Sushi So-So

I have continued to play with the the removable panels in the Villa Sibi so as to make the most of the space. This time I took out the back frosted panel and shifted the slatted one to the middle. I tend to use smaller scale items for playroom scenes, so I decided to try out some new (vintage) Lundby furniture -- the chair is pretty awesome.

I really wanted to use the new console from Paris Renfroe, which actually complemented the new butcher block I got recently as well.

As you may guessed, I do not care for sushi, but it is very photogenic!

Credits: couch from AG Minis; loveseat and couch cover from Bozart; console and coffee table from Paris Renfroe; medieval marble busts from my husband's collection; beanbag from The House That Jacq Built; kid's table and armchair are vintage Lundby; kid's storage unit and wall "artwork" are Re-ment; kid's rug is Ryan's Room; butcher block is from Ebay; table is vintage German; folding chairs from Manor House Miniatures; outdoor plants are Lolly's and TOMY; accessories from Ebay, Re-ment, Bozart, AG Minis, Manor House Miniatures, and our local toy store.

Decades

Until I get my Lundby Stockholm (an early b-d gift pour moi!), I am a bit limited in where I can set up scenes. So I keep going back and forth, between the Villa Sibi and the TOMY Sylvanian. I did a quick scene in the Sylvanian inspired by some office furniture I got off Ebay.

It got me thinking about how specific this furniture was to the late 70s/early 80s, and I felt compelled to combine it with other time warp items. So, we have a house with our 70s/80s journalist, joined by a late 50s/early 60s bookworm and a late 80s/early 90s museum curator.

Our bookworm:



Our journalist:

Our museum curator:



One thing they can come together on: food!

Credits: Kitchen island, table, and bases for laptop, 70s/80s phone, and 80s/90s vase from the Villa Sibi; green chair, metal case, and fishbowl table by AG Minis; watermelon rug, striped lamp and peach colored vase by Bozart; wastebasket, bookcases, and white and 80s/90s lamp by Re-ment; 50s/60s lamp by Renwal; Lucite chair from Ebay; white rug by The House that Jacq Built; 50s/60s chair is vintage German; accessories by Elf Miniatures, Re-ment, Manor House Miniatures, AG Minis, Ebay, and our local toy store!

Showing Ugly the Door

I showed ugly the door today and a beautiful thing happened. It left!

I have started to work on the Citadel. There's a lot to do, but the first step is to strip off the wallpaper and then flooring. Lolly referred me to the excellent stuff called Dif, which is a thick blue gel that you spray on wallpaper to remove it. You score the paper and then leave it on for 15 minutes and poof! AND, you don't have to pay the price with stinky, noxious fumes or caustic chemicals that will flay the skin off your fingers. :)

So, this made my job pretty pain-free. I started with one of the swinging doors. Here's the before pics:



Note the stuck-on, unappealing hanging beads...



Plus, there were two, not one, layers of the offensive paper.

Here's during the Dif..



And, the result:

Still have a ways to go, and I am wondering how difficult it will be doing the harder to reach rear walls. But, I'm pleased with this start. Now I just need more time...sigh.

When I do get to the point of actually wallpapering (I assume I'll wallpaper and leave painted walls as well), I need to get my hands on unique styles. I LOVE this paper used in a skater couple's house on the west coast -- it was featured in the NYT last week:




By the way, I couldn't resist placing some dolls in precarious situations in the Citadel. There are two central stairwells missing, but the fiesty tween thought she could manage, to Mom's horror.




Credit: Dolls are Bozart

Spotlight

This is my first attempt to introduce a working light into a scene. It's actually more glitzy than I usually like, but I figured what the heck. Also, this marks the first time I got a clue and (very easily) took out the sliding doors on the Villa Sibi. I almost did not know what to do with the middle space behind the panels that normally obscure things.



The credenza was created in a moment of desperation. I wanted something like a credenza there, but don't have one. I fear that my trademark will be turning refrigerators on their sides (I've done it before), but I think this works here.

I did how the Lucite chairs both disappear and reflect. Such a simple, effective design.



