club little house

Basic Ingredients

2011-04-05T16:31:00.000-04:00

by Leslie Brier, Brier Design Studio

The Art About Food Show just opened at LibertyTown last Friday night. I'd been collecting items to use in a food-themed assemblage for awhile and I finally got them all together about a week ago. It started with a cocoa tin and a small antique doll. (I think she's about 4 inches tall.)

And this page from a promotional cookbook:

Normally, I would make a color copy of it, but I started this project late at night, so I decided I'd go ahead and use the original.

This was my rough layout. I painted the rolling pin to match the ad, and then placed items where I thought they should go. I took this photo so I could put everything back after I added color and texture to the background. (Sorry the quality of the photos wasn't better. I wasn't thinking about showing them to anyone else when I took them.)

I had some old paper ribbon that I was used by 3 Chefs Restaurant to wrap around cardboard boxes of fried chicken. I used it to define the different areas of my artwork. You can see that I added color, too. Nothing was secured to the board at this point, so I took that photo to refer back to later.

This is the finished piece. It's rare for me to stay this true to my original concept. Usually, what I start out with and what I end up with are miles apart. In this case, I had a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do, and not a lot of time to complete it, so I had to trust my instincts, and get it done. In the end I was pleased with the result.

a new little house!

2010-08-17T18:46:00.003-04:00

I've had an idea that had been on the back burner since I participated in CLH December 2008 and finally I am acting on it. The idea is to create a dollhouse environment combining my little drawings along with miniatures, then photograph the scenes to develop a picture storybook. And if all goes as planned some stop motion animation too!

I have no idea how this will turn out but I am excited to have a project that will be purely experimental and just for me.

I searched for dollhouses on Craigslist hoping to find a used one. But there wasn't anything that fit what I had in mind. I'm still on the lookout for old dollhouse furniture that is 1/12 scale, so if you have some you don't want let me know!

After much searching I decided on this house from HomeDepot:

This weekend I put it together and blogged about it here!

I really hope we'll be able to do Club Little House again one day. It was so much fun and now I have so many ideas!

CLH 100th Post Giveaway

2010-01-09T17:47:00.005-05:00

I have had so much fun in the last two CLH swaps and stopped by to see if anything was happening here. I noticed that there are 101 posts. Time for a giveaway. Leave a comment on my blog for a chance to win. I will send a little miniature gift for your dollhouse to a poster selected at random by Softie our big golden dog.

Happy Fall 'Ya All!

2009-10-12T19:49:00.003-04:00

Just dropping in to say "hi" to all of my Club Little House friends, and anyone else who might be reading this. I just recently met up with two other CLH members at the "Showcase of Miniatures" show in San Jose, California. We all expressed how much we love CLH and hope that someday in the future we will be able to do another swap. We love the creativity and whimsy that everyone brought to the last swap.
Anyway, if you'd like to see what I brought home from the show, please feel free to stop by my blog, Little Nest Studio!
Hugs,
Jill

New Little House on The Block

2009-05-24T00:58:00.003-04:00

Hello, friends! I just wanted to let you all know I've got a little blog now! See, you girls all got me hooked... and I was feeling a little left out! Anyway, please feel free to stop on by Little Nest Studio. Hope to see you soon!

Dollhouse Redecorate

2009-03-15T15:33:00.006-04:00

I redecorated my dollhouse with some of my CLH treasures from the past couple of years and wanted to share photos with you. I haven't unpacked everything but hope to make some more changes with the seasons. Enjoy! Thank you so much for all the little treasures that everyone made. Its like having my own little fun house! Sharolyn

FINALLY! My blog has my CLH update!

2009-01-07T11:35:00.002-05:00

Sorry it's taken me so long to update everyone, I still haven't had a chance to email the ladies who's littles I received to say thank you, but I have finally managed to find the time to post my CLH goodies on my blog! My pics are also up on Flickr, there's a link form my blog. Thanks again to Everyone who took part!

So much fun

2008-12-29T21:25:00.002-05:00

Dear CLH,

Thank you all for all the work you put into CLH. Amy, thank you especially for ALL the work you did to make it all happen. This was my first time, and it has been so much fun. I hope that you all have enjoyed it as much as I have.

I had a bit of a scare when my package was posted as delivered but it wasn't....it appeared 24 hours later, though, I was soooo happy. My dd called my mom, and we had a happy time opening everything. (Even though we did think about leaving all as-is 'cause it was all so sweet the way it came...but we got over that quickly enough!)

