Susan's mini homes

Petite Princess revisited

2012-01-20T18:52:00.003-05:00

I can't resist the Princess. I blogged about my collection a few years ago here.

But recently I joined this Facebook Group I love 1964 Ideal Petite Princess/ Princess Patti Dollhouse Furniture! and looking through the pictures made me want to play with my collection. I pulled everything out of storage today and spent the afternoon setting it all up.

First is my version of a music room.

I have five Petite Princess room boxes - three yellow ones, one blue, and one pink.

I have every item that was sold before they changed the name to Princess Patti, and I have many duplicates. Some pieces are pristine, right-out-of- the-box, and some have been played with.

I created a dining room with the second yellow room box. This one is more worn and the outside has yellowed with age compared to the Music room box.

My third yellow room box came in it's original cardboard sleeve and is in pristine condition. I tried it out as a living room.

The blue room box seemed right for the blue bedroom. I still haven't been able to find a blue bed with its original flames above the headboard.

And, surprise, surprise, I used the pink room box for the pink bedroom.

I added a couple of hard plastic dolls dressed for the French court. They don't really match the room, but they are cute, as well as being a tribute to my recent trip to Paris.

Here, again is the living room in yellow. This time I remembered to hang one of the PP paintings and some accessories.

But before I tried the yellow room I had the living room in the blue box.

Which do you like better? The blue room is much cooler, but is it a better match?

And, before I switched the living room I had the blue bedroom in the yellow room box.

I think it looks better in the blue room. What do you think?

With the five room boxes furnished I had run out of rooms, but I still had furniture. So I got out a couple of other Ideal room boxes.

Here is the living room box that came with Ideal's Tiny Plastic Furniture.

The plastic furniture was the 3/4 scale molded furniture that Ideal made to compete with Renwal.

I think Petite Princess looks fantastic in this room.

I love that this room is so much more spacious than the Petite Princess rooms and that there is room for the piano and separate sitting areas.

The little lady on the couch is eyeing the piano apprehensively. I wonder if she is supposed to be practicing.

The only room box I had left was the Ideal Plastic Deluxe Kitchen Furniture one.

I don't have any Petite Princess or Princess Patti kitchen furniture, so I used my second set of dining room furniture.

I thought it would look terrible in the rustic kitchen setting, but I quite like it. The colours of the room graphics complement the furniture.

I hope you had as much fun as I did revisiting the Petite Princess.

You can learn more about this wonderful furniture here:

http://www.petiteprincess.com/

Bleuette - The famous little "Blueberry" of France

2012-01-14T16:44:00.003-05:00

The doll museum in Paris (Musee de la Poupee Paris), which I was lucky enough to visit a few weeks ago, has a wonderful dollhouse inhabited by a number of famous Bleuette dolls. It stands in the lobby of the museum and one can admire it even before admission to the museum is paid.

This collection of these sweet little dolls piqued my interest and I just had to know more about them.

Martha Waterman Nichols has a very informative website about the doll. Click here to see it. On the first page she tells us "Bleuette is a small French doll who was made in Paris by the SFBJ (Society of French Doll and Toy Makers) from 1905 until the company closed in 1957. She is popular with collectors interested in French dolls and fashion history. More than 1,000 published clothing patterns and fifty-plus years' worth of commercial clothing made just for her make Bleuette one of the most fashionable in the history of dolls with their own wardrobes."

Have a look at the rest of her website. It has much more information than I could include here and there are also many beautiful pictures.

The doll was created in 1905 as an incentive to get people to subscribe to a new weekly newspaper for girls called La Semaine de Suzette (Suzette's Week). I was lucky enough to find a number of samples of this newspaper at a flea market in Paris last week. Below is the cover of one from March 1913. My French is quite poor, but it looks like Napoleon is making his own omlette.

The Wikipedia site for Bleuette tells us the following:

"The first Bleuette dolls are known as "Premiere Bleuette", and were given free to those who had placed an order for a year's subscription to La Semaine de Suzette before its first publication in February 1905, and were available only until one month after the first issue. 20,000 Jumeau dolls were ordered from the Société Française de Fabrication de Bébés et Jouets (SFBJ) for the initial advertisement, but 60,000 subscriptions were received, and this first supply of dolls were gone before the first issue was even released."

In the kitchen of the Bleuette house we see a doll dressed in a traditional costume of Bretagne (Brittany), an area of France.

This is the same costume worn by the cartoon character Bécassine, a young Breton housemaid who was drawn by Joseph Pinchon and who appeared in the first issue of La Semaine de Suzette on February 2, 1905. She is considered the first female protagonist in the history of comics.

Bécassine is a a good-natured, and well meaning nanny who creates all sorts of humorous situations in her comic strips. She is a well loved character in France and before I became familiar with her connection to Bleuette I saw many representations of Bécassine in the shops in the form of key chains, small figures and stuffed dolls.

La Semaine de Suzette was aimed at teaching the home arts to young girls of good families, and it was intended to teach them to be good mothers and good Christian French wives.

Most issues contained patterns for dressing Bleuette, but one could also order ready-made costumes through the publishing offices and catalogues.

As well as a wardrobe for everyday wear, bridal dresses, festival costumes, and a Holy Communion dresses were available.

One of the dolls in the dollhouse is wearing the Communion gown that is advertised in the1949 issues of the paper.

Many more items could be purchased for Bleuettes trousseau including bed linens and delicate undergarment.

Wikipedia tells us:

"Bleuette is a doll that was produced from 1905 to 1960. She has a fully jointed composition body. She was 27 cm (10" 5/8) until 1933, then 29 cm (11 3/8) until production ended in 1960. She had a bisque head until World War II, then a composition head until 1958 when a hard plastic body and head were used for the last two years of production. More than 1,060 patterns were published over the 55 years Bleuette was available."

The three dolls in the smallest room of the Bleuette house appear to be later than the others and have may have composition heads. (It is hard to tell though the glass). Their dresses are adorable.

Click on this link to download patterns from La Semaine de Suzette

The charming cover of this issue from September 1938 begins the story of poor little Gertrude. The whole house is sad because Gertrude is sick. She has a high fever and the doctor is "inquiet". I don't know since my lack of French prohibits me from reading it, but I bet Gertrude feels better by the end of the story. The lovely color picture of Gertrude and her doll would make anyone feel better.

I hope you enjoyed my discovery of Bleuette and her world as much as I did. Below are more pages from La Semaine de Suzette for your enjoyment.

1925

1913

1949

1913

Festival costumes from February 1925

1925 - One could choose a doll with real hair or artificial hair

Daphne loves Paris!!

2012-01-02T11:12:00.000-05:00

I haven't had much opportunity to take pictures of Daphne out on the streets of Paris, but I had some fun creating scenes "a la maison" with some of my doll-sized souvenirs. Here they are just for fun.

Musee de Poupee Paris

2011-12-30T12:52:00.000-05:00

What fun to explore Paris with a kindred spirit.

Daphne and Colette have found the Doll Museum. Let's go inside and see what we can see.

Wow!! What a wonderful exhibit! J'aime les poupees!

Merry Christmas from Susan, Daphne and the Mindolton gang!

2011-12-17T10:09:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas!!

The Caco Clan has gathered for a special Christmas morning with all the children in the family. What a lot of gifts, including new pets.

The Victorian family is digging into their presents with great joy. They are especially excited about what father has sent from India where he is on duty for the Queen.

The Grecons are excited to see how the children react to the modern Christmas tree and all the gifts. Their faithful maid peeks from the kitchen door.

Mr. and Mrs. Tirolo prepare a special breakfast as they watch Axel and Anneliese play with their Christmas toys.

Jake and Ruby are busy welcoming friends and neighbors in for Christmas morning mimosas.

The Dalley's are having a wonderful Christmas morning.

And back at the Flaggs Patsy still can't figure out why Santa brought her a brother instead of a pony.

I hope all my wonderful blog friends are having an warm, loving, Christmas morning with their loved ones.

Love, hugs, and best wishes for 2012.

Susan

Visit my new website

2011-11-26T12:36:00.000-05:00

Tell your friends.

I am setting up a website devoted to my collection. It is not complete yet, but I have some pictures and links in place for now. To visit it, click on this link http://www.dollhousesantiquetomodern.com

Please note that you can ask me to post things you have for sale. Just email me a picture, description and your contact info and I will post them. Responses will be slow at first, but as people find the site it will be come more popular. I will be defining the website over the next couple of months and adding to it. Once I have established the format I will add to it regularly.

Your input will help. You are welcome to email me pictures, questions, dollhouse stories at SusanHale@gmail.com.

Spread the word.

http://www.dollhousesantiquetomodern.com
Hugs from Susan

My Little Putz Farm

2011-10-09T18:45:00.000-04:00

Please come and visit my little Putz farm. The word "putz" is from the German "putzen" for "to decorate, especially to adorn a church." Originally, the putz consisted of wooden, clay, or tin figures arranged to depict the Nativity, Which explains why there are so many and such a variety of animals

Although I believe the barn is German it is not a Putz building. The dolls are from my collection of painted bisque costume dolls and are not Putz either. I think the majority of items in these pictures are about 100 years old. Don't hesitate to correct me if you have some inside information.

I wrote an earlier post about the barn here. Have a look.

Little Johnny has dropped his bucket of milk. Mother waits for him by the door on the house side of the building. It seems she hasn't noticed yet. The chickens are curious, but dubious about cleaning up the mess.

Some of the animals had rough lives before they came to live with me. The three-legged dog is checking out the hornless bull. The dog might be saying. "I'm looking for the man who shot my paw."

Behind the barn the cows have gotten in to the hay field. Mother hasn't noticed that either. She is probably tired.

The horses are facing us instead of their mangers. Both are missing their tails, so they look better this way. besides who wants to look at a couple of horses' rear ends.

A stream runs through the farm, and the oldest sister, Juliet, is crossing the little Putz bridge on her way home from an assignation with the hired man. She has missed the milking. I am not sure she will want to talk to Mother, especially once mother sees the spilled milk.

Mother is calling to Jimmy to wash up for supper. Jimmy doesn't hear. He is congratulating his pet sheep on her new baby. They are both very proud.

"Go away, chickens!" cries Johnny! Oops, he is in trouble now. Mother has noticed the milk.

"Johnny, clean that up and then wash up for supper!" yells Mother. She knows that there is no use crying over spilled milk.

She is wondering how much mutton she can get from that sheep.

Juliet is wary of the big goose. It has chased her many times before and she has drawn its attention. Juliet is more afraid of the goose than she is of mother.

Oh, no, the donkeys have gotten into the load of hay!!

''Johnny," says Mother sharply. "Put the donkeys in the pasture and then finish cleaning up the milk."

Oh oh, the goat is eying the cow. that goat has bad temper and it has never liked that cow.

It is just a another bucolic day at the farm. Come and visit again. Maybe Father will be home from the fields, then and Mother won't be so harried.

See you then!!

Susan

Treasures in unexpected places

2011-10-07T17:02:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was a gorgeous Indian Summer day so I decided to walk back to the office from my doctor's appointment.

I had no idea what mini (and maxi) delights were in store for me - like this miniature alteration and repair shop in a Dry Cleaner's window.

I love the detail of shop. the customer is waiting patiently, holding his briefcase and his jacket. Obviously it was as nice a day in his miniworld as it was in my full sized world.

Can you see the mini shop in the window? It is just to the right of the door.

A view from the top. I wonder if he is picking up the shirts on the counter. They look like they are ready to go.

It was a really sunny day. You can see the reflection of my camera in this shot.

I had such fun looking at everything in the room box that I almost forgot to go back to work.

But eventually I continued on.

I know this isn't a mini anything, but it tickled my fancy. "Some things aren't meant to last forever." One of life's valuable lessons.

A little further along I spotted this brick man. Yes, I know he won't fit in a traditional dollhouse, but think how much fun to would be to have a dollhouse his size. Then we would be the tiny people. I suppose we couldn't call it a dollhouse though.

Brickman is an ...

As I got closer to the office I passed one of my favourite stores. You wouldn't believe the great dollhouse books (both mini and my size) that I find here. The owner knows me now and saves things for me. I have purchased several out-of print reference and coffee table books from him - all on our favourite subject of miniatures and dollhouse design.

My office is in the design area of Toronto. That is, furniture design, not clothes. I took a picture of this store's logo because it reminded me of the Reac furniture boxes.

Then came the biggest surprise of all. As I was passing the store directly across the street from my office building (Klaus, at 300 King Street East, Toronto), I noticed a display case just inside the door.

It held a number of 1:6 scale miniature chairs and sofas.

I pass this store everyday and I have never noticed this display before.

I asked permission to take pictures for my blog and was granted it.

Apparently these are the collection of the store owner and are not for sale. I asked if they were Vitra designs and was told that some were.

I have one of these chairs in blue. I found it at a garage sale for 25¢. It had the Vitra design label on the bottom. I was quite pleased.

I love these chairs. I apologise for the reflection. The chairs were in a glass case and the sun was directly on them.

So, I had a lovely walk and I found lovely miniatures in places I would have never thought to look. What fun!

I hope you enjoyed taking a stroll with me.

See you soon,

Susan

Antique Dolls who live in my house.

2011-09-25T11:01:00.001-04:00

Some of my favourite dolls won't fit into my dollhouses but I thought you might like to see them anyway.

I love the little boy in blue who is peaking out from between the girls.

The China heads are all old except the little one in orange. I forgot to set up the Caco family before I took the picture.

These lovely dolls are enjoying a corner of my living room. It is hard to keep the cats off them though. Darcy and Lili (my cats) think the dolls make lovely beds. They have no idea how fragile the antique fabric is. Nor do they care.

