Cooking dinner back at the cabin after skiing (with all new sweaters)

We have been spending weekends skiing and staying in very small cabins upstate, so here is a dollhouse version.

They are making a spaghetti dinner (after a fun day of skiing) and one has just come back from shopping for more food.

The red and black pillow is made from a sock and the coffee table is Minimodernista.   The picture in the back was from the Bellabox gift from The Shopping Sherpa.   The red haired doll is from Paola of  Paola and Sara's dolls (bought at the Shelly Norris online show this past summer).

I made a Marimekko food container inspired by Kikka's blog and her new dollhouse. I have to make some smaller versions.

 And then because my children want a dollhouse pet store, I also made a dog bed - based on an how-to article on Dollhouse Miniatures magazine (July/August 2013 - Issue 34).  The frame is made out of cardboard and the soft grey part is the bottom of an athletic sock.

Everyone is wearing their new sweaters - which I made based on an how-to article in the American Miniaturist magazine - January 2015 issue.  The sweaters are made from socks.  Luckily, my kids had some bright color socks they had outgrown.

Here's to late nights of good conversations (and maybe next year my dollhouse people will get their own socks)!  

Malibu House Third Floor - Bathroom in Progress

So I have started to work on the third floor of the Malibu dollhouse by thinking about how to set up the bathroom.  When I bought this dollhouse (about 4 years ago), I planned to copy what Dolls House Emporium had done for its bathroom.   But now I have changed my mind.  I started looking at Elf Miniatures to be inspired by their bathrooms and I got very excited about creating a walk-in shower.  Then I put all the bathroom furniture that I have into the bathroom space, and it seems like there isn't enough room!  Which boggles my mind, given that this dollhouse bathroom is probably the size of my real bedroom and much bigger than our real bathroom.  I am thinking about painting turquoise the sliding wall with windows - because turquoise seems kind of appropriate for a Malibu dollhouse ( which is why there is a washcloth draped over that wall).

And potentially greenish tiles for the shower:

I also can't decide if I should tile the floor.

I took the rug and the washcloth to my local paint shop for color samples.  And the very kind lady helping me match color samples did not question why I was trying to match colors on a dollhouse rug :)

My little hanging witch

One resolution done.

 I finally did my little hanging witch kit from Donna's Curios blog and her one inch witch tutorial.  I am quite pleased with it, although I didn't get the hair or bangs quite right, I think.  And I need to cut the feathers of the skirt, but after all the effort to get them on, I thought I would wait...

And I made some free mini printables and a book (with all the extra glue I had poured out for making the little witch).

But I learned a lot from the tutorial - and I think it is so cool to be able to make a little person from wire and wool thread and dress it with a little strand of ribbon and feathers.

Of course, when I opened the kit, I had lost the head, so I used a little wooden bead instead.

Now to make some sweaters for my dolls!

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

And everyone should check out the canning giveaway at Iseeblue giveaway

Ornament Challenge by ModernMiniHouses

Modern Mini Houses Blog posted an ornament challenge.  I made a bath scene with a reindeer ornament below, but first I played with some Christmas decoration lighting (before I realized that maybe I could use the reindeer ornament).   So this isn't an ornament and I already had done the scene, but here is the party with some Christmas star lighting (love the after-Christmas decoration sales! - this one changes colors and is a good size for the dollhouse):

I took out the furniture from the children's room in the Malibu house and started playing with it as a bathroom (as I figure out how I will configure the bathroom when I build the next floor).  

Here is a bath scene with a reindeer ornament and the Christmas light decorations:

And the new towels I made from one of my children's wash clothes (and I printed out the little bicycle sign from the internet).

And then I thought I would try the tub near the other window instead of the curved window (they have no neighbors) in the room:

Credits: The bathtub is MIAIM, the chair is Reac, the rug is Dollshouse Emporium, and the beautiful wooden hutch is from a NAME Estate Auction.

Mini Resolutions

So here are some of my mini resolutions - do you have any?  What are yours?

