Halloween Dollhouse Redecorating

 I mentioned in the last post how I was redecorating the Lavender Cottage for Halloween. * Click photos for full size. See all posts in archives in left column.

While the front of the house has been decorated, I'm still working on the inside and switching rooms around.

Some progress! I put new curtains using a colorful batik print fabric on the third floor attic's side windows. It may not quite go with the Halloween decor, but I have another bed covering to match the curtains that I'll change to later. Decorating is still in progress. 

I also made a small slipper chair and side table. I used a 1" foam square block for the chair since I didn't have any wood blocks the right size.  I have to see if I have a small chest or dresser to use in here. Maybe I'll put a sewing machine in the corner, too.

 I think the bed came out pretty good! I cut the front and end headboards from cardboard, adding some covered padding and glued sticks for posts to the front. Not traditional Halloween colors, but I loved the pumpkin print and had to play off that. I love the spooky pillows! I did put a Halloween picture the main wall since I took this photo. Still changing things around in the room itself.

 Later I'll take the end board off and the spread, and put on a new top to match the curtains.  Or maybe I can make a Christmas spread for it in-between. I might do that as I like to put a Christmas tree in the room, too. 

Here's the attic before, which was an extra small bedroom and some storage since it was more of a summer cottage layout.

I'll show another room next time as I finish items and more of this room once it's done. The regular bedroom with two beds was on the second floor. That is turning into the sitting room and a library area. Stay tuned for more!

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Halloween Items & Dollhouse Redecorating Ideas

 

My favorite time of year and there's so much tempting Halloween stuff showing up!

Michael's has a cute array of dollhouse items, the Ashland Miniatures (nice mini spooky paintings and a ghost cake The cake is actually cute. I'll have to try to get that.) I love these colored cafe table sets. Close to half-scale size; I have a yellow one but I had to go get the orange set I've admired for a while. (See on left side of porch below.) Also got a summery blue/pink set in clearance.)

Then I saw this really different skeleton girl and dog figure (left, 2.5" h.) Hadn't seen it online and just had to bring it home for one of the houses. The look of devotion says it all. Isn't it sweet? (Click photos for full size.)

Also got this other dog figure and skeleton owl. Cute though the dog is more 1" scale (1.75" h.) But I liked it as I try to get a new skellie dog when I can. It can go in the roombox I decorate for holidays.

This got me in a Halloween mood, so I decided to do an early Halloween decorating of the  front of the Lavender Cottage. 

Here's the front of the stairs. Lots of pumpkins!

Looks like a party's going on! Even the musicians showed up!

The porch is perfect for some nighttime music!

Can you hear it? 

Moving along slowly, but I'm working on the new bed for the house, the start of the redecorating project. That's part of the crazy idea I had to re-do the house. See last post. Do you ever totally re-do your house once it's finished?

Well, I never really re-do my houses, but summer's about over, so maybe I'll change the way the Lavender Cottage is now set up as more of a summer cottage. I can always put it back later if I want. 

That means changing the rooms. The first floor kitchen and counter/island would stay. (see photos at above link). I'd take out the sitting area on the right side and put in a big dining room table and dining room. I have another Gothic table set (SDK Miniatures) and will probably add a dining cabinet or hutch. I want to set the table - but also have a pumpkin carving scene there. Maybe I'll add long curtains on the windows, too.

2nd floor - I'd take out the double beds and bookshelves, and make a bigger living room and a library/reading space on the right side, maybe with a craft work table and/or art area. My friend went to the library to try out quilling, so I'm going to try the idea of rolling paper strips for tiny jars for paints and other supplies. You then print out a label and punch out a circle for a top. Easy, cheap way to do lots of jars and containers! I found a box of quilling paper and the needle tool at Goodwill.

3rd floor attic with bed: take out ping-pong table, put in larger bed and dresser for a regular bedroom.

 Here's another bed I made before. I re-dressed the bed (made of foam core) that's in my Fairfield bedroom.

 (My favorite bed and colors (I just love that swirly fabric on the bed and the coordinating fabric for the curtains) is still the main orange bedroom in my Fairfield house. See page for other room photos.) I'd like to try multiple colors on a new bed.

I'm thinking of maybe making new long curtains and adding some Halloween decor for now in the Lavender Cottage. This will require some planning as it's a bit like doing a new house without doing the whole thing over. 

Why, since I already have projects going? Well...now that I have the idea, it'll stick in my head until I do it. That's how that works. ha!