The tallest girl at the back is a re-dressed wooden Schoenhut, as is the little blonde in blue at the front. The sweet girl with the lavender ribbon at her waist is a Jumeau. The one in the dark dress to the right of the Schoenhut is also a Jumeau. She is in her original dress.

I hope you enjoyed the visit.

Hugs,
Susan

You can build this doll house of plywood - in 1937

2011-09-06T16:26:00.003-04:00

It is amazing what one can find when surfing the web.

I hope I am not violating any copyrights by showing you a couple of pages from a 1937 magazine.

I love this house. If anyone actually makes it please post the pictures and send me the link, or email them to me to post.

And, please make me one too.

Rebecca of Rebecca's Collections blogged about this house and the plans a couple of years ago. Visit her post here.

Enjoy!

Susan

Craigslist caper = troubled trauma

2011-09-05T21:35:00.003-04:00

Can you say "Scam"? How about "Bait and Switch"?

You know how your mother always told you that if something seems too good to be true it probably is?

This morning I checked my local Craigslist to see if anyone wanted to get rid of an old dollhouse today.

This is what I saw. Newly listed for only $100.00. Sure, it looks like a museum piece, but I have had some good luck finding dollhouse on Craigslist, so I emailed immediately to see if I could come to see it. I admit I was a little suspicious. I didn't say in my email that I wanted to buy the house. I just said that I wanted to see it. Something just didn't seem right, but the seller emailed back immediately and the adventure began.

I had to rent a car, as the seller was about 30 miles north of the city, I Google-mapped the directions, I stopped at the bank for cash. It took me 45 minutes to drive up there.

When I arrived it took four or five tries ringing the doorbell and banging on the door and about a ten minute wait for someone to come to the door. That gave me plenty of time to enjoy the fake flowers and the plastic cats that decorated the flower pots there.

Finally a young woman came to the door and took me upstairs. I wondered if I was going to be murdered, as I still didn't believe they had the dollhouse in the picture there.

Items were piled high along the route to the upper room, making me hope that Hoarders might show up to film a show there and save me from the fate that might be coming.

But no, the young woman took me into a large room and showed me a 30 year old tab and slot dollhouse that had seen better days.

It was not quite as nice as the one shown here, but much dirtier, and full of really bad broken furniture.

"What about the one in the picture?' I asked her. "That is the one I wanted."

"oh, that one," she said. "It is already sold, but I can give you this one for less than the ad said."

"No thanks," I said. "I wanted the one in the ad."

"Oh, sorry," she said. "Everyone wants that one. It sold really fast. I hope you didn't have to come too far."

I know I should have been happy to escape with my life, but I was thoroughly annoyed. I realized I had been scammed and I had paid well for the privilege. That rental car was not cheap.

When I got home I searched Google and, though it took me a while, I found the house in the picture. It was built over a period of 15 years by a man in England. I had read about it before, I realized. No wonder it had looked familiar. It sold to an overseas buyer for approximately £50,000, yes, £50,000. Not $100, and not on Craigslist.

You can read about it here.
And at any of the links below:

http://www.luxuo.com/most-expensive/doll-house-peter-riches.html

http://lost-myheart.blogspot.com/2009/10/omg-i-love-dollhouses-and-im-so.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/howaboutthat/5495150/50000-for-dolls-house-that-took-15-years-to-build.html

http://www.google.com/search?q=Peter+Riches+dollhouse&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=TWk&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivnso&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=ZWllTpr6NYK80AHJh_2tCg&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=610

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1192284/What-property-slump-Intricate-DOLLS-house-sells-50-000.html

But . . . then again . . .

What if . . .

What if the overseas buyer lived north of Toronto?

What if the overseas buyer had recently passed away?

What if the young woman wasn't a liar and a cheat?

What if the overseas buyer's heirs are trying to clean out the overseas buyer's house?

What if I was just an hour late to make the dollhouse deal of the century?

Scammed or scorned? Which am I? And, which is better?

Is this the one that got away? Or the one that never was?

What do you think?

Susan

Daphne goes to a wedding: Part three

2011-08-21T10:21:00.000-04:00

Daphne and Colette are late for the wedding, but they are finally at the church.

"I told you that wasn't a shortcut," says Colette.

"Well we are here now. Let's go in." says Daphne.

"Okay," says Colette. "Stop pulling me."

"Are you sure we are supposed to sit here?" asks Colette. "I can't see a thing."

"You are right," says Daphne. "Let's find a better spot. Now, be quiet."

"This is much better," says Colette. I can see everything now. Doesn't the bride look beautiful!?!"

"She is so gorgeous," says Daphne. "The groom is a lucky fellow."

After the ceremony the bride and groom pose for pictures with their small attendants.

The bride and her mother, CM, share a moment.

CM's two beautiful assistants.

A perfect wedding day! Colette and Daphne dry their happy tears and go outside to join the party.

Congratulations to the older assistant and her groom. May your life be filled with happiness and laughter.

From two tiny wedding guests.

Daphne goes to a Wedding: Part Two

2011-08-20T09:22:00.001-04:00

Daphne and Colette are so excited to see each other again!!

"You look lovely," says Daphne!!

"So do you!!" says Colette as they hug.

"Relax and have a glass of wine and tell me all about your trip from the left coast," says Daphne as they settle down on the sofa.

"It was okay," says Colette, "but I didn't get my own seat like you did, I had to travel in a cardboard box inside a suitcase. I am exhausted!"

"Well, that's over now. Just relax and tell me what's been going on. We still have a few hours before we have to be at the church." says Daphne

"Sounds good," says Colette. "Please hand me a glass of that wonderful looking Rosé."

"We also have bottle of champagne on the table behind us if we run out of Rosé." says Daphne.

Will the girls finish both bottles of wine? Will they make it to the church on time? Will the have to travel in a purse? Will the bride be frightened by two tiny and unsteady guests?

Stay tuned and find out in the third episode of Daphne goes to a wedding!

Daphne goes to a Wedding: Part 1

2011-08-18T10:34:00.001-04:00

Daphne has been invited to the wedding of My Realitty's elder assistant. She is very excited, not just about the wedding, but also because she will see her best friend, Colette. Daphne had her dressmaker design a new outfit for her to wear to the wedding complete with a red fascinator, in honour of her home country, Canada.

Daphne feels very elegant in her new outfit.

The wedding is in New Jersey and Daphne decides to fly there. She has flown to places before, but this is the first time she has had her own seat. Usually she is buried in a purse and she can't see anything.

She enjoys looking out the window.

And seeing the beautiful cities below.

Daphne lands in Washington DC for the first leg of her trip. She will travel to New Jersey in a few days.

Looking down at the big city below makes Daphne a little homesick for Mindolton.

Just before she left Mindolton was overrun by the giant visiting cat.

He was a nice enough kitty, but he just didn't get Mindolton. He made quite a mess.

"I wonder if he will still be there when I get home," thinks Daphne. "The town sure could use some cleaning up, whether he is there or not."

When Daphne was shopping for a wedding gift, she saw these really cool running shoes. She liked the bunnies on them, but she decided they just weren't wedding gifty enough.

So instead, she chose something from the gift registry. What a pretty set of dishes. Daphne thinks.

"I wouldn't mind having nice dishes like these," thinks Daphne. "But they would have to be smaller.

More adventures of Daphne, the wedding guest, tomorrow, when she finally sees Colette again.

Plucky girls

2011-07-30T20:59:00.001-04:00

Who are these lovely athletic ladies who just arrived in Mindolton?

They are obviously an active group of fashionistas.

Yes, they are tweezers. I was getting a haircut at Manzer Hair, on Danforth Avenue in Toronto. On the counter was a display of these whimsical tweezers. I was immediately enchanted and I couldn't buy just one.

Nicole, at Manzer's, told me there were matching nail files and I encouraged her to order those too.

I have already given two of these tweezy away. One to my daughter and one to my son's girlfriend. At this rate I will probably end up having to buy on for myself the next time I get may hair cut.

Thrift Shop Score

2011-07-17T19:26:00.003-04:00

I don't go to thrift shops much anymore, but there is one near my hairdresser's. So, after my haircut this week I popped in to see what I could find.
I was barely through the door when I spotted this Madame Alexanderkins dressed as Scarlett O'Hara at the barbecue. It is not very old - her dress closes with velcro - but I love these little dolls, so I grabbed her.

A little further investigation led me to three bags full of a variety of dollhouse items.

They seemed to be all from the same place, but the age, quality and variety of the items ranged far and wide.

In this picture you can see a Kleeware Piano with its bench. Kleeware is the British manufacturer of Renwal type furniture circa mid-1960's.

The green highchair and orange cradle are from the Mattel Sunshine family circa 1973. The plaid covered lounge chair is soft plastic and looks 1960-ish. The small furniture at the front right of the is the type that goes with metal dollhouses from the 60s to the 80s.

The Renwal-type baby in front with the red diaper is a Made in Hong Kong knock off.

The metal dish beside the baby is marked "Imperial 1973" The little crocheted duck is like those handmade in China.

There is a ceramic bale of hay, a Mattel Littles doll from the early 80s, and several books and magazines that were sold by Shackman in the late 70s and early 80s.

In this picture you can see a set of Mexican ceramic dishes with a plate of tacos and a bottle of 1-2-3 pop. There is also a butcher's block with a cleaver, also late 70s - early 80s vintage.

I love the silver astronaut. He is dancing on a soft plastic table that is marked West Germany, as is the red and white cupboard in the back of the picture. Behind him you can see a joke bathtub ashtray that is a souvenir from Cedar Point. It features the Funway Skyride on one side and a locomotive on the other.

I was particularly pleased to get this garden swing, probably Lundby and early 1970s, and the Kleeware baby carriage (1960s-1970s). The little dog on the right is ceramic, but the one on the left is plastic. The dynamite is from recent years, but I thought it was a cute addition. The wooden plaque on the front left says Museum of Science and Technology, Chicago, Illinois. The white table is one of those things that they put in pizza boxes to protect he cheese from the box top.

Further back we can see a treasure chest sitting on one of those hard plastic cabinets that you put batteries in so you can plug lamps and things in the back of it. A smaller version sits to the left of it. A small metal carriage is on the right and in the foreground you can see a typical European painted chair.

The pink chair is newer (possibly late 80s-early 90s) and seems out of place in the collection. The baby in the green high chair is a recent Ari doll from Germany, and the hard plastic sleep-eyed baby in the cradle is a newer version of this traditional doll.

The little christmas packages are actually earrings. They weren't in with the dollhouse items, but I thought they were a great find too.

I am not sure what I am going to do with this mish-mash of miniatures, but it was fun to find it all in one place. I hope you enjoyed it too.

Susan

Carolyn's Dollhouse on the Marriage Ref

2011-07-11T13:37:00.002-04:00

I was watching The Marriage Ref last night. A couple who have been married for 44 years are arguing over the wife's dollhouse and how much it costs. The Panel has to decide who is right.

If you are outside the USA click here to see the excerpt from the show.

If you are in the USA you should be able to watch an excerpt here:

If neither of these options works go to google.com and search this phrase:
"The Marriage Ref - The Refs Weigh In: Carolyn's Dollhouse"

Ladies who tea (Simon and Halbig dollhouse dolls)

2011-06-19T22:38:00.030-04:00

Mrs. Curllock has invited her new neighbour, Mrs. Featherbonnet to tea. Mrs. Featherbonnet has two children, a girl and a boy. Mrs. Curllock hopes that her little boy will make friends with them.

Cecil can be a bit rough and tumble at times and Mrs. Curllock hopes that the genteel-looking Featherbonnet children will be a good influence on him.

Mrs. C. is wearing an original child-made gown. If you look closely you can see the hand stitching where the bodice is joined to the skirt. I was very lucky to acquire Mrs. C with a complete hand sewn wardrobe, plus a bed and wonderful bedding.

Mrs. Curllock takes a last look around her parlour. It looks very nice, she thinks. She has put out her best tea set and the sugar bowl with the silver tongs.

Mrs. Featherbonnet and the children arrive and the boys immediately check each other out.

Cecil Curllock looks at Fairchild Featherbonnet's fancy suit and tightly curled hair and wonders if he should reconsider asking Fairchild to come outside to see his tree house.

Flossie Featherbonnet is more interested in Spot, the Curllock's pup.

Mrs. Featherbonnet looks around the parlour and finds it very pleasant. "What a lovely home you have, Mrs. Curllock. Thank you for inviting us to tea"

Mrs. F. came to me with no clothes. She is wearing an outfit that came with Mrs. C. (although she thinks it is hers). This dress and hat are also child-made. The purse is a mother-of-pearl watch fob.

"You are so kind," says Mrs. Curllock. "Cecil, please take Fairchild and Flossie to the kitchen and ask Cook to give you your tea."

"Okay Mother," says Cecil. "C'mon Fairch and Floss. Cook made sugar cookies just for us."

The children came to me fully dressed. Their outfits are expertly made and are probably original from the factory. All five dolls have glass eyes and wigs.

"Mrs. Featherbonnet, please sit down and I will serve the tea." says Mrs. C.

"This is all so lovely," says Mrs. F.

Mrs. C. is very proud of her 1890s parlour set. The upholstery is all original and in fantastic condition for its age.

Mrs. C is also very proud of her pink frill lamp.

The room is a three-sided backdrop with a window in the back. It makes a lovely room.

