O Tannenbaum

First Snowfall

Just a dusting of snow, nothing significant, but just enough to blow around and coat the surfaces in white, and make the fetching home the Christmas trees ever so picturesque! I will confess that in my childhood and well into my twenties, our family NEVER put the Christmas tree up until Christmas Eve. Santa decorated it and the first viewing was upon waking on Christmas morning. Then one year my brother and I went out on Christmas Eve to look for a tree and there were none left! All the vendors were done selling them! We finally found one out behind a convenience store, waiting for the re-cyclers to cart it away. We took it home and ever since then I have put my tree up well in advance of Christmas Eve! And I will confess that in those long ago years we used to point in shock at those who put up their trees right after Thanksgiving. It was way too soon! But I have been converted. At some point I realized that I was only torturing myself by NOT putting my tree up at the earliest possible moment! Because I ADORE Christmas trees! I think it is the lights. I just HAVE to have those beautiful lights at this darkest time of year. So now I rush out and get my trees at the weekend following Thanksgiving.

Trees, PLURAL, you ask? Here again I will confess that I got spoiled in my old house where I had room for more than one Christmas tree, and I was growing them in my back meadow, so OF COURSE I had more than one tree! And since I moved to my small house, I have NOT been able to give up the second tree! One has white lights, and the other has colored ones! It takes me ages to actually decorate them, but the LIGHTS go on right away! Here you can see the white tree in my little upstairs studio.
And here is the tree with colored lights in my downstairs dining room turned studio.

(Yes, these are the 1:1 scale trees!)

Obviously, since this is a blog about my dollhouses, you are waiting to see the dollhouse trees? Well, first I must confess that I had bought a mini tree MANY MANY years ago and hid it in the Someday Cupboard House. I even decorated it with pieces of jewelry and beads and tiny birds and cut out paper card ornaments. It is Charlotte's tree, technically, but her house is currently not habitable, so she and the children have gone south for the winter. It seems a shame to not use the tree anyway, so I pulled it out and tried it in the Lovely Old Dollhouse, but it is too TALL! Ken is looking it over. It has no working lights, but Ken is not too concerned.

He likes the rustic decorations. Perhaps it would be perfect in the Castle? We know that in Medieval times there would NOT have been a tree.... other than the Yule Log they burned in the Great Hearth!

But Ken is thinking of holding a Holiday Party there...... the Halloween Party was such fun!

And the tree would make great decoration.... no matter what era we are in!

Meanwhile, SOMEBODY went shopping at Home Depot and spotted these little LIGHTED trees with battery packs... and couldn't resist! They are PERFECT for the Folly.... and they even have a dusting of snow on them! Arthur thinks The Folly is too small to have a tree inside the livingroom, so this is perfect for him.

No fuss, no mess. Just throw the switch and instant seasonal decor!

I think they are so cute, I might have to get another set for the other side of the porch!
And then, of course, there was a larger version of LIGHTED tree at the Home Depot that just HAD to come home with the two smaller trees! This one has no snow and is decorated for indoors. The package said nine inches tall. The Lovely Old Dollhouse has nine inch tall ceilings..... so it should JUST fit ...... except it is an Old House, the ceilings have sagged a bit.... so the only space high enough is the hallway by the stairs.

But Pollyanna thinks it looks just lovely there!

If you don't mind the star touching the ceiling!

And it IS such a big old house, there is plenty of room for more than ONE tree!



So Pollyanna pulled out the little tree that was used last year, but without lights on it.

THIS year she has a string of tiny lights to decorate it with!

It took a couple of tries to make all the plugs work, but when those tiny colored lights actually went on it changed everything!

It's just SO magical!

She had to show Annabelle and Sally May and Chip.

I don't care how imperfect the tree is, when the lights go on, it is just PERFECT!

And whether there is snow flying or not, I like to put my trees up as early as possible!

The snow can come when it will....but at this darkest time of the year, the lights, oh the lights are so essential!

The decorating can wait.... for now the lights are enough!

First Snowfall

Kit Bashing

Folly Bits and Pieces



The Folly is the first dollhouse kit I have ever built. It is actually "The Orchid" by Corona, but I call it "The Folly." I am usually much more inclined to build things from "scratch" because then you can do whatever you want to , and if it doesn't work out, you can toss it and start over. But I had this kit, and once I had decided to build it, I was determined to follow the directions EXACTLY! Anyone who has ever opened one of these kit boxes to find thousands of pieces which MUST go together in exactly the right order will know what I mean when I say it is a bit daunting! You are advised to read the instructions through thoroughly BEFORE starting, just so you know what you are getting in for..... and so I did. But my eyes glazed over on about the third paragraph...... so I just decided to do what they said step by step, no questions asked! And it really went very well once I realized that it was going to take a LONG time, especially if I was going to sand and primer and paint every piece as we went along! So I was really quite a ways into the project before my natural tendency to color OUTSIDE the lines kicked in...... and then really only in very mild ways..... choice of colors for instance, and decoration of ceilings. Oh, and I made some hinges for the front door so it would actually open and shut, because I couldn't imagine glueing it permanently closed! So I assembled the house just as it was intended to go, and was determined to overlook any deficiencies of design and just make do. After all, it was my first kit and I had never HEARD of a thing called "kit bashing". It wasn't until I had come across the other blogs in blogland that I encountered the idea of kit bashing! And I was simply amazed by some of the imaginative things people were doing with their otherwise ordinary kits and furnishings! Everything from re-covering and painting furniture to completely re-arranging structures to suit their dreams! So I guess it was only a matter of time before I caught the bashing bug and decided to make some "improvements" to "The Folly"

