Chaise Lounge a la Linda

So, when I bought a copy of the May 2009 American Miniaturist at my local miniature shop (an hour is local?!), I found a project I have been meaning to try: the chaise lounge.

So, here is the result of that venture (not too bad for the first time!):




The pillow is made by Dale's Dreams. Dale's Etsy shop, where you can find ADORABLE pillows like that one can be found here. I had some super cute, perfectly matching, tiny orange plaid fabric that came in a grab bag of scraps that I bought at a local fabric store a while back when I was into quilting. I think the chaise lounge might end up in either the living room or in the front yard of the Glencroft.

Meanwhile, I have been making big plans for the Glencroft's bathroom. I decided to go with a Japanese style bath room with just a shower area and the deep bath. I am foregoing the toilet and sink as one could imagine that it is in another room not represented. So I've been putting together materials for it, including two bamboo shades I found on eBay. I picked up a box from AC Moore last night that would be perfect for the bath and I am going to build a platform and a step that I will sink the tub into; this will be built out of foamcore. I hope to get started on this project this weekend, so we shall see...

More hats and some acorn bowls

I made more hats!


Also, I picked up some acorn caps on a hiking trip last weekend. I sanded down the tops, and turned them upside down to make bowls. I also stained them.

I haven't decided what to fill them with, but I was thinking apples or a fall bouquet.

Trying something new!

So I tried my luck at making witch hats today. :) I used the tutorial and patterns found here.

Here they are, made out of scrap fabric lying around.

Our resident hat model shows off the new styles. ;)




And here they are in the shop. :) I think I might make some more. I should invest in some hat stands.

New finds in NH

I went to Mt. Washington today with Jay and his family, who is visiting from PA. On the way up to the White Mountains, on Route 16, is a great Southwestern shop called Kokopelli Inc. It has all kinds of jewelry, art, and western wear, and of course, lots of Kokopellis. It was an unlikely place to find minis, but, with imagination, and the happy realization that I need more Native American items in my shop, I sought out the perfect pieces while everyone else shopped around.

This is what I found: a woven trivet made by a native Mexican tribe, a tiny drum, and a wooden Kokopelli. The trivet is PERFECT as a rug in my shop. And I need more instruments, too.

Here is the result: the drum is placed on the counter, and you can see the rug fitting perfectly in the space.

And Kokopelli has been placed by the door.
I love finding stuff like this. I was talking to one of the salesladies at the shop about my hobby and she was very excited about my finds and what I plan to use them for. She also told me about a possible dollhouse miniatures shop on NH 28 on the way to Wolfeboro from 16. I have to check that out!

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Alison, Ayuka waits for me to finish renovating the house so she can move in...well, she'll be waiting a long time, and I haven't promised her anything. lol
She's unaware that just above her head, there seems to be a small matter with giant lizards colonizing the house...we'll need to address that issue.

Another new addition!

So, it seems as if when I post lately, I have an awesome new addition to my dollhouse collection. Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint, so I will share with you my brand new Alison/Petite Dreams. I don't know which it is. It is the reverse of the RGT Alison, but is identical to the Petite Dreams house, and I suppose it could be either. Perhaps I can solve this mystery with your help - if not today, then maybe when I post more pics in the future when I begin to rehab it.

Here she is:

Oh, and guess how much I paid for her? Go ahead, guess!

You done guessing?

She was F-R-E-E!!! That's right! My labmate and friend, Helen, saw the dollhouse at a yard sale, where it was being given away (for what reason, I have no idea!) and thought of me and picked it up! I swear that I did ask if she wanted to keep it, but she gave it to me! :-D I am a lucky friend!

The dollhouse is BIG! I am going to keep her the same color, but there are many changes I will make to her inside and out. As you can see right away, there are shutters missing, but I do not care that much for the shutters anyway, so I may order brand new ones from HBS or pick some up at Earth and Tree (I need a reason to go there anyway!)

The roof doesn't match up perfectly with the exterior left wall, so I will do something about that. Most likely, I will just paint it to match the shingles as I don't want to crack anything.

When wiping down the inside of the house, I ended up tearing off the felt used for carpet. I am going to either paper or repaint the walls and put down some real floorboards and tile.

I may also replace the front door, and I am definitely going to install stairs (there are none, but holes where there should be.
And I thought the Glencroft dwarfed my shop!!

Speaking of the Glencroft, you might be wondering where she is. Well, Jay and I did some cleaning and decluttering this week and got rid of the old futon in the spare room. Turns out, that freed up a lot of space. We have an old massage table we never use (but should! lol) and I put the Glencroft and the general store on that. :) It's basically my workshop area now (minus the stuffed animals, which really make this look like a little kid's playroom - LOL).


The area beneath the table provides a lot of room for storage. Below are the boxes for what remains of the Glencroft pieces, and for the Canterbury House (which I am putting off on building til I get my other projects done!)