My Cafe Ole Cottage

This house is on eBay right now! Here is the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item
=290095876482&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:11

As I stood on my balcony this morning, enjoying the sweet breeze and spring blooms, I thought it was the perfect day for me to take pictures of my latest dollhouse, the Cafe Ole Cottage! My coffee-loving hubby, Shah, picked out the colors for me ~ needless to say, it was after a trip to Starbucks!

This dollhouse was an experiment of sorts; this was my first attempt at creating clay roof shingles. I used self-hardening Marblex clay and painted the roof with dark chocolate acrylic paint and a soft latte wash. My hats off to the paper-clay dollhouse artists: the process was indeed a test of my patience!

And now on to my love affair with fabric wallpaper! I discovered the perfect fabric to create my faux wood panels: it has a crackle print and comes in various colors. For this Coffee and Cream inspired home, I picked out fabrics in warm beige and pale coffee. The chair rail and moldings were created with lace, which was considerably cheaper than wood molding, and a lot easier to apply. I am in love with this combination: so much so, that I bought a yard more of the fabrics for my next dollhouse!

This house is on eBay right now! Here is the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item
=290095876482&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:11

My Sage & Gold Victorian Cottage

I finished my latest Sage & Gold Victorian Cottage. This is a product of my recent experiments with fabric covered walls. I found this lovely printed calico cotton fabric to line the walls and the attic. The sage green is a perfect complement to the print. Golden scrap-booking stickers add interesting details to the green painted walls. Silk ribbons in sage and cream are inexpensive and easy solutions to chair rail molding and crown molding.

The outside is painted in garnet and wine red, with crisp white door and window casings that stand out. The mahogany stained roof matches the stained mahogany floor inside. I found the cutest golden door knobs with key-holes for both the front and the interior doors. Hand drawn golden details and faux ruby rhinestones on the window shutters add just the right touch of elegance to finish this quaint Victorian cottage!

This dollhouse is on auction on eBay right now. Here is the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=
290073986687&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:11

I hope this cottage becomes a Valentine's Day gift for someone special!

My French Country Cottage

Welcome to my French Country Cottage! I finally finished working on it last night, and couldn't wait to post photos on my blog to share with you!


For this house, Shah and I chose a cooler color palette, which is very different from the warm colors we favored for the last few dollhouses. We were inspired by Debbie Travis' Painted House on HGTV.


Our inspiration for the color palette came from a fabric we bought. Instead of using wallpaper, we decided to experiment with fabric on the walls; the results were brilliant beyond our expectations! I decided to leave most of the divider wall white, and paint the door a baby blue to add a hint of playful informality. Above the main door is an intricately curved wooden detail that I painted in white and blue, and then distressed slightly to lend an aged look.


To match the bright and sunny mood of the country cottage, I stained the floor with light oak glossy finish varnish. Instead of electrifying this dollhouse, I chose to put simple wall sconces for candles in each room, to remain true to the rustic simplicity of the house.


I had the most fun decorating the front porch! I added a similar wooden curved panel above the front entrance, but this one is stained in light oak and stands out against the darker gray-blue wall color. The porch has mosaic done in white and gray tiles. The foundation is covered in stones and moss.


On both sides of the house, there are two trees with pink and yellow blossoms. The gnarly moss covered roots and the scraggly branches transport this quaint country cottage to a lazy summer's day in France.

This house is being auctioned right now on ebay. The link:

http://cm.ebay.com/cm/ck/1065-29296-2357-0?uid=269840089&site=0&ver=LCA080805&item=290063727540&lk=URL

Christmas in Poland

My Oriental Resthouse is off to Poland right now! It is going to the home of Joanna and her darling daughter Julia as a Christmas surprise. Please pray for the house that it reaches them safe and sound in time for Christmas!

Butterfly Lights in the Nepalese Resthouse

I can't help myself! Whenever I feel like the Nepalese Dollhouse could not be any more perfect, I find something more exquisite to do with it! I am losing sleep over the new butterfly light fixture that I put in last week. I had to take photos and post them on my blog so that I could show it off! By the way, the Nepalese Dollhouse is on auction now on ebay.

My Country Kitchen Set

If you haven't noticed already -- I love dollhouse furniture! What I love even more is to set them up inside my dollhouse and to take pictures of them to share with you!

I bought this sage & oak country kitchen set today. I adore the tiny spice compartments in the cabinet, and the ample storage space. It is not as big as my other kitchen sets, which makes it perfect for smaller dollhouse kitchens. The color and the design give a cozy feel to my country kitchen. It is a welcoming space where the children can come in for their lemonade, after playing all evening in the sunny backyard!

Oriental Bedroom

So, here is my new dollhouse bedroom set inside the Nepalese Rest House. I added a dark cherry rocking chair to my bedroom furniture. This table lamp is one of my favorites; it has a cut glass base that creates an airy dreamy ambience for a restful night's sleep.

The Fun Is In The Details!

I think the most fun part in building a dollhouse is putting the final details! That's what transforms an ordinary dollhouse into a true collectible piece of art.

This dollhouse was inspired by a tiny trinket box that was given to my mother by a Nepalese princess. It was inlaid with turquoise ... I wonder what has happened to it now! Well, you have already seen the faux stone inlaid borders I used inside the house. I have continued the oriental flare on the outside window panels by adding faux ruby and the same faux stone finish! The staircase also has delicate golden stud details. All exposed wooden surfaces were stained in dark cherry and mahogany for a rich and luxurious effect. By the way, don't you just love the doorknob? I think it's just precious!



What I was most excited about was the mosaic on the porch! I used glass tiles and white mosaic grout. It was the first time ever that I have actually tried to mosaic anything, and I was stunned by the end result! I was so happy that I actually added stones to the entire foundation all around the house!


Adding the flowers is always the most fun part! I love flowers ... they always make me happy! Since there are no windows on the sides, I have put creepers on both the side walls; they are in bloom with pale pink blossoms. There is moss growing between the stones, and a few fallen flowers here and there ...

What do you like the most about my Oriental Inspired Victorian Cottage?

Lights Lights Lights !!!

This is the first dollhouse that I have put lights in! Until now, I have always used the 3 volt battery boxes to connect lights to. But I used a 12 volt lighting system in the new house! And there is a switch that turns the lights on and off, without having to unplug the transformer everytime.

Not only does the house have a magical glow when it is lit at night, the light fixtures look beautiful even when they are not lit. And did I mention, there are glow in the dark beads on the floor and ceiling moldings?

My Victorian Cottage Is Complete!

I took about a hundred and twenty photos of my dollhouse today! This dollhouse of mine took the longest to build. Not that it was more difficult to assemble than the others, but it's just that I shopped around for the most perfect things to add to it. I finally finished adding the plants and flowers last night! So, here are the photos ...

Which Set Looks Better In My New House?

I bought these two kitchen sets for my new dollhouse, but I can't choose one over the other. Both sets are so adorable! I think the mahogany and cream kitchen goes well with the rest of the furniture, but the light oak kitchen has a vintage look about it.

What do you think? Please help me decide!