The Big Reveal

 What is under the tablecloth? (Besides LoveJoy, the cat, that is.;-) )

 No peeking!

They loved it! I have already done some repair work, though. In retrospect, I would have made the living room furniture from scratch as I think that would have been more durable. I had to glue the couch side back on and I replaced the fancy legs with short wooden spools because the scroll work cracked. The girls and their dollhouse are back home in Indianapolis now so I don't have to resist the urge to put the toilet back in the bathroom or the bed back in the bedroom (rather than the living room, lol.) Sometimes, I wish I still had that child-like imagination where things don't have to be in "normal" places. Anyway, the dollhouse was a hit and they even received some small dolls from others who will fit in well.

Wishing you all a wonderful, blessing- filled New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Help!

I wanted to check all of your blogs out today but when I went to my blog list all I found was post after post from a blog I am not following. I've never heard of it, it's in some language other than English, and based on the title, I'm not sure that it's even appropriate. Has anyone else had this happen? What do I do to fix it?

Snow Day!

Well, not really since neither hubby or I have to go to work today. But we decided, since we are the only ones home this weekend, to pretend that 4 or so inches of snow is enough to stay home, be lazy, and enjoy each other's company. :-) The snow is still coming down steadily and everything looks so clean and fresh. I am going to enjoy the day.

I forgot  to post pics of my "find" yesterday. At a local Meijer store (groceries+department store) I found a small set of bath toiletries in a mini bathtub.

The tub is perfectly scaled. The set of bath gel, bath fizzy, and scrubby was $3. A little bit of paint and it will be ready for a project. Yay!

Life

Sorry I haven't  posted for awhile. Life has been a little crazy here. Oldest daughter spent a couple of days in the hospital with the exact cause still unknown. She is finally getting her strength back. Middle daughter got engaged on Thanksgiving day. :-)  So we are in the midst of wedding plans and almost granddaughters. The fiance has 3 and 5 year old girls. It's been awhile since we had that much energy in our house. ;-) And, today, I found out I'm gonna be switching positions at the elementary school I work at. I am struggling a bit with that now, but I think the change will be good in the long run. It also means I have a chance at a "long run." My current position ends at the end of this school year because the child is moving on the middle school. Please keep me in your prayers as I make this transition. I'm a bit nervous about it.

Hopefully I will be able to get back to minis soon!

Sometimes you just have to find the good in the bad

The bad...The corner shelf that my Greenleaf Jefferson (aka the mini version of my real house) sits on came crashing down today. The good...Somehow the damage was minimal and now the house is clean again, lol. I decided to take advantage of the cleanliness and take some new photos. :-)

 I have a sentimental attachment to these dolls since they represent my family but I am so glad that my dollmaking skills have improved over the years. ;-) The oversized stockings are mini replicas of our real ones. The tree was the first one I made with chenille stems.

 The mini versions of our real life countdown banner and my childhood Christmas "stocking." Behind the boot is a shoe/boot tray that I repainted. We always have a pile of shoes/boots/slippers, etc. near the door.

 The kitchen looks great except for the tipped over high chair. Of course I didn't notice it until I looked at this photo...The only furniture damaged in the fall was one chair back and two table legs. One of the legs broke in a harder to repair place but it turned out ok.

 My son's bedroom was rarely this neat even when he was a toddler but it looks good here, lol.

 The master bedroom with last minute "Santa" gifts.

 I had to stretch to get photos of the top story rooms (because, of course, I didn't remember to take pictures while it was still down low.)

 The girls' bedroom - I used dimensional American Girl stickers that look like the girls' real dolls. The size was perfect and the stickers were on clearance. Doesn't get much better than that!

Santa is on the roof in the chimney. Apparently, all the reindeer are watching over him, lol. The Burl Ives snowman from Rudolph is also hanging out in our yard.

Final Touches

The lack of faucet handles and oven knobs proved to be too much for me. ;-) I had to add them. Now that the bathroom has rugs and towels and the other rooms have final touches, I think I am finished with this project. Now the hard part starts - waiting for Christmas so I can give it to them. :-)

The furniture is finished!

 I think the lower level is finished. The furniture is done and I added photos of my daughter with the girls and with her boyfriend. I also added a little food and the fridge has a December 2013 calendar and some children's artwork. And there is a decorated Christmas tree on the table in the corner.

