Mindy Max Miniatures

Something different!

2012-06-23T22:21:00.001-05:00

Today, I took a couch that I had purchased from Ebay a year ago and almost threw it away. When I got it...I was upset at how bad it looked. It sure didn't look like the picture! It was very faded. The legs fell off as soon as I removed it from the box. It looked like it had been sitting in sun. I tried to take it apart. No luck...lol! Then, I found some cloth that I had on hand from Walmart for 68¢. I thought what can I lose..a couple of hours time. I was bored any way. I have never re-done any furiture before. It was fun and I learned I can have more glue on me then the project. Here is my new couch! Love MMM

The above picture is what the couch should have looked like when I got it. The bottom cushion was almost faded white.

Another small clue!

2012-06-22T16:49:00.001-05:00

A little more has been added to the clue. Do you have any clues to how it might look? Or how they are going to fit together? Have a great weekend!
Love MMM

Can you guess?

2012-06-21T19:15:00.001-05:00

I know it has been a very long time since I have blogged. New job has taken a lot of my time. Trying to find balance again. I have missed miniatures so much. I hope to try to keep up. I ran across an object that I thought would be perfect for my next project. So, can you guess what I might make next with the two items?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-11T09:44:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-10T11:34:00.001-06:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a warm and merry christmas. Thank you for following my blog. I hope that the new year will bring many hours on working on minatures,dollhouses and lots of crafting to all.

Hardwood floors for Victoria's Farmhouse

2011-09-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to put hardwood floors in a least one of the rooms of Victoria's Farmhouse. I decided to put hardwood floors in the living room. I found a really pretty stain called Sedona Red.
I used skinny craft sticks. Measured out the room and began laying the sticks down on card stock paper.

I started having a hard time with the sticks because they were not very straight...LOL! Always love a challenge! But, it was fun to make it fit. I thought it would give the floors an old world feel if I made them look like they were nailed down on the floor.

I added the nail marks before I stained the floors. I think it made it look more real. I looked around at other blogs and found that someone else had done this and it looked really nice. I tried to find the blog again so I could thank them for sharing the information and give credit to them.

Sorry about the lighting. Here is the whole floor. I think it turned out pretty good for my first time. I had to trim and sand to make sure the sides were smooth and to make it fit the room as close as possible.

I didn't like the stairs that came with the house and I found a kit off of Ebay that was really pretty. I haven't finished putting it completely together yet. But, here is a preview. I was so happy the door fit to!

Now, to finished the baseboards and walls. Wish me luck! I hope you liked the floors. Have a great day!

Love
MMM

Goofing off!

2011-09-12T08:47:00.000-05:00

This weekend was a goof off weekend. Money is tight. Too hot to be outside. I was looking around for something to do.
I have been wanting a fountain for the outside of Victoria's Farmhouse. I had tried different things but all the things I tried didn't work.
Then I found it. I looked at the shape, the size...Perfect!

Ok. It might be a little gross...LOL! I washed the plastic container, dried it. Then, painted it with a layer of gesso. Let it dry. Put a couple of layers of gray paint. Then I found a tile print cut it out the size of the bottom and then glued it down. I found a wedding decoration that would fit as a statue for the center of the fountain. I haven't finished all the details on it yet. My mom gave me a little baggie of really tiny sea shells. I put them at the bottom of the fountain.

Until this picture was taken. I didn't see the glue..ops! Will have to go back and clean that up.

I'm not sure if it looks like a fountain. But, it was fun to goof off. Have a great day!

Love
MMM

Looking inside of Victoria's Farmhouse

2011-09-10T10:52:00.000-05:00

One of the hardest things I have ran up against is making up my mind on a certain look or style I want.   Or where a room should go. That is one of the fun things about Dollhouses, they don't really have to fit into the norm of real homes. It is a chance for us to think outside the box. Have the house of our dreams.   We have visions of what we want...Then it takes on a life of it's own. The is the rewarding part of dollhouses.
This being my first dollhouse owned or built, I wasn't sure what I wanted. I started by looking online for something I could afford. I found Victoria's farmhouse.   I was told it was new in box. But, when I got it home and started to take things out of the box...I wanted to cry.   It had been put together a little bit. And ripped apart to go back in box. They used nails to put it together. The base was warped and almost broke. The front gable was broke in half. And windows and other items were missing.
All hope was not lost. Went online and found a lot of good information. Real Good
Toys helped also. They sent me a new front gable and windows.   Thank you, Real Good Toys!
I painted the house. Then, I found out that it helps if you put a layer or two of gesso on before painting...LOL! Boy! Wood can sure soak up paint!
I knew that this was my first dollhouse and that I was going to use it to learn with and become better as I go. I decided not to have electric in it. Instead, I found some really cool battery lights. I love them! Found them on Ebay.
So, know you know a little more about the history of this dollhouse.

