The "Dolly"

This is how I will add two rooms to the original two. Note the attic area, now open since the roof covering it was removed.

Me, too.

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"I like to work a lot with wood.  I make furniture that falls apart.  I also sew."  Tim Conway

Remodeling the "Dolly" -- K.I.S.S.

This doll house has been sitting in our sunroom holding magazines on its "floors".  We are currently dreaming about remodeling it to give to a granddaughter for her birthday.  Shhhhhhhhh.  The goal is to add a couple of rooms and to Keep It Simple and Sturdy for young hands to enjoy.

I've already discovered an attic room accessible by removing the front part of the existing roof.  I think I can use the section I removed to cover the addition.  Stay tuned!

Our House Sign

I made the frame and fastened the tiles inside.  Once the weather gets warm enough, we'll figure out where to hang it!  One of Rebecca's friends from college did the painting and lettering.

Vanity, Vanity. All is Vanity.

After deciding to paint over the stock oak finish of one of our bathroom vanities, I removed the door and drawers and hardware.  The high gloss paint I first applied produced an odd effect - the grain of the original finish seemed to show through, producing an uneven appearance  So after a couple of coats (and one of primer), I covered it all with semi-gloss black.  The end result is much preferable.

(This picture is actually of the high gloss, but it gives the effect.  The mirror above the vanity is also painted.)

Front View of the Completed Dollhouse

The house is finished, and here is the front view.  The lighting doesn't allow the true colors - the window trim and porch posts are a light tan color; the porch floor is glossy white.

Here is a closer look at the door.  The door knob is actually a small brass screw.  We will be looking for some hinges on a thrifted item in the coming days.  (I didn't want to spend as much on new hinges as we paid for the dollhouse itself.)

Come back in a day or so for "Moving Day"!

Dollhouse Stairway Surround

I carved the posts out of 3/8" square pieces like the one on the left (a prototype).  The "surround" will fit into the posts as illustrated in the picture on the right.

This is the gist of the stairway enclosure.  I will glue it together,  stain it,  and then install it in place.  A similar construction will be made to fit the staircase on the lower level.

Adventures in Miniature Land - Baseboard Trim

Snowed in!  So I'm working on the baseboard trim.  It's painted in some rooms...will be stained in others.

  Here is the door in that same room trimmed out.

My next challenge is figuring out railing at the top of staircases.  I have some ideas to try out.

Changing a Seat Covering

Procedure the same - removing seat BEFORE recovering and AFTER new fabric is applied...

Getting corners right is the trickiest.

Finished product.  This fabric is the same I used to cover the back of another chair that also sits in this room.

Stairway to ?

Constructed from scratch (paint stir-sticks), painted and installed.
Next, the door frames.

Here are two of them (one up close; one in distance) glued and taped into place. I'll paint them after the glue has dried.

Wall-Papering Completed

Walls, half walls, no walls and borders...

Next steps? Trim out the inside doors, install staircases.

Another Potential Project

Our daughter and son-in-law found this "project" in a dumpster.  They are storing it until I can look at it closer.  They think it has a large, self-storing leaf that pops up in the center.  I'll be interested to see if it is all "here" and if it is repairable!  We seem to attract tables...

The Decorating Begins

All floors have been varnished.  Walls and ceilings primed and painted.  The bottom part of the attic wall is wallpapered.  I'll need to put a "chair rail" between paint and paper.  In the second story, you can see the room to our left has walls to paper (one unseen & the back, window wall).  The middle room is painted; the room to the right will have a piece of wallpaper "border" between the upper and lower parts.  The bottom floor (unseen here) will have a combination of paint and paper also.  All the wallpaper has been sitting in our stash, waiting to be used.

Shabby Chic Chair (Happy Birthday, Rebecca!)

Front and back view of the finished chair.  Thrifted for $3.

One of the back legs needed repair.  A triangular 3"-4" piece had broken off the leg.  I formed and attached a patch, primed and painted it to match the paint.  I rearranged the padding under the existing upholstery and then covered the backside (which was not finished) with some drapery fabric we had on hand.

My wife calls it "shabby chic".

I call it her birthday present!

I've Been Workin' On The....

DOLLHOUSE!

Finished the roof. Since the top is a flat roof, I used the sand paper as flat sheets like a rubber roof on a flat surface. Then I used a 3/4" piece as a ridge cap between the slant and flat roof sections.

Used old glass cut to size and framed it with 3/8"pieces. Cutting the glass to size is the challenge.

Done - Inside and Outside

Inside....

Outside

One New Project; One On-Going

This toy box was purchased at a thrift store for $10. There were a few places that needed to be better secured. I filled a few rough spots with wood filler. I have done a little sanding and will finish sanding and paint the box.

Since the last view of the doll house, I secured the porch posts and put one coat of paint on them. You will notice the porch roof is started. I used 40 grit sand paper. I cut 1" strips, giving me eight strips. I placed a notch for the shingle effect one inch apart. I glued them with a quarter inch overlap over each row. Double click on the picture for a close up view.

Ready for Pick-Up or Delivery

The chairs were sanded between the primer and this final coat of paint.

I used black primer for the first time to prime these chairs that we'll give to our youngest daughter.  I think one coat of satin finish black will be all that's needed on top of this primer.

Building Dollhouse Stairways

After several aborted attempts to design a staircase to fit the holes existing at the time I acquired the doll house, I decided to use paint stir-sticks as the material for these stairs.  It is delicate work, but I think we'll be happy with the final product.