I've enjoyed seeing your stories and photos on your blogs also. It's been fun to see how others work, to read about some challenges, and fun to see my littles out there too!

Wishing you all a very happy 2009! May your year be full of fun and tiny treasures!

Lynne

Thank You

2008-12-28T14:33:00.002-05:00

Dear CLH members

My package arrived Christmas Eve and I loved every little bit. I will post some pics on my blog and send out some emails to the lovely women whose contributions I received soon but just wanted to thank you all and especially Amy for arranging this swap. May each one of you have a wonderful 2009!!

My Package Arrived

2008-12-18T20:08:00.004-05:00

My CLH package arrived today and I have posted about it on my blog. I have included lots of pictures! Come and visit when you are ready. ~Mandy

on their way...

2008-12-15T21:06:00.003-05:00

Look at all these boxes! They reached the ceiling! And guess what...they are on their way to you. Are you ready?

There was a minor setback so it took just a little bit longer to get all these packages ready. I can't wait for you to see all the goodies. I think this is the best round yet...so much really wonderful stuff. And the details are beyond fabulous. You'll see.

Comment here when your package arrives...and if you have any sort of celebration planned for the grand package opening, post pictures! Have fun!

My Blog has my submissions...

2008-12-15T17:12:00.002-05:00

Here they are packaged up, don't visit my blog if you want to keep it all a surprise!
I am going to be stalking my mailman all week now!

My Project Revealed

2008-12-13T17:55:00.003-05:00

When you are ready to see what I made for CLH, come visit me at Wish on a Whisker. ~Mandy

Club Little House

2008-12-12T22:58:00.001-05:00

Ohh my Amy has divided up the CLH submissions -- so exciting!! See her blog!!!

LOL - Me and Martha

2008-12-11T05:57:00.002-05:00

I bought Martha Stewart Living magazine - the one with all the beautiful cookies on the cover - and was enjoying flipping through it when a little more that halfway through I stopped and gasped. There is a photo of something similar to what I had made for CLH!!! Her version is life size and mine is dollhouse scale, but still me and Martha on the same track - unbelievable.

Club Little House Sneak Peek

2008-12-04T15:26:00.002-05:00

I hope this sneak peek doesn't spoil the surprise too much. I'm knee deep in packaging up my littles for this round of Club Little House. The sorting party is on Monday and friends are coming over to help package up littles and send them off. It's going to be so much fun.

My Little's Sneak Peek

2008-12-04T02:26:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone, I bet you all are just as excited for the Little's to arrive in your mail box as I am. I am trying to be patient. :-) I have just posted a picture of my Little's all wrapped up. Take a look here

Lisa

2008-12-02T13:05:00.002-05:00

A good Tuesday to you all! While we're waitin', just thought I'd pop in and say hi! We had a package on the doorstep yesterday, and dd said- "I'll bet it's your swaps!" Just a little anticipa-a-tion, here too.

I just have to ask- are any of you members of N.A.M.E.?

mini hugs.
Lynne

Anticipation

2008-11-29T17:52:00.002-05:00

Hi All,
I just wanted to tell you that the excitement is building at our house. I sent an e-mail out to my friends showing them what Sylvan and I had made, and telling them about Club Littlehouse.

We've had several friends e-mail and ask if we they could please, please be there when the package arrives so they can see what's inside! So it looks like we'll be having an impromptu party! Our guests will have to arrive quickly, though. I don't think we'll be able to wait too long to open everything!

Leslie

Another Teaser

2008-11-29T12:39:00.004-05:00

Anticipation is an exciting part of Club Little House. Here is a shot of my packages. Enjoy!
I had so much fun making my littles. Its been good but difficult to make the time to do the crafting, and this whole new reliance on glasses has been a learning experience and my fingers just don't have the dexterity I wanted. I really loved the process and somewhat winding road from my inspiration to vision through setbacks and new paths to a finished product that I am pleased with. Hope you will be pleased too.

Club Little House update

2008-11-20T15:47:00.010-05:00

Oh my goodness! You wouldn't believe the littles that have arrived at my doorstep this week! You are in for such a treat, my friends. Truly you are!

As of today, packages have arrived from:

Jenna Z.
June
Stef
Leslie
Crystal
Jill (x 2)
Doreen
Heidi
Lynne
Tammy
Marci
Sharolyn
Mandy
Bristol
Kim
Roslyn Sue
Claudine
Jo
Susan
Susanna
Tracey
Marlene
Louise
Saucy
Lisa
Karen
Hope
Claire
Pam
Michelle
Me (x 3)

I've heard from most of the ones on the list of littles in waiting and most are on their way, or in progress. There are a couple of people I haven't heard from in a while. If you could, just leave a comment below letting me know the status.

