VERO Deco

A few of my purchases from the Highstown Miniature Show have made it into a bedroom scene in my VERO. The Art Deco-style bed is very simple in form, and I like the black shiny lacquer finish. The galvanized tub worked nicely as a sleek receptacle for cozy blankets (actually scraps of fabric).

See the fireplace? It is part of the new modern line from Miniatures.com, as are the rattan stools, which I have used as bedside tables. The pieces are made of resin and so far I am pleased. The flames do not look entirely realistic up close, but do the trick from father away. And in the spirit of not-entirely-realistic, it is propped up against a column, which is not really a chimney!!

The flooring here is more of that shelf liner that I used in my Villa Sibi, when I (re)discovered Con-Tact adhesive paper. I like the texture a lot, but it does not sit flush with the floor and does not tack down easily; it curled a bit at the front edge of the room. Oh well. I tried not to show this in the photos :)

I was originally going to put artwork of some sort over the bed, but then I pulled out a piece of cardboard wrapped in decorative paper from the Paper Source...it was last used in one of my Umbra Fish Hotels as flooring. It came in handy as a decorative backdrop. Speaking of decorative backdrop, a Chilewich place mat conceals the mess of my worktable, outside the window!

Off to bed!

Credits: Bed and galvanized tub are finds from the Hightstown Miniature Show; side tables and fireplace from Miniatures.com; globe lights are minimodernistas; plant is toHOLD on Etsy; chair is Reac; flooring is shelf liner from the Home Depot; backdrop outside window is a Chilewich place mat. Accessories are AG Minis, Lilu Shop on Etsy, minimodernistas, and handmade by The Shopping Sherpa.

The time it took me: 27 minutes

VERO Mod

I moved my VERO house onto my new work table recently, so my attention has turned back to it for some mild renovating/decorating. This is one of the rooms in the house whose wallpapers have seen better days. I decided to go with some very retro mod scrapbook paper from Lee's Art Supply. I do love the color scheme, and my new "tootsie roll" couch from minimodernistas fit right in!

I've been experimenting with dolls for my current book cover project, and this one did not make the cut. I actually got him at the five dollar store on a whim a while ago. He's a doll from the Twilight series who looks sort of normal until you notice his intense look and um, red eyes! This could be his pad, though, don't you think?!

Credits: Doll is from the Twilight series; couch and pillow are minimodernistas; console is PRD; igloo chairs are CB2; zigzag chairs are Reac; side table is from Fab.com; rustic side table is a sponge; light fixture is an AG Minis table; orange shelving unit is also AG Minis; wallpaper is scrapbook paper from Lee's Art Supply; rug is a carpet sample; back curtain is a Chilewich placemat. Accessories are AG Minis, vintage German, handmade by The Shopping Sherpa, Lilu Shop on Etsy, and handmade by me.

The time it took me: 22 minutes

14 Minutes

I thought it would be interesting to time how long it took me to do a scene in one of my houses. I often mention in my posts that I do a "quick scene," and I know what that means to me but then I thought it might not mean the same to you. I consider 14 minutes in the realm of "quick." I have spent much longer on other scenes, or I start a scene one day and finish it on another.

My scenes tend to be motivated by color, so if I were to dissect this scene it would go as follows:

* Motivation: My eight-year-old son has been VERY into origami lately, and experiments with all sorts of shapes and papers. The rocket ship is a form that he has perfected, and he amazes us with all the precise folds he has memorized; he can do it with his eyes closed! He made me a super mini one, in a lovely shade of electric blue, and I really wanted to use it.

* Choose house: I chose my VERO, which is still in rehab, mainly out of guilt since I still have not gotten around to wallpapering half the house.

* Choose room: Easy. I chose the lovely sitting room with two walls of windows.

* Choose a few key pieces: My new Paul MacAlister daybed, mostly because it is a new purchase and I wanted to try it out. One of my favorite credenzas, by VERO, and a beloved Barcelona Reac chair.

* The rest falls into place: The blue origami rocket ship emboldens me to use similarly colored pillows (handmade by The Shopping Sherpa for our swap) with the more somber plaid of the daybed, something I would not have thought to do. Add one of my favorite lamps, the three sphere wonder by minimodernistas, a coffee table, side table, and rug. After putting in a plant and a few small accessories, I restrain myself from adding anything further.

