Shy Spirit

I do hope someone gets it! I also hope a member here is inspired to create a miniature version ...

Are you interested in the headboard, Amanda? I think it would be so cute to have a miniature set like this, to put in a dollhouse bedroom!

Amanda, you have done a beautiful job on this! I love blue and white - it looks so fresh and crisp. That cupboard found the best home ever!

Looking forward to the pics! I think you found a real bargain there, Amanda. 😉 Can't wait to see it!

I did find a set for sale in Ontario, but the asking price is way beyond my budget ... so I'll be just happy for you, Amanda. Your cupboard will make a lovely storage piece - and showpiece, too!

I love it! Yes, I also wish it was mine ... and if I can find something similar, my granddaughter will be over the moon! Off to conduct a search ...

Oh, you are going to have fun with your castle! What a wonderful find - and a real bargain to boot. Please take lots of pics so we can all drool along.

The washi tape does an outstanding job - nice work, Bobie! The food colouring worked really well also ... I wouldn't have thought to use that. Very pretty coloured glass bottles!

Sorry I don't have useful info on the book, but Sarah's tip to check Casey's blog is excellent. Casey is an amazing miniaturist. I also hope she is well ...

Great find, Lee! I think I'll have to see if our Dollar Tree carries those little bottles ... one can never have enough of them, and you're so right - they cost a lot more in the craft stores!!

Oh my goodness, Grazhina! What a drastic step - I'm interested to find out your plans now for this one. I know it will be a showstopper, it's one of yours! Oops, never mind ... I see you have chronicled your work on your blog ... I'm off for a peek ...

An access hole is such a clever idea! I must remember that for the future. (Electrifying a dollhouse is a goal of mine ... but I'm a procrastinating coward, that's for sure.)

Mercedes, you are asking your questions in the right place - the Greenleaf forums are a wealth of information. Ask away ... and remember what Holly always says, "There are no dumb questions"! A picture is worth a thousand words - and you will find pictures galore in the galleries here. Make sure to check out the blogs and other threads on the Beacon Hill. (Holly and other members posted links.) I love that house, and would really like to see you build it.

Kathleen, how goes the search for a suitable replacement second storey? I'm afraid I have no suggestion for you, but I am hoping you were successful.

I made a miniature thank-you gift for a nurse who looked after my aunt. The nurse was a person of colour, and so I ended up making the nurse doll for the little vignette. That was okay for an enclosed scene, but I wasn't sure that I could make a doll strong enough to withstand a young girl's play! It seems odd that there are so many white dolls commercially available, but very limited options otherwise.

What a good question! I recently needed a female doll with brown skin and couldn't find any suitable - except for a "Mummy-to-be" doll. She has a slight tummy, but could pass for a non-pregnant doll in a pinch. I gave the dollhouse a little nursery for the coming baby, but no baby doll. Even if there were a doll in the crib, the little tummy on the doll is no more than a post-partum mother's stomach would be! The girl who received the dollhouse has a mother with Trinidadian heritage, and a "white" Canadian father. I didn't want to give her a single race dollhouse couple, because that wouldn't fit her family identity. Finding a white daddy doll was easy, but I would very much like to source some other options for dolls with brown complexions.

Sorry to hijack the thread ... but I was given pieces for the Chrysnbon icebox and butter churn set - with no instructions. No tongs, block of ice, drip pan, etc. It seems like the two inner side panels I have are both for the same side, but I can't be sure. Is it possible to prevail upon the kindness of our members again? I would truly appreciate receiving instructions for this kit! Thanks in advance, in case somebody can help.

Bobie, I found some information on the history of Greenleaf here: http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/about.htm

Thanks very much Joanne, Jess and Kathie! Holly, there were two dolphins on the sheet, but the second one had to be cut out - you can just see part of the snout near the first one's tail ...

Thank you Billie, Shannon and Holly, for your kind words. I'm partial to a blue, white and yellow colour scheme ... and I like to think that the dollhouse is also happy with its new look. My favourite room is the bathroom - even though it is the only room I didn't use dollhouse wallpaper on. The focal wall is done with scrapbook paper. It has an underwater theme, which tied in with the design on the bathroom set. The little wooden vanity table isn't part of the porcelain set, but has a shell design on the table-top. I found the cardboard cutout of a shell that pulled the set together, and added a little height to that corner. The stool is just a painted plastic oasis support. It was originally dark green. It looks the part well enough, but it couldn't support a doll foolish enough to sit on it. I used scrapbooking sticker embellishments for the pearl bubbles cascading over the doorway arch. (No-one needs to know that the "inspiration" for the bubbles was the less than pristine fit of the paper (imperfect cut job by yours truly) over the archway ... creating the desire to disguise/enhance the appearance of it.) I ended up taking great delight in the whimsical effect. Don't you love it when a flaw provides the opportunity to use a little imagination? Flaws happen so often that I have to consider them part of my creative process - lucky me!

Nothing for me to say that helps ... but I am very interested to hear what others will add. I have the starter kit too, but I bought it years ago and have never scraped up the courage to use it. Maybe your journey will inspire me, Muriel. Good luck - it looks great so far!

I never thought about tacking down the furniture. It makes sense, just never occurred to me. And a bathtub did fall out once - and broke - I kept the taps so it didn't all go to waste! I use tacky wax for small items like a vase of flowers, a picture on the wall, etc. What a good thing we have this forum, as the members here never fail to give helpful tips and advice. I like Holly's idea of the blue putty.

I painted the underside of the last dollhouse I worked on with satin enamel. I thought about gluing some felt on, but went with the paint instead. I would still put a cloth or some padding underneath, just to be sure. Kathie's carpet tiles sound like a very good idea.

I thought I would open a new album - it has been so long since I did one - but I'm a bit confused ... I couldn't attach photos from my computer. Ummm ... ?????? I decided instead to post a couple of pics here. I worked on this secondhand dollhouse for quite a while - it had been sadly neglected. Only the outer shell had been painted, and it had faded to a grungy grey-green-blue colour. The shingles had been left the raw, untreated wood, which had also faded and dried out. It had no doors, or interior window frames. The windows were badly scratched, yellowed and buckled. It was quite a job creating doors for the first time - I used matboard - and the windows were an absolute nightmare, but it was still fun to do. After attending to the dollhouse's needs, it turned out to be a pretty little thing! I have given it to a girl my granddaughter is friends with, and she is very excited about it. I gave her a couple of kits so she could make her own bedclothes, a rug, and a snowman kit for her younger brother to make. Also, she will need to paint a couple of unfinished wood pieces. I have left plenty for her to do herself. These are all very basic, as she is new to the hobby and I didn't want to overwhelm her - but I do want to encourage her to become a miniaturist. I know that I made mistakes on this house, and it is so far from perfect that I could cry ... but the girl loves it, and that is what really counts.

You know, Dean is the man with the plan ... he is the fearless leader of Greenleaf! This close to Christmas, he must be run off his feet with work. If nobody else here has the answers, he will be the one to check with - just maybe wait until after the Christmas rush!