Another Newbie

2008-11-17T08:34:00.003-05:00

Hello fellow CLH swappers,

My name is Tracey (AKA Oliver Rain) and this is my first Club Little House Swap. I've been dying to join since I saw the first swap a few years ago. Making 12 little miniatures was the last thing I had time for now, but the idea of participating in this one was too good to pass up. So my fingers are sore and my eyes are tired, but I'm finished!

I hope you enjoy my contributions. They will be shipped out later this morning. I can't wait until the big reveal!

Shipped!

2008-11-15T13:43:00.003-05:00

My Club Little House surprises were sent out today! ~Mandy

littles on their way

2008-11-13T16:38:00.002-05:00

Hi :) Posted my little's for CLH in the mail today :). So much fun :) This is the 2nd round I have been in CLH ~ think it gets even more fun :). Now need to do a bit of sprucing up in the doll cottage to get it all ready for the party when the package of goodies arrive :)
crystal
my blog

Hello!! from shar

2008-11-13T07:59:00.003-05:00

I haven't introduced myself yet because I have been sanding and painting and my fingers were sore and couldn't type anymore. Hi! I'm Shar. I think this is my third CLH and I am so excited. I have been thinking of what I was going to make since last year's CLH. I have had one mess up though. I broke one of my molds - in half. So I have had to make a little adjustment. I should finish painting today and hopefully they will be in the mail tomorrow.

Here is a quick picture of the molds to get some idea of what I am making!! Just think FOOD!!

p.s. - check out my blog... I need to update it with CLH's pictures tonight.

Another Peek

2008-11-12T14:39:00.002-05:00

Hi! I have posted another CLH photo on my blog ~Wish on a Whisker~. Still don't want to show too much. My next step is getting them packaged in a big box (or two). My plan is to ship Friday or Saturday. Looking forward to seeing what you all have made! ~Mandy

Hello everyone!

2008-11-11T10:52:00.003-05:00

Time to introduce myself, I think :)
Hello, my name is Susanna and I'm addicted to making miniatures.
I'm so glad to be part of this group of like minded people. You are all warmly invited to view my blog. I say view because the text is all in Finnish, except for one entry (Mary's story). However I do have lots and lots of photos for your viewing pleasure, so please stop by. I have a teeny tiny tea pot filled with steaming tea and cookies waiting for you.

This is what left my house today:

I might show you a sneak peek later, if you say please ;)

Hello CLH!

2008-11-10T11:44:00.003-05:00

Hi there,

I'm so excited to be in this group this time! I'm just about finished with the little somethings. I don't have a blog (gasp!) so no sneak peaks....but I will tell you that the sawdust has been vacuumed up and the paints put away. I'm making a run to Kinko's in a bit, then there will be some cutting, folding, and maybe a just little more paint. Then the wrapping and tying of little packages...so much fun!

-Lynne

I posted my Littles today!

2008-11-06T16:42:00.001-05:00

It was quite nerve-wracking, they have to travel half way across the world, but they are well padded and they are on their way to Amy!

Two more signing on

2008-11-03T20:04:00.001-05:00

Hi there,

My daughter Sylvan and I decided to sign up together. Sylvan just turned 11 and has been making miniatures for the last few years. I am a graphic designer and jewelry designer living in Fredericksburg, Virgina. We are having so much fun putting together all the little elements of our design!

I did have a little mishap the other night, though. I won't say what we're making, but it involved lots of tiny pieces of paper.

Another Introduction

2008-10-28T17:35:00.003-04:00

Hello! My name is Mandy and I am a new member of CLH. I am really excited to be involved and look forward to seeing what everyone is making! I have been working on my little things and hope to have a sneak peek on my blog very soon. Stop by for a visit if you get a chance. ~Mandy

a few more slots open

2008-10-24T12:47:00.002-04:00

I have just a few more slots open for Club Little House. If you know anyone who's interested, or if you'd like to sign up for a double (two groups at once), email me (amy@inspireco.com)

Hope you're all having fun making your littles! I have a lot of itty bitty painting to do. I may have bitten off more than I can chew.

Hello CLH!

