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

Hightstown Miniature Show

Just a quick post to share my spoils from a local dollhouse show that I attended yesterday in Hightstown, NJ, about 15 minutes away from me: The Hightstown Annual Dollhouse Miniature Show and Sale. As I mentioned in my previous post, I rarely go to shows and had not been to this one, which is in its 33rd (!) year, but I really had no excuse, considering how close it is to me!

I'm glad I went. It was super crowded and often hard to navigate, but there were some gems to be found in the 1-1/2 hours I was there. Oddly, I felt like I was the only one negotiating...nothing crazy, and my offers were always fair, but I didn't see bargaining going on. Personally, I can't help it...it's how I was raised! :)

So, here's my finds. As you might imagine, traditional styles reigned, but I did manage to score some great modern stuff.

Check out these two gorgeous artisan-made shelving units sold by a mother and daughter team; the maker's name is Bruce Dawson, and he has an Etsy shop. You'll see his initials on the bottom of one of the units. They were marked down and I negotiated further to get them both for $20.

Some nice outdoor trees, two bags for $15 (originally marked down to $17.50)

Kids toys, accents, and games (all between .25 and $2) 

Two Native American looking rugs, for $4

An Art Deco style bed, for $5

A very surprising find of a Scandinavian style chair and table by Re-ment (one of my favorites) for $2 in a clearance bin

Some vintage TOMY bath items, for $2

Two cute patio chairs ($5), a galvanized tub ($1) and a basket of fruit (.50)

Cool wallpaper (two sheets for $5)

A carved wooden mini Asian shelf for $7

Not too bad, eh? Can't wait to use some of these soon!

Woodsy

Mushrooms! I couldn't resist picking up a few of these brass mushroom drawer pulls from the clearance bin ($5.95) at Anthropologie. I love their sheen and texture and thought they might work as ottomans in a mod scene. I actually do not have a harmonious relationship with mushrooms...I've despised them since I was a kid, but have been trying to be more open minded in my adult years. They are on my list of things to try and love this year. Cucumbers and fish were last year (usually separate, not together!).

Why ottomans? Well, I guess they could be stools or a side table too. I actually googled "mushroom ottoman," and was pretty floored by all the results. Here are a few, some more literal than others!

Cream ottoman

A 1968 ottoman by Pierre Paulin

Plush ottoman on Etsy

Storage ottoman

Anyone growing any mushroom ottomans in their dollhouses?

Maybe I'll find a fungi or two at a local dollhouse show tomorrow morning. I haven't been to a show in a long while, so we'll see what I turn up!

Credits: Mushroom ottomans from Anthropologie; couch is minimodernistas; couch platform are two wood flooring samples from Home Depot; desk is ELF Miniatures; shelving is PRD (totally lazy and moved it directly from another scene); chair is a vintage eBay find; plant is AG Minis; croissant plate on couch by Petit Plat. Accessories are AG Minis, Lilu Shop on Etsy, Re-ment, Mighty World, my local toy store, beads, ELF Miniatures, and Manor House Miniatures.

The time it took me: 32 minutes

Forlorn

I didn't feel totally inspired to do a Valentine's Day post -- though I am very glad some blogging buddies did, like Mini Modern and Modern Mini Houses -- and instead ended up with a post-Valentine contemplative scene. I had this Kaleidoscope House doll lying around from my book cover job assignment (like Jasper, she did not make the cut either), and placed her looking off the balcony in a forlorn way...perhaps she just got up from her writing and is in a thoughtful space. She seems a little sad perhaps, but in control of the moment.

Credits: Table is vintage Bodo Hennig with an ornament on top from Crate & Barrel; chairs are CB2; shelving unit is ELF Miniatures; hanging shelf is Fischer Price; mirror frame is from Michael's; silver flooring is from Kate's Paperie; cork pieces are from a tag sale; doll is Bozart. Accessories are Manor House Miniatures, Re-ment, vintage German eBay finds, craft store items, handmade by Nancy Tobey, AG Minis, and Mighty World.

The time it took me: 19 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

Betsy McCall Fireplace

Start with the hearth, I say! I stole a little bit of time this weekend to address the fireplace in my Betsy McCall house, which is in a large living area just begging for some renovation.

I was inspired to use some very unusual textured paper that I bought at Lee's Art Shop in New York City -- even the checkout dude was like "Now this one is cool!!" I thought it looked like stone and I do think it does the trick. I am going for warm, ethnic, crafty (and vintage) vibe here...I added some graphically strong paper from the Paper Source for the walls. I debated about this for a while and decided to go for it. Not sure what is going on the other two walls -- any ideas?

I only had a small amount of time to work on this over the weekend because I am working on a miniature styling job for a major book publisher! It's very exciting and extremely fun, and I hope to share more details once things are farther along and my work is finalized (and I can talk about it).

Stay tuned and wish me luck...!

The time it took me: 1-1/2 hours over the course of the weekend.

Contact

While purchasing a strip of clear wallpaper corner guard (a great idea from Fran of Fran Made Minis for my Rad Pad stairs), I again found some treasures at my local hardware store, this time at Home Depot: adhesive Con-Tact paper! I bought one oak wood roll and one blond wood roll. After imagining the many possibilities in my doll houses, I put aside all those bad middle school memories of covering my text books in this stuff!! I'd always end up with too many air bubbles!!

