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You are here: Home / Archives for dollhouse

Day One Hundred Twelve

July 3, 2020 at 9:30 am by Claudia

I’ve thought each of the last four days was Friday and now it’s truly Friday.

Lots of rain and storms headed our way today. Don is currently out running errands. He’s picking up some hair clippers we ordered so I can cut his hair today, as well as stopping to get some produce. Exciting, right? (These days this kind of thing is  exciting.)

I did a lot of work on the dollhouse yesterday, finishing one of the side walls:

One more side to go. I also have to ‘grout’ the blocks of stone and seal the whole thing. I like the way it’s turning out. It all depends on my attitude. If I’m not as patient as I would like to be, it seems to take forever. Yesterday, I was calm and patient and it flowed beautifully. But it is tedious, nonetheless.

This arrived yesterday for the kitchen:

It’s the same as the one in Hummingbird Cottage, but in green. I’ve been visualizing this stove on the same wall as the mustard-colored Welsh dresser. This little cottage will have plenty of color. I’m going for a slightly cluttered and cozy cottage, the kind the British do so well.

Today is my sister Meredith’s birthday. I am forever grateful for her presence in my life. She is an extraordinary person and I love her with all my heart. Happy Birthday, Mere!

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

Filed Under: dollhouse, Meredith, miniatures 26 Comments

Day One Hundred Eleven

July 2, 2020 at 10:04 am by Claudia

This day lily opened up the other day and this morning there are at least six of them open. I bought this a few years ago and it is just gorgeous. Ruffled edges = heavenly whimsey.

Yesterday ended up being all about ordering and picking up groceries. I have a little story to share with you. Last time we picked up, we didn’t wipe things down because we’d had messages saying it wasn’t really necessary and after doing a little research of our own we decided to forego that process. Yesterday, Don was questioning that decision – or at least feeling uneasy about it – so while I was driving to the store, he was googling for up-to-date information. He finally called the FDA in Washington, DC and spoke to a very helpful gentleman. He basically said the same thing that we saw on the website; that is most likely wasn’t necessary, just make sure you wash your hands, etc., but it you want to, here are some tips about wiping down packaging. After having that discussion, Don asked the gentleman if he himself had stopped disinfecting grocery items, and the guy said: No, I still do it every time we shop because my wife makes me.

So, there you have it. We wiped everything down. The thing is, no one knows enough about this virus, though we know more than we did. We’re not comfortable with abandoning that process. (Of course, we each have to do what we feel is right and what makes us feel safer.)

So I didn’t get to the dollhouse yesterday, but I did add a few pieces to the puzzle.

I’ll be back at it today.

I stare at this house every morning when I’m sitting on the sofa with Don.

I’m still contemplating what I want to do with it. I do know that I consider it folk art and therefore, whatever I do will be minimal and removable. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s not built to 1:12 scale, more like what is called ¾ scale. There’s not a lot of furniture out there for this kind of scale, so do I just go with 1:12 scale and accept that the pieces will look too big for the space? Or do I use some of the House of Miniatures kits, which in my experience, are a bit less than 1:12? Hmmmm. Now I’ve got myself thinking about that possibility. I have several of the kits and they are still accessible (though no longer made) on eBay and Etsy.

Maybe I should try assembling one and see how it fits in the house?

Of course, I could simply keep the house empty and embrace it as a piece of folk art, but I have this nagging feeling that it needs a little life.

Finished Where the Crawdads Sing. I liked it very much. Maybe because there was so much hype about it when it was first published and so much talk on book Instagram accounts, I find myself saying, “Lovely, but not great.” And it was  lovely. The descriptions of nature, especially, were beautifully written. The story was compelling. I was pulling for the protagonist. The ending left me a wee bit confused, and by that I mean, the last paragraph. The fireflies that were calling to Tate from the water – was that simply a poetic description and a way of referencing the title at the end of the book, or did it mean something more ominous or profound? Or am I reading too much into it?

Anyway. If I was grading it, I’d give it a B+ leaning toward an A-. (I hated grading when I was a professor.) Liked it a lot. Compelling. Well written and refreshingly different. But not an A.

Okay. Have to go.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Filed Under: books, dollhouse, flowers, garden 49 Comments

Day One Hundred Nine

June 30, 2020 at 10:03 am by Claudia

It took over three hours to make, paint, and glue this section of the dollhouse. The stones are necessary for the look of the house but tedious in the making! Anyway, I couldn’t get to it yesterday, but I’m going to do some work today.

Doing that video of Hummingbird Cottage helped to motivate me. Through rediscovering that house, I remembered how much I love renovating a discarded and badly constructed dollhouse and I’m excited about the process once again. But I have to finish the stone work before I can move on to the fun stuff inside.

Hummingbird Cottage was a real learning experience and there is much I would do differently if I could do it again: narrower and less bulky baseboards and trim (I made those improvements when I made Don’s studio;) a different method of installing wallpaper, especially on an old, used dollhouse with uneven wall texture; that kind of thing. I learn something new every time I work on one of these structures and I have much, much more to learn. But I was taught a valuable lesson many years ago when I was a beginning quilter. I took an introductory class and my teacher made a comment that stuck with me: “You have an issue with perfection, don’t you?”

Bingo. She was right. I didn’t like to make mistakes. I didn’t like to be wrong. I wanted everything to be perfect. Some of that is just me. Some is due to control issues from being the Adult Child of an Alcoholic. That kind of insistence on perfection needs a big dash of humility. Otherwise, it’s a recipe for taking any joy out of the process. I still struggle with these issues and probably always will to some degree, but what I love about any creative endeavor is the process. And if I love the process, I’d darned well better cut myself some slack so that I can enjoy it. I thank that teacher to this day for what was the perfect observation at the perfect time.

So my quilts are beautiful, but I can show you exactly where the imperfections are and I’m fine with that. Same with the dollhouses. I remember as a kid wanting to cut and run if something I was learning seemed like it was going to be too difficult for me. That’s a very strong memory. I’m glad I’ve moved beyond that.

Don’s appointment went well yesterday – no pain, lots of rinsing, and he’s doing well. I’m glad I drove him there and back. He took it easy for the rest of the day and now – of course – he’s eager to get back to his trails and his hoe.

We had huge thunderstorms throughout the afternoon; big, loud, and wonderful. It looks like more are coming this afternoon and every afternoon except for Thursday. Big summer weather.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: dollhouse, Don, miniatures 24 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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