blog - Call of the Small

Modern Kitchen Counter

Christine Ferrara — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 02:53:01 +0000

I love repurposing everyday objects and materials for miniatures, and am also very fond of bargains. I found this wooden kitchen sink in the discount bin at Karen’s Dollhouse Shop many months ago and it's been waiting for repair and transformation.

I decided to paint it grey and was inspired to use a favorite Chilewich placemat for a decorative "tile" surface, paired with reflective silver craft paper.

I spray painted the doors metallic silver and then added a repurposed faucet (also spray painted) from a sink by brincadada, the (sadly) defunct toy company. The sink is actually a white lacquer box by Amac, and it worked amazingly well. The “drain” is a very small flat washer with washi tape backing.

After a few other repairs and paint touchups to the wood, it was good to go for a quick setup in my Citadel dollhouse. This took place over the course of a few weeks and my process was iterative and organic and changed course a lot. Definitely enjoyed doing it and feel good about making some use of it!

Betsy McCall Called

Christine Ferrara — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 03:21:06 +0000

I’ve had my Betsy McCall dollhouse since 2011, and it might be one of the most fun houses to come back to and renovate. I’ve been making my way around the house and have now touched every room, the latest being the large space on the ground floor. I created a room divider inspired by the real size one in our house, and liked segmenting the space in a cool way.

The flooring is a placemat, and I find the scale of this type of pattern works very well and looks pretty realistic. For the walls, I used white vinyl adhesive paper for one wall and then was able to use some vintage wallpaper for the accent wall. I only had a scrap so was very nervous cutting the sheet…!

Here’s some views of the space.

The Inspiration

This is the real divider in our home that inspired the mini version

Here’s a view of the functionality of the piece

And the floor above!

Looking Up!

Christine Ferrara — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 15:17:35 +0000

Isn’t this miniature letterpress artwork amazing? It’s by Caren Florance (aka Ampersand Duck of Canberra, AUS).

I was inspired to head outside this weekend, as i was unseasonably warm (75 degrees) for November, and brought my Djeco Cubic House with me. It’s an exceedingly stylish and portable house, and very photogenic in sun and shade.

In the wake of an intense and fraught U.S. Presidential election and after four wrenching years, there is now happiness and joy and I feel a surge of hope. Things are looking up and this is a moment to be celebrated and savored.

Lundby Room Series

Christine Ferrara — Sun, 04 Aug 2019 22:16:11 +0000

I have an incredible fondness for Lundby dollhouses. The Stockholm was one of the first I collected as an adult, and I was fascinated by the company’s rich history and captivated by the products, which always reflected current living (albeit with a distinctly cool Scandinavian flair). I went on to collect many, many pieces of contemporary and vintage Lundby furnishings, which worked across many of the dollhouses I owned.

Lundby has been around since the mid-1940s, and was purchased by Micki Leksaker in 1997. Micki has sustained the strong Lundby dollhouse tradition over the years and has just introduced the new Room series, which I was very fortunate to see firsthand in Sweden. YES, Sweden. I went on vacation there with my family in late June and decided to reach out to Micki for a visit. I am grateful that they said yes, because it was one of the most enjoyable miniature-related things I’ve experienced.

Micki is located in Gemla, Sweden, in an industrial park. Their offices are very cool, modern, and charming, and the staff was incredibly gracious.

Micki Headquarters, Gemla, Sweden

Lobby at Micki

We met with Stefanos, their head of Product Management, as well as Mikael, who is the creative genius behind the new modular Room series.

Mikael with his Rooms

The Room is intended to stand on its own, or be combined with other Rooms to create a new living environment. They are simple, modular forms that provide endless options for customization.

An assembled Room

A view into the Micki showroom with an elaborate Room setup

The Room is quite easy to set up, as Mikael demonstrated.

I was lucky enough to take this Room home with me to the U.S. to set it up and style it myself. I really enjoyed the process of putting it all together and love the modular simplicity of the design.

You can see how thrilled and happy I am to have my very own Room.

All the Room pieces, ready for setup

I placed in some furniture and also added the stairs to create a roof scene. A very smart, thoughtful, and clever friend gave me some new Ellsworth Kelly postage stamps, knowing that I’d be inspired to create some miniature artwork! They worked great.