The ladies are Simon and Halbig dollhouse dolls, mold number 1160. These dolls came in various sizes. This is the smallest I have seen. They are just under 6 inches tall. They have bisque heads on shoulder plates, bisque lower arms and legs, and cloth bodies. Their fixed glass eyes can make them look like they have taken too much laudanum. Although, some of them just look sad. Many of these dolls had white arms, to represent long white gloves. They were made in Germany in the late 1900s.

Both of the ladies have reddish-coloured shoes with double straps. Mrs. F is missing half of her right foot, unfortunately, but it doesn't slow her down any.

These dolls always had wigs. These two ladies are lucky enough to have their original ones. Mrs. C has an elaborate ringlet updo which is very common for these dolls. Mrs. F's hat hides her rather sparse wig. It has lost a great deal of hair as well as its ringlets over the past century, so the hat improves her looks immensely. Her wig would have originally been the same as Mrs; C's.

The children look like the darling little all bisque 3 1/2" dolls, made by the German firm of Kestner, circa 1910-15, although I think Cecil could be made by another German manufacturer, Kling. Flossie and Fairchild may not be Kestner either. Several German doll makers were putting out these types of dolls at that time. They are all bisque and have stationary glass eyes. They are jointed at the shoulders and hips and have painted boots or shoes. I find them adorable.

Antique Dollhouse from Pennsylvania

2011-06-11T23:57:00.004-04:00

I recently took a road trip to Amish country in Pennsylvania to pick up a dollhouse. My sister came with me and we had a wonderful girls' weekend. The weather was sunny and warm. Pennsylvania was beautiful. And our quest was satisfied when we arrived at our destination and found this incredible dollhouse waiting for us.

This dollhouse is said to be from a prominent Pennsylvania family. It is 99 years old, and was refurbished sometime within the last thirty years.

I am hoping to be able to restore it, but I thought I would share it first.

This metal plate is on the end chimney. It is possible that S.W. is the initials of the child it was built for. It is lovely to have such built in provenance.

I had some fun furnishing the house for this post. Although the house came with furniture most was Strombecker and decades newer than the house. I used my own older furniture to set up these scenes.

The ladies are in the living room enjoying tea.

The wall paper is from the recent renovation. I would like to replace it with a more appropriate pattern.

The tea table is too new for the house, but I believe the sofa and chairs are old enough. I don't know the age of the commodes, but the lamps are carved bone with parchment shades.

The young lady is a Simon Halbig 1160 doll, and the older lady is from about 1900-1910, I believe.

The master bedroom is furnished with this lovely wood bedroom suite. I think it might be from the 30's, but haven't identified it yet.

I have stripped the wallpaper from the wall behind the bed. That's why it looks like that.

All the rooms have high ceilings, so a large one inch scale furniture fits very nicely. The curtains came with the house, and the rug is a tobacco felt.

This is the upper hall next to the master bedroom. You can see a working pocket door at the left front of the picture. This door opens on a working elevator.

You go from the upper hall into the second bedroom. Again the furniture is too new for the house, but I thought it looked cute and I will find appropriate furniture later. The two little girls are enjoying the bedroom set which is a Wisconsin Goldilocks set. It also has a vanity and rocking chair, but the room is too small for all the pieces.

The curtains came with the house. Notice the frosted glass in the door to the right. This leads to the bathroom.

I found this miniature framed picture of a man and child in bathing suits and thought it would look cute in the children's room. Maybe it it a fond summer memory for them.

The bathroom is very special. All the fixtures are built in and original to the house. There is a trap door on the roof above the bathroom where one can pour in water, so that the plumbing actually works. It drains into a copper cistern in the base of the house.

I haven't tried it yet. I am a little nervous about it.

The floor is original and hand painted. I hope I can figure out how to clean it without ruining it.

The kitchen is in the one storey wing on the left side of the house (when one is facing it). The handmade stove and icebox came with the house. I have a feeling that they are original to the house, but I have no way of knowing for sure.

The table chairs and matching sideboard are German from about 1900, and the high chair is wood with a tin tray and step. I found it on our Pennsylvania trip for $1.00 at a flea market.

The kitchen has a very high ceiling. I am considering putting a second floor in as a low ceilinged servant's bedroom. It would be non permanent, so it wouldn't effect the originality of the house.

The dining room was also recently papered, and the curtains came with the house. I am hoping to replace the paper, but I can live with it for now.

The furniture is mine, and all is German from about 1900-1920. The colour of the needlepoint rug doesn't really work, but it is the right size.

The downstairs entry hall is quite impressive. Someone electrified the house when the recent renovations were done. You can see the tape for the wires along the wall at the level of the hanging lamp and running up the dividing wall beside the stairs.

The pocket door with the wire window is for the elevator.

Here is a better look at the elevator door.

Here are the six main rooms of the house. The wire cage that runs up beside the living room and master bedroom is the elevator. You can see the crank for it in the base below the cage.

A view of the elevator in the second floor hall.

Granny takes the elevator. to the second floor. Although the ceilings are very high the doors throughout the house aren't. Granny has to stoop a little to fit in the elevator.

Here is Granny exiting the elevator. She is slightly over 6 inches tall and as you can see the doors are slightly under 6 inches tall.

This isn't a problem for me though. I love this house.

I am thrilled to have this wonderful antique dollhouse in my collection. If anyone knows anything about it, or about the furniture I have put in it please leave a comment or email me.

Thanks for visiting.

Susan

America's Dollhouse - a pictorial tour

2011-05-24T16:22:00.001-04:00

America's Dollhouse in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. I have shown you this before and I am sure you have seen it elsewhere, but I thought you might enjoy my pictures of Faith Bradford's wonderful dollhouse.

The Doll family live here. They are 2 parents, 2 visiting Grandparents, 10 Children, several servants and numerous pets. The house represents a peaceful and prosperous time between the first and second World Wars. I am sure that, like me, there are times you wished you lived there too.

Check out these links from my fellow bloggers and me for more nformation:

The Miniature World of Faith Bradford

The Smithsonian

Smithsonian Miniature finds

The Long Island Dolls’ House

2011-05-15T15:52:00.003-04:00

Today, I have a wonderful story to share with all of you. But it is not my own story, so I am delighted to introduce a guest blogger. Please welcome Ann Meehan to Susan's Mini Homes. Below is her story of the incredible Long Island Doll's House. (check out Ann's own website here for more incredible stories.) The story of the restoration is as fascinating as the history of the house.

A spectacular dolls’ house is found in Long Island!!

The Exterior of the Long Island Doll's House

The house is from around 1890 and was kept in a garage on Long Island for 47 years before the owner decided to part with it. Her father, Michael Trotta , had given it to her when she was four years old! He had found it abandoned in a house fire in which he was hired to clean out the home. His business was called Joe Trotta and Sons in Glen Cove, Long Island.

The dolls’ house exterior is heavily carved with brackets and fine design work under the roof. Medallions are found between windows. Fine bead work appears around windows and columns. The house is painted in three shades of old green paint with mahogany stained windows. The color combination creates a façade that is soft and beautiful. The windows were made to go up and down! They were damaged when a group of boy threw balls at the dollhouse for target practice.

The base of the house has painted brick work and on each side is an awning representing a basement window. If you look closer, you see the awning is really a handle for a drawer. So if you pull on the awning, out comes a drawer. The drawer on the right has a complete hook-up for a door bell. When you push the drawer shut, the doorbell will ring! A similar drawer on the left has some wooden parts that go in the house.

An overview of the interior showing all six rooms

There are six rooms in the house. The main four rooms have hand carved fireplaces with beveled mirrors and carved columns under the mantle. (The other two rooms are a bathroom and kitchen.) One fireplace has carved figures holding up the mantle. Finely turned posts are found on top of the mantles that connect up to the tops of the mirrors. A large opening between the dining room and parlor has a finely carved piece of decoration up at the ceiling. It needed to be attached along with a column to connect it to a base. ( The pieces were in a bag in the drawer of the house on the left side.) Quite unbelievable, when you think of the time it must have taken to build this house!

The Kitchen with the built in stove and sinks. The wooden floor in the kitchen resembles tile.

The kitchen has wonderful built-in double sinks in metal with wooden stained covers hinged to the back. A large metal black stove has a hot water heater that is connected with pipes to the double sinks and another metal sink. The other sink could be used to wash mops or be used for other kitchen chores. The kitchen floor is carved and painted with a border that looks like linoleum. The most amazing piece in the kitchen is the dumb waiter. It begins in the kitchen in the left hand corner of the room. A beautifully carved door opens and a series of shelves to transport food is elevated by a string on a pulley. It can be operated to stop at each floor. The pulley is on the third floor, on the partition to the right side room. One can see it on the partition, up at the top!

This doorway from the kitchen into the bathroom was
missing when the house was acquired.

This is the dumb waiter in the kitchen -the original door
was used as a model to copy for other missing doors.

The kitchen sinks were all intact.

We added a tank to the toilet. We found the name of the
company that made the toilet on the rim of the toilet bowl!

The bathroom has a large cast iron tub on paw feet. What is really unusual is the fine painting on the back and side of the tub; there is a cupid holding a garland of flowers. I have never seen a piece like this nor have I seen the cast iron sink with a porcelain bowl in the center, as this ine has. There is a drain in the sink connecting to pipes underneath. The high tank toilet is quite unusual with a blue and white porcelain bowl molded in various curves to make it more of a decorative urn!!! The floor in the bathroom is scored to look like tiles and is painted cream with a border in a soft mauve color.

2nd floor- the archway dividing the two rooms. A lot of this was
missing and we had to use parts and pieces and make new
ones to complete all the carved spindles etc.

2nd floor -left side room. The fireplace.

The main work in this room was putting the fireplace spindles
back together and making new ones!

All the ceiling papers were carefully removed and
placed back on the ceiling. Here is one of them.

The crown molding and wallpaper in this room.

Ceiling wallpapers are beautifully painted with borders (a couple of these have to be glued back in place) and beaded trim work. With the wooden crown moldings it certainly makes an impressive design when painted to go with the original wallpapers! The wallpapers are all small prints and the paper has a sheen to it which gives a very elegant feeling to the room. The window frames are carved and have rosettes in each corner.

A close up of the figurines carved on each side of the fireplace and to point out the tile work.

This is the dumb waiter on the 2nd floor - right room. The door
was missing and copied from the one on the first floor.

2nd floor - right room - the ceiling papers restored

A study of the crown molding with wallpaper in the right room of the 2nd floor.

We are now on the 3rd floor-right room. This room also has the dumb waiter
and it is all hooked up to work on all three floors.

How the dumb waiter works. A thin chain with a piece of metal on the end
runs up and down through partitions. Up at the top of the partitions
I can grab the piece of metal and pull the chain down.

You pull the chain down and stick it into a hole in the front of the house.
This allows the dumb waiter to stop on the second floor. To move it to the
third floor, pull the chain down farther and put the metal piece into the hole.

This is the 3rd floor- room to the left. (The wallpaper had been painted white!!!).
I had in my collection of wallpaper, a small print which went perfectly in this room.

Detail of the wallpaper.

The ceiling wallpaper is restored.

Elsie, whose name is painted on the windows of the front door, was probably the first owner. Lucky girl!!

The front entrance has two doors with glass windows. The name “Elsie” written in script on the glass. The doors have incredible detail of carved wood, tiny bead work and very special door knobs and escutcheons. Above the glass doors are glass transoms with black and gold numbers; one door has “1900” and the other door has “1901”. It almost reminds you of a New York brownstone.
The house opens from the front in an ingenuous way…the carved moldings on the roof are about four inches deep, you raise the roof which unclamps the front façade and then lay the roof back down. (The roof is hinged from the back). It eliminates hooks and pieces that would never be seen on a real house! This is truly one of the best architectural dolls’ houses I have ever seen.

The exterior has now been restored with all the working windows and pieces, like the balcony railing and railings to the exterior stairs are in place and the second front door can be seen now.

Restoration takes time and patience, and there is more to do, but I wanted to share with your readers what we have accomplished so far.

Ann Meehan,

More of the Best Dollhouse Day Ever!

2011-05-09T14:04:00.002-04:00

If you have been following My Realitty's blog you know about our visit to Ann Meehan during our dollhouse road trip through Pennsylvania last month. Carol has shown you some of Ann's incredible collection, and I have a few pictures to add to the tour.

Ann was gracious, and fun and a delight to spend the day with. I don't think I have ever had a better dollhouse day in my life. Visit Ann's website here to see more and to shop. Don't forget to have a look at her newsletters. This is a great way to gain knowledge of antique miniatures.

Peek through the window of this wonderful house ...

And you will see a lovely young lady at her toilette.

Most of these houses are larger than 1:12 scale. The dolls are approximately 10"-12" high and the furniture is the perfect scale for them.

This wonderful townhouse has a beautifully detailed exterior.

As Carol mentioned in her posts, I fell in love with Treenware. Treenware is the old name for small handcrafted wooden items. The colorful dishes in the dresser are Treen.

I also fell in love with this magnificent house. Ann is in the process of putting the final touches on its interior.

Unlike many houses in Ann's collection this one has an open back. Most have doors on the front or side and open that way.

I was intrigued by the very lifelike billiard table. I put my hand in the picture for scale.

Don't you just love the linoleum?

It all seems like a dream now. Carol and I were two lucky collectors that day. And we are very grateful for it.

Colette and Daphne visit Call of the Small

2011-04-28T14:20:00.000-04:00

On their road trip Daphne and Colette are delighted to visit fellow mini-blogger Call of the Small.

They explore houses in her collection that they would love to have at home.

"I love this patio," says Daphne, "But what is that UFO thing on the roof?"

"Oh, Daphne," says Colette, "Don't you know? That's the clothes line."