* Fidget slightly with placement. Shift a pillow slightly, move the coffee cup, push the vase back on the credenza, adjust the rain boots, turn the minimodernistas lamp.

* Photograph. Take 27 photographs, and use a little over a third for the post. I never Photoshop my photos, but I do use the straightener tool to even things out if I've done the angle wrong. I sometimes crop, but not often.

* Start writing this and plug in the photos.

Check out my son's handiwork!

OK, having done this I am now quite curious how you go about your scenes. Share if you're inspired!

Credits: Daybed is by Paul MacAlister; chair is Reac; credenza is VERO; side table is an artisan piece from Fridas Fancy dollhouse store; coffee table, rug, and lamp by minimodernistas; books and large blue pillows by The Shopping Sherpa; small blue pillows are Re-ment; planter is from Manor House Miniatures. Accessories are Re-ment, beads, made by my awesome kid, ELF Miniatures, and Barbie by Jonathan Adler.

Silver and Gold

My first fireplace makes an appearance here. I've been meaning to buy a fireplace for some time, but was struggling with what type, size, color, etc. I received this particular one as part of a lot of vintage items that I purchased from Oese. Oese tells me that she made the fireplace with a pink box she found at a flea market...she painted it and used a keyhole cover for the screen. She left it a bit unfinished, and I decided to complete the work.

Here you can see what it looked like:

I like the grey Oese painted it, and decided to add a thicker coat of silver acrylic paint. I then used the same paint for the keyhole screen and then used a small cameo charm, also painted silver, for a decorative cover for the hole:

I like the results! I tried it out in the small room on the lower level of my VERO house, and added two small topiary display trees ($4.99 for a package of four) from Michaels and two glass icicle ornaments from the clearance bin (.99 each) at Crate & Barrel as decorative elements on the sides.

As I was photographing the scene, I looked over at my progress with the main living area at the entrance to the house. I had papered one of the walls and added a wood panel to the ceiling.

I love the textured retro paper, but it is looking a bit stark to me, especially in contrast to the original blue floors. Now a am reconsidering using this paper and am at a standstill. You can see the original wall papers -- it looks like they were a shade of white with a wavy blue striped design.

Any ideas??

Credits: Fireplace made by Oese and finished by me; icicle accents are ornaments from Crate & Barrel; topiary trees and logs are from Michaels; chairs are vintage Petite Princess drum chairs; vase is from Fridas Fancy dollhouse store.

VERO Work

After addressing the bath in my VERO house -- the room in the worst shape by far -- I moved to the adjacent living area. I made some good progress, but then had to wait for some glue to dry. I turned my attention to the upstairs windowed room, where the floor is down to its original wood, the original papers mere scraps. The wall has no surviving papers either. This is a picture from when I first received the house -- you can see some sticky adhesive faux wood paper that used to be there.

After feeling a bit discouraged (again) by its broken down state, I decided to do something about it. I bought a brown place mat some time ago, thinking I could put it to use at some point, and this seemed like a good opportunity. Here's what $4.99 gets you...

After some sizing and trimming, I fit it in like a puzzle piece onto the floor, and I like the effect. It is very durable, has a nice texture, and I don't even mind the white inside that shows through on the sides.

Next came the wall, and I decided to use some nice paper I bought on UK eBay. I love the pattern, but it is extremely thin and was therefore challenging to cut and paste neatly. I think it fits the house, so I am happy.

The progress feels good!

What doesn't feel so good is the mess I made on the roof...

Credits: Barcelona chair by Reac; side table is vintage VERO; lucite bench is a drawer pull; Eames Hang It All and globe lamp are by minimodernistas; plants are vintage TOMY; moss pot is Manor House Miniatures with moss from Michaels; silver book holder is from Fridas Fancy. Accessories are AG Minis, Re-ment, beads from Pubdoll, Manor House Miniatures, and random dolls house store finds.

VERO Bath

When I got my VERO House from Germany last year, it was in pretty rough shape. Each room had its own affliction -- torn or damaged wallpaper, wood or window cracks, paint chipping -- likely courtesy of one or a few different owners. I have been trying to piece together its history, but as many of you know it can be so difficult to locate definitive information for vintage houses.