This is a "pregnant pause" moment in time -- the bongos are front and center, ready to be played.

Credits: Couch, white tables, wooden sculpture, and painting by Bozart; chandelier by Calico Critters; small lamp by AG Minis; accessories are from Ebay, Re-ment and Manor House Miniatures; dining table is vintage German; "credenza" is from Lolly's; Lucite chairs and rocking chair are Ebay finds; orange vase is vintage Fiestaware and its base is from the Villa Sibi; awesome wooden wenge stools are Paris Renfroe.

Girly Girl

A girly girl lives here, or at least this is my idea of a girly girl abode (full disclosure: I am not, nor ever have been, a girly girl). She works from home, so takes time to pamper herself inbetween work commitments. She's self-depricating and has a sense of humor and unabashedly likes furry girly things. Her boyfriend gave her the dinosaur, so she likes to keep him close by to moon over while she works. The phone is handy for calls with her girlfriends and her sister and she loves to read trashy mags.

Couch, lamp, large green rug and small bathroom side table by AG Minis; sink from Ebay store Dolly Miniatures; bathroom rug by the House that Jacq Built; living room coffee table by Ryan's Room; dining room table and artwork by Bozart; dining room "rug" is origami paper; plant is from Lolly's; bathroom wall art is by Re-ment; chairs are Reac Japan; accessories by Manor House Miniatures, Re-ment, AG Minis, Elf Miniatures, and Ebay finds; dino is from the store at the Indianapolis Children's Museum :)

Another Clearview is up on Ebay

Yup, another MIAIM Clearview is up for grabs on Ebay. What a phenomenal house. Starting bid is GBP 150 (with reserve). Elaine at MIAIM quoted me $170 for shipping, and let me know this one one was going up. Way too steep for me, especially after my Citadel schlep -- perhaps someone will dive in on this one? If you do, let us know. Altera wrote about the first Clearview auction on Ebay a few weeks ago -- that one went for GBP 235, a bargain considering they retail for GBP 435.

UPDATE, 4/20/09: The house went for GBP 330 -- whoa!

Craft or Cook

I'm not crafty, but perhaps the person is who lives here. I do cook, and I understand the impulse to try to juggle while cooking, but I am more apt to get creative with my kids' homework project than sew or otherwise craft (DH sews better than I do, actually). Sometimes I avoid cooking by getting another task done, so maybe that is what's happening here in the kitchen.

I love the Villa Sibi, but it can be challenging setting up scenes in the space because of the sliding panels. Shooting photos late at night doesn't help either. I tried to create three distinct areas that work together, but it is a challenge. I have been traveling for a week, so I missed doing scenes and also wanted to use some new food, decor, and furniture items.

I am a huge fan of the "Little House on the Prairie" books, and read them as a child. I am now reading them to my kids and we are up to On the Banks of Plum Creek, so...

The kitchen set is from the Citadel, and is the only furnishing type thing that came with the house. I wish the door handles were different (more like the stove), but it is pretty neutral. I haven't really done a full kitchen scene yet, so I took the opportunity to use the items.


Credits: love seat, bed, small white table, and bedroom vases from Bozart; microwave is Theo Klein; other accessories from Lundby, Re-ment, Lolly's, Calico Critters, Elf Miniatures, Manor House Miniatures, and Ebay; black chair is Creative Playthings; Panton chair is Reac; kitchen table is Wolverine.

House Comes Home

Our road trip adventure continues...and the Citadel is on its way home.

We are now headed back to NJ, and are in Pittsburgh for the night. I am still digesting everything that has taken place this week. I (kind of) still cannot believe that we have driven hundreds of miles for a (small) house. We've had fun, though, and I have to say the drive really has not been all that bad. We got a flat tire right outside of Indianapolis, but it was quickly fixed, despite my six year old's prediction of "We're doomed and we will die!!!"

