Contest gallery

Tomorrow the winner of the contest will be announced. In the meantime, take a look at all the entries. They are fabulous, so many creative and ingenious ideas. Mine is on the first page, just scroll down.

Let's have a game of darts!

Here's the "Other Side". You've always wanted to know what's on the other side, haven't you? Well here it is! Hey, let's play darts!
You can see why I didn't send in this photo for the contest. Should have moved that car.

Unfortunately, after I brought the shack in the house my kittens thought it was great fun. The barricade I set up did not deter them one little bit, so I had to take the whole thing up to my sewing room where no one can see it...well, I can, of course.

I had a nice visit on Monday at a friend's home. She has quite a collection of dollhouses all over her house. She has been collecting and making dollhouses since she was a young girl. She showed me a kit house that is the same tab and slot construction as the one I am going to try next. She gave me some tips to keep in mind for mine. More about that next time.

Coffee and a doughnut?

I've sent in my pictures for the contest; contest deadline is May 26. I set up this scene in the driveway at home. The whole set-up is on a cookie sheet. I added sand along the edges to hide the edges of the pan and added some seaweed and rocks. I had thought to take the whole thing to Land's End and photograph it with the sea in the background. Nice thought, but impractical. Too many little bits and pieces to jostle about in the car.
Let's see, in this scene you can see someone is enjoying an early cup of coffee and a couple of doughnuts while working on a crossword puzzle. Fishing pole and tackle box are handy, as well as a straw hat. That seagull is ready to pounce! Of course, in real life those doughnuts would already be GONE! But, this is fantasy, right?
Looks like the toast is up and ready for butter. Lemonade is keeping cool by the register. You can't see it very well, but there is a radio blaring away on top of the frig. Can you see the ice cream sign on the front of the snack bar? That's delicious ice cream from Webber's in Farmingdale.

It was so fun to get down on my hands and knees to set this up, I felt like a little girl again. I could only send in three photos, so I was not able to show one side of the snack shack. Here you see the weather barometer and a "seaside" magnet, all from Tate's in Bath, a wonderful trove of goodies.
Here's Barnacle Bill himself, chewing on his pipe. Surf boards, boat rentals, let's hope nobody takes out this old wreck of a boat. As you can see, all the action is around the back! Well, in Maine, nobody uses the front door, do they?
Wish me good luck in the contest! I'll include the "other" side in another post.

If you see a faded sign...

Remember the B-52s song? Love Shack! Love that song...well this is not the Love Shack, baby, but it is the Snack Shack!I made the counter this weekend. Popsicle sticks for the front. Microwave, toaster, "lemonade" dispenser, cash register....we are in business!

I just realized the final date for submitting my entry into the contest is May 26 so I got cracking this weekend. With the nice weather I have been digging in my vegetable garden and planting peas and beets. Around here Patriot's Day, April 19, is considered the best date to plant your peas if you want peas for the 4th of July. My veggie patch is in a low spot so it has been too wet until this weekend. Delicious snap peas, I can hear them growing already. Also, beets, yummy beet greens with rice vinegar. Potatoes were planted when the dandelions started to bloom a couple of weeks ago. I am growing those near the house where I had a little pond for a few years. Pond is gone, but the soil I filled it in with is loose and should be lovely for the potatoes. Since it is close to the back door I should also be able to spend some quality time picking off the potato bugs.

My Other Obsession

Here is my other obsession: quilting. I have been an avid quilter for the past twenty years. This past week I have been working on this wall hanging from Louisa L. Smith's book Strips 'n Curves. I'm just crazy about this woman! She was on Alex Anderson and Ricky Tim's The Quilt Show recently. I followed the instructions for one of her simpler patterns. You create strata, her term for the strips of inch and a half fabrics sewn together, then cut them out in either an L shape or a quarter circle.

Piecing was relatively easy, which was a surprise. The curves are fairly gentle and you only sew a strata section to a piece of solid fabric, for the most part. I was a bit heavy-handed with the iron and stretched some of those bias edges more than I should, which caused some distortion. I have lots of leftovers to play with. Still need to layer the quilt and do the quilting. I will probably just do straight line quilting on my sewing machine, right down the center of each strip.

My children are coming home from college in a couple of days so I have had to move my dollhouse supplies out of my daughter's room. Once they are home and now that the piecing is done on my wallhanging, I will get back to my beach shack.