I do know the house was likely made by VERO in the late 1960s, perhaps early 70s. Since I bought my house on German eBay in fall 2009, I have seen a few others come to market that look very similar. One find helped me to see what the rooms originally looked like and how they were decorated. You can see more on that here.

One such room is on the lower left, and is most probably meant as a bath. Here is an example from a very similar house:

In my case, this room was the most damaged, covered in layers of thick, heavy blue paint and papers. It looked as if ancient frescoes had made their home there! Scraping to the original papers was not an option. This is what it looked like:

I scraped the papers and paint off as best as I could and then smoothed the craggy spots. After painting a molding piece along the back wall, I covered the ceiling in a remnant piece of grey-colored wood. I had painted the ceiling white, but that looked completely bizarre and out of place, given the creamy/aged pallor of the rest of the house.

I bought some papers and new paper paste at the Paper Source this weekend -- as part of a very fun mini meet-up with Dale of Dale's Dreams and Paula, who is getting back into minis and just got an amazing modern acquisition (thanks again for a great afternoon, ladies!) -- and tried them out. The results:

I was trying to be faithful to the 1960s/70s vibe of the house -- what do you think? I left the original blue papers on the floor and covered it in some of my favorite Chilewich placemat, hoping for a tile effect.

Next I might move to the main entrance/living area...

Credits: Sink is a UK eBay find; toilet is IKEA; rug is by Peppercorn Minis; planter is a craft store find and plant is an aquarium plant; wastebasket and light are AG Minis; Eames Hang-it-All is by minimodernistas; purse is handmade by Oese. Accessories are Re-ment and Barbie by Jonathan Adler.

Re-ment: The green soap and lotion bottle on the sink are from Cosmetics, Natural #4, and are good for 1:12.

Ceiling for Floor

I continue to be amazed by the quality of the AG Minis line, and it is a shame it was discontinued. I have a fair amount of the furniture and accessories, but do not own any of the room boxes. I don't think I will anytime soon, but I did come across two of the flooring/ceiling pieces on eBay and they arrived last week.

This scene features one of the pieces on the floor; it was meant as a pressed-tin-looking ceiling for the loft room, but I like the effect for the floor. Of course, the shape of the piece was a challenge, since it is customized for the room boxes, which taper in toward the back. I cut out scrapbook paper sheets for the sides and then covered the walls in another brown metallic paper I had lying around. I like how the flooring picks up on the legs of the sofa and coffee table.

Here's a picture of the whole VERO house, still a work in progress. I hope to attack the room on the lower left next, which I will make a bathroom. I have given up on scraping off all the layers of paper and heavy paint, and hope to paper it over. I also bought some balsa wood to create the balcony on the second floor and have a few flower boxes for the front window.

On that sofa...it is a wonderful creation by Annina and I love it -- thanks!!!

The textured ottoman is piece I cut from a natural sponge from the SFMOMA store (on clearance!). I had seen Modern MC use a few in her blog a while ago and loved their organic look. I should have bought more...

I used the Chilewich placemat again for screening in the back -- it is very handy indeed.

Credits: Couch handmade by Annina; chairs and plant are vintage German; lamp is vintage Strombecker; nesting coffee tables are by Paris Renfroe; postcard (featuring paper cut artwork by Nikki McClure), sponge "ottoman," and screen in back are from the SFMOMA store; silver flooring is AG Minis; scrapbook paper from the Paper Source was used on the floor and walls. Accessories are Re-ment and AG Minis.

Re-ment: I accumulated a lot of Re-ment on my west coast trip, but have not yet sorted it all away, so I am too overwhelmed by the choices to use it right now! But, one coffee cup was at the top of the pile, so I threw it into the scene. It is the cup on the table, and it is from Pretty Placement #2, and is good for 1:12.

VERO Green

I believe I answered "green" recently when someone asked me my favorite color. I don't really know why...I've never answered green before. I think I had the green of these vintage Creative Playthings chairs in mind, though. They offset the amazing new sphere lamp I received today from minimodernistas (thanks, Doris!), and create a cool modern feel.

