Crafting Little Granny's Christmas

Happy Holidays to them who still have some, I got back to work on 27th and will have to work trough the New Years Eve and New Years Day as well. No rest for the wicked! Anyway, the whole month of December went with photographing and making of the Little Granny's Christmas story. I thought I started making it early enough but I soon learned I hadn't reserved it enough time before December. I had finished the script in the beginning of October, I think. I know  it was mostly finished before a little visit towards Tampere meeting some dollyfriends in last weekend of October. I had to do a little changes in the way, but that was all towards good and it needed those, definitely. I began crafting the first things on October 21st and I also had the Inktober challenge going on at the same time so I know that maybe next year I'll have to choose only one big project for October.

I work full time in morning and evening shifts so it was really a bit too much to photograph, resize photos and finally post it online before or after work. Not to mention I hadn't sewed the most of the outfits soon enough to only spend time photographing and I hadn't made all the props either which of course made me thinking what the hell have I gotten into. At one point I had as much as six stories sceduled in the blog but then I had days I didn't work with the story at all becouse I had booked some travelling first with friends and then with workmates, visit to the in-laws etc things I couldn't cancel at that point. With days like that you just can't do anything else becouse it is super tiring to be social for full day or weekend. It was of course, nice to see friends and family but I should've sceduled myself better in making the story and make more in the days I had time for myself. I had to cancel at least one dollmeet and meeting with friends but it was something I had to do, becouse I really wanted to make it before Christmas. I hope people will understand it wasn't so that I didn't want to meet them, it was just something I had to do that time. I hadn't set any REAL deadline for anything for myself (which was really stupid), so I was resizing and posting stories for the last minute until it was time to go to sleep and leave to visit family back at home-home.

Here are some things I crafted for Little Granny's Christmas and some things I bought too. But first, the gang! I apologise in advance for the quality of the photos, as I mostly used my cell phone for photographing WIP things and man it's getting old, light was sucky as well since it winter time.


From left: Bluefairy Pocketfairy Yoko - Lamb, Latidoll Yellow Aabie - Postal Elf, Latidoll Yellow Momo - Little Elf, Elfdoll Min Del Re - Lila (Fairy Godmother), Latidoll Yellow Lumi - Little Granny, Latidoll Yellow Kuroo - Pink Bear, Bluefairy Pocketfairy Didi - Squinty Reindeer and Bluefairy Pocketfairy Minimay - Reindeer.



I began with Pink Bears home, her door was  one of the first thing I made.


I don't try to do the best of most perfect things for this story, I think the rugged look suits it really well. This was coloured with colour crayons I got in primary school time. And as I'm getting another "0" in my age number next year that was really long time ago!


The crayons, don't they look fabulous? They're the watercolour kind too, if you put some water on the colouring it will melt the colour and you can use them as watercolours instead of crayons. Nifty?

Next I turned my eye on the background sky. I couldn't find the led lights I bought last year so I had to buy new ones and wanted to upgrade the back drop a little so the led wire wouldn't be showing in the photos. This time I wanted something that would be usefull for the next year and for other photographing too so I chose foam core board for it. My fiance also does some crafting so he had some in storage and I recycled some of my older foam boards too.


I drew the wire pattern to the right side of the board. I thought it would be easier, and then I cut openings for the parts where I wanted the "star" to be in.


Painting the round openings with dark blue paint and covering the board with velvet was difficult. Hotglueing wasn't the best option, of course there's many better ideas right now, after finishing the story but I think this will manage for few more years if I can just store it well.


The background of the thing. Stained in paint, but that doesn't show so it's ok. I covered tear shaped cardboard pieces with the velvet and placed them behind the openings so only light shown from the stars would be the led lights. There's a holder for the battery container too.


On the right you can see the leds without the star covers, the paper used for the stars was thin and perfectly shaded the stars enough so they wouldn't show too much from the back when lights were switched on. I don't know what's the paper called in english.

Little Granny had a stove, but she really needed a fireplace to warm her house. So, I decided that baking oven which also stores heat are very nice and comfortable things. There's a stove part in the left and oven part on the right. My granny used to bake in the big oven similar to this, when the wood had burned to coals they are pulled away from the oven and it's tidied to put the baking trays in. Granny just put her hand and arm inside the oven to feel the air (she didn't touch the oven from the inside, of course) and she just knew when the temperature was correct for the food she was going to prepare.


