So the saga of the dollhouse is this. I had been looking for ages for an old dollhouse on ebay. Everytime I found one I liked (with that kind of clunky 1930's homemade feel, but really sturdy), the bidding would just get way out of control. It seems I have the same taste as everyone else on ebay looking for an old dollhouse. This one had a reserve price so that was a little discouraging. It also had two questions from bidders and 12 bids on it already. The only encouraging thing was that the auction was over at 8:30 Sunday morning, a time when I am actually up, as opposed to late at night. Also the seller lived less than 2 hours away so I could go pick it up and not pay for shipping (which is ridiculous on big things like this). So I bought it for $150 and the next day packed up the kids and the beau and went to pick it up. I was surprised at how huge it was! I had the measurements, but visualizing 40 x 25 x 35 in thin air is much different than seeing it in wood and paint. It was pouring rain the whole way and I decided to take a "short" cut home, but that is a-whole-nother story.
I am terribly excited about it! The kids are equally excited and we've had some territorial disputes. Today I helped them make quilts for their own dollhouse (which actually cost more than this one!)as a way to alleviate my guilt over indulging in my obsessive-compulsive need to make tiny dollhouse curtains and quilts and pillows and rugs late into the night.
This dollhouse is so perfect! It has electric lights which just gives me the goosebumps every time I turn them on. And on the side it has two more rooms, a bathroom and a kitchen, witht the sweetest little green and white tile paper. The kitchen has old linoleum on the floor and the bathroom has a little built in medicine chest. I can't stand it!
I couldn't wait to fix it all up before I put stuff in it. I still have lots to do and of course I had to go shopping today at the flea market, consignment shop, and antique store to see if they had anything the inhabitants of my dollhouse couldn't live without. And naturally they did.
I had a great time cutting up an old vest to make the quilts on the pink beds. I cut around all the embroidered little bits to make it look like I'd worked a lot harder to make it than I actually had.
I'm making a polar bear rug out of an old collar off a child's jacket. I've cut it out but haven't finished yet. Still trying to figure out how to do the teeth.I found this wonderful 1930's dollhouse slideshow while trolling on the web.
June 2006 Update of Favorite Old 1930s Dollhouse
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