Mini Shopping Trip!

Hi everyone!

It's been a while since I wrote about the dollhouses we are restoring. For now, all the tools and the dollhouse furniture items are packed away, until our big move. In our new house, we'll have a true Art Studio that will house both the dollhouses while we work on them. Can't wait to have a dedicated space to lay out everything and work on it, bit by bit, instead of having to put it all away at the end of a work bee. Stretching out and having many projects on the go will be heavenly for this multitasking ADD mama!!

Today we attended the annual Dollhouse show in the big city. We love to hunt through bins and baskets for all the best "minis" for our houses. The overhead shot above shows what we were able to find, for a very reasonable $55. Most years, we take along $100 and spend it all, but this year, we managed to find everything we were hoping for, and more, and still have money left over! The remaining $45 will go back into our savings account for next years annual trek. 

Here's a brief rundown of what we bought today. Counter clockwise, from the top of the green blanket, we bought a black curio cabinet (with glass shelves and mirrored backing) for the room that will hold the black grand piano; a wooden wall phone; a black top hat; a wooden display box with real crystal rocks from Jasper; a sweet gingerbread wall hanging with matching tea towel for the kitchen; a leather bag holding pieces of fire wood; two painting palettes; a magazine; a clock; a ceramic green frog for the garden; a tomato; Christmas lights for the outside of the house; and a plate of Christmas goodies. In the centre, there is a lavender gingham table cloth and 4 napkins; a painted birdhouse; a book with a set of reading glasses; a tray with a coffee grinder and a few other kitchen utensils to make a display; a newspaper with a fish and a gutting knife; a purple, felted octopus; a small birdhouse and a feather pen. 

Above, we have, starting counter clockwise again, a sweet tea set; a picture frame; a perfume bottle; a "picking up" tool; a set of tweezers; a set of cards; a cupcake; a set of wooden garden pots; a turkey on a platter; a woven rug; a set of veggies; a cardboard greenhouse; a metal heat radiator; a lace bag; a bath bag, bar of soap and sponge; a bundle of New York Times newspapers; a plant in a pot; a wooden shelf; a front door wreath and a welcome sign. In the middle, we have another picture frame; a kit to make a "tiny watering can garden scene"; an ivy plant; a pine cone turkey; 2 loaves of bread; a wooden sled with welcome on it; a letter with a stamp; a cheque; a perfume bottle; fabric roses; a hammer; a undefined tool; a bouquet of posies; a wooden shelf; a ceramic knitting bowl with a ball of yard and 2 knitting needles; 2 bags of stones; and a candelabra. 

Close ups of some of the items listed above. 

The wallpaper is for a nursery.

More close ups!

The beautiful black curio cabinet.

Halloween items, including a bowl of candy!

We had such a good time, my dh, my youngest dd and me. It usually takes us a good 2 hours to go through the entire hall and dig around for treasures. Today, I won the first door prize! I never win anything and was quite surprised to hear my name called. My prize? A lovely bouquet of pink roses in a pot for the garden. You can see it in the 4th picture, in the upper left corner. We got to meet the artist and she was so sweet. A small thing that touched my heart today and left a memory to cherish each time I see the bouquet. 

That's my dollhouse update for now. Once the house is finished and we move in, I will set up the Art Studio as quick as I can and get to work on restoring both dollhouses. Lots of work ahead but truly a great winter eve's project! 

What are your plans for the long winter ahead?