him a little red table, upon which was a large yellow bowl of steaming, fragrant broth! Beside the table stood a chair, over the back of which was thrown a thick, fur-lined coat. 

       Just as he reached for the coat, he heard a terrific howling, and the next moment a gigantic hand had swept past him, snatching away the coat and the soup, and so terrifying Grasshopper Green that he fell over backward-and awoke. 

       "Well, singe my whiskers, what's this? What's this?" he heard a hearty voice exclaiming, and, looking up, was astonished to find himself in the cozy home of a family of Meadow-Mice! 

       This is how it had happened. When Grasshopper Green sank down exhausted among the roots of the old apple tree, he had not noticed, in the darkness, that he was leaning against a small door; this was the door of the home of the Meadow-Mouse family, who lived here in a hollow part of the tree, near the roots. 

       An especially strong gust of wind had blown the door open and tumbled Grasshopper Green into the room. When he sat up and looked about he was not quite sure, at first, that this was not just a part of his dream. 

       Father and Mother Meadow-Mouse and their four children, Long-Tail, Sharp-Eyes, Pink-Ears, and Mouseykins, had finished their supper of cornbread and cheese, and Father Meadow-Mouse was telling of two narrow escapes he had had the night before, one from a horned owl and one from Farmer Green's cat, Mouser. He had just come to the most exciting part of his adventures and all the family were listening with breathless interest, when the door, which had been left unbolted, blew open, as I have told you, and in tumbled poor Grasshopper Green. 

       Father and Mother Meadow-Mouse helped him over to their most comfortable chair, by the fire, for the poor fellow was so benumbed by the cold that he could hardly even stand alone. 

Grasshopper gets goose-berry syrup for his cough.

       While Grasshopper Green was explaining, in a wheezing voice, interrupted by coughs, how it was that he had burst in on them so rudely, Mother Meadow-Mouse filled a plate with food for him; then, bustling over to a corner cupboard, she got down a little jug of homemade Goose-berry syrup, poured some of it into a pannikin and set this on the fire to heat, saying as she did so, "There's nothing like warmed Gooseberry syrup to break up a cough." 

       Father Meadow-Mouse would every now and then blow his nose and exclaim, "Well, singe my whiskers and twist my tail!" just to express his sympathy. 

       Of course the little Meadow-Mouse children looked on with the greatest interest. When they saw their mother's treasured Gooseberry juice brought out they all pretended to have coughs, and Mother Meadow-Mouse good-naturedly gave them each a few drops. 

       When famished Grasshopper Green had eaten all he could-which, of course, seemed like very little to the big, hearty Meadow-Mice and when he had drunk the delicious Gooseberry juice, he sank back in the comfortable chair with a contented sigh. 

       Just think how heavenly it must have seemed to him, after having been nearly frozen and starved to death, to be sitting cozily by a warm hearth after a good supper! Father Meadow-Mouse was helping Mother Meadow-Mouse to wash the supper dishes, which rattled in a very homelike way. Long-Tail, Sharp-Eyes, Pink- Ears, and Mouseykins had started droning their lessons for the next day.

Father and Mother Meadow-Mouse wash the dinner dishes.

       "What a wonderfully cheerful place this is," said Grasshopper Green to himself, drowsily. "What beautiful blue furniture-and what a fine red tablecloth-what delightful yellow curtains- and what a good motto hanging over the mantle! 'Do-unto-others-as-you-would-have-them-do-unto-you.'''

       Then Grasshopper Green went fast asleep in the chair.

       Father Meadow-Mouse carried him into the children's room, where there was an old cradle which was about the right size for him, for you see a grown-up Grasshopper is not much bigger than a baby mouse.

       Good Father Meadow-Mouse then covered him up carefully with the very warmest blanket from his own bed. 

Father Meadow Mouse tucks grasshopper into bed.

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Color a Traditional Peddler Doll

Description of Coloring Page: wooden peddler doll from England, doll carries a basket of 'wares' to sell, she is a pedestrian sales lady from the Victorian Era, Dolls like these often were displayed on top of dressers with sewing notions tucked in their baskets. More often than not, the dolls were not stuffed below the waist; the skirt was neatly spread over a 'cage' form to cover it. The heads could be carved wood or poured and fired porcelain. This doll wears a traditional poke bonnet and shawl as well.

