#tj (and her family) make a dollhouse!

[tj-crochets]

Dollhouse bed progress!! Featuring a mattress, some pillows (including one made of scraps from the blanket I made earlier today), and half a blanket!

I’m choosing to believe the visible stitches on the larger pillow are decorative. Also, I’ll be making a pillowcase lol

#sewing #crochet #woodworking #handmade #tj (and her family) make a dollhouse! #I’m really really happy with this! #I do intend to make a tiny elephant quilt to match the one I made my niece #but the half a crochet blanket is an okay standin #I think the bed isn’t quite true 1:12 scale #but my niece is little and won’t care

[humblesandwich]

Chips with a side of gentrification.

I love Trader Joe’s, don’t get me wrong. And right now I live next-door to one, which certainly makes day-to-day planning a big convenience. But my family didn’t shop there much growing up - it didn’t carry bags of rice large enough or offer discount gotta-go frozen meats or stock industrial jugs of Kikkoman; and honestly we thought of it as “fancy” (in fact, we thought of a trip there as a special treat and one time my sister was asked what her favorite restaurant was and she responded “Trader Joe’s”). 

Times have changed, obviously. As Trader Joe’s has expanded, the prices have gotten more reasonable and they’ve started including more cultural foods to reflect changing palates and demographics - though their shoyu sucks (and comes in some tiny ass bottle....like is it for dollhouses????) - which seems nice and inclusive in a lot of ways. But I have to admit I definitely paused when I saw generically boxed Mochi Cake Mix, something I grew up calling Butter Mochi that was made by my mom from scratch, being sold to the exact kind of people who looked at me like I was eating a greasy slab of rubber when I was a kid. And I felt that same feeling creep up again when I saw the Chili Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Chips....which are just basically Takis Fuego but packaged to be more approachable to white people, I’m guessing. 

So. I’m just gonna go ahead and share the “original” version of some of these TJ’s products because I think it’s just as good to support the companies or the groups that have been making and enjoying this stuff for years, as it is your favorite grocery chain.

Mochi Cake Mix < Hawaii’s Best Hawaiian Butter Mochi Mix

While Butter Mochi requires only mochiko, eggs, butter, sugar, and milk - you can always opt for the mix from Hawaii’s Best which has been pumping out variations on the ono treat (and other local desserts like kulolo and haupia) for years. Not to mention, it’s a Hawaii based company that employs local Hawaiians during a time of financial decline for native Hawaiians in their own homeland. You can buy it from Hawaii’s Best directly, but it’s also available on Amazon or, even better, on Snack Hawaii (another family owned and operated company that has been selling local goods out of Hilo for 25 years). And - shameless plug - I’ve been buying from Snack Hawaii for a long time, so if you need a discount link, HMU.

Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips < Takis Fuego

The company that makes Takis was founded in 1978 and has been pumping these guys out in different flavors since then. And while Trader’s only offers one flavor, the Takis from your local convenience store come in Fuego, Guacamole, Fajita, and Nitro. The company was founded in Lerma Municipality, Mexico, but has since moved to the US. And for me, this is less of a “support your local company” plea (because Barcel is a big corporation) but more of a “support your local culture” plea. Takis is one of those foods that has existed for a long time in specific cultural circles and so, gets looked down on as a marker of being poor or lower class. Which is utter bullshit and which makes the TJ’s version feel like gentrification in snack form. So instead of buying the “safe” version, maybe instead broaden your horizons and support your local Northgate Marketplace, and grab some homemade tamales or visit the panaderia while you’re there? Also, hot tip, Takis cost $1 while the Trader’s version will set you back $3.99. 

P.S. If you’re going to say “but Takis have MSG,” please allow me to educate you on how the fear of MSG is a racist and xenophobic myth. 

Amba Fermented Mango Sauce < Galil Pickled Mango

So this one specifically depends on if you’re looking for Indian, Israeli, or Middle Eastern Amba and Trader Joe’s doesn’t really specify which one they’re aiming for here. But Galil has been selling their Amba since 1985 and has been family-owned and run since then. Their Amba is also Kosher, and you can buy it on Amazon as well as this awesome site called Super Kacher that specializes in Middle Eastern and Israeli specialty food. If you want a more Indian Amba, try Ship Brand, which has been made by Poonjiaji’s Spices in Mumbai since 1883. The bottle looks crazy generic and if you live in LA, can be easily spotted at Bharat Bazaar at Samosa House, or again - available on Amazon! 