I'll add a couple other posts soon.

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New Lavender Cottage Furnishing Ideas

Assorted furniture for...? A couple Halloween pieces, too!

 

I'm in a Halloween mood (Summerween!) Yes, I'm still stuck on the idea of re-doing the rooms in the Lavender Cottage. Crazy, huh? 

I decided to switch the rooms around and change the furniture to make it more "home-like" and to add Halloween touches. Like I don't have enough projects? haaa!

Here are some furniture pieces (above) and kits I might use:

Kits, CastleCrafts and SDK Miniatures

I have two of the Victorian daybed kits so maybe I'll make one more Halloween style and save the other for another house. I can always change the cushions again, too. I have an interesting gray spooky tree fabric I could use.

Re-doing a resin bed. Yu'll see how it looks soon!

Then there's the bed. The small bed and bedroom in the attic will be changed to a full bedroom, with a larger bed. I'm using this resin bed I bought at a show. The headboard pieces above are cardboard and painted white since this pic. I rounded them slightly by tracing around a small plastic container lid.  I cut center inserts from cereal box card that'll be covered and trimmed. I chose a unique color/pattern that may surprise you but matches the fabric below. 

I'll have to trace the pieces in case I decide to make a second set using more purple colors to match the room and also make another blanket set to put on top if I don't want to keep the Halloween fabric all the time. Maybe a Christmas set too? (Turning into a monster project! haa!)

Really liked the pumpkin fabric!

Here are the main colors: not-so-typical shades of Halloween. But I will have some fun spooky elements, too. You'll see!

Bedroom by miniaturist J. Star

Some inspiration! This is one gorgeous bedroom re-do by J. Star. I'm getting ideas on adding more trim and using more colors on my projects from this. 

* Check out the YouTube video of how he did his bed and furniture.

Victorian half-scale bed

I've done a couple more detailed beds before like the  Halloween-flavored bed in the Fairfield house, and the Victorian bed (above) from my Yellow Victorian house. This was a fun bed to do. So we'll see how the current project turns out! The more I think on it, the more it's expanding!

So far, so good! Stay tuned for more updates. 💀

* Thanks for visiting. Come back soon for more updates & Halloween stuff! *

More Fairy Tale Kit Miniatures

Tiny containers & items for a larger cabinet. Yes, that is a teensy chair!

 I made some progress on the Fairy Tale - Once Upon a Time Dollhouse Shop kit. Oh, soooo many pieces! (See link for past post. Click photos for full size.)

If you haven't seen the inside, here's why it takes so long to do: Great detail, but LOTS of components.  (On Amazon, $45, website pic. But I got it cheaper at Temu.)

Okay, a "little" progress. Further along than the last post anyway...

As you see, the key is sorting, sorting, sorting, all those pieces into packets for each tiny project. I label them all with those yellow pieces of paper. That makes it sooo much easier to pick something to work on without the aggravation of all that hunting for the components! I have another plastic bag with other small bags as well. And I haven't sorted everything yet, but it's a good start! This really is a good idea as it's easy to get overwhelmed and then give up!

After several hours(!) of doing that, I finally, finally got this smaller cabinet built and filled. Yeah, one cabinet. Don't laugh. It really takes a while to get everything done on that! 😉 I didn't quite use all the paper pieces, but it came out cute. At least I finished something! That's after fighting to get those wire rods to stay in and the faux teacup (on bottom) to stay together. 

Now... on to the next pieces!

Soon, I'll also be sharing some 👻 Halloween book nooks and kits I came across. Oh, there are some good ones! And I already got in a Halloween decorating mood for one of the dolllhouses. I couldn't resist! Stay tuned for that!

So, a short post today. 

*Note: Amazon affilaite links may provide some compensation to blog owner.

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Another 1920s Mystery is Coming!

 

 

 How'd I miss this? Just saw in author Julie Mulhern's newsletter (sign up and get the link to the prequel, too!) --- there's a sequel coming in December to her delightful 1920s mystery Murder in Manhattan, featuring fashion writer Freddie Archer!! Based on real-life 1920s Atlantic fashion writer Lois Long.

*** Read my review on book 1 & some interesting background on the inspiration and historial tid-bits here. 

This was such a fun read! I love this time period and think I'll be doing more reading in this era. I've read a couple others and she had some great suggestions in her recent newsletter. Guess I'll be doing a post on that soon.