Don't forget to drag the png. or jpg into a Word Document and enlarge the image as much as possible before printing it folks. If you have a question about this coloring page, just type into the comment box located directly below this post and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

Sew Sock Monster Softies!

Sock monster softies are easy beginner sewing crafts.

       These little softies are easy to sew and also include three different sewing stitches for young people to learn as they stuff, sculpt, attach eyes, horns, shells, big teeth, tails and anything else a young artist can think of!

Supply List:

• old, clean socks
• giant wooden beads for eyeballs
• white felt or white pom-poms for teeth
• an extra red sock for the mouth
• wool or cotton stuffing
• blue and black felt for eye-balls
• white sock for eyeballs too
• a plastic critter for eating or a companion
• a long sewing needle and matching threads

Step-by-Step Instructions: 

1. First, draw a picture of the sock monster you would like to make. You may make one like ours or design very own. 
2. To sew a large, exaggerated, red mouth similar to my own examples shown here, cut away the heal portion of an old sock. 
3. Turn the sock inside-out and replace the heal opening with a red sock scrap the same size as the one you cut away. Make this replacement by placing the cut heal from the first sock on top of a red sock and cut around that shape.
4. Sew the mouth in with the right sides together while the sock monster is turned inside out. Use a straight stitch.
5. Now turn the sock right sides facing out and use a whip stitch to attach the red mouth knitting more firmly in place. The whip stitch should overlap the straight seam already in place.
6. Now you are ready to stuff your monster softie, stitch the openings at the end of the sock closed  and add strange attachments wherever you would like! 
7. To make big eyeballs like mine: cover a large wooden bead using white sock scrapes. 
8. Then sew the iris onto the eyeball using a whip stitch again.
9. Cut and shape a long narrow tube using a straight stitch from sock material and then push the eyeball down to one open end of the tubing. 
10. Stuff the tubing with a chenille stem and cotton batting, to give it flexibility and strength. 
11. Use the invisible stitch to firmly attach the sock material around the eyeball. 
12. Then thread a needle with red thread and add sew random stitches around the top of the eyeball to make it look a bit more scary, just like a monster with 'red itchy eyes' of course!

Cut away the heal in a sock and replace it with a red mouth.

"Horrible Horned Hare" sock monster is actually made using a single knit glove. I made the 
horn for him from a scrap of grey sock, a tongue from a scrap of pink sock and his teeth from
white felt. He has four ears instead of two, that's what makes him a monster...

"Creepy Crocodile" sock monster with his rubber 'snake' dinner. He also has scutes and a tail feature 
attached down his back. These were made from the second matching sock.

"Savage Snail" Sock Monster and ladybug companion attached to the stripped shell on her
back side. Her teeth are white pom-poms sewn between her exaggerated red lips.

How to pot faux daffodils for your American Girl Dolls

I used two decorative laces combined to craft
the small, pretend daffodils seen below.

       Once you acquire the laces for these lovely Springtime flowers, they will be easy to assemble! Because hot glue is used to craft them, you may need adult supervision while making the craft, depending upon your age. Although, I'm an adult and still burn my fingertips from time to time while making stuff...

Supply List:

• a small, decorative pot made of any material, 2 to 3 inches in diameter
• foam block to stick the flowers inside of the pot
• skewers or toothpicks
• lace daisy chain
• yellow lace trim (see photo)
• green acrylic paint(s)
• green craft paper
• white school glue
• hot glue gun and hot glue
• Styrofoam beads for flower centers

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut and glue foam to fit inside of the container you have chosen to display the crafted daffodils in.
2. Paint the foam dark green or brown or the color of the container.
3. Measure and cut skewers to the length you wish your flowers to be. 
4. Paint the skewers dark green.
5. Cut out the lace flowers and mount these to the tops of the skewer stems using hot glue.
6. Clip and roll the yellow lace around itself and then hot glue it to the top of each lace flower in the centers. 
7. Glue a darker yellow foam bead in the center of each flower using white school glue.
8. Cut long leaves from green paper and glue them onto the skewers approximately 1/4 inch from the bottom of each skewer stem. 
9. Poke the daffodils into the foam at the bottom of the pot or cluster them together inside of a vase for your dollhouse.

