My husband has to be commended for building this spiffy dollhouse made out of the scrap wood that was just lying around. The painting and finishing was done by our trusty carpenter. My eldest and I couldn't wait to put wallpaper on it so we picked out the prints way before it was done. This is a before and after shot:
Looks a lot better than the dreary plain old white house.
I promised myself I wouldn't buy little furniture for this new project. We have a multi-colored wooden dollhouse with furniture but I had Scandinavian dreams for this one, so I didn't want to touch that other set. I was super inspired by this blog post Modern DIY Dollhouse Furniture by Landsdowne Life that DIY furniture was the way to go. So my daughter and I started collecting knick knacks/lose parts. My obsession was waiting for the dental floss and hair conditioner to run out because I needed them for the dollhouse. This was the first batch of furniture (pre-floss and conditioner cap):
I say not bad for starters. Looking good for a few pieces here and there.
So the first batch of furniture was a hit! My three kids were engrossed in play, and it was a joy to watch since I made the interiors myself and I didn't spend anything on the cutesy modern furniture! Here are the recent photos. Notice the Hermes artwork in the bathroom wall! That's from a Hermes catalog family gave to me from a trip to Japan!
For a closer look at the little parts that make the interiors:
iPhone box bed. Vietnamese pouch for the matress. Silver perfume cover for the nightstand. Acrylic cover from a little container.
The piece de resistance: the water closet!!! Dental floss and hair conditioner cover! I love it to bits! Do you spot the other features?! The mirror was extracted from a pink Barbie mirror for kids!
I can't wait to see what you can come up with! Please shoot me a message so I can see your modern DIY dollhouse furniture!
Apart from the fun of painting again, the art challenge was a worthwhile experience! I didn't get to finish all 30 (and I'm now just finishing numbers 20 and 21), but it was worth the pressure, time, investment and hard work.
The art challenge was a liberating experience for me. Posting my artwork and sharing it was and is still somewhat daunting for me. I still feel like I'm putting a piece of myself out there, and feel as though I have to dodge unkind comments. Thankfully, my friends are kind, and though not all reviews are excellent, all have shared constructive feedback.
I also learned to appreciate the process of making art, and finding the aesthetic I'm comfortable with. The first few days were just me experimenting with my materials, but not really feeling satisfied with the output. With the help of tape and short strokes, I was led to painting lines and flowers - something I think I will enjoy doing for a very long time! Hadn't I decided to put my brush to the canvas to just give this a shot, I would have never realized that this is what I would love painting.
It was such a blessing that friends emerged to join me in the 30-day art challenge! None of us finished the 30 pieces of artwork, but the few days we made art, and shared it with each other, was the added boost and inspiration I needed to make more art. I am so very blessed and thankful to all of them! Thanks to you guys! You know who you are! It was fun and I'd do it again with you guys! I hope to have that art exhibit with all of you in the future!
I also would have never realized that there are many out there who also struggle with the same fears I have. Many have shared the same sentiments and some messaged me privately, or posted the art that they have tried to make. I listened to artist podcasts and TED talks, and found relief in knowing that even the most successful artists struggle with creating art sometimes. One of the best TED talks that still resonates with me is Phil Hansen's on "embracing the shake." (Watch the full talk in the youtube link below). Instagram posts were also encouraging, especially the #doitfortheprocess posts. It's both a hashtag and a very forgiving call to action.
Pablo Picasso is quoted saying, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." I hope this post inspires you to put your brush to the canvas, or pencil to the paper or use whatever media you are comfortable with to make art. I believe everyone is an artist. In adulthood, it's just so hard to believe this as the magic of making art is lost in what we think the world will say. It really takes a lot of courage and faith. I hope this moves you to face your fears, have fun and let the child in you make art again!
Source: IZquotes.com
Gallery of some of the artwork I made. Visit my instagram account paperminties and Studio Paperminties on Facebook to see more of the artwork and details.
This is it. Here we go. Time to be brave and take the 30 day art challenge.
I just read something that goes – Pablo Picasso always wanted to return to the uninhibited and innocent expression of the child artist (Curtis Tappenden). I admire how children can freely express themselves through art, undeterred by how their work will be judged.
Months ago, our first graders had their Art and Artists unit. I watched in admiration as they freely, happily and bravely created art. From the get go, almost every one of them considered themselves artists. They were not afraid of making mistakes, and just dove into the creative process. No over-thinking, no inhibitions. It was a glaring contrast to what I feel about creating art. Just the thought of creating art and showing it felt daunting, frightening, overwhelming. This might explain it - Johns Hopkins’ Dr. Charles Limb’s preliminary study on the creative mind showed that the lateral prefrontal cortex of our brain, the one responsible for self-monitoring, self-reflection, introspection and working memory, decreases in activity when one allows the creative, communicative, expressive areas of the brain to function. The creative mind begins to emerge – letting go of inhibition, the fear of making mistakes and welcomes generative impulses. It is my hope that the pressure of posting an artwork a day for 30 days will liberate me from my overactive lateral prefrontal cortex. One of the things on my bucket list is to have an art exhibit one day. I do not know if this will eventually lead to that. For now, social media is my art gallery. I am happy that my hubby Paolo, and friends Selena and Maggie are going on this 30 day art challenge with me! Join us? Post an artwork a day, for all 30 days in June – a painting, a sculpture, any artwork! Tag me!#paperminties#30dayartchallenge#30dayartchallengePhilippines
