The Great Dollhouse Reveal - Part 2

A few months ago, we started putting together the Beacon Hill dollhouse kit for Grace's 4th birthday.  The process was much more time consuming than we could have imagined.   

The pictures, the kit provided, of the dollhouse looked exactly like this...

Yesterday, you got a tour of the outside of Grace's dollhouse.  I'd say, we came as close to their version as possible, with a few of our own extra touches {like the stained glass copula window}.

Today, we {Grace and I} would like to invite you to come on in and take a look around the inside, and you can let me know what you think of our version.

So, let's start the tour in the foyer.  Feel free to hang your coat up on the coat rack. 

Care for a quick snack?  We prepared a cake for your visit.  

Perhaps you want to play a tune on the piano.  We could have a sing-a-long, though, neither Grace nor I have very good voices and these days we like to sing Princess songs.

Shhh.  There's a baby sleeping in the nursery.  You may notice, this is a nearly exact replica of  Grace's room.

From the crescent moon, to the molding, to the crocheted baby blanket, to the Guess How Much I Love You prints. we tried to capture every detail of the room we brought Grace home to.

We tried to capture every detail of the room we brought Grace home to.  

While we are on the landing, you can help yourself to a gumball, if you would like.

The living room is still a bit bare but feel free to come on in and take a peek.

We are continuing our search for the perfect living room set.  For now, we'll just enjoy the unobstructed view of the gorgeous molding.

Need to freshen up a bit?

I'll give you a minute in the bathroom.

Watch out for the wagon as we head over to the bedroom.

And, last but not least, the bedroom.  The furniture given to us by Hopeful One, from the dollhouse she had when she was a child.  Seriously, how sweet is that?

 
The most recent addition to the dollhouse, a gift for Grace's 5th birthday, a bunny hutch filled with bunnies, which is fitting since she had a bunny themed birthday party.

All the details for the inside of the dollhouse {the crown molding, the board and batten, the baseboard, the paneling} all thought of and executed by my husband, as in, they were NOT part of the kit.

He completed this dollhouse with such care for detail, I can't wait to say:  if you can build a dollhouse from a kit, you certainly can build an exact replica in life size form for me to live in.

*And, if the humor of that last part is lost on you, this post will clear it up for you.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting Grace's dollhouse.  

The great dollhouse reveal...FINALLY

After many, many posts about the late nights we invested in building Grace her dollhouse, I realize, I left many of you hanging.  So, as if you haven't waited long enough, today, I'll share the outside of the finished dollhouse and tomorrow the inside.

In the end, we finished the dollhouse in time to give it to Grace for her 4th birthday. And, by in time, I mean with minutes to spare :)

I couldn't have asked for a better reaction from Grace upon seeing her dollhouse.  The look on her face was pure delight.  She also wasted no time exploring, playing and redecorating.

But, back to the outside...

Each shingle on this dollhouse, was lovingly and painstakingly glue into place by my husband.

The stained glass window, created by my father in-law, is the same color stained glass as the butterflies he made for Grace's room.

I attached a Polly Pocket bird to one of the decorative moldings.  I liked the idea of this sweet bird watching over Grace as she plays with her dollhouse.

Each of these details, constructed by my husband, came from this box.

Each piece of siding needed to be glued on separately.  Some pieces even required coping in order to fit it perfectly around the curves of the windows and door frames.

The front porch has a a working porch light, house numbers, welcome mat and a miniature Riley. 

Just like the mat, I'd like to welcome you inside

....but that will have to wait until tomorrow.  Click here to come on in.

100 Year Old House - Grace's Room

In our modest sized house, Grace's bedroom is one of the more sizable rooms.

So, her room is a place where she sleeps.

Where she lounges and reads her books, sometimes by the light of her bug flashlight.

Where she cuddles up under her large collection of quilts, made with love by the Queen of Quilts, my mom.

And also where Grace plays.

We spend lots of time preparing meals in Grace's kitchen.  Thank goodness we don't calorie count here because doughnuts and butter are among her favorite things to prepare.

And, of course, should she run out of anything, she can always go to the market,

conveniently located just south of her bed.

And, let's not forget, she also has a new dollhouse to play with {that tour coming very soon}.

Some of my favorite things in Grace's room, besides for her quilts,

a plush crescent moon.  The first thing I bought when I found out I was pregnant. 

And these stain glassed butterflies that my father in-law made.

You'll also find some of the things I've made for her as well {her baby blanket turned monogrammed art, shadow puppets, and a Fiona Dalton bunny}.

Since I like to show how we have added to the history of our 100 year old house, this is what Grace's room looked like when we bought our house.  This room was decorated with street signs and also had one bright yellow accent wall. 

When we bought our house, we didn't have our Grace. As soon as we found out we were having a baby, we painted the room yellow. Added box moldings under a chair railing and painted that section white.

I hope our house is happy with the changes we made because this is one of my favorite rooms in our house.

But maybe that's because of who lives in this room...

Mango Salsa

Before my favorite food blogs start quaking in their stylish boots, don't worry, you don't have any competition here, I'll get back to sewing something after I share this recipe and leave the cooking to the rest of you :)

My favorite summer salsa is, mango salsa. It's easy to make and oh so refreshing.