All this to say, don’t knock the originals because you have to go to H Mart or Tehran Market to get them. Maybe you haven’t been to those places before or maybe you just don't have time to hit two markets (in which case, I have provided you with links for online shopping) - but give the cultures that have provided fodder for your favorite chain a fighting chance to prove why they were good enough to be appropriated in the first place.

#Trader Joe's #takis #butter mochi #amba #hawaiian #food #gentrification #cultural appropriation #Hawaiian food #indian food #israeli food #middle eastern food #grocery shopping #Mexican food

[tj-crochets]

The dollhouse crib has a mattress and a trio of tiny teddy bears and is ready to be painted!

#tj (and her family) make a dollhouse! #handmade #dollhouse furniture #dollhouse #I did not make the bears #they are from my grandma’s stash of craft supplies #I did make the rest of it though!

[tj-crochets]

Mini bed frame is now completely done!! Next dollhouse project: a mini mattress and bedding to go in the bed frame

#tj (and her family) make a dollhouse! #dollhouse furniture #1:12 scale #miniatures #1:12 scale furniture #can you tell I don’t know what tags people use for this lol #my third ever piece of doll furniture! I learned a lot

[tj-crochets]

My first piece of dollhouse furniture is just waiting on glue and another square stick (dowel?) to make into legs!!

#tj (and her family) make a dollhouse! #tiny kitchen chair!! #I also have the beginnings of a tabletop #but the wood I have for the table is difficult to cut by hand

[tj-crochets]

Finally making more progress on dollhouse stuff! This crib is currently upside down and still needs a bottom to hold up the mattress, the bars on the side, and the mattress, but it’s starting to look like a crib!

#tj (and her family) make a dollhouse! #dollhouse furniture in progress #I am really happy to be making progress on this again #and the purple bunny only has one hand left to sew patches on!! #I mean also the face #still gotta sew the face and goggles #but progress is progress! purple bunny is getting close to being done #and the crib is getting close to being done too! #also pictured is my makeshift workbench

[tj-crochets]

A mini mermaid for the dollhouse! She’ll have a removable tail, but I still need to add the fins so right now it just looks like half a sleeping bag lol

#sewing wip #mini mermaid in progress #tj (and her family) make a dollhouse! #handmade #I really like version 2 of this doll pattern! #the second picture I’m hoping my thumb covers enough tumblr doesn’t flag these pictures #like...it’s a tiny mermaid that mostly just looks like a gingerbread man with hair

[tj-crochets]

I got a dremel as an early birthday present so I could use it to cut larger pieces of wood easier for dollhouse furniture

It’s, uh, gonna take some practice lol (that cut was meant to be a straight line)

#tj (and her family) make a dollhouse! #power tools that require steady hands and POTS related hand shakiness don’t go well together lol #I’ll try again another time but I’ll use something else to cut the tabletop pieces #I sometimes forget the learning curve for new hobbies since most of my hobbies have built on previous ones? #this is entirely new to me and I have so much to learn

[tj-crochets]

Two chairs!!! I was supposed to finish a bear head today but I got distracted playing a game and making tiny chairs instead

#miniatures #dollhouse furniture #1:12 scale #tj (and her family) make a dollhouse! #tiny chairs!! and this second one even has some right angles!!

[tj-crochets]

Dollhouse progress!! More pictures of the actual dollhouse in progress will probably be few and far between, because the assembly is very much my dad’s project and he’s not big on progress pictures lol

#tj (and her family) make a dollhouse! #my dad was a mechanic for a long time #he beat some records for fastest hydroplane engine #I mean they were almost immediately beaten by someone else #but still! and now he’s having my brother and I race through the garage to find the clamps #because he forgot to find the clamps to hold the dollhouse together before he glued it #it’s like we’re related lol #nah my dad is actually really really good at this stuff #he’s also used to improvising for technical stuff so currently we have Spanish textbooks holding down one wall of the dollhouse #and I’m making bunny progress! everything but the nose is cut out #I’ve sewn the eyes on #so it’s just the eyebrows the mouth and the nose left to sew on the face #and then it’s final assembly time! plus the goggles. still gotta make those

