I’m finally adding a graphic for this series. Better late than never!
When last we met, I had added wood floors to the living room, den and kitchen. What did I do next?
I added a floor to the bedroom. My back story for the bedroom was that it had been an unfinished attic before the homeowner started her renovation and had wide plank floors that were damaged. She wanted to keep those floors, so she painted them white to cover up any damaged floorboards. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a photo until I had added the wallpaper and part of the trim. (Boy, I cannot tell you what a difference a good camera makes – I’ve tried to improve these older, pre-current-camera photos, but there’s only so much a photo editing program can do!)
Anyway, I used wider craft sticks that were the size of a tongue depressor, cut off the rounded ends, painted each one individually and then glued them in place.
Next: I added wallpaper and some window trim. I was nervous about wallpapering; I’d never done it in my life-sized abodes, but it definitely seemed the thing to do in the dollhouse. I researched lots of dollhouse mini wallpaper manufacturers. A lot of it was very predictable – cutesy “country” images that were not my taste, designs that were too childlike. I wanted timeless sophistication.
I found Itsy Bitsy Mini, a website that carries the most beautiful patterns. Eventually, I settled on 4 different wallpaper designs for the living room, den, bedroom and kitchen. You can order wallpaper paste/glue that is easy to use from any miniature site. The wallpaper comes in sheets. My method was to cut a template for each wall out of regular paper, label it, then trace the template onto the wallpaper. I did all of this very carefully. “Measure twice, cut once” goes for dollhouses, too. Some miniaturists choose to glue the wallpaper onto cardboard and then attach it onto the wall, but I just glued it directly onto the walls.
This was the pattern I chose for the living room. Confession: I loved it so much that I used the same pattern, in blue, for the den. For this wall, I measured the length and height of the wall, cut the sheet, and attached it to the wall. Then, I cut around the window and the door with an exacto knife. For me, that works much more easily than cutting the windows and doorways out before pasting. Less room for error.
I also bought trim and corner blocks for each of the windows. After wallpapering, I measured the trim, painted it, and finished out the windows.
Here’s that same wallpaper in blue in the den, with trim added to the windows.
I chose an old-fashioned, charming design for the kitchen. This room marks the start of adding beadboard to the lower half of each wall. I ended up doing that in the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. (I got the beadboard, which is vinyl, from miniatures.com. Sometimes I wish I had done all the beadboard in real wood, but I didn’t. Next dollhouse.) I measured the beadboard the same way I measured the wallpaper. I also painted it so it looked less vinyl-y. Here you can see the kitchen in progress; beadboard in place, wallpaper attached, trim around the window and the beginnings of the chair rail.
I did the same thing in the bedroom. Beadboard, chair rail, and wallpaper. I chose a small, flowery wallpaper for this room. Do you remember me mentioning that when this dollhouse was assembled by the previous owner, somehow a section of the cladding ended up inside the bedroom? Don’t ask me how, but there was cladding/siding in this room. That wouldn’t do. I wanted to cover it up and finally came up with the idea of using these faux bricks that are sold in sheets. I measured the area where the cladding was – a triangle of sorts – and made another template, which I traced onto the bricks. Then I painted them and glued them to the cladding. I like the look, which reminds me of the painted brick chimney in MHC’s living room.
You can see that I had also started to add baseboards in each room at this point.
Lots of time spent measuring, cutting, gluing. Every time I thought I had enough trim for the baseboards and moldings, I ended up running out and I had to order more. Sometimes I measured incorrectly and had to chuck a piece or recycle it in another part of the house.
Just like in real life.
More in this series soon.
I wrote about this yesterday, but I wanted to add it again today. I’ve changed some things in the settings for the email delivery of this blog’s posts, since recent changes by major email carriers have virtually stopped the delivery of blog subscriptions. (See yesterday’s post for an explanation.) Since I subscribe to my own blog via AOL, Gmail and Yahoo, I can monitor the delivery by those carriers. After making adjustments, I’m getting the posts again on AOL and Gmail. Not in Yahoo. Susan researched some of this and found that Yahoo, AT&T and SBC Global have merged, so if you subscribe via one of these carriers, you still may not be receiving updates. It isn’t a Feedburner problem. It comes from the email delivery services who are trying to stem the tide of spam and spoof emails. Can you let me know if you are receiving your email subscriptions? If you aren’t, you might want to consider subscribing via another email address, or, as I have mentioned frequently, bookmark the site. Cause that’s about all I can do at this point. xo
Happy Tuesday.