There is new battery operated LED lighting with the Lundby Room, which is a great innovation of the series. The lights can be hung with velcro adhesive without the traditional wires and plugs.

The Lundby Room won the 2019 Toy of the Year, and will be available in stores in the Nordics as well as on Amazon DE and Amazon UK by September. It’s not yet available in the U. S., but they are working on new distribution. Keep an eye on the Lundby Instagram feed for photos and news, too!

The number of combinations you can do with Lundby Room are ENDLESS! What do your dream house look like? ⭐️ #lundbyroom #lundbydollshouse #dollshouse #dollhouse #dockskåp

285 Likes, 4 Comments - Lundby doll's house (@lundbydollshouse) on Instagram: "The number of combinations you can do with Lundby Room are ENDLESS! What do your dream house look..."

On a final note, I wanted to share a few photos from the special display room from Micki headquarters. The space not only included some iconic pieces from Micki’s history, but also some wonderful vintage Lundby dollhouses and furnishings. It was a real highlight of our Swedish adventure to see this — thanks, Micki!

Revisiting the Neville House by CB2

Christine Ferrara — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 21:18:24 +0000

In the process of reorganizing and tidying up my workroom space, I reconnected with the diminutive Neville House, produced by CB2 in 2011. It's such a great *little* modernist structure -- really little. It was sold and intended as a tabletop accessory, but who are we kidding...it has such cool lines and the openings are indeed large enough to style the interiors, making it irresistible for modern miniature collectors. Patience required, however, since the roof nor sides do not open.

Welcome to the Neville House by CB2

Furniture that is 1/24 scale works best, although 1/16 will work too, depending on the piece and its profile. I tend to gravitate to greens, browns, and yellows when I decorate this gem. It's such a compact space that you have to make careful choices without clutter.

Enjoy!

Credits: Couch and chair are vintage Dol Toi; rug is minimodernistas; side table is Djeco; pillow is by The Shopping Sherpa; deer artwork and package are from a dollhouse show; tennis racket and basket are Re-ment; swimmer artwork is from a sticker set of vintage European matchbook covers (yes, really).

The time it took me: 55 minutes

Eye Candy

Christine Ferrara — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 20:55:46 +0000

Art supplies by Re-ment are among my favorites.

One of the key factors in drawing me back to miniatures as an adult was Re-ment. The Japanese toy manufacturer makes incredibly realistic and well-made miniatures that are, in my opinion, addictive to collect.

Re-ment showed up on my blog pretty soon after I launched it in 2009 -- it was the subject of my second post, in fact. Since then, I have accumulated hundreds of pieces including all matter of plates, platters, bowls, glasses, purses, stationery, food, clothing, shoes; the list goes on and on. I recently organized all of my Re-ment into neat sorting boxes as part of a "total cleanup" effort. It was quite fun but also quite shocking that I have acquired so much of this little stuff. It's prevented me from buying any new pieces, in fact.

I've showed my love for Re-ment on Instagram lately. Here are a few snaps in case you missed them!

TOMY Smaller Home and Garden Revamp

callsmall — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 15:36:00 +0000

If I've learned anything in my years of dollhouse renovating, it's that it is FAR easier to make changes when the house is able to be disassembled. This is not some terrific revelation, but I am always relieved when I can safely take the house apart and gain more complete access to walls and floors. Whenever I am approaching changes to a vintage house, I try to be as sensitive as possible to the original design and features. I also think of how I can stay true to the house but inject some new life with wallpaper and flooring changes.

In the case of the TOMY Smaller Homes and Garden 1:16 scale house, I had already made some changes when I got the house back in 2011. The house comes apart pretty easily, although I had to take some extra care with the roof, and sliding the walls back in once there was paper on them. Patience, patience!

I decided to add some new papers on the upstairs wall and also in the downstairs kitchen and living spaces.

As you can see, I leaned toward pattern in shades of blue, gold, yellow, and white. The house is just so BROWN. This prompted me to take some risks with pattern and color.

Hope you like the results!

