
OK. I know I said I would show you how to make a Coca Cola lamp out of nothing. Well you do need a computer and some photo paper, unless you happen to have a 2 x 3 photo of a Coca Cola lamp lying around. Check out Coca Cola lamps on internet, print out one or two you like. (You will note that real ones cost hundreds of dollars and if you can find a miniature one, they are very expensive.)
Cut out around lamp. Get top from a fat vitamin bottle for the “base”, make a hole in top with an awl or hammer a nail in to make a hole. Roll cut out of lamp around a pencil to round it. Give it a coat of clear nail polish. Hot glue it to base. Take a piece of chain from any costume jewelry and run through hole and hot glue.
Put a safety pin through top link and jab into ceiling. As I have cardboard ceilings this is easy. If you have a wood ceiling, you may have to hold safety pin with duct tape.
My dollhouse is not electrified, however I have used three strands of mini Christmas lights, which I have taped to the ceilings. The lights are very bright and I put a dab of blue translucent glass paint on each one to dull the light down a bit. You may want to use red translucent paint in the bedroom as it is more sensuous. (Just kidding)
I have also used the stick and click lights in the center of the ceiling of each room…these take 3 AAA batteries each. So be sure and buy a 24 pack of batteries. If you want to get fancy, you could snake a Christmas light down your chain and tuck it behind lamp to “light” it.
The fireplace is made out of a can of Spam, with the Spam removed. I cut the shape with a tin snips and painted the inside flat black. Glue little rocks all over and paint later if you want a different color. Little rocks can be bought in the florist department of a craft supply store.
Or you can use styrofoam pellets from packing material. Glue on and then paint with whatever colors. Use acrylic paint or you will melt the foam. To make embers, sprinkle some foam crumbs on bottom, and drip red/white, silver nail polish all over. Then some black here and there.
The logs are little twigs. It helps to have a fine craft saw and a little vise, but if you don’t, you can use cinnamon sticks and cut with a scissors.
The flames are red satin ribbons, dusted with glitter and once over with clear nail polish. Or if you don’t have red satin, you could use any color and paint ribbon with red nail polish. Nail polish is a must have product for so many things.
The mantle is just a piece of black cardboard that was part of a box. Try to use little boxes as they have nice edges. Cut with a one sided razor blade.
The mirror over the fireplace is a cosmetic mirror from an eye shadow box, glued in a little picture frame. You don’t have to separate the mirror from the black plastic as it will probably break.
I bought the pool table from a catalog. A real bargain at $10.99 and it even came with a pool rack (on wall)
All the background you see is cut from magazines. The disco ball is a Christmas tree ornament.
The play yard features my grandchildren Ben and Cami. I bought the dolls and glued their photos on for the faces. The grass is green craft foam/covered with white glue and sprinkled with dried parsley.
The bucket with spilled “water” uses Triple Thick for the water. This is a wonderful product that dries clear like water. Good for bathtubs,sinks, birdbaths, swimming pools and glasses of “liquid”.
The stones in the patio are grouted with Colgate toothpaste. Works fine. Can also grout with an old tube of facial mud mask.
The fireplace tools were a little complicated to make. I used a cut off chopstick with a cup hook screwed into it for the stand. I used small paint brushes cut down for the tools and the metal on one paint brush twisted with a needle nose pliers, for the poker. I painted all the wood black and used silver leaf for the tops of the tools. You could use gold or silver nail polish.
By the way, 99 cent a bottle nail polish works just fine.
To the left of the fireplace you will see a little aquarium. Tomorrow I will show you how to make this. Hint: You need to have a tiny rectangular perfume bottle (empty)