No, not to Mockingbird Hill Cottage…to the dollhouse. More on that later.
How was your Christmas? Ours was quite lovely. We had a strict, strict budget this year and had to stick to it. Do you know what I re-discovered? How many presents, how much they cost – all of that doesn’t matter. We were creative with our budget. We played Christmas music, talked about the real meaning of Christmas, had fun with the dogs and realized how blessed we are. Later that day, we went over to Heidi’s for dinner with some wonderful friends. All in all, a perfect day.
Renovations on the dollhouse have begun. I finally decided to stop staring at the house and start doing something with it. I was inspired by this gift from my dear husband.
That cutie pie wanted to give me something for the dollhouse. He researched dollhouse shops online and found one near where we used to live. After visiting the shop and charming the older ladies who run it, he chose this fireplace. I love it. So, today I hauled the dollhouse into the kitchen, put it on the table and decided to go for it. This little dollhouse was extremely inexpensive, so when I complain, remember that I know I got a great deal. Nevertheless, whoever assembled this didn’t do such a great job. Walls are sometimes a bit off, there were slight gaps in the intersection of some walls, the base was too high and wasn’t level, there was some water damage on the floors, the cupola was glued to the roof in the wrong place, etc.
The shutters that were on the house were just pieces of wood with the slats painted on. Took all of them off, and will be using shutters like the one on the right to replace them.
The top two windows (on your left) were put it at an angle. I’m not sure why. They were crooked. I wanted to straighten them and was very nervous about prying them away from the house. But it was actually surprisingly easy and straightening them was a snap. They are straight, even though something about this photo makes them look a bit off.
I also took off the old base and will have a new one cut. All in all, a very satisfying day!
The inside is a blank slate. Nothing was done by the previous owners, so after I take care of the outside, I will start priming and painting the inside. I’m not sure whether I should electrify it or not. Any helpful hints?
Hope you are all having a great weekend!