turkey feathers

Holidays & Horses

 
My youngest daughter came up with this tiny domed Thanksgiving vignette for the buffet table. I swooned when I saw it and had to show you.  So you could swoon too.  Let's lift the lid and take a closer look shall we?

I am particularly partial to that adorable little "Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte".  This cake was inspired by a real one at a favorite restaurant downtown.  Ginger whipped this one up in the dollhouse bakery kitchen. 

Meanwhile, back in the full-size kitchen, her sister was baking something special for her birthday. Yes, that is a chocolate horse, painstakingly cut-out by hand.  What?  How is this possible, I ask.  It's perfect.

So much like another "chocolate" horse we know.  Ginger is quite the horse wrangler.  These two are a team. 

Like two peas in a pod.  Happy Birthday Gingerbread girl!

Dollhouse Digs

It's time, I think, for a dollhouse update!  I'm speaking of our 'Old House in Paris' dollhouse that was featured on the blog back here in 2006.  Due to the pinboard phenom it's making the rounds again in a BIG way and I've gotten some emails and questions about it, so I thought it would be fun to share a few more photos. 

Not much has changed really, the dolls (Pepito, Madeline, Danielle, the Thornberry sisters (Deb and Eliza), Henry & Melissa, all still inhabit the two upper floors which are conveniently located over the toy store, bakery and mini-mart, where Barbie pops in from time to time for party food. 

Keep in mind, this is an actual dollhouse that gets played with, messed up, and rearranged on a regular basis.  My two little granddaughters added the Barbie's.  Afterall, you need adults to run the place, right? 

And to keep little fingers from poking the pies!

Here's the "toy department" at the back of the shop.  I'll try and get some more pictures of the upper rooms.  When last I looked there was another birthday party going on.  These crazy dolls celebrate daily!  Yep. It's a good life here in the dollhouse cupboard.     

Presenting . . .

There's been some mysterious goings on in the dollhouse neighborhood.  Some whispers and giggles heard going round.  All very hush-hush.  But the time has finally come to let the cat(s) out of the bag.  Time to celebrate the completion of a wonderful project!  And I am thrilled (and a proud mama) to be able to present:: The Dollhouse Date Book by Grace! 

I have had to keep all this under my hat for quite some time.  Keep my excitement contained and my lips sealed.  All the while watching this creative process unfold bit by bit, scene by miniscule scene, with teeny-tiny treats set against backdrops meticulously arranged and photographed, season after season with themes to represent each month.  Now it's here!  A lovely little book full of lovely little things.  And for a limited time, Grace is going to be giving away a *free donut charm* with each book purchase!  You can visit her new blog for more details at: Little Things Amuse Me. 

High & Dry

It's Monday morning and still very dark outside.  My favorite time of the day.  The house is quiet with everyone soundly asleep in their beds.  Just the clock ticking and the faint sound of a gentle rain falling keeping me company.  Today, I am grateful for the familiar.  The weather-related drama of last week seems to have subsided along with the high water.  Thankfully.  But I don't ever recall seeing the Willamette River running so high and so swift, and so brown.  It truly is an awesome sight.  A reminder of how small and vulnerable we humans are compared to the unrelenting forces of nature. 

And well, speaking of small...I have to show you this.  One of the Blythe Littlest Pet Shop dolls.  I bought a few of them to play with, um..  I mean, to use as props in the dollhouses.  Of course silly!  This one is called, Buckles and Bows and it took me about half an hour to undo all the tape and ties just to get her out of the box.  But look how utterly adorable!  The scale is pretty good even with that big iconic head of hers.  Ha!  I just noticed her shoes are missing in the picture.  They kept slipping off so I carefully put them aside (and accidently left them downstairs) for safe-keeping.  I'm going to have to glue them on otherwise they will probably get lost. 

Well, time to go pour myself another cup of coffee and get on with my "work."  Wink Wink. 

 

Winky::Shop Update

Oh my!  It looks like the little dollhouse bakers have been busy.  These are just a few of the tiny confections the girls had added to their shop.  Do we LOVE Pink?  Why, yes.  We do!

