Rad Pad Progress

The long weekend is over and one of my goals was to make some progress on my Rad Pad for the "I'm a Giant" challenge. Well, I wallpapered the exterior and figured out the layout, so I think I am on my way. I need to add wallpaper and flooring to the inside rooms and furnish fully and accessorize, but here is where I am now:

I want to add some level of realism, so I need to figure out a stairwell. A bit stumped right now; would love a lucite one, but not sure I can swing it. I also have a catwalk in progress to connect the two upper levels, using a slab of plywood covered in a Kunta placemat from Crate & Barrel (the Kunta is now discontinued, but it is close to the Jakarta). Will share more on that soon -- wish me luck!

By the way, I am spreading the word about a great dollhouse for sale: a vintage VERO from the 1960s! I actually have this one in my collection, and it is a fantastic find. Mandy from Germany is selling her pristine one, and I have posted pictures on the Call of the Small Facebook page. If you are interested, I can connect you with Mandy. Email me at call-small(at)call-small(dot)com for more information.

Rad Pad, Configured

After much experimentation, I think I have finally arrived at the configuration of my Rad Pad for the I'm a Giant Challenge. I tried so many different things, and got a lot of recommendations for going circular. Circular looked way cool, but I felt like something was missing...perhaps not knowing which was was in! I also wanted more contrast of textures, but could not figure out a way to do a wood roof. I remembered I had two wood slatted place mats from Crate & Barrel and thought they might work. They did not, BUT they did work as the base. Once I saw the rectangle formed by the place mats, I stacked the file boxes, two in each corner. A space formed in between them and I thought "doorway!" I kept it open at the back, like a traditional doll house.

The result:

What do you think?

I used a piece of acetate for the doorway and outlined the frame using deco tape. The flooring, siding, and roof material is still not finalized (in fact, the green paper on two of the walls is the original Staples label!). I experimented using a variety of papers and fabrics, but am still not convinced. I might use a brick paper for the exterior, perhaps on the bottom level, and then mark out some windows on the top using deco tape. The interior layout is also not completely finalized. I know I want the bedroom and office on the top levels and the kitchen, bath, and living area on the bottom, but the bath is a bit of a puzzle. Space is limited and I would like to put a full bath in -- what do you think of my little wooden platform solution?

Time is running out--December 15 is around the corner! What has everyone else come up with??

Credits: Even though this is not fully furnished, I'll share: white couch sectional and coffee table are Bozart; desk is ELF Miniatures; chair is a Crate & Barrel ornament; kitchen units are vintage Lundby; bed is vintage German; bath set is Ryan's Room; ladder is from my TOMY Sylvanian house; indoor plant is Playmobil; outdoor planter is a napkin holder from West Elm with a diorama tree from Michaels; doorway platform is made of two coasters; base consists of two placemats from Crate & Barrel. Accessories are Lundby, Lilu shop on Etsy, handmade by The Shopping Sherpa, AG Minis, random craft store finds.

The time it took me: I fiddled with this for a few hours today, in between cleaning up my work room!