turkey feathers

Granny Takes a Breather

Just look what you can do with hideous plastic Barbie furniture and a hot-glue gun...oh, the possibilities!  This little easy-chair was something I made a couple of years ago for the girls cabinet doll house.  (A few other accessories are from early Club Little House swaps that Amy organized.  That seems like such a long time ago now doesn't it?  I'm still enjoying these little handmade treasures though. ) This cozy scene makes me want to sit down and put my feet up.

And nibble a donut.  It's fresh from the Dollhouse Bakery right next door.

Yes, Grace is back in the kitchen(s) big and small.  A few of the special orders she just finished::  four flavor muffins and candy boxes!  I just can't stand how cute these are.  If you're in the etsy neighborhood stop by for a little treat or check out her online catalog if you need something in particular.  Both these items will be added for custom orders.  And she's getting a few things ready for a mini shop update on Monday morning (PST) too.  How are your doll houses coming along?  If you have made one, or have one to share, let us know, we'd love to see them.

Dolly Sweets

Someone’s in the kitchen baking up a storm.  (I think I smell those heavenly poppy-seed banana muffins again this morning.)  There’s been some serious candy-making happening in the doll house bakery kitchen too.  Grace was back in her craft corner, following a brief intermission of driving lessons (eek!), starting up a Celtic band with friends (woot!), planting a vegetable garden (yum!), and ya know, just generally being a busy teenager.  So I was quite surprised when I saw these dainty boxes of petite confection a few days ago. Oh my.  Even the darling teeny boxes and tissue flower roses are handmade.  Gasp!  The sad thing though--the supply is limited.  These do take quite a bit of time to make, and she says there might be a few more to come, but no promises. So if you need a little candy box, badly, you’d better scurry over to her shop without delay. 

Like a Kid in a Candy Shop

Well, I'm back with good news...our amazing Miss Grace is all moved into her new space and Dollhouse Sweets & Petite Treats  is back open for business.   I think she's done a terrific job crafting up some darling little goodies again, so go take a peek if you're in the neighborhood. The treat-charms make especially sweet gifts.  She's also taking special orders from her online catalog here, the sight of which may send you into a sugar-coma or running for the nearest real sweet shop.   I was drooling myself when I put it together and was surprised by how many things she's made over the past year or so.  Shown there are the things that have already been sold.  She doesn't stock an inventory, but if you see something you like, she's happy to make something similar for you.  (Please keep in mind that since each little item is handmade individually, there may be some slight variations and a lead time. ) 

Back home...our own "le Petite Patisserie" got a sprucing up with a new bakery case.    It's wood with plexiglass windows, and the doors slide open in the back just like real ones.  So dang cute!  Bought it here.   (Same site I found the little Sailor doll above.) 

New table and chairs found here.  Soon it will be time to put up the miniature Christmas tree and decorations again.  Oh the dolls can hardly wait!

More eye candy from the bakery shop window. We've also been spending some time crafting together, and recently Grace made some of her amazing teeny-tiny paper roses.  They look almost real because she tints them with watercolors.  I decided to make a vase for them to dress up our table and it turned out so adorable that we made a few more to sell in the shop.  Can you believe this is just an inch tall?  It comes in pink too.  Although I'm partial to the blue one in this setting.  Time for a coffee break!

Let The Kitchen Dance Begin

We're expecting more Oregon rain and bluster today so we're nestled in.  Good baking weather though, and I've got a nice big apple pie here, made by our friend John, who makes the most amazing pies (he grows his own apples too) and then raffles them off at his own annual MS fund raiser.  His pies are so-o-o good that getting one is like winning the lottery.  At least around here.  And I kid you not, this one weighs just over five pounds; absolutely no skimping here.  And I wish I knew the secret of his crust, it just melts in your mouth.  John is really one of the most generous and kind souls I'm happy to know, and I can't thank him enough for doing all that he does to make the world a better place.

Another generous soul I would like to thank is Susan Branch, for her never-ending source of inspiration and total devotion to all things good.  I finally got my hands on some of her wonderful fabric from the "Martha's Vineyard Watercolor Collection" and made a little applique patch for the apron I made a few weeks ago (using her free download here) from the small patches print.  So cute!  In case you can't read it, it says, "Let The Kitchen Dance Begin", hence the title post.  With fall here, and with it the wet weather, it just seemed appropriate somehow.  There are all kinds of sweet little pictures on this fabric print that can be cut out and used in this way.  I bought big patches too and plan to sew them onto some of the things I make, and use them like quilt labels. 

