Dove Cottage was a forlorn little dollhouse abandoned at our local dump. I saw it sitting there, decided I didn’t need another dollhouse and left. But I also wrote about it on Instagram and got a lot of comments saying I should get it. So I went back.
Here is how it looked at the dump:
And later, at home:
It was a mess. Shutters missing, window trim missing, the porch has disappeared – you name it.
I removed all the trim. Some of it I like, some of it looks childish, like the stuff on the roofline. I’ll see if I want to put any of it back. So far, I’m leaning toward using the curliques that are on either side of the gable. But we’ll see. I don’t think I’ll replace the porch as it looks too American.
It turns out that it is a Greenleaf design, The Arthur.
Horrible tacky carpet on the floors upstairs. Bad linoleum in the kitchen.
I spent hours and hours removing that stuff.
And hours and hours more trying to remove excess glue. Whoever put this together was not a careful gluer. That hair dryer is there because aiming it at glue helps to soften the glue for removal. I ruined my nails and my hands. But it’s gone now.
I also decided to remove the staircase as this is a small house and it took up too much real estate. So I covered up the opening in the floor upstairs. As of now, I have those dowels supporting the upstairs floor. I’m still not sure what I will incorporate to permanently support that floor – maybe some columns attached to a kitchen island.
I’ve gone back and forth about the exterior. I wanted the look of an English cottage. I started to collect egg cartons (used by miniaturists to make ‘stones’) and after a few attempts, came up with the sort of golden stone that I wanted.
Worried that it was just a bad idea (I couldn’t get the idea of a castle out of my head) I decided to paint the shingles to get some contrast which might help me assess how it really looks.
I used a dark gray that I really like. Some of the red stain that was on the shingles shows through a bit, but I like it that way. I may age them further. We’ll see.
Several months ago, my friend Barbara sent me the parts for her Arthur dollhouse, which she never used, and I’ve been replacing some of the missing window sills and window frames. In some cases, I’ve removed parts of windows to reposition them properly.
Replacement sill.
Replacement sill. This won’t be the paint color – it’s primer.
This window was missing the frame. Thanks to Barbara for all of these parts I need!
Starting the stone work. These are made out of the textured cardboard from egg cartons. I tried a few combinations of paint and landed on one I liked. I cut long strips, paint them, and then cut individual stones and glue them on.
On to the side wall.
Two sides finished – one to go.
Finished cottage.
Now to the inside, downstairs first.
Playing with furniture layout.
Wallpaper installed.
Ceiling beams added to support the now stair-less second floor and to add to the period look of the room. Two supports in either corner.
Playing with the shelf unit I bought from Etsy seller in Italy.
And the wood floor has been installed. A wide plank floor made from craft sticks.
Starting to add miniature books to the shelves. These are from Landau House, a shop on Etsy.
Fast forward a year or two and here we are:
I grouted and aged the exterior. The door was hung (not an easy task!) I cut new acrylic inserts for the windows. All the rooms have been wallpapered and all have wood floors.
The interior – so far:
Bedroom:
The bed was dressed the other day. The rug came from another dollhouse, the wardrobe was unfinished when I got it. I painted and aged it.
Instead of doing a bathroom – I find them boring and with only three rooms here, I didn’t want to waste the space – I created an artist’s studio.
The chair is from another dollhouse. It works well here.
Final exterior.
And a post where I have lots of photos and list of sources.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this journey. Sssh! Don’t tell anyone, but this is my favorite.
Thank you!