Hmmm ... it seems the girls need to get out more. More about this house here.

"This is a cozy room," says Colette.

"Yes, it is," says Daphne. "I wish I had a desk like that. It is much more avant guard than my Strombecker one at home."

CallSmall very graciously shows the girls the setting from the Ladies home Journal article.

"What a gorgeous house," says Daphne. "I loved the story of how CallSmall got this house."

See the post here: Citadel Road Trip

"I could live here," says Colette.

"It's gorgeous!" says Daphne

Learn more about this wonderful Vero house here.

The girls make themselves at home in the Kaleidoscope house.

"I keep hearing about this house, but this is the first time I've been in one," says Daphne.

"I just love this table," says Colette.

Read more about this great room here.

"Drink! What a good idea," says Colette. "I wonder when the waiter shows up."

"It couldn't be too soon for me," says Daphne.

"Look at these lovely doors," says Colette. "CallSmall had very talented Elizabeth Le Pla of Elf Miniatures make them for her."

"They are wonderful," says Daphne.

Read about it here.

Alas the visit has come to an end. It is time to continue traveling. So Why don't the girls go?

Because Carol and Susan have left them here at the large Vero house.

Yikes!!

Luckily, the ladies notice the girls are missing before they get too far and retrieve them. Although I am sure Colette and Daphne would be very happy living in CallSmall's gorgeous modern homes.

TTFN,

Susan

On the Road

2011-04-22T09:29:00.002-04:00

Daphne and Colette are traveling through rural Pennsylvania in search of mini items to add to their mini homes.

Pennsylvania is such a beautiful state with lovely little towns. The girls think that the houses look like the dollhouses they are used to at home.

"Colette, I am getting tired," says Daphne. "Let's look for a place to stay for the night."

"Good idea," says Colette. "I am tired too."

"This place looks nice," says Colette.

"Oh, yes," says Daphne. "It is so pretty with the green lawn and the spring blossoms."

So the girls check in.

"Colette," says Daphne. "Look up there. What is that?"

Both girls look at the ceiling over the bed.

"Oh my," says Colette.

"Oh my," says Daphne. "What kind of place is this?"

And both girls giggle.

"Well, I don't know what they are expecting, but they are going to be disappointed." laughs Daphne.

Pennsylvania is a fun place.

Pennsylvania

2011-04-17T21:28:00.000-04:00

Daphne and Colette are getting ready to visit every antique mall in Pennsylvania.

They spent a lovely night in their river-view room at the elegant Days Inn at Harrisburg and are now ready to hit the road.

It is a beautiful day, but there is a brisk wind so the girls are wearing the knitted hats that Daphne bought in Peru.

"Okay, Colette, grab your suitcase and let's go," says Daphne. "There are several hundred antique malls near here and we want to hit every one. Have you got your credit card?"

"Wha. . . hundreds of . . . Every single one!" stutters Colette.

"Don't worry," says Daphne. "We can get more suitcases for your finds on the road. How many do you think you can take back with you?"

Road Trip!!!

2011-04-03T19:05:00.000-04:00

Daphne is so excited!! Colette is coming to Toronto for a few days and then they are taking a road trip south to Washington DC.

Look out Pennsylvania Antique Malls, here we come!!

Daphne gets out her luggage and prepares to pack ....

But first she has to get Colette's room ready.

Hmmmm. Maybe using the guest room for storage wasn't such a good idea after all.

Sunday morning

2011-04-03T13:13:00.000-04:00

Daphne is enjoying a lazy Sunday morning.

The phone rings ....

"Hello. Yes? Who?"

"You don't mean it!!"

"Really! Of course! Yes! I can't wait!"

Daphne is so excited she jumps right out of the chair.

Who called? What is the news that made Daphne so excited?

C'mon Daphne, let us in on the story.

Antique Stable and House circa 1900

2011-03-28T14:09:00.003-04:00

I was fortunate to acquire this wonderful toy barn recently. I believe it to be a German toy circa 1900. It is hand painted to resemble stuccoed bricks or stone and wood. the stable is on one side, and the living quarters with hay mow above is on the other.

I saw many farm houses with attached barns while driving through Germany and Austria a few years ago.

This type of farmhouse first emerged in the Middle Ages and was built using timber framing and/or stone. It is an 'all-in-one' house (Einhaus) with living quarters and livestock stalls under one roof. This rural type of farmstead still forms part of the scene in many villages in the central and southern areas of Germany. It is a very clever idea in a cold climate as the warmth from the animals helped to heat the house.

In my German toy barn, there is a small entry door with painted latch and hinges, and a charming shuttered wndow with a bench underneath on the living quarters of the barn.

This swings open in one large door to reveal the interior.

The blue painted peasant furniture came with the house. I believe the paper trim along the floor and and the ceiling is original to the house. It has the decorating look from the right period.

I couldn't say whether the futniture is as old as the barn, but the style and scale are just perfect, so I am guessing they are.

The door into the hay mow doesn't open, but I feel the mow wold make a perfect sleeping loft if it was accessible.

I have yet to acquire animals to live in the stable, but now that I have this wonderful structure I will be on the look out for some.

These farmhouse/barns were not limited to Germany and Austria. When my ancestors emigrated from England to Canada in 1850, their first home on their backwoods farm was a combination barn/house. Unlike this one, my ancestors kept the animals on the ground floor level and lived on the floor above. The heat from the animals rose and helped keep the family warm during their first few Canadian winters. The bedrooms were open sleeping lofts above the living quarters. Again, for warmth from below. I was lucky enough to visit the farm that my ancestors built so long ago. I toured the lovely red brick Ontario farmhouse, built once they could afford it. For over a century there has been a magnificent traditional barn on the property. Both are beautiful, but I must say I was more interested in the the first building - the barn/house - still standing and quaintly decorated as an artist studio. It fired my imagination, and gave me a glimpse into my Great-great-grandmother's first taste of life in this new, uncharted country.

Flagg Dolls in one inch scale

2011-03-26T21:04:00.002-04:00

Anyone who has followed my blog for a while knows that I love the dolls made by the Flagg company in the 50s and 60s.

Here, in their original box, is a family group of Flagg flexible play dolls from c1960. They represent the perfect post World War two family. Mom, Dad, brother, sister and baby.

These dolls are 1:12 scale. the father is approximately 6 inches tall.

Her is another set of the 1:12 scale dolls in the original box.

Both families are dressed in their original clothes, made of felt with paper shirts and collars.

This family, unlike the ones above, have never been taken out of their box. This is useful for the collector, as it tells us what is original, and what is supposed to be included.

This family is either waving to us, or discoing to 'Stayin' Alive'.

I find the variations in the costumes between the two families interesting. The family at the top of the page have more detailed outfits. Mother has fancy lace on her skirt and a jaunty neck scarf. The children's outfits are fabric (except for the boy's shorts), and the father has dark pants with a lighter shade of sports jacket.

I have a feeling that the dolls were made at different times in the life of the company. The quality seems higher with the top family. Even the box is made of sturdier cardboard and the printing is darker and stronger.

Maybe the other set was made later and the company was trying to conserve funds, or, on the other hand, had grown to the point that quantity of production outweighed quality.

This is printed on the inside of each box. Point 2 is puzzling as the clothes are stapled on. Removing the clothing could be detrimental to the felt. If the staples weren't removed first one could easily tear holes, not to mention puncture little fingers with the sharp metal.

Once removed, the clothes could be put back on the doll, but without the staples to hold them on I doubt if they would stay.

They mention blondes and brunettes, yet three members of the family at the top of the page have red hair.

The last point is very mysterious. I have collected several of these dolls and have never found 'Snap-on" clothes. I am curious to see these.

The dolls are flexible, even after 50 years. They are fun to pose, and look great in dollhouses of the era.

Here are the two boxed families with three other 1:12 families. All are wearing their original outfits except the little boy in dark blue and the mother in the purple dress - her family had all their clothes, but hers were missing. I guess her original owner bought the "easily undressed" blurb.

This family, except for Mother are dressed exactly like their boxed counterparts.

Again the outfits are the same as the two families above. Mother has lost her bolero though. This family is made of a different kind of plastic. It seems to have become translucent over the years. Or maybe they looked this way when new. In any case this plastic gives the family an other worldly, zombie-ish, look.

This scale of doll never achieved the popularity of the smaller 1:18 scale that Flagg was famous for. These larger dolls were discontinued after a few years, but I find these dolls much more attractive than the smaller ones

This pretty Nurse is the only 1:12 scale doll I have found in a single box, but she gives me hope that others are out there. I will keep looking.

Flagg made larger dolls, approximately 7" tall, in many different costumes. These 1:12 dolls are not from that series. These dolls were specifically made for doll houses. The 7" ones were not.

She bids you adieu for today. I hope to find some colleagues for her in the future.

TTFN
Susan

The third floor of Tynietoy Villa

2011-03-19T18:48:00.000-04:00

The top floor of Tynietoy Villa is for the children. Ganny is spending some time with Bobby and Susie.

The nurse is in busy with baby Timmy.

Susie wants Granny to help her cut out her paper dolls, but Granny can't find the scissors.

Bobby is waiting for Granny to be busy with Susie so he can sail his boat in the bathtub. He gets to do it only if Nurse and Granny forget to watch him.

Granny has forgotten what she was looking for.

And such is life on the third floor of Tynietoy villa.

The dolls are Caco with metal feet and composition heads - although I think Grannys head might be plastic.

There is no Tynietoy furniture up here, but there could be in the future if I find any nursery things.

The large cupboard behind Granny is a Lynnfield hutch. The pink nursery furniture is Strombecker, as is the yellow ducky rocker. The baby's crib, dresser and chair are from sometime around the 1940s and I don't know who made it, but I love it.

The rugs are handmade, and the toys and accessories are found items.

Tynietoy Villa renewed

2011-03-19T16:46:00.000-04:00

I have spent the last few weekends redecorating my Tynietoy house. I added baseboards, crown moldings, and the bedroom doors. I re-papered the living room and upper hall, and I stained the floors and painted the stairs. It still needs a little work, but it is a much better home for my Tynietoy collection now.

See the before pictures here

In the front hall Mr. Greybeard has just brought Abby in from her walk.

All furniture in the house is Tynietoy. Except for Xanthe and Mr. Greybeard, all dolls are Caco with metal feet and composition heads. The dated from the 1940s to the 1970s.

Accessories vary from soft metal German Gerlach, which was made in the early 20th century to go with Tynietoy, to a range of found items from 1900 to present.

In the living room Xanthe is serving tea to a charming young Caco couple. Abby rushes in hoping for a treat.

The maid is in the dining room. One would think they could afford to buy her a new apron. She has been wearing this one for several decades.

I re-papered the upper hall. I like it much better now. The front area makes a great space for games or cards.

The yellow bedroom is a bit crowded. I may redecorate, but for now we have a vintage Caco doll checking to see if the beds have been made.

The master bedroom is a vision in red, white and gold. Mrs. Caco, sister to the lady in the parlor, has discovered the cat and her kittens under the bed.

I love this white dresser.

Dutch Dolls

2011-03-10T16:47:00.001-05:00

Technically these aren't dollhouse dolls unless you have a really big dollhouse, but I wanted to share them anyway. A friend of mine is traveling to the Netherlands on Sunday. He was born there, but has lived in Canada most of his life. He is excited about going back and I am excited for him, as he shares his memories of being a young child in Holland, and speculates what it is like in the 21st century.

So that got me thinking about how I viewed Holland when I was a child growing up here in Canada. These dolls, as stereotypical and possibly insulting to Nederlanders as they may be, sum up my early visions of the Netherlands.

In school we learned about the low counties of the North Atlantic. Windmills, wooden shoes, tulips, Holsteins, cheese, and dykes. Blue and white dishes, lace caps, aprons, spic and span, and dutch clean. Skating along canals, dutch caps, green fields, reclaimed from the sea. Everything about Holland was bright and wholesome and pretty. Just like these dolls.

So, was it any surprise that when I got to Europe a few years ago I just had to go to the Netherlands? It is as lovely as I expected, though it is firmly in the 21st Century now, and they certainly don't dress like these sweet dolls anymore (although we did see one man in wooden shoes in a country village).

This boy and girl are approximately 15 inches tall, and completely made of felt. I love their painted faces and their colourful costumes. I think they might be from the 1960s or possibly earlier

They have some condition issues, but that is to be expected due to their age. It looks like moths have attached the boy's pants and the back of the girl's left arm. The girl has a rip in her underarm where her stuffing is trying to escape. But these flaws don't detract from the charm of this sweet couple. Her apron is decorated with tulips and he carries a wonderful little felt basket. Perhaps they are going to market, or strolling along the canal, or out gathering tulips. They are just too much fun.

I have listed them on eBay because I have no room for them now. If you would like to have them live at your house have a look.

'Tag,
Susan

Inventory of a dollhouse

2011-03-07T22:28:00.001-05:00

I decided to document the contents of this 1948 Keystone dollhouse. I bought it, fully furnished, at an auction last year.

I wanted to make sure that, even if I 'borrowed' the furniture for another house, I would always know what belonged to this house.

Here is my photo inventory.

The living room furniture by Lynnfield - circa 1948.

The dining room furniture - Lynnfield, circa 1948

The nursery wooden furniture was sold in the Chestnut Hill catalog in 1951. The change table is Renwal, from the same era, and is plastic.

The pink coverlet with blue ribbons.

The wonderful kitchen furniture. from the same place as the nursery furniture.

The inside of the fridge.

A 1940ish Strombecker bathroom with a pink plastic Renwal washing machine.