2008-10-22T15:15:00.002-04:00

Hi! Thanks to Jo for the push for introductions! I'm Jenna. I write two blogs: CorgiPants, my personal blog and SwapDex, an index of swaps. I am so excited to be participating in Club Little House, this will be my second round! I'm hard at work on my littles, slowly but surely pumping them out in small groups as I get time. In between yard work, my 9-5 job, my etsy store and training and showing our dog, that is! Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! This time around I may just have to pull the dollhouse out of storage to display all my goodies, the box I have them is is starting to overflow!

An Introduction...

2008-10-22T13:23:00.002-04:00

Hello! I thought I'd introduce myself, seeing as I've been stalking so many of your blogs and spending hours going through the Flickr photostream of CLH! My name is Jo, I live the UK, and when I came across Club Little House (in a very roundabout way, I might add!) I was so excited but never for one moment thought I'd ever get in to such a fabulous group. I am amazed at the littles that have been made in previous swaps, and I can't wait to see what littles there'll be in this swap.
I have posted a little sneak peak on my blog, so don't click my link if you want to be completely surprised! It's only a small part of the bigger picture, so it's not going to ruin the surprise completely, but still.
If you do pop over to my blog, leave me a comment, so I know which one of my countless visitors you were ;-)
Better yet, why not add an introduction here, I'd love to 'meet' more of the club members!

club little house announcement...

2008-09-16T08:25:00.002-04:00

Hello, friends. I wanted to be sure you checked out the Club Little House Announcement over at Inspire Co...

Are you ready?

You can sign up for Club Little House starting next friday, Sept. 26 at Noon EST.

A New Club Little House Adventure?

2008-08-06T10:57:00.005-04:00

I was so excited to read on Amy's blog this week that a new Club Little House adventure may be in the works this year. Oh, I am so thrilled and will keep my fingers crossed I get my name on the list when it's time. Now, what to make? Hmmmm....

Christmas House

2007-11-18T12:39:00.000-05:00

I am interested in displaying one of my houses with a Christmas theme. Does anyone have ideas? I would welcome your experiences.

Beatrix Potter Dollhouse post

2007-11-09T09:44:00.000-05:00

is on today ! Go here to visit :)

BFF Laura

2007-11-08T18:48:00.000-05:00

When my best friend moved to the other side of the world I made this mini-house for her. I included everything I could think of that made us a so close. Within these 4 inches I made party lights, grandmothers beaded flower, twigs from her new yard, our picnic table and our (booze) coffee cup. I was lucky enough to speak to her on the phone as she opened each part of my gift. We laughed and cried together. Thousands of miles between us slipped away.

Miniature Dollhouse Fairs and Shows 2008

2007-10-23T06:32:00.000-04:00

I’ve only been able to find shows scheduled up to October for 2008 but I’m sure there are more out there.

Jan. 4–5: Orlando, FL; Orlando Miniatures Show & Sale. Link
Jan. 11–12: Schaumburg, IL; Three Blind Mice Miniature Show. Link
Jan. 12: South Daytona, FL; Dollhouse and Miniatures Flea Market. Link
Jan. 13: Sarasota, FL; Sarasota Festival of Miniatures. Link
Jan. 25–26: Anaheim, CA; Tom Bishop's Southern California Miniatures Show & Sale. Link
Feb. 2–3: Orlando, FL; Orlando Festival of Miniatures. Link
Feb. 2–3: San Diego, CA; San Diego Miniature Crafters "Nostalgia in Miniatures" Show and Sale. Email: davnbuff@cox.net
Feb. 8–9: Ft. Lauderdale, FL; 30th Annual South Florida Dollhouse Miniatures Show & Sale. Link
Feb. 9: Culver City, CA; 22nd Annual Miniatures West Show and Sale. Link
Feb. 15–16: Norcross, GA; Tom Bishop's 26th Annual Atlanta Miniatures Show. Link
Feb. 23–24: Phoenix, AZ; Small World Miniature Club 30th Annual Dollhouse Miniature Show & Sale. Link
April 3–5: Schaumburg, IL; Independent Miniature Artisans Chicago Show & Sale. Link
April 4–5: Schaumburg, IL; Tom Bishop's Chicago International Wholesale Trade Show. Link
April 4–6: Schaumburg, IL; Chicago International Dollshouse & Miniatures Show & Sale. Link
April 5: Victoria, B.C.; Show and Sale. Email: shirl.rose@shaw.ca
April 18–20: London, Ontario; 2008 Ontario Miniatures Gathering. Link
April 19–20: Boise, ID; 28th Annual Mini Les Bois Miniature Show and Sale. Email minigalb@aol.com
April 25–27: Chesterfield, MO; Gateway Miniature Fair Show & Sale. Link
May 9–10: Toledo, OH; Three Blind Mice Miniature Show. Link
May 10: Kingston, Ontario, Canada; MEKA Bi Annual Miniature Show. Link
May 31–June 1: Sturbridge, MA; Sturbridge Miniatures Festival. Link
June 6–7: Schaumburg, IL; Three Blind Mice Annual Miniature Show. Link
June 14–15: Tokyo, Japan; International Doll's House Miniatures Show. Link
July 12: Anaheim, CA; Southern California Summertime Miniatures Show. Link
July 18–19: Burlingame, CA; San Francisco Bay Area Miniatures Show. Link
August 9–10: Dayton, OH; 29th Annual Three Blind Mice Miniature Show. Link
Sept. 6: Oak Ridge, TN; Three Blind Mice Miniature Show. Link
Sept. 7: Baltimore, MD; Maryland Miniatures Festival. Link
Oct. 4: St. Louis, MO; Gateway Miniature Fair Show. Link
Oct. 4–5: Birmingham, UK; Autumn Miniatura International Dolls' House Show. Link
Oct. 10–12, Chesterfield, MO: Gateway Miniature Fair Show & Sale. Link
Oct. 19, McLean, Virginia: Washington DC Metro Area Tysons Corner Fall Festival 25th Anniversary Show. Link
Oct. 25–26, Portland, OR: Northwest Dollhouse & Miniature Show & Sale. Email: PatBennett@NWMiniatureShow.com

