Dollhouse News

I was recently gifted this large, handmade dollhouse. 

The picture doesn't really convey its size very well, so here's a picture of my three year old son standing next to the house:

It's almost as tall as he is!

Luckily, I have plenty of  some a little space left in my house. There's no way I would ever turn down a dollhouse of this quality, with such fine craftsmanship. It definitely needs some repair work though:

It was wired for electricity, but some of the lights worked while others didn't, and some of the wires looked iffy, so I ended up removing the wiring. I like all my houses to be safe and durable so that kids (and I) are able to actually play with them, not just look at them.

I am considering making it over into Orchard House, in order to satisfy my long held desire for a Little Women dollhouse. I feel like that attic is just perfect for Jo's writing desk, and a cozy corner for the Pickwick Society to hold their meetings in.

I recently began the process of reconstructing my Secret Garden, too. I made this scene years ago, but with the different moves I've done, it was damaged beyond repair. I was saddened, because I take a special pride in the dollhouses/scenes that I create on my own from scratch. The previous one had a base of styrofoam, and walls made of floral foam with drywall compound and real stones on the outside:

It looked great, but it was really heavy, and it did not travel well.

Here's a sneak peek of the new and improved Secret Garden:

The base is styrofoam, a piece that was the perfect size and shape. There was a cut out already in it, so I decided to make a little pond for the garden. I need more practice with making realistic water.

I was able to salvage everything from the old one except the walls, and I had a few pieces in my stash that I am adding into this scene.

I have a variety of other dollhouses set up in my house, and one currently out on display at the Dover Public Library, but these two are the ones I am working on the most lately.