Marx Colonial Dollhouse #4018

Toronto's Sunday morning St. Lawrence Antique Market is a lovely place to enjoy your first coffee of the day. It is also a wonderful place to find miniature treasures. I was there yesterday and I got this.

A Marx Colonial Dollhouse #4018. This model was sold starting in the early 1950's. I don't know how many years it was on the market. It is all tin and the door doesn't open, the front windows are pierced. I was surprised to get most of the original furniture with it.

What stares I got on the street as I carried it along. Every woman (of my generation) who passed us said, "I had one of those when I was little." I couldn't help but notice that I was the only one crazy enough to buy it.

It has two rooms downstairs - a kitchen and a large living/dining room/front hall, all decorated beautifully for the new bride and her family. I love the avant guard 1950's color scheme inside.

Upstairs everything is bright and new. The nursery is decorated with toy soldiers. The bathroom has cheery towels and shower curtains on the wall. The bedroom has a lovely romantic fireplace and paintings on the walls. It is a very inviting home. Still, I wonder why there is a gun hanging over the living room fireplace. (hmmm.)

The furniture is original, and seems a little small for the house, but it fits perfectly into the painted rooms. The bathtub fits exactly between the shower curtains, the sink fits under the mirror, the sofa sits prettily in front of the hearth rug, and the dressers have their own spaces in the bedroom.

I was lucky to get most of the furniture with the house. I am missing the kitchen table and a couple of chairs, as well as three dining room chairs and a few other pieces, but I am not complaining. I love this little dwelling. I had one very much like it when I was a little girl. Where that one went, I have no idea.

I hope to get more pictures posted soon.



Happy blogging.

Hugs,

Susan

Mr. Blue-Green buys art

Poke the pictures to make them bigger.

New dollhouse people

I acquired some new dollhouse people recently. Some are Erna Meyer (three are new from eBay), and some might be Erna Meyer. Two of them are the same construction, but their origin is unknown because I got them at flea markets. I haven't decided where they are going to live yet, or what families they belong to. Right now they are visiting at Mindolton Manor.

The little girl in red came from an eBay store and is brand new. I love her red overalls and hands in pockets attitude. She looks like she considers things carefully before she decides what mischief she will get into.

Her slightly larger friend in the blue overalls is a little dirty. Her hair is messy and her shoes are a little like hospital slippers - made of cloth. I assume she is from a previous decade, but her origin is unknown. I got her at a flea market in a bunch of other dolls and clothes. To me she looks like an impetuous tomboy who leaps before she looks. It's lucky her friend is a little more reserved. They make a good team. I don't think they are sisters - just buddies

Here they are getting into the beautiful cheese buffet before it is served to the guests. The dog is wistfully hoping for dropped cheese, and I am sure the girls would be happy to share - if the adults don't catch them first.

Also from eBay are these two dashing young men. I am thinking of making Mr. Green Shirt into the Reverend for the Mindlton church but haven't completely made up my mind. I like his turtle neck and jeans and hate to replace them with a black shirt with dog collar. There isn't really any rush. It will be quite some time before I refurbish the church, so I might find a better Minister by then.

I am in love with Mr. Check Suit. Isn't he adorable? He is single right now, but I don't expect that to last long. He looks like he has a good job and he already has his eye on one of the porcelain lady dolls in Green Shutters. Yes, I know it would be a mixed marriage - porcelain and cloth - but if they are happy no one will object. Hmmm, will their children be breakable or not? I guess we have to wait and see.

Another Flea Market find is this lovely lady. I think she was meant to represent the Czech Republic or the Ukraine, but I took off her apron and flowered shaw, then turned her collar around and fastened it with the brooch from her shawl. I tightened up the red sash at her waist and now she looks like a Victorian lady. I saved her apron and shawl in case I want to change her back.

Here is the group altogether. I am very pleased with my new people. I need to get working on my houses so I can find them all homes. But winter is coming and I know what I will be doing on those long cold evenings.

Hugs,
Susan

My birthday present finally arrived

I always buy myself presents at Christmas and on my birthday. It's always something I couldn't justify buying otherwise and I always end up spending way more than I should.

I was surfing the net one day, looking for dollhouses of course, and found the Mini Modern Blog. She has some wonderful things on her blog, but what caught my attention was the Bozart Kaleidoscope House.

I remember seeing this house and furniture for sale at a shop in Toronto's Distillery District a few years ago. It was about $200. If only I knew then what I know now. I would have bought a couple back then. It is selling on eBay for $800 - $1300. I sure can't afford one now.

I went on eBay to check out Bozart and found that the furniture is still available and is not unreasonably priced compared to other quality minis. And voila, I had found my birthday present to myself.