The upcoming book, A Crime in Fashion, is on pre-order and releases Dec. 8! (There's a day after birthday present!! My birthday is on Dec. 7!!) * See the publisher site with all sales links.

Ooh, this one sounds good! This time Freddie is investigating the whereabouts of a missing family friend and gets into the sights of mobsters like Dutch Schultz and Lucky Luciano. Bootleggers, Louis Armstrong, and more, this one's set in 1925 and sounds like a rollicking good time as well!!

* Note: Amazon affiliate links may offer some compensation to the blog owner.

What I'm Reading: Julie Mulhern's 1920s NY Mystery

 

 I look a break from the dark thrillers I've been devouring by Preston and Child, and went to the lighter, brighter side with a fun new read by USA Today Bestseller Julie Mulhern.

What a treat! Murder in Manhattan is a fun 1920s romp that gives you the feel of the period - fashions, nightclubs, bootleggers, and murders, too, all experienced by a witty young fashion writer, Freddie Archer. * Find it on Goodreads.

 

** BONUS! It pays to look! Sign up for Mulhern's Freddie newsletter on her website  (link to Bookfunnel) and get a prequel novella, Murder by Moonlight, Free!!!!

For Murder in Manhattan, Mulhern shares that the story was inspired by a young flapper/fashion writer named Lois Long (read her bio at the link), a notable, longtime columnist who started writing in the '20s under the name "Lipstick," for the New Yorker magazine.

** ADDED: ** Here's a fun page on 1920s fashion, which includes an image of Long. (Some fantastic art, photos and fashion here!)

** ADDED: Just found this: 1925 New Yorker Lipstick columns online (look at the ads: Ziegfield Follies!) 

 If you want a true window into the Roaring Twenties, read some of Long's columns here. Read more about Long here and here. She later wrote fashion columns for the New Yorker. Mulhern definitely got her character's bright voice and style from Long's columns. The actual columns are a great find to get the time period just right.

Another fun aspect of the book is you can see Long in the cover image.(Looks just like her, a la actress Colleen Moore, also famous for the Fairy Castle at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.) 

I love old magazines and have collected many, so getting to read these columns will be a lot of fun! I'll be looking out for some '20s magazines in second-hand stores, etc. and maybe I'll be lucky enough to find a few of her columns (hopefully reasonable!) 

I don't often look for book sequels, but this one was so enjoyable, I can't wait to read another! (Happy to have found the prequel above!)

Project Two: A New Miniature Fairy Tale Kit

Fairy Tale Dollhouse Kit - sample photo

 I've been admiring this one for a while. And once I saw it in person, the results are amazing! My friend got it earlier and it is a really detailed kit. It is just so pretty!!! And it has lots of fun (and some real fiddly!) stuff in it. The good part is I'll have my friend's model to look at and she can share any tips from her experience.

* Update: July 20: Some "small" progress has been made! I got a few things together and quite a few all sorted out. Will get back to it this week. 😀😀

I got the Fairy Tale - Once Upon A Time Dollhouse Shop on Temu, for less than what other places want. I'm impressed - first time ordering there, super fast shipping - only 3 days from order to arrival! It took Paypal with no problems. So will order from there again at some point. (Some places are crazy - saw it for $70+ on ebay and Etsy. 'Zon was $50+. Getting to be too much $$! What??!! Talk about greedy! Some want $90 and over $100 on etsy!! You have to look around to get the best price.)

I'll tell ya. This is a beautiful but super aggravating kit! The book is packed full of directions, and everything is all over the place in assorted bags. Really frustrating for people like me who have no patience! But despite that, I think what I really like is I'm a 'more is more' person. No minimalism for me, ha! I think the busyness of the whole finished kit catches my eye!

So far - filling the main cabinet with tiny dollhouses.

But my friend gave me the great idea (and offered to kindly help - Thanks, Gigi!) sorting the pieces into sets. Much easier as then everything for that specific project is all together. No hunting, except to first find everything! So I'm getting out a tackle box and some zip-locs, and started doing that before we meet again. Then I check off in the book with two color markers what's done and what's been assembled so I can tell at a glance. That's my TV project; watched the rest of Dark Winds on Netflix. Pretty good! Also watching The Last Ship.

Tiny tiny dollhouse kit - with furnishings!

