Quick Impression

I love my vintage Brio, and gravitated to it for a setup with a new yellow flocked couch and chair set from eBay. Perhaps it is Strombecker? The scale is small...a petite 1:16.

I do love yellow...works in moody or bright light. And I had the chance to pair the new set with a vintage Brio chair received a few years ago. It's in rough shape, but I don't have the courage or heart to try and repair the blue flocking! I'd love to get one in better shape some day.

'Night!

The time it took me: 32 minutes

Credits: Flocked couch and chair are vintage Strombecker (?); chair is vintage Brio; plant is AG Minis; dog (he's hiding!) was a gift from my kids; lamp and curtain are Lundby; pillows are Megahouse; rug is a coaster from CB2.

Dol-Toi Vintage Table

You might have seen me post on Facebook about a new vintage Dol-Toi table that I purchased from UK eBay. I missed the table the first time around (forgot to bid -- don't you HATE that?!) and it went for asking. I emailed the seller to see if she had any more that she was going to put up, and she did! This time, I did bid, but ended paying up. I found out later that I was actually bidding against my blogging friend Rebecca of Rebecca's Collections. I would have been sad to lose it, but much less sad if I knew she got it!

There is a book on Dol-Toi by collector Marion Osborne -- does anyone have this? It sounds like a great resource. I had never seen a Dol-Toi table with this mid century profile, so I would welcome any information about it and any companion pieces. It worked nicely in my Swedish Brio...I went a little wild with the colors, but I think it "flies."

This is the first time I've used this vintage set of Lundby curtains. They really do help enliven the window, and look like real fabric in the picture (actually molded plastic). The other burst of color is a lovely mod plate by PetitPlat -- she has a whole selection in her store. Check them out!

 

Have a great week, all!

Credits: Table is Dol-Toi; chairs are Reac; shelving units are Miner Industries; light is vintage German, as is the window flower box; plant is TOMY; curtains are Lundby; mirror is by Annina; rug is by The Shopping Sherpa. Accessories are by Petit Plat, vintage German finds, and Re-ment.

The time it took me: 37 minutes

Nook

I'm stumped. No clue what do create for the "I'm a Giant" challenge launched by Emily Henderson. I mean, playing with dollhouses and designing mini interiors is how I spend my hobby time, right? So, why is it so tricky to figure out what to do? I've been SO impressed by what others have done so far, like Morgan over at THE BRICK HOUSE and even Logan at One Forty Three, who has wood-worked midcentury magic for his geodesic dollhouse! And these are folks who are just dipping their toes into 1:12 scale. Impressive! Intimidating!

Got any ideas for me? Perhaps I need to rise to a challenge *YOU* throw my way! There is a strong DIY element to "I'm a Giant" so maybe I need to go completely radical. Little 'ol Lemon Cadet is dismantling an old Macintosh -- rocking!

Instead of making progress on the challenge, I crawled into a nook in my Brio house and did up a bedroom. You may notice two different lamps -- one is Re-ment and the other is a vintage German shade atop a Re-ment standing ashtray. What do you prefer?

A reminder that I've got TWO opportunities to win free stuff right NOW. First, the Call of the Small Facebook page has a ***FREE ALERT*** offering for a curated set of handmade papers from the Paper Source. You've got until 11:59 p.m. EDT tomorrow, October 10, to comment for a chance to win. And, I am offering two UMBRA products on my blog in celebration of reaching 500 followers -- comments close on October 23. Get hopping! BOTH GIVEAWAYS CLOSED

Credits: Bed and plant are vintage German; vanity is Barton; mirror is by Annina; chair is Reac; square pillows and magazine handmade by The Shopping Sherpa. Accessories are Re-ment, Petite Princess, ELF Miniatures, and random eBay finds.

Mellow Yellow

I've returned to my Brio house to experiment with different scales and styles. I have only set up the house once since I bought it, so was eager to return to the upstairs "lounge" room.

I have been stalking the kitchen table (with the built-in flowers) from the Princess Patti line for quite some time. It was manufactured as part of the Petite Princess line (3/4 scale) for one year only, 1965, on the west coast. So, the pieces (kitchen and bathroom especially) are very hard to find, and when you do, they are pricey. I ended buying two of the tables recently and they ended up being relatively reasonable (no more than $20 each). I have used one here with this awesome chair, which is part of the line, but not part of this purchase. The chairs usually go for $40 each or more! I bought this one some time ago for $7 because it was not designated Princess Patti in the listing; I didn't even know what it was until months later. Don't you love when that happens?!!

By the way, there is a 1:144 scale version of the Princess Patti display house now on eBay -- adorable, but outrageously priced: $150!

The couch is vintage VERO and is close to 1:10 scale, but I think it works here. The coffee table is 1:12, and the sideboard closer to 1:10.

It was so much fun setting up this room. I reaffirmed my *love* of this house!

Credits: Couch is vintage VERO; sideboard is vintage German; coffee table and hanging globe light are minimodernistas; table and chair are vintage Princess Patti; green rug is AG Minis; white patterned rug is Bozart. Accessories are Re-ment and Ryan's Room.

Re-ment: I used a few new Re-ment pieces in this scene. The agenda and purse are both from Girls in the City #6 "Office Supplies 101," and are slightly large for 1:12. The lemons in the blue bowl are from Grandmother's European Dinners #6, and are also slightly large for 1:12.

My Newest Vintage

Can you guess what has made it into my collection...??

Here's some teaser shots of it coming out of its box.

And then, a telling mark!

Yes, it's a lovely vintage Brio house. I was told by the seller, who had it for ten years, that it is from 1966. The seller intended to restore it a bit, but never got around to it. The house has most of the original details intact, including the wallpapers, stairwell, and banisters. I love the wallpapers and might even scan them for my large VERO.

There were some repairs, dusting, gluing, and cleaning to do...

And then one big flaw that I don't quite know how to address...a fault line in the upper room.

I covered it with a rug for now, but need to figure out how to reinforce it. I tried gluing it, but the crack did not come together enough.

I furnished the whole house -- fun!

Also fun: I just came back from Chicago and made it to Three Blind Mice, a miniature fair, on the way home to O'Hare. I met up with Amy of Amy's Miniatures and Smalls (waves, Amy!) and we made our way around the mostly overpriced vendors. A few nice finds, though. Also in Chicago, I picked up a magazine on my lunch hour that I had never seen or heard of before: Atomic Ranch. It's all about classic mid-century modern (MCM) ranches and how people have decorated them, and love them. Very inspiring photos, and it made me want to set up the whole Brio. Perhaps they'd consider a feature on mini MCM? :)

Credits: There's a lot of vintage German pieces in these rooms: bedroom desk, bed, side lamps, bedding, sitting room chair and side tables, toilet, kitchen sink, and all the flower pots and the two window boxes! The sitting room coffee table is Ryan's Room; sitting room rug is AG Minis, as is the hanging lamp in the kitchen; amazing hanging globe light is by minimodernistas; the living room swan chair is Reac, as is the desk chair in the bedroom; side table and white bookcase are Re-ment; rug is The House That Jacq Built; bathroom sink is from the Dolls House Emporium; bathroom pouf is Lundby; kitchen table is Wolverine; stove, refrigerator, and two chairs are vintage Topper Toys. Accessories are Re-ment, eBay finds, MAR Toys, Three Blind Mice fair finds, Bozart, and Playmobil.

Re-ment: I have written about all the Re-ment in these scenes with two exceptions. The dish soap and sponge are from Is Dinner Ready Yet? #10, and are good for 1:12.