"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands........" 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Monday, October 13, 2014

I just purchased a 1940-1950's "fixer upper"

It's a hand built salt box that measures 26 inches high by 14 inches wide!

The roof needs fixing............

the rooms are all in sad shape..........but it is just the right size of a house for me to handle!
Okay.....enough of my humor.
While I was at an estate sale, I spotted this doll house sitting in a corner of a dirt caked floor in the garage. I learned that the lady who use to live in the home fixed up doll houses,,,,,,,,,, there was a beautiful Victorian doll house for sale in the home........but this doll house called out to me.

Someone really loved a certain little girl to have taken so much time to make this for her.
I wonder who they were.............
The kitchen has a wall of cabinets and counters........

 In the middle of the house behind a room wall is a tangle of old wires and as you can see in the top of the photo........each room had a light.............that at one time, lit up.
I am leaving these lights...........maybe fix a lamp shade around them.......
but I am not worried about them lighting up. I am not an electrician and  I don't want to catch my house on fire!

There is also a good attic space.

A hand made curtain for the kitchen window still hangs , and although I want to decorate and redo the house............there are some things that I want to let remain.........such as this kitchen curtain. I want to keep some of the oldness and original things to the house.  



So I just washed the curtain and it came out like new!
I am also going to keep the outside paint as it is.........it needs a good scrubbing.
I love the colors and I am just going to add things to the outside like trim.......maybe some flower boxes  and such. I don't want to fix it up "Victorian " style or modern. 
I want it to look like a weathered old farmhouse that is out in the middle of the woods...........that is how my grandparents lived and I loved spending time visiting them there. 
 After looking for possible dollhouse furniture, I was shocked to see how pricey it can all be...........,,,.I am going to try to make most of it myself.  
I plan to work on one room at a time and I am not going to be in a hurry.  It will probably take me longer to renovate this house more than it will to paint my  own home.  So as I make progress with each room, I will post it here...............
Do any of you like to build or decorate dollhouses?  
Do you make dollhouse furniture?
I would love to hear!




17 comments:

wenhkc said...

I love doll houses and miniatures, but don't have time to add that hobby to my repertoire of projects. So, I will enjoy reading about your adventures renovating your little farmhouse.

Faith said...

oh wow what a delight! I am glad that you rescued it, and the little curtain came out perfect. Someone did put love and effort into this for someone they love, that is what makes this extra special. I would have scooped it up too. Looking forward to the redecorating, so many possibilities.

Sea Angels said...

that is soooo pretty, they even make wonderful little cupboards for special things, I wallpapered the walls of mine with pages from an old Alice in Wonderland book...have fun
Lynn x

Nancy J said...

This is so special, and the memories, from the wonderful hands who made it, to the Mum, and her wee girl who played with it.I can see some serious time spent with this. and wait for all updates.Cheers,Jean

Kathleen Grace said...

I think you found a gem! I look forward to seeing how you transform it. I love the idea of keeping it like an old farmhouse:>)

Bev C said...

Hello Kathleen,

What a wonderful treasure. Have fun fixing it up. Love the kitchen, glad to see you are leaving some of it as is.

Happy days.
Bev.

Sally said...

I'm going to be anxious to see what you do to your new/old home. I have two friends who are doing exactly that with old doll houses. :)

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

What a lot of fun that little girl must have had! It will be interesting to see you bring it back to life with your own special brand of skill and love. Can't wait to see updates!

lil red hen said...

This is wonderful!! I've wanted a doll house for years and years, but am not talented enough to build one for myself and everyone else is too busy. My second daughter made one from an old TV cabinet when she was a teenager. She put in a divider so there would be an upstairs section, made a stairway, and downstairs was a fireplace made from real rocks. We still have it and if I had room inside the house I'd bring it inside for my wooden Polish dolls. She also made some precious furniture: you may have seen the pieces on my blog.

Anyway, I'll be watching for your "renovations". :-)

1st Man said...

That is SO awesome. What a neat find. It does remind me of an old farmhouse that's been on a piece of land for years, abandoned but obviously loved and filled with family. This little girls dollhouse was probably filled with love as well.

Awesome that it will continue on....

Debra said...

It's just wonderful!!!!It looks like old 60's wallpaper in that one room-I love it! I grew up using my mom's doll house, so I have a special fondness for them. I did make one-I need to post it on my blog sometime. I made my own rustic furniture out of snow fence wood, but I'm not sure I have the furniture anymore...Can't wait to see what you do with this treasure!

Sherri Farley said...

The dollhouse is just lovely & a great find too. Someone did a wonderful job with the details. It will be a perfect farmhouse & you will have loads of fun fixing it up. I like that you're keeping the original outside colors & I love the open windows too. I made a dollhouse for my daughter from a kit years ago & I had to take all the windows out, because she wanted to stick her hands through to play. I've been collecting dollhouse furniture for a few years, when the hubby gets done with the sailboat restoration he will tackle some of the things on my list! I've put in an order for a simple house or a room box, like the German room boxes of old, with open windows, simple shutters and flower boxes. I plan to paint it. Dollhouse furniture can be very pricey, but I stalk e-bay every week to search for a bargain, as I have given up finding much at flea markets. E-bay has so much dollhouse stuff. I'm searching for painted wooden furniture with a Bavarian look. (I'm half German) I have bedroom and kitchen furniture so far and a few accessories. I have sure had fun searching for what I like, especially when it's a bargain, and look forward to making some things too. I guess we are never too old to play are we? I look forward to seeing your dollhouse progress!

Lady Jane said...

I love minis so much I have a blog about my house I made. http://fortheloveofminis.blogspot.com/ please visit my brownstone. It is so much fun.

Laurie said...

I love this! I'm anxious to see how you finish it. I can see a little girl really loved it. My father made a doll house for my niece, which she still has. Such love and attention to detail went into every inch. Yours is such a special find. Have fun creating a new life combined with the old.

A Colorful World said...

It's a great old house, and I know it will be a beautiful "fix." So glad you want to love it but keep its old farmhouse charm!

Connie said...

Oh my gosh, Kathleen, what a wonderful doll house. I love the little cupboards in the kitchen. I can't wait to see what all you do to it to fix it up!

KathyB. said...

I love to decorate and furnish my doll houses. One is a shelf in my china cabinet, another is a very rustic log cabin my family made for a home-school history fair. Yet another was my first doll house and still needs finishing. All are projects of love to be done by me in my time, my way. I am excited for you to begin this journey.