Merry Christmas-2017

Merry Christmas!
My friend Sigi has written an article on her website
Tortula about the Christmas Cabinet that the hubs made for
the Dora Kuhn 1/10th scale furniture. Take a peek.
Tortula-Dora Kuhn Christmas Dollhouse
and for fun, visit the Christmas Advent Calendar
to see the latest surprises in the dollhouse.
Tortula Christmas Cabinet Advent Calendar

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Thank you Sigi!

Sad Again.....

Sadly, my brother David has passed away.  If you
are lucky enough to have a big brother you will 
understand the special relationship we shared.  He
was my first best friend and we were together till the
end.  He will be missed, but I have a lifetime of
good memories to hold close to my heart.
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Hitty Furniture and Room Box Progress

The hubs has been busy in the shop working
on a room box and furniture for Hitty.

 The removable roof and trim pieces are 
walnut, the floor is teak.

The furniture needs a light sanding
and another coat of varnish.  The hub's 
made a small shelf and is working on a sea
chest, it's painted bright blue as described 
in the book.

 The furniture is made from Missouri 

walnut, the hubs favorite wood.  
I didn't paint the bench blue, I wouldn't
dare cover up the hubs walnut!

 There is plenty of room

for all the pieces.

The room will have walnut baseboard trim

 and chair rail.  The top section of the wall 
will have wallpaper, the lower section and 
outside walls will be painted.

Hitty finally has something to wear, a 
simple chemise, petticoat and bloomers.

If you are familiar with the story of Hitty
you may recall she lived for several years 
with Mr. Farley, a portrait artist.  Whenever

he painted portraits of little girls, Hitty would

be pressed into service and used to still their 

hands.  Thus, she had a long career as an artist's

model.  Mr. Farley had a dress made to replace

her tattered one.  In the book Hitty describes it

 as plain with a brown china button on the back. 

Since "my" Mr. Farley has rescued
Hitty from her box and is making her a new 
home with lovely furniture, I thought it fitting 
she have a dress similar to the one the artist
Mr. Farley provided.  I just happened to have
one brown china button in my button box. 

 Hitty does not seem impressed with the
hand stitched dress I labored on for several 
days with my stiff old finger.  However, she is
"over the moon" with her room and furniture.  I
do believe Miss Hitty has a slight crush on my Mr. 
Farley, she gives him her undivided attention
and the sweetest little smiles of gratitude.

Playing dolls with the hubs is so much fun!

Hitty Doll Furniture & Shaker Boxes Galore

The hubs has finished the Shaker boxes....oh my, 28 in all!

He had a few pieces of Cherry wood, the older the wood

the darker.  I was very pleased  to see the dollhouse 

sized boxes!  A few small ones still need their handles,

these will become small sewing boxes for dollies!

He made them in 6 different sizes.  Looks
like Shaker boxes will given as Christmas 
gifts this year.

The hubs was in need of another project,
 so he asked me to get out my Hitty book 
and little Hitty doll.  This I did as quick as
as a wink, in case he changed his mind!

This Hitty is a wooden Robert Raikes version
sold as a kit, with a pattern and fabric
to make your own dress.

Yes, she's still naked.  It's the old story of the
shoemakers children having no shoes.  
I better get busy.

In a few days I was called to the shop to see
his version of Hitty furniture from the book 
illustrations.  Little scrap wood prototypes
 sitting on the full scale drawings.
Poor little naked Hitty seemed unscathed by
the ordeal.  I think she is so grateful to be out of 
the box she's spent the last 15 years cooped up in,
she's willing to endure some embarrassment.  Her 
little mind must be whirling with thoughts of
clothing, furniture and a new home in her future. 

The little bench I will paint blue like the

original in the Stockbridge Library Museum.

The hubs said he has some Appalachian Mountain 

ash, just like the original Hitty was carved from.

Can't wait to see the pieces finished in beautiful wood. 

As always, I am amazed at the hubs, lucky he

loves his wood shop and grateful he doesn't mind

playing with dolls, on occasion.

As for me, I busied myself with re reading the

book when the hubs wasn't studying it!

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Are you ready for Halloween??

Hall's Lifetime Furniture Dollhouse Finished-Nautical Room

Summer is about over and we've been busy
here at the cabin.  The hubs has enjoyed working
in his wood shop.  He finished his third sea
chest, this one is for our son. 

 The current project is learning to make shaker boxes.
His wood bench is full of cherry wood shaker box parts,
 his homemade pan for boiling water and molds.

The molds and pieces keep 
get smaller and smaller.

I'm looking forward to seeing
the finished boxes.

Ava's miniature room is almost finished.

 The nautical bedroom is on it's way to being completed too.    

My friend Sigi in Germany was working on 

a nautical beach house shadowbox at the same time

I was working on this room.  We sent one another 

little nautical exchange packages in the mail.

Lots of surprises and a joy to share with a friend

on the other side of the world!

These Galleon ships were 1950's pins that Sigi
sent from Germany.  I repainted and mounted
them on walnut plaques the hubs made.

Sigi and her husband Gerhard took a trip to the

Baltic seacoast in northern Germany and found 
the miniature ship in a bottle.  Sigi walked the beach 
with a bucket and sand shovel and collected the tiny
beautiful seashells and beach sand.

  I am so lucky to have a husband that supports

my dollhouse projects and loves a wood working 

project, no matter how small.  But, when it comes to 

decorating, tiny curtains, dishes and minis, he leaves

 that part to me.  However, his interest in the nautical

room was at an all time high.  

Without a doubt, this is the hubs favorite

miniature!  A little treasure.

The Passat is a four-masted barque of the

Flying-P-Liners, the famous sailing cargo ships of

the F. Laeisz German shipping company and one of
the last surviving windjammers  The Passat was launched
in 1911.  Passat means trade wind in German.  The Passat is
now a youth hostel, museum ship and landmark
moored at Travemunde, Germany on the Baltic Sea.

© Gordy
I decorated little straw beach hats with rick rack 
and made some tiny beach towels out of terry cloth
for the nautical beach bags.

I added some nautical trim to the

decorative pillows and made a small

quilt for the bed from fabric and trim
Sigi sent.

I finished the Mariner and the Moon Teresa Layman 

miniature knot work rug.  Half way through the 

project the color chart disappeared and I was in a panic!

  She was kind enough to send me a new chart in the mail
when I e-mailed her....that's customer service.  
Thank you Teresa!!

Teresa Layman Designs

I hubs made a tiny wooden candle
for the brass candle holder.

 Sigi made the fishnet and I decorated

it with bits of wine bottle cork, coral, shells 
and charms.  I hung it on a stained piece of
 wooden dowel.

Steve made tiny wooden stands
for the bottles of shells and sand.

A beach gnome lives in the sea chest,

a little surprise for Ava to "find" when she
plays in the Double Decker.

 I still have a couple miniature knot work kits 
for the room, but those will be winter projects.

Sigi sent a personalized 65th birthday card
with a photo of her beach house shadow box

that included her tiny handmade sailors knots.

These will look perfect mounted on a plaque.

Her beach house shadow box is beautiful and 

I love the Dora Kuhn pieces she's included.

 

 I'm ready to shrink very small

and enjoy a beach vacation!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cappy has made a full recovery from her back
injury, but her days of jumping up and down are
over.  Her bed is no longer in her favorite chair and
the stairs are off limits.  She is not too happy with
the new house rules, but it's for her own good. 

I hope your summer has been as 
nice as ours!
Thanks Sigi for sharing in this fun project!