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You are here: Home / Archives for dollhouse

Dollhouse: Kitchen & A Shabby Sofa

October 22, 2011 at 10:41 am by Claudia

I found the sweetest wallpaper for the dollhouse kitchen. It arrived yesterday. So what was I doing last night when it was really too late to be doing it? You guessed it.

Not the best lighting this morning, but I’ll take more photos later in the afternoon. The pattern is of pink roses with a light robins egg blue on a creamy background. Sweet and old-fashioned – just the way I wanted it. This is the first room in which I’ve also used beadboard. There will be more. I started to add a chair rail, but until I decide where cupboards and appliances will be, that’s all I can do for now. Don’s reaction last night? “I want to live there!” Sorry, Don, no boys allowed.

It’s not perfect. Despite my best intentions, sometimes the trim is a bit crooked, sometimes a bit of glue gets on the wallpaper (rather like our for-real house.)

But, gosh darn it, I’m having such fun with it all.

The reality of my life lately is one of sadness, worries and tears. That’s just the way it is at this point in my life. My parents consume my thoughts. My mother will never be able go home again. She is getting weaker by the day. My father cries when he speaks to me on the phone, all the while trying to cope with his new reality. I need to find a job as there are no coaching jobs on the horizon. These are the facts. So I try to snatch some joy wherever I can find it. My little dollhouse provides a wonderful, magical escape where I can imagine and create and play. Surely that is good for the soul.

Isn’t this gorgeous? It arrived in the mail yesterday – all the way from Italy. Flora, who is a talented miniaturist and has an Etsy shop and a blog, made it for me. I had discovered it on Etsy but it was reserved for another customer. When I asked Flora if she would make one for me, she answered with a resounding yes and here it is. Since the living room will be a bit more formal, in a shabby sort of way, I thought this sofa fit the bill.

Etsy is a wonderful source for handmade miniatures. There is so much talent out there! Thank you, Flora.

I plan on searching eBay for another one of these chests because I want to put it in two places and we all know that is impossible. I want it here, under the stairs. I also want it in the bedroom. So, I simply have to find one more. I’m not crazy about the fabric on the chair, so I will be recovering it when I find just the right look.

Anyone want to join me for a cup of tea on a Saturday morning?

Filed Under: Dad, dollhouse, etsy, mom 23 Comments

Dollhouse: More Wallpaper & Flooring

October 17, 2011 at 12:01 am by Claudia

Still coughing, blowing my nose, occasionally sneezing…this darn cold doesn’t want to leave. So I spent the weekend watching baseball and working on my dollhouse. I did leave the house for a while on Saturday morning to get some things from the grocery store but, for the most part, I was ensconced in the den with the dollhouse. By the way, Scout does not like it when I do that because I sit in a chair with my back to the rest of the den and she feels ignored. She goes off to the kitchen or the living room and pouts.

Anyway, I put in a floor in the upstairs sitting room/den and in the kitchen. And I hung some wallpaper (much easier the second time) and put in baseboards in two of the rooms.

This is the kitchen floor. I’m going for a weathered white and gray plank floor. This isn’t a great photo and I’m still a bit iffy about it, but I think it will work when cupboards and kitchen paraphenalia are in here. Plus, I’m adding wallpaper and beadboard. I like the idea of old wooden floors with all the imperfections that come with years of use. I’m thinking Rustic Country Elegance.

I added baseboards to the living room. My plan is to have this downstairs room be a bit more formal – just a bit.  And then when you go up the stairs, you reach the sitting room/den.

The floor was put in on Saturday. Today, I wallpapered and put in the trim and baseboards. Can’t you just imagine sitting on the loveseat, putting up your feet and reading a good book? Or crocheting? I think we will assume the television is hidden from view under the stairs but perfectly situated for viewing from the loveseat.

It was getting darker when I took this photo. I love the way the rooms change so much according to the light. I’ve got a big old crush on my dollhouse and I’m having such fun working on it.

Now, if only I could wiggle my nose and become mini-sized, so that I could walk on those floors!

Filed Under: dollhouse 15 Comments

Dollhouse: My First Try at Wallpapering

October 10, 2011 at 5:10 pm by Claudia

This cold has smacked me in the face. I feel just plain yucky and I barely have a voice. I couldn’t do much of anything today, so I stayed in my pajamas and decided to tackle some wallpaper for the dollhouse.

It isn’t easy. In fact, I found it quite difficult. I always do some research and ask some questions of miniaturists because, let’s face it, I know nothing. After all that is done, the best thing for me to to do is just jump in.

I ordered some wallpaper from Itsy Bitsy Mini – they have such lovely designs. My big question for the living room was beadboard or no beadboard? In the end I went with no beadboard.

I wanted to give you a close up of this subtle, pretty pattern.

I think it looks pretty good. It’s not perfect and the perfectionist in me has trouble with that, but hey, I’m learning as I go.

A funny thing has happened lately. I’ll be somewhere thinking about something I need for the house, and I will suddenly realize that what I was thinking of isn’t for the house, but for the dollhouse.  Is this what happens to those of you who have more than one house? Do you get confused sometimes? I guess the dollhouse has become my second house.

You can see that I added trim around the window. And I have to add baseboards and crown molding but I have yet to order them.

Now, I’m exhausted. Some soup and some hot tea for me.

Filed Under: dollhouse 18 Comments

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Welcome!

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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Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

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