In yesterdays post I wrote that most everything in or having to do with my dollhouse has sentimental value to me. I'm going to attempt to explain them all in this post.
My latest addition is from a cute old fashioned sort of toy store called
Once Upon a Time that has a huge variety of playmobile, brio, dolls and dollhouses; so basically all of my childhood toys. Which is ironic and why this latest acquisition means something to me.
I was born in Reston, VA and lived in Vienna until I was 13. Yesterday I went to a wedding in Arlington so I decided to take a drive through my childhood so to speak. When I drove by my old house, (it's been almost ten years by-the-way) I could see our dogs old cage outback and the half of a tree house my father attempted to built. I got emotional. I had remembered Once Upon a Time from when I was little and knew they had a huge collection of dollhouse furniture so I went there next. You get the idea.
From there I bought this bedroom set, a cradle that needs mending and a baby. I figure I can by the fancier items when I save my money, get older, and get a real job.
(The flowers and the candle did not come with it)
This next set is called School Time with Tiffany. I found it at goodwill one day, unopened, for about $4. I looked around online and it used to be sold at Targets for $15 for the hobby. The doll is porcelain and the little stove is cast iron. I was with my little sister when I found it. I was shopping for my first apartment as a senior in college. It was one of those things that when I saw it I knew I had to buy it.
This plate and carpet are all that I have left of the original items that grandpa put in my dollhouse.
The Bathroom set, Chair and Coffee table I got from
The Doll House Shop in Richmond which is the only specialized dollhouse miniatures store that I know of within 100 miles of me. The bathroom set my brother picked out for my Christmas gift a year or two ago. I also got the chair. The table I got a little later when I was buying flooring.
I hand made everything in these next two pictures with the help of the internet or my own creativity. I used polymer clay, chalk pastels, and clear nail polish. I also made the chandelier from a key chain, a few needles, thread, beads and a hot glue gun.
These are nick knacks my granny Jean had laying around her house and she was trying to get ride of. I like to try and have a pet in every room.
The two dressers and the ship were given to me by my neighbor. She also indirectly got my interest going for the hobby again when I saw the doll house her mother had bought for her and had made at the Dollhouse shop.
These three items are salvaged from my little sisters first dollhouse. She's almost 14 now. I don't think they'll be permanent in my collection.
I got these items from the annual Richmond Greek festival that my family goes to every year. It's one of my favorite things to do. They just looked like they were made for a dollhouse. I put a penny in the picture to illistrate just how tiny they get.
Theses are American girl miniatures which my grandmother bought for me when I was younger and was really starting to get into the miniatures hobby.
These items were the first in this new collection to start renovating my dollhouse. I had mentioned to my dad that I wanted to fix it up and he gave me these items for my birthday. At first I thought it was a cell phone (this is when cell phones were just picking up in the market) because they were in a cell phone box.
The fridge, stove and side table I found at a really cool thrift store in Farmville, Va where I received my degree. I'm trying to fix them up a little.
And this last little doll was donated to my dollhouse by Peyton, my sister. We found this doll at cracker barrel and had to get her because her name was "Pretty Peyton". She now has a home in my dollhouse as one of the permanent residences, along with Tiffany.
That's my collection thus far. I'll probably write a post every time I add something new.
