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!