Miniature Dollhouse Fairs and Shows 2007

2007-10-23T06:13:00.000-04:00

I attended the Tucson Miniature Society Show this past Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed all the amazing dollhouse creations, some shopping, and garnering ideas for the next round of Club Little House (no, I’ve no idea when or if Amy will do this—but just in case…).

This started me wondering what other miniature shows are out there. So I’ve been researching and thought I’d share my findings with you—both U.S. and international. I’m going to post the schedule in two separate posts. This one is for the balance of 2007.

Nov. and Dec.: UK; there are too many UK Miniature Fairs for these two months for me to list them all, so here is the link to the whole list

Nov. 3: Goshen, IN; Showcase of Miniatures. Email: pamela@ligtel.com

Nov. 3–4: Cherry Hill, NJ; Philadelphia Miniaturia 2007. Link

Nov. 4: Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada; Small Wonders Miniature Club 10th Annual Show & Sale. Link

Nov. 10–11: Madrid, Spain; Tom Bishop's Dolls House Miniatures Fair. Link

Nov. 17: Largo, FL; 29th Annual Tampa Bay Miniature Enthusiasts Dollhouse & Miniatures Show & Sale. Link

Nov. 18: London; Tom Bishop's Dolls House Miniatures Fair. Link

Nov. 18: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Dollhouse and Miniatures Show and Sale. Email: georginawood@msn.com

Dec. 8–9: Louisville, KY; 1st Annual Three Blind Mice Show. Link

Beatrix Potter's dollhouse

2007-10-21T16:53:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to let anyone interested know that on Nov. 9th - National Best Selling Author Susan Wittig Albert, who just released the 4th in the Beatrix Potter Mystery series- The Tale of Hawthorn House -will be doing a guest post on fairibees blog, the post will be about Beatrix Potter's Dollhouse !!!!
There will be a link on that post to enter a drawing for a copy of Tale of Hawthorn House. I can tell you it is a wonderful series :) Hope you can stop by to visit that day :)

You can click here to get to my blog - Susan , will be posting a picture of Beatrix's dollhouse on the guest post -that she took at Hill Top Farm !

Amish treasure

2007-10-18T16:14:00.000-04:00

Lookie Lookie! I just bought this great set of Amish cast iron dollhouse furniture and family. Am I lucky or what? Along with my club little house treasures my houses are being joyfully filled with lovelies. Thanks again to my club sisters.

Lucky, Lucky You!!

2007-10-03T18:18:00.000-04:00

Ohh all you lucky things...you're parcels of little's do look so wonderful.
I am also waiting for my package, but mine does have a very, very long way to travel.
I'm getting so excited now as it must be almost here, then I can join in with the Ohh's, Ahh's and the Wow's!!
Happy unwrapping you all and have fun in "Little World".

Thank You Thank You Thank You !!!!

