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You are here: Home / Archives for dollhouse

A Dollhouse Day

January 18, 2014 at 9:13 am by Claudia

I know this will be shocking and not all in tune with the rest of the blogging world, but here goes. I’m not a fan of Cath Kidston’s designs. Never have been. There’s something about her version of flowery prints that I just don’t like. And you know I like flowery things. They’re all over my house.

I do, however, love the designs of GreenGate, a company based in Denmark. I could easily go crazy there, buying china and tea towels and mugs and aprons and all things home. I love the way GreenGate uses color and flowers. Their design work is gorgeous. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) there’s no way to buy their products here in the States. So my house has nothing from GreenGate inside its walls.

Oh wait, my dollhouse is another story:

greengateplate

This little plate was made by Carrie Lavender. It’s one of my favorite GreenGate designs. It was inadvertently left off my order, so Carrie sent it to me separately and here it is. Just to prove to you that it is indeed a miniature plate, I give you this.

greengateplateinchair

Adorable. Beautiful. I’m in love.

Yesterday, taking advantage of Don’s absence while he worked in the city, I cleaned the bathroom like a crazy woman. I straightened up the topsy-turvy areas of the house as best I could. And I did a little work on the dollhouse. Girding my loins, I thought I might try a little project from Léa Frisoni’s book on Miniatures (the one that Don got me for Christmas.) I had to translate all the directions via Google Translate but fortunately, I did that a few week ago, so I was ready to go. It looked fairly simple; deceptively simple, I might add. But I figured, what the heck? After a couple of hours I came up with a chair.

leachair

This is a bit of a variation on Léa’s design. I couldn’t find the same kind of florist wire, so I substituted something else. It’s ever so slightly wonky, but it works.  I was thinking it might be a nice addition to the bathroom.

leachairinbathroom

What do you think? A little vintage chair to sit on for a second or two, or a place to toss a towel or a robe? I am rather proud of my first foray into mini-making. I want to make another one someday when I can find the kind of florist wire Léa recommends. But right now? I’m liking this sweet little vintagey-looking chair.

Then I moved on to the craft room/studio/office. I’ve had this idea for a while. I wanted a counter-like desk on the the planked wall, long and narrow, where the owner could set up her sewing machine or write a letter or work on her computer. It’s meant to function as a space saver, as the owner also has a work table for larger projects.

desk3

I found a nice piece of wood at the hobby shop, cut it to the length I wanted and then decided to stain it. I like the contrast of the stained wood with the white planked wall. The legs are left over spindles from the stair railings that I cut down. (I’m realizing that my mini copy of To Kill a Mockingbird is a little off scale, a little on the large side. I’m going to think of it as a special edition – a coffee table size edition of my favorite novel.)

desk2

desk1

That’s the sewing machine Julie sent to me – all the way from Canada. It looks like my Featherweight.

All in all, a productive day. I had another call from QVC. They are doing their best to check in with me every day. The bed we’re sleeping on is from the days when I really liked a firm mattress. My bones no longer prefer that level of firmness and I’m very sore and creaky upon waking. The bed is in relatively good shape because I only had it for a year or so before Don and I moved in together and bought a bigger bed. It hasn’t been used all that much. However, it’s a full size bed that was meant for single girl Claudia. Not Claudia and Don twenty years later…. Ah well.

Happy Saturday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: bedroom, dollhouse, Don, miniatures 57 Comments

All Systems Are Almost Go

January 15, 2014 at 8:51 am by Claudia

dhbathroommirror

Yesterday, I drove about 30 minutes south of here to look for a blanket for the bed. It was another in a series of rainy, foggy days around here. I hate to say it, but I’d much prefer snow over the mud and dampness that has been the norm lately. Anyway, I found a blanket at HomeGoods, as well as a throw pillow. Then I checked out everything at TJ Maxx and ended up with a big fat zero. Ah…but what did I see on the horizon? Bed, Bath & Beyond, the place where I found the pillows we love to sleep on. I needed a couple of King-sized versions of the same pillows. And some pillowcases. The pillows were not cheap, so I could only buy one for Don and one for me and that means the other pillows we use will still be standard size. Screwy, I know, but they’ll be hidden behind the King pillows. Hey, we’re on a budget.

