Yesterday was spent indoors as it was rainy and windy outside. Plus, we’re tired and quite frankly, we’re trying to retreat from the world. Some days I’m more successful at that than others and yesterday was one of them. We took time to just be, doing whatever it was we wanted to do. We also took time late in the afternoon to cuddle on the loveseat and listen to the silence around us.
I spent some time up in the office/studio and started to paint parts of the English cottage bedroom before I add wallpaper. I removed the furniture from downstairs and while I was moving the unfinished kitchen island, I had a yen to finally go for it. I had mixed some paint for the bedroom and I liked it, so I used it as the base paint for the island.
Before:
And after:
It’s hard to capture the color because it’s one of those blue/green colors that changes depending on the light. Right now, in the sunny den, it’s looking bluer. When I took this photo this morning in the kitchen, it looked greener.
I decided to go with the imperfections of the wood and did very little sanding. My concept was an island that had been made out of an old weathered cabinet. Whoever made it added a counter made out of a slab of reclaimed wood with a farmhouse sink fitted in. I’m not happy with the faucet that came with the piece but it will do until I find something better. It was a bright brass, so I painted it with silver paint.
I’m pretty chuffed about this one. The backside is equally weathered.
The whole idea for the cottage is lots of color, lots of comfortably ‘old’ pieces that somehow work together in a cozy, comfortable space.
Heck, I’d like this piece in real life!
Today is sunny and I’m going to do some more work on the dollhouse. I’ve got my eye out for a used Beacon Hill by Greenleaf – which is a quite large Victorian. I’ve been seeing a lot of in-progress Beacon Hills on Instagram and I like all the details and the abundance of rooms. You don’t always get that in the interior of a house; they tend to be four large rooms, an exception being Hummingbird Cottage, which has six rooms.
I don’t want to put the house together or at least, I’d rather not, so every day I troll Craigslist to see if one has been listed.
Am I crazy? Yes.
Stay safe.
Happy Sunday.
sounds like you and don had a lovely day yesterday. hope today will also be full of whatever makes you happy.
great work on the kitchen island! love the color choice.
and no, wanting another dollhouse doesn’t make you crazy! you just know what you want and are a great (big and little) property caretaker!
it’s very chilly here … 28 degrees. some of us might go for a walk after lunch when it’s supposed to reach the low 40s. i will wear my winter coat today for the first time this season … and, as we’ve been doing for many months, i will walk on one side of the street and they will be on the other.
otherwise, i will be taking it easy at home today.
hope you have a good day and stay safe!
kathy in iowa
ps … think i can speak for others as well as myself when i say we’d like to see a photo of your Christmas tree all lit up at night in a dark room. hint, hint, please and thanks … and no pressure intended! :)
Very cold here, as well! But sunny, so I’m grateful..
Enjoy your walk with your family.
Stay safe, Kathy!
I loved your expression, “chuffed”. I fits an English cottage and reminds me of my British heritage. I too would love to live in this beautiful home with its eclectic surroundings. Stay happy in your cocoon. I know how you feel! Thanks for all you share.
Thank you, Janet!
Stay safe.
Oh Claudia, a Beacon Hill Dollhouse will be the center of a room, no matter how big or small your room might be. It even may be the center of your life. It has its challenges. I wish you luck, finding a good one. The kitchen isle is beautiful, wish had it in lifesize too. Regards.
Thanks so much, Helga. Who knows if I’ll ever find one?
Stay safe.
Well…I love that color on your island. I think it’s very fitting…reminds me of your McCoy pottery in that gorgeous turquoise, only a little antiqued.
Enjoy your day’s cocooning…nothing better in my book. We will finish decorating our tree today. Then, I can start to relax and enjoy the season…at least that’s my intention.
I second a night picture of your tree… please? Hope you enjoy your day. Stay safe! ;)
We’ll see! Sometimes night pictures are hard to get. But I’ll try!
Stay safe, Donna!
Oh Claudia, I’d like to move into that little room myself. I love the color of the island — one of my favorites anyway and the weathered look is terrific.
I’m off to take a break from hall decking to bake some bread and make some madeleines. They’ll have to sit a bit in the fridge before baking so I should get a good start. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Ummmm…madeleines! Sounds delicious.
Stay safe, Jeanie.
Claudia, Happy hunting for Beacon Hill. I hope you find one that is in excellent condition for a reasonable (to you) price. I went over to Greenleaf to peruse their selections. Lots of nice things!
Yes. They’re finicky to make because every thing needs sanding and the wood is thin. But that’s the reason why they can make more detailed houses.
Stay safe, Wendy.
I love the island. As soon as I saw it I said that I would love the same thing in a “real” size!! Love the look of the counter, and that sink!!!!!! wow! I would love one of those, also!
