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You are here: Home / Archives for dollhouse

The Dollhouse Enabler

July 21, 2015 at 8:45 am by Claudia

Except for going outside to get the mail and water the plants, I stayed indoors yesterday. The inner workings of my brain felt mushy, as often happens in this kind of overbearing humidity. Don experienced the same thing.

I managed to rouse myself late in the day to indulge in a little bit of dollhouse miniature play.  I now have three hanging plants. One of them was meant for the front porch, which presented me with a ‘how to’ quandary. I didn’t want the hanger extending horizontally from one of the porch posts. I wanted it to be attached to the trim/ceiling, so that the plant was hanging between the posts – like the plants on MHC’s front porch. I looked in my junk drawer for some sort of little thing that would work as a plant hanger.

I ended up finding it among my office supplies.

7-21 howihungit

It’s a paper clip that is covered in white vinyl. I twisted it and tweaked it so that most of it was hidden behind the trim – save for the hook. I glued it to the trim and now we have a hanging plant on the porch. (If only real life was this simple. A bit of glue and we’re done!)

7-21 hangingplant

Since the house is white with aqua shutters, I think the porch needs a shot of a more vibrant color. So I didn’t go with my hanging plant with the pink flowers. Too predictable. I don’t want to get too matchy-matchy. I chose this plant with its red, yellow and blue flowers. And I took an white Adirondack chair I had in my stash and painted it green.

7-21 adirondackchair

I found this chair a couple of years ago in a fairy garden display at my local nursery. It’s really not made for a 1:12 dollhouse, so it’s out of scale – too small. That’s going to irritate me eventually and I’ll replace it. But for now, I like seeing that pop of color on the front porch. Caroline loves her roof garden, but sometimes she likes to sit on the front porch and watch the world go by.

7-21 dhfrontporch

See? A bit too small. Maybe Caroline is petite? If so, she clearly isn’t  my alter ego.

7-21 gazingball

For those of you who asked, here’s the gazing ball in its entirety. It’s tiny. I like it’s current home, but I might end up moving it elsewhere. We’ll see.

I’ve received a couple of requests for a list of dollhouse miniature resources and blogs. I’m in the midst of compiling one for you now and I hope to post it sometime this week. Since I’ve been back from Chautauqua and working on the dollhouse again, I confess I am consumed by the whole thing. I’ve found several new sites and some incredible blogs. I am in awe of the creative miniaturists out there. (This is why I hesitate to call myself a miniaturist. These people are incredible.)

Anyway, I’ll be happy to share it all with you, along with some explanatory notes.

Finally, I am always thrilled when I find out one of you wonderful readers is now working on a dollhouse. My friend Ann Marie just wrote me the other day to say she’d bid on a dollhouse kit on eBay. Today I received an email from her that said she’d won! It’s a beauty, too.

My name is Claudia and I am a Dollhouse Enabler. And I’m proud to say it.

Happy Tuesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: dollhouse, miniatures 34 Comments

Moving Day, Minis, and a Big Old Thank You

July 19, 2015 at 8:34 am by Claudia

Yesterday was moving day.

Scout, as you know, has arthritis and her hind legs aren’t nearly as strong as they used to be. Much like Riley, she isn’t always steady on her feet, especially when making turns. We spend a lot of time helping her maneuver and picking her up after she’s stumbled. Lately, we’ve been watching her round the corner where the dollhouse is situated in the living room. She often stops and loses her balance, causing her to bump up against the table.

We’d been talking about switching the dollhouse out with the desk in the den. When Don saw the dollhouse swaying yesterday after one of Scout’s encounters with the table, he remarked that it was time. I agreed, as the vision that came to my mind of the dollhouse crashing to the floor wasn’t a pretty one – for either the dollhouse or Scout.

So now I get to look at it from my blogging chair. Not bad. Not bad at all. (I’ll show you a photo tomorrow – it’s rather dark in here in the morning. The den gets the afternoon sun.)

In the meantime, I did a little mini work yesterday.

7-19 rosevilleshelf2

I made a little shelf out of some trim I had in my stash and now the mini Roseville pottery has a home.

