Thank you so much for all the lovely messages yesterday!
I was so tired yesterday that I took it easy, but thankfully, I fell asleep for about an hour in the afternoon and that took the edge off. Don made a special anniversary dinner and, boy, was it yummy! He found a quiche recipe that he adapted using vegetarian ingredients he purchased that morning. Oh my goodness! And the best thing is that he ended up with extra filling, so he made two pies. We’ll have the other one tomorrow.
Another strange night last night – this time I fell asleep right away and then woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep for a few hours. Thankfully, I finally succumbed and I’m feeling much better this morning.
I finished the wood floor in the dollhouse the other day.
Tricky towards the end. The base is slightly warped – remember this is a rescued-from-the-dump dollhouse. I was trying to make it as level as possible. By the time I neared the edge on the right, I realized that I would have to do some tinkering because the craft sticks that I use were going to be a bit too wide. Cutting some of the wood to make the last planks fit was a pain in the tush, resulting in a lot of cursing from yours truly. But it’s done.
As usual, I had to place some furniture in the room to see how it looked on the finished floor.
I plan on adding at least two more chairs and maybe a coffee table. I’d like some sort of narrow table to the left of the doorway – a place to drop keys, etc. Maybe an umbrella holder filled with umbrellas and walking sticks? A big old potted plant in the corner. Maybe a tiny round table and two chairs in front of the kitchen island – but that might be pushing it. Maybe the residents eat on trays like we do.
Don came upstairs the other day and sat in my desk chair to see how it looked. He loves it. And of course, he said he wants to live there. I know he loves what I do with rescued dollhouses; I couldn’t have a more supportive partner. But this time, he really took in all my tools, and the drawers full of supplies, and the desk filled with paints and brushes and he really got it.
To recap:
This is what it looked like the day I found it at the dump. Trim missing, shutters missing, the porch completely gone. (In my mind, the trim was too much, too big and over-the-top, more fitting for a child.)
This was the interior:
I removed all the excess trim, the shutters, and the stairs, which took up valuable real estate – plus they didn’t look good. When you looked through the front door all you saw was stairs. I decided not to add a porch. And then, I took a deep breath and removed the wall between the living room and the kitchen. That’s why I now have beams supporting the ceiling. After cleaning up the interior, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with the exterior, which led to lots of painting and cutting and glueing, finally arriving at this:
Every once in a while, I go back and update the dollhouse categories in the navigation bar. I did that yesterday, and I was reminded what this house once was and what I hope it will be.
It’s an awful lot of fun, this little hobby of mine. And it’s much cheaper than renovating a real house!
Stay safe.
Happy Tuesday.
Beautiful!!
Thank you, Betsy!
Stay safe.
Happy belated anniversary from your friend you’ve never met! Fingers, toe and all appendages crossed for a wonderful gift come November!!! :)
That’s the only birthday gift I want (I’m a November baby.)
Stay safe, Chris.
Your floor is beautiful! You’re so patient, skilled and artistic!
Thank you, Wendy!
Stay safe!
It is remarkable that you took that original dollhouse, and have transformed it into what it is today. It’s coming along quite nicely.
(I’m sure it is a LOT cheaper than a real house makeover!) Stay safe! ;)
You’ll note that we’ve never done any makeovers on our real house because we can’t afford it!
So I get to play with dollhouses instead.
Stay safe, Donna.
Once again, I am very impressed at how you can make your houses look so real! You do a wonderful job and are a great inspiration for me. This is how I found you blog. I came for the dollhouses and stayed for the politics! Take care!
-Jane
Thank you, Jane!
Stay safe!
Just a question. Does Don open the door on Law and Order SUV and ask, “How did you get by the doorman?”
When am stressed, sounds silly, but work puzzles as I watch this show, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, Frasier…
We have no idea. He doesn’t remember saying that line, but I suppose he could have. He’s done lots of Law and Orders, Brenda.
Stay safe!
I love seeing what the house was and what it is becoming. Such a fun hobby and you seem to enjoy it so very much. Your vision on each house has been a joy to see. Hugs!
Thanks so much, Linda.
Stay safe.
Oops . . . just realized I should have wished you a “Belated Happy Anniversary” instead of a “Happy Belated Anniversary.” Sorry about that! My wishes for a November gift still apply!!! :)
xo
The outside cladding and the beautifully laid floor are evidence of a loving hand. Renovation of a discarded item must be so rewarding! I like to think the buildings appreciate a second chance, as well. I’ve packed up my minis for now, as I mentioned. I do have a small table but I make a big mess so I think I will do some mental planning during the knee recovery and an inventory of the small pieces. Somewhere in there is a set of teeny pots and pans and some utensils to hang over the stove. And a set of dishes…who knows what else! It’s so much fun to see your houses and I love Don for being so genuinely interested and supportive.
He’s a keeper, Nora.
Stay safe!
The floor looks really nice – I like the wider planks. Just saw your deer video on Instagram – marvelous!
He was so sweet, that little guy!
Stay safe, Barbara.
I know I wished you and Don a happy anniversary on FB and IG, but I just now got onto your blog so…today I get to wish you a happy belated anniversary! ;-) How lovely that Don made quiche for dinner. I love quiche. I haven’t been in much of a cooking mood lately – I haven’t been too motivated – but we do need to eat, so I have a big pot of soup simmering on the stove right now. I’ll probably make cornbread to go with it, too.
The work you do on your dollhouses is incredible. You’re very talented with these.
Thanks so much, Melanie.
Oooh, I love cornbread!
Stay safe.
hope you’re feeling better by now and sleep straight through tonight!
all your time, hard work and creativity have paid off, claudia … the dollhouse looks great! fun to see the “before” and “during” photos together.
you and don are blessed with each other. it’s obvious (and wonderful to see) that all the love and happiness you both showed in yesterday’s photo has just grown and grown over the past 22 years. congratulations!
and to have a bonus dinner ready for tomorrow sounds good, too.
been a long week at work and it’s only tuesday. :l i am glad to be home, showered and (after a tiny bit of puttering and cleaning) taking it easy.
well, pino comes to town tomorrow for a rally at the airport. my family and i are staying far, far away … and i pray that after tomorrow we will not be anywhere near anyone who’s gone to see pino. especially when he was saying he wants to “kiss everyone”. bleh.
need to wash the dishes so i can work on some projects … the children’s books, then maybe some knitting.
hope you have a nice night.
stay safe and well!
kathy in iowa
I’m sorry that OM is entering your state, spreading the coronavirus. Because, let’s face it, he’s not negative. They haven’t used the accurate test.
Stay safe, Kathy.
Those stones look so good. I can’t believe how much improved it is with the stone cottage look versus the blue and gingerbread. And the floor looks terrific. I can’t begin to imagine how complicated it would be to have to cut one of those popsicle sticks! Well done.
The quiche sounds fabulous. And so does Don!
Thank you so much, Jeanie!
More quiche tonight!
Stay safe.