That wallpaper to the left is new; original is on the right

The time it took me: At least five to six hours total, including wallpapering and decorating

Credits: Kitchen: All appliances by Lundby; table and chairs are by Patie of minisx2; shelf is by Rement; ceiling light is by Playmobil. Living Room: Couch is Brio; chair is Reac; plant is a vintage dollhouse show find; table is by Patie of minisx2; light and pillow are by minimodernistas. Bedroom: Bed and credenza are vintage German; plant is from miniatures.com. Bathroom: Tub rug, and artwork are Lundby; sink is from miniatures.com; toilet is TOMY. Outdoors: chair is a gold spray-painted Christmas ornament from Crate & Barrel and vases are beads. Accessories throughout: Rement, Lundby, dollhouse show finds, modpodminis, vintage eBay finds, and miniatures.com.

Renovation Progress on the Betsy McCall Dollhouse

callsmall — Sun, 30 Jul 2017 15:08:00 +0000

I continue to make progress on my Betsy McCall dollhouse, inspired by some new paper purchases from JoAnn Fabrics. I decided that this room would be in grey tones, as a complement to the adjoining rooms, which are in shades of yellow, cream, and grey. I had actually tried to wallpaper the space a few months ago in yellow and white tones, but the paper was way too thin. I loved the patterns but they did not hold up at all with the wallpaper glue.

This new paper with the cross pattern is heavy-duty with a nice texture. The crosses also helped to guide me as I cut the paper, ensuring even edges when I cut the paper to size. The back wall has one of my favorite textured "pebble" papers from Kate's Paperie; I've used it a number of times in my houses. In fact, the adjacent bedroom has the cream version.

For the flooring, I tried a new vinyl paper in a grey wood tone -- it worked really well!

The midcentury shelf, by Paris Renfroe of PRD Miniatures, is one of my treasured pieces. It was gifted to me by Mini Modern for my birthday a while back. It is simply the most gorgeous little piece, so perfect in its details. And it's a joy to style.

The photo below shows the reality of this hobby -- lots of hidden mess to ensure pretty pictures!

There is one room left, the main ground floor space that is intended to be the kitchen. Let's see what I come up with...! Until then, some parting shots of this new space, along with its neighbors.

Credits: Shelf by PRD Miniatures; couch by Annina Diston; table is Bozart; plant container is a napkin holder from CB2; side table is a vintage napkin holder, purchased at a tag sale; light is by minimodernistas; rug is by The Shopping Sherpa. Accessories are Re-ment, PRD Miniatures, minimodernistas, Nancy Tobey, Miniatures.com, Phllip Nuveen, and dollhouse store finds.

The time it took me: 2 hours, 15 minutes, includes wallpapering time.

Sleep Modern

callsmall — Sat, 15 Jul 2017 00:43:00 +0000

I renovated another room in my vintage midcentury Betsy McCall house. I have been thinking about this room for a while, and originally thought it would work as a bathroom, but after adding flooring and wallpaper, I decided to furnish it as a bedroom with furnishings from Djeco.

First, here's a few pictures of the room when I first got the house:

I hunted down some durable paper from the Paper Source, and got to work. The flooring paper has a very waxy finish, so that worked well. And I love the pattern!

No plant here

With plant

Quite a difference!

Before

After

This is a great house -- always fun to upgrade it! By the way, not sure if you are familiar with the site Retro Renovation, but one of the founders did her Betsy McCall from scratch. It's very cool, check it out.

Photo courtesy of Retro Renovation

Credits: Bed, side table, pillows, and lamp by Djeco; bed covering and ceiling light by Lundby; plant by TOMY; wall and floor coverings from the Paper Source.

The time it took me: 2.5 hours to renovate and furnish over a period of days -- kept coming back to it!

Mini Marilyn

callsmall — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 04:02:00 +0000

Ever get new goods and feel compelled to use them all in one scene?? That's the deal here.

The setting is the IKEA Lekman storage box, which serves as a great room box. Mine is purple, which is not sold anymore, and I usually need to cover the walls to mask the color and create a more realistic environment.

Brick scrapbook paper does the trick!

I'm very excited about my first items from the very talented Phillip Nuveen: replicas of Eames House birds and a Jeff Koons balloon dog. So. Cool.

And Nuveen's merchandise comes in shopping bags, too!

See my new Marilyn Monroe canvas by Andy Warhol? That came from a new line of miniature vinyl and plush pieces from Kidrobot: the Andy Warhol Campbell's Soup Can Mystery Mini Series.

Very, very cool!

It inspired me to add in the other artwork, which are pictures from the Kaleidoscope House inspired by artists Barbara Kruger and Lisa Yuskavage.

