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While purchasing a strip of clear wallpaper corner guard (a great idea from Fran of Fran Made Minis for my Rad Pad stairs), I again found some treasures at my local hardware store, this time at Home Depot: adhesive Con-Tact paper! I bought one oak wood roll and one blond wood roll. After imagining the many possibilities in my doll houses, I put aside all those bad middle school memories of covering my text books in this stuff!! I'd always end up with too many air bubbles!!

The paper is easily removable and has a realistic look for wood flooring. I did a test run with the dark roll in the Villa Sibi. What do you think? Any other Con-Tact paper users out there? I'm hooked!

This "rug" is actually from a roll of non-adhesive shelf liner. Lots of possibilities!

Credits: Couch is Hall's Lifetime Toys; chair is by Logan of OneFortyThree; boomerang coffee table and MCM shelving unit is PRD; rug is by Fran Made Minis; planter is Manor House Miniatures; magazines and Eames pillow are hand made by The Shopping Sherpa; light fixture, dining table, side table, and chairs are eBay finds; bench is brinca dada; marble heads are my husband's; standing lamp was my mother's; wallpaper is scrapbook paper from JoAnn. Accessories are AG Minis, toy store finds, beads, ELF Miniatures, and Mighty World.

The time it took me: 22 minutes

Finding Time

Ah, the struggle of finding time...

Time has indeed flown by since I started this blog nearly three years ago, on January 24, 2009. As I have said before, I never would have guessed that this endeavor would result in the many happy posts, connections, findings, and surprises that it has. I am very grateful, and I carry that enthusiasm into 2012.

My goal is to post at least once a week, and I will try my best to do that, but life does have a way of pulling you into many directions! When I post, I want to be inspired to write and photograph, and not to force it. So, if there is a gap in postings, it likely means that things are taking shape. I appreciate your patience and willingness to "go with the flow."

As always, I am interested to hear from my readers with comments, news, and information. Thanks for following!

I wanted to share a quick scene in the Lundby Stockholm. I've always wrestled a bit with the unused electrical outlets on the walls. I've covered them up various ways in the past (origami paper strips for one), but oddly not with scrapbook paper as I do quite often in my other houses. I really do enjoy this room, especially the long window. This time, I decided to place a tree stencil over it for a decorative frosted effect. (Speaking of frosted, did you see what Megan did with her door in her Fashion House??? It's amazing).

Credits: Couch is Bozart; pixel chair is minimodernistas; shelving unit is an eBay find; table is a vintage door handle; plant is Re-ment; vase, cork pedestal, and mirror are from Michaels; tree stencil from the Paper Source; wallpaper from JoAnn. Accessories are AG Minis, dollhouse and craft store finds, and Re-ment.

The time it took me: 25 minutes

New Beginnings

I thought if I started 2012 with a post on updates on two of my doll houses in "rehab," I might set myself up for a year of progress on projects that have long been dormant. In order to make progress, though, there was some intensive cleaning and organizing in order. As with many organizing moments in our house, it's all a domino effect. In order for me to bring two of my "rehab" houses in from our garage, where they have been patiently gathering dust on a work table, I had to clean out other nooks and crannies in our basement to make room for them near my work table.

I recently cleared off the table for my brand spanking new Janome sewing machine, which honestly scares me to death. I received it for Christmas from my husband, who is (very sweet and) guilty of feeding my hobby. He started my hobby when he bought me the Villa Sibi back in 2008! I vow to learn how to use the machine so that I can start sewing up some curtains, pillows, rugs, who knows. Wish me luck!

The two houses in question are my Betsy McCall House and the Artply by Highland. Both are huge and I needed to figure out where to put them. I bought two saw horses and had a piece of heavy duty plywood custom-cut at Lowes for a table top. I had a huge remnant of Marimekko fabric, bought for $8.00 at my beloved Crate & Barrel outlet last year, and it worked perfectly as a covering. Here's the result:

The houses came in from the chilly garage and the McCall went on the new table with my VERO and the Artply now lives in the back work room with the Citadel. I was able to finish painting the exterior of the McCall; here's a picture that shows the original light blue paint, a test paint that was too violet, and then a custom paint I had mixed from one of the stones on the exterior. Believe it or not, this painting started in the summer!

