Mia's House

Just finished Mia's house! She's going to be so excited, and I wish her many years of imagination play in this custom house, made just for her. She requested these colors, and I must say they turned out lovely.  I left the house very basic so she can add her own curtains, lights, rugs, pictures, furniture, etc.

This kit was an older Whitney Tennyson, and the wood was rather challenging. Not good quality at all, but overall it's a GREAT house to build. This version of the Tennyson requires a lot of trim, and I'm referring to extra trim not included with the kit. They're pretty generous with trim in the kit too, but again the wood quality was really bad I had to use my own.

I ended up using a set of stairs that I had in my stash instead of building the stairs from the kit. With the wood quality as bad as it was, I didn't feel like slicing my fingers up any more than I had to. I was shocked at the porch balusters however, as that part of the wood was in decent shape so the porch and balcony railings came out good. The doors all open and close, and they're reinforced with a strip of ribbon holding them in place. When I glued the roof peaks together I also ran a strip of electrical tape across the tops for some extra reinforcement. I added a foundation since the kit doesn't come with one. The stone exterior is actually strips of wallpaper.

I would be very, very interested in getting my hands on another Tennyson kit and doing some major kit bashing and upgrading. When I was dry fitting the house, prior to adding the third floor peaks, I definitely saw an Art Deco modern Miami style house. Would love to explore that further!

Please enjoy this short video, as it includes the building process as well:

Here is the front and back of the finished house:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now I need to figure out which project to start next! I have so many waiting, plus quite a few room boxes. I may do a few room boxes so I can get those hung up on the walls. I've always wanted to do that, and I managed to find just the right ones. For now though, as I do after every build, it's time to clean up and reorganize.

 

Happy Sunday and Thank you for visiting!!

 

~ Mini-Shack

A surprise visit

I've been working from home the past few weeks because I tested positive for Covid-19, so I've been in quarantine. I received a call from a friend I have not seen in a while, and she said she found a dollhouse for me at a thrift shop while she was out shopping. She was nearby so she stopped by and dropped off the house. We spoke safely through the window for a few minutes and then she was on her way. It was so good to see her! It was perfect timing too, I was feeling kind of blue about postponing Christmas and being in quarantine. There's no better feeling though than getting a new dollhouse! 

So next in line to be built....the Tennyson! The version I received is the Tennyson by Whitney. Several dollhouse manufacturers have produced a Tennyson model over the years, with some slight variations. The main difference being a roof off the second story that covers the balcony, which is found in later Greenleaf Tennyson models. This version doesn't have the roof, and I'm fine with that. The basic design and footprint of the house is similar to my Princess Anne (which is still in the box), so I've been looking at it several ways to see how I can bash it into something different. Maybe add a wing, not sure so stay tuned on that!

Meanwhile, I've been contemplating which project to actually start next. I have so many ideas for each house, my mind keeps bouncing from project to project. I've been drawing and making notes in my dollhouse notebook quite a bit lately, and scanning eBay and some of my favorite dollhouse supply sites for accessories and building supplies. I'm excited about each one! I will probably wait to start until after the holidays are over, and I'm back to my normal routine. By then I will have settled on which project to start next.

Thank you for visiting and Happy Holidays!!

~ Mini-Shack