The little bulldog completes the scene, angling to hop onto the couch!

Credits: Couch is Minimodernistas; sideboard is vintage VERO; coffee tables are Patie of minisx2; cowhide lounger is Reac; plant is TOMY, but in a DIY planter; light is Lundby; rugs are felt pieces from Michael's. Accessories are Phillip Nuveen, Kidrobot, and Paris Renfroe.
The time it took me: 45 minutes

Mies van der Rohe Daybed

callsmall — Sat, 19 Nov 2016 22:13:00 +0000

This scene is built around the iconic Mies van der Rohe daybed. It is such a fantastic piece. As photographed, the scene looked "sleepy" to me, kind of dreamy. I played with the lighting a bit to try to evoke different moods. I also used the plant in the foreground in some cases, and in others, not. I couldn't decide if it worked or not.

Photographing this scene reminded me of the many hours spent wallpapering this space. I think the paper has held up so well, which makes me not regret all that measuring, cutting, and gluing!

I don't recall where or when I got the bee artwork. It is a heavy plastic -- perhaps it was part of a belt or some jewelry. The other shield-like piece is also a random find -- not sure where I got it or how it was originally used.

I'd love to get one of these daybeds for real one day -- a 1:1 scale version!! One can dream...

Credits: Daybed by Reac; rug by IKEA; shelving unit by Patie of minisx2 on Etsy; topiary plant is
AG Minis; long plant is TOMY; stools are Paris Renfroe.; arc lamp is an eBay find. Accessories are Dragondee, Oese, and doll show finds.

The time it took me: 45 minutes

Productive, on a Large Scale

callsmall — Sat, 29 Oct 2016 23:21:00 +0000

It's been a long time! I have had a ton of distractions that have prevented me from blogging, but mostly all productive. I have missed communicating with my readers and the larger "mini" community, but the time provided me with some clarity about my collection and its organization -- it's difficult to create scenes and work with your houses when things are in complete disarray.
One huge obstacle was flooding in our basement, which is where my collection lives. Our hot water heater decided to break and we had a real mess on our hands. Luckily, very little of my collection was affected, but it did impact the entire basement space. So, we've been spending the past few months on cleaning, mold remediation, painting, and reorganizing. This work forced me to *really* look at my collection and how I was maintaining the houses and accessories.
The results are really nice so far...I'll have more to share once we complete the last room, but here are a few snaps:

Ignore wire

New Worktable!

Yes, lots of sorting...

This process has provided a nice opportunity to reconnect with my collection, too.

While my work continues, I managed to set up a quick scene in the Loft to Love house from Target.

See those stairs? I made some carpeting from remnants of FLOR tiles that my husband used in his home office. They work pretty well!

Hopefully, more soon!

Credits: Chair is Reac; table is by MitchyMoo; wall shelving is by Dragondee; rug is a dollhouse plant is by AG Minis and it is in a napkin holder from the Crate & Barrel outlet.; wallpaper is from Paper Source. Accessories are Re-ment, Dragondee, Manor House Miniatures, Paris Renfroe, AG Minis.

Hightstown Dollhouse Show: 2016

callsmall — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 23:29:00 +0000

I'm lucky to have a small and manageable dollhouse show to go to right by my house: the Hightstown Miniature Show, now in its 37th year. This is my fourth year going--I've written about my visits before--and I've now honed my system for visiting and buying.

Here are my tips for this show, and these may apply to other similar traditional shows:

First: SHOW UP LATE. I arrived with only 90 minutes left for the show and it was not crowded and I found a lot of things. Also, most sellers were offering 1/2 off everything since it was toward the end.

Second: MODERN IS NOT MAINSTREAM. No one is really collecting modern, so you can find some cool styles, usually discounted. This makes the first tip even more relevant, since early birds will be hunting down Victorian quarter scale and not midcentury.

Third: ALWAYS DO AN EXTRA LOOP AROUND, EVEN IF YOU THINK YOU'VE SEEN EVERYTHING. You haven't seen it all, trust me. I always find things in places I thought I had looked. You just overlooked them!

Fourth: HAVE PATIENCE WITH THE DOLLAR BINS. While it might all look broken and/or dusty, you can find some gems in the plentiful dollar bins -- most sellers have some version of them.

