Bendy playsets...the addiction begins.

i warned you there would be more Bendy doll posts! Here is a sneak peak of a few of the Yule Gifts i'm making Sage this year. i've drawn inspiration for these from a couple different places. i know i mentioned the enchanted cupboard etsy shop before, which is where i drew my inspiration of the box playsets. i also love the Weefolk art blog! The blog is full of inspirational craft projects and tutorials!

So, this is the first play set i started. i haven't finished it yet, still trying to find the perfect flower stickers for the background. i really like the 3-D ones, but want something whimsical in similar colors. i found a few i liked, but wasn't sure they would actually match. So i think i'm going to just take the box into the store and match them up there.

Most of the accessories are finished for the fairy tea party set. i keep thinking of a few others things i want to add. i found a wooden tea pot that i still have to paint, and i need to add wings to the bendy dolls. i love how nicely they all fit inside for storage. i just need to finish up the box, then it will be done.

On the outside of the box,
i've attached this 'pre-painted' dragonfly i found at Michael's craft store. i'm going to personalize it with my daughter's name in either painted letters or stickers and maybe add a bit of glitter. :)

While making bendy dolls, i of course had to make a few mermaids! Sgae caught on to what i was doing, and requested 'Ariel' on the right. These are made the same way the regular dolls are made, except that you do not wrap the legs. You give the pipe cleaners a twist about half way down to make a tail shape. Bend the ends of the tail in so that there is no sharp wire on the end. Then the tail is cut from felt, stitched up the sides and sew in place.

i've been having so much fun with this set!!! The decorations on this box are 3-D stickers. i haven't actually stuck them on yet, just set them where i think i want them placed. So they will fit a bit differently once they are stuck in place, and there will not be the glare from the clear plastic that is visible in some of the photos. The large seashells and sea stars are made from felt and hand stitched.

You can't have an underwater scene without a snail named 'Gary'.


Did i mention the clam shells are sleeping bags and the sea stars are pillows??? :) i am seriously having too much fun with this set!! The pink sea anemone is a combination of wood and felt, i still need to make another. i'm working on a sea 'table' and these will act as the stools to go with it. i also haven't finished decorating the outside of the box yet. i do have another underwater sticker (came with the same set) to put on the front, and i'd like to maybe glue a real seashell (or possibly one made from polymer clay) on the front.

There is so much you can do with these boxes and a few blank wooden accessories. My creativity juices are flowing, and i have so many ideas i don't even know where to begin.
i'm already thinking about a woodland faerie set, a flower faerie set, a pirate set, Alice in wonderland, Harry Potter...and maybe even Wizard of oz....:)

i've had a lot of folks asking if i will be selling these. i do plan to have a few bendy dolls for sale, and i may do a few play set on a very limited basis. Right now these are such an addition, i will eventually have to sell some just to support my habit. :) i just ordered a bunch of materials, and will get started on them as soon as they arrive. :)

It is really nice to change direction for a while, and find something that i can be excited about again. i tend to burn myself out on certain projects/crafts and then need to take a break for a while, before coming back to it. i feel like i've been a hiatus for quite some and i'm excited to slowl get back into it. i would love to hear your feed back and ideas on what you would most like to see.