Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Restaurant Concept

Occassionally I get an idea and it takes on a life of it's own.   The restaurant idea definitely did that.  I was preparing to do the photostory of Rod and Danielle telling the kids about the wedding.  I was going to do it at Danielle's house, but thought maybe the kids would take it better if they were eating fast food.  I'm not big on bribery in real life, but doll life is another story.  Of course this meant I would have to build a little fast food restaurant.  Why can't I just do things the easy way?  So early yesterday I started.  I came up with the idea to do some quick little booths and tables.  They are made from foamcore board and a paper towel roll.  I wanted to make them separate so I could change the layout if I needed to.  Boy oh boy.  As I started building, my mind went crazy with ideas.  I finally had to stop myself because I could have been building for hours.

I am patting myself on the back for this one.  This is going to change the scope of my stories and get so many more characters involved and it's not even taking up that much space.  The first restaurant I designed will be shown tomorrow when I FINALLY do the photostory with Rod, Danielle and the kids.  Below are a few others that I came up with.   Keep in mind, they are not complete.  This is to give you an idea of some of what I came up with.   As for the booths and tables, they will be covered with white contact paper to get rid of the rough edges.  I am going to keep them white, to keep them versatile.  Pardon any dust you see on those playsets.  They have been hanging out for years waiting for their chance to make an appearance.  One more thing.  The back wall is red on the other side and the black floor is cream on the other side.  You will see that tomorrow.  The brick paper is just pinned to the wall, so I will move it/change it when needed.

Can't have a town with all those kids and no MickeyDs! My families don't even have to go to the same McDs.  I can just change the layout and they can be at some McDs across town, or near someone's job.

That table behind the booth is supposed to be turned the other way. This is where they will put the trays.  I may have to look for a trash can. 

Here's Pizza Hut.  There are the girls from my "Sisterly Love" group.

Definitely need a Subway.  The counter will be in the center, I think.  I also want to build a potato chip stand.  May make some chocolate chip cookies, too.

How about a nice Asian restaurant.  Of course it can be a Soul Food restaurant, or whatever else I need.  I will also use this space for my upscale restaurants.  The booths will be replaced with tables and chairs.  Ohhhh the possibilities!  I can see Darius and Nikki dining in a fine restaurant.

You can get a glimpse of the chinese noodles and egg rolls I made a month or so ago.  I will get back to food soon.  The plates that arrived were the wrong size.  I am waiting for more.  Fingers crossed, again.
 
 
I found those lion heads in the Targe $1 section a couple years ago.  They were marked down to less than .50.  I bought the display case about 9 years ago for my miniature house.  Yeah, I have miniature houses, too. 

Another layout. This one will be perfect for a more intimate setting. Of course I need the right accessories and the back wall will have a really nice backdrop or maybe fabric. I will also change the setting just by changing the wall in the middle to a half wall.  Maybe that will be my IHOP restaurant. 

Here is a potential diner.  I will definitely be doing a coffee house because I have a wonderful coffee apron.  LOL.  I am famous for building full sets becauuse I bought an apron (i.e. the Anderson patio).

 
I will finally be able to use that sushi playset. 

The last one I did was a karoake bar.  Hey there's Kara, our resident singer/songwriter/hairdresser.  Oh look.  There is Tanisha.  We haven't seen her in forever. She's looking pretty cute in that green.  She is also part of the Studio Dreams group.  She is the dancer.  So the new guy is running the karoake tonight.  That is not his real job.  He loves music and fills in occassionally to help out his family who owns the place.

This will also be the place where the local jazz band performs.  Remove the karaoke, add a small stage.  change the seating and there you have it.

I don't know if you can tell how excited I am, but I have been jumping out of my skin ever since I started this little project.  We now have a place for most of the scenes I need to shoot.  Bachelor party.  Bachelorette party. Bowling party. Restaurant scenes. Coffee house scenes. Bakery scenes.  Now I'm tired just thinking about everything.  So I am off to make furniture now.  See you tomorrow.  Oops, I almost forgot to mention that my families can now go to church.  These seats will also serve as church pews. 

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32 comments:

  1. So cute! I love the fast food themes that you have set up so far. You def have been busy lol. Looking forward to seeing them completed and the stories that develop with them:) you are amazingly talented!

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  2. Is that foam core held together with pins? Looks awesome!

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  3. Chynadoll - Thanks. I had to keep myself from going hogwild with this. All the kids heard about McD's and they were jumping up and down. I'm not sure the mothers were too thrilled.

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  4. Miss_Lola_77 - Welcome. Yes they are temporarily held together with pins. Once I cover them with the contact paper, I will glue them so they are permanent. They easily stack on each other, so they will be easy to store.

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  5. Vanessa, you know you got me started right LOL. My dio of my living room is almost finished. Oh my goodness what fun this is.

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  6. Looks great! Can't wait to see the video.

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  7. I showed my son your McD's. He said for the dolls. He really liked that. He lauged thought it was cute. I love it. I wished I had room. The kids in my town would love that and I have a lot of kids in my town. I love the Asian restuarant. Especially the food. When you make some please list on Etsy. I want that.