She Sells Seashells By The Seashore

Shells, shells, shells. I had a fun day with my friend on Sunday! We walked to the beach from her house on Orr's Island and visited a beach our kids dubbed "Sea Soup" years ago. What a fun time we had there while the kids made "soup" from all the ingredients on the shore.


Here are the two parts for the roof. I painted them this luscious blue, then let them dry.


My original plan was to smash the shells and make a mosaic. I didn't like the way that looked. Lots of shells to choose from. Think we picked enough? I have a few periwinkles to add later.


I really had to hold the roof tightly for some time before the glue held. The weight of the shells made the roof heavy and it wanted to slide. The cupola needs to be added, but I will do that later. Not sure about the original blue with the blue of the roof. I want to add more shells, more periwinkles, and that will cover up some of the brighter blue. I like the fantasy effect of the shells. It doesn't have to be too realistic, which has been difficult for me to accept in the past.

I have seagulls to add later. I think one on top of the roof or on top of the cupola. I am toying with adding some realistic white drips for you know what, let's call it "guano". Just a touch, nothing too disgusting. I only have two gulls, so I may put one on the cupola, one on the roof, or have one on the roof and the other elsewhere.

I made a stove and refrigerator out of cardboard today. Still have some painting to do, but they look good. I also made a counter. I ordered a few more things today. I feel like I am really making progress. Once the order comes I will have just about everything ready to put it all together. I've got a bag of sand the kittens have been very interested in...all those delicious salty aromas!

Just a little shack

Here is the old shack covered with weathered shingles. I painted the walls dark gray, as you can see on the doors, then added the shingles with white paint. I cut a notch in a foam paintbrush to get the effect of shingles. I used a ruler and pencil to mark the rows and just dabbed on the paint. It must be realistic enough because my husband recognized what I was doing right away with no hints from me. The gray-blue trim looks like it has suffered from the salt spray for a few years, too.

After the inside was painted I started gluing on the trim. That is a lesson in patience as each piece must be added one at a time and allowed to dry one at a time. I am enjoying the process and am quite happy with the way it is turning out.

       Next job is to finish the roof. There is a cupola on the roof that was a fumbly thing to glue together, but I got it done. No photos yet. 

      I've ordered some things for the inside and went shopping locally on Saturday and bought a few more goodies, too. I'll wait until my order arrives to decide what will really end up in the house. My ideas are running way ahead of what can actually fit in this tiny space!

     Don't you love the view from the door? Can you tell where I am going with this? I'll let you know soon.

Greenleaf contest

I've entered Greenleaf Dollhouse's Spring Fling contest. You get a small workshop dollhouse, just one room with double doors on the front and a cupola on the roof. I've got lots of ideas for mine. This is the first kit I've ever put together so it will be a challenge just making the house, let alone decorating the inside.

Armed with Tacky Glue and masking tape I carefully glued the floor to the sides, matching everything so that the walls and floor are all flush. It was a little tricky keeping one side in place while putting the opposite end on, but once the front was ready to be glued on it all held together. Of course, I haven't had time to take the masking tape off yet, but I hope there is enough glue to hold it all together.

I spray painted the pieces inside a cardboard box outdoors on a nice day. Had to wait for a day that was not too windy (and not snowing for once). I was going to paint in the garage but Bill nixed that idea. He didn't want any overspray floating over to his customer's motorcycles. Funny about that, isn't he? Okay, okay, I see his point.

I mixed a batch of acrylic paint for the trim. I used light blue and tan to get a soft blue. I painted a few pieces of trim, nervously wondering if I really had enough paint for all of the trim. I knew if I ran out of paint I probably would not be able to match the color exactly as I had just squeezed a little of this and a little of that into the dish. Luckily there was plenty of paint and I really like the color. I'm a blue person.

As this is not a daily blog, you may want to link to the rss feed at the bottom of the page, or use the feed of your choice. I'm not too familiar with these things, but it is what I do for blogs I like to read. Remember also, you can click on the photos for a larger image.

Christmas in February

My Christmas dollhouse is almost done, or will it ever really be done? More pictures on the walls, decorations for the tree, a cat in Santa's lap? Perhaps, but for now I am quite happy with what I have made.

