Friday, December 6, 2013

Mrs. Gruyere and Vintage Tattered Style Dollhouse Furniture

This is Mrs. Gruyere.  She's my sister Sophie's latest creation.  A little mouse made out of clay. 



She looks very vintage. And that's the perfect look for my new pieces of furniture.
 I'm totally obsessed with Nina Hartmann's book Vintage by Nina.  I wanted a miniature dollhouse chair that looked completely tattered and shabby chic just like the ones in Nina's photos.  I hand dyed some cotton fabric with a brown/black watered down mix of acrylic paint in the sink.  Let dry. After I put the fabric on each piece of the chair I cut little rips here and there with a sharp blade.  I colored the rips and edges with a brown ink pad. Then I used the watered down brown/black to make more stains.  I used spindles for the feet of the chair. 
 This armoire was also made from scratch.  It's a very simple rectangle with 3 shelves, feet and a ornate topper.  I painted it with a coat of acrylic paint (the color is called linen).  I dry brushed it with white here and there. And again I used my brown ink pad to age galore!  Then I flicked my paint brush full of the watered down brown/black paint. It made very interesting stains like mildew.  The curtain panels are muslin sprayed stiff with hairspray(a trick I learned from LibertyBiberty)
 Here's some technical info.  The background is just a photo in a book by the way! Makes a great backdrop!  I'm also using a new light. It's an Ottlight with a pose-able goose neck.  It's really working well for my photos. Mimics daylight very well.  And my camera is a Canon T3i DSLR.  I've had a few questions about that and I thought I would share with all of you.
Mrs. Gruyere will be available in my Etsy shop next week. We're dealing with ice here in Texas and the streets are covered in it!  It rained, sleet and iced all night long. The trees are all bent with the weight. We'll see what kind of damage is done whenever this finally melts. Hoping to keep our power on! There will be no venturing out for me or my car this weekend. Hopefully, it will be gone Monday. Brrrrrrrrr!
Coming up next is a pastel themed dollhouse I'm building for Jennifer.  Until next time! Happy building!
hugs♥

24 comments:

  1. Miss Gruyere is a very classy mouse and very photogenic. I love your shabby vintage items. You have created some lovely scenes. I wouldn't have thought about using a magazine picture as a backdrop but it looks terrific. So many possibilities. I must remember that trick.

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  2. Mrs. Gruyere is so cute! I don't know how you are going to be able to sell her as she looks quite comfortable in adorable little chair. Precious!

    xo Danielle

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  3. Привет, Каролин!
    Очен понравился винтажный стиль! Мышь бесподобная. Я сейчас тоже делаю коттедж для мышки.
    Мой друг прислал фотографии из Техаса, как у вас все деревья и дома покрылись ледяной коркой. На фото это очень красиво :)
    С наилучшими пожеланиями из России. Елена.

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  4. You continue to amaze (and amuse) me with your creativity. :)

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  5. Caroline, the mouse is so adorable!! And your furniture so gorgeous, they look so perfectly worn. I love it!! Oh can't wait for your next project! Pastel theme, sounds lovely :)
    The weather seems strange all over the world. We have had a pretty bad storm here, for the past 24 hours. And I'm so ready for it to be over!!
    Enjoy your weekend sweetie XXX

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  6. Mrs. Gruyere is so fun, and your furniture is amazing! It looks like you're really having fun with it. Take care with the ice. I stay home with ice too! Brrr! It's cold here too. Stay warm and safe. Looking forward to your pastel project. xo Jennifer

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  7. Mrs Gruyere is so full of character, just gorgeous. Loving the armoir too. You've really got your vintage groove on!

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  8. Hi Caroline! Mrs. Gruyere is so cute! The house looks great as usual.
    Take good care with the ice, it can be very dangerous. The last two days we had two big storms here, fortunately no damage, but there was an extraordinary flood because of the wind.
    I wish you a great weekend, take care. Hugs, Ilona

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  9. Love the mouse house.
    Sending warm wishes to melt the ice , stay safe.
    Willow

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  10. Me encantan el estilo vintage es precioso, y la ratoncita esta llena de encanto.
    Un abrazo.
    Yolanda

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  11. Such a cute mouse! And it do fit perfect to the chair =)
    Hannah

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  12. Your mouse is perfect with the furniture. I love the armchair. Have a cosy weekend in your house!
    Geneviève

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  13. Привет Кэролайн!
    Мышка очаровательна! У вас получилась настоящая потертая, старая мебель! Вау!!!! Мне очень нравится!!!
    Погода во всем мире очень странная! Я уже хочу, что бы пришла весна!!:):):)
    Объятья
    Татьяна

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  14. Mrs. Gruyere is a very adorable lady. And so is her home. ♥ Hugs, piikko

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  15. The mouse is beautiful so cute. I love your furniture. The chair is amazing. Thanks for sharing so much of your fantastic work.
    Hugs Maria

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  16. I love your new design, both the chair and the cabinet is wonderful. You have a special ability to reach out to the very romantic, girly and the crude thing. I love your style, Caroline, and the inspiration I get from visiting your blog.

    Denmark has just been through storm-hurricane No. 2 within 6 weeks. It could be great for all of us, if our politicians around the world took a little responsibility for our climate policy.
    Sorry Caroline, I let myself get carried away with the circumstances.
    Hugs
    Wyrna

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  17. me encanta ese estilo andrajoso y vintage,tanto el sillón como los muebles te han quedado perfectos!!! Y a Mrs. Gruyere se la ve encantada!!!!
    Besos.

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  18. Hi Caroline, first I like to thank you for your sweet comment on my Blog :)
    Mrs. Gruyere is so cute and the whole house looks wonderful, I love vintage.
    Take good care with the ice, it can be very dangerous.

    Hugs Mieke xxx

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  19. !! Como me gustan esos andrajos!!. Me he enamorado del sillón y el armario. La Sra. gruyere es muy linda.
    Un abrazo.

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  20. Very happy to meet Mrs Gruyere!! The furniture is soooo cute. You are the mini vintage queen :) Love, Ebru

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  21. oh my goodness you are the queen of shabby chic, everything looks so real, it's like you took it right out of a magazine!

    Hugs
    Marisa

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  22. charming mouse and furniture..you are a busy bee! I hope you get through all that ice in Texas. We are used to it here in NH but I feel badly for you southern folks who are not! Stay warm and safe. xxoo

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  23. All the layers of paint paid off on your cabinet! Love how weathered it looks. :)

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  24. It's cleverly done my compliment hugs Danielle

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