Hiya!

Well, it certainly has been a while since I have posted, but so much has happened in the past few months.

1) I got a new job! I am now a professor, teaching biology to undergraduates.

2) Because of #1, I moved from NH to NY. I live in the Albany area. It's very nice, though I do miss the ocean quite a bit.

3) I went to Hawaii about a week ago for a symposium, and that was pretty awesome. :)

Due to all the craziness in my life, my hobbies have been on the back burner, but now that I am settling in, I hope to finish up some projects and start some new ones.

Hopefully this week (or at least within the next couple weeks), I will have shingled my Glencroft (finally) and finished off the rest of the work I need to do for it (add the front door, finish the chimney and attach the front yard).

I also want to explore some of the mini shops in my area. Apparently there is Lord Jim's Dollhouses in Schenectady, Linda's World of Miniatures in Greenville, and Judy's Tiny Shop in Delmar. I hope they are all still open so I can go and check them out. Have any of you been to these shops? I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments.

Jason still lives in NH (in fact, I am there visiting for the weekend), and this has proved convenient (but still a bit of a bummer that we live so far apart now) because I didn't have a lot of time to move and was able to just move what I need. I'll be taking the Glencroft with me and a box of minis I left behind.

So hopefully I will post more updates soon!

Cheers, and thank you for following my blog!

NH Farm Museum furniture; similar hutches

As mentioned in an earlier post, I had gone to the NH Farm Museum in Milton, NH over July 4th weekend. There I bought two pieces of furniture: one hutch and one chair.

Yes, the hutch's price is correct...it was 3.95. And the "captain's chair" was 0.95! Very cute and very inexpensive.

I also like the shopping bag the Museum used to pack my goodies in...

I think it would be awesome if the scale on the ads were smaller, for the antique shop. But I do have a camera and a computer, so I could make it possible. :)

Now, the thing that struck me about the hutch was that it looked an awful lot like two other hutches I have in my collection.

The hutch on the left is the one I found at the antique shop in Maine. The one in the middle came in a lot from eBay. The one on the right is the one from the Farm Museum. They all have the same heavy, sturdy construction and similar hardware. In fact, there were others at the Museum gift shop that were similar but I had to drag myself away before I bought everything. ;)  I am thinking of making a display with these three hutches if I don't use them in any of the houses.

 

Of course, if you're wondering, Oscar would love to have them in his yet-to-exist antique store, but we'll see. I told him he could have the chair.

But he complained his hind end didn't fit in there too well. Then again, his hind end doesn't fit in any other chair that well, either...

In the mean time, Esme is relaxing on the chaise lounge she insisted on having in front of the shop. It's the weekend after all, and it's time to kick back and relax.

Introducing Oscar and Esmerelda...

Well, two new folks have moved into town. Meet Esmerelda:

Esmerelda's dream is to run an herbal shop...with wares from around the world. Hmmm, I think I can hook her up with such a place. Tomorrow, I might have to show her a shop I know that needs such a person.


Her friend Oscar has also moved into town...

He's a packrat, and really into antiques. In fact, he's been known to wear some vintage early 1900s clothes. I don't know how he can stand wearing a suit in the middle of the summer, but I suppose if he isn't complaining, then neither should I. Anyway, like I said...he's a bit of a packrat:

Stuff he's inherited, bought, received as gifts, etc. has piled up considerably and he needs a place to keep it all. In fact, he'd love to open his own antique shop...something with an apartment above it would be ideal - nothing fancy, a studio would be fine...he's a bachelor after all. I might have another piece of property I could show him. It may need a little work, first, however.

The bedroom does need to be big enough to fit his antique bedroom collection, though.

Oscar: "I hope I can find a first floor apartment. I don't want to move all this stuff."


Esmerelda: "Well, don't look at me..."


Oscar: "Awww, come on. I'll give you 10% off at my antique store!"

Esmerelda: *Sigh...*



----
So everything shown above came in an AMAZING lot I received from a seller on eBay. I was looking at the listing, staring wistfully at the items, thinking it wouldn't be feasible to spend money on so many minis right now. Jason saw what I was looking at and decided to bid on it for me and he won! Yay! I was so excited to get all this stuff, and I love the dolls! Even though Oscar's wardrobe is a little dated, I think I can weave a story to make it work. Esmerelda's clothes translate nicely to a hippie/new agey style, especially when I make her some jewelry. :)


Here's the rest of the stuff in the lot:

New kitchen stuff. The copper items are definitely going into the Glencroft kitchen!

Flatware set. And I LOVE the whisk!

