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shamrockgirl18

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Everything posted by shamrockgirl18

  1. I have never used builders foam before, but I think I'll look for it next time I need a specific shape for a project. This 'house' is really the first one I built completely from scratch so it was alot of experimenting, especially on a tiny budget. I love to collect shells and driftwood at the beach, but never seen any coral. I am planning to purchase some more aquarium decorations when the outside of the grotto is finished so I can fill it in with coral and sea plants. I don't mind if they don't look entirely realistic because Ariel's ocean is certainly not realistic anyways.
  2. Glad you asked! It was def. an experiment to figure out how to get the look I wanted. The base is floral foam. On top of that, I did the old wadded newspaper topped with plastercloth deal. I was hoping to try and shape the plastercloth a little to get the 'built in shelves' look that Ariel's cavern has in the movie. . .but this was my first time working with plastercloth, and it didn't turn out the way I wanted. . . I needed to figure out another way to make 'shelves' for Ariel's treasures to be displayed on. Living in New Hampshire has many benefits, and one thing I fell in love with when I moved here is the ability to collect seashells anytime I like! My favorite kind to look for are the beautifully colored blue and purple mussel shells, like these ones: https://www.google.com/search?q=blue+purple+shells+New+Hampshire&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=rL8wUZWiHOqx0QGa-4CQDw&biw=1280&bih=624&sei=s78wUYjuF7G40QGApID4DQ#um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=blue+purple+mussel+shells+New+Hampshire&oq=blue+purple+mussel+shells+New+Hampshire&gs_l=img.3...7743.9268.0.9571.7.7.0.0.0.0.153.642.6j1.7.0...0.0...1c.1.5.img.qWJTwgG0xuY&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43148975,d.dmQ&fp=2461172bc25ebdd7&biw=1280&bih=624&imgrc=oJ_C94M4DynveM%3A%3BOZVQlFkszP790M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.focusonnature.com%252FNorthA103.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.focusonnature.com%252FNorthAmericanMarineLife.htm%3B640%3B479 I have a whole basket of them in my living room, and since they are curved, it was easy to fit them into the nooks and cranies of the plastercloth. I just plucked a shell from my basket, figured out where it would fit/look best, and hot glued it to the plastercloth! Since the shells already have the beautiful purple/blue coloring, I didn't need to paint them or anything. I know that was a long explanation, but incoporating real seshells into this project is an idea that I am really proud of.
  3. Thanks for your responses everyone! I think that Queen Mab definitely needs more fruit, a big pot of honey, and some more wine. Her retreat is more like a deluxe condo for fairies. I like putting natural elements in, like the furniture made out of twigs, but I also like putting in 'man-made' luxuries like candelabras and satiny pillows. I think "the fairies' midwife" (as she is named by Mercutio) deserves a plush little retreat in which she can relax and drink wine because delivering fairy babies into the world is no easy game!
  4. Hi everyone- I am happy with the progress of Queen Mab's Retreat (formerly the $4.99 Goodwill find that looks like a tower). The top floor is a cozy bedroom with a big comfy bed. The bottom floor is a kitchen, and on the table I'd like to have a plethora of tasty foods. I think that Queen Mab would probably like alot of rich, decadent foods and she def. has a sweet tooth. . .so far she has a glass of wine, some brie cheese, some grapes, some bread, and a cake. . . It's a pretty tiny room, so there's really only room in there for the table and a chair that I'll be getting soon- I really wanted the fairy feast to be the main attraction in that space. Here's the album: http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/index.php?app=gallery&album=6163 What else do you think a fairy feast needs?
  5. Thanks everyone . I'm having fun with it, and I am watching the movie almost every day as "research". I think my husband is going to go crazy though if he hears "Part of Your World" one more time, but he does think that the grotto is pretty cool. I can't wait to show it to my niece sometime.
  6. Yeah the pencil sharpener globe was a Goodwill find - glad I only paid 99 cents b/c the globes sold by Hobby Lobby are $11.99!
  7. Thanks! I got the idea a while back while posting on the thread "What famous movie scene would you create in mini?". . .it's been one that I always thought would be fun and rewarding to make. The more I thought about it, the more I knew I needed to try. Finally, I just bought the supplies and started experimenting.
  8. are in my gallery now! http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/index.php?app=gallery&album=6194 I had all last week of from work (for February break, which is standard for schools up here in the Northeast), and I spent most of the week working on Ariel's grotto. The inside of it looks pretty good, but the outside of it is still a big ol' mess, so I didn't post any pics of that yet. My grand plan is to have the outerwalls look like regular rock with some sea plants growing, and I'd love to have a plexiglass 'ceiling' which would be the ocean surface, and some rocks with a Scuttle figurine posed up there. Not exactly sure how I'm going to do that yet. . .
  9. shamrockgirl18

