The Little Blue House

My boyfriend has been very patient with my growing obsession for dollhouses.  He has wandered through dollhouse stores and scanned the shelves of dollhouse bits and pieces like a good sport.  He has asked for progress reports on the Log Cabin and has listened to me babble on about my ideas, thoughts and plans.  So when he was helping his parents clean out a basement in preparation for a move he thought of me when they came across an old dollhouse that belonged to his sister.  He checked with her about her continued ownership of the house.  She was not interested so ownership was transferred to me.  

I know next to nothing about the house other than the fact that it was put together by my boyfriend's parents as a Christmas present for his sister.   The house is an estimated 25 years old.

I stared into the house and started to dream.....   

My first thought was to do a kitchen in the room with the steps and a living room in the adjoining downstairs room.  But then I started thinking that an eat in kitchen would probably take a bit more room so maybe I should switch.  I went back and forth, listing the pros and cons for each option in my head.

I immediately began to ponder where to put a bathroom.  Within no time at all, I came upon the idea to put in a wall in the upstairs room where the steps come up.  I would have a little sitting area in the open area and I would have an open door with a glimpse into a bathroom in the closed off section. That would leave me a nice sized bedroom in the room with the dormer.   I was actually happy with my plans for the upstairs.

I couldn't wait to tear into my project.  I knew that the steps had to be carefully pulled out and some wall paper stripped as the first steps for the inside.  So I began to work on that tonight.

The steps came out very easily!

That room looked so much bigger and more manageable without the steps!  And then I started to play around a bit.  And another idea began to form.  What if I turned the steps around and put it into the long room on the right?

That really didn't kill too much of that room.  But if I do that it totally affects my plans for the upstairs.   Well, maybe not totally.  I could still partition off that room on the left and do a 'hint of a' bathroom and a sitting/sewing/kids room in the other portion.   Of course, I have a cookstove that i am itching to use somewhere.  I could do another house with no bathroom and get more chamber pots.

Meanwhile, I have to finish up the log cabin so I can work on the little blue house with a free and clear mindset. (Although will any dollhouse ever really be totally done?)

Baskets

Other than then bed which needs quite a bit more work I am working on little things in the dollhouse.   I am filling the attic with stored goods and little touches that bring it to life!

Today I decided to take a roll of craft paper and make baskets.

I only needed craft paper, scissors, glue small wooden circles and I added some embroidery floss on occasion to add color.

First I cut a strip of craft paper big enough to go around the wooden circle..with a bit of overlap.  The height is whatever you want!  I made taller ones and shorter ones.  

I then cut it into the 'comb'. The first few I actually drew the comb in the paper first.

 But after the first few baskets I honestly eyeballed my cuts trying to keep them uniform and as small as possible.

Then I cut strips of the craft paper ...once again as thin as I could....however I did use a ruler for these!  Even and straight is important here!   The strips need to be just a bit longer than the 'comb'.

The 'comb' is the base of the basket and what I weaved all the strips through.

Take one strip of paper and weave it in and out and push it to the bottom of the comb.  It works best to dab a bit of glue on the paper to hold the paper on each end.   I also found that with working with the smaller baskets and on the top row of any basket's weave that if I glue ever other weave...just a tiny smear of glue ....it worked much better!     

Weave strips in until you reach the top. 

When the weaving is done take another strip and overlay it over the top edge....

Take a wooden circle base (or heavy Matte board or card stock paper) ...Place glue on the edge of the circle and glue the bottom inside of the basket weave to the circle....so that the circle is the base.

At that point you can be done if you want.  

If you want a handle grab another strip and glue one end inside the basket...and glue the other side on the inside of the opposite side of the basket....it is again totally subjective to style and preference as to how long the handle is!

I started to get fancy.  On one or two baskets I glued a strip of colored embroidery floss around the top and bottom edges of the basket.

I also weaved some embroidery floss into the basket between strips of paper weave.

I decided that such a basket would have handled to match so I braided some embroidery floss together.... (I used the same color as the accent weave)

I did that twice...then I made little loops from the braids and glued two loops to the inside of the basket.

So many variables...each one is different and has its own personality!!!

Now I just need to figure out what to put in my baskets!!!  Eggs?  'Yarn' and needles?  Laundry???

First up...yarn and 'knitting needles'. 

 What does the bed need???  It needs stained, roped, mattresses created , pillows and quilts for both the main bed and the trundle bed

Log Cabin: Getting close now!!