Some odds and ends...shutters, a window pane and a neat display.


Tune in for more adventures, when Oscar and Esmerelda check out their new digs and visit some of the other houses in the area. ;)

Goodies to come...

Hello everyone! I'd like to welcome all of the new readers to my blog. :) Thank you for following me...nearly 70 followers?! Wow! I am thinking of putting together a give-a-way package when I get 100 followers, but more on that later.

I've been away from minis for the last month or so, since this summer has been dedicated to career-job hunting. I am working locally for the time being, which is great for the wallet and the bills. ;)

I am inspired, as always, to complete some of the projects that are waiting for me in my craft room, first and foremost - Glencroft. She needs her chimney finished and her roof shingled. I think I made a decision on the chimney and that can be completed while I wait to get shingles (I want to be permanently employed first - lol).

Jason nabbed something awesome for me on eBay and as soon as we get it in the mail, I'll show you. I am very excited!

Here's something the New England locals might be interested in: the New Hampshire Farm Museum. I took my sister and nieces there on July 4th weekend. First of all it was a real treat for my nieces (one is 16, the other is 4), but also for us adults, too. We saw animals, old farm tools, and a very lovely homestead from the late 18th/early 19th century. For those working with a historical miniature scene, it's quite a treasure trove of ideas. In addition, there is a lovely dollhouse in the parlor, fully finished and furnished. :) I was quite happy with that. And in the gift shop are wooden dollhouse hutches and other pieces for very low prices. In fact, they are very similar to some pieces I already have. I did pick a couple pieces up, but for now I do not have pictures of them. I will get them up on the blog asap.

Another thing I have been working on in the meantime, not related to minis, is the website of our bath salt company. Jay and I create salt blends by hand and pack everything here in our home. I apologize for the shameless plug, but if you are interested, do check it out here! :)

I think that's it. I just wanted to update so you know I am still around! :) I enjoy reading my friends' blogs and am constantly inspired by all of the amazing projects I see on them. Keep it up!

Peace,
Linda

Vermont finds

Well I promised in the previous post that I would include a few things I bought in Vermont over Memorial Day weekend. The first group of items was purchased at the Real Good Toys factory outlet in Barre, VT. Seeing RGT dollhouses in person is always a treat and one could save a lot of money on the ones they have here. The store isn't that big, and there wasn't a huge selection for accessories, but it was a pleasant visit. They have items in both 1" and 1/2" scales, including houses and furniture! There was also a Melissa and Doug section for the little ones. And they had Reutter Porcelain sets marked down. Anyway, let me show you the goods:

I bought some mini books, a Reutter Porcelain "Farmer's Brunch" set, some doorknobs, patterns and instructions for interior decorating of the RGT Simplicity house (which was marked collectable, can be used for any house, and was only 5 bucks), and some shutters for the Alison Jr. which Jay is going to turn into a haunted house.

I laid out the brunch set in the Glencroft kitchen.

Close-up of the pattern and instructions. There are two big sheets with projects on both sides.

The other items...

Anyway, we stopped in Montpelier on the way back from our trip, and I visited Rivendell Books on Main Street and found this:

It was 6.99, and one of the books on my "want list." So I was happy to find it. :)

Glencroft redecorating and finishing

Well...have I been making some progress. I am in the midst of job searching and hoping I get one very soon, but in the meantime, I have been keeping myself busy (and sane) with the Glencroft. I finally decorated the Glencroft bedroom (including dressing the bed, my first one ever!). I also painted the living room walls and added the moulding to the front kitchen wall, between the ceiling beams. For the interior, all I have left are some minor touchups with paint and wood filler (the latter has become my best friend in this process) and adding the front door.

Before I get to the pics, I want to say a word about shingles...I went shopping for shingles on Tuesday, first at Ben Franklin, because I had remembered that they had bags of shingles for a reasonable price. Well when I got there and looked at them, I noted a) their selection was a bit limited and the price wasn't as good as I had thought and b) some of the shingles were in pretty bad shape in the bag. So I grabbed some of the other things that I needed and moved on to the local A.C. Moore, which sells dollhouses and components. Oh boy. They had shingles all right. But for 46.99 for a BAG of 1000. 0______0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obviously I did not buy shingles there, and I have made a decision to buy them from Tom's Mill/Earth and Tree which is much cheaper and local. Plus they make their own, which makes me happy. I like to give my local miniature shop business when I can anyway. I am going to wait until I am employed to purchase the shingles, and hopefully that will be soon!!

