Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Hall's Lifetime Toys Dollhouse Finished (Almost)

The Double-Decker was decorated just
in time for a visit from our niece Emily and 
the little ones, Ava and Emmett.  Ava gave
us a seal of approval on the new dollhouse.
 
They love to come to Uncle Steve and 
Gamma Sherri's house.  We have lots of 
toy cars and dollhouses to play with.
  
Emmett was highly entertained searching for the 
hidden ladybugs in the hillbilly fairy house with
the flashlight.  They found all 23.

The 3 pieces of the double-decker 
 stack securely one on top of the other.  
The exterior colors the hubs chose are
just right and with furniture in the rooms
the interior doesn't look so bright.  Shutters 
and flower boxes make it a sweet country home.
Most of the furniture was made by Hall's 
Lifetime Toys in Chattanooga Tennessee.  Items
not made by Hall's Lifetime are the pie safe, 
 ladder back chairs, stove, sink & pastry table.
The miniature decoupaged vintage signs 
added lots of color to the kitchen walls and
they cost virtually nothing to make.  Scraps 
of wood, card stock paper, printer ink and
 decoupage finish from my craft box.
 I painted the walls Pale Honey & the trim and 
drapery cornices are Beehive.  Don't you just 
love the names of paint?
 Red and cream homespun curtains in a country 
check and lots of fresh vegetables from the garden.
I bet that phone has a party line.  Anyone
remember those?
 
Crescent Biscuit Company advertisement.
This little plate is a French Feve.
Feves (French for bean) are tiny figurines made to be
 put inside a "Kings Cake" for the "Epiphany" holiday,
celebrated on Jan. 6th, the 12th day of Christmas.  This
is the day the three wise men (three Kings) came to 
Bethlehem to honor the birth of Christ.  Traditionally 
a bean was placed inside the cake, but in the late 
1800's porcelain figures replaced the bean.  Whoever 
finds the feve in their slice of cake is king for the day.
Feves are considered good luck and are collected.
The hubs made the little plate stand.
 These porcelain roosters are also French Feves.
The little wooden box has Zwiebel
written on it.  That's German for onions.
 
 I stained the unfinished legs of the sink and
pastry table to give them a bit of age. 
More French feves.  Feves are just
the right size for a dollhouse.  They are
made to bake in a cake and are very sturdy.
Today, they are made in hundreds of designs. 
 The kitchen rug is a miniature knot work
kit by Teresa Layman Designs called The
Pecking Order.  Visit her website to see
all of her beautiful designs:
http://teresalayman.weebly.com/ 
 Ava's favorite thing in this dollhouse
is the kitty, she named her Princess.
Princess has a best friend, his 
name is Mr. Mouse.  A dollhouse
is a happy place.
I had not planned 0n a bedroom, so
it's rather spartan.  As time goes by, I will 
add some pictures and minis.


I have a couple miniature knot work kits in nautical 
designs by Teresa Layman Designs, that will make sweet
 little rugs.  This will always remind me of the fun 
we've had working on the dollhouse and the ship 
model in our shared loft space.

Gentle Sea for the walls and Peaceful
Blue for the trim and drapery cornices.
The sea captain's chest was made by
the Shackman company and the curtains
are made from some lace scraps.

This swan planter is a gift from a friend.
Just perfect for a dollhouse on the Swan Creek.
I made a blue and white ticking mattress 
and pillow for the bed.
Cotton sheets and pillow case.
The bed coverlet and decorative pillow are
made from a small piece of old Matelasse.
This little glass vase was in my
 mother's miniature shadow box.
There is a partial ceiling in the bedroom.
The underneath is painted white.
It makes a small attic space.
I hunted around for some "attic" 
things.  I'll add some little boxes of
holiday decorations later.  I think
it needs some dust and cobwebs too! 
The hubs rafters make it look
just like a real attic.  I left them
their natural color.  Nice work hubs.
The hubs built the entire dollhouse from scraps
he had in his wood shop, including the beautiful
teak wood for the floors.  We purchased 7 paint 
samples from Home Depot and 1/2 price flowers 
from Michael's craft store.  Total cost of the 
Double-Decker dollhouse, around $35.00.  
Can't beat that!
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was an exceptionally enjoyable project
 because the hubs and I worked on it together.
Thank you ladies for all your comments.
I've read them all to the hubs, and he
thanks you too!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
Be sure to stop by Teresa Layman Designs
http://teresalayman.weebly.com/ 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emmett and Ava's Easter photos.
Ava's five & Emmett is 2 1/2.
We are very proud of them!

16 comments:

  1. Sherri, I was just thinking about your dollhouse today! Oh my! I'm just in awe of the creativeness of you and your hubby. Words fail me. I WANT one too! :)
    As for the telephone ~ we have one hanging in our living room.

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    1. Charlotte, Oh, I wish you could come and play in the dollhouses with me! Watching Ava enjoy this dollhouse was a real treat. She's only 5 but played so gently with all the items in the house. To me, a dollhouse should be enjoyed and not be something to look at. My mom had one of those phones (decorative) in our kitchen!

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  2. Of course, the doll houses are wonderful inside and out. We knew they would be! I will be back to admire each room from top to bottom, for there's much to see. Sherri, your photography work is just fabulous. I especially love the children's photos! Beautiful children and beautiful photos!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it. Funny, I thought about you when I was taking the photos of that icky yellow. I must have taken 100 to get the few I used! Your photos are always so beautiful. Best thing about the dollhouses is getting to play with Ave. That's what a dollhouse is all about!

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  3. Ava and Emmett are precious. I can see they had a great time with the doll houses. You and your husband did an amazing job building and furnishing the doll house. Lots of treasures in there and good memories of working together and having fun.

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    1. Thank you Martha, Getting to play in the dollhouses with Ave was so much fun. That's the point of having them. They shouldn't just be to look out. I am amazed at how gently Ava plays with them!

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  4. I hope you don't mind, but I want to share your post with some people on FaceBook that love primitive decorating. They would so love this house that you two have made and filled with so much fine detail. (The kiddos are pretty spectacular, too. :~)

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    Replies
    1. Sure, go ahead Jan. My hubs calls my decorating style Early To Late Period American Eclectic Clutter! He's right too!

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  5. I won't share it on FB until I get an okay from you, though!

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  6. I what to come and play too!!! Love the doll house I could play for hours❤.

    Carolyn

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it Carolyn. Oh, we would have so much fun playing together!

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  7. Sherri, my laptop is out for repairs so I am forced to learn my iPad. It is harder. But I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your post with your family photos and doll house. The children are adorable and how nice to see them play with and enjoying you and your husbands creations. Everything turned out so nice. Love the decorating you did. Will enjoy what you still have in the works for more decor soon to come.

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  8. Sandra, Good to hear from you. I hope you are doing well and enjoying a lovely spring and the new home! Glad you enjoyed the posts on the Double-Decker. Yes, to have Ava here and play in the dollhouses (with me) was such a joy. That's what a dollhouse is for, a child's toy to be enjoyed. Take care.

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  9. Sherri, Your doll house creations are such a delight! You really put your heart and soul into each room, with many loving touches. It's a joy to see all the little miniatures.

    Your niece and nephew are adorable and they look like they enjoyed visiting the two of you.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Bethann, I am glad you enjoyed the post. I look forward to seeing more of your lovely creations!

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