The kitchen is very crowded, and much like DH and my first apartment, the oven door is nearly impossible to open.;-)

The Corona furniture kits went together very quickly. They work well for a children's dollhouse but would take much more work to be suitable for an adult's dollhouse. I drew faucet handles and stove knobs because the girls are so young but I would use beads and findings for an adult. I would also make all new handles for an adult. The punchouts are very clunky.

I think I need to add a few things to the upper level and then this house is finished and ready to give away. I can't wait!

The house is finished!

 The exterior steps are finished and that was the last thing to finish the exterior. I am so happy with the way it turned out.

 The spiral stairs were not difficult at all. The best part is how little space they take up so there will be plenty of room for the appliances.

 I made the dining chairs from a couple of wooden spools and some of the punch out leftovers from the dollhouse kit. The table in the corner and the dining table have both been given a mosaic tile look and they  turned out really well. The rug is a vintage potholder I picked up somewhere. All that's left is to make the couch, chair, and appliances.

I made the bed last night from a piece of dollhouse trim, a box lid, and four spools. The sheets are made from cloth napkins and the quilt is preprinted fabric.

This is such a fun project - especially now that I'm to the furniture and accessories stage. The girls are almost here so I won't be posting updates over the weekend. More to come next week!

It was a very productive day in Miniland

 The only thing left to do on the exterior is assemble and attach the porch steps.  All of the dreaded shingling is finished and it actually went quite smoothly.

 The bathroom is ready for a few accessories like towels and toilet paper.

 The twins are settled down for a nap in their cradles but their parents still don't have a bed. The wardrobe doesn't fit so I need to see if I can make a small dresser work.

The great room looks really empty. Once I get the spiral stairs finished, I will start making furniture. The girls are young enough and the windows are pretty enough that I think I will leave the curtains out of the house. The large cat came from the thrift store. He was attached to a rubber stamp. He looks a bit angry. :-)

Just a little trim please

 And about a bajillion shingles, lol. Not really, but shingling is not my favorite thing to do so it seems like it. The window box is finished. I have a few brackets to add to the porch and it's finished. Then the exterior just needs the rest of the shingles and the gable trim.

Then I will have to construct the spiral staircase, trim the dormer edges, and put baseboard in all the rooms. Then, finally, I can work on the furniture and accessories. The girls will be here this weekend so I am trying to get as much done as possible. If I put the house up on a shelf they won't even notice it. But a partially finished house is much more obvious.

After my break I will get back to work. Maybe I will have more photos later tonight. :-)

Sale!

Now through November 30, you can save 20% on any item tagged with the word autumn at De-Lightful Minis zibbet shop. Just use coupon code AUTUMN when you check out. Items on sale include Mr. and Mrs. Skelly, the fairy tree stump house, and a hutch in autumn colors. Stop by the shop to check out these and the other items on sale.

Progress - Slow but Sure

 Real life keeps intruding on mini time but I am making progress on the Lafayette. All roof sections, except the back roof, are glued on and ready for shingles.

 I still have lots of work to do - gable trim, shingles, exterior steps, and the spiral staircase inside.

I left the back roof unglued so I could finish the wallpaper more easily. The wall isn't glued in either. I'm pretty sure this is where it will be, though. Everything fits in the bathroom and I still have room for the parents' bed and the cradles. Not so sure about the wardrobe but I will try. I am anxious to start on the furniture kits so I can figure out what will fit and where.

How many more days until Christmas? I will not panic...

The promised photos

 The door and shutters were painted with Soft Plum. It's a pretty muted purple that does a beautiful job of toning down the magenta. Good little girl colors but not cartoonish. This kit has a beautiful door with inset panels on the exterior. I added the stained glass accents with colored Sharpie permanent markers on the included windows.

 The family that lives here is vintage Fisher Price. This is Mom thinking about all the work she has to do to finish the house before Christmas. The box window is gorgeous - with a large shelf/window seat. It's hard to tell with the blue painters tape but I added stained glass to the center window here, too.

 There are three round windows in the upper level. All have been given the stained glass treatment. The colors dance across the pale floor when the sun shines through them.

A closer view of the door and shutter treatments. Also, you can see the stained glass a little better. I am happy to see the house taking shape. Soon I will be moving on to the furniture kits.