Everything has been delivered. Last night, the last two items – sheets and a dust ruffle – were plopped on our doorstep around 8:30 pm. Almost everything was bought at a discount, sometimes a deep discount. Even so, when you change bed sizes, you have to buy at least one of everything. This has been an expensive proposition for us. Now we await the call that tells us when the bed will be delivered, which will tell us how much we need to do tonight and what we can do at the last minute tomorrow. Cross your fingers for a late morning delivery, okay? That will give us some wiggle room. I’m putting 11:00 am – 2:00 pm out into the universe.

Anyway, there was a Dollar Store right next to TJ Maxx, so I went in to look for inexpensive document frames (check) and found something for the dollhouse. I’ve been looking for a circular mirror to hang above the bathroom sink and I found a thingy that’s meant to be carried in a makeup bag or purse – you flip it open and there are two small round mirrors. $1.00. I came home and managed to pry out the mirror without breaking it and there you go.

I like it.

The other night we were watching Channel 13, our local PBS station that comes out of NYC, and an ad appeared for their programming with a montage of still shots from Downton Abbey and Sherlock, etc. And right in the middle of it all was a shot of Don from The Poisoner’s Handbook! We gasped and cheered. Yay Don!

Since you gave me your blessing, I might be trying some different ad configurations on the blog as my earnings this month have been abysmal. It will be a test. Thanks for your support. Question: Do you have a preference?A narrow, horizontal rectangular ad right above the top of the content (where I post) or one above the header?

Have to go. I have a lot to do today. Everything will be topsy-turvy.

I just looked outside. It’s foggy again. Enough already.

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: bedroom, dollhouse, rain 44 Comments

A Sniffly, Snuffly, Rainy Sort of Day

January 11, 2014 at 9:12 am by Claudia

dollhousebluecabinet

Feeling stuffed up and coughy (I made up that word) today. I’m sure it’s just allergies/sinuses. Or maybe it’s because I insist on petting our neighbor’s cats when we go over to feed them. I’m allergic to cats, but usually if I wash my hands right after I’ve touched a cat, I’m okay. The cats are so adorable and full of personality and they miss their human family members. So Don and I, suckers for animals that we are, go over and spend a little time with them. (We’ll actually miss seeing them every day when our neighbors arrive home late this evening.) I know a lot of you commented that we are good neighbors because we shoveled their driveway and are watching the pets, but they are equally good neighbors. I cannot tell you how many times I have called our neighbor to ask if she could go over and let our dog(s) out when we are working long hours away from home. She is always there for us.

dollhousepitcher

I think I will be low-key today and play with the dollhouse. It’s rainy and just plain yucky out there. And I’m tired and sniffly. I’m going to try making a few things and I just may paint the work table I’m going to use in the craft room. There’s much to be done in the dollhouse, but things are slowing down right now until I have the funds to buy a few pieces. In the meantime, I might try making one of Léa’s projects (from the book I received for Christmas.) I’m not real confident about my miniature-making skills, but I’m going to go for it.

By the way, I’m going to be contributing a monthly Guest Pick Ideabook for Houzz. I just completed my first Ideabook; Set Up a Comfy Reading Corner. It’s on the sidebar, if you’re at all interested. I had a lot of fun putting it together.

dhplateerack

Bed update: Yesterday the headboard arrived. It was snowing, we hadn’t shoveled yet, and here comes a guy from FedEx slogging up the driveway with a huge box on his back. I felt terrible! Still in my pajamas (of course) I opened the kitchen door, apologized to him and told him to “just set it down in the snow.” I wouldn’t even let him take it to the porch, I felt so badly.

Anyway, it’s here. And later in the day, our UPS guy arrived with the mattress pad.

Two down. We still need the sheets, the dust ruffle and the bed frame. Gotta have the bed frame, so cross your fingers that it arrives in time. Since it snowed all day yesterday, I haven’t gone out to look for a blanket. Maybe tomorrow.

Happy Saturday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: bedroom, dollhouse, Houzz, pets 35 Comments

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Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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