The Front Porch Part I

I have found that when you let someone know about your passion they usually can't help getting a little caught up in it too. My son happened across a man who happened to be a dollhouse icon. Forty years ago he was busy building dollhouses and roomboxes from scratch lumber. The kinds of houses we dream of today. More about this man later [after I get pics of him :-)]. First, lets look at his magnificent work. While you look, notice the sturdiness of the walls and floors. The Front Porch is an unassuming store that defies definition. In it you will find a fine collection of dollhouses, buy some vintage clothing or housewares or just a nice juicy peach to eat.

I will have to break this into several posts for you to be able to appreciate this treasure.

For the last fifteen years I have passed this store several times when in Greenville, South Carolina never noticing it or knowing of the  treasures within.

When you pass these on the shelf on the actual front porch you get the feeling there may just be a mini lover within.

This is the view as soon as you walk into the store and look to your right.

This is one of the first houses in my view

I walked behind it to see this set up. Miniature train and all!

Karen, a mini-lover for over 40 years,was happy to explain the history of the houses. This house was first built for a customer in 1981 who returned it recently to have it refurbished for her granddaughter.

Look at all of those rooms to decorate!

View #1 of the front of the largest house in the house.

 EVERYTHING in this house was HANDCRAFTED! The furniture was hand made by a craftsman from Africa.

Can you imagine the work that went into paneling those walls? These kind of details are evident in all of his work.

View #2 the other end. I love that little door!


Keep looking for parts two and three. I think I can squeeze it all within three posts.

Traveling with Mini Jazzi-She's on her way!

Hi everybody!

I like to sneak things in on my page from time to time. You may have noticed this picture as you scrolled down on the right.
I have been chosen to participate in this. What is this you say? Just click on her picture to the lower right of this blog and it will take you to the explanation of my part in her travels.

What fun!

No luggage required!

Click on picture for a larger view

Superior workmanship

Sunday July 29th, I went to the National Convention of the National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts show. It was the 40th anniversity of the organization. Unfortunately, by the time I decided I would be able to attend the week long celebration it was sold out! So we just went to the public day that Sunday.

Two years ago I bought three of my grandaughters a dollhouse on their birthdays. Those are the three I took with me to the show along with one of my daughters who enjoys viewing miniatures rather than making them.

It was held in a hotel that was a very beautiful combination of provencial and modern updates. A room set up as an exhibition hall was across from the sales room. My girls oooo and ahhhh their way through both. Their first surprise was a free gift at the door. From there is was giggles and pointing for hours.

I met so many great people and some whose work I had heard of previously. I came away with more than a few goodies. (pictures soon to come)

 After shopping, I decided to whip out my camera and take some great pictures of my girls next to some of the booths and exhibits. Uh, no go. My battery light was on indicating a dying battery, so I was only able to take pictures of this one fabulous roombox.

If I had to capture one thing, this is certianly the one. The International Guild of Miniature Artisans (IGMA) artist was so friendly and took a lot of time to explain the details.  Something he also shared was that along with him and his wife, he has two daughters who are also miniaturists.


Please view this lovely work done by Ron Gill and April Gill of Wildwood Dollhouse and Miniatures:

I wish the picture could do justice to this fine piece of work. The shelving is glass...tell you what...why don't you just scoot over to their site to see and read more about it.

You may see more of their work at:  http://wildwood-dollhouse.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2012-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2013-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=9

Click pictures for a larger view

Stuck on the right thing

I am a person who likes to work on several different projects at a time. This means I don't always have the same set of tools and products in front of me from project to project.

 One product that changes according to the project is glue. There are so many out there it can be mind boggling. Currently, I have six plastic shoeboxes filled with various types of glue from glue sticks to wood glue.

There would be times when one glue would work well on a material, but when I tried to glue that same material to something else the glue wouldn't work at all.

Some time ago in my frustration I found this website. It has been so helpful and I hope it will be for you too. :-)

http://www.thistothat.com/

Riding in style

I know, I know you have not heard from me in a few weeks except for the note a couple of days ago. Now here I am posting two posts in one day.

It stopped raining so I quickly got these shots. I hope you enjoy this post and the one before it.

Recently, I saw this in a thrift shop. Oh, I thought, this looks just right for one of my doll families. With a little paint it will look very realistic or maybe no paint. It even makes sounds!

Just right for hauling,  yet kind of cute!



Relaxing and enjoing the view through the sunroof



A few of my grands who happened to be with me shouted OOOO a Dora car! "Dora?", I said.
"This is by Mattel!"

Well, closer inspection and the grandchildren's wisdom along the Dora themed colors revealed that was just what it was. And yes Mattel makes Dora products.



Yep, Dora alright! (please don't ask me why that tape is there. I don't know lol)



Looking under the bush

Last Sunday I packed my daughter and three of my grandaughters in the car. We went to Charlotte North Carolina to the National Convention of National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts' (NAME) public day. More about that later.