Big progress

On the little girls' dollhouse. I am taking a quick supper break and will get back to work. I will try to post some update photos later tonight. :-)

Progressing slowly, really

 We finally have the beginnings of a house. After I can't remember how many dollhouses, I remembered to wallpaper the lower level before adding the second story floor. The Lafayette is small enough that it was a big help to do it this way. The upper floor is now on and drying, I just forgot to take a picture. I decided to make the lower level a great room with kitchen, dining, living all together. It will make furniture arrangement much easier. Of course, I will only arrange it once or twice and then, once the girls own it, it's likely to never be arranged my way again, lol.

 One of the next steps will be to assemble and insert the door. The kit is designed with wood pegs as hinges so it will open and be reasonably sturdy.

The beginning of the trim painting. I still have a lot of painting to do but the girls are visiting this weekend and I had to hide everything. I think I have all I need to put in the windows, door, and porch.

Having a job outside the home really put a damper on my mini habits. ;-) No more staying up 'til all hours of the night because I'm on a roll. That means I can only work in short spurts. At least I can leave the house on the dining room table during the week. I have a work room but not enough counter space to paint, assemble, etc. Besides, Then Again Antiques is still sitting in the middle of my desk. No home has been found yet. Maybe I should stop adding to my collection...nah. :-) I am not sure that is possible. I love to have projects.

Hope you are all enjoying a beautiful weekend!

Another new shopper and her find

 After my hair appointment, I made a quick stop at Goodwill. There I found this really cool little Buddha and a mini Bratz doll. I gave the doll a new handbag and she's ready to purchase the statue. I also accented the studs and chain on her belt with a silver Sharpie marker. The rest of her clothing is very nice, even if it is just plastic. Then Again Antiques has as eclectic a clientele as it does antiques. ;-)

I forgot to post a photo of the salt cellar I purchased to use as a tray when hubby and I were shopping. It's the pretty rose print tray behind the milk bottles.

I hope you are all enjoying a great week! The next post should be back to the dollhouse...

And so it begins...

 I have three coats of magenta paint on the exterior pieces. The trim will be a soft white satin finish. I'm still debating on what color to make the door. I want a third color for accent. I'm making the dollhouse from a DuraCraft Lafayette kit. It's a tab and slot - not my favorite - but so far the pieces are punching out cleanly.

The rest of the furniture will be from kits or from scratch but I found the tub and cradles when DH and I were exploring antique shops last week. The sink, toilet, and family are all ebay purchases. I don't want to make any of the kit furniture until I have the house built. I read at least one review that said full scale furniture doesn't fit well. I have a couple of other houses like that. They just take a bit more creativity to furnish, lol.

I am trying to make myself take this project slowly...or at least slow for me. I guess we'll see how well I do. ;-)

Have a great week!

Still in the Christmas mood

 I made this tree a couple of years ago and it has been listed in my zibbet shop but as I was looking at pictures of it, I decided it needed more ornaments. This is the result. Now it has red, white, silver, and clear ornaments instead of all red.

 The tree skirt is reversible and has hand beaded edges.

 The tree topper is a painted button. The sewing loop just slides over the top of the tree.

A close-up shot of some of the ornaments. I really like the contrast between the white and the red and silver ornaments. The clear/crystal ornaments add a bit of sparkle. I wouldn't mind a Christmas tree like this one in my size. :-)

The next project is a bigger one. I'm making a dollhouse for my daughter's boyfriend's little girls, ages 5 and 3. This will be fun because I love to decorate dollhouses for little girls. Hiding it will be the hardest part.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

...or at least some Christmas minis! These are the projects I started on Saturday. I got some time this afternoon to finish them up and get them listed in my zibbet shop.

 The cookie tray is an acorn cap but I made everything else. I'm so excited about the cookie cutter. I wrapped a strip of craft metal around my flower Kemper cutter and then squished it a bit to become a gingerbread man.

 This is one of my better Santas, I think. I finally managed to make one 6 mini feet tall. Most of the others fit the description in 'Twas the Night Before Christmas" - tiny. I think his eyes are improved over some of my dolls, too. I still have a long way to go there, though.

Santa comes with the filled stocking. The decorated tree is another zibbet listing.

Is anyone else making Christmas minis yet? I really need to make more cornucopias but they aren't as much fun as cookies and Santa. ;-)