Fairy Dollhouse #2 Interior

The weather has been gloomy, but here
 in southern Missouri we have not had the 
devastating storms and flooding those 
south of us are experiencing.  I hope you
 are all keeping safe and dry.
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've begun work on the second fairy
 dollhouse.  Just like the first one, I want
to use up some of the things I've gathered
over the years, plus make it durable for play.

I hid the rest of the lady bugs
 inside and outside,  25 in all.

  I chose several gnomes or dwarfs from 
these German scraps and glued them
to the walls, some will be hidden 
behind furniture. 

They are so colorful and amusing.

I also have a few very old large German 
dollhouse wallpaper panels depicting scenes
 from fairy tales, about 9 by 6 inches in size.

I'm saving them for a future dollhouse, 
but I couldn't resist using Snow White
 and the Seven Dwarfs for this one.
I tucked it way up high on the inside 
roof panel.

On the other roof panel, I put the 
Man In The Moon, gettin' a shine.
 
A fun surprise when you peek
 through the upper windows!

 I finished the interior with 2 coats of satin
 varnish.  Make do decoupage is very plain and 
simple, but kid proof.  Hopefully, the furniture 
& accessories will brighten it up.

 This Swedish furniture has a beautiful 
embossed design.  It's just the right size for this
 larger house.  European dollhouse furniture of the 
1900's was often made in 1/10 scale.  The standard
 today is 1/12 scale.  (1 inch to 1 foot). 

Originally, it was well made heavy furniture,
but it was in need of some repair & a
proper sanding.

 
The wardrobe was missing a handle,

the chairs needed re gluing & the bed
 didn't have a bottom.
(Thank you again hubs!)

Only 1 bed with this set, so the
fairies will have to share. 
 
I also have a few odds and end pieces
 that will work for this house that need 
painting too.  I've purchased 3 sample jars 
of Behr satin enamel interior trim paint
with primer in Melted Butter, Topiary Tint 
& Sea Rover.  
Don't ya' just love paint names?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stay safe and dry!

Memorial Day 2015

1907 Raphael Tuck Memorial Day Postcard

Fairy Makin'

 Fairy makin' takes lots of time & patience.
  I basically followed the directions in the book 
"Felt Wee Folk" by Sally Mavor, with just a few 
changes.  My fairies are an inch taller at 5 inches.  
I used 3 pipe cleaners & made their bodies & 
arms a little longer.  

 As most of you know, I have little talent for
 painting, but I've never let that stop me from 
trying.  At least they look happy & they can 
certainly see well in the moonlight with those
 big eyes!

I made do with embroidery thread for the hair
 instead of the suggested wool fleece.  I glued a 
small row of bangs from short pieces of embroidery 
thread onto the painted head.  I stitched long pieces
 of thread together with a back stitch, then glued 

that on top of the bangs & head.

 I trimmed the ends evenly, then braided.  (I had 

difficulty braiding tight braids, fairies are squirmy 
& my fingers are stiff.)  I used embroidery thread
 for the ties and bows.

Those teeny seed beads were like jumping beans,
I had more on the floor than on the fairies!  The 
directions called for small lily petals as wings, but 
I saw these butterflies in the floral department & 
thought they would make sparkly wings.
 I bought 2 sets of each color.

I carefully took them apart & removed 
the wire inserts, then glued 2 sets together
 to get one set of wings.

They were just the right size.  The wings 
below were stitched directly onto 
their tunics.

These wings were inserted thru small 
slits in their tunics, then stitched & glued
 to a small piece of wool felt.  This technique
looks much neater & the wings lay flatter.
 
 I traveled to northern Missouri to attend
 our annual girlfriend's get together this past
 weekend; hosted by Cinders.  I took the latest 
fairies for our little gift exchange.

  I had these large German paper mache eggs
with colorful farm scenes.  They made the
 perfect home for the wee country fairies.

 Be sure and stop by Bittersweet Needle & Thread
to see Cinders post on our fun weekend.  We took a day
trip to St. Joseph, Mo. for lunch and the museums.
Nothin' better than a weekend with your best pals!
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This project was lots of fun, but a challenge for
 my old hands and eyes!  My fairy makin' days are 
over for now.............. I'm catchin' some city 
fairies for the second dollhouse!

Finished Fairy Dollhouse

I've put the finishing touches 
on the fairy dollhouse. 

 I captured a second fairy; an easy scoop
into my net when she ventured too close to
 the wisteria, that vines along the back porch 
rails.  No doubt she was drawn to the scent 
of the blooms that hang below.

 

The wee girls recognized one another immediately.
They look so much alike, they could be sisters.

The little cabin has been a buzz with their
 high pitched chatter as they've spent the day 
exploring their new home.  

The roof quilt will be a comfy spot for 
some star gazin' and listenin' to the rhythmic 
songs of the crickets, or moon bathin' after a 
late night dip in the crik'.

The windows provided a full hour 
of sheer amusement.

A tight squeeze!

I saw lots of jumping on the beds.  I think there
 was a squabble over who would get the softest 
mattress, until they realized they were the same.
(Now, I'm sure they're sisters!) 

 I was relieved to see them pet the ladybugs & feed 
them watercress from their lunchtime sandwiches.

What's that ole' bed time sayin'?
"Sleep tight & don't let the bed bugs bite!"
 
After a peek in every nook, cranny, cabinet &
cupboard, it was time fora  cup of sassafras tea.  
They were so busy chatting away, they let the
 kettle boil dry.....twice!

They took flight down the bluff toward the Swan Creek.
When they returned, they placed a hag stone by
the front door.  A sure sign they intend to stay.
Hag Stones-An Ozark Superstition

Porch sittin' is a popular pastime in the Ozarks, especially 
if it's rainin'.  The perfect setting for a game of checkers
or just relaxin' and countin' up your many blessins'.

The hubs and I do lots of late evenin' porch sittin'. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The fairies and their home will soon be packed up
for a short move to live with Miss Alyssa, my
step sister Melinda's, grand daughter.  I want to thank
my other step sister, Kathleen, for donating the barn 
wood for the project, from an old barn on their family 
property.  Alyssa's mother is a school teacher &
her father works for the Missouri Conservation Dept.
They have a love of nature, so the fairies will no 
doubt feel welcome in their home.

Ozark fairies are delicate things, just in case they 

aren't sturdy enough for play,  I captured a couple
city fairies running loose in the isles of the Dollar Store.
Fingers crossed they can adjust to a rustic country life!

 

 Blogger friends are very special! 

Thank you ladies for sticking with me through another

lengthy project.  I am always encouraged by your

faithful support and your kind gracious comments. 

I wish you all could come and play with me!!

Time to work on the second fairy 

dollhouse............

Little Mother-Raphael Tuck Postcards 1910

 In honor of Mother's Day, I thought you'd enjoy 

these adorable 1910 Raphael Tuck postcards

originally published in Great Britain.

 
Wishing you a very happy
 Mother's Day!