I was also looking for a package of bushes that are sold at Joann's craft store. I read about them in one of my yahoo groups. I called Joanne's craft store in Charlotte. Bingo! They had them.I had just the right place for them in my dollstory town.  So, I made two trips in one.

Here are pictures showing why I wanted them:


I already had a  flat mini sized map.








There are also places to put stones and flowers




This shows some of the assorted bush types which happen to match the ones on the map. Notice the ferns.




The bushes come in a pack of nine. They are a slightly larger  than a golf ball.

 These bushes glued on with a few stones and flowers will make the "park" three dimensional. Just right for a relaxing dolly walk.

Rain, rain...please call before you come

Hey everybody!

I have three ways to make it rain.

1). Wash my car
2.) Water my garden
3.) Plan to work on minis outside

Today, I did numbers two and three. Wow, look at it pour! lol I will be back in a little while with another post after I do some indoor stuff.

THE SHOW IS ON!

A few posts ago I mentioned I was busy making clothes for my 1:12 doll stories. Then I read a reply by Zdollcloset using the words "fashion show!" Show?! I scurried around grabbing fabric Scarlet O'hara style in reverse and made some curtains.

The styrofoam was in my view. Quick get the wallpaper book out and see if you have anything to match the curtains and the animal print "carpet". Ahhhh just right. I glued it on the runway, next put palm tree candle holders in place and went to get the models.

Well, remember I made you promise not to laugh. Here is my fashion show with a few of the outfits I made.

Just imagine some loud techno music and off we go....



A lovely yellow and khaki outfit to wear shopping on a saturday afternoon





Our lady wears a cool purple and green cotton suit perfect for this heatwave.



This two piece suit is perfect for meetings at the office.

 



Without the jacket she is ready to go dancing!

I didn't make the blouse, but made then added the burgundy velvet pencil skirt for a professional look.

This is a genuine leather jacket I made some time ago. It goes well with the gold trimmed knit dress underneath. If you look closely you can see the gold button accent on the jacket.

Now she is ready to attend that semi-formal evening wedding after work!

I'm so sorry, he felt there should be male representation with all of the lovely ladies. He grabbed his vest before it was  finished! I think someone told him his bow legs were sexy or something.





And what fashion show would be complete without a bride?



 

Wait...hol'....somebody help the bride!!!!

And uh that concludes our fashion show!
(somebody untangle the bride please!)





Big and little beauties

Here are two of my girls. One "big" one "little."  I own over 70 male and female fashion size dolls and at this point over 40, 1:12 scale dolls. Right now I am making wardrobes for the 1:12 because modern clothing for them is either hard to find or expensive.

Most of you already know the 1:12 doll is approximately half the size of her friend at 5 1/2". You might notice that her dress is the same size as Barbie's top. LOL 

I plan to do the doll stories in 1:12 and I will tell you why once the show gets on the road.



Bet you didn't know that 1:12 scale dolls and 1:6 scale dolls got along so well!



The house was made by The Little Tikes Company



Does size really matter? No! All girls just want to have fun!

 Oh yea, I made those quicky outfits.

A Cool Pool

With the heat wave we are having in most parts of the country, I thought about this pool. I couldn't find any markings or manufacturer's name.

 I haven't decided if I will paint the interior or not. If you look closely you will see a drain. The drain actually works. I am going to try to figure out how to keep the water in. Does anyone recognize this? It will show up in a doll story or three. :-)



 

It seems a little to small for Barbie. Barbie would probably stretch about half-way. My girl and her friends could probably get a few good laps in. 

It has stickers on it. I don't know if they came with it or not. I will take these off.





What to wear?

I have been planning to write doll stories for several years. Now that I am ready, I realize my dolls dont have decent wardrobes. I could take the advice of a fellow blogger and make it X-rated. I also thought of a nudist theme.
Naw. Instead I have been sewing feverously and shopping for outfits for my little folks. Once I have a sufficient amount I will have them model their outfits. Hopefully, within the next day or two. Grab a good seat...and no laughing! LOL

The making of a miniature boutique

In case  you are wondering about the picture to the left, it is a boutique I finished a few months ago save for a few finishing touches. Here is the progression of the making. It took a little over a year to complete working on it a little bit at a time.



Just starting out with the basics.
The dollhouse flooring was bought from eBay,  stained then painted with a gloss to give it a nice finish. Only half  of the floor will be hardwood flooring.

 

A close-up of the wallpaper I bought from eBay. The great part is the border is printed on it.





I wanted something a little different so i glazed the outside pink then added a bronze crackle finish.



 

The number disk is a sequin on which I used a hole punch. I don't even know what the pink shelving was before. LOL



The door is part of a decorative doodad dismantled and painted to match. It is wood so I realize now I should have sanded it first. I will also add a door frame for it.  The clothes rack is from a Dollar Tree doll set painted silver. I made the gold dress on the left.