You'll need the following ingredients:
2 mangoes
1/2 cup of cilantro
3 green onions or scallions
1 lime
Half of a Serrano pepper

Remove the peel from your mangoes and dice them up.  Chop up about 1/2 a cup of cilantro.  Thinly slice 3 green onions, removing the white stem.  Remove the seeds and dice up half of a Serrano pepper.

Mix all your ingredients together.

Add the juice of one lime.

Grab a chip and enjoy.

Pendant Garland Tutorial

Planning a party, decorating a room or need a prop for some cute pictures, why not make your own pendant garland.

Even if the thought of sewing something seems intimidating or out of reach for you, this is the perfect sewing project to test the waters with.  It's practically no fail.

Grab the following supplies:
Pinking Shears or Rotary Cutter {if you prefer a straight edge on your pendants use scissors}
Fabric {the amount will depend on how big you make your pendants}
Double Biased Tape
Sewing machine {don't be intimidated}

Using your pinking shears/rotary cutter or scissors, cut out your flags.  I used 7 white and red polka dot flags and 7 red and white polka dot flags {14 in total}

Open the biased tape and tuck the top of your flag in the middle of your biased tape.

Pin your flags into place.  Using a zig zag stitch, sew your flags down.

And, just like that, you are done.  Hang it up for decorations.

Or set it up for an interesting photo prop.

The possibilities are endless.  Find fabric that you like, dust off your sewing machine and give it a try.

*You could also do a no sew version.  Use Heat and Bond iron on adhesive for hems.  Put the hem adhesive inside the double biased tape, along with the flags, and iron it down.

Link Party Websites

{M} * Busy Mondays at a Pinch of Joy  *Made Monday at Toastie Studio * *The Cure for the Common Monday * *Polly Want a Crafter * Craftastic Link Party * Brassy Apple, Make it Monday * Made By You Mondays * Between Naps On The Porch * Thrifty Decor Chick *  Skip To My Lou *

{T}  * Tuesdays Tidbits * Tips and Tricks Tuesday at Stringtown Home  * Delicate Construction * The Winthrop Chronicles * Stringtown Home * Open Call Tuesdays on Salt Tree * Adventures of a DIY MOM * It's a Cinch Party * * Show me what ya got from Not Just a Housewife * Take a look Tuesday at Sugar Bee Crafts * Blackberry Vine Tuesday To Do Party * Night Owl Crafting *  Coastal Charm * My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia *  Mommy By Day Crafter by Night * Tip Junkie   *Measured By The Heart *  

{W}  *All Star Blogging Party *Well Crafted Wednesdays *What I Whipped Up Wednesdays * Homemade by You Wednesday * Whimsy Wednesdays  * Blue Cricket Design  * The Fun In Functional * What I learned Wednesday *   Home Happy Home * Someday crafts 

{TH}* Taylor House ThursdayThursday's Temptation Link Party* Delightful Order* A Glimpse Inside  *  The Crafty Blogstalker * Made In a Day  * Somewhat Simple* A Little Knick Knack* House of Hepworth's * Chic on a Shoestring * 52 Mantels *
 

{F} *  Financial Friday Link Up with The Grant Life *  Sharing Saturday  *  The Chic and Crafty Party *  Fab Not Drab Fridays *  Shine on Fridays with One Artsy Mama *  Share What YOU Did with Two Sasters *  Bubbly Nature Creations *  Friday Favs Party at Nap Time Crafters *  Centsational Girl *  Dwell on Friday *  French Country Cottage *  At the Picket Fence * Serenity Now  * Tatertots and Jello * Chic On A Shoestring *  Decorating

Nutmeg Place

{Sat} *Saturday Showcase *Overflowing With Creativity *YOU Inspire Link Party *Be Different Act Normal * Nifty Thrifty Things * I heart naptime * The Sweet Talk Shop * Funky Junk Interiors *  Twigg Studios * 

{Sun}* DIY Showoff * The girl creative * By Stephanie Lynn * My 1929 Charmer Blog * Embellishing Life Everyday * Alderberry Hill * Homemaker On A Dime * Delectable Home * Everything Under The Moon * 

Counting my blessings

On Sunday, an unexpected storm ripped through my town at approximately 11am.  Minutes before the storm hit, the skies were blue, not a cloud in the sky.  The storm came in fast and furiously. 

And, where was I when this storm hit?  Goodwill.  Though I am an avid thrift store shopper, this was the last place I wanted to be.  Apparently, I must have been alone in feeling this way because, as you can see from the picture below, people continued to shop. 

 
The storm is now being reported as having had heavy winds equivalent to a high-end Category 1 hurricane.  Not your typical Chicagoland area weather, that's for sure.
 

When the storm subsided, the typical 10 minute drive home took over 40 minutes due to flooding, uprooted trees and downed power lines.  

As I frantically tried to return home, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst, my prayers were answered and my family and house survived fully intact {besides for a power outage}.  We were lucky, there were many people that did not fare so well.  

Beyond a doubt, this is one of the most terrifying things I have ever experienced. So, I'll focus on counting my blessings and will be back to blogging again next week.