It's A Small World

I finally got some time on Sunday to work on my new dollhouse from Goodwill.  I absolutely did not need another dollhouse but I just couldn't leave it sitting there in the sad little pile of forgotten toys. After circling the store with my cart more than once, and trying to talk myself out of starting another project, of course I broke down and bought it.  For $7.99, who could resist such a cute vintage find? But...buying a new dollhouse eventually leads to the need to decorate the new dollhouse. Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself...take on another project when I have dozens on my mental "To Do" list already (my imagination clearly works faster than my hands). Do you ever feel as though we creative types sometimes have more ideas than we will ever possibly have time to turn into reality? And we blog too!

Anyway, here is dollhouse project #1...making a teeny tiny rug.

Every year in Maine, on the weekend after Labor Day, a talented friend of mine hosts a three day event called Fiber College at her oceanfront campgound. A couple of years ago at Fiber College, I took a class in making Penny Rugs. Now, in spite of their names, penny rugs aren't actually rugs at all...except when you're working on a dollhouse! So I came up with the idea of using penny rug techniques to make a little pink rug for my imaginary dollhouse family...no need for them to have cold feet...

Here's the finished product. The little dollhouse living room is still a work in progress.

The next project on my list was to make curtains for the upstairs bedroom. I cut down a wooden kabob skewer to make the curtain rod and worked it through a piece of vintage lace to create the curtain. The hardest part was fitting my glue gun...and my hands...into the tiny room!

Then it was on to making a bedspread for the little bed...back to my stash of fabric and vintage lace. I found some pink floral flannel and a perfect scrap of lace for this project. The nice thing about dollhouse decorating is that it gives you a chance to use up those little bits of this and that left over from other projects.

Finally, I added some sheet moss, flower pots and, of course, an Easter basket to the front of the house just to give it a touch of Spring.

I think one of the reasons I was drawn to this dollhouse was because it brought back memories of the hours and hours that my sister, Nancy, and I spent working on our dollhouses together. Whenever I work on projects like this, I can almost hear her laughter again and feel her near me...drinking from her can of Tab and telling yet another of her hilarious stories. Nancy found more humor in everyday things than anyone I've ever known.

Here is one of Nancy's completed dollhouses...

and one she didn't have time to finish...

So I'll end this post by quoting the words that Nancy stenciled on the wall of her craft room:  "Life is just a bowl of cherries...so live and laugh at it all!"

Thanks to all of you who, by reading and Following this little blog, allow me to share the simple joys that Nancy and I found together...just doing things like spending a quiet afternoon working on dollhouses. Sometimes it really is all about the small things...

There are so many wonderful blog parties this week...I hope you will visit them all. This post is linked to:

Junkin' Finds Friday at A La Carte

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home

Time Travel Thursday at Brambleberry Cottage

Feature Friday at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Show and tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Everything But the Kitchen Sink at A Little Knick Knack

Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Motivate Me Monday at Keeping It Simple