We arrived in Chicago on Tuesday, and picked up the Citadel on Wednesday from the Ebay seller. My sister-in-law came with me for the ride, a short distance from the city center. The house was pretty true to the photos (yes, wallpaper and flooring are as ugly as the pics from the listing), and it was great to finally see it. My sister-in-law could not get over the size, especially the side with the rounded terrace. We carefully transported it to the back of the minivan. I don't think I breathed the entire time I was carrying it. The sellers were trying to be helpful, but really did not want to touch it, in case something broke off. Here's what it looked like right after we put it in the back of the car:

We situated the house, cushioned it and carefully drove back to the city. I was at first scared to drive over 40, but then got more comfortable -- the house is pretty sturdy. When my DH saw it, he said it looked bigger than he thought it would be, but that we'd be able to fit all our luggage around it. My six year old is squished next to it. He has taken to balancing his Legos on the terrace, but I feel I can't really say no.

On Thursday, I went to Lolly's, the store in Elgin, IL, that created the kit for the house. I met the owner, Janet ("Lolly"), who was incredibly helpful and spent close to two hours with me. I walked in and told her I had a Citadel in the back of the car. She didn't bat an eye. She said "OK, let's have a look at it." We took it out of the car into her workshop, where we investigated the whole house. Here's what I learned:

* It is definitely an authentic Citadel.

* It is not clear whether or the house was built by Lolly's or by the owner of the house. Lolly thought that they might have built it, but the owner did the electrical wiring (yes, the house is fully wired).

* In her opinion, the house is in really good condition, very solid and well built. No warping, etc.

* She also thought that (unfortunately) the house was owned by a heavy smoker, as one of the hinged doors is yellowed, and the inside smelled of smoke (she's a former smoker, so was pretty convinced of this).

* Not much structurally needs to be repaired. The side terrace needs to be re-glued, and some trims reinforced or re-glued. Some plexi might need to be glued or replaced. The yellowed hinged door needs to be repainted. Two of the three main stairwells need to be put back into the central portion of the house. The inside needs a good cleaning with water and bleach.

* Only one side of the house has working electrical. She tested the other wires as best as she could, but could not find the faulty line. For whatever reason, the owner ran some of the wiring along the floors, instead of along the ceiling or walls. The owner also folded wires instead of pinning them, which is less reliable for good connections. So, I have a wiring challenge!

* Luckily, the ugly velour flooring came right off (no glue at all), since a lot of wiring is on the floor. We started to pull some of the wallpaper off, and it looks like it will be relatively easy. Lolly let me know that three small sections of the house will need custom wallpaper, since they are larger than the standard.

* The only furniture that came with the house were some kitchen items. Lolly said these were custom items built by the store. They are actually pretty neutral, so I'll put them to some use.

* Lolly gave me some great tips for correcting these issues -- Dif to take off wallpaper; Kilz to take out the smell in paint; techniques and tools for re-wiring; Aleene's Tacky Glue for all gluing; and more.

Another highlight was getting to see the first Citadel ever built. Lolly's Mom designed the house. I asked about whether or not they would do kits again, and she said likely not. If they did anything, they would sell the house built. Apparently, it was very difficult to find a manufacturer to produce the materials, especially for the wood version of the house (they only did wood or stucco). They moved the house to a top shelf in the store, so I was only able to get a few worm's eye view pics:



I held up my camera for that interior shot. Check out the hot tub up on the top terrace:


So, feeling a bit daunted but energized by the prospect of bringing the house back into shape. Lots to learn, lots to do...!

Citadel Road Trip

The road trip for the Citadel has begun. We're actually driving in Ohio as I write, on the way to Indianapolis. We had a great time in Pennsylvania -- the trip started with lots of driving from NJ and a visit with a dear great uncle. It ended with some yummy soft serve at a great roadside place called The Penguin in Bedford, PA.

We spent a bunch of hours today at Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece. I've seen countless pictures of it, but they cannot prepare you for seeing it for the first time. You come upon it, nestled beautifully in rock and trees and it is stunning. Unfortunately, you cannot take pictures inside, but we got some shots of the outside. The house has windows everywhere and there are no blocked vistas. It is all about communicating with the outdoors.