Enjoying the step by step changes that you have documented for the dollhouse. I love seeing all of your details and wonderful ideas for the transformation.
Thank you, Julie! Hopefully, this will be useful information for those readers beginning their own dollhouse journeys.
i went shopping at hobby lobby the other day…saw a cute little doll house painted metal rocking horse, and glass pitcher of “orange juice”, and 2 glasses…yep..i bought them…with the notion MAYBE you could use them…if so, let me know, and i will mail them to you!! i love your doll house almost as much as you do!!!
Just answered you on Facebook, Sharon!
Love the side-by-side photos … the difference, both inside and out, is just so amazing!
Oh, I’m glad you like them, Debbie!
I did bookmark your site and now receive it earlier in the morning. Thought you would like knowing that MHC has a pale aqua icon on my bookmark page! Very fitting! I so look forward to your blog each day!
I designed that icon, Barbara! Glad you like it!
The owner of this little cottage is so lucky to have you as the General Contractor. She lets you know what she wants and needs, and it’s done! I do enjoy your posts! All of them.
Tana
Thanks so much, Tana!
Love the wallpaper and how it just makes the cottage so much more perfect. You must have a lot of patience to work on this tiny space.
hugs, LInda
I don’t always have patience with other things, but I seem to have it in abundance with the dollhouse!
Oh Claudia! I love seeing all the changes.
I am so excited to get started on mine, but I suppose I should wait til it is built. In the meantime I devour all things doll house. I am sure glad you are teaching me.
I’m happy to be of help, Trudy!
I too love seeing the side-by-side pictures..they really show just how much work you have put into this house..I am sure the things you have in yours will be very helpful in doing my own.. thanks for the guidance Claudia!!
You are most welcome, Nancy!
I always love the shadows in your dollhouse. Just like a real house!
That’s what I’m aiming for, Leslie!
I’ve wondered about the wall paper in your home. I love it. It doesn’t look ‘cutesy -country’ …I’ve gone away from that in my own home, and wouldn’t want it in my doll house(S) :) So, I’m looking forward to window shopping via the links you’ve given. They’ve been a big help!
I love see the progress in your little home. I’m a bit slower at it than you are– but I’m learning so much by watching your renovating series! I’m seeing things I hadn’t noticed before or seeing them again with a different vision. That’s how we learn– by repetition. Enjoying the series.
Pat
I think the best advice I can give is to enjoy the process and take your time with it. Remember, I’ve been working on this for almost 5 years!
You sure have sparked a interest in me about doll houses. I love yours as you already know.
Thank you so much, Debby!
That is the cutest house I have ever seen. The details are amazing. I admire your tenacity on this project cause girl, I would be on drugs and drinking if I tried to tackle something like that.
Sorry to hear about your Mother. My prayers are with you.
Thank you for your kind words, Sharon.
Loving these posts. Which do you think brings you more joy… the physical remodeling or the furnishing ?
This is totally adorable! I can’t wait till my daughter is old enough to play with a dollhouse :)
Haven’t gotten to the wallpaper stage of my dollhouse yet, Claudia, but I’m thinking it’s going to drive me nuts making decisions! There are so many choices out there. Any tips for making those decisions? Does everything need to coordinate in some way? I’m thinking less wallpaper and more painting, chair rails and other trims. Maybe a feature wall of wallpaper in some rooms?
I think that other than the potting shed, the floors might be my favorite part of your house. But I get a new “favorite thing” with each post.
I also appreciate your skill as a photographer and you’re doing a good job of documentation in general.
Amazing how small things pull you in, isn’t it?
wow! i am in awe, claudia! love the wallpapers and popsicle stick flooring!!!
i found a dollhouse curbside a couple of years ago and when i’m ready to dive in, i will revisit this post many times for sure!
thinking of you
xo
elyse
Oh how cute! You are so creative. I think you have no reason at all to be scared to join the swap. I think these little minis will be a hit!
Now…can I expect to see these in YOUR Etsy shop?!
Hmmm? Maybe?
Enjoyed seeing the process for these, too. Great job. Pat