This is a 3/4" scale. The furniture above is a small 1" scale.

Strombecker bedroom suite from the same period and in the same scale as the bathroom.

Betty and Mickey, a sweet pair of Tiny Town dolls, came with the house, as did their little black dog and his bed. The Christmas tree was also included.

And last, but not least, all these gorgeous accessories came with the house.

I love the little glass dishes. They say "Corning Center Glass" on them.

So there you have the inventory. And now I will always know what belongs in this house no matter what I move around.

Bye for now.

Susan

Tynietoy Villa - Painted

2011-03-07T12:40:00.003-05:00

In my recent post about Tynietoy Villa I talked about my plans for making this dollhouse over into a suitable home for my Tynietoy furniture. I knew I wanted to paint the house white and I thought I would make the shutters green.
This past weekend I painted the outside of the house and was quite pleased with the white exterior. I never liked the plain wood effect (see the picture below).

When I finished the exterior and finally located the shutters - I had removed them two years ago and wasn't quite sure where I had put them - I started looking for accent paint. I found that I had this interesting shade of red.

Why not, I thought. This isn't a real Tynietoy house. I don't need to pretend it is by making the trim green. Besides, the red has so much more omph. I am going to put red trim on the eaves and stain the roof a darker colour - plus I think it needs flower boxes under the windows, so there is more to do including the interior walls and floors.

But here it is so far. Much better than before, don't you think?

Moma's art dollhouse

2011-03-04T16:07:00.012-05:00

This dollhouse is in the MOMA online catalog. It was created as part of the Peter Norton Family Christmas Art Project in 2002.

Each year since 1988, rather than sending out a holiday card, Mr. Norton has commissioned an artist to create an edition - usually the sculptural objects or books known as "multiples." These are produced in quantities from 2,500 to 5,000 unnumbered copies, according to Kris Kuramitsu, the curator of the Peter Norton and Eileen Harris Norton Collections, who oversees the project. Once finished, the pieces are packed by a fulfillment house near the Norton-family office in Santa Monica, Calif., and shipped out around the world a few weeks before Christmas. Anything not sent out ends up in the store.

2002 was the year of the Yinka Shonibare dollhouse. A lavish toy modeled after the Anglo-Nigerian artist's own London home, it is outfitted with tiny furniture and miniaturized paintings and photographs.

I have pasted the pictures and the text below directly from the MOMA store website. See it at this link.

Dollhouse
Yinka Shonibare, 2002

Yinka Shonibare was born in London in 1962 and spent most of his youth in Lagos. His dual African and English cultural identity plays a large role in his work, which often takes the form of headless figures wearing the elaborate clothing of upper-class Victorians. Shonibare's work explores issues of race and class through different media including sculpture, painting, photography, and installation art.

In the 18th century, dollhouses which were exact miniature replicas of larger homes were often custom-made for elite and well-to-do families. This dollhouse is a replica of the 1872 Victorian town house in the East End of London where Shonibare now lives. As in many of his other projects, Dutch wax print cloth figures prominently (in this dollhouse the chairs and bed are covered in it). To impart a lived-in quality, Shonibare selected furniture in various woods and styles to fill the rooms. The two-story house includes cabinets, chairs, tables, fireplaces, and a canopy bed, along with reproductions of paintings by Shonibare and Jean-Honoré Fragonard.

Active play with the dollhouse is encouraged.

SPECIAL OFFER: MoMA members now save 20% on the Peter Norton Family Christmas Art Projects. The special discount will appear during online checkout.

Made in the USA

Size: 11.5h x 8w x 9.25"d
Item# 83215
$750.00
$675.00 Members

I find it a bit pricey, but it is an objet d'art, so I guess it would be worth it. In fact, the price sounds low in this limited-edition context. I am not sure if it is still available for sale, but I followed the purchase and check out procedure right up to having to put in my credit card and the system didn't kick me out, so maybe it is.

If anyone has this house or plans to buy one let me know. I am curious to hear a first person review.

To see MOMA's affordable modern dollhouse go to ModernMiniHouses.blogspot.com's post here.

On such a winter's day

2011-02-22T14:52:00.002-05:00

Last Friday was a beautiful day up here in the frozen north. A spring wind blew into town and the temperature went up to about 15° C. That's about 60° F for some of you.

It was sunny and windy and springlike, so when I could grab a a bit of time, I unchained myself from my desk and went out to enjoy the weather before the temperature dropped back to freezing (as the weatherman had promised it would later that day).

It was such a beautiful day that I walked much farther than I had planned, and found myself in front of an unfamiliar antique shop.

It was dusty and cluttered. A veritable maze of forgotten and neglected treasures. I asked the kind proprietor if he had anything pertaining to antique dollhouses.

"Oh, just a few things over here." he said gesturing toward a locked display case.

It took him a while to find the key, but when he did I chose the items in the first picture to take home with me.

The bathroom set is marked "Made in Germany" as you can see from the pictures.

I am not sure of the age but the faucets on the sink are wood with wire, so I am guessing 1920s or 30s.

One of the faucets is broken. I don't think I will try to restore the wood part, but I may find a wire to recreate the spout.

I am in love with the brass chandelier. Can anyone give me any clues about its origin or age?

I have put it in my new/old Tynietoy house (my last blog entry) and I love how it looks with that classic furniture.

The coffee post is similar, but not identical to, the Gerlach pots that were sold as Tynietoy accessories,

The two pitchers are metal accessories and may be from the 1950s, or earlier.

I am not sure if the ice tongs are old, but I fell in love with them. They will go below stairs in Tynietoy Manor.

The two pewter plates with spoons are sealed in the little bag. I don't know abut their age or maker, but they will work very well in one of my dollhouses.

I happily paid the shop owner and asked if he might email me if he came across any more items like these.

"I'm sorry," he said. " I don't have email. I told you, I am an antique."

And, now I know where I will be walking to when the weather is nice and sunny.

TTFN
Susan

Tynietoy Villa - a former childhood treasure.

2011-02-21T14:12:00.002-05:00

I have had some good luck finding Tynietoy furniture to add to my collection, and it has outgrown the bookcase in my living room - aka Tynietoy Manor and its kitchen.

And so, I had to find new home for my newest acquisitions. Some of you may remember that I put a number of dollhouses in the garage last summer when I had to make room in the guest room for my out-of-town friends.

Yesterday I made the long trek across the yard to see what house would be suitable for this classic furniture.

I bought this large dollhouse a couple of years ago when I was first bitten by the dollhouse bug. At that point I was buying everything I could find. This is a craigslist house.

I have removed the windows and door, because I intend to paint the exterior white. To make it more like the original Tynietoy houses I will probably put up green shutters and paint the roof black.

I bought the house from it's original owner, a young mother with two active toddlers - both boys. I guess she had decided not to try for a girl.

She told me how, at 12 years old, she had saved $300 for a dollhouse, as she had decided that that was going to be her hobby.

With her savings she went to a dollhouse and miniature show where she found this house. It had been built by an older couple, who left the outside as plain wood, and decorated interior with 1:1 sized flooring and wallpaper. I have pulled up their ugly, out-of-scale, floor tiles. You can see one remaining tile in the yellow bedroom.

I don't think much of the wallpaper either, but it is in scale and looks much better with the furniture in the rooms. I will probably change most of it at some point.

I am leaving the attic wallpaper and floor as is for now. They work well for a small bathroom with a day nursery in the middle and night nursery at the other end.

Here is the front hall. I plan to paint the stairs - possibly the risers will be white and the stairs will stay natural. The banisters may stay natural and the balustrades white. I will do a little more research before I start painting.

Although I don't really mind this blue floral wallpaper, I may change it. Most of the wallpaper in the house is vinyl and just doesn't look right even if it is the right scale.

All the floors on the first two levels of the house need to be re-done.

I have put a Tynietoy bookcase and chair in here for now. The drop leaf table was called Tynietoy when I bought it, but I haven't confirmed that it is. It looks more like a German red stain piece to me.

The parlour room has a pink floral striped wallpaper which I find more suitable for a bedroom. I have put the more formal furniture in here, but I don't think it suits the paper. Perhaps this should be the dining room. I like the wallpaper and don't really want to change it.

The fireplace is unpainted. I made it from a House of Miniatures kit, and it is just a stand-in until I find a Tynietoy one. The piano and bench, lowboy and two painted chairs are Tynietoy.

The attic is one large area with partial walls to indicate rooms. The floor is a vinyl wood grain wallpaper which I am leaving for now. The nursery furniture is not Tynietoy, but it is the right age and look, so it will do for now. Besides, I love it.

The sweet little bunny rug is handmade needlepont that found on eBay. I have been waiting for a while to find a place for it. I think it works well here.

This ceramic bathroom set is not Tynietoy either. I think it was made by the Wisconsin Toy company. It is a nice larger 1 inch scale suitable for Tynietoy.

Unfortunately the tub and sink are missing their faucets. I will see if I can find replacements.

The little needlepoint rug has a bunny, a flower and a duck, and came with the nursery rug. It was probably made by the same talented needleperson.

The attic landing is home to a black Tynietoy ladderback settee with a matching straight back chair and two matching rockers. This is a temporary home for these pieces, as I want to make this landing the day nursery.

This bedroom contains the Tynietoy Victorian bedroom in black walnut.

I have added a bookcase and a mirror to complete the set.

The yellow bedroom has two empire beds with matching dressers, and a chair. I hate the floor and wallpaper in this room and plan to change it as soon as I find suitable replacements.

The upper hall has a drop front desk and a ladderback chair.

The dining room has a large sized maple buffet, a highboy and a round tilt top table. The mirror over the buffet is called an overmantle mirror. Another reason to find the fireplace.

There are four Empire chairs with hand painted seats, and a round Sheraton table. All are in a mahogany finish.

The brass chandelier is a recent unexpected find.

Here is another view of the parlour.

The 'painting' over the fireplace is cut out of a magazine. The ornate frame is a found item that I though suitable for an elegant room. I may paint the frame. I haven't decided yet.

The orange bowl on the lowboy is an antique dollhouse accessory from the 1920s

When I bought the house, it was full of furniture and accessories that the young woman had collected before she grew up and moved out of her childhood home.

Most of the contents were what was available to collectors in the 1980's. Some of it was nice quality and I have re-purposed it, but most was Shackman or lesser quality, and I have put it away for now.

In my eyes the house is improved greatly the Tynietoy furniture, and provides a suitable home for it.

But, I watched the young woman as she showed me the dollhouse and it's contents, and later packed them for me to take away. This house was a cherished item with well-loved contents, full of memories for her. I am sure it contained many presents from those who loved her, and items purchased with baby-sitting money and funds from part-time jobs. How could she bear to part with it, I wondered.

I looked around her small home, at her two rambunctious toddlers, and at her nerdy, overbearing husband who was directing her in the packing up, and I realized that she had been convinced that she had to sell her childhood treasure. I silently vowed that I would respect this house and dedicate its future to her.

She may not understand or like the changes I am making to her treasure, but I will send it to the future as the cherished object it was in the past. She can rely on that.

I am not sure how long it will take me to make all the changes I envision, but I will keep you posted on the progress.

TTFN
Susan

Valentine couples

2011-02-16T11:04:00.006-05:00

Yes, I know I am a few days late, but procrastinating is a skill I have spent years perfecting.

I wanted to show you two interesting sets of dollhouse dolls from the late 1930s. Both sets of dolls are made from Rubber over wire and have dried out over the years. They are no as longer fresh skinned and flexible as they were 70 years ago. (Who knew dolls could age just like their owners.)

Here are "Mother" and "Daddy" from "The True Family, Real People Dolls" Introduced in 1938 by Fred K. Braitling, Inc. they are 5.5" and 6" respectively.

They are wearing their original clothes. As you can see in the picture, Mother's ankles are broken. I guess she went to yoga class just once too often. I love her dress.

I found more information about this family in Dollhouse &Miniature Dolls, 1840 to 1990 by Marcie Tubbs, Bob Tubbs, and Dian Zillner.

The True Family had grandparents, servants, children, a minister, and several other people in their world. There were many different outfits for the Trues, including formal wear, wedding clothes, day wear, business suits and boudoir wear. I believe that all dolls were sold dressed.

These two are the only ones I have found so far. But I am keeping my eyes open.

Here are Mr. & Mrs. Minikins in the larger 1:12 scale. Mr. Minikin is 6" and Mrs. Minikin is 5.5" tall.
The dolls have painted faces and hair and were available with different hair colours.

The family also included an 4" boy and a 4" girl and a 5.5" maid. Both children wore painted Mary Jane shoes.

The clothes are cloth and are machine sewn. Mrs. Minikin is wearing a lovely floor length gown with a shoulder wrap. A dance dress - perfect for Valentine's Day. A previous owner had folded the bottom of her dress up and hemmed it to make it a day dress length. I have let it down to its original length and tried to iron out the crease, but it is still evident. It may have been hemmed that way for close to 70 years.

The dolls were also available in 1:18 scale with Father being 4.5" tall and the daughter, the smallest, 3.125" tall. One of the dolls featured in Marci Tubbs' book is marked "Minikins - trade mark Miniature Manniquins. Handmade by The Small World, Frederick Blvd., Boston MA ©1939 Patent Pending". FAO Schwarz offered both sizes of the five piece families in their catalogues for 1941 and 1942.

I am unsure how to clean these rubber dolls and don't wish to do anything that would make them deteriorate further, so I think I will just leave them as is. I hope to find other dolls to complete the families, but these dolls are particularly hard to find. I think that a lot of them were thrown out once they dried up, or broke. But, hope springs eternal and I am sure there are more of these lovely little people out there. I will keep looking.