I did venture into the gift shop and made my contribution to keep the place going -- two Reac chairs!

I am planning to pick up the Citadel on Wednesday, and will also make a trip to Lolly's. Can't wait!!

Masked Blogger -- and Origami Paper

Odd, title, I know. I'll get to it.

I've only been blogging since January, so I am new to the whole psychology of opening oneself to anyone who may stumble upon personal writings and pictures. By blogging, you are doing something public, yet I (and many others whose blogs I visit regularly), choose not to be public on identity.

My DH is a bit mystified when I refuse to let him share the fact that I have a blog with family and friends -- "It's private!" I say. Perhaps this has to do with the fact that I am slowly coming out of my dolls' house closet to family and close friends to share that I have reconnected with my lifelong love of minis, intersected with my more grown-up love of architecture and modern design. I'm inherently shy (at least initially), so it's a bit of a leap for me to explain to others why I have various dolls' houses around our real house and drawers full of very small stuff. That I like to play with. And photograph. And write about.

Anyway, I know lots of people are public about the fact they have blogs and perhaps I will be one day too, but I feel at least for now I am not alone in having a small cloak of secrecy...or am I?

OK, so onto the origami paper. I went to Michael's today to pick up storage boxes and saw some really nice looking origami paper that looked like it could be re appropriated for something mini. Rugs or wall coverings occurred first. Rug concept in current house setup was quicker -- this could work!

I'm Game

I'm game for this kind of day -- reading on my new daybed (from PRD!), delectable treats just a step away, and the option to hop upstairs for a nap in a sunny aerie. Chess and checkers are around for more leisure time.

I'm game for a dog, too, but that's not happening any time soon. Not enough love (and hands) to go around with the three kids, hubby, work (and all my minis, of course).

My daughter gets credit for putting the chess set together -- she knows where all the pieces go and has nice small fingers to get everything placed!

Credits: downstairs - accessories by Re-ment, AG Minis and Ebay finds; cypress table and cowhide daybed by Paris Renfroe; kitchen island and table, side tables by Villa Sibi; Barcelona chair by Reac; dog from Lucky Puppy Math game; lamp and vase by Bozart; upstairs - table and chairs and side chair by Fisher Price; bed and side table from Villa Sibi; checkers by TOMY; yellow bed cover by Ryan's Room; lamp from my daughter's collection.

Technicolor Studio

I was thinking about being in college in New York City and living in a super small (400 sq.ft) prewar studio in the west village. I had an odd assortment of furniture, new and old, and squeezed things in, like it or not. I worked, ate, slept, and played in the same tiny space. Miserable? Nah, loved it.

Now, the Villa Sibi isn't exactly slumming it, but I was inspired to pull together colorful, mismatched pieces to evoke my college years. I shot these at midnight last night, so the lighting is not ideal (UPDATE, 3/28/09: re-shot with natural light and replaced some pictures).

The desk is cluttered, of course, with food, paper and books. Always a bag lying around too. And a jump rope to satisfy boredom or to escape doing a paper.

The sleeping alcove can only fit a bed and some very small chairs and a table for late night working and snacking (didn't have a laptop in college, but don't have a late 80s clunky desktop mini!).

Credits: Desk and chair, small white table, rug, bed, lamp, pillow, book on bed and vases by Bozart; bag and other accessories by Re-ment; purple couches by Ryan's Room; cypress table by Paris Renfroe; cafe table and chairs by Battat Our Generation; laptop by Elf; sleeping platform and side table from Villa Sibi.

Zebra Room

The anchor of this scene in the Villa Sibi is a zebra couch that I bought off Ebay. It is actually a Creative Playthings piece that someone painted, and they also got creative with a side chair. I have been wanting to use the Reac ball chair for a while, and I found it can be challenging to place. I think it works here, though, and instantly creates a leisure vibe. This led me to take out the TOMY checkers set! I do not have any shelving units, but I wanted one to complete the scene. So I ended up taking the frames from a vintage white Fisher Price couch and chair set that came with a large lot from Ebay and stacked them. It's not great, but it's something.