I'm telling you, the days are just flying by.  In the best way of coarse, as we busy ourselves making things for you.  Thanks again for supporting our efforts in all that we do.  Being able to stay home and make a living this way is such a privilege and a blessing in so many ways.  And we are forever grateful for the fun and friendship that happens along the way too.  xoxox

   

Grace is excitedly filling the dollhouse bakery orders that keep coming in.  I think just about everything is sold out.  Might be a few crumbs left.  If you hurry....  Her lollipop tree was a smash hit.  She wasn't sure if anyone would like them (can you imagine?) so she only made one.  She honestly still can't believe that so many lovely people want to buy her tiny creations.   As her mother, it's heart-warming that you do.  In fact, the whole etsy experience has been empowering for her I think, and has helped her realize that her work has value.  It's been a family affair around here though with all of us pitching in to help her this week.  We hope to have it all shipped before Halloween, which doesn't give us much time, and I've been skidding around in my slippers from one corner of the house to the other.  Not all that different from any other day actually, just skidding off in different locations.  And with that, it's time to skidaddle. . . and eat some pie!

No Tricks Just Treats

The dollhouse bakery is back open for business!  Yes, I'm pleased to tell you that Grace has been at it again, making magic things happen with a pinch of this and a dash of that.  What teensy-tiny marvels these things are.  Some are available right now in her shop.  I'm drooling just looking at them.  And I love her wooden lolli-pop tree!  I almost died when she showed it to me, how cute is that thing?  She only made this one, but is happy to take pre-paid orders.  It comes with 5 assorted lollipops for $15 + s/h.  Email us if you'd like one and we'll send you a Paypal invoice or add it to your order.

And to make all this even MORE fun, we'll be including a miniature Halloween surprise with any and all orders until the end of the month, just a little something specially made by *yours truly*.  I'm such a kid---love getting glue all over my fingers.   (tee hee)

Oh, it looks like we already have a customer, so off we go!  A few more pictures over here.

Summertime Sweets

I was thinking it's about time for another update (as promised),  especially now that we have some new shop additions to show you, and a few fleeting moments between zucchini watch, which has been like non-stop for three weeks now.  I swear, you do not want to turn your back on these dudes, because they can turn into giant clubs in about half a nano-second.  The girls think it's hilarious every time one gets away from us.   Usually it's only a matter of hours since we last checked on them too.   How can something grow so fast?  I'm quickly running out of new and delicious recipes,  not to mention friends and neighbors to give them to.  Our postal carrier is in for a surprise . . . um, I mean TREAT, when he opens the mailbox tomorrow.  Yes, I'm afraid it's come to that.  If I hadn't lost my momentum with the A-Z Quiche recipes, I could've wrapped it all up neat and tidy with a nice Zucchini Quiche about now.  Maybe there's still time.  .  . Anyway, as I was saying about the shop update...I've finally gotten around to adding some of my little handmade doll/art quilts, along with these sweet cupcake morsels,  the latest mini-treats to come out of the dollhouse bakery.   These are so cute!  Wish we had more.  Grace only had time to make a few, but I'm sure she'd be happy to take orders, for as long as her supply holds up, and only if you're not in a big hurry, because all this teensy crafting takes time and our summer calendar has been full. 

One highlight includes a cake decorating contest the girls participated in last month at the annual company picnic, and both won prizes for their contributions.   Ginger decorated a simple white cake with edible candied flowers she made with egg-whites and ultra-fine sugar.   The effect was really sweet and charming and she was so proud of it. 

Grace made a ring cake, also with edible fresh flowers.  We had some humidity issues that day, but both cakes held up really well, much to our relief.      

  I expect the next cake we bake. . . will be green. 

Dolly's Delights

Our own lovely Miss Grace has been busy over here, whipping up more petite confections.  These sweeties, fresh from the dollhouse bakery, are for Jenny.  (Warning:  a visit to her site may send you into a diabetic coma! Happily so.)  These are the teeniest cupcakes ever.  I can't even fathom this, and yet here they are.  Each one is about the size of a blueberry, the platter an inch-and-a-half in diameter.  I want to gobble them down in one bite.  But I won't, I promise.  They'll be on their way soon, right after I stop drooling and staring at them.  Besides, Grace would kill me!  She's worked meticulously on them for weeks now.   

