Founder's Lane Cottage Custom Dollhouse - part 2

A little more work on Founder's Lane Cottage dollhouse.

The outside window trims are done. They are Popsicle sticks.

 The lights are done and wired in and so is the fireplace. 

 Outside is covered with birch clapboard siding placed vertically. Also the stone steps and foundation is done with ready mix concrete.

Thanks so much for the visit!
hugs,

Founder's Lane Cottage Custom Dollhouse

I've started a new project: Founder's Lane Cottage.

 Downstairs has the plaster walls are done. And the Popsicle floor is in place.

 This will be a tiny kitchen area I think.

 I'm using hardboard for the house's walls and floor.

 

 Now the floors are white washed and the wallpaper is glued in place.  I used birch strips of wood for the ceiling and added beams made of Popsicle sticks.

 Windows are trimmed in Popsicle sticks. 

 This ridged paper is from the scrapbook section of the craft store. 

It's a good start! I'm happy with the way things are looking!

Cloverfield House - A Commissioned Project Custom Dollhouse

I made Cloverfield House for Sherry.   She needed a house with a bigger addition. 

This house is 22" across x 18" deep x 21" tall.

 The color is a soft peachy pink.

The exterior is mainly smooth plaster. The stones are concrete.

The downstairs main room is 12 3/4" across x 8 3/4" tall.  It is 16" deep with the entry(which is 3"deep) and 13" where the front window is. 

The addition is 11" deep x 7 7/8" across x 9"tall  at the tallest point and 8" at the lowest.

Upstairs is 8 7/8" tall x 12 3/4" across x 13" deep.

Next, I'm doing a furnished house that will be available in my shop. I have not decided on the style yet. Stay tuned!
hugs,

Tips For A Shabby Chic Dollhouse Look

How do I get that vintage, shabby chic, tattered look for my dollhouses? This is a question I'm asked over and over. So here's a little post about my favorite things that help me accomplish the look.

First, you may already have furniture pieces with beautiful lines that just need a little touch of revamp!  You can either strip them with a furniture stripper you buy at the hardware store. Don't get the spray. There isn't enough in there and you don't have control of where it goes. Best to put the stripper on with a brush. I use Klean Strip, but any works. It's a paste and it works in about 10 to 15 minutes. You don't want to let it dry on the piece or it won't come off. You have to do it 2 or 3 time if you want it absolutely clean. But one time strip and cleaning with a wire brush or steel wool pad gives you a great shabby look. Then you can brush on some white, grey or robin egg blue in spots to look like left over paint.

Or you can use an easier method with a paint with the primer already in it. It coats everything and sticks to everything. One coat looks great, but two coats are needed if you want a pristine finish. I use Behr  Paint + Primer.  This is my favorite right now.  No need to waste time stripping or doing 50,000 coats of paint.  It's worth the money. Trust me!

Wainscoting is another big area of interest for everyone.  You can use a ridged paper sold in the textured paper section of the scrapbook area in your hobby/craft store. It comes in unfinished brown or white. If you want bigger ridges get a cardboard box and rip off one side of the paper to reveal the ridges.  You can even leave some of the paper to give you a more tattered look.  This method is sometimes tedious if the box manufacturer used a lot of glue.

What sorts of paints do I use?  Always acrylic. Easy clean up and no difference in your end product as far as dollhouses go.

Probably the most important tip I can give to achieve a perfectly shabby look is to use ink pads. 

These are my favorites because the colors stay the same even if you add water.  I use them on everything! You will be surprised at how much character this simple technique will give your project.

Thank you so much for coming by! 
hugs,