I hope you enjoyed the visit with these sweet couples, even if it is a few days after Valentines day.

Hugs,
Susan

Wurlitzer - mystery piano

2011-02-15T17:26:00.000-05:00

I found some old dollhouse furniture the other day. Although it was several decades old, it was not great quality and just not that exciting.

The glue had dried out on some and they were in pieces, so after cleaning them up I sat down to put them back together.

Luckily, all the pieces to the piano where there and this is how it looks now - rather primitive, don't you think - maybe even home made? (Sorry about the glue strings - I was letting the glue dry and hadn't cleaned them off yet when I took this picture.)

The surprise - only seen the piano is not glued together - is that it says 'Wurlitzer' on the piece the glue covers.

So, the mystery is why is there a Wurlitzer stamp hidden on the inside, Was it a promotional item? If so, why isn't the mark on the bottom where we can see it?

Is it homemade? If so, why is it stamped. Did the maker have access to wood from the Wurlitzer factory?

Here is the piano with the bench. The keys are almost gone - they are paper, but the piano itself is in great shape and very sturdy. I would place it about 1920's, although I could be way off. What do you think?

Let me know if any of you recognize it or can contribute to its history. I would love to know more.

Susan

Happy Valentines Day!!

2011-02-13T23:44:00.000-05:00

Have a wonderful day today!! Smell the roses and eat lots of chocolate - it's your duty.

Who won Bridey, the troublesome bride?

It was ... drum roll ... Maria from Holland!!!

Congratulations Maria!!

I went to http://www.random.org/ and put in the number of people who wanted Bridey and it told me that number 3 (Maria) won.

Maria please leave a comment with your mailing address and I will not post it. I will just take your address out of it.

Have a lovey day!!!
Susan

Below stairs at Tynietoy Manor

2011-01-30T17:12:00.001-05:00

Last month we visited Tynietoy Manor aka the arts and crafts bookcase in my living room.

Below stairs the cook is making tea and the maid is working on a fresh green salad. Both are for the servants' lunch.

As soon as the butler joins them they can eat.

The bookcase had been used to display antique cameras. I collected several of them when my daughter was in university, majoring in photography. I thought that the past technology in the field would help her understand the concept and I was right.

She had some fun doing shoots with the antique cameras and developing some of the films that came with them.

She graduated five years ago and left the cameras with me when she flew the nest. I decided that the bookcase could be put to better use.

With the door closed you can't see the kitchen. Ideal for below stairs, don't you think?

You will probably also notice a few strangers in the house. Most noticeable is a giant Prince Philip in the dining room. This Peggy Nesbit doll is waiting for the royal suite to be prepared - somewhere. Truth is I have no place for him. I just put him in here to keep him from getting dusty. You would think the Grandparents would have offered him a cup of tea by now.The butler is also in the dining room.

In the library is a lovey artist doll dressed as an 1820s lady. She looks right at home there. In the chair beside the piano is a 5 1/2" unmarked bisque head doll with glass eyes original wig & clothes.

Molly and Polly are in their rooms on the top floor.

I hope you enjoyed the visit.

200 Followers!!! Let's have a Draw to celebrate!!

2011-01-27T17:08:00.000-05:00

I have finally reached 200 followers. I hovered around the 196 mark for ages. I was beginning to wonder if new readers would ever find me.

So it is time to celebrate all my wonderful follwers and reward their visits to me with a giveaway!!

Here's Bridey, a Flagg doll from this post and this one too.

She has caused enough trouble for Bob and Betty Flagg, so we have decided that she can come and cause trouble in your dollhouse.

If you would like that please leave a comment below and I will make the draw on Valentine's day. Appropriate for a bride, don't you think?

Hugs,
Susan

Built-Rite Furniture

2011-01-23T18:22:00.001-05:00

I showed you this Built-Rite house a couple of posts ago, but it didn't have the original furniture in it.

The box tells us that the house comes with 27 large furniture pieces, and there is a picture of the furnished house in the top right and a picture of the actual size of the furniture in the bottom left corner.

The bedroom, living room and kitchen furniture came with the house on flat, pre-punched, pre-scored card stock. The furniture is punched out and assembled with slots and tabs.

Here is the furniture in the house. I think it is slightly too large for the house, but I am sure a child wouldn't mind.

The living room is a little small for all the pieces, so I put the living room desk and chair and the ironing board in the garage.

All the pieces were included except one - the back of the couch. I have used the piece it was punched out of to set up the couch. I will eventually find or make a replacement. The living room had a couch, two end tables with side shelves, a radio, a magazine stand with magazines, a coffee table, a desk with matching chair, a feminine arm chair with matching ottoman, and a more masculine green chair with studs on its sides.

The yellow and red kitchen has a sink cabinet, a stove, a fridge, a hoosier cabinet an ironing board complete with iron and shirt on it and a table with two chairs.

The bedroom has twin beds with blue bed coverings. The design of the room is Art Deco.

The other bedroom furnishings include an arm chair, a vanity with stool, a dresser and bed table and a large wardrobe with a mirror on it.

There are all sorts of extra accent pieces included - mirrors, placemats, a radio, rugs, pictures, magazines, and more.

And of course the car and the baby carriage. This set was ready for play. It was made in the early 1930s and would have been more accessible to families hit by the great depression than a wooden dolhouse. I am delighted that it has come to me in such wonderful condition.

Hugs,

Susan

Darkest Peru for Daphne

2011-01-14T22:23:00.002-05:00

In Peru Daphne visits the edge of the Amazon rain forest.

She once heard of a bear who came from Darkest Peru, and she wonders what it is like to live here.

Although most of the exotic plants are huge, Daphne finds flowers that are just her size. How she wishes she could grow these at home.

The forest is so lush and green.

Daphne gets the feeling that there is someone other than her photographer in the forest with them. Who could it be?

Peru has 2,873 known species of Orchids. Daphne knows nothing about them except that they are beautiful.

While admiring the pineapple Daphne gets that feeling again. This time Daphne catches a glimpse of the stranger. He looks very familiar?

How curious.

There are more adventures waiting and Daphne has to leave the jungle before she can solve the mystery.

Did you notice anything strange?

We all want our tiny houses Built-Rite

2011-01-14T17:53:00.005-05:00

Built-Rite structures were made by Warren Paper Products Company which was founded in 1921 by Donald M. Warren. It started out manufacturing paper boxes for producers of candy, apparel, jewelry, and other items.

In the early 1930's the company began producing dollhouses made of paperboard, colorful picture puzzles, paper forts, gas stations and other paper toys.

The architectural details and room furnishings reflected the styles of the time. The buildings were designed to be easily assembled and disassembled by children.

Many houses were built as replicas of actual homes and were marketed though Life Magazine as a selling tool for the magazine's house plans.

I was lucky enough to acquire three of these lovely houses recently. They came in small flat boxes, and the bottom of the box is the base for the house. The smaller one-room houses have printed carpets on the box bottom surrounded by a flower strewn lawn. The large houses have the floors, lawn, driveway, etc. printed on them

The first three pictures show the box tops.

These houses are all 1/2 inch scale. The large house has two stories with a garage. I have seen pictures of this house with another room where the garage is. It is advertised as having five rooms which all open at the back.

This house has only three rooms as the upper floor is not divided and is one big room.

A cardboard car was included with this model.

The smaller houses have one room only. The stucco one is complete except for one piece of the chimney. I love the Spanish feel to this house.

Each of the houses has movable shrubs and pets that fit into slots in the base.

The inside of the Spanish house has plain cardboard walls. The windows and door are cut in the cardboard and scored so that they open.

Mr. Man-About-Town is lounging on the Tootsietoy sofa while he chats with his cloche-hatted hostess. He is painted bisque in a felt tuxedo, and she is an all bisque doll with a molded, glazed hat. She is wearing her original dress and still has her wrist tag that says "Made in Germany".

I love the daffodils on the base of the box.

The red brick house appears to have a tile roof. The box top shows a wire haired terrier on the lawn, but it is missing. I borrowed this cat from the big house next door.

I used Tootsietoy kitchen furniture and a couple of 1930s dolls to furnish the inside of this house.

It looks like it has marigolds on the base.

Here is the back of big house. I love the dog house and hollyhocks on the back of the garage.

I choose furniture for it from the Rooms-in-Miniature sets that were sold in the 1964 Sears Christmas Catalogue. The furniture is wood and fabric. It was made in Japan for the Miner Industries.

I have stacked the wall units on the left wall of the dining room to create a shelving unit. The original plan was to glue these to the walls. They would look something like those Ikea hanging shelves you can buy today.

The furniture is very Mid-Century-Modern.

These little Grecon dolls are just the right scale for the furniture. This young man is chatting with Grandma Grecon while he waits for Gayle to get ready for their date. Grandma is telling him all about the cats and their cute habits. He is wondering how much longer Gayle will be.

Gayle is upstairs getting ready. She is trying to remember why there is no bathroom up there.

Finally they are off for the evening in the cardboard car.

Here is a page from the 1964 Sears Catalogue showing the Rooms-in-Miniature.

Happy New Year From Peru!!

2011-01-09T21:30:00.005-05:00

On the last morning of 2010 Daphne is in Peru. As soon as she wakes up checks the weather. Today is a very special day. Today Daphne and her traveling companions are visiting Machu Picchu.

Peru is such a beautiful country. Daphne happily poses for a couple of pictures before they begin their journey.

Machu Picchu can be chilly even in summer, so before they get on the train Daphne checks out the Ollantaytambo street market for some warmer clothes.

She is happy to find this yellow hand knit sweater and a traditional Peruvian knitted hat. She bargains with the stall keeper until she gets both for just 3 soles (about 90¢)

Inka rail takes visitors from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu village where a bus will take them the rest of the way up the mountain. Daphne thought the hats were such bargains she bought more than one. She trys on the brown one on the train.

At the train station in Machu Picchu village Daphne and the others look for their guide.

It is an interesting mountain town. Daphne finds it very different from home.

Machu Picchu at last. It is breathtaking and a dream come true for Daphne and her friends.

Machu Picchu is in the cloud forest and is very misty. The Inka believed that the gods lived in the clouds and visited Machu Picchu everyday.

Daphne climbs higher (despite a bad case of altitude sickness in her traveling companion) and can't take her eyes off the view.

Daphne waits patiently on a wall while her traveling companions finds her breath in the rare air.

After several happy hours exploring the beautiful site the gang must descend to the village. It's getting dark and the town below is preparing for its New Year's Eve celebrations.

The village square is alive with music, fireworks and revelers. There is great excitement and lots of singing and dancing.

Daphne decides to try the famous Peruvian cocktail the Pisco Sour. Pisco is a grape distilled brandy similar to Italian Grappa. It has a bit of a kick.

Which Daphne finds out very quickly.

On the first morning of 2011 Daphne is still in Peru. Apparently coffee is her best friend this morning.

I wish all my wonderful blog friends all the best in 2011. May all your dreams come true this year.

Big hugs to all of you
Susan

Christmas Morning in Mindolton!!

2010-12-24T21:32:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!!

The Caco Clan has gathered for a special Christmas morning with all the children in the family. What a lot of gifts, including new pets.

The Victorian family is digging into their presents with great joy. They are especially excited about what father has sent from India where he is on duty for the Queen.

The Grecons are excited to see how the children react to the modern Christmas tree and all the gifts. Their faithful maid peeks from the kitchen door.

Mr. and Mrs. Tirolo prepare a special breakfast as they watch Axel and Anneliese play with their Christmas toys.

Jake and Ruby are busy welcoming friends an neighbors in for a morning mimosa.

The Dalley's are having a wonderful Christmas morning.

Christmas morning at the Flaggs

2010-12-19T18:39:00.000-05:00

It looks like Santa has come to the Flagg house, but where is everyone?

Oh, there are Bob and Betty, on the front steps. What are they doing there?

Oh, look! There's Patsy in a one horse open sleigh with Betty's parents. Bucky is there too. Mr. and Mrs. Drapeau are doing this for Patsy as special Christmas treat. They know how much Patsy loves horses.

Patsy and Bucky have been staying with Mr. And Mrs. Drapeau for the last couple of weeks.
As soon as she sees her parents Patsy jumps out of the sleigh and jumps into their arms. She has missed them terribly even though her grandparents spent every moment entertaining her while she was with them. Bucky just wants to go inside and see what's in his dish.

When the family goes into the living room the only thing Patsy sees is the bicycle.

"Why is the delivery man's bicycle here?" She asks her parents. Patsy loves the delivery man's bicycle. She has wanted it ever since she first saw it the day he delivered the basket from California.

Then just after that her daddy came home. The deliver man brought him on his bicycle. Daddy had been gone for a long time.

Her parents laugh. "Santa brought that bicycle for you," says Bob. "He knew you wanted one."

"Really!" says Patsy. "Oh, Daddy! Can I ride it? Now. Can I."

"I'm sorry sweetheart, there's too much snow outside today. I'll take you out as soon as the streets are clear of snow." says Bob.

"Patsy is so excited about the bike that she hasn't noticed the big surprise." says Betty to her father.

I think it's time to introduce them," says Mrs. Drapeau.

"Patsy," calls her mother. "Come over here."

"What's that?" asks Patsy.

"This is your new baby brother," says Betty.

"What does it do?" asks Patsy.

"Well," says Bob, "he doesn't do anything but be a baby right now. But when he grows up a bit you can play with him."

"But I didn't ask Santa for a brother," says Patsy. "I asked him for a pony. Can we trade him for a pony? I could play with a pony right away. I wouldn't have to wait."