The last time you saw the interior in any detail was when we went on vacation to the seashore. There must be something about vacations and ocean air to inspire ideas, because I came home and set about re-building things right away. The first improvement was to build shelves to surround the fireplace in the living room. Of course, I forgot to take any pictures of the building process...... but those are boring pictures anyway!


Below you can see the newly completed shelves installed. They are not movable, but are glued in place.

And no sooner had I finished that, than the old sofa that had come with a Victorian Parlor set I had bought many years ago began to beg me to "bash" it into something more attractive, and more co-ordinated with the colors in "The Folly." So I dug through my fabric piles and came up with a fancy patterned brocade that was just dying to be used!
The original sofa looked like this. It was surprisingly easy to remove the "upholstery" and simply cover it over with the new cloth. Now, you have to realize, that while I had maybe thought about re-covering these old pieces, I was really quite timid about it until I saw what some of you out there were doing!

And here is the seat with the new cloth... what an improvement!

And of course, I have "state of the art" fabric clamps for holding the new cloth in place while the glue dries!

And a closer look at the newly covered piece.

And here it is in "The Folly" .... I'm sorry the lighting is so bad in this picture.

And speaking of lighting, Arthur is really quite taken with this cottage, and he rented it on the spot! But it is a trifle old fashioned and needs a thorough lighting up-grade!

Here below you can see the room WITHOUT any lighting fixtures!

(And the fireplace removed for upgrades as well!)

And I apologise for the duplicate picture. I was having trouble uploading pictures tonight and somehow got this one twice!

You may recall me mentioning (or not) that the ceiling was painted with the idea that the cherubs are carrying the light, suspended from the circle they are holding. Well, this meant that the light fixture had to have some unusual features. Chief of these would be that it had to hang from multiple chains attached to the circle, rather than one single central link. Also, the distance it hung below the ceiling had to be small because the ceiling is NOT very high, and any tall dolls would hit their heads! So I finally found a fixture that I could "bash" into something like what I wanted!


Below you can see it already partly dismantled. (I always forget to take the before pictures!)

This is the other side, the part that will be visible from below, and the three chains originally joined at the top, but I will spread them apart.

You can also see the jewelry findings that I spray painted gold and will use to attach to the ceiling.

And I also am using them to embellish the lamp itself.... in keeping with the somewhat baroque style of this room.

Below you can see the fixture attached to the ceiling. It was NOT easy to do! I created three small "s" hooks out of brass rings and inserted them into the findings which are glued to the "circle" the cherubs are carrying......... then the chains could be hooked on and the electrical wire run through one of the chains to the ceiling! WHEW!

But when the light went ON all that work was worth it!

Here is a closer view. I am really proud of my "bashing" this piece!

And at night.... the light is very weak, but so atmospheric! As if it were just a candle or two!

So, having made so much progress on the downstairs of "The Folly", the upstairs was at risk for seeming neglected.... until I decided that the bedroom area was really awkwardly arranged with the stairs opening right into it.... and what it needed was another wall separating it from the stairs, making a small hallway next to the bedroom!

But this was easier said than done, because I really needed to match the thickness of the wall that divided the bathroom from the bedroom, and there were no scraps big enough from the kit remains. Luckily I was able to find a piece of basswood from a craft supply store that was the right thickness, I just needed to glue two sections together to make a piece large enough for a wall. And while I was at it, there needed to be a small window seat bench built into that corner..... and it needed to be put in place before the wall was glued in! You know how it goes with re-model jobs! LOL It seems to be the same in the dollhouse world!



But here you can see the new window seat and the landing at the top of the stairs.

Eventually I want to build some book shelves in this hallway too! After all, with a writer living here there will need to be plenty of book shelves!





And now that the bedroom area is better defined, it needed some wainscoting built to give it more of a feeling of Victorian character......

And I found some medieval figured wallpaper that I decided to use here.... it makes me think of William Morris, even though it is NOT at all like his patterned wallpaper designs!



I decided to paint the alcove where the bed will go a deep midnight blue, rather than paper that part of the room. So, you can see the beginnings below.

And a more complete view with the paper attached and the wainscoting finished. Again, sorry about the lighting. It is hard to get enough light to see the dark parts without over-doing the paler parts!

And a closer view.

I think the camera was more focused on the alcove, so the wallpaper is blurry....