It arrived yesterday and couldn't wait to get at it. I don't have a modern house. It seems most dollhouses are from an era before the year 2000. Where, I pondered, could I set up my new treasures?

A year or so ago I picked up a cardboard Ikea dollhouse at Goodwill for $5.00. It was still flat and in its original plastic when I got it, and I set it up to hold extra mini furniture. It could be my temporary modern house. After all, what is more modern than Ikea?

I had such fun setting it up last night.

Some of the smaller chairs are Reac, Japan, including my recent birthday presents from my sweetie. The art, rugs, lamps and vases are by Bozart. Some came with the furniture and some accessories came in a set.

The bedside table in the master bedroom is an acrylic cube with a globe suspended in it. I am not sure of its original function, but I think it looks great.

In bedrooms 2 and 3 I added wood blocks under the futons, just to get them off the floor, and the two children's chairs in the smallest bedroom are, I think, from a Mattel Kelly set. I got them at the thrift shop so I am not sure, but I think they are adorable.

Isn't the sculpture in the dining room hideous? (Well I think it is - but fun too). I added two Reac MacIntosh side chairs and a black Chrysnbon Grandfather clock. I think the dining room is my favourite room

I decided not to take the dishes out of their packaging until I had a proper house for them so I just put them on some round blocks and made a server bar in the kitchen.

Decorating the nursery 2

I have found some furniture for the nursery. I guess I am not going with a modern theme - at least not this time.

I was inspired by the adorable decorated shelf in the second picture. I couldn't resist it. Then I saw the crib and had to have it. I am going to have some lace, or maybe pink gingham hanging from the canopy at the top. It will look so sweet.

I got both at the The Little Dollhouse Company on Mount Pleasant in Toronto. The crib was the last one they had. They had another decorated shelf set, but it was in lavender and about $8.00 more expensive. Maria, who runs the shop, does an interesting thing. She prices her merchandise according to the price she pays for it. So if she pays less for something in May it will cost you less than the same item that she paid more for in August.

I think that is very fair, and gives the buyer some bargains in the deal.

When I got home I looked through the dollhouse furniture I had and found the rocking chair, doll carriage and the little baker's rack at the back of the photo.

I added a couple of accessories and the pink rug and took pictures so I could show you.

I have set up the nursery temporarily in the bedroom of my completed Tennyson (I have a kit, too - I got it for $20.00). I will move it to Mindolton Manor once the nursery is ready.

I am trying my hand at mini knitting and crocheting and I am making a knitted baby afghan in pink for the crib and a crocheted carriage cover for the pram. I am not the best needle person in the world and am having a terrible time with the tiny knitting needles. I keep dropping stitches and losing count of the pattern. I've started the afghan three times. If I ever complete it I'll show it to you.

I am almost as bad at crocheting and am really screwing up the shell stitch in the carriage cover. We'll see how it turns out. I may have to just fold it up and put it on the shelf. It should look fine that way.

I intend to persevere, though. I keep telling myself they are only 3 inches long and will be done before I know it. I only wish these little projects would live up to that.

More soon.

Hugs,

Susan

Jake has a surprise for Ruby

Jake asks Ruby to come out in front of Mindolton Manor to see his surprise. She throws her arms in the air and gasps. If she could bend her arms and put her hands to her cheeks she would. "Oh Jake, It's beautiful!" she says as he opens the door for her.

"Let me take you for a drive, my darling." says Jake. This is something I have always wanted. A 1959 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. I got a bright red one, just for my Ruby girl."

"Oh Jake, you are wonderful!" Ruby sighs as she puts her head on his shoulder. They drive off into the sunset at the end of another happy day at Mindolton Manor.

I found this wonderful car at the Steadman's store (an old fashioned five and dime complete with lunch counter - although nothing actually costs 5 or 10 cents nowadays) in Gravenhurst, Ontario when I was up at my sister's cottage. I just had to buy it for Jake. I could just see him driving it - tail fins and all. And, I thought, a mansion like Mindolton Manor should have a big fancy car.

It is a 1/12th scale model according to the box, but as you can see Jake's head is way above the top of the dashboard so I don't think it is as accurate as they claim. I hope he doesn't have an accident. He'll loose his head. The doors open and the seats come forward so mini people can get into the back seat. The hood opens and shows a very detailed motor. The trunk contains a white spare tire. I thought it was so much fun.

I actually baulked at the price tag - $20.00 - but figured I would never see a car like this again so decided to buy it. It wasn't until I got to the cash register that I saw the original price sticker on the box - $149.95. Wow, talk about depreciation.

I'm sure Jake and Ruby and the residents of Mindolton will have some great road trips in the future. They have already been to my living room with some of the children. Remember, Mondolton is in my dining room, so that was a journey of about 20 feet.