"I'm sorry Patsy, we can't trade him in. We are going to keep him."

But Patsy has already lost interest in the baby brother who doesn't do anything. She has found a use for his stroller. Bucky is having fun too.

"Patsy! Get Bucky out of the baby's carriage." the adults tell her. "It's not a toy."

Patsy is thinking that a pony would have been a lot more fun. She is not sure she likes Christmas this year. A bicycle she can't ride and a baby that is no good for anything. She can't figure out why the grown ups are paying so much attention to it.

Dolholme house tour Christmas 1930

2010-12-19T13:43:00.003-05:00

Dolholme was built for Norma E. Dalley for Christmas 1930. You have seen Christmas morning with the Dalley's in a previous post, but you haven't seen the whole house.

Dolholme is a stucco house with painted green trim. It has a regular plug (bottom left side) coming out of the base and when plugged in a Christmas tree bulb lights up each room.

How warm and welcoming it looks when lit up. Please come in and look around. The family is out at the moment. But they won't mind if we have a quick tour.

The house has four rooms and a front hall. All the rooms have hardwood floors and stucco walls. The interior walls are painted off white with gold accents. The interior doors are wood with metal hinges.

The curtains may be original. I am not really sure, but they are not new, so if they aren't original they were added years ago.

The bedroom is the largest room in the house. I have decorated it with 1:12 scale Strombecker furniture. The rug is a tobacco felt. The colorful metal box in the foreground was one of the few pieces that came with the house. I think it is a stamp box.

The wall on the right front side of the house comes off to give access to the living room. This picture looks through the living room into the front hall. The fireplace is built in and is stuccoed to match the rest of the interior. I love the decorative arch to the front hall that matches the arch of the fireplace opening.

The painting above the fireplace came with the house and is an original pencil sketch, but the frame, while it looks good, is made of a newer plastic, so it can't be original. It is possibly from the 60's or later.

The smaller room between the dining room and the bedroom has a few possibilities. It could be a kitchen or a bathroom. But I have decided to make it Norma and Norman's room (picture below).

The big bedroom has a wonderful closet. How many dollhouses have bedroom closets? I love the details of this house. I decided to put a Tootsie Toy toilet and sink in there to give the illusion of a bathroom. You can see a little water damage beside the toilet. I am lucky there were only a few places with water damage in this wonderful house, and they aren't all that noticeable.

Here is the dining room with an arch through to the living room. The table and chairs are newer than the house, but seem to be just the right scale. 1:12 was too big and 1:16 just looked too small, so I tried these. The chairs are Lynnfield bedroom chairs and the table is a Sonia Messer drop leaf table. (Lynnfield evolved into Sonia Messer in the 1970s).

I don't know the origin of the buffet, but it is an older piece and the scale is perfect.

The radio is metal and probably from the 1920's. the double candlesticks are German soft metal from the 20s or 30s, as is the flower basket. The needlepoint carpet and Christmas dish on the table are found pieces.

Norma's and Norman's bedroom is in between the dining room and the big bedroom. Buster is waiting patiently for them to return. The furniture is Strombecker (3/4 scale except the wooden table which is 1" scale)

The rug is a tobacco premium. The lamp is Dolly Dear, as is the one in the other bedrom.

Here is the living room, all ready for Christmas. The lamp is 1920's metal with a fringes shade. The blue chair and side table are 3/4" Strombecker. The rug is handmade needlepoint - a found item, and the cloth flowered sofa is stamped "dollhouse furniture" on the bottom, but as no other identification.

Here is the right side of the house with the wall removed. We can see the front hall, the living room and the dining room.

I love Dolholme. It is one of the most perfect dollhouses I have ever seen. Lucky little Norma. Don't worry Norma. Your house is safe with me.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. Come back and visit again.

Tynietoy Manor

2010-12-12T22:29:00.004-05:00

Okay, I admit it. I cannot resist beautiful dollhouse furniture. Quality is like a magnet for me. I see it and "Swoosh!" I have to have it. So, welcome to Tynietoy Manor - aka, the arts and crafts bookcase in my living room. (sorry, my darling Chale, your antique cameras are now in boxes.)

Well, it looks like the girls are up and out early today. Polly's room is neat as a pin. Polly loves her blue room of Tynietoy painted furniture.

Polly is reading Pride and Prejudice for the fourth time. She dreams of meeting a tall handsome man like Mr. Darcy.

The boys in her class are all fools. They don't have Mr. Darcy's pride and high standards. Polly knows she won't settle for anything less in a man.

She and Elizabeth Bennett are kindred spirits.

Her kittens, Jane and Austin, are playing hide and seek under her bed.

Molly is up early too. She has already left the house. Molly isn't interested in the boys in her class, or men like Mr. Darcy. Molly's world is all about what she sees in her microscope and what she types on her typewriter.

She knows she will make an important contribution to science and she dreams of being recognized by the Nobel committee for her contributions.

Sophie, the lab, is hoping that Molly will return soon.

The top shelf of the bookcase with taped in scrap book paper for wallpaper is the girl's bedrooms.

In the dining room, the girls' grandparents, who have raised them, are having breakfast. Sophie has abandoned Molly's room in hopes of a few scraps. Grandfather usually sneaks her some behind Grandmother's back.

Grandmother, reaching for the water pitcher, sees the morning mail on the table and wonders what is in the package.

It is probably another book for Molly. She is always sending away for scientific information.

The dining room is on the second shelf of the bookcase, which explains why there are no doors or windows.

After breakfast Sophie takes her chew toy into the library. She knows that Molly will go to the library as soon as she gets home from class.

Polly will probably join her and play the piano while they discuss their day.

Despite their different interests the sisters are the best of friends and rely on each other for advice, support, and confidences.

Remnants of Grandfather's card game from the evening before are still on the table. For Grandfather the library is about cards and good brandy than reading or music.

The library is on the third shelf of my bookcase.

The fourth shelf is below stairs and has no dollhouse furniture yet, but who knows what may happen in the future. And when do we meet Molly and Polly?

Credits: All furniture is Tynietoy (except the bed stair which is Sonia Messer). Most soft metal accessories are from Germany, made by Gerlach to complement the Tynietoy furniture. Most of the glass is hand blown German from the early years of the last century. Needlepoint carpets are hand made by someone other than me. The other carpets are Tynietoy. Grandparents are Erna Meyer dolls - cloth over wire with stockinette faces. Unspecified accessories are artisan made or antique found items.
To learn more about Tynietoy click on this link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/archive/200501A18.html

Christmas 1930

2010-12-11T23:33:00.001-05:00

It is Christmas Eve 1930. The Dalley family has just moved into a new home - a lovely Tudor Revival bungalow. Mr. Dalley wants to make this Christmas special for his wife and their twins, Norman and Norma. He has made sure that Santa will bring Norman a train, a wagon and toy soldiers. For Norma he told Santa to bring a doll carriage, a baby doll, and a riding toy, but he wanted something really special for his little girl.

What could be better, he thought, than a house of her very own. A special dollhouse that looks just like their new home.

And there is Santa on the roof all set to deliver the presents Mr. Dalley asked him to bring.

Mr. Dalley has a plaque engraved for the house so Norma will always remember the special Christmas of 1930.

On Christmas morning Mr. Dalley gets up early and takes Norman and Norma sledding. Mother doesn't go because she has things to do at home.Mother greets them at the door.

"Hello my dears" she says. "Come in and see what Santa has left you!"

Norman and Norma can't believe their eyes!! They don't know what to look at first.

Mr. and Mrs. Dalley stand back so they can watch the children's reaction.

"Thank you Santa!" says Norma.

"Thank you Santa!" says Norman.

They dogs, Peewee and Buster want to be included in the excitement.

Then Norman remembers something.

At the same time Norma remembers too.

"Mother!" They call together. " We have a present for you!"

"For me?" says Mother. "Oh children, you shouldn't have."

Mother opens the large box.

"Oh children! It's lovely! How did you know I needed a new table cloth and napkins."

"We knew you would like it Mommy!" says Norman.

"Daddy helped us pick it out." says Norma.

"I am the luckiest mother in the whole world." says Mrs. Dalley

The children are very proud.

"Daddy, sit down! We have something for you too!"

Mr. Dalley unwraps his present and finds a magnificent pipe.

"This is quite a special pipe." says Mr. Dalley "I have never seen another like it."

"Do you really like it Daddy?" says Norma excitedly. " I picked it out. I liked the horsey."

"And I wrapped it." added Norman.

"My darling children," says Mr. Dalley. "I have never received a nicer present. I shall keep this pipe as my very best."

Christmas 1930 is a happy one for the Dalley's.

Little Norma cherished Dolholme, her very special dollhouse. She kept it close to her for 80 years.

But there came a time when she could no longer keep it with her and it came to live in Mindolton with Susan, Daphne and the other residents.

And although they never met Norma they recognized a kindred spirit in her and silently promised Norma that they would keep Dolholme safe for many Christmases to come.

We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday, full of love, laughter, and kindred spirits.

Merry Christmas

Susan

Schneegas red lacquer

2010-12-09T20:44:00.004-05:00

My friend Amy was lucky enough to find some antique Schneegas red lacquer furniture. It didn't fit in her dollhouses, so she decided to offer it to other collectors and I was lucky enough to get it. As you can see, it fits very nicely into my antique dollhouse. Thanks Amy!!

The red lacquer furniture is impressed with art nouveau patterns, and is harder to find than the golden oak, or yellow cherry furniture of the same style.

The clock is approximately 8 inches tall and is very impressive. It has a mirror behind the soft metal pendulum and clock weights.

The desk is gorgeous despite its missing door (bottom compartment), and turned piece below the top compartment. I will see if I can find suitable replacements.

The bedroom has four pieces.Three of the pieces have their original impressed cornices, but unfortunately this part is missing from the top of the dresser mirror. But that's not really a problem. I think the dresser looks fine without it.

One of the dresser drawers is missing, and I have found a replacement for it from a different Schneegas dresser that someone painted. I will strip it and stain it to match then put its pewter drawer pull back in. Then the dresser will be as good as new.

I have repaired the pier glass mirror with a plain dowel across the bottom. The original piece would have been elaborately turned to match the side supports.

The wardrobe is missing both doors, but I plan to replace them with plain wood stained to match until I can find suitable replacement doors. I believe the original doors had the same embossed designs as the rest of the furniture.

I am so pleased to have this wonderful furniture. Thanks Amy!!

Susan

Red Roof Gottschalk - 1925

2010-12-07T13:14:00.001-05:00

Diepuppenstubensammlerin has identified my Red Roof Gottschalk

She has sent me scans from this book:

Moritz Gottschalk, 1892-1931: Dollhouses - Doll Rooms - Kitchens - Stores - Furniture--Reprints of Original Catalog Photographs with Historical Documentation [Hardcover]
Moritz Gottschalk (Author)

I am so happy she did. These pictures show that my house is complete and original, although I seem to be missing the lower flower box.

The new born house is fresh and untouched in these pictures. Mine is a bit faded and has a few wrinkles and warps, just like any 85 year old, but it is still beautiful.

I believe it has led a gentle, loved existence and it will continue to do so with me.

Thanks so much Diepuppenstubensammlerin

It is wonderful to have these early photos of my house (or one just like it).

Hugs,
Susan

I got Gottschalk!

2010-12-05T22:40:00.001-05:00

When I first got dollhouse fever I read everything about dollhouses I could get my hands on.

I learned of the rare and desirable dollhouses that were in the hands of a lucky few collectors. How wonderful these house are, I thought, imagining them out of my reach forever.

These wonderful structures by Gottschalk, Schoenhut, Tootsietoy, Keystone and others from the early years of the last century are very hard to find, with prices ranging in the hundreds, even thousands of dollars. They seemed far out of my reach.

But I was wrong. With a little luck and an eye for a bargain, I have added some of these beautiful houses to my collection. In this post I am pleased to show you my Gottschalk Red Roof house. Because of the garage I believe this house was made in the 1920s. It has dried out over the decades, and has many cracks in the wood, but it has all its original paint and wallpaper. I think it is magnificent.

This is the downstairs entry hall. In the closet at the back of the hall is a toilet. This was typical of this era of Gottschalk houses. There is no sink, or bathtub. I think most people still washed with a basin and ewer in their bedrooms, and bathed in a tub set up in the kitchen, but it must have been very nice to have an inside toilet,

The roof lifts up to reveal an upper hall and a bedroom. I find it interesting that the curtains are put on upside down so that they hang down when the roof is open. I don't know if this was common practice or just the whim of the house's original owner.

I love the heart wallpaper and interesting floor covering of the bedroom. the upper hall has interesting decor too.

The wood you see here is the upper landing banister to prevent the dolls from falling down the steep stairs. It doesn't look very effective. I feel it should be taller to really keep the dolls safe, but then it would get in the way of tiny hands at play.

I am crazy about the side door with it's trellis. I feel very lucky to have the steps since they are no longer attached to the house and could easily have been left behind over the years.

The side door brings you into the living room. The wallpaper is lovely with it's great border. Too bad about the damage, but at least it is intact.

Notice the large crack across the back of the room? This is very typical of these houses, even when they were fairly new, and apparently was used by Gottschalk's competition to promote their own products as better quality.

Garages aren't common on dollhouses, and are a desirable feature. This one opens to show another interesting floor paper.

Perhaps it is supposed to be flagstones.

I know my Gottschalk furniture is too big for this house, but I was excited to try it. I still can't believe I have a Gottschalk house and Gottschalk furniture to put in it. I love it all.