1)  Finish Malibu beach house - there are many reasons for this:

a) there is HUGE box of parts sitting in my workroom taking up space, although sometimes when I am painting something white, I paint some Malibu house pieces, so then the parts leave the box . . .

b) and then I tend to lose parts of them or the instructions, so I fear it is only a matter of time before they are lost for good.  (I have had this house kit for 3.5 years now).

c) my people need a bathroom.   I bought this cat for myself for Christmas to inspire me to build the bathroom

2) Complete next part of childrens' dollhouse - make a room for the grandparents and build the "elevator" and maybe put some front opening walls on the front to help prevent the dust from gathering.  Initially I bought a plexiglass front so that it was a modern sheer "glass" front wall house, but it's too difficult for the kids to slide in and out, and it tends to stay off.  And I think they like playing with the doors -- see previous post about fixing broken door :)

3) Go back to working on the Dutch canal house (but see 1(a) above - I need the space where the box sits.)

4) Continue to organize minis.  I have them partially organized into clear boxes with labels of either ideas or rooms (for example, kitchen, living room).

My work room is waiting:

(The pillow was a gift from ModPod Miniatures; the black toolbox is the design of Pepper from MitchyMoo Miniatures sold on Shapeways).  I made the little miter box (from coffee stirrers again - my favorite source of wood) and the miter knife is a red toothpick glued to a flatter toothpick painted silver).  The cutting mat is a cut-out glued on paper.  I made the paints as part of a NAME tote bag favor project for the NAME online house party - I made 10 sets (and I made the little tray to hold them, since mine don't all stand perfectly). The fab white/wood desk is Minimodernista.  The pink chair is reac.  The "craft supply cabinet" held donuts for a bakery - bought on ebay.)

And here are some smaller mini projects on my To Do list for this year

1) Do witch kit (the first kit I ever bought, but I have yet to start it)  (now I have SO many more kits . . .);

2) Make pajamas from a Dolls House Magazine article;

3) Make sweater from American Miniaturist January 2015 issue - some of my men need some more clothing for parties (and this will at least help me organize my real-life sock drawer);

4) Do food tutorial and lighting tutorial classes from the NAME online house party last April;

5) Do new 1/144 kit (which looks amazing);



This list seems rather exhausting, so I've gone to bed to think of more ideas (and hope I get some pajamas soon)

The bed is from the Etsy store: MultiforMiniatures.  I just bought it and love it.  The store owner said that he put the colors together as an inspiration from the time he lived in Denmark. .  I bought the painting on eBay (the artist is AK).

Happy New Year and looking forward to seeing what everyone creates this year!

Happy New Year!

There is a New Year  Eve's party in the Malibu beach house!

Happy New Year!!


Credits:  The dolls are mostly Topper Dawn dolls, with some Heidi Ott dolls and one of my boy dolls from Childhood from the Little Rascals.  The couch is Minimodernistas and the rest of the furniture is mostly PRD Miniatures.   The purple bowl of chips and dip and the plate of cheese on the coffee table are from a N.A.M.E. swap (National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts - it is a fun organization to join).

Merry Christmas!

Christmas preparations are under way in the Malibu Beach House (the family has partially moved in as they've given up waiting for the builder to complete the last 2 floors.   The builder got overwhelmed by all the detailed painting required.)

The children are baking Christmas cookies. 

(The cookie baking set is from Sue Ayers on eBay (the shop is sueslittlethings) (with some additions), and the furniture is from  PRD Miniatures(the couch is from MiniModernista).

Santa's elves are making the final toys and having a good time discussing their Christmas party.

Another view - which includes one elf who is wrapping presents.  You can see the little green bear from HannahsMiniatyrer.blogspot.com.  A very happy child will receive him as a present!

I am proud of my handmade wrapping paper holder (made with toothpicks and coffee stirrers).

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And here is the outside of the little house (it is the Miniatures.com 2014 contest build).  Santa's sleigh is being loaded up with lots of presents.  And the reindeer are getting ready for their flight.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!