We're moving on up!

First floor landing is complete!... well, I do have to fix one minor boo boo. Although I had thought that I had fixed my socket into my wall very securely, I neglected to glue it to something behind the foam core and when I went to plug a lamp into the hallway I pushed the socket right through the wall. Anyhow,  I had to cut through the wall, dig out the socket and stuff some wood behind it.  The wall is now patched and drying.  I don't think I will be trying to pull the lamp plug out of the socket any time soon.  There goes my plans of having a lit up Jack- o- lantern at Halloween.

 Picture this with the requisite French shabby Chic furnishings and not the bits and pieces I am having to make do with for now.

I was a bit disappointed at my front hall floor, it was an awful lot of hand cutting and I ended up installing it slightly crooked, but I have moved on.
 My plan now is to have a good old tidy up and organize everything and then start the second floor.

Kitchen finished!

I have finally finished the kitchen on my little French house. I am quite happy with the kitchen floor, especially the colour.  I had originally bought a paint colour called Spanish Tile which I thought I would like but it actually looked a lot like pasta sauce spread all over the floor.  I added some cream paint on top and it looked like pasta sauce with cheese, complete disaster. The floor is now a kind of putty greenish colour and I waxed it before and after grouting and it has a lovely sheen to it.  I added a mantle over the space reserved for a stove and the little shelves in the end cupboard plus the roof lighting and a gas meter for effect.

 The little roses on the table started as a little kit which took me HOURS to do!  Hndreds of tiny tissue paper tear drop petals to be shaped and glued one by one. No wonder it is so expensive to buy handmade dollhouse flowers.

That is all for this week, I hope to be able to show you the completed front hall next week, I am close, but am still working on the floor. I love dollhouse Sundays! but I wish there were more of them in a week.

Have a lovely week everyone!!

New settee from Lea!

I was so thrilled this week to find a receive my little parcel from Lea Frisoni in France.  It contained my new little dollhouse settee and two cushions.  How perfect are they??  I can't wait to move upstairs to the lounge where I plan to utilize some cranberry  toile paper I bought on my first visit to Lea's shop Dentelles et Ribambelles in Paris. I think it will go perfectly with this little couch!

I didn't manage any work on the dollhouse until today but I finished the stucco wall in the kitchen and as is my usual modus operandi, I had to do it twice! Really, I think I must be building two houses, one for me and one for the garbage!

  I still haven't really distressed anything yet.  I think it is the last thing I will do before I move to the second floor.   I also including my little dollhouse cat I made.  I gave him a bath because he seemed a bit to fluffy, now, he is a little too, well non-fluffy.


One more picture before I blog off. This is the first day of spring where I live. Yep, no ice-tea on the porch for me yet.  Just a face full of frozen fed up of winter tears.  Sigh....

Have a wonderful week everybody!

Another update and picture give-away winner

 It has been a busy couple of weeks but finally this weekend I managed some progress on the dollhouse.

As some of you know, we run an auction house.  Last weekends auction was a very large firearms sale, so it was 10 days without a break in preparation for it.  I am quite small in stature ( under 5') so handling large weapons is a bit difficult for me.  We had set up all the long guns and rifles for a video and then had to move them all back to the gun vault, so last Thursday was spent running heavy, ugly guns in and out of the vault.  I think my arms are now two inches longer!!  I also managed to take a nice little chunk out of my finger with a Stanley knife so as well as having no strength left in my arms, I couldn't put any pressure down on my ruler to cut anything.  Luckily I am a quick healer.

Please see the progress made in the little kitchen.  I used scrap booking paper in place of wallpaper as I couldn't find a pattern I like on the internet and really didn't want to waste any more time waiting on the post.  I am happy with my choice.  I put a little lamp socket in the front hall in anticipation of a little lamp on a sideboard there.  I am having difficulty with distressing my little house.  I would like it as distressed as Leas but am worried about it looking dirty in the end.  I don't know where the line is.

Finally thank you for everyone who said they would like a copy of my little painting.  Randomly Neen has been chosen and I have sent off an email to ask which size would suit them.  Thank you also for suggestion on dollhouse names.  I haven't made up my mind yet, but one is in the running.  Everyone have a lovely week!

Baby steps

 It doesn't look like much progress has been made on my little French house but I have been working really hard on it!!  It probably doesn't help that I do everything twice (notice the new front door). I have attached the base, made the front and back steps, both the side door and window are done but not installed and notice the pelmet over the door and all the bits of trim are on.

Anyhow, the outside is done to the point I want it to be at this stage and now I am happy to report, I am moving inside.  I am actually quite excited!

First window in the kitchen is in along with its little window rod and catch and I am quite pleased. It really does look quaint.

I am trying to resist the urge to shop for little French furnishing and carpets for my house as I am a long way from a completed house but I can't help myself.  I purchased a little settee from Lea and will share it with you all when it arrives.  Have a great week!

Painting Give-Away

Miniature painting in largest size

I recently purchased an original gilt framed watercolour by British painter William Lee Hankey (1859-1952). It is titled "Preparing the Meal" and is the small watercolour he did prior to painting his large oil on canvas painting titled "Peeling the Vegetables" (Except for the medium the paintings are virtually identical but I actually think mine is prettier, especially the face of the young boy)  which sold at Sotheby's auction in 2009. Plates were made of "Peeling the Vegetables" and so there was a run of engravings of that painting.

My son offered to do a high resolution scan of the painting and we made prints for my dollhouse  using watercolour paper.  The original painting is quite small as seen by the size of the roses just in front of the picture.

Anyhoo... I thought maybe someone might like a copy of this painting in their dollhouse so I would like to give one away.  I only have two dollhouses on the go (three if you count the one that has been in the basement since 1983, fyi- I don't). So as you can see there are three sizes so if you win I you can chose which ever size suits your dollhouse. I also have a wonderful Thomas Wainwright Scottish landscape watercolours with cows I am going to scan for the dollhouse.

Just let me know if this is the type of thing that would fit with your decor and if you would like to entered into the draw and I will pick someone at random on March 15th.

Also, I am still working hard on my little French dollhouse ala Lea so I will keep you updated, but I need a name (all the best French chateaus have names) so if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them!

Second go around.

 It is still not perfect but we are back on track.   The house has been scraped and the colour changed to a buff background with cream keystones and molding. I finally received the channel trim needed for the guttering and molding today so that will be added very soon.  The front door is done and installed following Lea's instructions.  I am not sure about the colour but overall I am happy with how it looks. Brick turned out a little brighter than anticipated but again, I am okay with it. I haven't started to distress the brick work yet.  I didn't take my glasses with me to the art supply and ended up with acrylic Burnt Umber and Sienna paints instead of the oil paint variety I needed.  I tell you, I have to do everything twice!

I dearly wish I had more to share but it has been three very intense weeks around here with work and family.  My husband bought me a house cleaning package at a charity auction we attended the other night. Secretly I think he is hoping that will force me to tidy away the pots of paint and filler off the fire mantle but I refuse.  At least if the house project is staring me in the face I can do a bit every day. I have made the mistake before of letting him tidy me into catatonia but I really want to see this project through.


I do however, have some news to share.  I have booked us tickets to Britain and to the Kensington Dollhouse Festival in London on May 15th and 16th!  Perhaps a side trip to Bath, a little tour around Windsor castle.... well see. It has been at least 10 years since I was in London so I am excited to go back.