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  8. Chynadoll - Uh oh. You could be in trouble with the whole dio thing. So I am taking it that this will be one of your first complete dios? I can't wait! I know you are working your magic.

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  9. Frannie - No video. Just a photostory. LOL. The next video planned is the sleepover.

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  10. mrscarissa - I will have to make some food for the fast food restaurants. I don't really like what they have for sale, although I might use some temporarily. I got the pizza covered. You build a McDs and your son may rethink the idea of playing with you. I will definitely list some Chinese food on Etsy. The eggrolls have polymer clay cabbage, carrots, and a few other eggroll ingredients inside. Kind of funny since you don't see the inside. I make awesome real eggrolls, so I just duplicated the process in clay. Sleep? What's that?

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  11. I'm going to answer my own question here: There is NOTHING you can't do! Vanessa, just amazing! And I hope you realize how inspiring you are too. I'm happy for you that you were able to get a set up like this happening, to make things easier on you. And...I'm happy for us, your followers because we'll be taken places in your lovely diorama town while enjoying the stories. I am truly amazed!

    Congrats on all your hard work. Can't wait to see Danielle & Rod with the kids in your next video. Oh my goodness, bridal showers, bachelor parties, possibly the boutique for the "fitting" of Danielle & Rod's wedding...we're in for a treat. :)

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  12. Oops...one more comment. It's good to see Chandra on the scene. She looks gorgeous in that green blouse.

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  13. Tracy - Thanks so much!! You always make me feel like I am actually doing something over here. I have to say getting Darius' living room, the Langford's dining room, and this done in just over a week is more than I could have ever imagined. I do see that all of you are working hard out there and kicking butt. Your pictures and settings have been fabulous.

    I was happy to get Trichelle, Chandra, and my girl Kara in the shot. They are all so pretty. Chandra has on one of the Brandy outfits from some years ago. It looks really good with her skintone.

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  14. Wow Vanessa, you have been busy. I love the sets and it's many uses. I also look forward to seeing what you do with the restaurants. I know that the are going to be so full of detail and on point.

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  15. WOW! I am blown away!I especially love the Asian restaurant scene! Don't you just love it when you score on awesome finds such as the lion heads in the $1 Target section (and for even cheaper too!)!!?! Really love this post! :)

    In A Dolly's World

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  16. Georgia Girl - Thanks. This was definitely an early Xmas present to myself. Hope you had a wonderful time at Wu Con!

    Dolly's World - Thanks. Yes. Bargains for the dollies is a definite plus. Being able to find them when you want to use them is a double plus!

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  17. Love the different resturants that you have! Your dolls are soo spoiled and i love the asain food,looks yummy. I have to agree with others to say i cant waite to see rod and danielles wedding and things related! Great job!

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  18. So many creative ideas! I was going to settle for a food court in the mall in my doll world. I have the same Bratz sushi set so I'm inspired to get my sushi restaurant together.

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  19. As usual, your creative juices have been flowing and inspiring me and others. I remain amazed at the things you're able to create in playscale that look so real!

    dbg

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  20. limbe dolls - A food court is a wonderful idea too. I wasn't expecting to do this. All I wanted was a McD's. I've always had a story in mind where Antoinette's husband picks up the kids from school and take them to McD's. I guess I will finally get to do that.

    DBG - Thanks. I also managed to squeeze in making a wooden cabinet for Danielle's kitchen, and making some desks for Julian's class while I was doing this. That was what I worked on when I needed a little break. I think it's all part of the same disorder that made me drive to 6 Big Lots.

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  21. TM - THANKS! I appreciate you commenting.

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  22. Vita Plastica - So do I! I just shot my first video there. I have some big plans for that little space.

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  23. Yes this will be one of my first completed dios. Did not realize all of the work this takes lol.

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  24. Chynadoll - LOLOL!! Welcome to my world. That is why some of mine are rarely finished prior to me shooting. I would never get any videos done. It was especially disheartening when I used to take them down right after shooting. All that work, just gone.

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  25. I absolutely love the little foam board booths! I've wanted restaurant booths for a long time but never figured out how to put them together!

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  26. Hippolyte - Thanks for commenting. Yes, these foam booths were easy and served many purposes. I had thought of making some really nice pleather ones like you see in the Coca-Cola display, but never got around to it. This will suffice in the meantime.

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  27. Thank you! I was really blocked until I saw this post! You did an excellent job with this and a like them all! Love the versatility too!

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  28. Ma. Lwo - You are so welcome. Not sure exactly what I did, but I imagine it will be revealed to me soon.

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  29. Pity Mattel did not approach you before they created their McDonald's flimsy restaurant. The foam benches are clever and the versatility is tops. Thanks for sharing your secrets ;-)

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    1. D7ana - Awww, shucks. Thanks. Those little booths and tables have come in handy. I think I am going to make a couple of wood ones soon.

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