Craft More Gardens For Your Dolls:

• Learn how to craft another version of a daisy flower garden with a white picket fence...
• Make a veggie garden for summer planting for your 18 inch dolls
• Assemble a doll garden pond inside of a tin pie plate for your dolls to play with...
• See our fairy garden dining set at Thrifty Scissors!

Left, the size of my decorative pot is just right for an American Girl Doll to use on her patio or
inside of her dollhouse. Right, see the faux daffodils from above; these are glued to a wooden
skewer and then 'planted' or poked inside of a block of foam to hold these upright inside of
the decorative container. These may be removed and put inside of a vase alternatively.

Easy and Elegant Doll Jewelry To Make

        I think every little girl wants to dress up her doll for special occasions like Birthday parties, nights out to the theater or even for a fun dance party! 
       Making your doll some jewelry may be just the perfect accessory to enhance a sparkly skirt or add color and sophistication to a simple classic-cut top.
       Below are just a few photo ideas to inspire your doll's next addition to her jewelry stash! Don't forget to make a lovely jewelry box too in order to store the delicate treasures until these are needed.

• Design a sweet strawberry jewelry box or upcycle a fun watermelon version instead...
  

Both of our dolls modeling jewelry below, thus far, are Journey Girl Dolls.

"The Name Necklace" using ABC beads belongs to our doll named 'Chavonne.' This strand
 is strung on elastic so that may be easily pulled over this doll's abundant curly locks!
ABC beads are usually sold in Dollar Stores in the craft aisles.

The "Polished Stone" necklace. Each precious rock in three colors:white, green and grey
 is contained inside cleverly bent wires. A nickel plated chain and clasp complete the
design. We think the green stone brings out the color of this Kelsey doll's eyes!

The "Go Fish Necklace" features glass fish and opalescent beads. Tiny glass 'fish' beads are 
usually imported and these are also made by many cultures across the globe. If you purchase
a small bag of these, you may have enough to make a piece of jewelry for yourself and your
doll to wear at the same time. This is a great gift idea for a special child on her birthday!

The "Multi-strand Coral Bead Necklace" with brass chain and clasp was at one time a special
 bracelet worn by a real lady long ago. But, now it adorns our dolls whenever they feel like
 'dressing to the nines.' You can make a pretend coral necklace for a doll if you wish, however
a real one would not be advisable because... Visitors here may recall that the Felicity Doll
had a coral necklace that she wore with her Rose Garden Dress back in 2000.

More Cute Jewelry Ideas for All Your 18 inch Dolls:

• AGdollies4 makes jewelry for her doll collections here.
• foreveranddollways makes trendy jewelry for her 18 inch dolls too!
• Clarisse Wells made an easy necklace tutorial for her larger dolls...
  

This antique baby wears a lace gown for coloring...

Description of Coloring Page: lacy Christening gown, long dress, ribbons and bows, young porcelain baby doll, lace bonnet too!

Don't forget to drag the png. or jpg into a Word Document and enlarge the image as much as possible before printing it folks. If you have a question about this coloring page, just type into the comment box located directly below this post and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

How to Craft Footstools for Barbie and much smaller dolls...

        I have designed three types of footstools shown here with either recycled buttons or bottle caps.      
       Buttons and bottle caps come in such a wide variety of size that crafting with these materials may be easily applied to the following scales: 1:6, 1/12, 1/16, and 1/24.
       The sample stools below are for miniature 6-inch dolls. But these would also suit some 8 to 10 inch dolls easily as the buttons are a bit large.

Footstool (1.) is a cap filled with a cushion.
Footstool (2.) just right, is a large embroidery covered button.
Footstool (3.) is a tiny cushion sewn to a button.
On the far right, bottom is a quarter coin for size comparison.

       Footstools are sometimes confused with other types of stools on the web but there is a big difference in size, function and proportion when these furniture items are compared to other stools in the real market place. An ottoman is not a footstool only. These are generally speaking twice the size of footstools and also have built in storage. Ottomans are frequently upholstered in coordinating or duplicate fabrics to those of the chair or sofa they are designed to accompany. 
       Footstools are almost always purchased separately from furniture and are designed to comfort and support the feet, improving circulation for the elderly or injured. 
       In the past, footstools have been upholstered with fancy embroidery or durable leather. Doll footstools, like the ones in real life may be crafted out of just about anything. 

