Tickled


It was the oddest thing to see my Crate and Barrel Tissue Box House in a vitrine, as part of an exhibit, this weekend. There were feelings of excitement mixed with shyness, mixed with wonderment (is this actually here? will people like it?). But, there it was!


Then, I noticed that two pieces had become unstuck so of course I started obsessing over this and the other feelings went away! By the way, the house is in the Members' Musings exhibition at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ, not too far from me. It was great to see the show, which included painting, sculpture, and digital art. The kids got a kick out seeing the piece, as did our friends who met up with us for a visit in the park. A few more shots of my piece, titled Repurpose:



You can read more about the piece in this post from February. Then it was out to walk the park, and I'd have to say that the kids (and us) were completely taken with the peacocks, who were making a spectacle:


while barring access to the bathroom!

A lovely white one made an appearance as well


This one was near some dollshouse-appropriate artwork:



If you are near Hamilton, NJ, stop by the park for a visit -- there is a ton to see, and lovely walks to be had!

Later at home, I was inspired again to use some of my swap items from The Shopping Sherpa, namely the one of the vintage posters, in the fish condo:








See the black lacquer desk and the pedestal for the bead in the corner? Both are manufactured by AMAC, a renowned plastics company that I discovered at the New York International Gift Fair back in February. The boxes, which come in array of colors, work so well for accents and as actual furnishings. I love the sleekness of these boxes, and I know will come up with other uses for them! Should you see them in the gift shops and other stores you frequent, do pick up a few!!!

Credits: Chair is Reac; desk and artwork pedestal are AMAC boxes; base of desk is AG Minis; plant is Manor House Miniatures; newspaper box is a dollshouse store find; laptop is by Lilu Shop on Etsy; shoes and bag are Barbie; bench is a vintage drawer pull; poster and yellow book on bench are from a swap with The Shopping Sherpa; flooring and back wall covering are from the Paper Source.

Swap Happy


What a time I had opening all of my tiny packages from The Shopping Sherpa as part of our January-February-March swap -- heck, call it our spring swap! We both were busy bees making things for each other and creating a cohesive bundle of useful mini stuff and I could not be happier with my treasures! She posted on the goodies I sent her in two posts--here and here--and I'm cramming all of mine into one!

I tossed out to her a few requests for stationery, bedding, rugs, etc., and she came up with a Kate Spade-Jonathan Adler theme with bright, punchy colors and strong graphics.What a great idea for me, right on target.

Care to see everything?

It all started here...


That post card is a Shopping Sherpa original! Really lovely!

The tiny packages in string then revealed pillows, a mirror, bulletin boards, and graphic art -- LOVE the iconic design imagery!




Rugs! Stylin'!


Three luxurious bedding sets! They're nicer than my real bedding!

And what's Teddy holding...???



Vintage posters!


And storage boxes, desk accessories, books, and a matching Eames elephant!



A gremlin holds onto his Jonathan Adler design bibles...
Last, but not least, some papers that will definitely come in handy in a number of my houses.


THANKS Shopping Sherpa! 

Another thanks goes to Claudia, who runs a new blog, Lillis Puppenstube. She's renovating some great vintage houses, and I admired the papers in one of them, here. She kindly sent me a few sheets, with some groovy extras! I hope they end up in my VERO soon!


This one has potential for a 70s scene!


Speaking of scenes, I'll end with a quick one in my fish condo, which I have brought out of retirement! I love how all my new items look, along with some new papers from the Paper Source. I am especially taken with the yellow and white one used for flooring. Very mod!








Credits: Chairs are vintage from Sweden; lamp and plant are vintage TOMY; stool and side table are vintage German; clock is Bandai; pillows, storage boxes, silkscreen, and books are handmade by The Shopping Sherpa; apples and trash can are AG Minis.

Mini Modern and Call Small: Gone Fishing


It's not too often this mini community of modern collectors can "synch" up our houses and do a joint post, but Mini Modern and I thought it would be fun to do one, sight unseen, of our own takes on the Fish Condo from the SFMOMA store. Cool idea, right? Totally her idea, by the way...she's got tons of 'em :) This joint post is also apropos because Mini Modern and I met up when I was in SF and had a fun chat in the lobby of the actual SFMOMA -- a very nice birthday treat for me! She is as nice and clever as you think she is, and very funny. It was a pleasure!

I like the concept of using the Fish Condo since it is not intended as a doll house or modern setting, and as I found, it offers many possibilities. The tank actually comes with a glass insert that I decided not to use this time around, but will try to in the future. I have two, so was playing around with the configurations, which led me to devise this as a guest "shack" in the Hamptons. I jokingly say "shack," because the Hamptons is a very chic and popular location for summer homes out on the southern fork of the eastern end of Long Island, NY. The beaches are lovely, and the real estate prime. Some houses look like this:






My condo might be the guest house to a pad such as that! I photographed this by one of the windows in our living room, to help with the outdoor beachy vibe, but it ended up raining, so the sun took a dive.












It was fun setting this up, and now I cannot wait to head over to Mini Modern's blog for a look at her condo setup! Enjoy!

Credits: Couch is vintage Bodo Hennig; orange chair is Reac; coffee table is Bozart; console is by Paris Renfroe; stools are from Manor House Miniatures; both lights are by AG Minis (I flipped the blue table lamp up on the ceiling); "rugs" are cardboard covered with two different Marimekko fabrics; marble bust is from my husband's collection; front outdoor plant is vintage TOMY; smaller plant in the back is Playmobil; statue is vintage Petite Princess; dog is from a game called Lucky Puppy Math; textured wall covering is a place mat by Chilewich; orange dot wall covering is scrapbook paper. Accessories are Japanese erasers, Re-ment, Manor House Miniatures, and our local toy store.