2007-10-01T22:45:00.000-04:00

At long last the parcel arrived today - my husband even emailed me at work to let me know. Then I had to work late and so just got home and opened it up now. Thank you Daisy, Amy P., Jennifer, Karen G., Keri, Anita, Crystal, Amy W., Amy Powers, Francie, Lisa and Bonni!!! Your gifts arrived and they are so special and so appreciated. I love each and every one of the littles.
Karen

My favorite thing

2007-09-28T16:41:00.000-04:00

This gift from Crystal was a gift I covet. Thank you Crystal. Anyone else who received it would agree that it was fab.

Waiting is Interminable

2007-09-27T22:58:00.000-04:00

Is there anyone else who has not got their Club Little House delivery??? Everything looks so lovely. Patience is a virtue they say but it is hard to wait and wait and wait. Well it sure will be great to get the package. I'm so impressed by what you talented women have created. Softie and I continue to wait and listen for the postal carrier.

I found this little treasure for a dollar. It helped while some time away. I am looking for a doll family. Have people had good experience purchasing on ebay?

Thank you!

2007-09-27T16:53:00.000-04:00

I finally opened my box on Sunday, and found so many treasures. What a talented group! I've posted about my loot here, here, and here. Doesn't Saucy's ironing board, and Heather's backpack, and Corrine's message board look perfect in front of the store? And how about Amy's mail and Rosanna's pink bubblegum machine near the door of the diner:

Thank you, all!

Junie Moon’s Club Little House Rug Tutorial

2007-09-26T15:52:00.000-04:00

I’ve had some emails asking how I made the Club Little House rug and thought I’d share it with the other CLH members, too. How wonderful that you're enjoying the little rug in your dollhouse.

Materials

Printable cotton fabric (craft stores or office supply--not the iron-on kind if you're going to embroider as it's too thick then

Wool (not crafting) felt from your local fabric store

Embroidery floss

A copy of the logo saved to your hard drive

Instructions

Since I had to make multiple rugs and printable fabric isn’t cheap, I wanted to get more than one logo graphic on each sheet of printable fabric. So I copied the logo into a Word document and adjusted to get the size I wanted, then copied that initial design and pasted into the same Word document as many times as would fit on one page. Print—I used my HP color DeskJet printer.

NOTE: Printable fabric isn’t cheap so think about other things you want to print on the fabric page as you’re probably only going to want to print one of the rugs. Maybe make another rug of a different design or a patch for a purse or clothing. I always try to conserve my printable fabric efforts.

After you have your printed product, you need to treat the fabric which is super easy. My package said to rinse the printed fabric under cool water for a bit. Don’t wring it out or anything; instead, let as much water as possible drip off and then iron it dry (being careful not to burn your fabric).

After it was dry, I embroidered the text bits. Then I cut out the rug, leaving some white space around it. I cut out a piece of felt fabric the same size and pinned the two together but you could also baste. I took a pair of scissors and cut around each one of the little scallops on the edge of the logo design—this kept both the rug top and backing the same. I tried using my scallop scissors but the rug design didn’t match the scale of the scallops on the scissors. And, if you closely look at the edge of the logon the right side, you’ll see it is different from the rest of the design.

Now we come to a choice you can make that I wish I’d thought about when doing 24 of these rugs and my eyeballs were threatening to divorce me. I hand-stitched a simple blanket stitch around each rug to bind the two pieces together. If I’d thought about it, I would have used my sewing machine and tried a satin stitch—but I am not sure how that will work with all the little tiny scallop edgings and I just have a basic sewing machine.

And you’re done—that’s it!

Other Rugs You Can Make

Here is a photo of a different rug I made for my dollhouse dining room using the basic same technique as above. However, I printed this design on printable canvas instead of cotton printable fabric because I wanted a semblance of woven texture. I did satin-stitch the edges on this rug.

This slightly out-of-focus picture gives you an idea of the rug texture.

I hope all this helps those of you wanting to make rugs for your dollhouse.

Club Little house goodies

2007-09-24T11:31:00.000-04:00

I posted my Club Little house Goodies on my blog- Thank-you , Thank-you for all the best littles !! Also have a drawing !

Little House Inspiration

2007-09-23T15:30:00.000-04:00

Our family went to the Washington State Fair in Puyallup yesterday. I couldn't help but post pictures of a couple of darling dollhouses displayed. There was lots of inspiration to be found there!

club little house members...

2007-09-23T11:09:00.000-04:00

Now that nearly everyone has their packages, the fun really begins. Feel free to post pictures of the littles you received in place in their new little homes. Later this week, I will post a separate post per item to share with the world what each of you made. If you have a story you'd like to tell or a description, please email me with it {amy@inspireco.com}

Thank you everyone for all the magic that went into each little thing you made. You all are amazing!

