Texture

Texture's the thing here...it motivated me to use letterpress illustrations (cut from a 2011 desk calendar from the Paper Source), and a new sheet of DCWV scrapbook paper for a lemon yellow and gray backdrop. The flooring is adhesive cork, which has a nice but subtle texture. The "tub" is actually an olive wood "nibble" bowl from Crate & Barrel--textbook texture!

Credits: Tub, platform, and planter are all repurposed items from Crate & Barrel; console is PRD; chair is Reac; side table is miniatures.com; towels are Lundby; sink is a swap from Oese; fixture is Barbie by Jonathan Adler; artwork is Paper Source. Accessories are Re-ment, AG Minis, and dollhouse show finds.

The time it took me: 22 minutes

Citadel Rink Table

A trip to the Crate & Barrel outlet in Cranbury, NJ, never disappoints...for 1:12 and 1:1!! We were shopping for some new pieces for our kids' rooms, and I left with a few cool items to repurpose from the clearance bins. I cleaned out the main living space in my Citadel house and set up a scene guided by a new silver and bronze-edged metal circular votive holder ($2.50). Looks like a magical skating rink! I filled the center hole with a vintage wooden bowl and moss, and for a base, I used a lava lamp cover, which suited it pretty well (its previous incarnation was as a modern pendant light fixture).

I wanted to bring together all sorts of textures, so I added a piece of burlap from the Paper Source and covered my Kaleidoscope House kitchen counter unit in one of my favorite papers from Kate's Paperie. The artwork on the wall is a silicone coaster from Crate & Barrel, also on clearance (.75). For the other side of the room, I used a vintage German table and chair and some Fisher Price tables on the wall, with a sweet Eames elephant and an AG Minis plant.

Like it? The lighting was totally rigged, by the way. One of the beauties and challenges of the house is the dramatic overhang -- the space below can be a bear to photograph without some light through the windows. So...

Ugly, but it works!

Credits: Table and wall art are from Crate & Barrel; chairs and kitchen counter are Bozart; bike is Maisto; desk table and chair are vintage German; Eames elephant is Reac; light fixture and green rug are by minimodernistas; burlap rug is from the Paper Source; plant is AG Minis; wall shelves are vintage Fisher Price tables; magazines and file holder were handmade by The Shopping Sherpa; books were a gift from Margaret. Accessories are Re-ment, doll house store finds, craft items, Mighty World, ELF Miniatures, and vintage German eBay finds.

Re-ment: The water bottle is from Sushi Bar #2, and is good for 1:12.

Shaken, but Sorted

So I finally get shelving up in my doll house room in the basement, and New Jersey goes and has an EARTHQUAKE! In New Jersey???! Yup, the effects of a 5.8 earthquake in Virginia were felt all the way up the east cost today. Luckily, it only lasted 10-15 seconds and all is fine. My first, and hopefully last, earthquake.

There's a few posts in the pipeline -- a review of the "Otherworldly" exhibition at the Museum of Arts & Design and a super-surprise-you'll-never-guess post -- so this one will be brief!

At long last, the shelves and brackets purchased for a song at the Crate & Barrel outlet near me are installed and most of my doll houses now are aloft in the room! I also organized a bunch of furnishings in my (not so) spare time on the shelves and reworked the perimeter storage.

Better, right?

I couldn't resist doing a quick scene in the Kaleidoscope House...a celebratory hurrah for that work! Now I just have to keep it all clean!

A reminder to join in on the August ***FREE ALERT*** on the Call of the Small Facebook page. There's some great Re-ment and storage containers up for grabs. You have until Wednesday, August 31, to comment...give it a whirl!

Credits: Couch is a vintage eBay buy; pillow is minimodernistas; side table is vintage VERO; plant is TOMY; rug is handmade by The Shopping Sherpa; table is a drawer pull; light is Re-ment; wall art is an ornament from Crate & Barrel; wallpaper is scrapbook paper. Accessories are Bozart, Manor House Miniatures, beads, and doll house store finds.

The time it took me: 17 minutes (for the K House scene) and I lost count on the organizing and cleaning!

DIY Couch: A First!

So, I've officially completed my first mini DIY (or at least the first one in my adult life). When I was little, I would fix or make stuff for my dollhouse all the time -- it's funny how incredibly capable you believe you are when you're 8 or 9.

I had a bit of trepidation tackling a sad little couch from my vintage ranch purchase on eBay. The couch has nice lines but was covered in some awful green corduroy stuff with stains, dust and grime. I went and bought some Marimekko fabric (3 yds, @ $4.95 each) at our local Crate and Barrel outlet:

I guess I gravitated to green as a bit of a homage to the sad corduroy, and I bought three different fabrics to have options. I decided to go with the dots, called "Tuike" and made by Alicia Rosauer in 2003 for Marimekko. The other fabric did not go to waste; my husband and I were addressing the configuration of our family room and decided to pivot an old mahogany wardrobe against our computer table and tacked up one of the other pieces so as not to stare at the back of the wardrobe:

Back to the couch -- a bit of an adventure. I know nothing about doing this, so approached it as if I was wrapping a present. Fold fabric around the couch and then at the sides. I cut little holes for the legs and used a few little nails to secure things. I did not have a proper *small* hammer, and frankly didn't use a hammer, just the hard blunt edge of some filing tool. I actually used the nails in an obvious way -- they are visible on the front. I may change this, but may not have the same burst of energy as I did this first round.

This is where things started:

And this is where they ended up:

My challenge now is the arms. I have to cover them in fabric and I guess glue them on. I don't have the right glue (no glue, actually) so I have to address that. But, it's a start. It felt pretty satisfying.

Vintage Ranch

My vintage ranch has arrived! I saw it on Ebay and was thrilled to see such a unique looking house. It wasn't even a struggle to buy -- no crazy last second bidding. I got it for $45, but shipping was steep at $40. The seller was super nice and even gave me a bit of history on the piece:

The doll house was purchased for me by my grandmother. My grandmother died in 1963 so it was probably purchased between 1958 and 1962. I was 5-9 years old then. I honestly don't think I played with it much - i just don't think i was really a doll person. It has probably been in my mother's attic (covered over) since 1970 or so.

The seller also shared that she doesn't know the maker of the house, but directed me to a My Dream Dollhouses blog post about a very similar one sold on Ebay last year. It looks very similar to me, although does not have the built-in kitchen.

The look of the house is pretty stylin', I think. It's quite large, and the roof hangs over the sides nicely:

The condition of the house is quite good, considering its age. I did do a little "repair" since some of the wood struts were cracked. Check out my renegade wrenching (try not to wince):

The furniture that came with the house is quite eclectic. There are two black and turquoise pieces that the seller characterized as "Pennsylvania Dutch" -- very out of place:

I'd like to repaint them both to fit in better -- any ideas???

Then, there's a lot of Plasco furniture and a fabulous Renwal lamp:

In addition to cleaning up the house, one of my first adventures will be to re-upholster the couch; it's pretty bad right now, but has potential!

There's a Crate and Barrel outlet by me that sells Marimekko fabric by the yard for VERY cheap. I may have to seek out some inspiration and then grab some glue and a staple gun!

The oddest thing was this little lamp (bong?) looking thing made out of metal:

No clue.

Did I mention that I am now scary Mommy in the basement with all my dollhouse things? The Villa Sibi took up most of our living room, and there certainly was no room for the new majestic ranch. So, I cleared out part of the utility room and feign doing laundry so I can play with my stuff.