Merry Christmas to all!!

Like most large cities, Toronto's downtown department stores feature Christmas windows. I love the ones that have been at The Bay for the past few years. I just want to climb into the windows and play with the contents as if it was my own doll house. It is not 1/12th scale though. The figures are between 15 and 20 inches high.

The windows tell the story of Christmas Eve, starting at the North Pole where the elves are getting the sleigh ready.

Time is running out in Santa's workshop. Less than 15 minutes to midnight. Santa has his list all ready to go. I checked - my name is on it.

In the village everyone is preparing for Christmas Eve. The lamplighter is busy lighting the lamps and the carolers are singing. One little girl is drooling in front of the sweet shop - Visions of sugarplums indeed.

Father and Mother are putting the final touches on the tree and the mantle. The children tried to stay awake, but have fallen asleep in the parlor, all except one who is peeking out to see what she can see.

At the end of a long night Santa arrives back at the North Pole where Mrs. Claus has a feast waiting for him. The elves are so excited and happy to have him home and to hear his stories of how his trip went. They have prepared a Welcome Home banner.

Anyone familiar with the Hudsons Bay Company (established 1670) will recognize the Hudsons Bay coats on the Elves and the Hudsons Bay blankets on the mice sleeping in their Hudsons Bay matchbox beds. Sorry the picture of the mice is so bad. It is the only close up one I have. The mice have their own little house under the floor of the Victorian parlor.

If you get a chance to visit Toronto over the holidays check out the windows for yourself. The Bay (main store) is in the old Robert Simpson department store building at Queen and Yonge streets. The windows are on Yonge closer to Bay Street.

I wish all my wonderful friends in Blogland a wonderful holiday season and everything good in 2010.

Love & hugs,

Susan

What is it about cats and dollhouses?

On Saturday I decided to see what the living room in Mindolton Manor needed so that I could finally get it finished and furnished for a Christmas scene. I had the door open and was sizing up the room when Darci decided she needed to investigate.

She jumped up on the table at the other side of the dollhouse and daintily stepped though, over, and on the miniature furniture and accessories outside the dollhouse as she made her way over to me.

After she looked through the french doors into the front hall and dining room beyond she investigated the room.

She playfully swatted at the fireplace light. "Maybe it's a skinny red mouse."

Then, quite pleased with her discovery, she settled down purring contentedly in her new home and seemed to expect me to be as happy as she was. She figured that I was so happy that I would sit on my chair and pet her until she got bored with it.

I had placed a baseboard across the end of the room to see how it would look, but she decided to lean on it once she was comfortable, so no more work could be done.

I know it was mean, but I wanted my room back so I brought Darci's daughter, Lily, to join her.

While I get along happily with my daughter, I know some mothers and daughters have a lot of friction and these two are no exception.

Darci has just hissed and swatted at Lily who, as you see, is beating a hasty retreat.

After giving me a dirty look, Darci vacated the premises too and I could get on with my measuring.

I hope to have some pictures of the finished living room to show you soon.

Hugs,

Susan

More cool finds!

I got the tricycle at an estate sale and the Hallmark car at the antique market.

Aren't they adorable?

The kids are by Heidi Ott - eBay purchases - and I pried the roller skates off a decorative music box (along with several other 'toys').

Please ignore the cat hair on the green base. The cats think they are supposed to sleep in front of the dollhouse. I can't seem to persuade them otherwise.

Hugs,

Susan

Granny and Granddad find a cozy home

Granny and Granddad have decided to downsize and they have just discovered the perfect house.

"Isn't it lovely dear?" Granny says "I just love the garden. It looks nice, but won't need much maintenance."

"If you like it Sugarplum, I am happy to live here." Granddad has learned over the years that life is good when Granny is happy.

With the furniture in place, they get settled in and Granny puts on the tea.

While the kettle boils Granny brings out the final touch for their cozy new home.

"What's that thing?" Says Granddad

"Dear, this is the sampler I made years ago when we were first married. You know that. Don't you think it would look lovely on that wall?"

Granddad realizes that he won't be able to watch the telly until he hangs the sampler so he goes for the ladder.

"How does it look here?" he asks.

"Very nice. Now you be careful on that ladder."

"Woah ...."

"What's that dear?"

"Yowwww ... oh, no!!"

CRASH! KABOOMB!!

"Oh no! Are you all right. Oh my dear, you could have damaged our new home, or my precious sampler!"

