What's New Orleans Without A Brothel Girl

This is the fifth doll I own by this artist. I bought her in March but she just arrived today. I had no plans to buy another doll but when she reduced the price, I took it as a sign. I'd been admiring her for a while and she was made to be seated; she called out to me like the MARIE LAVEAU Voodoo Queen . I'm not sure what her story is as of yet, but I could envision her hanging over the balcony calling out to pedestrians. The cook, maid and hat shop customer are all made by this artist.  I feel the New Orleans dollhouse has a unique spirit about it, the story constantly changes for me. I see it some days as a family home during the 19th century, other times as a historic home turned into a museum with tours given by the descendants of the original family and then as a brothel with girls hanging off the balcony or maybe she is modern and in costume to attract patrons to the museum. This was the story in my mind the day I bought her.

New Orleans Townhouse Forgotten Interior Shots

I decided to show pictures of the interior, they were originally suppose to go with the pictures of the bathroom. I thought that I would finish the house soon (haha).

I used mat board to cover my walls to hid the wires of the lights, something I had never done before. I bought a precut assortment pack from Hobby Lobby under $10. I think I even used the 40% off coupon and it was enough to do the whole house with some left over. The mat board walls are not secured to the real walls because I think I want to change two lights out and I dislike the look of two rooms, so the stairs, floors, trims and arch in the stair way are not yet attached. The living room and dining rooms are my least favorite rooms. I like the furniture pieces themselves but not the overall look. I feel like I am not showing the furniture in the best way, maybe too much stuff, rugs, wrong wall colors, too plain??? I have fallen out of love, ugh!

I plan to change the ceiling light 

3D Ceiling sticker needs to be centered

This room is lacking appeal to me

I found this cool Christmas ornament at Tuesday Morning Store $3, I didn't even know if it worked. I love how it changes color.  I added a link below to show a video in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7Ixj2qddkk&feature=youtu.be

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.

Exterior Almost Finished

I recently discovered that I had not taken a full front view with the attached 4th floor and roof front, so I decided to make a post. This was a difficult shot because I had to take it sitting down, I've been having issues with my right foot since the summer, (Morton's Neuroma) which makes it painful for standing or walking. I needed to turn the whole table to back up far enough to get the front and the house and court yard are very heavy together. I have to finish my ferns, repair my rear balcony, glue handles I ordered for the french doors when they come in and glass inserts. The chimneys have been painted the same as the house but are unattached until I decide which roof treatment I am going with. I have narrowed it down to two.

DIY Hanging Metal Pot Rack

I have always wanted a hanging pot rack in a dollhouse. I have been thinking of how to create one from scratch for a while now. Michaels has great stuff for mason jar projects and I came across this object used to created floral arrangements inside the jars. I thought it would be great as base for the rack. I considered using the hooks I used to hang the sign in my coffee shop but I decided on a chain from an old necklace, jump rings and a small hook. I sprayed the whole thing with black spray paint used for touching up a BBQ grills.

 

I connected all of the chains to one jump ring which I hung over the hook

Here it is spray painted black

Lighted Creole Townhouse Courtyard

I didn't want to wait too long to make another post, so here is my progress so far. This courtyard will be used at the back of the New Orleans style dollhouse I am working on. I used the same coach lights I used on the front facade. I wired the lights to the ceilings of the two buildings and then ran wires to the outer wall which is going to be covered with a moss sheet. I put together the fountain kit I bought from miniatures.com and sprayed a base coat of black used for high heat. I am still working on the bricks and stone pavers, however I did add grout lines which helped them look more realistic. I think I want to age the courtyard a little bit. 

"Real" Work on the Creole Townhouse Facade Begins

I made a few small structural changes and added a few new parts. I asked a friend of my husband's, who is a master carpenter, to help me cut the MDF because my "mini wood shop" was not setup at the time. I had some design issues that I think I have worked out now, thanks to the hat shop dollhouse and I have overcome most of my fear of the power tools my husband bought me last year, so I think am "clear for take off".

I started by gluing all the walls (1st/2nd and basement) together to create one unit as a front opening wall. I glued the balcony floors and the ground level sidewalk base to this combined unit while it was flat.

I then cut porch posts to size and adjusted them along the balcony with the plastic railings. I bought some jewelry filigree and wrought iron look basket hangers to use on the posts over the balcony. I bought pairs of large louvered shatters to add to the doors. I am thinking about adding a second set to extend the shutters to the floor. I am going to set the balcony railings inside "upside down" handrails to give them more stability, but I didn't have enough on hand so this will have to wait until my order arrives. I am going to paint everything a flat black to create a unified wrought iron look.

I'm considering using tall windows on the back wall of the townhouse. My husband says the house needs some added dimension because it looks too boxy compared to the other houses I have built. I'm thinking of using windows from a conservatory kit I have to the back wall of the house to make it look less like a typical front opening dollhouse. If I do, then I am also going to cut an opening in the lower right basement room to provide a view to a small courtyard for the rear of the dollhouse that I will be adding later. So this is the facade minus the fourth floor with its dormer windows and roof. I am not feeling well, so I promised my husband I would rest and a make an appointment this week and GET OFF THE COMPUTER! (him yelling, lol)