New Miniatures.

For the last 8 years, we've ventured into the Big City to the Dollhouse Show each September. I save through the year so I can freely spend on items that are unique for the dollhouses I've been collecting. For 2020 and 2021, like the rest of the World, everything shut down and that meant the show was cancelled. It was so exciting when we found out the show would be back this year in person. The only downside to the date they chose was dh is on a roadshow tour and he had to miss the show for the first time ever. We always have so much fun going with our dd's and grandson. This year, my youngest dd and I went together, while dd and dgs were off to hockey for the day. We had a great time and spent all the funds I gathered. I love this show because pricing is decent, not expensive. I can get so many items for a frugal budget. 

The first thing I came across was the tiny wooden house in the upper photos. It was $2 and I have several ideas for creating a tiny dollhouse. My favorite purchase of the day and the most expensive, was the bookcase in the last photo, painted black with books placed on the shelves. It was $10 and so worth the big price. I love it and can't wait to see where it will land. I have a few ideas ~ so many choices!

Our schedule over the next few weeks will be super crazy busy. But I do hope to have some time, once our events and deadlines have passed, to work on my dollhouses. Now with these new pieces, I've been inspired to get the work done.

Wishing you a beautiful weekend!

~ Chy

New Project.

Honestly, I wasn't looking for

another dollhouse to fix up.

But this one literally appeared

in my inbox and in my face.

A mama who bought it to create

for a future little daughter ....

.... but she ended up with all boys.

So now it's in my hands to renovate.

I have no plans just yet but so

excited to have another project.

A $240 dollhosue (I'm told) for

a sweet $40, furniture included!

What do you think of my new project?

What color would you paint the outside?

~ Chy

Real Life Pics ~ The Art Studio.

Some real life shots of the art studio

today, before I began the big purge.

Can't even use the Bow Flex right now!

But stayed tuned as we're adding a brand

new treadmill and this space has to be

cleaned up and purged for the new item.

Wish me luck!!

~ Chy

Dollhouse Update.

I've been slowly working on the dollhouse.

Choosing, cutting and installing wallpaper.

Painted walls, freshly installed wallpaper

and the little carpet I found at the Fall

Dollhouse Show. Trim will be next but

I think I'll wait until I finish off painting

and wallpapering each room, and then

flooring, which I still need to figure out.

~ Chy

Our Booth Remodel.

It was time to make some changes in our

booth at the antique mall for Summer.

We added in the upper shelf to show off

some lovely items and added in the small

bookshelf on the right side. It looks a bit

crowded right now, exactly how we don't

want our booth to look but we've decided

to try and sell a piece of furniture each

month. Our first is this so sweet vanity

dresser with mirror and seat bench. It was

on a local sale board off FB and we paid

just $60. It was painted white so we did

a quick coat of ivory chalk paint to smooth

it out and added glass knobs for the drawers.

Fingers crossed it attracts a buyer. We do

sell a lot of "smalls" but want to now try

selling furniture and dh's collection of

old radios. He's sold a few already. A

hot item for sure. I have some ideas to

make in my art studio as well. Fun!

Art Studio.

We're slowing breaking in our Art Studio.

I wish I could work in it all day long but

my family, life and work are priorities ~

my art is there, just not every day. Soon ....

Dollhouse Update.

Here's the update on my dollhouse

project: at the moment, there is NO

progress as my dollhouse is buried

behind all the items that need to be

chalk painted. Once the art studio is

finished, I'll be able to lay out all my

projects and work on them at my own

pace without crowding or burying

other items. Very frustrating right

now but we're almost finished.

Counter Decision.

We've finally made a decision for the Art Studio. Our cabinets are now all installed, the shelves and drawers are in, the walls are painted, the lights are almost all in and next on our list was the counters. We wanted to find a wood look and came across these counters from Ikea. The Karlby line and the fit will be perfect for our contractor to work with. He  has used these a number of times in kitchen remodels, so we're trusting his judgement. And right now, Ikea has a kitchen event, so we'll be getting back 10% on our purchase today in gift cards that we can use for future purchases. Today, a friend of ours with a truck is meeting us at the store. We'll pick out the ones we want and then he'll transport them out to our acreage for us. Our counter guy is hoping to come on Wednesday to do the install. Just waiting for his confirmation. Once the counters are installed, he'll then do the baseboards, our floor guy will come and install the flooring, we will then put the cabinet doors and drawer fronts on, and the hardware, and then my dh just has to put up the last two lights ~ we were waiting for the counters first so we can align the two lights over the island just right but needed the counters there first. This has been a long dreamed about project and I can't believer we're almost ready to finally use our new Art Studio.

Art Studio Progress.

 In between other obligations over the

weekend and some illnesses creeping 

through our home, we managed to 

squeeze in Art Studio construction.

The painting is now complete, the cabinets

are all put together and now the placement.

We discovered after we put the first cabinet

together that the measurements we were so

careful to gather for the designer were very

accurate. But she did not factor in the feet

that hold up the cabinets. If we had installed

those, our cabinets would have come right up

to the bottom of the windows, not giving

any space for the countertop depth. We did

end up figuring out a way to create "boxes"

to hold the cabinets, which in the end if

much more sturdy. Took more time and a 

ton of extra measuring but so worth the time.

Now we are busy placing the items in the

units that are for our art projects. Next, our

contractor will come and install the counters

and then the flooring, trim and two more of

the lights to hang. At that point, we'll do more

of a true reveal. Almost there, so very close.

Art Studio Progress.

 We have 2 spaces left in our house to sort

out. The first is the garage and although we

have a plan. we have to wait for really good

weather in order to actually empty it all out.

So for now, we're concentrating on the

other space that needs attention: our

Art Studio. This space was left not

finished for us so we could finish it

once our budget allowed. We've been

scrimping and saving to complete it,

as well as saving for our landscaping

and for finally doing the garage too.

This room will have a few zones: my

writing space, dh's writing and editing

space (both of these are in the dormers,

opposite from each other), dollhouse

restoration space, storage, island and

finally, a spot for our Bow Flex set for

working out in between all our little and

big projects that we'll be completing.

For now, we've chosen the colors, almost

figured out the flooring, dh has hung up

the new lights and we're now working on

cabinet choices for storage. See all those

boxes? Those hold all our supplies and

projects that are boxed up, waiting for

the cabinets to be installed so they can

be unpacked. I'm so excited to get to that

time so we can unpack, sort and then to

truly enjoy this bonus space. Updates soon.