And speaking of lighting..... I found a wonderfully exotic earring piece that makes a very passable moorish style light once I added a tiny bulb!

And a slightly larger view of the overall "bashing" results! I still need to figure out how to hide the wires! This kit has extremely thin walls! I am going to have to run it through the peak of the roof and down the outside wall somehow.....
And I added some small metal stars to the sleeping alcove too....

And a better view of the overall "improvements."

I'm a long way from done, but it is starting to look a little like I imagine.....

And now that the fire is lit, Arthur is happy to sit and stare into the flames while he waits for inspiration to strike!

But you better watch out when that "bashing" bug bites!

Making Dolls

Not A Tutorial, More of an Explorial!

It has been many years since I tried my hand at dollmaking. As you may recall me mentioning, I had tried to make dolls for my dollhouse when I was quite young but with very little success. I tried again in my teen years, wanting to make something elegant and Victorian and wishing I could do porcelain, but again, with little success. I vaguely remember a salt-dough concoction or two that just didn't work and died a natural death. I remember trying to carve a wooden peg doll and managed to make one that was very un-handsome and rather uneven in the legs. He managed to stay around for a few years, but I think I gave him into my boys' keeping and he wandered off somewhere and never made it home again. I did carve a larger scale "Penny Wooden" doll, about 16 inches tall and fully articulated joints in those teen years (her picture is my icon for this blog) but she was much too large for dollhouses. In my early twenties I made a whole series of cloth fashion dolls, again much too large for dollhouses, and in my mind they were less about the dolls and more about the costumes. I made clothespin "dolls" in elaborate costumes for Christmas Tree ornaments, and I even made a costumed "Santa Clause" figure or two for Christmas decorations. But somehow, none of those "count" in my mind as dolls! They weren't meant for playing with. They never became little people with personalities who inhabited a little house somewhere. And when I think about it, it is one of those little oddities that my dollhouse never had any dolls that really lived in it! Why that is so is a question I have not been able to answer. Perhaps because the "right" dolls never came along. Perhaps because I could never decide what the "right" dolls were supposed to look like. Perhaps because I could not possibly make "real" the hazy figures of my dreams. For whatever reason, dolls for my doll houses are an ongoing puzzle to be solved. And I have to wonder whether it will only BE solved when I CAN make the figures that I have dreamed of!

So you can see that the subject of making dolls is not a simple one for me. I am afraid my aspirations are way beyond my current skills. I simply have not practiced making dolls enough to be confident in my methods. I know there are wonderful tutorials all over the place, but even so, you kind of have to get in there and muddle around a bit with the materials until you get a "feel" for it. At least I am old enough and wise enough to know that my first attempts are going to be funny looking little people! And so, to accommodate for that, I decided to start by making funny looking "old people" dolls for the Castle Dollhouse.

Here, I'll show you what I have managed so far.

This is the Old Crone who resides in the kitchen. I don't know her name yet.

Oh, and while we are at it,

I should show you some of the improvements I have made to the kitchen!

The pottery jars I collected many years ago at a Fair held by my son's school - I have forgotten the potter's name.

And the hearth fire has lighted flames as well as the painted ones!

And the bread oven has a glowing coal fire!



I purchased a beautiful iron trivet and some fire andirons with spit hooks on them, as well as a little iron kettle which needs to have patina added to it.

I promised I would show a picture of one of the references I have used as inspiration for the Castle kitchen. This is an illumination from the one of the tales of Boccacio's "Decameron" painted around 1430, showing birds being roasted on a spit before the fire - complete with a tray for catching the juices!

Here you can see the doll in her early stages..... but because this is NOT a tutorial, I have not included pictures of all the steps to get to this point!

You can also see the lantern that hangs from the kitchen ceiling.

A close-up of her un-wigged head and partly sewn body.........

But you can see that her "character" is already showing!

Here she has her hair added - I used natural sheep wool.

Sorry the next picture is so dark, (Castle kitchens ARE dark after all) but here she has gained her under-skirt which I have made from a very fine woven wool - a material they commonly used for all ranks of society. And she has a shawl draped over her shoulders.

And standing back, you can see a larger shot of the Castle with the Great Hall starting to have some details worked on.

Oh, and another Doll-in-the-making has come into the kitchen to keep warm by the fire until they find him some clothes. I am not sure whether he is the Baker or the Butler, or someone else altogether.

Oh, dear, the fires are not lit at the moment!

And is there NO privacy for the poor half-made fellow?

That's better! She has the fire going now.

And you can see she has her gown on now, and it too, is made from very fine wool!

She's very proud of her kitchen fires!









Ah, and now he has found a wool blanket to wrap up in while he waits for the seamstresses to sew his clothes!

He just might need a haircut too, before he's ready to take up his duties!

Whatever they turn out to be!


Or maybe he will grow a beard - to look more like the reference picture.

I think he looks kind of cute for an old guy!

I think I'm making progress making Dolls!

Or are they really little people?