(Doll)House Keeping

Here's Goldilocks in front of the dollhouse before
restoration.

Are you a thrift store scorer?  Many years ago - long before the kids were even married - I found my best score ever:  a vintage Cape Cod dollhouse.  A co-worker and I would often take our work breaks to cross the street from the library to a charming thrift store called The Blue Smock.  It was run to benefit the local hospital.  So many treasures to be found here: we both scored many unique purchases.  One day, though, in the half-price back room there was the house of my dreams!  Not only was it half price at $10.00, but it included a plastic bag full of furniture.  The house was sturdy.

Evidence led me to believe a craftsman had put the house together. 

 

 

 

I HAD TO BUY THIS HOUSE!!!

Herein lies the problem...where do I store this house while I wait for the kids to marry and the
babies to start coming?  My workplace was the obvious answer. 
I used the dollhouse rooms as cubbies to store my materials for Storytime. 
Form meets function.

This is NOT my desk at work, by the way!  I just found this photo on a workplace desk search..  It's up to you to
imagine a dollhouse placed underneath this desk for many years.

But, the time has come to restore this beauty.  Two grand-daughters as of this writing with one grandson presently on the way.

Get out the sander, work gloves, paintbrushes, paint and elbow grease.
It's time to do some house-KEEPING!

BEFORE:  the interior was in need of much work!  Especially the floors.  The wood in the living room was split and torn; the fuzzy carpeting upstairs was like lacquered velour and a royal pain to remove.

DURING:  the interiors are in the process of being "stripped" and painted.  It was nice outside (finally) so I could work in the breezes blowing on our deck!

AFTER:  the house has been panted and papered.


Now let's take a look at the dollhouse exterior.

BEFORE:  just as the house looked when I purchased it.

DURING: the red roofing "shingle" wallpaper has been.stripped and the siding is taped off and ready to paint.

AFTER: house siding, roofing and trim has been painted.

One of the last steps in finishing up the dollhouse was to add wallpaper and flooring. I used scrapbook paper for the wallpaper - applying it to the wall that had been covered first with Mod Podge. The flooring? I used textured white vinyl wallpaper from a sample book.  It went down like a dream and will be easily cleaned.

In this dollhouse anything goes!  Giant chairs, three toilets in 3 rooms? Of course!

I love the look of concentration on Miss E's face.


How much fun is it to have a little house for our little ones?

Much, much  much fun!  I think I enjoy playing with it just as much as Miss E! 
Maybe even more.