Midtown Bungalow Dollhouse Exterior Lighting

I was trying to completely finish the exterior before showing these pictures but I did a lot of work over fall break and decided to show more of my progress. Here is the original link to the first post of the Bungalow Dollhouse when I started. After that post it was knocked over and sat in pieces in a corner until now, everything you see now was done this past week. I did finish the interior lighting, stained all wood floors, cut all and installed some wallpaper, Aleene's Tacky spray is my new dollhouse favorite! I don't know why I didn't think to use it before, I had it all the time. I could have finished but I got tired and had to stop. The interior and finished exterior photos will come later. UPDATE: HEY I FINISHED THE EXTERIOR HERE IS THE LINK

On another note "the boot" came off Friday after a long 6 weeks of healing (just stretches everyday, no more cute shoes for life apparently) and now I have "mild" arthritis in my knee on the same leg (Bi-Flex) and my dad fixed the lights in the townhouse (wires too close together) so they are back working.

"Hey come on up and take a look"
 (I just love that tricycle ornament)

Still missing trim, window glass, roof unfinished

Blue sky  porch ceiling to fool the "bugs"

I added the wood on top and bottom of the railing
(I borrowed the ferns from the townhouse balcony)

I already had the porch furniture

another ornament

glass to the front door on the bench
(leg lamp ornament)

Midtown Bungalow Dollhouse Techniques

What started off with me cleaning up my craft room for fall break, turned into working on my bungalow. Its modeled after homes I've seen in the historic district in the midtown area. I tried to go for a semi-craftsman/70's style, after I found the Hallmark ornaments I just knew I had to use them in this house.

I hated the dead space in the bathroom so I decided to just hid it.

I bought the bathroom as a set but I made the shower surrounding the tub and the back wall out of foam board, wood, vinyl tile sheets spray painted, chair molding and the bottom half of a porch rail painted silver, plastic packaging.

originally this was suppose to be a closet

I am not that crazy about the shower head 

The shower "knob" is a part of a snap and a brad

I covered the fire place with tile patterned scrapbook paper.

I covered the ceiling with molding I bought from miniatures.com. I precut and stained before gluing to the ceiling with the house turned upside down.

 I used these wooden dollies on the kitchen ceiling.

Update: Light for the Leg Lamp

I bought these lights to use in a landscape as solar power lights but I never finished the project. They are very bright. The idea came to me to use these with this lamp. The area on top of the lamp is flexible rubber to grip the light.

Christmas Ornaments make Great Mini's

Well it all started with my friend Tanya's post about the wonderful ornaments she fold online and Hobby Lobby. She shared a link with me on ebay for the tricycle, so it has not arrived yet. I decided to see if there was a Hallmark store near my house and there was so I drove there to have a look. I saw the tricycle and these: the sandbox, leg lamp and the Brandy Bunch TV. The the lamp is made to light with a tree light inserted but I have an idea to make it work with a battery light. The TV works, (click the link to watch) with lights and the original theme song and it came with three batteries needed to make it operate.  I added some more ballerinas so I guess my dance studio project is back on board. I have everything to build, just need to find the time! I just could not resist this set from my new favorite store on esty, CuteinMiniature.

Miniature Making Candied Yams by CuteinMiniature

I'm getting an early start on Thanksgiving this year with this mini set. This is from the same store I purchased the corn bread set. I just love her work. On another note, this is one of my top 3 miniature books but I really could not enjoy it fully but as a picture book because it is written in French. It is being released in English now in the US through Amazon on January 6, I have preordered my copy. I can't wait to see what I was missing.

Finishing the Passage Way Brick on the Front of the Dollhouse

View opposite the courtyard gate

The floor is slate roof paper

 cool shot from inside with the front in place
 (mortar is damp)

I need to add door knobs 

Right after I took these the lights stopped working on the front of the dollhouse ?????? I really thought I was at the end of the tunnel with this house. $#** I am not sure what happened but I peeled the brick back off and nothing, the whole lead run is dead!!!!!! It was fun while it lasted, I'm going to see if the silicone adhesive got on something which was the only new thing I used to glue on the bricks????? I did notice a strange singed wire which I disconnected but the lights are still out. Any suggestions before I try to rewire; very frustrated.

New Wrought Iron Gate for the Passageway

I really wish this gate was available when I designed the front on the townhouse. I felt the passageway needed something to dress it up. I have been thinking about using the gate from miniatures.com site for a while and I decided to take a chance. The gate needed some more height to retro fit it into the opening. The gate is enclosed in plywood, which lead me to use the laser cut wood frame I had originally intended for the ceiling of the townhouse. I bought it at Michaels. I began by rounding the corners of the gate's plywood with my scroll saw, then I used a utility knife to fit the frame to the gate. I spray painted the new gate with a base of flat black. I still need to do some aging and permanently install it after I install the floor of the passageway.

MARIE LAVEAU The Voodoo Queen Doll by Soraya Merino

When I saw her I just felt that she wanted to come to my dollhouse. This doll is a likeness of a real person, Marie Laveau who was born a free woman of color in 1794 and died in 1881. She became the most famous and powerful Voodoo Queen in New Orleans. Marie was a devout Catholic and attended Mass daily. Voodoo in New Orleans was a blend of West African religion and Catholicism. Marie began as a hairdresser and later became a nurse during the Yellow Fever epidemics. She was an astute business woman and was the first commercial Voodoo Queen. She specialized in romance and finance. She was skilled in the practice of medicine and knew the healing qualities of indigenous herbs.  She would sit with the condemned in their last moments, sometimes serving them their last meal. But I just thought this was a beautiful doll and she resembles the maid doll I have already, so maybe it's her daughter who took over for her when she died.