So, all in all, it was a productive and happy experience. I do like "getting lost" in all the stuff, and there was a lot of it.
Here are my spoils!

There are some useful things here, for sure. Let's take a closer look...

These cool retro outdoor chairs, also pictured at the top of the post, were sold by this woman who had used them in her original dollhouse growing up in the 1960s. They are metal with plastic tubing, just like the real chairs! The pillow was from a different seller.

This table and chairs were also from the same seller who had them in her house. I am wondering if they are by KAGE or Strombecker....any ideas?

Did you see this paper? I am hoping this might work as exterior stonework for my Contemporary House by Doll Domiciles. I hope to have an update on it soon.

A comfy dog bed -- did not have one of these. Nice green rug, too.

I got a very nice wooden dining table that needs a leg fixed.

Lovely leeks, handmade

A dollhouse for a dollhouse shelf, and a vintage Lundby light

Some retro-wrapped gifts and decorative glass objects

More artwork!

Curious about the price tag for all this stuff? Less than $30!
Hope you enjoyed seeing my finds.

Cubic Dollhouse by Djeco

callsmall — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 04:30:00 +0000

I feel like I am on a roll with sharing some new modern dollhouses (I just profiled the new "Loft to Love" house here), so I wanted to send another one your way.

Welcome, Cubic House by Djeco!

I've read that the house was inspired by classic architecture, and I can see a strong resemblance to the De Stijl ("the style") movement, which developed in Amsterdam in the early part of the 20th century. A famous example is the Rietveld Schroeder house, built in 1924.

Photo courtesy of Designblog

See the resemblance??

Back to the dollhouse: you may have seen my post last year regarding a few Cubic House furniture sets. The house, which is closest to 1:16 scale, requires some assembly, so I had not yet opened the box. I decided to break the plastic wrapping on the box last week and got to work. My son expressed interest, so I enlisted him to help!

The assembly was pretty straightforward, although I'd recommend two people, since there are a number of tiny screws and it helps to have an extra pair of hands to hold things steady. The component parts are made of a smooth, sturdy wood. Many of the walls are painted in vibrant colors, but the floors are uniform in the natural wood color, which is nice. There are some clever features, such as a "bookshelf," which is beneath a wall of windows, and a transparent roof.

I cleaned off my desk by the window in our living room to utilize natural light, and started placing some furniture in the house. The decorating took place over the past week; I would do "drive-bys" and drop in a rug here, a chair there, until it all came together.

Overall, the construction and materials are of a very high quality. I'd say that the layout is a bit limited, but you could definitely improvise with different setups and wall and floor coverings. And, of course, there are no stairwells or doors, so you definitely have to use your imagination. Keep in mind that the starting age for the house is *four*, so we adults need to keep our demands in check!

You can find the house online, via some European stores and eBay. I actually purchased mine from a store all the way in Australia, Milk Tooth.

Hope you enjoyed this look at the house--do share if you have one too!

Credits: Bottom Floor: Dining table and chairs are custom pieces by Patie of Minisx2 on Etsy; couch is a vintage artisan piece that I bought in Denver; rug and globe lamp are minimodernistas; stool is vintage Brio; long planter is vintage TOMY; topiary is AG Minis; patio chairs and checkered floor tiles are Megahouse; fireplace is vintage Lundby; circular rug is a placemat from CB2. Top Floor: Desk and chair are vintage Brio; cork board is a custom piece by The Shopping Sherpa; Barcelona chair is Reac; side table is Re-ment; rug is Lundby; shelving unit is ELF Miniatures; plant is an eBay find. Accessories throughout are: Re-ment, eBay, dollhouse store finds, and Lundby.

Loft to Love Dollhouse

callsmall — Sun, 24 Jan 2016 19:44:00 +0000

The new Loft to Love dollhouse by Our Generation, still available at Target, is one of the more fun modern structures to come along recently. (Having said this, I must admit that I have not yet cracked open my Cubic House by Djeco, which l believe will be equally as fun, if not more so.)

The house is part of the "Lori" line of 6 inch dolls, so it is scaled for 1:12. I've actually had the Loft for a few months now, having bought it on impulse from Target; somehow, a trip for deodorant ended with a dollhouse and a boxed set of desk furniture! The house cost $49.99, and the furniture was $14.99.

