Good Books

Random post just for fun! (Too busy with real life at the moment to work on dollhouses.)
One of my favourite authors is Pearl Buck.
My husband found twelve of her books at a library sale and bought them for me.

Nova decided that if I liked them, then he would like them as well. As a Siamese cat, he felt that he should familiarize himself with stories about Asia.

There is something magical about an old book. It is really amazing how once you start a great story you are transported away to another place and time.
I suggested to Nova that he start with The Good Earth, but, being a cat, he chose his own and began reading.

Cheerio,
Sam

Dura Craft Mansion Expansion - Part Two

After assembling this house, I did not like the flimsy roof.
Dollhouse enthusiasts KNOW that you do not carry a dollhouse by the roof, but if you need someone to help you move it they ALWAYS go for the roof.
So I decided to strengthen it. I also wanted more access to the tower room, so I began to make it bigger.

I did this by bumping out the roof.

I added some small octagonal windows to the attic areas, and a dormer on the right hand side.

Here is a side view of the newly bumped out tower-room roof.

You'd think I would be happy with the house now, but alas, I wanted to make it a little bigger.
Sooooo, I bumped out the lower left room.

I also changed the big windows in the middle rooms to single windows.

So far, I think I like the changes I have made to this house.
Cheerio,
Sam

Dura Craft Mansion - Part One

Let me introduce you all to yet another dollhouse that I am currently working on - The Dura Craft Mansion.
I know, I know, I know - I have a TON of dollhouses that I am working on at the same time. Whenever I get stuck with one I move onto the next and I find that gives me time to sort out the problems with the other houses.
Last summer I was at a garage sale when I noticed a forlorn looking box with the word dollhouse on it and a tattered $20 price tag. I doubted that it was a whole dollhouse, but I thought that all the wood pieces would be good to supplement my other dollhouses.

When I got home, I carefully went through the whole box and came across some instructions. It turns out that this is the Dura Craft Mansion. It even had a parts list, so for the next hour I carefully did an inventory. There were quite a few pieces missing, but I figured I could make them myself.

The Dura Craft houses have the strangest construction I have ever come across. It basically consists of hundreds of little pieces of siding that you slot together in the corner trims.
There are also a million pieces that had to be primed for the windows and porch railings.

Really Mr Nova? Sleeping on the railings does not look comfortable at all. (But really cute!!!!)

Once the basic walls were built, I was able to make a base.

(Yes, I am often found out in the garage in old clothes working on my houses.)

I scored the porch floor wood to look like boards, and I gave it a quick undercoat of brown paint.

Well, I am really pleased with how this dollhouse has turned from a pile of wood into a house.
Cheerio,
Sam