And here's one of my latest doll quilts: 12" x 12" (approximately).   I'm really so fond of  this block pattern made by simple strip-piecing.  Little embroidered bunny is from this old pattern set.  The blue and white flower print fabric, was picked up from a thrift store for 25c.  There was just a handful, not enough to do much with, except, make a doll quilt of course.  For which, it worked perfectly.  I'm always on the lookout for floral prints with white (not cream) backgrounds, but they are so hard to find for some reason.   Is this the case or am I just not looking in the right places? 

Stop & Smell the Cookies

These yummy things were sitting on the kitchen counter cooling when I got home yesterday afternoon.  Ginger and I had gone out to visit friends, while Grace stayed home and baked these for her music teacher.  She pays for her guitar lessons with cookies.  It's a sweet deal for both of them.  The hardest part is keeping us from gobbling them up before she gets to class.  Well, no wonder.  The whole house smelled utterly scrumptuous when I walked in.  It wasn't easy, but I did restrain myself...only snitched one.  (OK, I had two.)  How could I resist?  So good.  Soft, chewy.  Still warm from the oven.  I think the addition of chocolate compliments the molasses perfectly.  Our dear girl used a recipe from everyday FOOD, the *Collectible Cookie Edition* (Holiday 2006), but added her own powder-sugar icing, with "lots of butter",  she told me.  Uh-huh, she's learning.  She also substituted (good quality) chocolate chips instead of the coarsely chopped chocolate squares called for.  I looked, but couldn't find this particular recipe for chocolate molasses cookies to link to from the MS website though...that search engine is so broad and not very helpful or maybe it's under another name.  Anyway, I ran out of time and patience hunting for it, but it's a simple recipe, old as the hills as far as soft-molasses cookies go, with the addition of the melted chocolate.  Oh, and I noticed these when I was clicking around.  Might just try and talk her into making them next.   

And this little cake?  It's her latest creation from the dollhouse bakery.  A special order from Jenny, who requested a miniature of this popular cake made by Miette Patisserie in San Francisco.  I think it's a pretty good likeness.  And no calories!  It's about the size of a quarter in diameter.   Grace just added a few things to her ETSY shop this week.  Many things sold before I had a chance to mention it here.  But there might be a few crumbs left.   If you hurry. .  .  .. .

Eye Candy

Daughter Grace just put the finishing touches on this batch of her fabulous miniature creations, a special order from our pal Jenny, who (along with her "partner in crime", Aaron) makes sweet treats of a different kind.  The kind that also make you drool and coo irresistibly. 

Jenny's paperdolls are so adorably cute.  I can't resist them.  I purchased these from her shop which is filled with so many incredible yummy things, that I always feel like a kid in a candy store when I'm over there browsing.  (This Young Miss reminds me of someone around here, who also happens to like baking cakes...both big and small.) 

I'm thrilled with these tiny vintage baskets too.  They arrived only yesterday, (purchased on ebay).  I've decided I like them hanging on the branches of this table-top tree, and am going to fill them with paper grass, pretty candies, and sweet surprises for our Easter Sunday guests. 

It looks like it's going to be another gloriously warm day.  It's been great to throw open windows and let in some fresh air.  I'm happy to report that all this fine weather has motivated a bit of house sprucing, including the cleaning out of dresser drawers and closets this week.  I dropped off several bags of clothes and other stuff at the local charity yesterday and things are feeling so much lighter around here.  We've also broken ground on the gardening project. Stakes are in the ground and posts are going up. I'm heading outside after I grab a bite to eat this morning.  It's Good Friday, and The Mister has the day off...woo-hoo!  So I'll be donning my apron, straw bonnet, and cotton work gloves to give him a hand outside, and might not resurface here for awhile.  But before I go, I want to wish everyone who stops by, a sweet and happy Easter weekend!

 

Birthday Baa-sh

Just popping in for a minute to say, *Thank You* for the Dollhouse Bakery love!  We are still getting many little packages together and adding back-orders.  Grace was amazed by the response, and so grateful, as always.  I think when you're young there's a tendency to take your own talents for granted.  I keep telling her she's got 'magic hands' but she just smiles and rolls her eyes the way teenagers do.  What do mother's know anyway?  I tell ya, I'm very thankful to get back-up from blog friends on that score.  So thank you all very much for your kind words and support.  On another, but not totally unrelated subject, a little celebration is underway...Lambkin is turning one!  And we'd like to invite all of our lambkin friends to join us for a virtual cupcake.  Gracious sakes how the flock has grown!