2007-09-17T12:46:00.000-04:00

Dollhouse Stained Glass Windows is the name of this book that I bought Saturday at our local "Friends of the Library" book sale. I paid a whopping $.25 for it. I can't wait to play with it. The directions say to use colored pencils to color in the windows. I'm envisioning pink in the girl's bedroom. I love these sales. You never know what you might find.

bundles of littles are on their way!

2007-09-14T08:07:00.000-04:00

Due to arrive Friday, Sept. 21
Mo B.
Heather Rou.
Due to arrive Thursday, Sept. 20:
Claire
Chel
Tammy
Kerry
Anita
Cindy
Michelle
June
Heidi
Due to arrive Wednesday, Sept. 19:
Amy W.
Teresa
Crystal W.
Due to arrive Tuesday, Sept. 18:
Heather B.
Francie
Lisa
Heather M.
Corinne
Melissa
Chelle
Susan
Jenna
Due to arrive Monday, Sept. 17:
Heather Row.
Arrived Saturday:
Mrs. Pilkington x
Gina x
Shar x
Keri x
Crystal T. x
Amy P. x
Bonni x
Maggie x
Arrived Friday:
Jennifer x
Emmy x
Karen G. x
Lorraine x
Pam x

If you're not on this list, your package is being shipped via U.S. Mail.

DAISY! I've been trying to get in touch with no luck. Please email me your shipping address.

Ready or Not...

2007-09-12T21:30:00.000-04:00

(Although I'm certain the answer is READY!)

It looks like your packages will start going out tomorrow!!!! How exciting is that??!

Pam, Pat, Lorraine and I worked hard all day...but we sure had some great fun! Here are some snapshots to capture the magnitude and madness of it all...

Thanks so much Pam, Pat, and Lorraine for all your help. You made it so much fun and so much easier! As a special thank you, I'll send you the recipe for the cheese lava. ha ha! (If Pam or Lorraine have a good picture of the cheese lava maybe they'll post it with an explanation...)

Is anyone else feeling anxious?

2007-09-11T17:25:00.001-04:00

I cannot hardly wait to get my package of littles. I thank you, Amy, for inviting me to join. You are doing the work of a hundred strong men. (Five strong women). I want to see and learn about each submittal. I hope we have some pictures from the members afterwards. You are a great group.

Pirate house

2007-09-06T10:22:00.000-04:00

This is my pirate house. I have restarted this project in anticipation of my littles. It has a rope ladder and hammock. The bottom floor has one wall that is plexiglass. My pirate girl likes to see the ocean when she is on land. The ceiling is painted with the constellations. Another thing my pirate likes.

The Impending Treasure Trove

2007-09-05T07:43:00.000-04:00

Things are getting spruced up at my dollhouse is readiness for the arrival of Club Little House's new treasure trove. I've made curtains for the little girl's room as well as a matching bed skirt and comforter. Everything has been dusted and polished. The table is cleaned off for the celebratory tea party. Have you done anything new with your dollhouse and would you be willing to share your ideas?

hip hip hooray!

2007-09-04T15:38:00.000-04:00

All the littles have arrived!

They are really all so wonderful...I can't wait for you all to see just how wonderful. I'm shooting to get your packages out to you next week. What a celebration it'll be! I love Saucy's idea of a tea party!

update

2007-08-27T07:15:00.000-04:00

There was another little Club Little House emergency. One of our members' homes suffered a flood and her contribution was ruined. Needless to say she's had other things on her mind. I hope she's able to get things back to normal as well as she can.

Meanwhile, Susan, who was the second volunteer for the last emergency, has stepped in to save the day. She's shipping her 12 littles out today to arrive to me later this week.

Kerry's are due to arrive any day and with that, all submissions will be here finally.

I have to do something next swap to prevent drop-outs. We had 2 emergency last minute drop-outs and about 6 others. Maybe the thing to do is to put the responsibility on the member who cannot fulfill the commitment to find a replacement. Or I just need to collect a list of back ups at the time of sign up. I have to do something or else I think I could drive myself absolutely crazy. Let me know your thoughts, please.

I have a couple of elves (Pam and Lorraine) coming to help bundle up all of the member packages. Before that, I have just a little bit of administrative stuff to do to make that go a bit smoother.

If you live in the DC metro area and would like to join in to help, let me know.