Santa is holding a card he received from a little boy in Maine, so far away! Santa's dog Aput waits patiently, ready for play. The fire burns brightly and the tree is decorated. Santa just came inside from feeding the reindeer and still has his stocking cap on. Mrs. Claus promised to bring some tea and goodies she has baked. But, for now Santa is content to read his cards and think about bringing smiles to the faces of children all over the world. Today he talked with the elves about making some special toys. Santa especially loves horses and would the elves to make rocking horses and hobby horses for next Christmas. Santa talked with Mrs. Claus about dolls today. They are designing a new doll made of wool felt with soft hair and bright eyes, just the right size for little arms to hold. Mrs. Claus would like to design a dollhouse for the elves to build, too.

Mrs. Claus is busy in the kitchen, but as you can see she is wearing her new green chiffon dress. She's ready to relax by the fire with Santa and drink some tea. She is about to cut into the coffeecake with red cherries, her favorite. Stew is bubbling on the stove for a late supper. Mrs. Claus hung a picture of her favorite cat on the wall earlier today. He was a huge white fluffy cat and lived to be 18 years old. His name was Sven. Mrs. Claus is hoping Santa will bring her a kitten for Christmas. Yes, Mrs. Claus likes Santa to give her a surprise present at Christmas, too.

Augusta Miniature Show

The miniature show at Augusta, Maine on Saturday was a treasure trove for this dollhouse enthusiast. I mangaged to circle the tables several times and picked up many goodies for my Christmas house. You can see the mirror over the mantlepiece, two lamps, Christmas presents and rocking horses in the living room. There is a new table in the kitchen which holds a pretty pink rose tea set, too.

Santa is relaxing in his rocking chair. He's wearing a red check shirt, navy trousers, and a jaunty red stocking cap. Mrs. Claus is much happier in her new chiffon gown with lacy petticoat and warm pantaloons. She is pleased to have Santa at home and will help him read his mail after she puts up some pictures on the walls. Decorating the Christmas tree with more ornaments is on Santa's to-do list; but first an apple and a quick snooze in front of the fire.

Let me introduce you

Meet Mrs. Claus, the lovely wife of Santa, of course. She is made from a pattern I bought from Cloth Doll Supply. The pattern is by Barbara Graff and includes a whole family ranging from the tallest at 6 inches down to an infant measuring an inch and a half. http://clothdollsupply.com/graff.html It is a wonderful pattern and the since the dolls have pipecleaners in them they are completely flexible.

Mrs. Claus is wearing an empire waist dress of fine cotton. Her boots are painted black. Her hair is made from embroidery floss and wool yarn and is arranged in a bun. Her expression, well let's just say cheerful and leave it at that.

I still need to make panteloons for her, poor thing. I will probably make an apron for her, too. Santa is made, but not dressed. He is looking quite thin, but I can add some padding. I need to find suitable fabric for pants for him.

Note: click on a photo to make it bigger

Look at all that mail!

DH helped me finish Santa's desk on Sunday. He has a tiny drill set for blowing out carburettor jets (I think). Just the thing for the holes for the handles. I glued on the escutcheons and then DH put in the pins for the lid. Santa has lots of cards and letters from children around the world. He put his favorites on top of the desk.

Don't you love the husky? He has one pink eye and one blue eye.



The mirror is from a compact (like I ever used that). It is temporarily glued to a piece of cardboard until I can add a frame. The candlesticks are a recent purchase and need candles. I like the mirror on the mantlepiece, otherwise the items disappear into the wallpaper.


And here is the kitchen with a pot bubbling on the hot stove. Mrs. Claus left her coffeecake on the bread board on the stove, too. Hope it doesn't get burnt! She did such a nice job with the frosting and the cherries.

Plenty of wine in the hutch and more on the top with goblets ready. A layer cake has already been cut into, someone may have been celebrating!

Next item to build is a table. I have an idea for one, but may buy one and a chair.

I am still waiting for my doll pattern to arrive. I really want to make a Santa and Mrs. C. I like people in dollhouses, otherwise who is it for?

Snowy Day

It was a snowy day in Maine, so what better way to enjoy it but to work on my dollhouse. While twelve inches of snow fell outside, I re-made the tile stove. This time I used foam core and put the warming oven drawers on the bottom of the stove, not on top! Love those gold painted lentils. The ash drawer goes in the center, but the paint is still wet.