Credits: Bed, bookcase, flower, and side table are vintage German; flower base consists of jewelry pieces from Michael's; sphere lamp is by minimodernistas; chairs are vintage Creative Playthings; plant is vintage TOMY; lamp is AG Minis; book on bed is handmade by Oese; coverlet is Bozart; tiny chairs and table by Re-ment; green pots and white vase from Manor House Miniatures.

Pixels

This scene features my first Mini Modernistas purchase: a pixel chair and ottoman. Neat, huh? The quality is really nice, and the look lovely. It's going to be hard not to buy more!

I have been wallpapering the VERO, trying out different things, and wanted to test it out. Thanks again to Annina for scanning her VERO papers! The flooring is scrapbook paper, inspired by the Pixel chair.

The hanging light was purchased from German eBay and arrived in a very sorry state: cracked and scuffed. I repaired it as well as I could, but it does not look as it should. Here is what it should look like (photo courtesy of the puppenhausmuseum website):

And here's how it actually appears:

It's still a neat fixture, even upside down!

The 1:144 house in the back is also from German eBay, purchased as a lot (thanks again for sending, Oese!). Boy, does it need a good cleaning!

Above the tea and treat in bed are Little Red Riding Hood plates by Re-ment. I have not had a good use for them until now...I asked my son to put them in order, and I think he did a good job!

Speaking of kids, my daughter did a nice scene too today of a tomboy's room -- good work, my sweet!

My next "baby" is coming to me from overseas, and I hope to share pictures of it soon!

Credits: Bed, nightstand, wardrobe, plant stand, 1:144 house, sideboard, and mirror are vintage German; table and light fixture are vintage VERO; pixel chair and ottoman are by Mini Modernistas; tea set, tray, Little Red Riding Hood plates, perfume trays, and frog are Re-ment; fabric hanging in back is Marimekko; accessories are Re-ment, Bozart, AG Minis, Manor House Miniatures, and Petite Princess.

Re-ment: I have written about the Re-ment in this scene with some exceptions. The Little Red Riding Hood Plates are from Fairy Tale Dishes #8, "Trip to Grandma's House," and are large for 1:12, but can work as decoration. The tea set is from Princess Tea Party #2, "The Princess' Late Night Tea," and is large for 1:12. The tray is from Bread and Butter #2, "Free Spirit Bakery," and is good as a large serving tray in 1:12. The danish is from Bread and Butter #6, "Lovely Danish," and is a bit large for 1:12. The red perfume tray is from I Love Kyoto #1, and is good for 1:12. The black perfume tray is from I Love Kyoto #7, and is good for 1:12. The beauty packets on the black tray are from Puchi Drugstore #1, and work for 1:12.

Curator

I've posted in the past on one of my career paths that never took flight: museum curator. I have friends who are curators and like to be friends with them, but would not want to compete with them for a job or an exhibit! These are tough, opinionated, passionate people who tend to work very hard for very little appreciation (or at least that was the art world climate in New York City in the early 1990s). So, this is my conception of a curator's home, likely in a European city.

The lovely little wood scene in glass came from Germany from an eBay seller I work with often, daspuppenhaus. It has amazing detail and I haven't seen anything like this before.

I am very excited to have used this room in the VERO. The wallpaper is courtesy of Annina, who scanned some of her VERO papers for me recently. I decided to print it at 100%, so the pattern may be larger than hers, but I think it looks nice. I have not pasted the paper yet, and thought I would try it out. The flooring is covered with neutral scrapbook paper.

I have decided for now to leave the original acetate windows, even though they are torn in places. They give this a gloomy, solitary feel. Not to say curators live this existence, but when working, they likely do!

Credits: White chair is Reac; rug is AG Minis; cowhide chaise and desk are by Paris Renfroe; desk lamp and standing double lamp are both vintage German; the sideboard is vintage German as well, bought from Oese; the glass box with wooden scene is a vintage eBay find; typewriter, tea pot, pencil and mug are Re-ment; books are handmade by Oese and AG Minis; silver pot is from the Tiny Doll House store; horse bookends are vintage Petite Princess; ball clock is handmade by Pubdoll; plant is vintage TOMY; and black/white vases are Mattel (Jonathan Adler for Barbie).

More Clues on the VERO

Little by little, I am gathering more clues and information on my VERO house. I saw a house on German eBay this week that looked very similar to my house, and communicated with the seller about it, who dates it to the 1970s. She also sent some additional pictures, which are unfortunately very small.