I only got a few things done so far, part of a cabinet and and this tiny Red Riding Hood house. Each section really takes a while to complete. It's the kind of project you can only work on in small spurts, do one thing, and set it aside or it'll drive you crazy! So you have to take your time, do a bit, and then do something else. Still, it's one of the best kits I've seen. Will update you when I get more done. And yes, will work on finishing the attic project, too.

* Thanks again for visiting! Come back soon for updates! * 

Working On... It's Almost Halloween!

1/24 Tea Shop Kit - Sample

  I see Summerween posts all over, which got me in the mood for a Halloween project. I can't stay away from it for too long! 

 I got out this half-scale (1/24) tea shop kit I bought from Teri Hanson Miniatures at the last spring dollhouse show.

 Her prototype has a nice color combination, but I'm changing the colors. I decided to make it into Halloween shops to hold some of my Halloween pieces and I don't have a shop in half-scale. 

Here are the colors I decided on:

Here's the color scheme I figured out. It's easier to make a drawing to see how the whole thing may look.

Got the trim painted gray and all the windows and doors painted. I decided to make the bottom windows purple to add some contrast. The door frame will be purple or brown; haven't decided. Have to put "glass" in and then I'm going to make some stained glass on the smaller areas of the larger lower windows. That square on the door will have some Halloween art.

Some of the painted pieces. The others are also done. I think it'll look pretty good. That is the brick paper I'll be using. I want it to have a slightly aged look.

I'll have greenery and maybe some skulls or lit pumpkins in the window box. (That's the long box on the drawing with the green above it.) I think the lit window box outside and the tombstones/gargoyles will tie it all together.

 

Inside sample (package pic): probably brick and some Halloween paper on first floor. Not sure if I'll use a wood floor or black/white tile paper on both floors. Have to decide whether to hinge it or have the front slide in. I'm going to use the two square mini LED lights I have since one is enough for each floor.

I have quite a few Halloween pieces stashed away, but I see some new ones at Michael's this year. Waiting for the sale! I can always use new gargoyles and tombstones! I like getting different styles of tombstones each year which are always fun.

* What are you working on? Doing any Halloween projects? Let me know. I'm happy to share project photos and your website/blog link.

* Thanks again for visiting! Come back soon for updates! * Hall

Happy 4th in Miniature!

 

   It's July already so the perfect time to share an old favorite.

Happy 4th! 

Thought I'd share a room I did a while ago. I got the furniture set ages ago at Old World Wisconsin and built a room around it. There's a matching table that you can't see at the right also.

Fireworks: https://www.fg-a.com/july4.htm  (Free animated gifs)

Some Other Miniature Makes

It's Curtains! Actually, valances.

 While I'm finishing up items for the Half Scale Garage interior (click < link to see exterior), I decided to do a few other "small" things. (*Click photos for full size.)

I'd made some custom valances for my friend's garden shed last Christmas, and somehow missed a couple windows, so I finally got around to making those.

It's a cute shed I'll share once she's filled it. It's wood and has a square front window section that juts out and two doors.

I'd made this large valance with some neat fabric I had with a kind of European geography print. I really like it, but sigh, I don't have any more. I also made two square window "shades" for the doors that have the purple fabric on the back. Part of it peeks out of the folds above also.

So to improvise, I made the two additional valances to contrast, using the purple and gluing on pieces of the yellow fabric designs. Fun results. I has a kind of vintage feel. I'll have to do something similar when I eventually work on that library I want to do.

These are actually very simple to make using my own pattern, gluing a support stick on the top, then gluing fabric on the back and folding/gluing over the scallops, overlapping to the front. Then I glued fabric on the top to meet just above the scallops.  A busy print hides any mistakes as does the string of glued on Bunka thread. 

It was a fabric day, I guess, as I also took apart a small bed I had for the garage living space. I cut off the end posts on the front of the headboard, sanded it, and repainted it to have a lower front. Then I covered the bed with new fabric. I like this print. It fits well since this whole house is shades of green (and I'm not a big green fan. haa!) 

** Here's an oldie TIP if you've never tried it: To make a bed messy - glue a piece of aluminum foil under the fabric. Let it dry, then you can squish it how you want and then glue partly to the bed and it'll stay in place. It works great! The fun fuzzy chair is from a past swap. Was saving it for just the right project! The TV is a magnet and I hope to fit both in the garage apartment.

** FYI: Click on the left column archives to see past posts.

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* That's it for now! Stay cool! (93 here and feels like 100+ but house is cool.) 

Thanks again for visiting. Come back soon for more projects! *