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You are here: Home / Archives for mipad

Rain, Dollhouse Stuff, and a Pending Faceup

May 23, 2025 at 9:38 am by Claudia

Rain, rain go away. Honestly, it’s so dark and rainy around here that we’re getting depressed! It’s also very cold for this time of year and we’ve had to turn the heat on. Next week will be better. The rain should stop after today and it will warm up starting on Monday. I feel water-logged even though I’m not out in the rain, if you know what I mean.

It’s hard to take any pictures when the house is dark as well. I did my best.

I spent a couple of hours going through the box that holds the unfinished version of the Beacon Hill. I was looking for replacement parts – window trims that are missing, the base for the kitchen window extension and the bay windows, and a few other things. Greenleaf dollhouses have a lot of detail, but they’re made with cheap plywood. The parts are on big sheets of plywood and there’s a schematic diagram that shows where things are. When you find the part, you have to punch it oh-so-carefully out of the plywood sheet or you’ll break it. Supposedly, all the plywood sheets are labeled by number, but my experience tells me that not every sheet is numbered. So I had to spend a lot of time looking at the schematics and then searching for the corresponding plywood sheet.

This is something I’ve had on my mental list of things to do for years. I think I have everything, but we’ll see. I can tell you this, putting this monster together would be a giant pain-in-the-tush and I’m so glad I changed my mind and purchased one that was already assembled.

Inside the modern dollhouse. That chair was made by Arlette of Arlette’s Minitures in England. I have several of her pieces. Alas, she retired last year. This particular Art Deco-ish chair was a gift from a reader of the blog. She purchased it and then realized she wasn’t going to use it and graciously passed it on to me.

The sofa is identical to the gray sofa in Don’s mini music studio. Made by an Australian miniaturist.

I got the coffee table at a miniature show. And the vase, as well.

Don has a gig this evening at one of his favorite venues.

And this will be Jessie’s sister. Eventually. I don’t have a body yet and it’s far too rainy to work on the faceup as I have to spray it several times during that work and let it dry outside. But soon.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

 

Filed Under: Beacon Hill Dollhouse, bjd dolls, dollhouse, mipad 14 Comments

Flowers, Bugs, and the Modern Dollhouse

May 21, 2025 at 9:01 am by Claudia

Wild phlox is blooming everywhere on the property. I took this while I was mowing yesterday. We mowed the lilac side of the front lawn and the corral. After that, I suggested we mow the back 40 as well because we are due for 3 days of rain starting today. So we did. And now we are very, very tired.

But, we are appreciating the sight of a completely mown property.

Also seen on the climbing hydrangea the other day:

This guy. It’s an eastern tent caterpillar, which will turn into a moth. In the meantime, I’m sure he’s chomping on the hydrangea.

I was missing the original directions, so reassembling the modern dollhouse took a bit more time than I expected. But I did it and I remember just how much I like this dollhouse. It’s name is the Mi Pad by MIAIM miniatures.

It was designed by Elaine Shaw, who lives in London. Initially, she designed it for her daughter. It’s definitely a niche dollhouse and I don’t see it very often. Each floor is a dollhouse in itself  (like a roombox) and it’s made to stack. I purchased two floors, but there were 5 different floor designs available and I’ve seen a few miniaturists who have all five floors. I purchased the top floor first, then I added the lower floor. I love the clean lines; they’re quite a contrast from the rest of my dollhouses. I don’t know if Elaine is selling it anymore, I know she was having some trouble with suppliers at one point.

The ‘glass’ walls/windows are acrylic.

I may keep it this way, only adding a piece or two. I like the spareness of the rooms. Don looked at the photo and said “You should keep it this way.”

It’s sitting on the sewing table, which means that my little cubicle in the office/studio is now completely enclosed. Yikes. Oh, how I wish I had more space! I used to display it in the bedroom, but I sense that Don, though completely supportive, would like one dollhouse-free space.

Okay. Time for more coffee!

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: dollhouse, flowers, mipad 8 Comments

Morning Glories, Cooler Weather, MiPad

September 29, 2017 at 9:45 am by Claudia

It’s a good twenty degrees cooler this morning! I didn’t get up until 7:30 and it was only 45 degrees. I think it will reach 70 today and it’s sunny, so that makes it a perfect day.

There are about twenty morning glory buds ready to pop, but unlike during the heat wave, they weren’t open when I got up. They’re opening slowly this morning.

I just took this picture. Candy-striped beauty.

Yesterday, I was fascinated by the big, fat bumblebees diving into the center of the morning glories.

It’s almost as if he’s lit by a spotlight.

They’re determined. If they can’t fly directly into the center of the flower, they climb up the fragile petal.

I raked some leaves yesterday and mowed part of the property. Don wants me to leave the back forty for him to do on Sunday. That’s fine with me. I think doing something outdoors is refreshing for him after being in a rehearsal room for 6 days in a row.

The additional MiPad floor arrived yesterday. I assembled it in about 15 minutes and then carted it upstairs to the studio/office.

It’s the lower floor – it has a huge front door. Not sure what I’m going to do with that yet, but it needs a big old handle, that’s for sure! The door section is hinged, so that you can pull it away from the house to gain access.  Yes, it looks like a coffee cup is suspended in mid-air over there to the right, but it’s really on an acrylic table.

I’m full of ideas and not so full of ideas. I’m loathe to disturb the pristine white and airy feeling of the house, but time will tell. Splashes of color everywhere, yes, but do I cover the floors? Do I put up any wallpaper? I need a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen as well as the living room. How do I fit it all in? Do I – I can’t believe I’m saying this, I’ve gone mad –  buy another floor? These are the things that are whirling around my brain this morning.

For those of you who have been asking, Don has one more week of rehearsals in NYC. The last rehearsal is on October 7th and they fly to New Orleans on October 8th. Then they’ll tech the show and preview  before opening on October 20th.  I’ve yet to make plane reservations – I’m working on that today – but I’m thinking I’ll fly down on the 19th and stay for a week. New Orleans! It will be such fun!

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: dollhouse, flowers, garden, miniatures, mipad, morning glory 28 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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