You can see Modern Mini Houses's post on the house, which includes links to other reviews. As she notes, the house is being sold on eBay for double the retail price, so I'd recommend snatching it up from Target if you are interested in adding this to your collection.

The layout of the house is very open and simple. It comes with the stairs already built-in, along with a kitchen set and island, which has two chairs. The kitchen area also has built-in ceiling lights, which are plastic and bright yellow. All the kitchen furnishings are plastic, as are the stairs. The rest of the structure is heavy pressed wood, including the interior flooring and walls. The roof is covered in a green felt, and the exterior walls stylishly mimics concrete and wood. The floor-to-ceiling windows are quite nice and impart a very modern vibe.

Overall, the house is well-made, although the plastic imparts a cheaper and less realistic look to the kitchen set. I ended up using the set and island, but used different chairs.

For the upstairs, I did use the new desk set, but minus the yellow chair and some of the accessories like the globe and bulky computer. The set comes with a piece of chalk as the black area is chalk-ready -- clever!

I used a Lundby light for the stairwell, which worked well. You can capture some dramatic angles -- not bad for a house marketed at 3 year olds!

So...did I need another house? No. Am I glad I bought it? Yes. It's sturdy and has options for versatility; there is a lot that could be done to give the stairs, floors, and walls a different look. And the price was right!

Credits: Kitchen: chairs are Bozart; plant is TOMY; rug in kitchen is from the Paper Source; cork rug by front door is from a Con-Tact roll of adhesive cork paper; hanging light is Lundby. Upstairs: desk set is Lori Loft to Love; chair is Reac; couch is Brio; stool is vintage German; rug is paper from the Paper Source. Accessories: Bandai, Re-ment, miniatures.com, Dragondee, LiLu Shop on Etsy, Shopping Sherpa, and eBay.

The time it took me: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Citadel Terrace

callsmall — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 03:23:00 +0000

Minor victory: I added the terrace to my Citadel house, which has been a long time coming! The Citadel was one of the first houses I purchased, and somewhat impulsively. Back in 2009, it came up on eBay as a Buy it Now, pickup only in Chicago, IL. I live in NJ, but rationalized that I had family there, so why not?

As it turns out, our family did not have to do anything, since we took a road trip with our three kids and went to pick it up! You can read about our adventure here.

Since then, the Citadel has brought me great joy. It's been the setting for both of my book cover projects, and the editorial work I did for Ladies' Home Journal. I've spent lots of hours wallpapering and restoring one side of the house; I still have the other side to tackle, as well as the central stairwell, which is supposed to be enclosed in plexi.

I love this house. Period! I was wanting to give it a little love, so I decided to glue back the terrace to where it belongs. It broke off during the car ride home back in 2009, and has been sitting around for almost 7 years!!! And it was pretty painless to do too...

I hope you enjoy the result!

Credits: Chairs are CB2 ornaments; pillows are minimodernistas; topiary is AG Minis; other plant is TOMY; table is vintage Petite Princess; glasses are vintage German. In the living area, the couch and rug are minimodernistas; table and shelving unit are by Patie of MinisX2 on Etsy. Accessories are AG Minis, Re-ment, miniatures.com, Michaels, eBay finds, and dollhouse show purchases.

BUST Magazine

callsmall — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 04:39:00 +0000

The arrows are mine :)

Modern miniatures are featured in BUST Magazine. That's right, BUST. Yes, that BUST. And we are "grown-ass ladies making tiny homes." I didn't know that when I did the interview, but now I do.

That's my photo! Page 60

After doing the interview, I found out that the magazine wanted to send a photographer to shoot me with some of my houses. EEEK. They provided some direction on what they wanted to photograph (3-4 different houses), but we left it pretty open. I decided not to set up any scenes, and instead spent time cleaning and dusting. Good choice.

In the end, they loved the Bodensee, so we focused on decorating there. I used some Breuer dining chairs for the first time, and was also able to highlight Pepper's amazing metal wall sculpture, which she custom made for me a few years ago. It worked perfectly over the fireplace.

Yes, I look COMPLETELY psychotic. Dollhouses relax me, honestly. They don't freak me out.

A scene in my Betsy McCall house

Whoo-hoo, a photo by Megan of Modern Mini Houses!

