Latest Acquisition and WIP

I bought a new dollhouse last week. :)

Did I need a new dollhouse? 

Absolutely not, if you recall, I have two other houses already.

This one, that I left with my friend Richard over the summer, he's wiring it for me. :)

Which reminds me I have to send him some fixtures to put in it!

Wow, this is in far rougher shape than I remember. ;)

And, this one, that my hubby surprised me with, he nabbed if off the curb. I was so tickled when he found it. He wasn't sure I wanted it, but, of course I did!

So, yup! Another house. This one is actually in the best condition of all that I have.

View of the inside. There are two more rooms on the top floor, but you look down on them through the roof when removed or just peek in the windows.

The first thing that had to go was the pink accents. It just really dated it back to the 80's.

I wanted the majority of the house to be a dark charcoal gray.

Many people have suggested using the little paint samples that you can get from your local hardware or paint stores. I was worried about it not being enough paint, but took a chance and only bought the one container. It is just the right amount, thank goodness! This is Besalt D36-7 Paint Pod from Ace.

The white trim was just a bit to stark and bright for me. I toned it down with Oyster White from Ceramcoat. It is just the most subtle difference from white to off white, but, I think it has a richer look to it. 

Cutting in around and in between the gingerbread and trim was so tedious! 

It's so dark it looks almost black, but it's just a dark charcoal.

And what is more welcoming than a red front door?

This obviously needs a few more coats on it.

Does anyone else think Elizabeth Arden Red Door?

As cute as it is, the quality of craftsmanship is not the best, but, I'm not going to complain all that much, because I am not a builder! Originally, I had the window trim on the third floor painted the oyster color. But, it just cried out how crooked those dormers were, so I painted them black along with the roof. They seem to fade back now a bit.

Still need another coat on that door! That is Folk Art Lipstick Red.

The roof is Crafter's Edition Acrylic Paint , Black.

And, with the roof on. I still have a bit of touching up here and there to do, that blue base must go!

I'm pleased with the progress so far. :)

Amazing what a difference a bit of paint can do, isn't it? :)

I hope all those that are celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends have a wonderful and safe time. :)

New Acquisition or the New Kid in Town!

So, what a find is this?! I think this deserves a second chance, don't you? :)

Hubby is so good to rescue this for me. :)

He was afraid I was going to tell him to put it in the trash, but,

Nooooo! This has potential!

I'm thinking this is from the eighties given the choices in colors.

Shame it's missing a dormer, but, I bet I can find a replacement or find two new ones that match.

I'm not sure whether this was ever all wired up, or did the owner just give up at this point?

Which makes me think of my other house. See this blog post here.

Both houses do seem to have a lot of similarities, but that might just be because they are both traditionally styled homes.

Wiring is what has gotten hubby and I stumped with the first house, but, I am determined now to get both houses wired and finished.

Determined! lol ;)

I figure we can wire the first house with wires and the second house with tape.

Then we can compare the two and see which we like better.

Who knows, there could be a third house waiting around for me next year! lol ;)

Well, I don't think that I need another house at this point.

At least not until I make some progress with the two that I have now.

So, when wiring a house with wire, you have to wall paper, right?

Is it the same when you wire with the tape?

I had wanted to just paint the first house. But, I'm told you have to wallpaper to cover up the wires.

I am warming up to the idea of wall papering. The idea of doing it on poster board first, is helping me out with the thought of doing it.

We know who made this house, unlike the first house.

I think it looks very similar to this house here.

And, we know who the house was intended for. :)

Maybe I can reuse the initials in naming the house.

CM

Any ideas?

The  cool part is that, now that I have two houses.... I can go forward with the ideas I had for decorating the first house and stop second guessing my decisions. Because I have another one to do different things with. :)

The ideas in the head are running amuck!

Glider/Rocker Cushion Make Over Tutorial! :)

I know I promised this tutorial a while back, I have finally gotten around to it. :)

If you click on the title, you will find a link to where you can purchase this glider. These instructions are pretty much the same if you are redoing rocker cushions as well.

First, you want to trace the existing cushions that you would like to change. Add around a 1/2" around the pattern and cut out.

You'll need to cut two for the front and back of each cushion, back cushion and bottom cushion.

All cut out! :)

Now, put front sides facing one another.

Sew each on the machine, 1/2" seam allowance.

Clip around the edges, look at the back cushion.

Then trim close, look at the bottom cushion.

Turn them right side out.

Stuff lightly.

The sew up each piece closed, and tuft! :)

Finish! Both pieces are tufted and ready to take their place on the glider.

Here's the before, the after is at the top of the page.

And, there you go! Easy peasy!

Or, have me make them for you. lol ;)

Sorry some of the pictures are a bit on the blurry side, I blame these old eyes. ;)

Oh, and I'm in another treasury at etsy. This one was made by MostlyArt, a delightful miniature clay sculpter who specialises in Arts and Crafts pottery. Thanks, Mostly. :)

I'm in an Etsy Treasury! :)

This lovely treasury west was made by Snowfern, a real sweet gal from Singapore. She makes a lot of food items for the dollhouse and jewelry as well.

I love, love, love her rubber ducks! I have three duckies coming my way. :) To represent my puddle ducks, that even though are now older, still jump in puddles. :)

Oh, if you click on the title, it will take you to the treasury. :)

This is the house that Jack built.

Well, I don't know if the person who made it was named Jack, but that kept running through my mind as I cleaned it. ;) It's definitely the house that dale is going to decorate. :)

It came out pretty good. Someone gave me the tip of using Tilex Mold and Mildew Cleaner, since it was so covered in mold. :(

For some reason, I always forget to include one side of the dollhouse. Oh, well! lol

Look at the difference between the clean top floor and the dirty first floor! When I say it was filthy, trust me, it was.

Hubby had to remove the bathroom wall so I could properly clean the upstairs hallway. With a little glue, sanding and paint, it will be good to go. :)

The first bedroom. This color is starting to grow on me. Not a color I would normally pick, but, I can appreciate it.

The bathroom and upstairs hall.

The second bedroom. It's a shame some rotten kid colored on this wall. I'm liking this green, but, it would have to be painted over anyway since it is so marred on the inside.

The kitchen and dining room combination. I removed the upper kitchen cabinets.

The hallway, what the stairs are beige and not gray? Who'd have guessed that! lol

The living room. I removed the fireplace as well.

One of the best discoveries was these hardwood floors. I think they can be sanded and refinished. I love the honey color of wood floors. :)

I started cleaning it with the cleaner and rags and then I had to get out a tooth brush to give it a good scrubbing and get in the little nooks and cranies. I used hubby's toothbrush. (Just kidding!) ;) Then, I used q-tips, to get in the even smaller places, especially around the stairs.

The dollhouse at night. Well, I had to say goodnight to her! I wouldn't be a good mom if I didn't tuck her in for the night. Tee hee. ;)

Next time, I blog about the dollhouse I'll show you it with furniture placed in it. Yes, I had to play with it! lol ;)