miniatures — Page 40

Stone Work

December 30, 2019 at 10:47 am by Claudia

The tree is still up. Do Christmas trees have a more intense scent as they begin to dry out? Because for the past few days, the scent has been much stronger. Anyway, we came downstairs this morning, turned on the tree lights and decided we would wait until New Year’s Day to take the tree down. We can’t quite say goodbye yet. I’ll miss seeing the tree from my chair in the den.

But we’ve had it up since December 1st, so January 1st seems like a good long run.

I spent about three hours up in the office working on the rescued dollhouse, Dove Cottage. The ‘stonework’ is slow going. Here is its current status:

I’ll try for a clearer picture today but it’s awfully dark out there as we’re into our second day of rain. I’m heartened by the fact that I was able to cut the stones to fit the curve of the doorway. I’m still not sure whether I like the whole thing, but I think when I paint the shingles, which might be sooner rather than later, and put the shutters up, the look of all that stone will be softened.

Dollhouses on the brain. That seems to be all I’m thinking about lately. That, and the high cost of living, which we have vowed to do something about this coming year. Budget. Budget. Budget. We’ve had a good couple of years, but it’s time to cut way back. We lost a lot of money this year with the changes to the tax laws. As you know, actors and performers and freelancers were royally screwed. We paid far more than either of us has ever paid in all our years of earning a living. Until the law is changed, that will be our reality and it’s a grim one. Cross your fingers for us; we both need to work more in 2020. And we’re ready, willing, and able!

I just might paint that roof today.

Happy Monday.

Imagining

December 29, 2019 at 10:55 am by Claudia

Part of our view when we sip our second cup of coffee together in the morning.

I was entranced by it this morning. One of my greatest pleasures when I lived in cities was walking by apartments and houses in the early evening. I would get a glimpse of the interior life and style of that particular dwelling. A flash of a red wall, or gorgeous drapes, or a glimpse of bookshelves – I wanted to know more about the people who lived there. I still have that curiosity about the way people live, which is why I like Instagram and design magazines and books like Hotel Chelsea and The Maverick Soul and Bibliostyle.

Back to the mini studio: I imagine myself walking by this dwelling, seeing the guitar on the sofa, the Beatles print on the wall, getting a glimpse of a fireplace, of records (what does he listen to?), a dog dish (!) and a comfy sofa and Eames chair. Who lives there? Who uses that space?

That is the lure of dollhouses. You get a glimpse of a life, a style, of the taste of the imaginary owner of that house. It’s also the reason I would never have dolls residing in my houses. I want to imagine the owner. I don’t want some doll that frankly never looks all that real lounging on the sofa. This is not to say that those who make and design 1:12 scale dolls aren’t enormously talented – they are. But, for me, they never look quite right. And also for me, I have a vivid imagination and seeing a doll limits my vision. For example, I have an idea of Caroline. I could tell you things about her. But, I don’t have too many ideas because I like to keep her ‘free-flowing.’

Since the mini studio was made for Don specifically, I don’t need a doll. I just imagine a mini-Don.

I’m not sure who the owner is of the vintage white dollhouse. That’s still to be determined. Same for the modern dollhouse and the ‘newest’ vintage dollhouse. Or my rescued-from-the-dump dollhouse. That makes a sort of sense as I’m still working on all of those dwellings.

Speaking of which, this afternoon I am going to go upstairs and start painting more stone for the exterior of the rescued-from-the-dump dollhouse. I’m thinking of naming it Dove Cottage, not be be confused with the famous Dove Cottage inhabited by William Wordsworth. “Dove” because I love doves – as simple as that.

To make the painting less tedious I’m going to listen to some podcasts. I’m very into podcasts about books and reading.

Happy Sunday.

Don’s Request

December 16, 2019 at 11:03 am by Claudia

I think I’ve got a touch of what Don has – the jury is still out, though. He feels pretty crappy. I feel pretty crappy. And wouldn’t you know it? Just as all the snow has melted, we’re due for a storm tomorrow that will bring us what could be several inches of snow, and in keeping with our track record from last year, we’ll be out there shoveling while feeling under the weather.

Good times!

Ah well. Such is life in the Northeast/Hudson Valley.

This morning, while we were sitting on the loveseat having our second cup of coffee, we were talking about the ‘new’ dollhouse and how much we love it on the kitchen table. (I know you know this, but we’re truly offbeat and funky and eclectic by nature.) Anyway, Don said – out of the blue – that he wished that we could put his miniature studio on the blue table in the living room. He never really sees it upstairs, as he’s usually there only to sleep and change his clothes.

I initially pooh-poohed the idea, saying that I wanted to keep the surface more open. But he kept at it and suggested that he bring it downstairs to see if it worked there.

To my surprise, it did.

Surrounded by that greenery, it looks like it could be sitting in artsy Topanga Canyon (Los Angeles). And, because of the open back and roof, so much light comes in! Plus, the splash of red works along with the other touches of red we have throughout the main floor.

It has a gold Christmas tree.

I was so touched. That, three years later, he still loves it and wants it right there where he can see it, means so much to me. It’s the only house – so far – that I built from the ground up. It was made from a kit supplied by miniatures (dot) com. Everything – the board & batten exterior, the design of the interior of the studio, and the decision to dispense with the roof – is mine. I furnished it with things I knew Don loved, so that, even if we couldn’t afford a real studio for him, he could have one in miniature. I made the Adirondack chairs, the desks, the fireplace, and the microwave cabinet. Everything else was ordered from artisans or was a gift from fellow miniaturists/blog readers.

So, now we have four dollhouses on the main floor of the house. Hummingbird Cottage, the vintage dollhouse in the den that I found last year, Don’s Studio, and the house Don is giving me for Christmas. I told Don that not many guys would go for this kind of thing, and his response was, “Are you kidding? I love them!”

May I say once more how lucky I am that this man is my life partner?

I spent a few hours cleaning the interior floors and walls of the ‘new’ house yesterday and it’s still dirty! I’ll go at it again today. I imagine it was stored somewhere for a long time; an attic or a barn. I can see it sitting there, ignored for years, and it makes me sad. I’m so glad we rescued it.

I want to share part of a comment from Liz that was on yesterday’s post:

“A few months ago while at an antiques show I had looked at a sweet dollhouse in a vendor’s booth. The house had interior rooms which could only be viewed by removing the roof and some of the sides. I thought this was a very unusual design, and the dealer explained that many dollhouses were made in the exact floor plan of the child’s home – hence the interior walls & rooms.”

Now, that makes sense, doesn’t it? It confirms our instinct about this house; that it was modeled after a real house. What an amazing creation!

Happy Monday.

Stone Work

Imagining

Don’s Request

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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