Anyway, here are some pics:

This is the whole bedroom. I papered the sloped ceiling with some awesome scrapbook paper I found at Ben Franklin's...one side was a solid color and the other was textured and you could sand it.

A close-up of the bed... I made the comforter myself. ;) Super easy.

Here, you can kinda see the window seat I made. I LOVE the ribbon I used to cover it. Super-cute. I found it at A.C. Moore for a dollar or so.

The comforter is reversible, but the same pattern on both sides. Underneath, I placed a little flannel blanket. The sheets were made from a satiny handkerchief I had in my stash.

I used ribbon as trim for the sloping walls...this room turned out very "springy."

 Just a close-up of the window seat.

I built this shelf above the bed because the wall is a little "wonky" right there. It also adds more storage space.

Now for the downstairs:

In the living room, I painted the walls an off-white color. I also made this tiny bulletin board to go next to, or above, the rolltop desk.

More living room. The window seat downstairs is much simpler than the one upstairs. Just silk-covered padding embellished with some ribbon.

Last, but not least, here are the mouldings I made for the kitchen...it looks a lot better than before. 

Thanks for reading! I have a few goodies from the RGT Outliet Store in Barre, VT and a find in a Montpelier bookstore to post about next time! Cheers!

Manor House Minis order + some good local mini finds

Hello everyone!  I recently ordered some great stuff from Manorhouseminis.com and decided to make a video slide show to show you instead a long list of pics. I had a lot of fun doing this and may do more in the future!



Seriously, I have no need for the doll or the pediments as neither of them work with any of the projects I am currently working or plan to work on in the near future. The doll's hat is glued on her head, but the dress may be removable...maybe. If you want them, let me know. I wouldn't mind swapping the doll or the pediments for some mini books or whatever you may have and not need...leave a comment. :)

I have also made some great local mini finds. The first is from Bo-Mar Antiques in Wells, ME (where I found my general store!). There were several pieces of dollhouse furniture, all very cute. I restricted myself to buying just one piece, which cost less than 5 dollars: a little handmade rocking chair with a woven seat.

I love handmade stuff so this was perfect. There were also some corner chairs there and a few table and chair sets. So if anyone is nearby, it may be worth visiting. The variety of items at Bo-Mar changes frequently so I  recommend that if you like something, grab it while you can.

My local used bookstore sometimes has miniature books, but not very often. I happened to find The Complete Guide to Remodeling & Expanding Your Dollhouse by Nola Theiss in the "woodworking" section of the store. They do have a craft section which occasionally has books on the hobby as well. But again, the selection of books varies as the store has a lot of turnover.
Here's a picture of the book:

There is some good stuff in here, and a few color pictures. I haven't yet read the whole thing, but so far I like it.

Jay and I are going to Vermont this weekend and I am really excited about the Real Good Toys Factory Outlet Store! I just learned about it - on CraigsList of all places. But here is the website: http://www.realgoodtoys.com/about-our-company/dollhouse-factory-outlet-store/

Even though RGT is shutting down their factory and shipping departments for a long vacation starting on the 28th, the store will remain open. I look forward to checking them out and seeing what is there. I'll probably post what I find when we get back. :)

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend!

Glencroft Updates

Hello everyone. I am so sorry I haven't been very vocal on my blog, but so much has been going on lately in other parts of my life that I haven't been able to keep up on working on my hobby too much. However, I have been lurking on other blogs and checking out everyone's wonderful mini creations and, as always, I enjoy them.

As I am writing this, AC/DC's "Back in Black" just came on, which is funny, because I was just about ready to type "I'm back!" :) LOL

In other news, I have successfully completed my dissertation and will be graduating this Saturday! My parents just arrived from PA and will be stopping by the house soon. It will be good to see them again.

Anyway, I have pictures to share with you. I finally put the windows in my Glencroft, and I have been playing a little bit with furniture placement. As for the windows...oh boy, I had a lot of wood shavings and sawdust from trimming down the window frames and sanding. Some still don't fit as well as I'd like, but this is a learning process for me. I may also opt for a laser-cut kit next time. ;)

Okay, picture time!

As you can see, there's still work to be done. I need to do a lot of paint touch-ups and add the front door, which I think I may actually hinge. After that, I have an idea for that large opening next to the stairs in the bedroom, and I still need to shingle the roof and finish the chimney. I still don't know if I should stain or paint the bedroom ceiling...hmmm.

By the way, if you're wondering, I did make the screen in the bathroom. That was my first try. I plan to make more and offer a tutorial here (or via youtube, but still posted here).

Okay, my folks should be here soon! So I should get ready! :) Cheers!