As far as Christmas decorating goes, I now have a little white tree on the table next to my chair. I have been using it for a series of photos of the girls. I found a crown ornament at Target for 5 bucks. I looked at it and thought: that looks perfect for a Blythe head.
A daily series on my Blythe feed called “Queen for the Day.” The first one was of Chloe.
I’ve also decorated the girls’ cubbies.
I haven’t done much, if anything, with the dollhouse. I am propping up one of the floors.
With Hilary Mantel.
Something is off with the placement of the third floor, but I don’t think there’s much I can do about it. I’ll try to reglue, but there’s quite a gap. “Hilary” is helping in the meantime.
I purchased that bed on eBay. It’s made by the same woman who made my other beds. She’s not making them anymore, so her daughters were selling the remaining stock and I grabbed this one.
You know that I have to have a look in mind – even before I do all the repair work on a dollhouse. For this Victorian, I want to go for the opposite of the ornate exterior. Very spare, with period furniture, wood floors, art and sculpture – that kind of thing. I purchased my inspiration sofa last year from an auction run by a guy I know (he’s rather big in the miniature world.) He lives outside of NYC and often runs auctions of miniature collections/estate sales.
I just snagged two chairs from his most recent auction. They’re made by Bespaq, a well respected maker of quality miniatures.
Aren’t they beautiful?
I envision a round table set in the bay window to the right, along with the chairs.
I usually invest in a higher end miniature to anchor the main room and fill in the gaps with less expensive pieces. And I do my best to get the higher end pieces in auctions. I got a very good deal on the sofa and the chairs. Sort of a steal!
Anyway, that’s what I have so far.
Rehab work starts this week.
Stay safe.
Happy Saturday.
cute and clever idea to use ornaments with the girls (the size is perfect)!
glad you also found some great pieces for the dollhouse. nice start with those chairs; they are beautiful. your plan to anchor a room filled with less expensive things with a higher end piece describes my own place … with my higher items being gifts of family furniture, like my parents’ hide-a-bed, my brother’s childhood dresser, a table from my sister, an old swedish coffee pot from my maternal grandparents and my paternal grandparents’ settee … love it and them.
need to get going on some chores. like transfer bags of seed mixes into jugs (must do that outside and it is quite cold … only14 degrees). will do a couple things at my apartment, but no Christmas decorating yet (i do keep out all year an old wire tree from my sister that is full of angel ornaments from my parents … more love). glad you have a tree for the den.
happy weekend to you, don and everyone else. stay safe and warm.
kathy
It’s very cold here, as well! And it looks like it’s going to stay that way for a while.
Stay safe, Kathy.
That little gold crown is perfect! It makes Chloe look very regal. Love those sweet chairs in the doll house. Little pieces of art. Have a great weekend. Enjoy your little tree. Hugs, Elaine
Thanks so much, Elaine.
Stay safe.
I love those dollhouse chairs. I’d like some like that sized large for my house!!
Me, too!
Stay safe, Jenny.
I love the crown on Chloe…she definitely looks regal in her pink and purple. I’m always so amazed at the furniture you have for the dollhouses… their makers are true craftspersons. Those chairs are beautiful. Tops on my agenda today is going to the library. I finished a book the day before Thanksgiving, planned on going to the library on Friday, but it was closed. So, yay, I can get another book today. I usually do get a couple books, but the other book I got last time just didn’t appeal after I started reading. Enjoy the weekend.
Enjoy your books, Barrie.
Stay safe.
That’s a great get on those chairs. They are so pretty. And that crown is a great finishing touch!
Thanks so much.
Stay safe, Leslie.
I love the new bed and chairs. You do find the nicest things for your houses. I had a good Thanksgiving with my family and now I’m trying to concentrate on Christmas. I need some Joy and Good Cheer.
I think we all do, Linda!
Stay safe, my friend.
It will be such fun to watch your progress! Hilary has a shelf life!
Those chairs are especially beautiful. Well done on the auction. They’ll be beautiful there.
Thanks so much, Jeanie.
Stay safe.
Hi Claudia! Happy Late Thanksgiving! I am very thankful that you are keeping your blog open and even more thankful that you are starting to work on the Beacon Hill!!!
And speaking of crowns… most old Victorian era houses had “crown molding” at the top of the walls just under the ceiling, sometimes quite elaborate and deep. Have you considered adding a strip of “corner molding” (I find good versions at Home Depot in a 1/2 inch and sometimes smaller dimension) to the top of the wall as an extra support for the floor above? I realize it might mean you have to do it throughout the house, at least on the lower floors, but it would considerably strengthen the glue at that junction. You could downplay the detail by keeping the paint color the same as the ceiling or the wall itself.
I know from my construction of a “Willowcrest” kit, that the way certain sections were supposed to be put together required a bit of “flexing and twisting” the sections together in a way that created a locking together… you could only do it once! (This required a lot of faith! ) But it worked. I imagine there are a lot of kits where people just cut off the offending tabs and bypassed the complex instructions….. with the resulting weakness in that joint. I hope you do find a good strong solution to the dilemma! (Sorry to be so long winded! ) I love the furniture you have bought and look forward to seeing the way this develops! There is nothing as fun as a fresh start! :):)
PS I do an annual Thanksgiving post on my blog with the Doll families celebrating together…. it’s all about gratitude!
Thanks for all this valuable information, Betsy! I will consider this.
Stay safe.
Pleased you and Don have another Thanksgiving tradition to add to your repertoire. I’ve never had a Gardein faux turkey before but enjoy the faux chicken. We used a new-to-us brand called “daring.” to make Coronation chicken sandwiches for part of the high tea we prepared and shared with my 97-yo Mom for Thanksgiving. .
Love the crown that your girls will share. It’s perfect. And I love that Chloe wears it at a tilt; so cheeky! Reminds me of Mary Engelbreit and her Queen for a Day.
Selfishly glad you’re starting work on your miniatures again. I missed seeing your dab hand decorating a room with beautiful finds, and restoring once loved “properties “. And creating new ones from scratch.
Thanks for all the kind words, Wendy!
Stay safe.
Love to follow as you restore and decorate your houses. And that crown is adorable. Reminds me of one of mom’s favorite game shows: Queen for a Day, back in the 50’s. A much told family anecdote was about me in kindergarten and my first Christmas pageant at church. I was an angel. Apparently when I came out wearing a tinsel halo, my little brother loudly remarked, “Look mama, queen for a day.”
It has been horribly frigid here. And we’ve been dealing with a cat with a UTI. Perfect timing – holiday weekend and only one vet on duty at the emergency clinic. Had to wait all day yesterday until 10 p.m. to get her in. She’s sleeping the drugged sleep of painkillers today so I get a break to put away fall and start thinking about the fireplace mantel and Christmas garlands.
Take care,
Kay
Yes, I well remember Queen for a Day! It was on in my house, too.
I so hope your cat is feeling better, Kay.
Stay safe.