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Asian Flair - by DeeinNJ
(May 2006)
| Hi, Gang,
Today is a show and tell, but more of a show than a tell. Nothing crafty going on... just fun playing. Asian-inspired fashions and dolls have been popping up recently in the doll world. Some of you may want to show off your Asian collection or just want a place to display all those tiny Rement miniatures from Japan. Here’s a great way to do it! I dug my Bratz Sushi bar out of the closet and set it up. This set is great and can still be found on ebay or discount/liquidationstores. It’s so worth it. It is very realistic and comes with the most accurate mini sushi accessories. It also isn’t one of those HUGE things you don’t have a place for. It would fit great on a shelf. If you can't find the Sushi bar, make your own from some simple objects, then add some Rement miniature food and you're all set!
The Fashion Royalty gals spent a night on the town and decided to go dressed in trendy Asian style (now, if only the FR men would show up!). I used the brick-wall side of the Room with a View (see previous discussion about that in the Diorama Divas link at the top of the board). I used magnets to attach a piece of red poster paper to the back wall for color. I printed a photo of some Asian neon signs from my computer and placed it in between two shoji screens I made from 12†x 12†scrapbook paper. (Just divide black, card-weight paper evenly in four panels. Cut drafting vellum to form the center of each panel. Then cut strips of black paper and glue them at even intervals both vertically and horizontally.)
For the floor, I laid down a piece of black poster paper, then topped it with a piece of cork I bought in a roll from the craft store. You could use woven place mats or matchstick placemats for the floor or for your standing screens instead. They also look great. The Sushi bar comes with so many realistic accessories. There’s a sushi boat (notice I didn’t even remove the packaging yet!). There are little plates, bowls and chopsticks… even little shakers of soy sauce! The bar has an ice tray for housing the yet-to-be-served sushi. The little dumplings (and a few other items) came with Yue Sai Wawa dolls (Chef & Style, Afternoon Tea).
As I mentioned, most of these goodies came with the set, but I supplemented a few items with the Yue Sai Wawa accessories or with Rement miniatures. Many of these are available on ebay and My Favorite Doll also sells them. That’s where I got this great little tea tray. The bottle is also from Rement. The great fish-shaped bowl was a wonderful giveaway at my last Barbie Club meeting. Cool, huh?
The Sushi bar is also a Kareoke bar (hence the speakers in the bar). You could easily set up a stage if you really wanted your night spot to groove! If you want a more traditional, less trendy Asian restaurant, you could use the shoji’s with this more traditional Japanese wall mural, then replace the sushi bar with a low table, some “woven†mats, some floor cushions and some bamboo plants. Here are a few shots of the sushi bar with the traditional wall mural, but you get the idea of how the room could look with a few different furnishings.
OK – hope you enjoyed this week’s peek into the Orient! ‘Til next time, |