I usually don't measure that much of the foam core boards. I do things and correct them with the outer layer of crafting felt.


Painting the insides of the oven and under that there's a space for the firewood to be stored there.


Door was made from regular cardboard. By cutting a thin layer from the top there's a perfect texture for the middle of the door.


I had to make second door as I ruined the first one but this works very well!


I painted the furniture Little Granny had last year, and covered them with floral cushions.


The sleigh was making me thinking that if Postal Elf really had a sleigh would it be good for collecting and delivering post? My fiance said that kicksled would be better option and he crafted it from white plastic sticks made for this sort of thing. Here's Bijou (Kuroo) and Leni (Lumi) with the kicksled. He also gave it really nice painting, so it looks like it's been used and it's not completely new one.


Colour pencils from skewer sticks, paint containers and brushes. Cards, envelopes.


Postbox was made from foam core board and covered with older thin cardboard layer. The feet are made from balsa, only cut in correct length. Everything is glued together with hotglue. I think hotglue became really usefull in this project. I couldn't go with anything that wouldn't set fast enough.


Visiting the in-laws made a weekends gap into my crafting, but I managed to make a pattern for the reindeer outfits and test it with paper towel. Poor Minimay on the left with tape and paper suit.


Granny's backpack, after this photo I sewed the carrying handle.


Granny's home setting.


Some landscape before they slide the first hill down.


Owls mask and outfit. This is Dollzone doll borrowed from my friend Mei, this doll didn't have a face up so I had to think about some sort of mask to cover her face at least partly. :D Mei also helped me with the last photos and provided amazing sparkle effects. ^__^


These super adorable cardigans were created by talented friend Kaede. I made an order for them early enough to receive them before starting shooting the story.


New crochetted blankets for Little Granny from my workmate Aija. She's such a treasure and said she just made them while watching tv. Just like that! It would've taken me days to do something like this and she just made them like that.

There were so many things I didn't make as there were quite plenty of things from last year too and the Re-Ment definitely need to be mentioned, some things I commisioned for the story too and something I borrowed.
- tree cut outs, back drops, mainly cardboard, velvet, cotton wool, tulle, styrofoam blocks, cardboard boxes
- fairy's tree and home was mainly fabrics and led ligths, tree trunk was cardboard from outside painted to look a bit like birch bark, fairy's outfit was sewn on her in the last minute and the wings were just a fast cut out from light blue paper
- christmas tree was bought from Sinelli's booth at the craft fair in Tampere and painted with green craft paint
- Granny's homes carpets were bought from craft fair in Tampere
- Re-ments in Granny's home: Moomin Homestyle Dishes, Moomin Warm House, Petit Sample,  gingerbreads made last year. Nuts and seeds for birds were super fast fimo things. Birds from last year (could use new coat of paints). A bit of roof and the chimney.
- Pink Bear's home walls, the carpet was a piece of green and gold fabric, shelf was Re-Ment from Sumikko Gurashi series, her night gown was bought years ago from a friend, socks from a Lati Yellow clothes set. Bed = Pocketfairy doll box with mattress from last year. Bedding and new pillows sewed plenty.
- The Postal Elf's bag was Azone Himeno of Oz bag, her hat was actually YOSD size hat so no wonder her head looked huge, hat and socks older things I had, shorts from Dollheart
- Owl's home barn
- Granny's woolsocks from Fairchildren

There are so many things I can't even list everything. I received Latidoll Yellow Aabie too, didn't have time to make a proper box opening, just few photos in Instagram. I must say I thank you all from support and reading and commenting. Especially Fantasywoods, DollsDolour, Sharon, Xanadu and my workmate Aija who crochetted the absolutely fantastic new blankets for Granny and who was the one I originally wanted to translate the stories in Finnish for. I've learned a LOT from this experience and need to think again if I'll really want to make another one or to take part to the Inktober next year. I can't concentrate on many things at once so I'm propably going to have to choose ONE project for next year. I don't want to cancel meetings and not be able to arrange home for Christmas at all like I didn't have time to do anything this year. It's a mess here, and time to sort it out now. If you've made it this far, thank you and have a nice weekend! ^__^