It All Starts Here

Sometimes our ideas flow from an existing kit to bash, a house style to scratch (aka custom) build, or from an interesting doll who needs a place to live. Our settings are always modern-day (ca. 2001 when we started this hobby). We try to create things that will make people smile and feel good.

We think that if we had to build the same house twice, we literally could not do it! Fortunately, we have very unique little people who have definite opinions and so far, no one has wanted a house “like so-and-so” has.

We work as a family unit: my wonderful husband, my beautiful sister, and I. We don't always agree as to the direction of the build, but I think that we end up with a better dollhouse because of all our grumblings -- and we do have a lot of fun!

The Purpose of this Blog

We needed a place for all we wanted to say about the background of the build and the nuts and bolts of the design and build process. Thus this blog.

All our dolls' homes have families living in them and a story is built around their personalities and lifestyles. This story is an integral part of our building process. We would like to share these stories -- actually, the little people insist upon it!

Many of our houses are located in Fredericksburg, Virginia because that is my sister's favorite place.

Also, we have started a Rouges' Gallery with photos of our little people and information about the dolls.

If you would like to start with the dollhouse that "started it all", it is the Original Rowbottom Manse; if you would like to see the scratch-built Georgian that our first build gave us the confidence (or fool-hardiness) to do, it is Sunnybrook Farm.

Let the stories begin!

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Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Monday, December 9, 2013

Santa Claus is coming to town ... ho, ho, ho



Eat, drink, and be merry!
I have been doing very little with the Montclaire – real life has a hold on me for the rest of the year—this time of year is very hectic.

I have been try to figure out what, and then how to do whatever I should do for the Montclaire front exterior. I have some things, such as the bricking, worked out, but the window and the porch designs are a little “iffy” right now. Well, that’s a next year project! No sense doing something today if you can put it off until tomorrow!
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I have managed to get the party underway and everyone seems to be having a good time and the house looks very festive.

~~Pictures of the Montclaire party:
 
Dining room
Foyer
Living room
Kitchen
Library
Music room
Game room
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~~We have added another dollhouse video to YouTube:

… Hawthorne’s Rare Books …

 
 
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May your holidays be the merriest of merry for you all, and may Santa make all your dreams come true.

Many hugs and kisses from my family to yours.

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Hawthorne's Rare Books at Christmas

Hawthorne's at Christmas
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Front windows
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Shop floors
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Living-Kitchen room with guests

Monday, January 23, 2012

La Malcontenta--forgottten, even at Christmas?

I was doing a review of dollhouse photos and write-ups the other day and I was surprised to find that I had never finished discussing the interior of La Malcontenta on this blog! The Behind the Build blog post talks about the exterior and some generalities, but that's it! Even the Christmas blog has nothing about Christmas at La Mal (as I affectionitely call it). La Mal, as for a number of my houses, is not 100% finished--every once and a while I get a brilliant idea or find a great painting or piece of furniture, and I am back at it.

Anyway, I have decided to take current pictures of the interior and post them on Webshots and here with some chit-chat. That will take a couple of days, but in the meantime, I can at least post the few pics of a previous Christmas festivity. I love La Malcontenta and I can't believe I haven't been up to date with it. My only excuse is that for the last year or two, my dollhouses have had to take a back seat. I am just starting to feel that I am finally going forward again. As I mentioned in the Abner Raleigh posts, that that house was supposed to be built at the end of 2008--but that was not meant to be.

Anyway, here are the few of a previous Christmas.

Living room.

Living room.
 
Foyer.

Dining room. I have no idea why the coffee service is on the floor!

Well. I feel a little better.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Ok, some more Christmas at Sunnybrook Farm

I have reviewed some more of the photos for Sunnybrook and uploaded them to Webshots also.

Since about 100 guests accepted invitations, they are everywhere in the house! I guess they will be staying awhile!

Foyer with guests arriving
Another view of foyer
Living room

Another view of living room


Dining room




Another view of dining room

Well, at least I got something done!

I keep trying to do something on my houses every day. Unfortunately, sometimes that means I just sit in front of them and daydream! I am not a procrastinator -- just a dreamer.

I am still waiting to finish the lights and landscaping at Casa Lobo but I have decided that that will have to wait for the New Year. I know where I want more lights, but the landscaping is not "talking"to me. The house takes up most of the 2 x 4 foot plywood it is on.This means that the house only has about 6 inches on each side and in the front. I think that is enough to do the landscaping. The front entry has a nice patio. --Just need somethiing for desert plants... I didn't think it would be this hard.

I decided that this year I would just decorate the inside of Sunnybrook Farm (aka The Big G). I usually do a couple of the houses, inside and out, but not this year. As a result, about 100 of my little people have gathered and are partying happily. Some haven't seen each other for years! 

I took a lot of pictures of the party but haven't finished reviewing them (I am not the world's greatest photographer). I did do a "panorama" composite of two shots using Photoshop Elements 9 and I was impressed with the result. The party is going on also in some rooms in the wings. Those and other photos shortly.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Christmas 2006 at SunnyBrook Farm

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We thought, since we are on the subject of Christmas, we should mention the party of all parties at Sunnybrook in 2006.

It is always fun to decorate for a party. In 2006, we decided that the time had come for Sunnybrook to host a big Christmas bash. Since it was such a large house, it could hold our entire world of little people.

I think we finally ended up with 65-70 partiers.

We decorated all the rooms and loaded tables with wonderful food and drink. In the foyer, we set up a large Christmas tree and arranged people on and around the grand circular staircase singing Christmas carols. The dining and living rooms were set with lots of food and drink and more guests. In fact, there were merry makers throughout the house.

The most fun idea was that the music room would become a ballroom and house a “band” and dancers. It really was a lot of fun to have little people holding musical instruments--sometimes we had to wire them to the instruments since some of them refused to stay in the proper positions. (We wired discretely so that the wires would not show.) We then decided to be matchmakers and selected the couples. They were so happy to cut a rug!

The party went on for a long time—no one wanted to leave!

It took us almost as long to “undecorate” the house and remove the guests as it did to set it up!

We think that this year it should be Sunnybrook’s turn again.

Monday, December 20, 2010

MacPherson Farm - Pre Christmas Party

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**** MacPherson Farm - the home of Anne & George MacPherson
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The MacPhersons are all going out to the Holiday parties of family and friends--so they decided to have a small, informal pre-Christmas party. Next year it will be their turn to host the big bash!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Christmas at Westerly

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****Westerly -- the vacation home of Sarah Spencer and Franklin Wells:

Just wall-to-wall people and tons of food and drink and a good time was had by all. Some of the guests decided to enjoy the ocean view and party on the porch!



Don't forget, more pictures on Webshots!

Christmas Parties - Toad Hall, Badger's Hollow, Wells

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I finally finished decorating the interiors for Christmas and New Year's parties -- just in time -- my little people like to party! The pictures for Westerly will be in the next post.

And don't forget, more pictures for all homes on Webshots!

****Badger's Hollow - the home of Iris March and Roderick Alleyn:


****Toad Hall -- the home of Max de Winter:




****The Wells' Home (the "Original Rowbottom Manse") -- the home of Martha and George Wells: