I'm a Giant! Dollhouse Challenge!

We used to have this really huge, amazing doll house last year that we sold when we moved to New York for space reasons. I didn't realize how much they would miss the dollhouse! They ask about it often and Grace even asked for a dollhouse for her birthday. They're a little older now and super into imaginative play, so I'm feeling like we should make room for a dollhouse again.
When Emily (who is so hilarious and nice) invited me to participate in her Dollhouse Challenge I felt like it was a great chance to spend more time with my girls. Especially now that the weather is cooling down (sad!!) and the parks are getting to be a lot less fun. Both Grace and Claire are really into crafty projects, so I thought it might be fun to work on this together.
Last weekend I found this big old dollhouse at a junk shop. It is in horrible shape. I mean, really BAD shape. Which is *just* how I like my houses to start with!
Also, it was a good excuse to finally buy a Dremel! Boy oh boy.
I'm excited. My kids are excited. And other bloggers are excited about their projects. It's going to be a fun group challenge (you can learn all about it here). There's even talk about displaying the finished doll houses in December in California. Cool, right?
Here are some of the fabulous friends in on the challenge:
Emily Henderson from www.stylebyemilyhenderson.com
Nicole from www.makingitlovely.com
Morgan from www.the-brick-house.com
Erin from www.designformankind.com
Orlando from www.hommemaker.com
Corbett from www.girl-domestic.com
and Kirsten from www.simplygrove.com
And anyone else who wants in on the fun. Feel free to join! In the meantime, I'm trolling eBay and etsy looking for amazing vintage doll furniture, looking through my fabrics and wallpapers for small scale prints and digging through my craft bins for trinkets to repurpose. I can't wait til the girls get home from school this afternoon. They're always telling me how they're decorators too, so this will be fun to come up with mini design plans together.
PS the Lonny team did a dollhouse last year. Love it all - especially that Christmas-ornament-turned-light-fixture in the entry. Pretty!
on

40 comments:

  1. Sadie + StellaSeptember 21, 2011 at 1:44 PM

    This is absolutely darling!

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  2. SarahSeptember 21, 2011 at 1:54 PM

    anyone else think that the light fixture in the first photo looks a lot like a party hat? :)

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  3. White LacquerSeptember 21, 2011 at 1:54 PM

    Wow!!! That old doll house is absolutely fantastic!!! Can't wait to see how you szhuszh is up!!!

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  4. jessicaSeptember 21, 2011 at 1:56 PM

    Cannot wait to see how it turns out!

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  5. UnknownSeptember 21, 2011 at 1:57 PM

    How fun! I can't wait to see what all of you come up with!

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  6. AmandaSeptember 21, 2011 at 1:59 PM

    ooh, this looks like so much fun!

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  7. Beatrice@craftybeeblog.comSeptember 21, 2011 at 1:59 PM

    That doll house is amazing. It makes everything seem even more special and delicate. How cute. Makes me wish I had a daughter. I guess I am stuck with trucks, cars and trains. Oh well, they can be fun too.

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  8. Elisa @ What the VitaSeptember 21, 2011 at 2:05 PM

    haha YES, Sarah! I had to look twice at the photo :)

    What a fun challenge!!

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  9. The Buzz Blog @ Diane James HomeSeptember 21, 2011 at 2:30 PM

    What a load of fun! Some of my fondest memories was working on our dollhouse with our mother, fashioning furniture out of balsam wood and cutains from scraps of Liberty prints. I can't wait to see the dollhouses from all of you talented ladies!

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  10. LindsBSeptember 21, 2011 at 2:58 PM

    how fun!!! I feel like I should go get my doll house from my parents house so I can play too! Oh man this could turn into a complete obsession very quick :)

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  11. JenSeptember 21, 2011 at 3:03 PM

    If you are looking for inspiration, take your daughters to the Museum of the City of New York and check out their dollhouse collection! Make sure to see the 1920's Stettheimer Dollhouse which is AMAZING, and has all sorts of original art from avant- guard artists of the period.

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  12. Britt @ Dreamy SpacesSeptember 21, 2011 at 3:04 PM

    What a fantastic idea for a challenge! Who would have thought that dollhouses could look so designer designed! I have always loved doll houses and this is just the coolest project!! Very creative! Looking forward to seeing the results!

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  13. RachaelSeptember 21, 2011 at 3:07 PM

    The little girl in me is rejoicing at the fun of this project! I can't wait to see what you and your girls come up with. I was just writing in my son's baby journal about how lovely it has been watching his imagination emerge. A good imagination is one of life's greatest treasures and this project is excellent fodder for cultivating said treasure!

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  14. BrianaSeptember 21, 2011 at 3:09 PM

    How fantastic!!!

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  15. MarivicSeptember 21, 2011 at 3:17 PM

    omg, I gave my 10-year old daughter a dollhouse for her birthday, and then bought vintage stuff from ebay. SHe's now into miniature things. We have yet to paint it and begin decorating it. I've just been so busy with everything else, and life in general. I better get my act together before she turns 18! Thanks for this reminder.

    Excited!

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  16. Melissa@Julias BookbagSeptember 21, 2011 at 3:33 PM

    Well, THIS IS THE COOLEST THING EVER! I would totally totally participate except that I already have a vintage dollhouse (vintage as in, from my childhood :) that I've preserved through the years and recently gifted to my daughter. It's ENORMOUS, unwieldy and really needs a new exterior paint job but I think you'll enjoy seeing it if you're into All Things Dollhousy!

    http://www.juliasbookbag.com/2011/07/calico-critter-hotel.html

    ~Melissa

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  17. colleenSeptember 21, 2011 at 3:39 PM

    For funsies, here's Colleen Moore's fairy dollhouse. It's bananas: http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/fairycastle/the-exhibit/great-hall/

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  18. Andrea @ Strawberry ChicSeptember 21, 2011 at 4:18 PM

    What a fabulous challenge, wish I had a reason to join (no baby girls for me yet :( I'm excited to see your finished product, it looks like it has a lot of potential...good luck!

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  19. KatySeptember 21, 2011 at 5:16 PM

    I attribute my Fisher Price dollhouse with starting my decorating bug. I used to play with it for hours. It had a seven piece sectional that could be reconfigured in endless ways...need I say more?
    Have fun!!

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  20. AlissaSeptember 21, 2011 at 7:47 PM

    A little off topic, but... I love that brown dress! Where did you get it?

    The dollhouse is so cute! Great lucite furniture!

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  21. {darlene} @ fieldstonehillSeptember 21, 2011 at 8:44 PM

    ooooooh. this is too much fun. like a kid again!!
    - {darlene} @ fieldstone hill design

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  22. HanaSeptember 21, 2011 at 9:40 PM

    i love dollhouses, can't wait to see!! i found amazing furniture made by architect paul mcalister awhile back... will post soon! xo

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  23. NormaSeptember 21, 2011 at 11:04 PM

    The dollhouse in the pictures is spectacular. It's so detailed! The art, the mini laptop, the tiny little shoes beside the bed... Wow.

    I had so much fun making scale models in design school-- carving toilets from bars of soap and upholstering teeny chairs. (You can buy all those things, but it was more fun.) I told myself I'd save all the miniature furniture and make a dollhouse but, well, didn't happen.

    Good luck on your project! Looking forward to seeing the end result. :)

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  24. Barbara MatsonSeptember 22, 2011 at 2:03 AM

    How absolutely fun! I loved making dollhouses when I was little. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

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  25. FanFamFunSeptember 22, 2011 at 4:30 AM

    this is really cool! we just made a family trip to windsor castle, they have Queen Marry's doll house. It was unbelievable, everything is perfect and exact, but just tiny. even the books on the shelf are real books! (please google it, it should inspire). x

    http://fanfamfun.blogspot.com/2011/09/visiting-queen-and-princess-at-windsor.html

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  26. AndreaSeptember 22, 2011 at 9:34 AM

    Fantastic! This is how my love of design and creating home "things" started - with my Barbie's house!
    Take a marble and glue a toothpaste cap on top for a lamp. And cardboard jewelry boxes make perfect beds. Oh, how fun!
    My girl's just this side of too old for one, but we'd have fun making one together. Can't wait to see yours!

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  27. AnonymousSeptember 22, 2011 at 9:56 AM

    How adorable! This is someting I've always wanted to do. Anxious to see the results!!!

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  28. Engl-ishSeptember 22, 2011 at 10:23 AM

    so fun!!! I love emily henderson too :) I can't wait until my little Lucy is old enough to redo a dollhouse with!!

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  29. CrystalSeptember 22, 2011 at 11:45 AM

    This will be a fun project to watch. I was interested in this for about 15 minutes a while back, until I decided it was way too much work! Here are a couple of resources I found with great ideas and sometimes how-tos for creating cool furniture:
    http://insidethebarbiecraftroom.blogspot.com/

    http://www.ss-designsdollinteriors.net/id12.html

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  30. AnonymousSeptember 22, 2011 at 4:05 PM

    Oh my, what a fun project! My grandfather made me a doll house when I was little - a to scale replica of his house! It was so much fun decorating (and redecorating) it over the years.

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  31. LeanneSeptember 22, 2011 at 6:06 PM

    I love that dress! Where can i steal it from?

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  32. PuhekfamilySeptember 22, 2011 at 6:30 PM

    Could be such a great opportunity to use your sticker wall art/ wall paper project on a small scale!

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  33. JenniferSeptember 22, 2011 at 8:20 PM

    what fun! can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.

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  34. KristiSeptember 23, 2011 at 1:34 AM

    I am so excited about this! I started rehabbing my childhood doll house a couple years ago but lost my motivation.

    This will get me going again.

    Plus my girls will be ecstatic!

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  35. LauraSeptember 23, 2011 at 4:28 PM

    I stumbled across these adorable dollhouse items when looking for a table; do a search for Petite Princess Dollhouse furniture in Ebay.

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  36. MelissaSeptember 24, 2011 at 1:04 AM

    What a fun challenge! It made me think of my childhood dollhouse, created just for me by my grandmother... I loved it, though the decor was not quite as on-trend and fabulous as these pics!

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  37. JosjeSeptember 24, 2011 at 11:10 AM

    Oh this is fun! I found your blog because I was looking for instructions on Roman blinds to make for my dolls house! The instructions on the blinds are great, it gave me some ideas for my real house as well.
    I look forward to seeing what you'll do with the dolls house.

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  38. Siren LondonSeptember 24, 2011 at 2:09 PM

    Oh my this is such an inspiration! Since I discovered your blog through apartment therapy, I am hooked! You are such an inspiration! Being a mother of one, and run my own fashion business, you blog is often a constant a pick me up to remind myself, you can have it all!!

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  39. Mini DorkOctober 4, 2011 at 12:54 AM

    Found your blog through Emily's. Love it. I've been into miniatures since I was kid but became a collector of modern dollhouses and miniatures as an adult. That house looks like a great project. Can't wait to follow your progress. The challenge has inspired me to finish a dollhouse kit that has been collecting dust in my garage. Thanks for the inspiration.

    I know you said you were looking for vintage, but if you need any mid century modern dollhouse furniture/accessories check out:
    http://minimodernistas.com/

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  40. My RealittyOctober 4, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    Did someone mention the Flickr group "Modern dollhouse"? There is one for "Antique Dollhouse" too. Beware it's addicting... It is such fun! CM

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I so appreciate hearing from you. Nice comments make my day! Thanks for keeping things light here, friends! :)