The dollhouse oven has been stoked up and has been turning out one sweet treat after another in preparation for the grand opening today! At times we didn't think we'd ever get here, but somehow here we are and we couldn't be more pleased with the whole tiny adorable little thing. How many months have I been working on this? I don't remember, but it feels like a very very LONG time because it was such a big project in terms of details. So many details! As a matter of fact, we were still painting, gluing, cutting and hanging curtains up until the last moment literally while we were snapping these pictures. (And still no doorknob!) Think I missed my calling, I should've become a dollhouse stylist. What fun! And, hundreds of pictures later I feel like I've earned that title anyway. It takes quite a bit of fussing to get the right angle, focus, and depth when things are on a miniature scale. Still, all the teensy-tiny details added up to something wonderful in the end and we are *very happy* with 
our little place here even though getting there was a bit tedious. I will admit, it was. It so was! Building a dollhouse is an exercise in patience, I tell ya. Every time I started thinking I was getting close to finishing, I would notice another detail I'd over-looked or forgotten. Then I'd need sandpaper. More moulding. Forget to glue 
something. Or run out of paint. There is a definite order to putting a house together, big or small, and you really can't just forge ahead until each step is complete. Sometimes days and weeks would go by before I would remember to buy the thing I needed to keep going. We made modifications too and there are repercussions to doing that, sometimes requiring detective work to hunt for other materials to replace them. In this case, it was the 'window panes'. We wanted ours clear but they came stamped with designs. Ended up using mylar sheets, the kind used for overhead projectors, and they worked really well. The dollhouse kit I used was called "Buttercup" and was purchased here and for the price you really can't beat it. It seemed pretty simple and for the most part it was. But I should've known something was up when the first words on the directions said, "Don't Panic" in big black letters. Seriously, I kid you not, that's what it said. Didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I read that. Although it was kind of funny. Only I'm not sure it was 
supposed to be. I think it was meant to be reassuring, but actually that's the kind of thing that can shake a person's confidence to the core and made me want to turn around and run for the hills. I thought about it too, because the instructions weren't that clear either. I kind of just jumped in with both feet and kept on going, in a flying by the seat of my pants sort of way, and somehow it all came out right. To be honest though, these things do take a huge amount of time and I don't want to mislead anyone into thinking otherwise; so that one 
day, years from now, you're not still working on your dollhouse long after the children have grown up and left home. Not that you HAVE to have children to build one. Afterall, dollhouses are fun hobbies for anyone, empty-nesters especially. I'm just saying. So... let me show you around the place! The kitchen and bakery area is upstairs and the sweet shop is below. While I worked on getting the bakery together, Grace was busy making the goodies to stock the shelves. I think she did a great job with everything. Always amazing! The Mister made the display case for us out of plexiglass. I love how it turned out. Not any easy task, but I think he did a great job with it. He also made the shelves for the bakery window, which was also modified from the 
original design to be more of a showcase. (You can click on any of the images to see them bigger.) I'm planning on putting more pictures into a new photo album in the sidebar and will probably keep adding to it from time to time like I've been doing for the other ongoing projects. I still can't get over how cute everything looks. Grace and I have been hovering over everything, trying to make each tiny detail just 
right. And it's all about the details. This has been a tremendously fun project for us. Especially the last part when we started putting all the different elements together and seeing the magic start to happen when things start to take on a life of their own. Here's a trick: we used small bits of dental wax (from the orthodontist) to stick things down that rolled around or kept falling over. I would imagine any type of soft wax would work well (like the wax you can buy to hold candles in place), but Grace is scheduled to get her braces off later this month (hurray!) and was happy to donate hers to the cause. We also couldn't resist pulling out the holiday 
decorations. The tiny ornaments are vintage glass just like real ones. Betsy's bonnet is wool felt, handmade by Grace. The window pelmuts were inspired by some that Jenny made. We turned the window boxes upside down and covered them with printed paper cut with scalloped scissors along the edge. All the mouldings and trims were added and were not part of the kit. Brit sent me the darling little baby buggy and the birdcage (two actually) and a darling doll quilt she made that Ginger snapped up as soon as she saw it, so no picture, but I'll try and get one as soon as I can. The sweet china hutch, made by the ultra-talented Alicia, was one 
of the sweet things we got from her through the Little House Club swap that was organized by Amy, who inspires us all. The china sets were purchased from this source. We also borrowed a few things from our Victorian dollhouse to furnish the shop, and I imagine that we will continue to make changes as we go along and think up new ideas. I was up until the wee hours listing all of the delectible cakes, sweet rolls, and other mini-treats handmade by Grace and they are now available for your choosing here. Quanities are limited!! So here's the deal. If you want more than one item, order them but don't send payment until I send an invoice with the combined total through Paypal. (The Etsy shopping cart only holds one item so it gets tricky.) You don't need a Paypal account to send payment, but you do need to sign up for Etsy to purchase something. It's easy and it's free. If you have neither, you can just email me what you want and if it's available we'll hold it for you, or put your name on our waiting list, as Grace may take a few special orders.
Stop by and take a peek ... if you dare.
More pictures here.