       I made the footstool above using a recycled upholstered button, three wooden beads, glue and paper. It is covered with an unusual embroidered design depicting a dove. I do not know what it was once attached to: a garment or perhaps even a pillow. In any case, it was inside of large tin of buttons that have been in my family for several generations. 

       The second footstool is of a small stuffed pillow attached to the top of a large button for support. The stool's feet are three beads glued to the bottom, again. I attached the tiny cushion by threading it through a bead and then down through the center of the button's holes, knotting it securely in place.

The chair shown here is a lounge chair we use in a 1/12 scale dollhouse. The pillow filled cap
matches it well as it uses the identical fabric as the seat cushions made for the chair. Right,
a porcelain cat sits upon the cozy stool.

       The third footstool is made with three beads for feet and a recycled cap. A small stuffed pillow is glued inside the cap this time and a braid is glued around the edge of the cap to give it a 'finished look.'

A Home Built for Miss Hickory

The finished, unfurnished, dollhouse for our Miss Hickory doll located among purple
flowers on the lawn. I no longer have a lilac shrub to settle this playset
beneath; it passed into memory two years ago.

        "Miss Hickory's house was made of corncobs, notched, neatly fitted together and glued. It stood beneath the lilac bush that was so sweet and purple when in bloom, so thickly green and cheerful with birds all summer long. If one had to live in town, Miss Hickory had always said, take a house under a lilac bush." by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey

       To see how modern squirrel feeders are built visit YouTube videos linked below. Miss Hickory's house was actually an old-time squirrel feeder/house turned into a dollhouse.

• Michael Gianotti builds a luxurious squirrel house...
• A squirrel nesting box build by Precision Imagery
• Make It - Mid-Century Modern Squirrel House

Return to other pages dedicated to the life story of Miss Hickory:

• Book Review and About the Author of "Miss Hickory"
• How to craft a Miss Hickory in her gingham dress...

Measurements of the sample cardboard house are:

        Start building Miss Hickory's house using a box; and any old box will suffice. (My version is roughly  10'' x 15" x 19" inches tall. This includes the front porch. ) Then fold over scrap cardboard into a roof to close up the top of the box. Be generous with the masking tape and glue as you work.

       I also built out a front porch with even more scrap cardboard.

       Nestle a couple of hollow paper tubes on either side of the front porch to act as columns for the paper cabin. These will be turned into faux corncobs eventually.

"The quiet rhythmic monotone of the wall of logs fills one with the rustic peace of a secluded
nook in the woods." Gustav Stickley

       Punch out a window and insert panes to make it more convincing. I will attach a 'flower box' and fill it with acorns and flowers.

       Cut a simple window out of the roof so that a second story loft may be played with inside of the dollhouse; this is where our Miss Hickory doll sleeps. She climbs up into the loft from her ladder located in the sitting room below. (I will build this along with a few of her furnishings later.)

The painted roof is crafted using cardboard and painted with a layer of green acrylic paints and 
then brushed over with a silver metallic acrylic paint.

       I covered all of the walls of the ''former squirrel feeder'' upcycled into a cabin,  both inside and out with log cabin wall paper and cover then floors with faux wood floor planks. This is inexpensive shelf paper found in dollar stores everywhere. 

       Prepare to turn the columns into faux looking corncobs. Mask off the areas where the husks will be glued to and fill in a couple of sections for the Indian corncob kernels with paper mache pulp. Stick in the kernels and then let the pulp dry before sealing the surfaces with Mod Podge. This will make a cozy retreat for our Miss Hickory and her extended animal family.

Left, Indian corn kernels are easy to remove with your finger-tips. Center, these kernels
come in so many lovely autumnal colors. Right, the dried husks are soaked in water to
 soften them up a bit before shaping them into corn-husk dolls.

       Above you can see how I dismantled the Indian corn for the featured decorations used on the dollhouse; dried husks and dried corn are both utilized for this purpose.

"A log cabin symbolized the embrace between civilization and nature, humans literally wrapping
the trees around them as they might draw on a coat and hat." Gene Logsdon

       See detailed photos of the corncob columns. This would be food for the squirrels if it were a real squirrel feeder, but for now, this is just a decorative element on Miss Hickory's front porch. 

       I also layered paper mache pulp onto the front porch stoop while pressing tiny gravel and shells into it's surface.

  

Left, front porch with corn cob pillars or columns. Right, detail view of wasp nest.