The shoes come from various sources. I even have a pair that might fit Barbie. Feet come in all sizes right? :-) The hangers are from the same set as the clothes rack from Dollar Tree. I bought several of these shelves new from a thrift shop so don't be surprised if you see several of them in my "mall."



This is as far as I have gotten. My miniaturist friend Janet from NAME suggested a few plants. Once I decide  which ones I will use I will add them.
These are two of the dolls who will be in my future doll stories. The pocketbook images on the left wall are iron on patches. Stay tuned for the finished product!





Mini ha ha ha

Between having my grandchildren for a week and traveling the next I have not had much time to get into my minis or posting any blogs. I have some posts coming up very soon. But in the meantime, I thought you might enjoy a little mini humor. Take a look at these and enjoy. :-)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/big-food-little-people/2012/06/18/gJQAeAcIlV_gallery.html#photo=15

More Woodworking pictures

I thought I would try to get some more of the pictures from the field trip to Bills workshop. I actually had to use a different computer. But I was able to get these to you.
Here they are:

Here is a tiny claw and ball leg Bill made ready for a nice piece of furniture.





Look at some of my goodies I got to take home.
 There is pine, mahogany, basswood and some types of wood I never even heard of before!



Woodworking in miniature

Today was so exciting. Some time ago I found a group for woodworkers. I told my friend Vanessa at Van's doll treasures. She was so excited she joined right away. After I heard her stories and saw her projects, I knew I wanted to start too.
On my second visit, I met a man who just happened to mention he made mini furniture.
I was intrigued and asked a few questions. Turns out he has his own workshop and is not only a master carpenter, but a licensed contractor. So this man knows houses...big and little ones!

He invited me to his shop. OMG! What fun.

I saw some of the tools and other equipment he uses for minis.

OK here is what I saw:


A contraption he made to work with mini tools



Table made by Bill. Notice the details. The drawers have tiny dove tail joints.
The shell design on the front was done by hand!

 I even got a goody bag of various types of wood with which to practice. Yippie! 
 As soon as I solve some technical difficulties, I will add more pictures. Stay tuned!

A new mall!

I saw this several months ago in a...you guest it...a thrift shop. Immediately, when I saw it, my mind said, "whatever it is has three mini floors on it." At first, I thought of each section being a separate expression.

The inside before anything was done

Then, I thought maybe a mansion with nine rooms.

Finally, I got it! A mall! As soon as I decided, all kinds of goodies and ideas began to present themselves. Nine stores in a mall. I even found something that looked like an escalator.

Now, we know it won't get done in a couple of months, but I am proud to say that I have already started. Here is where I have gotten so far.

Top floor  front with stones added to give it more texture

Entire front painted

I used textured spray paint from Walmart to give it that concrete look. Then I  added small stones from my garden while the paint was still wet.

This is the stand for the mall. I don't know how I will paint it. Maybe black textured to look like the parking lot it sits on. Don't you just love the hearts? My favorite.

I am now working on the walls/wallpaper.

A real mini world!

How cute is this!

http://devour.com/video/miniatur-wunderland

Simple lighting

I like to make roomboxes. I will share pictures of some that I am working on. In my mind a dollhouse or roombox is never completed. There is always another touch that would make it that much better.

Some time ago I took a dollhouse wiring class. It was in Atlanta and was a good drive. I need to go back and get a refresher, which they offer for free, for my dollhouse.

 Roomboxes however, look gangly with all of that wiring. So, a solution! wireless lighting. Just stick them where you want them to go and voila! The great thing is the battery is replaceable unlike the small LED lights.

I found a company in the United Kingdom that has a wide assortment of them and I plan to order some very soon. As soon as they can be installed they will be in a post with an evaluation.

Do you know what these are?

I am a thrift shopaholic. I can't drive or walk past or even hear of one without stopping in. I am on a first name basis with most of the staff in the local ones.
Well, I was browsing in one on "senior day" when I found these. I am not sure what they are for, but I get new ideas each time I look at them. I noticed the word Mattel imprinted on them. What they were going to be or supposed to be used for is beyond me. I have several more in various shapes.
If anyone recognizes them please let me know what they were meant to be. Just curious.
 At any rate, expect them to morph into such things as tables, walls and anything else that jumps out at me. LOL

Mini friends of playscale Morristown couple

Rod and Danielle of Van's doll treasure blog recently had a lovely wedding. One of my couples was ready for all of the excitement of the wedding and the soon to be reception. They are 1:12 scale. The wedding is playscale Barbies.

I am finally here!

Today is the first of many blogs about crafting. Usually what you see here will be about the miniatures in my life. I also enjoy making life-sized projects. I waited until the time was right then I jumped in with two feet. My hope is to grow with you, through you and in front of you as I become more serious and refined in the world of crafts.
Please join me! :-)