Mini me

 I ordered the Houseworks resin doll named Dot to transform into mini me. She arrived wearing a tan floral print top, gold glasses, and a plain gold chain. I made her glasses navy, added nail stickers to make her necklace like something I would wear, and added a couple of rings (we won't look closely at those because I had a horrible time with them, lol.)  I painted her top a solid turquoise because tan is not my color. I even added my white streaks in her hair and painted her fingernails with my favorite polish.

I changed her snack to a less chunky tea cup and a gluten-free donut on a napkin. Her (my?) hands look kind of funny in that position but I can't change that. I tried putting the cat in her lap but her hands are still too high to look natural. Maybe I should add a bottle or tube of hand lotion to the table...

I love snow days!

 Mrs. S., Davy, and the range all got some updates today. Mrs. S.'s blouse had a floral design imprinted on it. I added a bit of paint to make the print coordinate with her skirt. Also, I added a design to her apron because plain white didn't seem quite right for the 1950s. I worked on Davy's coonskin cap to give the crown some texture and a better color. The range was touched up all along the back panel and I added some watch parts to give the dials dimension. I made all new knobs from watch stem knobs mounted on a circle punched out of a tealight cup. Much better!

 Davy also got brown eyes like both of his parents and auburn hair like his mom. I really like how his hair turned out. It's so much better than the bright yellow that was supposed to be blond. He also has a few freckles across his nose and cheeks.

I don't think I'd posted a photo of the finished back of the house. Ta da!  ;-)

Have a wonderful, blessed day my friends!

Creative repurposing

 I used 4 small desiccant canisters to make enamel canisters with stainless steel lids. Both colors are nail polish. The "pyrex" were made from white measuring spoons. I cut the handles off, sanded the rims and bottoms, and painted them with nail polish.

 Here are the canisters in place.

 The bowls on the counter....

I sanded off the pie top and turned it in to a bowl of soapy water. I will have touch up painting to do once the glue is dry but I am much happier. I have a beautifully scaled apple pie made by my friend, Brenda, that will look much better in this kitchen. Brenda also made the apples in the bowl on the counter.

My next project this evening will be lamps for the bedside tables in the master bedroom. I'll be back tomorrow with updates.

There's light at the end of the....er....hall

 This is a picture heavy post but I wanted to show you my purchases and I got a bit of time today to play. The turquoise chair and ottoman are the purchases I told you about in my last post. I extended the chair legs so that the seat is at the right height. The next photo better shows the color. It's very similar to the couch color.

 The television is a vintage salt and pepper shaker set. I got the idea from a couple of blogs when I was searching for MCM dollhouse projects. The starburst clock is temporarily in place with a bit of wax but I think it will likely end up in that spot when the room is finished.

 The bathroom walls are cut but will need trimming and such to look finished. I will wallpaper and put "tile" flooring in and a mirror over the sink. There's not much point in doing much more than that since you really can't see much. I will feel better knowing it's done. ;-) The brown fabric will be the carpet for Davy's room.

 I'm adding a wall and door on Davy's room, too. If I run the wall from the center of the window out I won't have to make any exterior changes. Since the window is centered over the bay it would look weird if I change the position of the window. I think I will make both windows look bigger on the inside with trim and curtains. That's plan A, anyway.

 The upper cabinets are temporarily in place with a bit of packing tape. I will either order another kit or make shelves for this end of the upper cabinet area. The under the stairs area will be a pantry.

 Looks like Mr. Sherwood just got home from work. I'm sure he will be happy if the renovations are ever completed.

 Davy and his dog are checking out the layout for his bedroom. The long narrow room doesn't lend itself to much creativity in the layout but at least he will have a private room with a door.

I think I like this master bedroom layout better than the last one I tried. The fabric carpet is just laid on top of the zebra felt that I'm still trying to get rid of. Grrr. I keep working at it and can remove just a bit each time. I can't just lay carpet over it, though, like I can the glue bumps in Davy's room.

I didn't do a whole lot today but it definitely feels like I've made progress. I'm still hoping for that snow day. :-)

Meet little Davey's parents

Robert and Marilyn Sherwood came home today. Davey was getting lonely with just his collie for company. The Sherwoods brought two kits to make the upper kitchen cupboards. I'm really hoping that I can find some mini time over my two week Christmas break. Fingers crossed!

A Whole Day to Play Leads to Major Progress

 I used diluted acrylic stain to age the plaster and then, instead of the included exterior trim, I used mini tiles (a gift from my very thoughtful husband) to trim the doors and windows.

 The doors are all blue - French Blue to be exact. How appropriate!

 The previous owner of this kit had purchased all of the plastic "wrought iron." I painted all the white pieces black to give my house the look I wanted. The bay window roof is copper with a patina.

 All that's left on the outside is the chimney and roof. What a difference a day makes!

I know that a lot of miniaturists do not put dolls/figures in their scenes because it takes away from the illusion. I fall strongly in the other camp. Almost all of my houses have people - most made by me but some from other artists and a few resin or other manufactured dolls. These are Houseworks dolls. As soon as I saw Joy, the pregnant mama here, I knew I had to have her. She and Joe, little Jamie, and soon to be sibling, look quite happy that their home is nearing completion. It's hard enough to get their toddler to nap on a good day but the construction has really disrupted her schedule. :-)