She wrote: The house looks really like mine ;) wow. It could be clue on the door, what I remember was a plastic glass on it. And after a long time ago we made new wallpaper on the walls, and I drew a pic of a house on the side of the house, but with new color and wallpaper you can renovate the house. I had a lot of fun when I was a child with this house, I just played with it on Christmas time. It's about 1 meters long I think. It was big to me. I´ve really no idea if it´s from "Vero." It looks almost like this from "Moritz Gottschalk." Upstairs I had the kitchen and the living room, and downstairs I had the bathroom and sleeping room.

It's interesting to hear about the door, so it seems very plausible that some plastic was used in the opening to simulate glass. The second floor of my house has a wall of windows, whereas this one does not, and in this way, her house does strongly resemble the Gottschalk house on the Puppenhausmuseum website. The door is very similar, as is the layout, but given the wallpapers and flooring were changed, it is difficult to tell what might be the same.

I felt a bit encouraged by this, but was even more happy to receive a very big clue from Annina, who pointed out this house on eBay now. Wow.

THIS looks like my house! The seller did not have too much to say on it, only that her father bought it for the family in the 70s or earlier, and they have been the only owners. It is apparent to me that the bathroom paper and flooring is not original, nor is the chimney in the same paper. In the listing, the seller states that her father set up an additional room on the roof with lighting, so perhaps that is why this appears here. The other wallpapers, however, offer some interesting clues. I do see some resemblance to my papers, although the flooring looks different.

It is great to see the corner of windows, although my window panes have a different design. And there is a lovely window box under the first floor window, confirming my hunch! The shutters and window frame look identical to mine, and I can see the type of windowpane used. Also, it does look like a terrace with a window is what used to be on the top floor, also verifying my hunch!! This may mean that I try to replicate this simple terrace design.

I was interested to see the pink flowered window drapes in this house, which resemble my blue ones. I did not think mine were original to the house, but perhaps they are! Seeing this door was revealing to me as well, since it looks like an exact match to mine, and there was a panel of glass on the inside -- that is clear in this picture.

Images are from eBay listing.

All in all, it is nice to see such a similar house, although it would be nice to have some verification on the maker and the year. Perhaps my house is from the 1970s, not 60s, and I do wonder about the variations on this particular style of house. This detective hunting has sparked my interest in other vintage German houses, especially the ones I am seeing on eBay. I have been compiling images and information and may put them in a future post.

UPDATE, 12/23/09: The "twin" to my VERO sold for a little over 11 Euros, a lot less than I paid for mine, but it was local pickup only. The other house sold for 30 Euros.

VERO Door and More

After some more vacuuming in and around the VERO house, I came to the front door. It was obviously covered with the same faux wood grain paper as the top rooms, and badly applied at that. Pulling off the sticky paper, I saw the real door emerge...

There is an opening in the middle that was likely covered in acetate or similar material to simulate glass. I assume the door is original -- it resembles the one on the Gottschalk house that I referenced when I originally bought my house.

For the most part, the door is in good condition, but there are stubborn spots of sticky glue on the front and back -- perhaps something decorative used to be applied there? I am not sure how I am going to get it off. I love the door handle, very typical of these houses.

I repaired the window frame to the left of the front door and placed it back. At some point, I may put acetate in there and perhaps put a window box underneath it. It looks like one used to be there.

It also appears as if a terrace or larger window frame was on the top -- not sure if I would do anything on that, not knowing what was really there.

In other news on my house, Annina kindly sent me some high resolution scans of her VERO house wallpapers. Now I need to find the right paper on which to print them. Her papers are lovely:

I may try to scan a good swath of my wallpaper, below. It somewhat resembles the paper in the top left room of this Gottschalk house, although I cannot tell for sure:

Speaking of paper, I quickly played around with some new scrapbook paper and created a corner nursery in the upstairs room. I bought some materials from Blick Art Supplies and set to work with my cutting knife to trim to the right sizes.

I also was able to purchase sheets of an acetate alternative for potential repair of the wall of windows -- that is for another day!!

Gottschalk house photos courtesy of Puppenhausmuseum website.

