My gifts have found a home

Kate is quite happy with her new chair and side table. She says the chair is very comfortable. ;) The candle stands and little deer statue on the mantle are new, too. The coffee table got a new paint job to coordinate better with the new items. It was antique gold - now it's an aged cream finish with some of the gold showing through.
The bird cage fits beautifully on the table I won in Ingrid's blog give-away last summer. And aren't those hydrangeas amazing?
Here's a better view of the side table. The clock was made by my friend, Brenda.

I love the way everything fits into this house. Magnolia Way is one of my favorite dollhouses partly because it holds so many of my favorite gifts from miniaturists around the world. Thanks again, Peggy!

I think I'm cross-eyed now

I just finished sorting all of my photos on my computer. I spent about 5 hours on it today and at least 4 yesterday but now I can find the photo I'm looking for in just a short time. Everything is grouped together by category or project and some things are cross referenced. It's going to be very worth the time spent.

I did have a little time for mini-ing today. I redid the four poster beds in the 70s house. That house represents the house I grew up in and the beds were in the room I shared with my sister. I originally made the posts with stacked beads and the headboard with foam core but I was never happy with them. Today I redid the head and foot boards with scrap wood and the posts with chopsticks.All of the toys in this bedroom represent ones I really had. The doll on the floor is dressed in an outfit similar to my doll Wendy's. The fashion doll case looks just like mine. The dollhouse represents my mom's tin lithographed one that she let us play with.

Earlier in the week, I refinished the bed in Magnolia Way yet again. I didn't like the muddy gray color I ended up with last time. I love the black "iron" with brass trim, though. The contrast against the walls and between the bed and the white spread is just right.

Decorating for the holidays

Kate has decorated the living room of Magnolia Way for Christmas. The little tree is the tip of a 1:1 artificial Christmas tree. I "planted" it in a copper tub. I made all of the ornaments from beads and jewelry wire. The wreath is a mini grapevine wreath wrapped with ribbon and trimmed with bead ornaments. There's also a tiny gingerbread house on the coffee table. That is now in the kitchen and there's a beautiful glass footed bowl full of fruit sitting on the table. My friend, Brenda, made it for me. I need to add some greenery around the base to make it look more festive. I love the simple vintage feel to these Christmas decorations. I think it suits Magnolia Way.

Moving furniture

But not in my real house. I did some bed swapping in the dollhouses and reworked my very first attempt at a brass bed. The original bed was made 20 years ago and I was never completely happy with it. Plus it didn't really fit well in the room I made it for. I took it apart, added some bits, painted the whole thing to look like a painted iron bed and put it in Magnolia Way. It looks more like a bed that Kate would have and has the added advantage of actually being long enough for her, lol. I'll find a home for the short little kit bed that was in her room.

Rearranging the bedroom meant I needed to find a spot for her painting. That fits nicely in the living room in front of the window so she has good light. I had to rearrange the living room to fit that in but at least moving mini furniture is not too difficult. I didn't have to strain any muscles at all. :-)

Say hello to Kate

I had kind of a rough day so I decided to make a doll just for me. I've been wanting someone to live in Magnolia Way. I knew that I wanted a woman in her mid to late twenties. I have been better at sculpting character dolls in the past. Today Kate's face seemed to flow out from my mind onto the clay. It was a real blessing after the day I'd had. She's by far the prettiest face I've sculpted.

She's dressed up because she's having her boyfriend over for a homemade spaghetti dinner. The wine is ready to serve, the salad is on the table, the bread is ready to slice and she's just put the spaghetti into the serving bowl.

She's wearing a patterned wrap dress and bronze flats. I will try to get a better photo tomorrow.

Making spaghetti

I found these pans at Hobby Lobby this week during the 50% off sale. I turned them into the used spaghetti prep pans. The sauce even dripped down the edge of the pan as it was poured over the spaghetti noodles.

I love the extra bit of realism they add to the kitchen. Plus it was fun to do! The spaghetti in the serving bowl was one of the ones I made for a Small World food swap - the ones with the too large noodles. I'm happier with the ones I made with the crochet thread.