During the painting of the inside. I started to place furniture around.

Top floor- Sorry, the camera that I am using doesn't have a flash.

The other side of the top floor. Or third floor. One of the battery lights. You can see, I still haven't put up wallpaper or flooring. I'm thinking maybe green tile. Not yet.

Some how I have lost all the pictures of the rest of the house. I had pictures showing the different set up for each room. Umm! I will try to find and post them. Sorry!

Love
MMM

Looking forward to Fall

2011-09-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

I know many of you are looking forward to Fall. I love the colors, the cooler weather. A chance for creativity

with miniatures and dollhouses. The other day, I went into Hobby Lobby and found some really cute things to start the fall season. Little pumpkins, little cookie cutters, snowflakes, Christmas lights.

I also found grass and some bushes for the outside of the house. The grass I found at Hobby Lobby. The bushes, I found at the Dollar Tree. Tell me what you are doing for fall. Have fun!

Love
MMM

Wildfires- Texas

2011-09-08T11:11:00.000-05:00

We are in the area of some of the Texas wildfires. I know that all the firemen have their hands full. I pray that they will all be safe. I'm sad for all the families that have lost their homes. I know that it is hard for everyone. I'm asking everyone to pray for the families and fireman. I heard today on tv that 1300 homes have been burned between all the fires in Texas. I took some pictures last night of the smoke moving close to us. Thank you!

Love
MMM

Dreaming of Miniatures!!

2011-09-01T08:27:00.000-05:00

I'm so happy to be back to the world of miniatures! It has been to long. I hope to get back to the projects that have been begging to be finished. I have missed so much. Keep checking back. I will start updating soon.

Love
MMM

Back to work on Victoria's Farmhouse.

2011-04-16T09:59:00.000-05:00

I almost have all the painting done on the inside. Every time I look at it...I find another spot I missed! Still need to put carpets and flooring, wallpaper up. I just had to play around and see how everything is going to fit.

KITCHEN

I have debated about where to put the kitchen. I had already put black and white tile flooring in what was to be the living room. I just wanted the kitchen one room. The drawback....It is the entry to the house. The photo below show it with the dining room behind it.

So, I put it where it should be....I didn't like that I could not see the dining room. Loved how it was arranged. Excuse the cabinet doors. So back to plan A. In the Living Room it went.

I really liked it like this.....Darn Cabinet doors! Will not stay shut....LOL! I found these two really cute dogs. I thought this will work. I can put an inland in to give it a more real like kitchen feel. But, something didn't feel right. I forgot that stairs......

In went the stairs. I still have to paint them. The fridge went under the stairs and the washer and dryer came out. I added an island. But, it is a cream color. Will paint it white to match. Kitty seems to like it! Tell me what you think. Do you like the change?

LIVING ROOM
This is the before photo.

I put the living room where the kitchen was. Dining room to the back. I didn't like it! Hmmmm. Where to put it. Great thing about dollhouses. You can change your mind and room in just minutes... : ) And change is good...Right?

Moved the dining room to the front and the living room back. Picture is kind of hard to see. Will try to get a better one. there is going to be a big bay window in front of the living room. And a side opening to the right of the living room with a window also.

Found some really pretty wallpaper. It picks up the colors in the couch set. I think, the red carpet is going to go. Still playing around with how everything is going to sit. Tell me what you think.

Love
MMM

RL took over there for awhile.....

2011-04-15T19:16:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Happy to see so many still hanging in there with me...LOL! I have been doing a little bit of work on Victoria's Farmhouse here and there. I started a new job. So, I haven't had much time a night to post pictures and new things as I would like.

Tomorrow, I will be posting new pictures of some of the small progress I have made. I will try to start updating each weekend. Please bare with me.

See you tomorrow!

Love
MMM

New Computer!

2011-03-24T21:23:00.000-05:00

I got a new computer tonight! I'm so happy! I should be up and running this weekend with new things to share about Victoria's Farmhouse. Thank you for being there while I was down.

Love
MMM

A big thank you!

2011-03-15T20:34:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to tell everyone thank you! I should be back up soon. I am using a friends iPad to log on right now. Thank you to all the new followers. Please bare with me. I should be up and running soon. I hope by the latest at the end of next week. Please check back soon.