The paper is easily removable and has a realistic look for wood flooring. I did a test run with the dark roll in the Villa Sibi. What do you think? Any other Con-Tact paper users out there? I'm hooked!

This "rug" is actually from a roll of non-adhesive shelf liner. Lots of possibilities!

Credits: Couch is Hall's Lifetime Toys; chair is by Logan of OneFortyThree; boomerang coffee table and MCM shelving unit is PRD; rug is by Fran Made Minis; planter is Manor House Miniatures; magazines and Eames pillow are hand made by The Shopping Sherpa; light fixture and side table are eBay finds; round table and chairs are from the Adda-Room set; bench is brinca dada; marble heads are my husband's; standing lamp was my mother's; wallpaper is scrapbook paper from JoAnn. Accessories are AG Minis, toy store finds, beads, ELF Miniatures, and Mighty World.

The time it took me: 22 minutes

Finding Time

Ah, the struggle of finding time...

Time has indeed flown by since I started this blog nearly three years ago, on January 24, 2009. As I have said before, I never would have guessed that this endeavor would result in the many happy posts, connections, findings, and surprises that it has. I am very grateful, and I carry that enthusiasm into 2012.

My goal is to post at least once a week, and I will try my best to do that, but life does have a way of pulling you into many directions! When I post, I want to be inspired to write and photograph, and not to force it. So, if there is a gap in postings, it likely means that things are taking shape. I appreciate your patience and willingness to "go with the flow."

As always, I am interested to hear from my readers with comments, news, and information. Thanks for following!

I wanted to share a quick scene in the Lundby Stockholm. I've always wrestled a bit with the unused electrical outlets on the walls. I've covered them up various ways in the past (origami paper strips for one), but oddly not with scrapbook paper as I do quite often in my other houses. I really do enjoy this room, especially the long window. This time, I decided to place a tree stencil over it for a decorative frosted effect. (Speaking of frosted, did you see what Megan did with her door in her Fashion House??? It's amazing).

Credits: Couch is Bozart; pixel chair is minimodernistas; shelving unit is an eBay find; table is a vintage door handle; plant is Re-ment; vase, cork pedestal, and mirror are from Michaels; tree stencil from the Paper Source; wallpaper from JoAnn. Accessories are AG Minis, dollhouse and craft store finds, and Re-ment.

The time it took me: 25 minutes

New Beginnings

I thought if I started 2012 with a post on updates on two of my doll houses in "rehab," I might set myself up for a year of progress on projects that have long been dormant. In order to make progress, though, there was some intensive cleaning and organizing in order. As with many organizing moments in our house, it's all a domino effect. In order for me to bring two of my "rehab" houses in from our garage, where they have been patiently gathering dust on a work table, I had to clean out other nooks and crannies in our basement to make room for them near my work table.

I recently cleared off the table for my brand spanking new Janome sewing machine, which honestly scares me to death. I received it for Christmas from my husband, who is (very sweet and) guilty of feeding my hobby. He started my hobby when he bought me the Villa Sibi back in 2008! I vow to learn how to use the machine so that I can start sewing up some curtains, pillows, rugs, who knows. Wish me luck!

The two houses in question are my Betsy McCall House and the Artply by Highland. Both are huge and I needed to figure out where to put them. I bought two saw horses and had a piece of heavy duty plywood custom-cut at Lowes for a table top. I had a huge remnant of Marimekko fabric, bought for $8.00 at my beloved Crate & Barrel outlet last year, and it worked perfectly as a covering. Here's the result:

The houses came in from the chilly garage and the McCall went on the new table with my VERO and the Artply now lives in the back work room with the Citadel. I was able to finish painting the exterior of the McCall; here's a picture that shows the original light blue paint, a test paint that was too violet, and then a custom paint I had mixed from one of the stones on the exterior. Believe it or not, this painting started in the summer!

As you can see, the resulting color is a neat grey/green:

My next step is to tackle the roof...I am thinking of some asphalt shingles. Any ideas on color and shape and best place to buy?

With the Artply, I decided to clean out one of the top floor rooms, which looked like this originally:

Y U C K.

I covered the one wall with the very last pieces of some vintage paper from the UK, which I used in a room in my Citadel, and then used a textured white paper for the other two walls. The wood flooring was a keeper. I set up a quick scene -- what do you think of this house? I love the height of the room! I also LOVE that this house cost me $20!!!

Accent wall done!

Almost there...

Done!

Now that the houses are safe and snug inside I don't think I can avoid working on them when I can make the time. Here's to a productive and fun 2012!

By the way, I've got a little giveaway going on now on the Call of the Small Facebook page. Leave a comment on this photo and you can win two Reed chair ornaments from CB2! Enjoy!

Credits in the Artply: Couch and pillow by Annina; rug and lamp are minimodernistas; side tables are vintage German; plant is AG Minis; table is by Paris Renfroe; Eames elephant is Reac. Accessories are Re-ment, handmade by Nancy Tobey, AG Minis, and doll house store finds.

The time it took me: Scene took me 15 minutes, but I lost count on the painting!