Credits: Crib is vintage Bodo Hennig; rocking horse and wardrobe are vintage German; rug and whirlygig in corner are AG Minis; table is vintage Lundby; chair is Reac; fabric in back is by Marimekko; accessories are Re-ment, Marx, Lolly's, Nodameggakki, and MAR Toys.

VERO Revealed

I have done a little extra detective work on my new VERO house, and think I have found some original wallpapers under the more recent wood grain papers. They are not in good condition, so I may cover them unless anyone has any bright ideas on some restorative touch-ups for water stains. There are also parts that unfortunately stripped down to the wood wall.

The worst room is the "fresco" room. The overlay of paint and paper is pretty bad, and I could only strip down to the walls themselves with just shreds and glimmers of what was original. What a shame! I am still very pleased to have the house, however. I think I will tackle the front door next.

On a house note, I wanted to share some snaps of two vintage 1/144 houses I just received in the mail. I love the details of the windows and patios!

When One Door Closes...

another one opens!

My VERO doll house from Germany has finally arrived at my door, just as I mailed out my vintage Brumberger Tudor, which sold on eBay -- the guilt of the VERO was somewhat alleviated and justified by the selling of the Brumberger :)

Acquiring this VERO house entailed a nail-biting bidding process, then a more hellish payment process (wiring funds, trying to locate seller's bank in Germany, etc.), and then what seemed like a endless shipping process. And, perhaps the most expensive package to ship that I have ever received.

Alas, it is here, and quite dirty! After I made myself a nice cappuccino...

I proceeded to carefully unpack it down in my work room in the basement. Here are some pictures of how I "birthed" it from its box, little by little:

Now some shots of what I found:

It looks like the blue and yellow flooring is original to the house. I don't mind them, but they are not in the best shape. One of the downstairs rooms looks like it is filled with ancient frescoes, I swear -- layers of paper and then a cobalt paint. I have started stripping some of the paper and have cleaned the ceilings, which were filthy. The windows on the top corner of the house is actually very thick plastic and it is ripped in places. Not quite sure how to replace it altogether or fix those tears. Any ideas? It's such a nice part of the house.

I set up a quick scene, too. As cool as the wall storage panel in my work room is, it is visible in the background. So, I put up an "awning" of some Marimekko fabric to create more of an outdoor space and hide it a bit. There is likely a large window missing from this part of the house.

Lots more work to do here...!

Credits: Couch is vintage VERO; boomerang table, chairs, and two small consoles are vintage German; coffee table is Ryan's Room; Barcelona chair is Reac; wall painting is original to the house (or at least to this house); ball clock handmade by Pubdoll; lamp and wastebasket are AG Minis; plant near Barcelona chair is vintage TOMY; plant on patio, small frog sculpture, bowl and fruit, and potted plant on coffee table are Re-ment; tea service is vintage MAR Toys; rug is by The House That Jacq Built; fabric "awning" is Marimekko fabric. Accessories are MAR Toys and from France.

Re-ment: I have written about the Re-ment in this scene with two exceptions. The frog scuplture and potted plant on patio are from the Room series, #3 and are a bit small for 1:12, but work.

But I Couldn't Help It!

Yes, I have purchased doll house #8, this time from German eBay (shipping = ouch). I don't yet have a great picture of it, just this tiny one from the listing**:

I truly love this style of house. It is definitely German, likely from the 1960s. The seller could not tell me of any markings on the house, but said it was from the DDR (former East Germany) and rare, but lots of sellers say their items are rare, so not sure. I could see it looks like it needs some rehab, but hopefully is not in too bad a shape. I do not yet have a copy of Zillner's International guide, so I don't have a quick reference to identify it, but will do more looking.

I did see on the Puppenhaus Museum website a Gottschalk house that is not the same, but looks a bit similar:

(photo courtesy of Puppenhaus Museum website)

My challenge, as always, is to find space for it. Right now, we are considering selling our piano (which came with our house) in our living room to create a distinct area for display and storage that looks attractive. But that takes time and money, so for now, the house may stay boxed up after it arrives to me. I have not purchased a house from overseas, so I am a bit nervous about it arriving in one piece! I am also a bit frightened of the work that may need to be done, and the time I do not have to accomplish it!

**10/12/09:Oese sent me pictures from the eBay listing that are larger -- thanks, Oese!