Heart shaped cakes are new to the shop!
Sooo cute.  Yum! 

Little Things

There's nothing like flowers to bring life to a room, even if it is just a dollhouse!  I'm having fun designing these little vignettes to showcase some of our miniature items.  The brass lamp and vanity table are not for sale, but the flower vase has just been added to the Winky shop.  We have a few more on hand, but our supply is limited.  I think these are so cute!

     

As for Calico Kitty, there's no need for laments because I have a few left!  What I have here is three sleepy heads and one starry-eyed doll.  These (and Pinky Rose), are all samples I made for my book, and are featured posing together on page 95 along with the pattern to make them.  So I guess you could say, these could be a bit of a keepsake.  I would really love to keep them (all), but I've got to make room for the next litter of little lovelies.  Still, it will not be easy saying goodbye to my lean and lanky friends here.  They are up for adoption here. 

Sweet dreams!

Sweet Things

Something's cooking at the dollhouse bakery!  The shop girls are bustling around stocking the shelves with sweet goodness.  Etsy is making changes and so have we, in terms of our offerings in the shop.  Dollhouse Sweets is now Winky Handmade, to encompass a broader array of items. 

Here's a sample of what I'm talking about.  Oh, yes, the shop girls have been busy!

And...there are more surprises to come!  We hope you'll stop by and let us know how you like it. xo

   

Oregon Farm Stand

 

It's Friday already--and the 17th of December at that!  My-oh-my the days are just flying by.  Does it seem that way for you too?  'Tis the season.  I just looked up from my piles of various ongoing projects and realized I hadn't shown you guys the pictures of the FARM STAND.  If you missed the part about why we made another dollhouse, the back story goes like this . . .in 2009 the girls and I entered a contest hosted by Hobby Builder's Supply--the challenge was to do something with their GAZEBO kit.  Our theme was for a "Garden Party Reception" (see it over here.)   We didn't win, but were surprised to get a great BIG BOX in the mail a few weeks later; the consolation 'thank you' gift from HB, containing THIS dollhouse kit for the 2010 contest.  (This is their 17th annual -- check out the gallery of past winners and entries--all very inspiring.)  Well, we were in no way obligated to participate, but found we could not resist doing so!  However, at that point in time, I was still working on my book, Embroidery Craft:  Stitching Through the Seasons, and had absolutely no time to start anything new, so it just sat in the box until the December 15th deadline started creeping up, and for the past few weeks it's been a mad rush to get it done in time.  (When I tell you that I am bouncing from one activity to another I am so not kidding.)  Anyway, here it is and we think it turned out pretty cute. 

 

Here's a close-up of the "shop".  I knew I wanted scales, but for the life of me could not imagine how to make them.  I asked Grace, and she made both scales by cobbling together bits and bobs from old spice can lids, broken Barbie accessories, jewlery rings, and chain.  She is just SO brilliant that way! 

 
I made the chalk board signs and fashioned a produce stand.  Ginger has tiny delicate little hands and went to work making miniature crates of goods, preserves, fruits, & veggies . . .

 
. . .  free range eggs, impossibly small  fruit pies and wee jars of honey.  Those innocent looking honey jars had us reeling.  Ginger hand-painted the labels and spent quite a bit of time on them so I was trying my best to handle them gently.  But as I attempted to place the three jars in the basket, old fumble fingers here, dropped the whole thing and it went tumbling down under the table.  There's a very colorful wool braided rug under that table and in the fading light I could not find those honey jars, (which are actually glass beads with lids on top).  I crawled around under that table on my hands and knees for ten minutes.  Then Ginger joined me with a lamp and we both crawled around looking--and eventually we found one.  The other two seemingly had vanished into thin air.  We lifted the rug and looked far beyond where they could have possibly traveled, queeried the cat who was watching from the corner of the room.   Hmm . .  It was a mystery...until I stood up and felt something in my slipper.  Sure enough, that's where they were hiding.  What a shock!  I still can't figure out how that even happened.  After our hysterical laughter died down, we got back to work and glued them into place once and for all. 