"My, but the sampler does look lovely dear. Thank you for helping me hang it. How is your tea?"

"It could use a shot of gin." Granddad mumbles.

"What's that, dear? Are you comfortable?"

"Yes, my Sugarplum. I am very comfortable now." answers Granddad.

He is happy that he can now see the telly and that his sore leg will prevent him from doing any more chores.

Come visit again sometime.

Hugs,

Susan

My 'New' House

My 'new' house arrived from England last weekend thanks to Carol and her daughter. It is the same scale as my Rich / Keystone look-alike - 3/4" or 1/16. I think Lundby is the same scale.

The door and walls are made of fibreboard, I believe.

I am very excited to have it. It is almost identical to the Tudor house, dated 1966, on page 56 (upper left) of Dian Zillner/Patty Cooper's Antique and Collectible Dollhouses and Their Furnishings.

The main differences are as follows:

My house has a red chimney (white on the Tudor) and burgundy window frames (green on the Tudor).
The door on my house looks exactly like the windows. The Tudor house has a white door with an oval window. The Tudor house lower floor looks as if it comes out from the front about an inch and doesn't have the indented area where the front door is. The slot over the front window once had a canopy.

The painted foliage in mine is more green and verdant than the one in the book. My tree has red fruit in it.

There is a label on the front porch of my house. According to Zillner/Cooper the house in their book is labeled (they don't say whether it's a Tudor or GeeBee label). Apparently Tudor sold their houses under the GeeBee label from 1946 to 1978.

They also say that the house in their book is plain inside, but as you can see from the pictures below, mine has one end of the bedroom papered and the entire back wall of the downstairs. Perhaps there was paper on the other walls once. I don't know.

Carol included the following furniture with the house. I am sure many of you will recognize some, or all, of it. I think there is some Lundby/Barton/Caroline's home. i am not sure what the wooden bedroom suite is, but I know the bathroom is Kleeware.

If you know anything about this house or the furniture please leave a comment.

Hugs,
Susan

100 Followers

Marleen (marleen's miniaturen) is my 100th follower!

I welcome Marleen and the other 99 followers. I am so happy to have you here. I find this blog community so wonderful!

There is always something to learn, to share, to read and to laugh about. I love you all. Keep reading my blog and I will keep reading yours.

Here's to the next 100 mini lovers.

Hugs,

Susan

If one inlaid table is good, two must be better

I found another inlaid box and a different set of chopsticks, so I decided to make another table.

See my first table here.

The chopsticks have a pattern that looks like inlay on them, so it seemed a natural match.

As with my previous table, I removed the box top from it's hinge, cut the chopsticks to the appropriate length and glued them on.

Here is the finished table with the Reac Macintosh chairs. Don't you think it makes a great card table?

It's wedding day in mini-doll-land.

The lovely young bride is a vision in white with green accents. She does look a little overwhelmed by it all.

The groom is very dapper in his wedding clothes, boutonniere and top hat. It looks like he has lost half of his bow tie, but he still seems very happy.

I found this wonderful couple at the St. Lawrence Antique Market last Sunday. They are approximately 2 inches tall (minus the top hat) and made of composition (including the top hat). They are jointed at the hips and shoulders. Their faces are painted

The grooms suit is felt. The white shirt and bride's gown appear to be nylon.

I find the groom a little scary. I keep calling them Chucky and Bride of Chucky.

Chucky is so proud to show his young bride their new home.

"It's all ours, my dear." he brags while she trys the couch.

"Oh Chucky, it's wonderful!" she says. "However did you manage to do this?"

Chucky is pleased. He looks around proudly. Seriously, the last picture is just to show you the molded curls on the back of his head.


I will have to see if I can come up with more adventures in newly-wed land.

Leave me a comment if you know anything about these dolls.

Hugs,

Susan

It's nice to have hired help.

With the nurse upstairs in the nursery taking care of the children, Mom & Dad are free to sit in the living room and enjoy a nice bottle of wine. As much and as often as they like.

Mom: "Honey, my glass is empty."

Dad: "How about that? Mine is too."

Mom: "Well, pour us another glass."

Dad: "Huh?"

Mom: "From the carafe"

Dad: "Where!? Where's the giraffe? No, Honey, those aren't giraffes. Those are our dogs."

Mom: "Never mind, dear. I think we've had enough for tonight."

