Our dollhouse

I didn't think to start taking photos until the house had been put together. I was careful to do all the jigsawing while Jacob was NOT home, because I didn't want his comments, and the one time I did some sanding while I was home, I knew I was justified in that decision. Anyway, here are the photos from when I started taking them. Katie and I designed the dollhouse, measurements being decided based on the scrapwood we had.

 The floors and walls are all from the VR-G family, who left us a bunch of scrapwood when they moved to South Africa in February. The front (or back...depending on with which family member you are conversing, and it is UNBELIEVABLE what an argument they can make out of it...) is from another friend (Richard), whose office was closed down in May.

And yes, I measured many more than two times before making any cuts, but there are still some somewhat weird angles. Oh well. I glued and nailed everything--the glue I did buy myself a couple of years ago, and as of yet, glue is the only thing we have bought. The nails were from the VR-Gs. As was the jigsaw, come to think of it. The sander was borrowed from Richard.

 The paint was from Richard's office. Katie and I painted everything, inside and out, white to start with.

 I put a second layer of paint on all of the window and door frames, the ceilings, the back walls of the bottom left-hand room and top middle room, and the outside. Here, the staircase (made from blocks that Lukas donated to the cause) and carpets (from a book of upholstery samples from Sue) are not yet glued down. Oh, and the doors to the outside have high sills because, despite sketching and measuring everything multiple times, I managed to forget that I'd planned for the outside walls to go on TOP of the bottom floor...Then when I wanted to correct that (by cutting out the extra bit of wood at the bottom), Katie insisted that we leave them so that it could be like an ancient Egyptian house to keep the snakes out. I wondered where she learned that...she says that I read it to her. From a book that I have read to all of the children, multiple times. And which I didn't remember.

The wallpaper is from two books of wallpaper samples that I got from a wallpaper store. Katie chose the paper for the bottom right-hand room, Marie the bottom left and top middle, and Helen the other two. Katie chose all of the carpets. (Which are still not glued down in this photo.)

 Here the staircase, complete with railing made from "craft sticks" (I would call them popsicle sticks, but they are called craft sticks on the package, and I don't remember where I got them--probably from a fellow homeschool family that moved away last year), is finally glued into place, as is the carpet. Oh, and I'd added white craft-stick doorsills between the rooms by this point.

 I confess to being pretty pleased with my bannisters. And Jacob wants to make a cupboard under the stairs.

 Jacob started to make this water tank for the roof, but wasn't happy with it and took it apart again, so we still don't have one.

 Helen and Elisabeth playing with the furniture I'd saved from my childhood.

The bed in the back right-hand corner is one of several pieces I bought on Pioneer Day or Fourth of July celebrations in Colfax as a child. (I bought one piece each time.) The black wooden furniture my grandma brought back from Japan. Under the table I see a trumpet that I bought at the Christmas market in Germany shortly after we got married. The things that look like matchboxes are sets of building blocks--I know that I bought them, but not sure when or where, although I'm pretty sure it was when I was still a teenager. The mirror on top of them is from my grandma, and she sent it to me when I lived in Germany. I have no idea where the mice came from, but I know I used them as rugs in the dollhouse I used to have!

More of the Japanese wooden furniture and a birdcage from the Colfax summer celebrations, but best of all is the real lamp, which Jacob made. (There's also a toy lamp, on the tall table in the back, but I don't remember where I got it.) The rug is from my original dollhouse. I saved only two things from my original set: this rug and a rocking chair. I gave the rest to my youngest sister when I left home. I have no idea what Helen and Elisabeth were using the red bowl in the back for.

Here the lamp from Jacob is plugged in and working. He covered the stand and shade with wallpaper. He's also made a ceiling fan, which runs on a battery concealed in an armchair, but he hasn't finished the armchair or figured out how to attach the fan to the ceiling yet.