Good luck in your search for a new house! We all know it will find you if it is meant to be. And it will look like it always was meant to be there!!
Glad you had a peaceful day yesterday and didn’t have the powerful storms that hit parts of the NE. Hope you are enjoying an equally lovely day today! Take care.
I am, though I’ve been wallpapering the bedroom in the dollhouse and I’m tuckered out!
Stay safe, Chris.
Claudia, have you seen the show Biggest Little Christmas Showdown? It has Miniaturists competing for a cash prize in a limited time. Lots of great ideas for decorating with miniatures.
Yes. I’m not a fan of contest kind of shows, however. But it’s good that miniatures are getting an audience and I know Darren, one of the contestants. He owns a shop in another county in NY and I met him at the miniature show a couple of years ago. He’s a great guy.
Thanks, Gidget.
Stay safe.
Hi Claudia, I have always called that lovely colour – duck egg blue. I used it in my bedroom when I repainted it. It is restful and relaxing. It looks great on your island bench. It is very hot and sultry here in Queensland. I hope your day stayed sunny.
Thank you, Miche! I mixed it from a couple of colors.
Stay safe!
The island concept and color are so lovely! Changes the whole atmosphere of the kitchen. Suddenly on Friday, I started feeling completely claustrophobic, the worst since all this began. Oh how I longed for a hot drink of something in the corner table of our Barnes and Noble with shoppers in the aisles and the carolers who used to come thru. For several years a high school marching band paraded up and down the middle aisles during the holidays. So cheery! Finally today I found an errand to go out for. Whoohoo! Picking up two bags of cat litter from PetSmart. Sigh. So much to be thankful for, but such a small bubble. You and Don make the most of yours.
I ran into an antique shop the other day to pick up a package that had been left for me. Just in and out. I hadn’t been in that kind of shop since March, and boy, did I want to stay and wander. I miss it. I miss book shops. I miss going to a diner (our favorite place to eat.)
It’s hard.
Stay safe, Nora.
Oh, these darling miniature treasures! And if you want another doll house, go for it; I know you’ll find the perfect place to display it; you always find the special nooks for your houses. I love how the light shines in from the (human) cottage’s window into Don’s Studio.
Until I started reading you, I knew I liked them but have since gone nuts over any kind of miniature. Your photos and finds are always so tantalizing. I love that whole diminutive world. It includes all kinds of things for me, like tiny miniature tea sets, itty-bitty but readable miniature books I can tuck into the nightstand drawer/bedside table; I hadn’t known there was so much available in miniature. And a good thing too is that the ‘smalls’ don’t take up so much space in a not-so-large abode.
Exactly. But dollhouses do take up a lot of space!
Stay safe, Vicki.
Claudia, you absolutely need a Beacon Hill. I’ve been collecting and making dollhouses my entire life (I don’t do roomboxes). To me, the ultimate is Beacon Hill and I coveted it for years until I caved in a year ago and ordered a kit. Since I live in South Africa, the price considering the Dollar exchange rate and shipping cost was exorbitant. Even before it arrived, I found out that we will be relocating to Germany in the near future. Now my 40-pound kit sits there, still wrapped in its original packaging. I’m not going to start building it because I’m sure the complete house won’t survive a move. By now it has taken on mystical properties in my imagination and I’m so glad to have it even if I can’t build it; it’s something I’ve looked forward to for years and I’m sure the excitement of building it is going to help me settle in once we have a new home.
I don’t do roomboxes, either!
I love that you said it has taken on “mystical properties.” Not unlike the Holy Grail, right? It will be so exciting when you can finally start the building process. I’m thinking more and more about buying the kit. I have no idea where I will eventually put it, but hey, I can think about that later!
Thanks so much for weighing in, Megan. It helps to hear from other dollhouse lovers. When do you move to Germany?
Stay safe!
Claudia, we could be in Germany this time next year or we could be stuck in South Africa for another three years. Everything is uncertain right now and the pandemic only makes it worse. I can’t wait to get there, so many opportunities to be around like-minded people, and so many miniaturists I would love to meet. I’ve been to the big miniature fair in Rheda Wiedenbruck and I’m following your friend Helga on Instagram for a while. Putz sheep… one day I will have my own little flock!
I hope you’re relaxing this Sunday, and that you have had the excitement of the first snow of the season.
I’m a few days behind with my blog reading again so I look forward to finding out later :-) Being South African, I’ve never seen real snow, can you believe it?
Megan, you might not have read my latest post, but I went ahead and ordered a Beacon Hill!
I’m quite excited.
I hope you get to Germany sooner rather than later!
Stay safe.