The fireplace

I've just started renovating this fireplace I've got.
It's going to be in the yellow house I'm working on (which is yellow now, but not for long).

 It was a pretty nice fireplace to begin with, but it doesn't have the look I want, so.. a little paper clay ("Silkis" from Panduro Hobby), glue and patina I think will do the trick! :)
 The cool thing about this fireplace is that it's made of some sort of cement or brick-material and is actually a candle holder. There's a place for a tea candle in the bottom and there's a hole through the chimney so it's totally functional! And quite safe, since the walls are so thick.

So.. I want to keep this authentic-fire-function, but at the same time have the option of putting in some logs and maybe an electrical fake fire for another kind of visual authenticity. Therefore I'm making a loose part that can fill the hole for the candle and thus make the stone bottom look whole. Ok.. you'll see! :)

 So here are som pictures from Day 1.

New times!

Ok, so.. since last time I've moved from Sweden to Norway.
Now I live in Bergen and I finally have room for all of my stuff!
So now I can finally start working on my projects!
I'll keep you posted!

/Hanna

The Christmas gifts.

Ok so a bit of a slow start here for me at my blog, but I have had a long holiday and that was really nice! :)

So the best news since last time is that I've got TWO new houses! My first ones actually!

I whished for a Dremel tool kit this christmas, for my future doll house building projects, and I got one!! Hurra!! I was soo eager to have time to try it out when I left my parents place after christmas, and wondering where to start.. wine boxes maybe.. I was not sure. But I didn't have to wonder for long. As I came home and entered my livingroom/work room there this new object was standing on the floor, a dolls house!! Wow!

It was a christmas gift from my good friend Katti, the least crafty (pyssliga) person I know! She had taken the time to find me this shelf as a base, searched the flea markets and internet for things to put in there, glued up wall papers in some of the rooms and designed half of the house! Wow! I did not expect that! I was really touched! And, she admitted she had had a lot of fun doing it and a new found insight in my interest that before had been totally wierd to her! haha.

Anyways. I got it with the intention that I could do what ever I wanted with it and now with my new Dremel, my fingers are itching to get started and my mind is spinning with questions about what kind of house I will make of this.

I have yet only had time to strip it to the core; take down the wall papers and cleaned it out (whitch felt quite bad considering the time and effort my friend had put into it.. but, I want to make it my own project, from scratch.. so.. it had to be done).

So now I'm laying the plans for the house. What kind of house? What era? In what invironment will it be set? City, forest, country side? Who will live in it? And so on..

I'll come back to these plans later as I go.

But now for the other house! :)

I was working a week in Trollhättan on a movie shoot in january. And as I drove by a second hand store one day I saw a dolls house piled high upon the vast mix of furniture, krinkets, gadgets and stuff that crammed the store from floor to ceiling. So, I just had to go there!

And to my surprise, I not only found what I was looking for, I also found three other dolls houses! wow! And they were all entirely different. The one I scoped in the window was not the one that finally followed me home.. what I found was this yellow house with a removable ceiling and otherwise all intact walls. I liked it because of the different design, the swedishy cottage look to it (that also reminded me of my grandparent's old house in Finland) and the robust foundation.

It is a bit roughfly built. The entrance door is not openable (or whatever you call that) and I also suspected a bit larger than 1:12th scale, which I try to work with. But all and all a very good base to renovate from and I got it at a very good price too!

So now I have two projects to do!

Oh, I wish I was retired! Whith no other obligation than to spend my time on my hobbies!

"Witch-craft"

Here are pictures of some stuff I made this weekend. The bottles and scrolls in the first picture are inspired by Nikki Rowe (http://nikkinikkinikki72.blogspot.com/). The sewing basket to the left I made from a tutorial in the book "Doll's house details - Over 500 craft projects in 1/12 scale" by Kath Dalmeny. The candle and books I bought some time some where, but the one to the right I've patinated a bit with some Citadel wash.

The playing cards I made from printed pictures that I glued together front and back. They measure 8x6 mm.

And the little spider! About 1 cm toe to toe. Not real, no. But made from dried flowers! It gives my herbal witch cottage-in progress a very authentic feeling! My friend Sarah almost jumped when she saw it! *wicked witch giggle*

So it begins..

Ok, let's see where this will lead..

Suddenly I start this blog. And why?

Well, I have an interest I want to share. My interest in miniatures.

For many years now, I've been collecting dollshouse stuff. As a child I played a lot with small dolls, bult houses of rhubarb leaves, twigs and moss, sew and chrocheted small clothes and dreamt of the grand Victorian Playmo House in the toy store. And later, when I could by things on my own and play an adult, the interest crept up on me again.

I don't remember exactly what little thing started the whole collection, but now, 29 years old, I find myself with quite a collection of doll house things and also many collections of ideas that have grown over the years; the houses I will build and the dolls I will make.

I know I want to try and keep to the 1:12 scale. It feels a good size, and very common (and therefore also attainable) around the world.

But, what sort of house do I want? What style? Or styles? Where will I begin?

And it's starting to fall to place.. a mix of a love for nordic old country style (my translation of the swedish word "allmoge"), the beauty of vintage, the rawness of the medieval times, the possibilities of fairytales and the mystic of nature magic.

I want to start building my first house!

I've been so inspired so many times when losing myself on the web searching for dollhouses, fairies, tutorials on mini's, pictures of creations etc. And since I will only develop this interest by collecting more things and making my own creations I thought I'd share this with others like me searching for inspiration out there.

Ok, lets begin!

/Hanna