YAY! The Shopping Sherpa is featured.

My Blue Box house

I was very glad that some fantastic fellow collectors were featured in the piece, such as Megan of Modern Mini Houses and Anna-Maria of The Shopping Sherpa. I loved seeing their work in print, and reading their comments on the hobby. All in all, a nice article.

I gave some suggestions on artisans, too.

THE END :)

Mini Safari

callsmall — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 03:32:00 +0000

I've been a fan of Safari Ltd for quote some time, so I was thrilled when they asked me to preview some new 2016 products. Safari knows that I work with miniatures, especially their "Good Luck Minis" line, so they shared a few samples and I did up a scene in my Lundby Stockholm.

Can you spot the mammoth, harp seal, zebra, and heart? Each piece is about the size of a nickel and is painted by hand for realistic detail. The pieces are incredibly sturdy and add a great amount of visual interest for small-scale scenes.

You can easily scroll through the Safari line on Amazon, and also check out their blog for more insider detail.

Go wild!
Credits: Couch, rug, and ottoman are minimodernistas; desk and cubby shelf is by Dragondee; plant is AG Minis; chair is Reac; computer is from Lilu Shop on Etsy. Accessories are Manor House Miniatures, eBay, PRD Miniatures, AG Minis, Ray Storey, and Re-ment.

The time it took me: 35 minutes

Blue Box Dollhouse

callsmall — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 02:28:00 +0000

I've had my Blue Box dollhouse for quite some time now, but it has been forgotten amongst the other houses in my collection. In fact, I neglected to add it to the My Collection resource page, so I put it there with other small scale houses.

These plastic houses, manufactured in Hong Kong, date from the 1980s. They are quite petite and are closest to 1:24 scale. My house came with its own furniture and people and the people are actually more interesting than the furniture, which is quite boxy and lacks detail. You can see more about this style of house on Rebecca's blog; here is a photo of one of her Blue Box houses that is identical to mine:

Courtesy of Rebecca's Collections

I decided to decorate my house with new floor coverings and I also added washi tape to the living room wall. I had to really search through my collection for pieces that were of the right size. It was challenging!! And you can see that some of the pieces are a tad too large, but I still used them. The pieces that actually worked particularly well are the ones by Paul MacAlister -- in addition to some beautiful 1:12 furnishings, I have a set of his 1:24 scale pieces and I put some to use here.

My people were feeling a bit dwarfed by their surroundings!

It was actually a lot of fun to decorate this house. I am embarrassed to say that this took place over some weeks...! I never had more than 15 minutes at a time, so progress was slow. And I know there is so much more that could be done, like wallpaper, but if I didn't capture it now, I'm not sure when I might have done it!

Credits: Livingroom shows a LISA couch, a Paul MacAlister table, and a Dol Toi ottoman. Kitchen has a table and chairs by Fisher Price and a Paul MacAlister shelf. Bathroom has a Fisher Price vanity and a TOMY plant. Mudroom has a Plyamobil stroller and baby and a Lil' Bratz stool. Entryway has a Paul MacAlister credenza. Accessories in all rooms by: Re-ment, Paper Source, AG Minis, Miniatures.com, Gigi N Studio, Minimodernistas, Playmobil, Michaels, and Lundby.

The time it took me: See above; weeks!

Arne Jacobsen Seven Series Dollhouse Chair

callsmall — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 02:41:00 +0000

Ahhhh....a "wish list" item acquired!

The iconic "Seven" series chair, designed in 1955 by Arne Jacobsen and reproduced in miniature by Brio in the 1960s and 70s, has at last landed in my collection. It's only one, but it is a start. I purchased it on eBay for $30.

As I was taking photos of my new acquisition, I recalled a similar post by The Shopping Sherpa of her *many* Seven chairs. Drool.

Such a great chair, and now my Brio stool and desk has a friend!

In the category of recent acquisitions, I picked up a white Barcelona chair, which looks pretty styling.

Also, the crafts store Michaels has expanded its dollhouse offerings with Sparrow Miniatures. I picked up a few items such as a table, some decorative accents, plants, and a clipboard!

Credits: Desk, chair, and stool by Brio; chair by Reac; side table by Re-ment; flooring is from the Paper Source. Accessories are Lundby, Re-ment, and Michaels.
The time it took me: 15 minutes