Of course, doing scenes only makes you realize what you don't have yet in your collection. I need rugs; vases and other tchotchkes; books; eating accessories; and then some.

Speaking of eating, I am a pasta girl and could eat it 24/7. I purchased a Re-ment pasta dish and love it. I set up a dining scene using some of the new vintage wooden furniture I got recently from Ebay. The table is really great, as are the other pieces, but they can be tricky to place, since the scale is off. But I think it looks kinda neat.

I couldn't resist a pasta close-up. :)

Other credits: Accessories are Re-ment, AG Minis, and Ebay finds; coffee table and pillows are Ryan's Room; wooden sculpture and leather chairs are Bozart.

Mystery Furniture

I bought a decent sized lot of vintage wooden furniture off Ebay recently and the package arrived today. The furniture intrigued me online because of the mid century lines. The seller did state that most of the pieces needed some gluing of legs and that is indeed the case. Not a big deal, though, and the seller included all the broken pieces. Gorilla Glue is my friend.

I love pretty much everything in the lot, which seems to be sized closer to 1:16, but some pieces are smaller and I think could work well for 1:12. The felt covered chairs are fabulous:



As are the assorted tables:



Of course I'd like to find out more about these pieces. None are marked, with the exception of these little lights, which have just European looking numbers on the bottoms:



The lights are wired, as is the TV set and the fireplace. No transformer though. I have a trusty Dian Zillner book (Antiques & Collectibles), but could not find anything yet. Some of the pieces look Lundby-esque, but I don't collect Lundby nor have any pieces and I am not totally familiar with the catalogue of styles.

I'm all ears should anyone know more...!
I'm off to glue!

UPDATE, 3/25/09: Thanks to *annina*, I have a very big clue on the origins of this furniture. It is looking like the pieces are from Kathrin's House, a German wooden house that dates from the early 196os, pictured on the Puppenhaus Museum website, here. The coffee table, chairs, and side pieces look to be an exact match! Thanks, *annina*!!



This is the house -- very cool:



Kathrin's House photos courtesy of the Puppenhaus Museum website.

TOMY Sylvanian

I've mentioned my like (perhaps love) of vintage TOMY. I bought a TOMY Sylvanian house on Ebay, and was pleased to find it was in pristine condition, as the seller promised. Not a scratch on it. I loved the lines of the house, even though the scale is off. I discovered that the Sylvanian line is the precursor to Calico Critters, so they include all sorts of forest animals on small scale. Not my thing, but I liked the simplicity of their little abode, which dates from the 80s. It came with some heinous furniture, and the seller threw in some miscellaneous items, some of which will come in handy (wooden bowls, cutting boards, etc.) -- the butter churn and oil lamp, not so much.

I did a little kitchen, living room and bedroom scene and liked the effect of the natural light. It was fun to shoot through doorways and windows:

Believe it or not, it took me forever to set up the salt and pepper mills, they kept falling over:

I got some playroom toys so I wanted to create a kid's room:

And some living room and kitchen shots:

Credits: kitchen island and table/chairs and beds from the Villa Sibi; love seat and lounge chair by Reac; two cypress tables by Paris Renfroe; plant and cutting board by TOMY; laptop, saucepan and pepper mills by Elf Miniatures; items on table by AG minis and Re-ment; magazines and holder and toys by Re-ment; toy train by Calico Critters; artwork and kid's room table by Bozart.

Rietveld in Brooklyn

I came across an artnet article from last November about the Modernism show at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC, and it mentioned one of dollhouses designed by iconic architect/designer Gerrit Rietveld had sold to the Brooklyn Museum for $30,000. As the article notes, the house is a bit scruffy, so I wonder if the museum will put some conservation muscle into it. I don't believe it is on display yet, or if they will put it on display. It would be great to see it up close, so I am sorry I missed the show -- must try to go this year.

