I think I’ve mentioned that I have a rescue doll house. I bought it off of Craigslist and the thing is enormous and in much need of restoration (mostly of the decorative kind). I haven’t made much progress on it because, truth be told, the work is daunting. The interior walls all need a good skim coat of plaster and sanding, the floors need replacing and, well, we just won’t talk about the staircases at the moment.
At first I was very inspired and then very intimidated by all the very realistic, authentic looking dollhouses out there and it kind of paralyzed me. So I started working on the furnishings as a way to distract myself.
Now the little details I can wrap my mind around. So I started making the odd bit here and there. After making a few pieces I realized that I was essentially replicating my own decor.
I tend to buy dollhouse furniture and then modify it to suit my taste. The bed, for example, was an orangy wood stain and I immediately painted it white and added some crystal finials. Much like my own bed.
The table and chair are actually plastic, assemble yourself pieces that I also painted white.
I guess what works for me will work for the dollhouse (which I keep saying I’m doing for my granddaughter but we all know I’m really doing it for me. I will share though…).
I did create the stove myself out of scrap bass wood and lots of sanding and coats of paint. I even made a little Wedgewood emblem like our stove has. I followed a couple of tutorials to come up with my version. I have a Pinterest board full of inspiration.
I’ll feature more things I’ve made and my progress (slow as it may be…) over the next few months. It’s such a fun little hobby and I love how creative I can get with it. You should see all the stuff I’ve made for the attic space. I wanted it to tell a story of the person that lives in the house and what an interesting life they have led.
P.S. Sorry about the lack of post on Monday. The weekend just flat out wore me out. We had my mother in law visiting and a birthday celebrations and I just ran out of hours. Here’s a picture of the finished doll bed. It was a hit!
I had a dollhouse in college that was all fixed up. When my daughters were young, we pulled it out, redecorated it and we had fun playing with it, until my older one used it as a step stool to see out the window and destroyed it. It was beyond repair. I love that you are making this one your own. What does the dollhouse look like, I love the furnishings! Can’t believe you made that adorable little stove on your own! I also love your linens, are they heirlooms? I have many that my grandmother and great grandmother made!
Ill do a progress post on the dollhouse soon. It was so garish when I first bought it (pepto pink and cobalt blue) and I quickly gave the outside a few coats of white paint. The inside is a hot mess at the moment.
I have an unabashed love of linens of all vintages. Some are old, some are new. I love them all equally. I wish some were heirlooms. I think I got my love of linens from my grandmother – she used to do a crocheted edge on all her pillow cases and we had a few when I was growing up. I loved it when they ended up on my bed. Oh how I wish I could crochet!