I have been working on and off on the log cabin dollhouse.  It has been a headache in some ways because this house was definitely NOT made to any scale!!!!  So nothing fits perfectly!   But that same non-scale dilemma has allowed me the freedom to fudge quite a few things!!  So a mixed blessing!

I have made the rope bed and matching trundle bed.    It needs sanded and stained/painted.  I am also currently working on the warm and toasty quilts for the bed.   The quilts are slow going as I have been cross stitching them.  Of course I started with quilt for the biggest bed...it is sloooow going!  Hopefully the trundle bed and cradle quilts will be quick to complete!!!  

Yes the fabric will soften up after washed.  

I have also recently decided that I need a work table in the kitchen...mostly because I found a cute rolling pin that I am dying to use!    

Other than those 'big projects'. The log cabin is mostly done....just little small touches to make it look totally livable!

What touches?    

**A mouse and a mouse trap (I had been looking and just found one at an antique store this week!!)

** a chamber pot 

** wash basin and pitcher (oh I guess that means I need a stand for that too.

** a few kitchen things for the work table 

** lanterns, lamps and candles 

** I need to weather the wash board!!!

This dollhouse isn't even done and I've started buying pieces for my next dollhouse AND for a room that I want to do!!!  Plus I have visions of a shop or two that I want to do!

What dollhouse next??? 1940's-1950's era.  I found awesome vintage kitchen appliances at a fair recently!!

What room???  A Christmas scene from the turn of the century...but a well to do house..not a log cabin!!!  I have the furniture I just need to reupholster!  

What shops?    A quilting/fabric store and a quilt shop selling quilts!  I have nothing...yet.  

Oh yeah this is addictive!!!!

Log Cabin: Braided Rugs

Those hardwood floors in my miniature dollhouse cabin seemed rather cold and stark.  I decided that I needed some braided rugs.  I had the perfect solution to procuring them too!

I gathered my supplies:

Scissors
Wax paper
Glue
Yarn (I used the cotton candy yarn that many crafters use for making wash clothes and dishrags....it's less fuzzy and thus would be perfect for a dollhouse)

I laid wax paper out on my work area and then spread my craft glue in a circle.   Starting at roughly the center, I curled up the yarn and started to wind it around in a circle on the glue. I simply made sure that each round of yarn was pressed tightly to the proceeding round.  I went around until I reached the desired size.

I 

I allowed my rugs to dry overnight and then I cut the excess wax paper off and voila.....instant braided rugs.

And the finished project!!!!

And pardon the dollhouse...the remodel is not quite complete.  (the fireplace needs finished and some painting touched up!)

Log cabin: Remodel

My grandfather made a dollhouse years before I was born. (My father said it was made in the 50's or 60's).  At some time in the 70's my grandfather (Pappy Clingan) gave the house to me.  There was no furniture, so my brother and I created furniture for it and my parents gifted me some items.  I played with the house.

In my adulthood, I noticed the house in storage and my dreaming began.  I dreamed of changes and plans.  The dollhouse was not at all scale and would pose challenges but it was always a dream of mine to 'do it up right'.   I worked on the Harry Hockenberry House and said that I would do Pappy Clingans house next....but years went by and no work was done.

It wasn't until I visited an art museum and went on the docent guided tour of the dollhouses that I got the urge and the motivation at the same time.  I came home from that vacation and started immediately!

I was/am a total novice at this process and very quickly learned that some of my steps were not exactly in the right order.  Oh well.....learning.

First up was flooring.  (Would have been much easier to paint first!)

The flooring went well and I rolled right into creating a fireplace.   What log cabin can exist without a fireplace??????

Or two fireplaces...they needed a fireplace upstairs too right????

Everything received a nice fresh coat of paint.  And I was ready to start working on the furnishings!  It was time to make this dollhouse a home!

Harry Hockenberry House

My ex was in possession of a house that had been built for a large Christmas Display that was at one time owned and maintained by family members.  I had long been interested in dollhouses, so decided to tackle this house as my first restoration and dollhouse.

As you can see the house was in some rough shape.  I stripped off the old stucco and we fixed the rotted wood.

 We re-stuccoed the walls.

 And it got a new roof.

Some of the windows received replacement trim.

We added a chimney!

We had some help.

It was then time to paint!

 The porch was fun to paint!



 Then it was time to add the fun things!