[tj-crochets]

Making a dollhouse for my nieces is happening!!! My dad’s unexpectedly excited about it, and he’s getting a dollhouse kit to build, and my sister is pretty excited too and wants us to send pictures of the kit ASAP (I think so she can get designing? She’s the best of my family at like making rooms look good/color matching/stuff like that and I *think* she’s going to be giving my brother and I a list of furniture to make/obtain)  I was thinking a simple like “basically a bookshelf but with a roof” type dollhouse, and it’s kind of cool to see this idea take on a mind of its own. I don’t remember ever working together with my siblings on a project like this before and idk how it will go, but it’s going to be awesome.  I think I’ll make a tiny quilt for the dollhouse. 

#tj (and her family) make a dollhouse! #that will be the tag to block if you don't want to see dollhouse updates #idk which kit my dad will get #going with 1:12 scale #for ease of everything lol #might attempt to scale down the CholyKnight doll pattern to make a 6" tall doll? #might make my own pattern? #if I can scale down her patterns though I get a whoooole bunch of doll clothes options

[tj-crochets]

Made a blanket to match the pillow for the dollhouse bed!

#tj (and her family) make a dollhouse! #I really like this bedding and am kind of jealous? I think a space themed like quilt or duvet cover would be awesome #I might make the couch next? #idk what fabric I want to use for the couch

[tj-crochets]

Dollhouse update! My sister painted it and sent it back and now it’s ready for the next round of building!

#tj (and her family) make a dollhouse! #dollhouse #the third floor rooms are unicorn themed #don’t know what that means exactly but I am loving the rainbow

[tj-crochets]

Oh hey heads up I’m having a blast making doll furniture and am making it with like zero thought to how it’s all going to actually fit in the dollhouse, so I give it about a 50% chance I’m going to make some stuff that won’t actually end up going to my niece. I have no idea what to do with that doll furniture, but I just found a video on how to make a working 1:12 scale pool table and I reaaaallllly want to

#tj (and her family) make a dollhouse! #my brother likes pool! (the brother with the kids) #but the pool balls would be too much of a choking hazard for the baby #hm. idk. I mean I am going to make it #because I can and also OH MY GOSH #I'm also going to make my niece's mini bouncy castle full of playpen balls #but I'm thinking I'll go with beads on a necklace for the playpen balls #and like double or triple knot between each bead #I used to make those like semiprecious stone necklaces that are spherical beads with a knot between each? #sometimes for my sister's online store when she got too many orders #so I know I can do a bunch of tiny knots no problem #but that won't work for a functional mini pool table #maybe I'll make it and give it to my brother to keep on his desk or something

[tj-crochets]

No pictures, but a crafting update! -Three and a half out of four monster limbs sewn, and all fabric but the inner ears and the tail cut out for the monster! - All of the bedframe for the dollhouse is made except the slats that hold up the mattress. It didn’t turn out level, but I *think* I caught it in time that putting weights on it to hold it level as it dries completely will even it out. We’ll see lol (It’s currently sitting on the counter with a tape dispenser on one end and a bottle of Tylenol on the other, because those are what I had at hand lol)

#tylenol mention #idk if that's an issue for anyone but I'd rather tag than not you know? #crafting update! it's a sewing update and a doll furniture update #tj (and her family) make a dollhouse! #I now have a mitre (miter?) box so I should be able to cut right angles which will make this waaaay easier #but the little folding handsaw I've been using has too thick a blade to fit in the mitre box #so...gotta ask my dad if I can borrow a different saw #he has multiple one will probably be the right size? #at this rate I will probably spend more on supplies to make furniture than if I'd just bought dollhouse furniture #but I am really enjoying making tiny furniture

[tj-crochets]

I finally got around to finishing the crib!

And the glue is drying on the mattress filling, so once that’s dry I can add the cover to the mattress and get it set up. Well, once I talk to my sister about color schemes. She’s painting everything

#tj (and her family) make a dollhouse! #a dollhouse crib! #it took some doing and a couple tries but I finally finished the bottom of the crib! #I also made chicken and dumplings from scratch for dinner tonight #well almost from scratch #I did use a pre-cooked chicken #but the dumplings and the rest of it are from scratch!