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IMAGINATION IS THE EYE OF THE SOUL Joseph Joubert. I am a mother of four...I still remember the smile that refused to go away for weeks after our daughters birth. To have a little girl appear after three sons seemed such a miracle. I have always enjoyed My Doll World, sharing it with Lara when she was little. Today I design knitted outfits for miniature dolls and enjoy every minute of it. The fact that the outfits are removable is what makes it so special for me. Using ever finer threads has opened so many MINIATURE DESIGN opportunities.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Rooms in a Doll House




NEW  BEGINNINGS!

8 years ago I received a gift from my husband for our 30th wedding anniversery.

The parcel slip arrived much excitement
Then on closer inspection of the document there was an item for the amount of

R1500.00

This was a fine!
In South Africa we have to pay 14% VAT on imports. What had happened was Motts Miniatures had put a value on the outside of the parcel which was half of the value of the invoice inside the box.
Customs opened the box!!!
I understand that Motts had written on the outside of the parcel the ammount for insurance purposes. This they caluclated at their cost price, and not the retail price.....
After all said and done try explaining that to the South African Customs and Excise.

The fine put a dampener on everything ....

I have now decided to
 "GET OVER MYSELF' 
and make the nursery into the wonderful project it was ment to be.




These are the items I have so far, there is also a towel rack, but it has fallen apart,
 as in come unglued.

A little how I am feeling at the moment!
Far too many things in the creative side of the brain.


My Thoughts

I dont want this nursery to be a play room with a gazillion toys around.
It must be an elegant and restful room for both mother and child. A place to feed the baby without baby getting distracted by everthing around......The playroom can be through an inter leading door.
This can come later.

If I was giving a brief to a customer,
what would I have to include in this breif so they get the idea of the end result.
If you don't write it down it does not happen, one can so easily forget.

ELEGANTLY SHABBY CHIC leaning more to the CHIC side.....


There will be no adults in the room or garden only the sugetion that they are somewhere around.
The cot linen will look as though they baby just just been taken out of the cot.

Bay window with french doors leading out into a garden.
Garden must have a chair with a scatter cushion and table with a tea cup and book. An English country garden flowers.

As this room box is not part of a rectangular dolls house I can have any shape I like, I don't want to see only the side of a piece of furniture. Many antique rooms I have  seen on Theraults Auction Catalougue many of the room boxes have the windows at an angle, good thinking, I like this style.

Brooke Tucker's suggestion of a room leading off somewhere in her style of design opens our imagination....makes us wonder.



I would like cream carpets with the blue toned throw rug  on top.
Cream walls, not sure about wall paper at this stage, would need to find the perfect fit. I favor monotones. So the search is on.
Also that the wall paper is the best of quality so it does not fade in our African sun.  I like a dado rail.

I would like to dress the crib and cot without it being over the top......elegant shabby chic

Rather than use lace on the crib I plan to knit the lace. Having found in my stash 80/2 Egyptian Gassed Cotton in the perfect shade, was serendipity playing with the room.

I would like lace curtains as well as the main curtains. The main curtains need to elegant rather than child like.
I feel cream silk with a delicate design of flowers hanging down as though they were hanging from a pergola would be perfect. I have similar curtains in my main bedroom and have loved them for over 30 years.

A portrait of mother and child, I had the perfect picture on my wish list on Etsy, but after my computer rehash it has disappeared. I cannot remember the name of the shop either.....will have to do a search.

There have to be toys, but understated, once again in delicate shades, not primary colours, those can be for the playroom.

I still need an oval table with a cloth to the floor.
Indoor plants ferns
A table lamp 
A baby night light
Gowns in the wardrobe
A robe hanging ready for the baby to wear.
Toys for in the crib and one or two on the floor
I have a dolls, house dolls house which needs to be put together...now I know what colours to choose.

As I have not made a room box before I'll need to find out the following.

I want the walls to be collapsible as in a flat pack, so they will have to slot into each other with grooves in the wood.
Ideally  the bottom section should have a drawer in which to house the furniture pieces.
My reason being,  if I choose to take this nursery to a show it will be easily transported and everything would be safe and sound.
How can one do this?
What wood should I use?
Who to ask?
I read on a blog of someone who prints fabric and wallpaper for dolls houses top quality too!
RESEARCH        RESEARCH        RESEARCH

Any help from "My Followers" would be much appreciated 
Links to sites for what I need.
Who do you suggest I ask?

Enjoy
And thanks

SHARON

5 comments:

  1. Oh, gosh, Sharon, all this sounds wonderful!!! It will be beautiful once you have turned all your dreams into reality.

    I will think a bit about all your questions and send you an e-mail in the next few days, I want to make something similar to take to Guild School every year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have decided to work on dressing the crib first...comfort zone I suppose. I feel this will give me an idea on how everything else should look.
      Thanks for offering to help Elga

      Delete
  2. Nice idea! I'm curious to see your new project.
    Bye Faby

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Sharon, I have bought the most beautiful papers from susan bembridge in the past and also fabrics to match, she does the fabric in both silk and cotton. Her flooring papers are equally gorgous. All the papers are very good quality. She can even make papers to your custom size (she did this with my flooring paper). She's a lovely lady and extremely helpful she is based in the UK.
    John Hodges uses some of her fabrics on his furniture. Her website can be found at this link: http://www.susanbembridgedesigns.co.uk/
    Hope this helps. Aileen

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Aileen

    Thanks so much your your help....I also have some fabric used in my daughters bedroom when she was a little girl. Would love to have that in miniature. I am so impressed with all the he;lp fellow bloggers give. Very kind if you thanks

    ReplyDelete