       The corncob husks have been hot-glued to the columns on the front porch. 

      A wasp-nest glued and shaped using dryer lint and actual paper walls of a wasp's nest is glued up under the eaves of the cardboard roof. 

       And finally, the window box is filled with tiny silk flowers also purchased from a dollar store. The flowers are hot-glued in place.

Left, backside of the dollhouse. Right Front porch and side view of pretend wasp nest
under the eaves of the Hickory house.

See the window box, flowers and window with panes on one side profile of the cardboard house.
Now, the furnishings must be crafted to fill the toy dollhouse and I will link to these in future posts.

Colorful Rose Clip Art

        Printable of rose watercolor in: white, yellow, peach, hot pink, buff pink, crimson and red.

How to make miniature flowers for the dollhouse

Flowers I made for decorating the family dollhouses this Spring: tulips, daffodils,
 poppies and pink potted anthurium

 

        I took apart a string of puka shells to make the tiniest miniature tulip displays. You will also need fine wire, white school glue and green tissue paper to make this craft. 
       The green tissue is layered over the wire for the stems and leaves on the tulips. The puka shells have tiny holes in the bottom and this is where I threaded the ends of the wire stems coated with glue. Let the tulips dry over night and then paint the shell 'tulip flowers' with acrylic colors.
       Then hot glue the tulips inside of bottle caps for display inside your dollhouse. The faux tulips look best displayed in a shallow cap. Sprinkle a little sawdust over the hot glue and paint this to look like soil or moss.

• looking for puka shells at the beach...
• See how we made a 'sailor's Valentine' using puka shells...

These miniature tulips are made using puka shells, wire and cotton batting.

 

Miniature vase of poppies. I made this vase after watching
the Kit & Caboodlers newspaper crafts here.

Puka tulip arrangement and dime.

        To craft cotton batting poppies inside a newspaper bud vase you will need the following supplies: two cotton balls, white school glue, thin wire, and newspaper.
       First, roll the newspaper into a simple long and narrow bead shape with smears of white glue brushed between the layers. Make sure to leave a hole in the center of this bead so that flowers may be wedged inside of it. 
       You will need to stand this newspaper bead on end to make it look like a 'vase' so as you work with it, keep pressing the bottom of the bead to a table top. This compresses it's foot so that the bead can be level enough to stand alone. I shaped one end of the sample bead shown here with a more complicated foot. However, if you are just beginning to learn how to craft miniatures, you may leave the extra foot off of the project to begin with.
       After the bead shaped vase it dry. decorate it with clippings from a magazine or paint it, if you prefer.
       The poppies are made by twisting cotton batting around and around the tip of a wire along with layers of white school glue until the flower petals are formed. Then these are hand-painted with water colors.

• See how factory made beads are turned into dollhouse vases here... - These mini bead vases hold ribbon roses.

Left, are pink potted anthurium before painting. Right, the finished plant.

Miniature of daffodils, forcing bulbs.

       To make the pink potted anthurium for your doll's house you will need: fine wire, a cotton ball, and masking tape. Double up the masking tape and cut the heart shaped leaves from it. Mount the leaves onto the wire stems and then tape these to the inside sides of the egg carton vase. Next, make the flowers on the plant in the same way accept poke the wire above the pink blossom for the stamen. I also added a bit of cotton batting to the top of this flower for texture. After shaping the plant inside of the planter, I painted it with acrylics. Seal all of the plant with Mod Podge.

       I displayed the miniature plant inside of a mini handmade planter. These small planters can be cut  from a paper egg carton and layered with newsprint and glue to strengthen their molded shapes.  

        To make the mini daffodils in bloom you will need: a bottle cap, masking tape, white school glue, paints,  and quilter's pins with large bead heads. 

       Inside each of these are miniature daffodils are quilter's pins! I wrapped tissue around the pin heads to look like daffodils both open and shut. Then each wrapped stem was wrapped up together with masking tape and glued inside of the bottle cap, Paint the stems, bulbs and rocks with acrylics. Wrap the daffodils with yellow tissue paper and glue. Then 'highlight' the petals with a little white color.

       These tiny bulb flowers are popular to 'force' during the season of Lent in our own home and now in our doll's house. Just arrange the bulbs in a shallow dish of pebbles and waters and watch them grow to bloom just in time for Easter!