I used a new tile for this stove, too. I like this pattern better. I like the blue enamel look and the black stove top. The all black stove seemed a bit too dark in the dollhouse and I wondered if anything would show up on it. I think this is brighter and more cheerful. Maybe I should have painted it green to go with the Christmas theme, but sometimes the red and green is a bit too much.

The oil paint touch-up on the desk came out well. I'm pleased with how it turned out. I was going to attach the handles and hinge for the desk lid, but will need DH's help with the drill.
Santa has some cards and letters from children around the world. They know Santa loves horses. Isn't it nice to see that Santa is no better organized than the rest of us?

Santa's Desk

The Chippendale desk was really fun to put together. I was very pleased at how well the pieces all fit together. The sides and pieces between the drawers fit so well I wondered if they really needed glue, but of course I did put some in, just a trace.


The board on the side is the lid/writing surface. There are tiny straight pins that fit the lid into the sides. I needed to stain the pieces before adding the hardware. Unfortunately, I must have left glue on some areas. Stain does not adhere to glue. I am going to try mixing some oil paints to match the stain color.I wonder if a marker would work? My Dad refinished furniture; wish I could ask him what to do!

Oh well, I'm pretty pleased with how this came out. I want to do something to make the surface shiny. Maybe tung oil?

I'm waiting for a doll pattern to come in the mail. I ordered a pattern for a set of dolls made of muslin. The pattern includes a family of father,mother, and two children. The dolls are supposed to be poseable and I am hoping that means there is wire, pipecleaners, inside. If not I may try that anyway.

I've tried making peg dolls and have not been pleased with my results. Too much glue that doesn't really stick. I made one doll and then added the face. Horrible! The faces need just a light touch, just a suggestion of the features or you get a heavy browed moron. Not what I am looking for for Mrs. Claus.

So, more work on the desk and write some letters to Santa!

I Won!

I won this House of Miniatures Chippendale Desk kit on eBay last week. My friend Sarah showed me some of her furniture made from these kits and I thought they were very nice. All the little pieces are in the kit. The drawer pulls are tiny tiny. Good thing I have tweezers.

Jan. 6, 2008

I'm making my first dollhouse after years of wanting one. When I was about ten or eleven, in the early 60s, my family went to the Shelburne Museum in Vermont and I fell in love with their collection of dolls and dollhouses. My husband and I went to the museum a year ago and I got to look at their fabulous collection again.

While searching online I came across a number of dollhouse websites and was inspired. The real kicker was this dollhouse for Miss Nutkin. So charming, so playful.

My husband came up with an old wooden box we used for camping supplies for years, but now use something bigger and more squirrel-proof. He found this box in a garage from our first apartment. It held dynamite when new, how's that for provenance?

I have painted the box white and put in a floor so there are two rooms. The lower room will be the kitchen and the upper room the living room or parlor. This is the home of Santa and Mrs. Claus. The kitchen has red gingham wallpaper (scrapbooking paper) and will have many fimo made foods. I used scrapbooking paper for the floor, too.

I have made two stoves, one a rustic wood-burning stove, the other a black high backed coal burner. The back of the black stove is covered with Dutch tiles printed on the computer. I'm going to re-do the stove, sigh. I put the oven doors on wrong and have the warming oven doors just under the cooking surface and it looks dumb. Both stoves were made from cardboard. I will try to use wood next time.

A friend gave me a fireplace with mantle which I have been working on. I painted the brick surround off-white and tried to paint a fake marble look, which looks okay. Today I made the coal-burning insert, complete with red, yellow, and black tissue paper for the fire. I added some polyester batting for wisps of smoke. The fireplace will be in the parlor. Santa will sit in front of the fire reading his letters.

I bought a desk kit which I will try to make, my first kit! The desk will be bulging with letters and envelopes. I want to make a book of "good girls and boys", too.

Today I painted a hen and rooster to look like Staffordshire figurines for the mantlepiece. The figurines came from Red Rose tea. They look great! I found a mirror from a compact to place above the mantel, too. Just need to frame that.

My three cats love my dollhouse, too, especially Tonks. Her favorite place to stretch out is on the bureau in the kitchen where I keep the dollhouse. Along with chewing yarn from my knitting bag, she enjoys rearranging the furniture in the dollhouse.