Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Decorating the Dollhouse


 My French Dollhouse, The Petite Maison, is a work in progress. 
The exterior is looking so much more French now!
This is the dollhouse how I found it at the consignment shop. 
It was nicely built from plywood, with the exterior painted, but not much else.
When I saw it, I thought the roofline looked very French, and I could modify the
house to give it that Frenchy look. I also knew I needed to replace the railing system
that was on the little roof deck area.  
( Inspiration: a real French Chateau)
Notice the roofline, which is similar to my dollhouse.
A big part is accessorizing the dollhouse interior to give it the French flavor
 with  rustic yet fancy, shabby and cottage, 
and of course luxe elements that I dream up in my head.
 The more I add to a room, the better it looks, yet dollhouse decorating (for me)
runs a fine line of being cluttered and too much if one overdoes it.
The salon (living room) is feeling quite nice now, with the lived in details
of a tote bag with magazines, some flowers on the table, a candelabra with pretty 
little shades that give the room extra dose of personality. 
 An old piece of lace, trimmed to be a mantel scarf over the marble,
some flowers and a vase, magazines on tabletops, these are the little
details that make a mini house a real looking home.
 This brass candelabra is a common one that many miniaturists buy, as it
is affordable. I darkened mine up to look tarnished, then I made some shades
to turn it into a lamp. This is the pattern I created to make shades. I add the glue to the tab
section when I attach it.  
Curling the shade pattern around a pencil helps to give it a rounded
dispostion which is helpful too. I cut up a gift bag that had pretty patterns and used the 
checkered part to make the gingham look I wanted. Then I stuffed a little piece of 
packing peanut foam inside the shade so it could sit on top of the candle and not fall.
 It looked so charming on the vintage bombe chest I found on Etsy.
 After I made the shades, I tried to make hatboxes using the same gift bag paper.
These little things are hard for me to make, and I imagine it will get easier.  
They add the old fashioned details I want for the bedrooms, and I will be making more.
 There is much to do, and the house is evolving.  I found some pieces at
a thrift shop, and added them to the "music room".  A very nice white 
overstuffed sofa, and some mahogany pieces, that will be customized to
fit my style.  I am obsessed with working on the house, and am getting much
pleasure creating and finding things for my Petite Maison.
Winter has finally arrived with an arctic blast and snow and ice....
The nice thing about dollhouse decorating is one can stay inside and 
survive the long winter quite happily!
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13 comments:

  1. Loving your blog Amy. Thank you for sharing your amazing dollhouse. I'm new to dollhouse collecting but having fun putting my first one together. You've inspired me on this cold, snowy and blizzardy day! Chy

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    1. Its so much fun Why, isn't it? The thing I love about building or just decorating/renovating a dollhouse, is that each person puts their own spin on it, and that is what is so grand!

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  2. Amy your doll house and accessories are delightful! It looks like you have found all kinds of treasures to add. Like glitter one can not have too much fun and magic in your sweet new 'obsession. Xx

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    1. It certainly has been fun finding things and modifying them or trying to make things Mary Anne!!

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  3. I'm loving the details your adding to 'petite Maison" :)
    I did a full doll house for my girls when they were young. When I saw your last photo of what the backyard looks like w/all the snow...I thought, 'wow, I'd cut this lil pic and place in an upstairs window, so when looking at a room, this is the scene out the window. Perhaps change it with the changing seasons. :) Just a thought.

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    1. I know, I should have a "view" out my windows....I have tried but sometimes it looks a bit contrived. I will work on that idea Roxanne. What happened to your girl's dollhouse?

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  4. You'll be finding and repurposing many many more for your doll's house as time goes on, and honing your skills in the process. And the time pass quickly when you're having FUN- even long cold winters.

    elizabeth

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    1. That is true, I think this hobby will keep me busy for awhile, and the winter is the perfect time to work on it!

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  5. Your doll house looks just wonderful, Amy! I am so impressed! I am enjoying working on mine...but have not made the bed from Lea's book yet.
    Debbie
    xo

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    1. I tried making the metal bed with metal and glue and it was a disaster for me. I am terrible with gluing things....there must be a secret to it?? I may try to make the bed using a soldering gun.....good luck with yours Debbie!

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  6. I liked it and surely gonna make one....❤ :)

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  7. Just catching up on my blog reading and I see you're into doll houses now! Isn't it so much fun? I have a Victorian dollhouse that I'm attempting to build, although I find looking for treasures to go into it much more exciting! Are you familiar with Pipi, who has created a French dollhouse using Lea's book (wonderful!) as a guide? You will love perusing her work! She has four videos on YouTube and a blog. Enjoy!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDJk290WjCY

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  8. Here is the link for Pipi's blog--she is such a delightful lady! http://turnerssmallworld.blogspot.com

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