    globe

    From the album: Ariel's Grotto

    and stuff on one side of the grotto
  10. shamrockgirl18

    Sebastian

    From the album: Ariel's Grotto

    smiling at himself in the mirror
  11. shamrockgirl18

    frame

    From the album: Ariel's Grotto

    "What's a fire, and why does it- what's the word?- buuuuuuuuuurrn?"
  12. From the album: Ariel's Grotto

    inside the grotto
  13. shamrockgirl18

    close-up

    From the album: Ariel's Grotto

    of Ariel, holding her treasured dinglehopper
  14. From the album: Queen Mab

    b/c the last one I took of this room was kinda dark and blurry
  15. shamrockgirl18

    bedroom

    From the album: Queen Mab

    I bought this gorgeous fairy bed on Etsy. . .unfortunately, it was a little too tall, and I had to shorten the legs a little. It barely fits now as it is, but since this supposed to be like a little vacation house for a fairy, she won't need much room. Just a big comfy bed and some tasty treats.
  16. I collect all kinds of toys! Fun ones from the 80's like Rainbow Brite, care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony and Pound Puppies are easy to find at thrift stores. I also collect composition dolls, specifically Shirley Temple ones. I have some Madame Alexander dolls, and a ton of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls-all from different makers and eras. I also collect books, signed by authors and antique/vintage ones. . . lots of little antiques too that I just love to put around my home- Basically, I collect collections.
  17. that's amazing! I think i need to look into that!
  18. shamrockgirl18

    painting

    From the album: Ariel's Grotto

    "What's a fire and why does it- what's the word?- buuuuuuuuurrnnnn??" This painting looks so much like the one in Ariel's grotto! I am not sure if the one in the movie was based on this one, but it wouldn't be a true reasure trove w/o it. I printed it out and put it inside a mini gilt frame.
  19. From the album: Ariel's Grotto

    This is NOT my diorama- it's the Little Mermaid ride in Disneyland. When I found this picture online though, I had the perfect view of what Ariel's groot looks like 'from the inside'. Before, I was just watching that scene in the movie on a loop. ;)
  20. shamrockgirl18

    globe

    From the album: Ariel's Grotto

    I found a globe pencil sharpener at Goodwill for 99 cents! It was the perfect size for this project, and it looks just like the one in the movie.
  21. shamrockgirl18

    Ariel

    From the album: Ariel's Grotto

    She is a 7" porcelain doll from the Brass Key collection. Since she is a little bigger than 1:12 scale, I have been mixing and matching the scale of the "treasures" in the grotto so she won't look too out of place.
  22. good idea! Now I'll start haunting Hallmark! Do you know of a way to make it play w/o having to open the card (and therefore have the card visible)? That'd be much cheaper than an mp3 player!
  23. Hi all! I am happily working away on my Little Mermaid grotto. It's only the 2nd dh/scene that I've done from scratch, and it's alot more complicated than the 2 room faerie cottage that I did years ago (that had pre-cut foamcore and paper included b/c it was actually a kit to make a decorative bird house!) This one I have literally built from the ground up with: styrofoam, floral foam, egg crates, plaster cloth, paint, and genuine seashells plucked from the New Hampshire coastline! The inside is looking great and I'll post pics as soon as I locate my camera (the outside is still a mess though). I plan to add lights at the top of the cove (blue ones that i saw at Joann Fabrics). I'd love to add music to this scene that will be 'part' of the scene. I did this with my Wizard of Oz house by hiding a little 16 note music box in the flowers outside- when its wound up, the first few strings of Somewhere Over the Rainbow play. I'd love to add a music clip of Part of Your World to my Ariel 'house', but does anyone know of a way that i could play the movie version of the song so that when people view the scene, they can also hear the song??? Sorry if this a long, complex question. . . I thought of buying a cheap mp3 player to hide in there somewhere, but then it also needs to be hooked up to speakers, and needs to be switched on and off again. . .anyone know an easier way, or am I just crazy?
  24. shamrockgirl18

    feast

    From the album: Queen Mab

    I made the bread myself. The 2 bunches of grapes, the slice of brie cheese, and the little glass of wine were all wine charms that I found at Salvation Army; 50 cents total cost! I just took them off the rings, and placed the grapes on a little plate. TA-DA!
  25. I LOVE to decorate the walls of my dh's, but 1:12 picture frames cost $$. I often will look for jewelery like brooches that can be substituted for picture frames, and then I just cut a picture from a magazine, or print one out from online. I also use the little Japanese erasers that look like desserts in my dh's.
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