More Mindolton adventures soon.
Hugs,
Susan

My new doll

I got the sweetest doll for Mindolton Manor. She is a maid, but I think she looks like a Goth teenager. I am thinking about taking off her apron and letting her join the family as just that.

Her name is Marie and she is made of resin, not porcelain. I think she is adorable.

The Pampered Birthday Girl

Did you ever have one of those birthdays where you felt like the most spoiled pampered person on earth?

Last weekend was one of those birthdays for me. Friday afternoon they had a sumptuous chocolate cake for me at the office. Friday night my sweetheart took me out for a lovely, elegant dinner and then to Bergo Designs, a wonderful store in Toronto's Distillery District, where he bought me not one, not two, but three - count 'em - three Reac Japan designer chairs. It wasn't easy to choose, but I finally settled on these three. I am planning to make a modern condo for them. (That's what I need, another project.)

Saturday, I had my favourite hairdresser remove the gray from my hair - how it gets there I can't figure out - then met my daughter downtown for a wonderful dinner where she surprised me with tickets to the stage version of "The Sound of Music" What a great show. I enjoyed it thoroughly, even though my daughter told me that the people in the audience didn't come to hear me sing along so I should stop.

Sunday morning my son took me out to an incredible Sunday brunch - it was sooooo good, custom omelets, waffles, fruit, way more good food than I could eat - and after he cut my lawn without being asked. Then he took me to see Inglourious Basterds. I really enjoyed it, even if I had to cover my eyes during the really gory parts. (I am my own censor board). It was a great movie. Kind of like a comic book, I thought. Brad Pitt is hilarious in his role.



When I got home settled down in front of the TV with the bottle of wine my son brought me and watched old movies on TCM.

What a perfect birthday weekend. It's a shock to go to work today and not be pampered. Oh well, I only have to wait another 363 days for the next time.

Hugs

Susan

Decorating the nursery

Aren't these pictures adorable?

I have a couple of picture frames for them and I plan to put them on the nursery wall in Mindolton Manor. I just wish I could find the time to furnish the nursery.

I have a Heidi Ott toddler (in the small picture) with pigtails for the house - no clothes yet though. I need to get sewing.

I haven't decided what decade to do the nursery. Victorian? 1950's? 2010? Jake and Ruby could fit into almost any era, they way they are dressed. I'll have to give it some thought.

I got this lovely pram for her. I think it is so pretty.

Call Me Crazy - My kids do.

I have more doll houses than one person could possibly need, so why did I go out last night and buy three more. I am starting to believe my kids when they come over now and say, "Mom. how can you live here? You can barely move around the doll stuff. You need help"

Maybe the explanation will be more obvious when you see what I bought. I know I shouldn't check out Criagslist and Kijiji, but how can I resist? People want to get rid of the most wonderful things.

After work last night I picked up an Autoshare car and hit the road. At 5:45 p.m I picked up this lovely house for $25.00. It's exactly like the Lilliput Peaches 'n Cream - Dollhouse Kit 450. The lady said it had belonged to her daughters who were in their 20's. She put it on Craigslist because she didn't want to see it go in the trash. I'm glad she did.

It needs a little work, but it's a great house.

At about 7: p.m. and 20 Kilometeres north I was at the door of a kind lady who had this kit for sale for $20.00. She said it was given to her and she had never opened it.

It is the Greenleaf Tennyson Laser Cut Dollhouse Kit, but in a President's Choice box. One of our major grocery stores, Loblaws, offers President's Choice products. They made quite a hit back in the eighties by packaging quality food products under their President's Choice label and selling it in their stores and affiliates. They still do this today. Here in Canada, we know that President's Choice equals good stuff. I vaguely remember seeing Dollhouse kits for sale about 15 years back, but I never got one.

Here's a picture of the house from the Greenleaf site.

And now for the piece de resistance. Just as I was getting ready to leave my second stop I received an email message from the seller of the next house telling me I could pick up it up that evening. I called him for directions. I got back in the car and drove to a ritzy suburb north of the city. I arrived just before 8 p.m.

Look what I got ...

OMG! I always wanted an Apple Blossom. I had drooled over it in the Dollhouse shop where they had a finished one on display. This one needs a tiny bit of restoration on the outside, but it basically looks brand new. The inside is untouched and ready for wiring and decorating. I would love to get the extension to add to it at some point.

This one cost a bit more, but I figured a beautiful finished dollhouse was worth the $100 I paid for it. After all the kit alone costs over $200. and this one has the milled siding on it. The seller said that it had been his daughter's and that they had purchased it finished for over $400 when she was small. He said that she had never played with it. She is now in her mid-20s and they had decided to sell it because they were moving. It does look brand new, except for some broken shingles. I am delighted to have it.

So, there you have it. That's what I did last night. I may be crazy, but I sure am having fun!

Hugs,
Susan