Love
MMM

Sorry! : (

2011-03-08T20:12:00.000-06:00

I should be back up and running by next week. Sorry for the delay. I have many things that I had planned to share, but will have to wait until I get a new computer. Please don't forget about me.

There will be more on Victoria's Farmhouse and many other things too! Hope to see all of you soon!

Love
MMM

Please Bear With Me!

2011-02-28T20:15:00.001-06:00

My computer is trying to flake out on me. I hope to be back up and running in the next couple of weeks. I will try when I can to upload new projects for Victoria's Farmhouse. Thank you!

Love
MMM

Victoria's Farmhouse Floors

2011-02-27T14:39:00.003-06:00

Today, I changed my mind about where all the rooms were going to be located....I wanted to change them around before I lay the floors down.

Now, the living room is the formal dining room.

You can see where the front door will be located. I added the stairs, haven't painted them yet. I picked out a gray designed wallpaper for the walls...I'm not sure that I like it. But, it matches the floor.

I took the tile out of the kitchen and added wood tile. It is not up to the wall. I need to cut more, to get it to fit all the way across. I did find this really cute wallpaper that had chickens and roosters on it. I fell in love with it. It screamed that it wanted to be in Victoria's Farmhouse Kitchen...LOL!

I added the tile from the kitchen to the bathroom on the second floor. Now, I need to find a sink,tub,and toilet that match the floor. I also added the washer and dryer in the bathroom. Does it look funny? The room was large enough since this was to be the second floor bedroom.

I found this really pretty red carpet. I found a really pretty wallpaper that has blue and red flowers that set the furniture off really good. Now, the living room is in the attic. I add the second bedroom the attic too.
I will update as soon as I find flooring for the other two rooms. Have a great day! Tell me what you think. Do you like the colors? Would you change anything? Colors, flooring, furniture?

Love
MMM

Blinds for Victoria's Farmhouse

2011-02-23T16:01:00.000-06:00

Today, I wanted to make window treatments for the windows of Victoria's Farmhouse. I thought maybe curtins....then I thought about blinds. I gathered some things together to see what I could make.

I used medium weight tracing paper. I know you can also use vellum. I couldn't find any at my local hobby store. A window from the Victoria's Farmhouse, Nail Art, and Skinny Craft Sticks. Also, used Aleene's Tacky Glue.

I traced around the window and doubled the lengh of the it. By the time you fold it back and forth it will be the same size of your window. When folding your blind make sure to try to fold it small enough to match a real blind. As you get to the end of folding it will try to go a little lopsided. Just try to hold it straight.

It is surprising how much spring the tracing paper has. When finished folding, you can measure it to your window to make sure you like the fit. This way you can make any adjustments that are needed before you move on.

Here is the nail art sticker I choose for the blinds. I know, that they don't stand out. I used themon the blind here and there. Kind of spread out. It is really up to you. You can also use a gold paint pen or any other colors you would like.

This is what it looks like with the nail art is added.

Don't worry about the blind looking smaller then the window. It will work! Now, to place the wood at the top and bottom.

I added two pieces of wood to the top and bottom of the blind. The top for support of the blind and the bottom to pull down the blind with weight. The skinny craft sticks seem to work pretty well. You can paint them or cover with small ribbon.

Here is a view of the blind behind the window. I will try to get a better picture once I get the blind in place.

With the light behind the blind. There are so many things you can do with your blinds. You could use them behind the fabric curtains. Or you could make really pretty blinds with scrapbook paper.

Tell me what you think. Do you like the effect? Or you may have some ideas on how to decorate your blind. Thank you for looking!

Love
MMM

Welcome! Sorry for the delay on updates.

2011-02-21T08:19:00.000-06:00

Welcome! I hope you have fun following my blog. Please share with me your dollhouse or miniature stories. I love hearing your feedback. I have fallen in love with the world of miniatures and dollhouses.
I can't see myself doing anything else. It is like, I have found my place in life.

I have more to share with you on building Victoria's Farmhouse. But, the flu bug hit me. It may be a couple of days before I get back on my feet. I haven't been this hard hit in years. What a hard way to lost 10 pounds...LOL! Please bare with me. Thank you!

Love
MMM

Victoria's Farmhouse Bed (part 2)

2011-02-16T19:18:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the delay....Camera battery died on me yesterday.

I wanted to show you the rest of the steps I took to re-cover the bed. I found the fabric at Wal-mart for 77 cents.

I used a file folder because it was stiff enough for me to use on the fabric. I used a gel pen to trace around the old piece of fabric onto the file folder. You could use card stock too.