As you can see, the resulting color is a neat grey/green:

My next step is to tackle the roof...I am thinking of some asphalt shingles. Any ideas on color and shape and best place to buy?

With the Artply, I decided to clean out one of the top floor rooms, which looked like this originally:

Y U C K.

I covered the one wall with the very last pieces of some vintage paper from the UK, which I used in a room in my Citadel, and then used a textured white paper for the other two walls. The wood flooring was a keeper. I set up a quick scene -- what do you think of this house? I love the height of the room! I also LOVE that this house cost me $20!!!

Accent wall done!

Almost there...

Done!

Now that the houses are safe and snug inside I don't think I can avoid working on them when I can make the time. Here's to a productive and fun 2012!

By the way, I've got a little giveaway going on now on the Call of the Small Facebook page. Leave a comment on this photo and you can win two Reed chair ornaments from CB2! Enjoy!

Credits in the Artply: Couch and pillow by Annina; rug and lamp are minimodernistas; side tables are vintage German; plant is AG Minis; table is by Paris Renfroe; Eames elephant is Reac. Accessories are Re-ment, handmade by Nancy Tobey, AG Minis, and doll house store finds.

The time it took me: Scene took me 15 minutes, but I lost count on the painting!

One...Two...Three

Life's a process, step by step. It's more apparent to me now, more than ever, that you never stop learning about yourself and others. This past year brought challenges, growth, and changes, and I have no doubt that 2012 will bring similar. My very best to you and yours--thanks for all of your enthusiasm and support!

A few pictures in my Lundby Stockholm to close out the year, with three different approaches to the room. You'll see different chairs, rugs, and the addition of a canine friend!

Credits: Wallpaper is from greendesign in Princeton, NJ; desk units are vintage Brio; center desk and trash can are by AG Minis; cowhide chaise is by PRD; side table is Re-ment; black barrel chair and yellow Eames chair by Reac; gray rug is handmade by The Shopping Sherpa; blue rug is embossed felt from Michaels; deck plant and desk lamp are vintage TOMY; deck table and chairs are by Mighty World. Accessories are handmade by The Shopping Sherpa, JaZams, Bozart, Manor House Miniatures, AG Minis, and Michaels.

The time it took me: 35 minutes

Decked

The Villa Sibi is decked out for the holidays, a move prompted by our local newspaper, West Windsor & Plainsboro News. The Editor asked me to decorate one of my houses and also participate in an interview about my hobby. The article just came out, so I now can share some pictures of my own of the house. I referred to my preparation in this post and decided not to add snow. I did, however, add some lights, a tree, and a fireplace (at first for the Villa Sibi!), along with some foresty greens and browns and silver and gold accents. And some red, of course.

Enjoy and happy holidays!

Credits: Main house and patio: Couch is minimodernistas; pillows are handmade by The Shopping Sherpa; chair and "live edge" bench on patio is by Logan of OneFortyThree; fireplace is from a swap with Oese, revamped by me a few years ago; mini trees are Lemax with bases from Lemon Cadet; boomerang table is by Paris Renfroe; round rug, arc lamp, chrome table and chairs are all eBay finds; hanging lamp is vintage German; Christmas tree is from Manor House Miniatures; angel tree topper is from JaZams, as are the Christmas lights (necklaces by Carolyn Forsman); presents are AG Minis; flooring and wallpaper are from the Paper Source; patio table is vintage Brio; white igloo chairs on roof are ornaments from CB2; reindeer and green rug are by Fran Made Minis; small side table is Re-ment. Accessories are AG Minis, ELF Miniatures, eBay finds, and from J at work. "Funk" Room: Stereo, speakers, and plant are all eBay finds; couch and chair are vintage Lundby; hanging snowflake is by Maryann Roy; red lights are a necklace by Carolyn Forsman; accent wall is paper from Michaels.

The time it took me: 1-1/2 hours over a few different days (a lot of changing and rearranging).