Citadel

This is the first of what hopefully will be many more posts about Lolly's Citadel, which I purchased today on Ebay. I'm really surprised and thrilled to own it, but it is currently 800 miles away in Chicago. Luckily, I have family there and they have offered to pick it up later this month. Now...about getting it to me in New Jersey. I could look into shipping, but I worry how it will fare, given its awkward size (and the cost). I have a very supportive husband who has agreed that it is, in fact, not insanity to take a road trip with the three kids over spring break to PICK IT UP. It's only about 13 hours, and we can visit with family, hopefully see some sights, and feel confident that it will make it home safely and not be used as a scratching post by my relative's cat nor as a TV perch by a substantial 7 year old nephew.

I have to admit that the pics of the house are a bit daunting. The wallpaper and flooring looks horrible and uncharacteristic of the house style. Luckily, the furnishings are not included (save for some kitchen items)! I spoke with the seller, who got it from an estate, and she let me know that the lady who owned it had it made by Lolly's for $3000 in the 1980s and she thought this was one of the early ones produced out of the supposed few. The daughter of this lady originally wanted the house, but she lives in CA and the shipping was over $1000 so she passed. So, she took some furnishings and a "large hanging sculpture light" (!!) that replaced two of the stairwells. I have emailed Lolly's to see if they know anything more about this particular house, and will share the information.

This is also an open invitation to any readers to submit ideas and resources. I've had a lifelong love of miniatures, but this will be a big adventure!

UPDATE 3/16/09: I heard fom Lolly's, and she said the following: My Mom designed the Citadel and my Dad put them together in the shop. We did sell approx. 200 kits. In kit form it sold for $450.00. I still have the original my parents did in the store. We did more of a modern style inside. I plan to visit the store when we roadtrip-it to Chicago to pick up the Citadel.

Playroom Scale

I received my Jean of West Germany kitchen furniture yesterday, which is 3/4 scale, so I was inspired to set up a playroom in the Villa Sibi. I set the refrigerator on its side for a credenza and then used three Villa Sibi chairs as a storage unit. I realized as I was setting this up that I do not have any children's play items for scenes like this. I stole a few books from my daughter's Calico Critters set, and used an Elf Miniatures cooking pot on the table.

The dog is my only participant in the scene, as you can see. The only figures I have thus far is a set of the K House dolls, which are out of scale. The artwork on the wall is my little pun :)

Other credits: the rug is MiniGraphics and the dog is from a game called Lucky Puppy Math; the blue chair and lamp are Re-ment and the artwork is Bozart.

Jean of West Germany?

It's a whole new exciting world as I educate myself on the range of modern and vintage minis out there. It's been great reading some fantastic blogs, like Mini Modern, Altera's Mini World and The Shopping Sherpa, among others, as they are filled with inspiration and information. The scope of my buying experience has thus far been on Ebay and the web in general; there's really no miniature stores in close proximity. At this stage I've been gravitating to things that look interesting and are (hopefully) the right scale for what I have in mind.

I had not heard of Jean of West Germany when I saw this set on Ebay:

I purchased it for $9.99. It has not arrived yet, but I look forward to pairing it with some of the Miele kitchen minis I purchased from Mini Bijou and Elf Miniatures. Anyone know anything of this maker?

I also bought some vintage Fisher Price minis, but mostly for the table with tulip chairs:

Who knew?? My more recent associations with Fisher Price toys have been pastel, bulky plastic, and noisy.

My husband took our camera on a biz trip this week, so I unfortunately cannot play and post. I hope to get some of my buys in the mail so I can see how they all work out this weekend.

70s Bath

I did this little, simple scene because I have not had uninterrupted time in the bath (or bathroom, for that matter) in quite some time. The kids believe it is acceptable to distrub you at any time and don't quite grasp the concept of personal space (or time).

I bought some vintage TOMY Smaller Homes (Japan) furniture on Ebay recently, and was inspired to do something with the bath -- I love the little gold faucet and soap!  Also, the TOMY potted plant just seemed to fit with it.  The chairs are also TOMY.  The magazines and cup are Re-ment and the rest is from the Villa Sibi.