7-19 lazysusan

I repurposed a table top that had detached itself from its legs (a gift from my friend, Jill) and now it’s a lazy susan.

And a little package arrived from Chautauqua Miniatures.

7-19 planter on balcony

I had planned on buying another one of these white wrought iron planters on my last visit to the shop but forgot all about it, so I ordered it online. Here it is on the upper balcony.

7-19 gazingball

Also from Chautauqua Minis: a gazing ball. It’s really tiny, so I stuck it in this planter. And I purchased another hanging plant, but you’ll see that when I get around to hanging it, along with the two I already had on hand.

Look what they included in the box:

7-19 chautauqua minis bag

A mini Chautauqua Miniatures bag. Adorable! Hmmm. Now, I’m thinking Caroline needs a dollhouse, if only to validate the presence of that bag in her bedroom.

If you haven’t figured out yet that Caroline is my alter ego, I would be very surprised indeed.

A quick note of thanks. I wrote in the American Miniatures article about blogging and how my explorations online led to my interest in getting my own dollhouse. But something else occurs to me. As I’ve renovated and decorated the dollhouse over these past six years, I’ve shared with you, my readers and friends, photos of the process. The blog has become a timeline of sorts, chronicling every new addition, every new skill learned.

What would I have done without all of you watching and cheering me on? I don’t have a dollhouse/miniature shop nearby. I don’t belong to a miniatures club. Let’s face it, not everyone is into this sort of thing. But I’ve had something precious and dear – all of you. You’ve kept me honest. You’ve kept me on track. When I didn’t post something about the dollhouse for a month or two, you asked about it and I got moving once again.

Thank you so much! It would have been fun to work on the dollhouse no matter what, but it is so much more enjoyable and rewarding sharing it with you. You make the difference.

By the way, several readers have mentioned Pocket Mags as a site where you can view a copy of this month’s American Miniatures. It can be hard to find copies of it in bookstores as I don’t think they carry it. Here’s the link to their site. You can buy a single issue for $5.99.

The winner of a copy of Bum Rap is Annie G. I’ve sent you an email, Annie. Congratulations!

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

 

 

Filed Under: dollhouse, Don, life, miniatures, Scout 34 Comments

In The Garden And In Print

July 18, 2015 at 8:50 am by Claudia

We went on a Target run yesterday morning (more throw rugs for Scout, food, etc.) with a stop along the way at Five Guys.

I know. Greasy french fries. Wonderfully greasy. I can’t help it. They’re the best fries in my little world. Lunch consisted of an order of fries, some root beer, and when I got home, a couple of slices of cheese for protein.

Anyway, we checked the mailbox on the way up the driveway and, lo and behold, there was a big white envelope from a certain magazine.

Just to prepare you, my hair was a mess and I had no makeup on. Sadly, this is often the case around here, whether I’ve been running errands or not.

7-18 me holding magazine

There it is!

7-18 me holding article

And there’s the article. In print! And it’s 7 pages long, not 6. I miscounted!

Don, always my biggest supporter, kept saying how proud he was of me. All day long. He’s a gem.

7-18 copies of mag

I purchased five copies. One to cut up and frame. One to take down to Florida to show my dad and sister when I visit. Three to save.

I’m dead chuffed, as they say on the other side of the pond. Translation: I’m very pleased, indeed.

Does this make me an American Miniaturist? If so, I’m thrilled!

7-18 self-seeders

Garden news: the Rudbeckia/Brown-Eyed Susan I planted down in the far right corner of the big garden bed self-seeded and I have two new (and big) plants that have been rather conveniently situated in what was previously a bare patch.

Lucky me!

7-18 browneyed susan1

I love these incredibly cheery flowers.

7-18 browneyed susan2

This one looks like it’s raising its petals to the sun. Or perhaps it’s performing an interpretive dance?

It’s a rainy day here. Reading, cleaning, and some mini work are on the docket. I hope your Saturday is a splendid one.

Happy Saturday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: American Miniaturist Magazine, dollhouse, flowers, garden, miniatures 80 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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