I think I have a problem...

I've only been doing the mini thing for a few months and today I acquired my fourth dollhouse! An almost built Strawberry Patch off of Craiglist...

Though it was started about 20 years ago, it still has all the extras to finish it. It was also  filled with lots of misc. furniture.  Not sure what I'm going to turn it into yet.  I'll have to wait and see if it "speaks" to me.

I need to finish the Daydream Cottage (Greenleaf's Arthur) first. I also have a Laurel/Primrose (still in boxes) that I ordered shortly after starting the Daydream Cottage to turn into a family style home. 

Then there is my Craiglist RGT Ponderosa (which is really my kids so it surely doesn't count).

Hmmm. Where are all these houses going to live?

Miniature inspiration

One of my inspirations for starting up miniatures was this wonderful book, The Princess and the Pea by Lauren Child...

 We've always been big fans of Lauren Child's vibrant and graphic style in our family.  As toddlers, my sons loved the Charlie and Lola books and TV series. As they grew older, Hubert Horatio and Whose afraid of the Big Bad Book became favorites.  We even named two cats Charlie and Lola! But when this book came out I bought it more for me than them.

Child created the rooms in the book out of cereal boxes and picture board, drew the characters cut them out then place them into the scene along with miniatures she found, commissioned and made herself. Then Polly Borland worked with her (in Child's kitchen) to photograph the boxes...

The results are mesmerizing...

Even Emerson is a fan of the work...

A chair and goodies

I find that I've been trying out all of the wonderful tutorials that I come across in blogland.  Hopefully the experience of creating these wonderful miniatures will help me to come up with some original ideas!

A few weeks ago, I tried out the Louis XVI chair from Lea Frisoni's beautiful blog.  I was very happy with the results except I've somehow lost the fabric for the arm rests in my pseudo craft room:

This will go in the Daydream cottage living room. 

I was excited to receive today in the mail an order from Carolyn's Kitchen esty store.  I was so intrigued by the recent giveaway on her blog that I had to order these two little dishes and the metal picture for the daydream cottage...

They are so sweet and came so fast from New Zealand to California!  Thanks, Carolyn, for the great service!

Minis with Kids

When I first started working on the daydream cottage my 7-year-old twin boys wanted to know where their dollhouse was. (Clarification: the above photo is from the daydream cottage. It's been invaded!)

I came across a RGT Ponderosa on Craiglist for the amazing price of $25. The perfect little boys dollhouse...

Its was old but only missing a few shingles and a perfectly white clean slate inside.  It didn't take them long to start filling it up with my stash of furniture...

My son painted these dolls I made using sculpey push molds.  I dressed them and wigged the woman but he wigged the man himself...

He really wanted a baby!

Today we're going to pickout some scrapbook paper for the walls.  I must remember that this is their dollhouse and not mine...

Nature's Treasures

 

A quick overnight trip to Monterey Bay to visit the Aquarium.  Kids had fun in the cold water while mom gathered some tiny treasures!

Making minis...

My first attempts at making furniture and other little bits.

A bed for daydream cottage. Roughly made from leftover scraps from the house kit and a hack saw...

A chair made from the Jennifer's Printables tutorial.  Originally for the daydream cottage, but may end up elswhere.  And the first attempt at a mini jug and mug made from paper which I first saw on Liberty Biberty...

And the second try, a little neater. On top of an augmented Michael's Hutch...

The little jugs are very addictive!

Making dolls

When it comes to making miniatures, I love the idea of creating characters that live in the world.  I decided to try and make my own because then I could create endless characters.  Well it turned out to be a lot harder than it looked!

I followed several different online tutorials. Picked up some polymer clay. This is the first doll I created...

She's not bad.  Well not to bad.  A little like a man in drag.  But she is way out of scale and I had no idea what to make her hair out of.  (This is felting wool).  I don't really have a steady enough had for delicate features (less coffee maybe?)  Anyway I christened her Gertrude.

The second attempt resulted in this...

She's a little smaller in scale but still a bit heavyhanded in the makeup department.  This time I used some doll hair from the craft section of Michaels.


I finally gave up and bought Emerson from Minikitz.com.  When she arrived I was shocked at how out of scale my dolls were. She is so much more delicate.  But I will not be deterred.  I will continue to try my hand at doll making.  But they may be regulated to supporting characters!

(this was also my first attempt at furniture making using the tutorial from Jennifer's Printables. I used elmers glue and wasn't to precise so I gave it to my boys to use with their house!)