I always have to take a picture of these roses right away. The flowers only last a day or two and since it rained hard last night, I’m doubly glad I took this yesterday morning. If you look closely, you can see part of a little bug peeking out of the petals on the left.
Don saw the mama deer and fawn early this morning.
I posted a little video of Dove Cottage on IG yesterday. Tomorrow or the next day, I’ll write a post about it. I’m officially calling it ‘Done.’ There will be a few things to add – mostly in the form of lamps – but it’s pretty much finished.
Just to remind you of where we started and where we are now. Seen first at our local transfer station/dump, I briefly thought about taking it but then the thought, “I don’t need another dollhouse” immediately followed. So I took a picture of it, but passed.
Of course, I posted that picture on Instagram and immediately got countless responses of the “Get it!” variety. So, I drove back there, verified that it was okay for me to take it, and brought it home.
And now, about 4 years later, here it is.
I’m really pleased with the final result. As I said during one of my little videos, I’d like to live here. I love my first dollhouse – Hummingbird Cottage – but this one is very special. I suppose it’s because it was something I found for free but wasn’t exactly excited about. The only thing I knew was that I would immediately eliminate any of the ‘cutesy’ trim. And, even though many of the parts were missing, there was plenty of that. Sometimes, these Greenleaf dollhouse kits (the Beacon Hill is one) have elements that are out-of-scale, geared, I guess, to little kids. I’ve ripped most of that off of the Beacon Hill and I did the same with this one. It’s the Arthur kit, by the way.
As you well know, I take my time with these houses. I do that for a variety of reasons: I have a lot of things going on in my creative mind at any given moment, I have to be in the mood to work on it, all of the elements cost money, in fact, some of those elements are ‘investment’ pieces that I needed to save up for. I always give a new project a coat of white primer so that I can start with a clean canvas.
Anyway, at some point I thought of an English cottage and here we are. The hardest part? Making the stones, which took a long, long time and left me wanting to tear my hair out at times. But boy, was all of that work worth it. Best decision? Taking the stairs out, taking down the wall between the rooms downstairs, and closing up the opening to the second floor. It’s a very small house and the stairs and wall severely limited the downstairs space. Plus, having them smack dab in the middle of the first floor blocking the front door was a bad design move. Now we get to see that pretty front door. I’ve never been a fan of dollhouse bathrooms, so I gave myself the excuse to eliminate one in this house. We can assume the bathroom is just beyond the bedroom or kitchen. And now I have a lovely art studio instead.
It’s also full of some of my favorite artisan creations; the hutch/sideboard, the sofa, the chair(s), the big bookcase, the bed, the wicker side table, and the easel. I will give details on all of that in the ‘sources’ post.
Renovating and furnishing a dollhouse is expensive, even if you do it as cheaply as possible. That’s another reason these projects take so long.
More, most likely tomorrow.
I’m writing this early as I have to get a few things done before 10 am when I will be glued to the next January 6th Committee Hearing.
Stay safe.
Happy Monday.
congratulations, claudia. your work on this dollhouse is beautiful!
where do you keep dove cottage? hopefully some place where you can see it often each day. :)
glad don saw the deer, too.
will miss the hearing this morning for having a doctor’s appointment and then taking some donations to a social service agency. will then take a shower and spend time with family members (indoors as it’s to reach 98 degrees here today and be 90-plus all week).
will watch part of the hearing online later.
hope everyone stays comfy and safe.
kathy
Great work as always, Claudia! Really love all the pieces you’ve chosen 😍
Thanks so much, Deborah.
Stay safe.
I have it on the work table right now. Not sure where I’m going to put it.
Thanks, Kathy.
Stay safe.
Nice work and lovely rose!
Thank goodness you mentioned the hearing is at 10 am for you as I was thinking it was at 10 am for me in Illinois. Of course, it is 10 am ET, so I have to have my TV on by 9 am my time! I would have missed the whole first hour. Now I know to turn it on soon… Thanks, Claudia!
You’re welcome!
Stay safe, Ellen.
It’s been such a pleasure watching you rebuild and redesign this doll house. The exterior “stone” is just unbelievable. Wonderful to see your creativity shine!
Thank you, Betsy!
Stay safe.
It must be so gratifying to have brought this house back to life. It has gone from a sad throw away to a beautiful work of art. You make magic happen.
Take Care,
Kaye
Ah, thank you so much, Kaye
Stay safe.
What an amazing transformation of Dove Cottage!
And all the colors in the rose, sooooo beautiful!
Thanks so much, Lynda (though I can’t take credit for the rose.)
Stay safe.
I love this dollhouse. So charming and so well done. Thank you for sharing your passion and work with us. Hugs!
You’re most welcome, Linda.
Stay safe.
Another beautiful rose! Dove Cottage is so nice! I’ve enjoyed seeing the close ups of individual rooms, especially with all the details like the tiny books and dishes!
We just finished seeing the hearings here in California…amazing….
Truly mesmerizing. It just gets more appalling.
Stay safe, Barrie.
Dove Cottage looks great! Thanks for sharing the pictures.
I know what you mean about the roses. I have a beautiful gardenia bush out front and then the heavy rains came. Now you wouldn’t even know what kind of flowers had been on it. I’m glad too that I took a picture before.
You have to move quickly in case it rains!
Stay safe, Carol.
It’s such a wonderful doll house and I love it so much; it’s just perfect. Can you imagine if the person/child who had it could see it now and know that it wasn’t just dumped; that it was saved; a wonderful story of ‘found’ things made better. The best kind of recycling; very eco-friendly of you, Claudia!!!!
Thank you so much, Vicki.
I’m very proud of it.
Stay safe.
Absolutely adore the rose and the color gradations from the tip of the leaves to the center. Is that ombre? I’m not sure what it’s called — other than perfect.
And so, too, is Dove Cottage. What a work of art, Claudia! You’re right about the stairs and taking out the dividing wall — it really opens it up making it far more “real” as a set of rooms and certainly easier to work within. I can see why you’d like to live there. I would, too! I’m so glad you brought that home with you — you’ve made it your own.
I think ‘ombre’ is the right word, Jeanie.
I really love Dove Cottage.
Thanks so much, Jeanie.
Stay safe.
Oh, that Rose! – and the little wisp of a bug caught on camera – hah!
I recall all the painful and joyous moments of the cottage rebuilding. You obviously are so astutely talented in this art form. Congratulations on its beauty awoken from its dump demise.
Missed the morning session yesterday. Hope to catch up on YouTube with it. I can’t believe it, but I am working again at 71+ part time on counting the vote in my county. I usually work the elections, but got an extension this time & they’re ok if I can’t work a long day. It’s not the paycheck – it is getting me moving again.
Then that’s a good thing, Martha. I applaud your efforts!
Thanks so much for your kind words.
Stay safe.