 
We made the crates and tried to use Oregon packing labels for authenticity.

And pickles! Of course had to have those.

 
Here's the front porch.  I am so happy with my Dutch door!

 
Grace made the perfect paper flowers in the window box.  We gathered moss and lichen from tree branches for the greenery.  Those cedar shingles were left-over from another dollhouse roof (made long ago), and Ginger and I spent days and days and days gluing each one down.  I forget where I found the wheelbarrow.  It seems we've had it a very long time as it was broken, and needed repairs to stand upright.  I couldn't resist adding the 'Happy Bee' crate label.

 

Here's the back side view.   I've got another dollhouse to show you too, along with more thrift shop treasures.  But now it's cookie baking time (still bouncing here), so until next time...have a great weekend! 

Packing it Up

 
I forgot the name of the movie I got this picture from, maybe you've seen it. Thelma Ritter plays the hired housekeeper of a newlywed couple, but the wife (Gene Tierny) doesn't know she's her husband's mother and all sorts of comical mishaps and misunderstandings ensue.  I couldn't help noticing that stove, it's exactly like the one my mom had when I was growing up.  The kind with the pancake griddle right in the middle.  I wish they'd bring those back, don't you? 

Well, now.  The lovely sunshine didn't last long.  I'm back to hovering over the tomatoes again.  Ready to throw a blanket on them any moment, to stop them shivering.  September in the Rain drifted in over the air waves last night as we sat down to dinner.  The lyrics, composed by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, go like this:

"The leaves of brown came tumbling down

Remember, in September, in the rain

The sun went out just like a dying ember

That September, in the rain."

Even though it's meant as a love song it seemed perfect, under the circumstances, "as raindrops play our sweet refrain". Last night I heard the chorus of tree frogs mingled with the soft rain falling as I drifted off to sleep.  (Such a peaceful sound.)  Yet, while it may be the end of one season, it's also the beginning of another.  One filled with splashes of color, crackling fires, and often the scent of apples and cinnamon baking.  And PIE! 

Speaking of pie . . .OH My!

I really LOVE this wonderful little book, by Susan Dahlem, our blog pal behind Not Quite June Cleaver.  In it she has shared her most treasured family recipes and secrets for making great PIE.  There are "cutie pies" (you can't eat just one), tarts, tassies, pastries, hand pies, half-moons, tartlets, dream creams, custards, fruit-filled, amazing meringues, nut pies, and even some no-bake types, plus tips and trivia throughout.  Two of her daughters, (she is the mother of six), did the photos for the book, which are beautiful, and mouth-watering I might add.  I'm dying to try the Yogurt Pie with Granola Crust.  (She graciously gives us her recipe for granola too!)  Check it out on Amazon (click the photo it will take you there), and then click on that picture to look inside.  Today is her "Foodie Friday" FAQ, plus she's sharing her recipe for Upside-Down Caramelized Apple Cake.  Yum!  Perfect for a gray day like we are having today.

  
I've got some projects I'm finishing and a new one I'm starting, but I wanted to let you know that I haven't forgotten the State Flower Quilt.  A new block will follow soon.  Right now, I'm still catching up on some neglected areas of my home, with a sewing project lined up for the weekend moving toward that end.

I also want to take a moment to say "Thank You" for the enthusiastic response I have received for my new book.  The whole time I was putting it together, it felt like I was making something for friends, and I'm SO happy you agree!  

In the Homestretch

Welcome to the last week of February.  I can't believe how quickly it's flying by, can you?  Spring is on its way for sure and I'm keeping an eye out for it like a long-lost friend.  A dear old friend that has been away far too long.  In the meantime, some serious spring cleaning has begun.  These past sunny days have illuminated the charming "corners of my home" in unexpected and frightening ways.  Time to find my feather duster and  a sandblaster and start whipping this place back into shape.  (The miniature country cottage is shaping up nicely too.)