Dolly Beds on Ebay!

More consolidating!  I've made hard choices and chosen to sell some doll beds (don't worry, I've still got plenty more here!).  These are ones that just never have had a good place in my studio or in Avery's room, so it's time to pass them onto a new home!  Maybe yours????

Click on the photos for the Ebay listings!

Happy Birthday, Seven-Year-Old!

Happy Birthday, sweet Riley!  Seven years old- I can't believe it's been that many years since you came into our lives!

No more little kid now...

 ...instead you're slowly becoming a young man!

But you still have that dimple that will make the girls all chase after you in a few years!

And what about those green eyes and long lashes?  Gorgeous!

Happy Birthday, Riley.   Thanks for being the one that made me a Mom!!

Her First Fish (& Second)

 My parents live in North Carolina, but they recently bought a second home here in Florida near us.  They come stay every couple months or so.  Their new house is on a little lake/marsh, and the kids' favorite thing to do is fish off their deck.

 I took Avery over to visit this week while the boys were in school, and she of course wanted to fish.  This is really her first time doing it without the boys around, so she got Grandpa's full attention, and most importantly, her own fishing rod to hold (usually she's more of an observer).

 Pretty soon, she looked over the ledge, and what did she see?

 A fish on her line!!!

 Her very first fish!

 Grandpa getting it off the hook...

 ...and she got to hold it herself.

 Time to throw it back!

So the title of the post also says "Second".  When the second fish got pulled out of the water, it flipped a little and brushed her cheek.

She freaked out a bit... no more touching the fish for her!

At least Grandma was there to comfort her!

And here's a smile again!

Avery's little outfit came from the thrift store- such a sweet little set!  Linking up here and here this 

week.

Umm, Yeah, Another One....

So, I was sitting in carpool line a couple weeks ago (and we all know how fun that can be), when I got a call from my mother.  "I know I shouldn't even be calling you about this, but I'm at a flea market with your aunt, and there's this dollhouse...", she said.  Dollhouse?  Dollhouse?  My ears perked up.  She described it, and I was positive I recognized it as a Keystone house, but I asked her to send a photo just in case...

 I got the photo and immediately called her back, "Yes!  Yes!  Buy it!  Buy it!!  How much is it?"  

"Well, she had it marked at $49, but she said we could have it for $35...,"she says.  

"BUY IT!!!"  I shouted!  Well, maybe not shouted- I was in carpool line after all.  But I do admit that for the next 10 minutes, I couldn't help but let out random squeals of excitement every so often!  What's funny is that I had bid on this exact same model on Ebay a few weeks ago, and it went for MUCH MORE than $35, I'll tell you!

So, as I said, this was a couple weeks ago, and my mom wasn't coming back into town until a couple days ago, so I've been waiting and waiting to see it in person!  Finally, on Wednesday, she brought it to me.  It was quite grimy, so I did a lot of scrubbing and cleaning, but now it looks beautiful!  

The garage actually opens up half-way!  I should have taken a picture...

 Here's the inside- staircase and fireplace are both intact- the only thing missing is the front door.

 There are light sockets and battery brackets for lights in each room, so I will have to have my husband investigate whether they are functioning or not.

 One thing I love is how each stair is worn just as real stairs would be- some little girl must have spent a lot of time making her dolls go up and down the stairs!

 Here is is on its shelf.  It fits without an 1/8" to spare!!!  Just perfect!!

And another shot of my ever-expanding collection.  I need to fix the shelving for those two houses towards the bottom- they're a little jerry-rigged in there!

So, umm, yeah, I got another one.  I just can't help myself!!!

Look What's on Ebay!

Hi, just a quick post to show you a couple things I put up on Ebay!  Click the photos for the links....

I'll be back soon to show you something I'm super-excited about!

Small Style

 I had some cute finds at the thrift store yesterday, including this darling handmade dress!  It is so sweet; I wish I had found it a year ago, when it would have been a better length.  Avery is so tall, a lot of these vintage style dresses are too short on her.  But that's okay- little shorts underneath work just as well!  

 The fabrics used on the dress are so cute!

 Her vintage yellow Goody barrettes were the perfect complement!

 The shorts and sandals were both thrifted as well, but I think they came from Target originally.

 Her favorite part about the dress is the buttons!

She was happy to be done with the photo session, so she could get back to cutting up paper!

Linking up here and here this week!

(Doll) House Tour!

 Well, I have finally finished decorating my first Keystone dollhouse!  While I'm sure it will change somewhat (I'm never satisfied, and am always rearranging!), this is where things stand today.  Above you see the little family that inhabits this house.  I haven't named them as yet, so for now they are Father, Mother, Big Sister, Little Sister, and Baby.

 A closer view of our family.  Big Sister and Little Sister both had different clothes originally.  For various reasons, I needed to revamp their wardrobes, and now I think they look quite cute!

 First we'll look at the living room.  Big Sister is practicing her piano while Father listens and relaxes.  Looking at this photo, I see that I should probably repaint the front door.  I had to manufacture a new one, since the house was missing it, and this gray doesn't look very good...

 This chair and ottoman are some of my favorite pieces!  I love the overstuffed look of them!  And who can argue with a mint green grand piano?

 Father especially likes the majestic ship made of shells on his mantle!

 Now into the dining room.  Little Sister is helping Mother set the table.

 Mother loves her pretty blue plate that is propped above her hutch!

 Mother has moved into the kitchen to prepare some tea.

 Looks like she has some dish-washing to attend to as well!

 In here she displays the mugs that match her blue plate from the dining room!

 Upstairs the girls have gone up to the nursery.  Baby is just waking up from her nap!

 Little Sister would like to show you her very own dollhouse!

 And Big Sister is trying to entertain Baby with some wooden toys.

 Here's a look at their pretty bedding and curtains!

 Little Sister would now like to show you their tiny bathroom.

 Just enough room for a toilet and a sink, and of course an ironing board!

 Finally up to the master bedroom.  Father has laid down for a nap...

 Oops!  We woke him up!

 Mother is very proud of the curtains she made for the room.

 And she also loves her little vanity!

Here is a look at all the rooms together!  As you can tell, I don't try to keep all the furniture by the same company.  It is quite the mix and match of pieces.  But I love it that way!  And you can also probably tell that if I see dollhouse pieces with a cute decal on them, I buy them!  Those are my favorite pieces of all!

I hope you've enjoyed our little tour!  If you'd like to read about the story behind this house, you can do that here.  There will be more tours to follow as I finish some of the other houses I have.  I'm getting very close on my 1906 house and my first Rich house.  But you know what that means- it means I'll be needing some more houses to fill up soon!  I am someone who normally becomes easily obsessed with things, but boy, this dollhouse obsession has taken even me by surprise- it is amazing how addicting it is!!!