Gottschalk in the living room

Gottschalk in the bedroom

Gottschalk in the upper hall

And a chair that came with the house in the lower hall. Maybe I will replace it with a coat rack. There is no room for anything else.

Notice the door handles. The door pull has a long wire on the back, as you see on the hallway door. When you turn the door pull to the proper position the door stays closed because the long wire prevents it from opening. You can also see the wire sticking out of the toilet door.

Here is my cozy little house.

All these items came with the house. They are the perfect scale to furnish it and probably just the right amount of furniture for the small dwelling. The little girl is all bisque German. with painted eyes and joined shoulders and hips.

The scotty dog is iron and the dachshund is china. The beds are made by Realy Truly, the rocker is Kilgore and I think the car is too. The rug under the beds is a tobacco felt and the other two rugs are hand crocheted.

I am not sure what the red settee and piano are. They are similar to Strombecker or Schoenhut, but don't seem to be of the same quality. The chair between the beds is adorable, and from the same period. The little watering can is ceramic. There is also a little blue bottle with a cap.

But what I love the most in this group of wonderful items are the deer. The three large ones are soft metal and are marked Germany on their undersides. They have magnificent antlers. The little one is ceramic and marked Japan on the bottom.

I feel that all these items are original to the house as they are the right era and scale

I feel privileged to be the caretaker of these wonderful items during my lifetime. They will outlive me just as they have outlived the little girl who delighted in them all those decades ago. I am sure they will continue to be cherished by future owners for decades to come.

Hugs
Susan

Daphne's house tour

2010-12-02T13:50:00.000-05:00

Daphne would like to give you a tour of this 1948 Keystone of Boston tudor style dollhouse that she bought on her trip to Washington DC last spring.

Come on in and enjoy!!

This wonderful house is built of masonite (as they called it in the advertisements It seems to be a sort of particle board). It sits on a turn table that is attached by a bolt through the center of the house, which makes it easy to get at from front or back.

The windows are metal, as are the little handrails on the steps.

The living room has a built in fireplace. Daphne has chosen to furnish it with Strombecker wood pieces and a couch chair and ottoman that looks like Scheonhut, but may be from a different company of the period.

The cozy bedroom has a homemade quilt and comfy wing chair. The table is Strombecker and the radio is early 20th century metal. The tall chest is from a House of Miniatures kit.

The calico wing chair and footstool are very common. I see them everywhere. There is also a matching settee in the corner of the room (you can't see it in this picture). Does anyone know who made these sets? They are really cute.

The dining room has a Strombecker table and chairs and a maker unknown dresser. It is quite old and in beautiful condition.

Notice the metal piece in the middle of the floor where the turntable is attached.

The staircase is right in front of the door which prevents it from opening all the way, but the dolls don't mind.

The kitchen has a Strombecker stove and fridge with a dresser from a kit and a newer wooden table. I love the decorative border at the top of the room.

The baby's room has Renwal furniture, as well as other plastic furniture from the same era.

I had that same set of bunkbeds, except in blue, when I was a kid. They are still around somewhere. I never throw out doll stuff.

The bathroom has a Strombecker toilet and sink, with a brass claw foot tub. I haven't been able to find the right tub for this set yet, but I'm sure it will show up sooner or later.

We hope you enjoyed the tour.

Come back and see us soon,

Hugs

Susan (and Daphne)

Do you call that Clean?

2010-11-23T21:18:00.000-05:00

The hierarchy of the help.

Antique Dollhouse revisited

2010-11-14T21:44:00.002-05:00

I recently found a box of antique dollhouse furniture, so I rearranged my antique dollhouse.

I left the Schneegas dining room and bedroom furniture in place, but I added the large Schneegas desk and hall stand to the den.

Mother is trying to explain to the maid that the fireplace tongs don't belong in the middle of the dining room table.

The parent's bedroom is cozy. I see they have no bulbs in the light fixture. That must be why they have the oil lamp on the bedside table.

There is a lovely Stevens cast iron table and maker unknown brass fireplace in the upper hall. Hmmm. that must be a picture of Grandma on the table.

The elegant living room with German sofa, wonderful Schneegas table with marble top and a Chinese vase.

The carpet is hand made petitpoint, no old, but very beautiful.

The second bedroom.

The box of antique furniture contained this child's bed and dresser.

The little boy is an all bisque jointed child made in Germany. I put some hair on him today and all of a sudden he had a personality. I think he is adorable.

I need to do some work on the upstairs hall and the banister on the stairs. The house came to me with the newel post, banister and upper railing missing. I have no idea what to replace it them with so I am leaving it for now.

I was lucky enough to find a mother cat and a batch of kittens at the antique market a few weeks ago. They are all bisque and made in Germany several decades ago - possibly the 20s or 30s.

I love the bathroom. Made in the 1920s it is painted wood. The sink is missing its faucets and there is quite a bit of paint loss, but I had been looking for just this set for a while and was delighted to find it. The heater is German, of soft metal and was probably made between the 1029s and 1940s

Look at that toilet! I love the detail, with the built in toilet paper holder. The shape of the bowl is a hoot, but maybe that's how they looked in the 20s. I don't know, I wasn't there.

The towel rack came with the bedroom behind the bathroom. The bedroom suite has a wonderful German Wardrobe, matching bedside table and bed. All are painted white with gold trim. The chair came with this set, but seems to be a different colour.

I had to glue the desk chair together, so the blue you see on it are the elastics holding it together while the glue dries. I am not sure what the two men are discussing, but it seems to be serious.

The living room behind the den has a wonderful green velvet arm chair and matching sofa. Possibly German.

When Mother returns to the dining room she finds the fireplace tongs are still on the table. Where is that maid?

In the kitchen sister is trying to figure out what spot is begging for.

That box of antique furniture also contained the kitchen table with three chairs. The plaster sink and a wonderful matching dresser.

Random rooms in random houses

2010-11-12T12:55:00.002-05:00

I have no stories to tell today, so I though I would just share my collection. Below are pictures of random rooms in random houses. There is quite a variety. I love them all! I hope you do too!

Who is that lady in yellow?

2010-11-02T17:32:00.000-04:00

I found this doll on eBay. I was attracted by her jaunty hat and pretty 30s style dress.

Because of her beautiful yellow dress I am calling her Xanthe. I thought of naming her Daffodil, but she looks so sophisticated I didn't think she would stand for it.

I thought at first she might be one of the very rare Tynietoy dolls, but upon closer examination I see that she isn't. Though the construction is similar there are also several differences

Her facial features is stitched on while my reference book tells me that Tinytoy dolls have painted features.

Xanthe has a wrapped wire body and a solid head under the soft face fabric, as the Tynietoys are said to have, but my lady has loops for hands much like the Grecon dolls.

Her wire covered feet are fashioned to form a sort of high-heeled shoe, and she can stand on her own, but the Tynietoy dolls had metal feet.

Her felt hat, with it's front brim and back bow, is tipped over one eye. Every golden curl is stitched in place under it. She is wearing a beautifully made dress over a matching slip. The skirt has little pleats over the knees and the bodice is trimmed with lace. Xanthe's little belt has a hook and eye type of opening.

She came to me from England and I believe Xanthe is going to live with me for a long time. I am quite taken with her.

If anyone knows who made her or where I can find other members of her family please let me know.

Hugs,

Susan

More Tin

2010-10-31T23:29:00.004-04:00

Here is another tin house I absolutely love. This is a T. Cohn circa 1948. It has seen better days. It's missing some windows. The roof has been repainted white and sports some nasty dents and the front has faded a bit. But despite its drawbacks it is still one great house. (oops, you can see the unopened Emerson box in the background).

The landscaping and exterior graphics are gorgeous. I just want to move in and live there with Donna Reed, or the Cleavers or in a worry-free existence where Father Knows Best. (BTW - a house like this one, but it better condition is on eBay. Click here)

Look at the ends of the house. There are doors and windows that are completely ignored in the exterior. The living room end of the house has lovely shuttered windows with floral drapes on the lower windows and striped drapes on the sweet French balcony doors above.

But on the inside of the living room the end wall has no windows. It is painted green and has a Gauguin painting on the wall. (I am sure it is an original. This family doesn't appear to be hurting for money.)

Upstairs in the nursery there are no French doors. There is a window with circus tent themed curtains and a wall with Little Boy Blue and Little Bo Peep.

I find this incongruity absolutely charming. A doll house should be able to be one thing on the outside and something else on the inside. It's part of the fantasy.

We find the same thing on the opposite side of the house. The kitchen has a wonderful three framed window with flourishing flower box and a sweet kitchen door.

But on the inside wall there is a plate rack and a teapot clock. Don't you just love the white tile with the yellow upper walls and blue scalloped trim? The asymmetrical floor blows me away. And I love the curtains with their flower motif border.

Above the kitchen is a wonderful roof patio with a colorful flagstone floor. Hmmm, I wonder how they got that rusted area. It looks like they may have been letting the dog out there to pee.

This patio looks so inviting for morning coffee or afternoon sunbathing. It's too bad that the family can't get to it from inside.

There is no door or window on the inside wall of the bedroom. I love the bedroom decoration. Yellow with two shades of green in the wallpaper. The plaid drapes and green valance are a perfect compliment to it. The pattern cut into the carpet is a bit overkill in my opinion, but it is so much fun. The Gauguin theme is repeated here in the Painting on the wall.

The bathroom is decorated with swans. It's not very big, but it is gorgeous. There is a little rust on the floor here too. The family really needs to give that poor dog a little more attention. The four diamond shaped holes at the back of the room matches up with the keyhole shaped window pictured on the front of the house.

Back downstairs we check in on the dining room. It is missing it's windows, but how can you even notice when you see that rug? Or the stripped wallpaper? Or the orange and white drapes? I would love to have the person who decorated this house over for cocktails and just ask them: "What were you thinking?"

But don't get me wrong. I absolutely love this house because of the graphics. They are wonderful.

I want ot leave you with pictures of the nursery. We have circus clowns and wagons, nursery rhyme figures (although I thought it was the cat and the fiddle, not the pig and the fiddle), puppies, balloons, blocks, bunnies, baby animals, sleds. Did they miss any nursery motif? I don't think so.

I will see what furniture I can find and show you this house furnished. Do you thing it should have Strombecker, 60s era plastic, Petite Princess, or what. I am having trouble deciding what will look best. let me know what you think.

Tinnie Tin Tin

2010-10-18T16:59:00.010-04:00

Note: In case anyone is interested, this dollhouse is on eBay right now. Click Here to see one with lots of furniture. Another one is missing one of the bathroom walls and the chimney.

I don't collect many tin dollhouses, but occasionally I fall in love with one and if the price is right I buy it.

This late 1948 Play Steel doll house by National Can Corporation of New York, NY seduced me with it's wonderful graphics, both inside and out.

Here is a Woolworth's ad from 1948 featuring the house and some of the furniture pictured below:

Not long ago I found some nice quality plastic furniture and the house and furnishings seemed made for each other. In fact if you look closely at the ad I think they were

I have to admit that the bathroom captured my heart at first glance. Look at the swan mural over the tub. And the fish swimming on the floor. I love the choice of colours too - very seaweedy.

The master bedroom is also beautifully coloured. I love the little flared swags on the window treatments. Perhaps it was designed for different furniture because the book shelves over the beds are too high, and placement of the dresser, vanity and highboy is difficult. As you can see they are blocking either the windows or the graphics.

But that's okay. The room looks great anyway. And I think the green carpet bordered with orange is a brilliant touch.

The nursery is nice and bright.

I love the puppy border and all the baby motifs in the art.

There is a stork flying in with its new delivery on the end wall, and Peter Rabbit rushing off somewhere with his umbrella above the baby.

There is a lovely nursery rhyme mural on the opposite wall. I will add a picture as soon as I can take one.

The nursery window treatments are very unusual. They look like they exploded back on to the walls in a very precise manner. I love them.

Downstairs we see than Grandfather and Grandmother have dropped in for a visit. Hmmm, I wonder why no one went upstairs for the baby. Grandmother loves the baby best of all.

Grandfather is about to play a piece on the piano.

The children seem to be curious, but father appears to be less than enthusiastic about his father-in-law's presentation. Or, perhaps he is just tired from work.

Another room I fell in love with was the living room with the gorgeous graphics of bookcases and the unusual painting above the fireplace.

What a perfect home.

Mom and Grandmother are in the kitchen chatting. They don't seem to be worried about the baby upstairs. Or about feeding the hungry family. I wonder what they are so absorbed by.

Maybe we will find out on our next visit.

Bye for now. Come back again some time

Susan

Antique Gottshcalk furniture

2010-10-15T18:16:00.002-04:00

I showed you this lovely auction lot of furniture once before, but I think they look great in my antique dollhouse so here they are again.

The wonderful little Japan china pitcher on the middle shelf of the bookcase has been mine since I was a child. I have always cherished it. My grandmother gave it to me.

After I took the picture I moved the sitting room pieces into the room at the front to the house (or the I guess to you it is the room at the back of the picture), and set up the dining room.

The red stain radio I bought from a dealer here in my city. It is a bit newer than the rest of the furniture, but I think it fits,

The bead flower vase and the metal gramophone came with the box lot of Schneegas I found at the estate sale.

Here's another shot of the room with an unusual all-bisque doll, I found. She is such a perfect image of the 1920s. I have her dressed as a little girl, but I think she would look good as a flapper too.

Hmmm, where did the red stain radio go? I had better go and have a look in the dollhouse. It seems things are being moved around without my knowledge.

I just knew that the dolls could move around when I'm not looking. This proves it.

Unless, of course, I moved the radio to another room. Well, I guess that is more likely.

TTFN

Hugs,
Susan