Come back and visit again sometime,
Hugs,
Susan

Another dollhouse, another nursery

My $5.00 house is furnished with lovely Strombecker furniture and a vintage Caco family lives there. I had a lot of fun wallpapering the house, but I never did get the attic finished. I had been using it for storage until last week when I acquired a pink bedroom set.

Now the Caco nurse, sister and little brother and the baby have their own room. I used a couple of strombecker chairs, tables and desk to make it comfortable for the nurse.

I added the crawling baby on the paper carpet because he just looks too cute. And of course the kids have their dogs with them too.

I have been buying old issues of Architectural Digest at the thrift stores to use for inspiration for dollhouse decorating. They usually have one or two pages advertising oriental carpets with full pictures of the carpet. The carpet shown here is one of them.

I've been wondering if I can scan them in and then print them out on fabric. Does anyone know how to do this? Or where to get the fabric for the printer? I haven't researched it, but it sounds like a great idea. Please leave me comments if you have done this.

Hugs,

Susan

Rich / Keystone look-alike

When I first caught Dollhouse Fever I bought this little dollhouse on eBay. I didn't know anything about it other than it was cute. The decor is right on the walls and the carpets painted or silk screened on the floors much like the tin houses.

Thanks to Florine (My Vintage Dollhouses and other treasures), I know that similar houses are attributed to the Deluxe Game Corp and sold by Sears in the mid 1940's. It has a lot of charm.

I have had it for about a year now, but didn't have it on display since I had no furniture that worked with it. So it sat in a bedroom neglected, until . . .

. . . recently I won another eBay auction and my problem was solved. I thought I was ordering 1 foot to 1 inch Strombecker- type furniture, but when it arrived it was much smaller. Eureka! it is perfect for my little house. Here are all six rooms, very stylishly furnished.

Notice the pink curtained window in the left top bedroom. It came with the lot and is made from the same fabric as the bedspread. The window it is on is cardboard. Sooo cute.

Don't you just love the mirrored cabinet in the front hall? It is so elegant and deco. It is a Nancy Forbes piece from the late 1940's (Thanks, Florine). Maybe I will eventually find more hall furniture, but for now I think it looks just right. The bathroom is very deco too. There is a better picture of it further down.

The living room is also very deco with the flocked couch and chair and the lovely rounded side tables. The lamps, bowl, vase and radio came with the lot. Those of you who know will notice that I have the bathroom scale on the end table. I thought it was a clock. I have done a little research since I took the picture and now the scale is in the bathroom.

I always thought that those little squat toilet was very modern, but since I have been researching dollhouses I have discovered that it is a 1930s design. The things you can learn in this hobby.

The lovely pink bedroom is just adorable. I have removed the homemade window so you can see the room as it should be. I didn't get any kitchen furniture with the lot, so I moved the dining table and two chairs into the kitchen. The cupboards and appliances painted on the walls will have to do for now.

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The furniture in the second bedroom didn't come with this lot and are not in as good condition. I found the couch, radio and piano at a garage sale. I didn't have a second bedroom set, so I decided to make this room a music room.

Side view of the house. The pillars a a bit wonky, but I don't want to glue or screw them in as that wouldn't be original. I think they just add to the charm. All the windows and doors open. Some of the pieces are taped back on. I will have to deal with that old tape someday, but for now I will just leave it as is.

I hope you enjoyed your journey to the past.

Come back real soon.

Hugs,

Susan

Dolls in the Nursery

Baby Clara has a lot of dolls in her nursery.

The round painted doll was purchased in Sweden recently as a gift for the dollhouse.

The first doll in yellow is a little princess that I got in the 70's. She is so cute. She may become a baby for a family of Erna Meyer dolls, but for now she is a toy in Clara's nursery.

The little doll in the yellow crocheted dress has a rather ugly sequin on the front. I think it must have discolored. A safety pin is crocheted into the doll's panties on the back. I guess one was intended to wear it as a pin. I got her at the antique market with a bunch of other vintage minis. I think she is a wonderful doll's doll.

The two little porcelain dolls are reproductions made from antique molds. I got these in the 70's too.

The little dutch dolls were a garage sale find recently. They were still in their original package which is why they are so clean and mint. They are about two inches tall, hard plastic, with jointed arms.

The last doll in the pink crocheted dress was a thrift shop find. I just love her. She may become a child instead of a doll in a different dollhouse. She is a couple of inches tall. Just right for a toddler.