Lay the old piece of fabric out on the paper. Then trace around it. You may want to give it a light touch with an iron to get it to lay as flat as possible.

Here you can see the pattern on the paper. Then cut around the outline. And it should look just like the piece of fabric you traced.

Now, you have the paper pattern and the fabric piece. Save the old fabric. You never know when you might need it again...LOL!

Taaadaaa! What do you think? I really fell in love with this pattern and color. It is much brighter in the light. It gave me the feeling of being on vacation. I think, I'm ready for warmer days and summer to be here!

When tracing on darker fabric...I think a white chalk pencil would work great. Make sure to lay your pattern on top of the best part of the fabric. Where you get a better layout of the design. I had to move mine around until I had a really good spot.

The I layed the fabric of the mattress and covered it back the way it was when I took it apart. But, this time I didn't glue it. I used tape instead. This way I could take it off and use different ones. I would like to add some little pillows too!

Tell me what you think? Do you like the color and pattern choice? Thanks for looking! Hope to hear from you. Drop a line in the comments section.

Love
MMM

Victoria's Farmhouse ~ Bed (part one)

2011-02-15T09:15:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a great Valentines day!

I found a really pretty bed for Victoria's Farmhouse. The only thing that I didn't like was the bedspread that was on the bed when I bought it.

Not that it is a bad color or pattern....I just wanted something a little bit more rich in color. Something that would stand out a little better. So, I started to look at how to take it off. By looking under the bed, it was glued to the bracing boards. I worked gently all the way around until I could lift the board from the wood. If you are going to try this be real gentle so not to break the wood frame.

As you can see from the picture above, there was some cardboard left on the wood from the glue that was used to hold the mattress in place. There is not much you can do to take it off either. The other no one will see it once you replace the mattress.

Then, I flipped the mattress over and pulled the fabric from the board. There are three parts to the doll mattress. The fabric, foam, board. The only thing that I'm replacing is the fabric. There is a pillow for the bed it is a large piece of fabric covering a long piece of foam. I'm going to re wrap a piece of fabric around the pillow that will match the new bedspread.

So, here is the fabric completely removed from the mattress. I'm sure many of you have done the same thing I have done to this bed. I will be posting part 2 later today.

I would love to hear if you have done this to your dollhouse bed. How did it turn out? Would you do it again? Drop me a line in the comments section below.

Love
MMM

Victoria's Farmhouse Kitchen

2011-02-13T11:36:00.003-06:00

The other day...I was going to post pictures of the kitchen. But, when I went back to find my pictures they had all disappeared. Now, They are back. Strange!

I wanted to show you more of the tile floors in the kitchen. I like the tiles and the colors. I know they are kind of dark. I thought about putting up a very light wallpaper in browns to match the floor tiles.

Sorry. I can't seem to get a really good picture of the wallpaper and tiles together. I think this wallpaper may still be a little dark for the kitchen. I like the hint of gold.

I have dark, light, and metallic tiles. In brown tones or cream.

It is hard to find that right match for tiles and walls. I really want wallpaper and not painted walls. The room above will be two rooms, I haven't put the walls up yet. There will be the kitchen and dining room. The dining set that I posted pictures of from the previous blog on the "Great Deal". Is the set, I was thinking about putting in the dining room. I would also like to put up cabinets. And a back splash above the stove.

I guess just roll with it and see what happens...LOL! So, tell me what you think. Would you stick to this color of tiles or go with something completely different....Maybe wood floors? Would you go with wallpaper or paint the walls? Would you keep this one big room or two? Drop a line in the comments section. I would love to hear from you!

Love

MMM

Found A Great Deal!

2011-02-12T18:52:00.000-06:00

Today, I wanted to run into the hobby store to see if I could find any good deals on Valentine's stuff that I might can use for Victoria's Farmhouse.

I found a really pretty dining room set marked more then half off. Now, the bad....the table had a leg broke off. I thought it was missing completely. But, when I go home. Opened the package, I found the broken leg. I was really happy.

I grabbed the glue and started to work repairing it. Once, I got the leg glued back on and set up the whole dining room set.

Excuse the wallpaper. I just have them standing up on it's own. I had a china set that I have been wanting to see what it would like. And a rug that I found at Goodwill for fifty cents. The Buddha is from Forbidden Gardens.

Drop me a line in the comments section and tell me what you think. Do you like the set? I would love to hear from you. Until next time.

Love
MMM

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-12T12:59:00.003-06:00

Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!

Love
MMM