Amy's Father

2007-08-21T15:52:00.000-04:00

Amy has posted this on her blog about her father:

I'm heading southward today to be with my father. He's in the hospital after being very ill for 2 weeks.
Will you say a prayer for him to be back on his feet soon?

a little business...

2007-08-12T22:18:00.001-04:00

I'm still waiting for submissions to arrive from:

Paula
Kerry
Rosanna
Karen C.

~~Please make sure they arrive to me by Wednesday of this week at the very latest.~~PLEASE Send them today! Or better yet, yesterday!

And will you email to let me know when you've sent them with tracking numbers? Thanks!

Would you like some more?

2007-08-11T20:20:00.000-04:00

Check out this link to find out what kind of dessert you are I am a smore!! my favourite
http://www.blogthings.com/whatdessertareyoumostlikequiz/

Pink Bee/ sneak peak

2007-08-09T09:31:00.000-04:00

Last night while trying to come up with a way to show those who wanted a peek at my CLH littles and not showing it to those who didn't -I came up with a wonderful new idea for my blogging. So if you want a peek click here for the info :)

sneak peeks!

2007-08-08T18:42:00.000-04:00

I don't know about any of you, but I am loving the sneak peeks! But I respect that some people are more patient than I am so I have posted photos on my blog for those of you who want a little peek! I love a good suprise but sometimes it's just too much to wait!!

CLH for our boys?

2007-08-08T11:36:00.000-04:00

Totally acknowledging that Amy has full veto power on all CLH ideas and suggestions, I'd love to know if other CLH contributors have sons who are enjoying the swapping as much as their daughters? My 7-year-old son has loved both the swaps and watching me make things for the swaps and in the interest of nurturing his creative/gentle spirit as much as my daughter's, I'm wondering if there would be any interest in a "boys in mind" CLH swap?

I'm seeing miniature dart boards, baseball cards, furniture and cooking supplies in darker colors, boys' books and magazines, animals galore, (maybe a miniature aquarium?), mini mini legos, board games, etc. All stuff that girls would like too...but more boy focused.

Again, it doesn't mean it will happen, but I'm curious if there's interest?

xo corinne

ROSANNA: my pink littles from Italy

2007-08-08T09:21:00.000-04:00

I don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone who wants to be surprised so look away.

I'm so happy and lucky to have 24 swap partners in Amy's most amazing swap! I am sending both the little dollhouses and candy machine for each of my partners to get.

This was a lot of fun and I can't wait for you to get them. They should arrive at Amy's door any day now.

Love and hugs to all of you,
Rosanna from Italy
(rosanna.db@alice.it)

Yikes!

2007-08-06T09:31:00.000-04:00

One of the members who I hadn't heard from just emailed to say she wouldn't be able to send in her littles due to a series of family emergencies. I pray everything will be okay in her world and that all will settle down soon.

In the meantime, we have a little problem...I know this is terribly late notice but would any of you like to submit another dozen littles, thus participating in 2 rounds of the 4? You wouldn't need to send the same things but you most certainly can, if that's easier for you.

The catch is that I'd need them to arrive to me by the end of next week, at the latest.

Any takers?

UPDATE:
Sweet Miss June has saved the day! I've heard from all of the members and we are all set.

To those who have outstanding submissions, please try to get them to me by next week at the latest. Thanks!

you guys rock!

2007-08-04T20:07:00.000-04:00

Oh my glory be! You people are a little crazy. Crazy good! I can't believe how fabulous the littles are that you've sent my way. They are AMAZING. And so are you!

I just organized the littles that have arrived. I checked and rechecked.

Here's who I've received items from as of today, August 4:

Mo
Tammy
Sharolyn
Cindy
Anita
Bonni
June
Lorraine
Corrine
Heidi
Teresa
Amy W.
Crystal T.
Jennifer H.
Chelle J.
Crystal W.
Chel
Emmy
Maggie
Anne
Mrs P.
Francie
Lisa S.
Jenna Z.
Michelle W.
Sasha
Heather R.
Heather M.
Daisy
Heather B.
Karen G.
Gina
Pam
Claire
Heather R.
Melissa

I've heard from the following so I know they are on their way:

Rosanna
Keri Tate
Karen C.
Amy P. (but not me!)
Paula
Kerry

I'm contacting the few who I haven't heard from just to be sure. Hopefully they are busy making littles. I'm trying not to worry.

Okay...so that's the update. Thanks everyone! I'm so excited for you to see all the wonderful littles!

chelle's packages

2007-08-01T16:09:00.001-04:00

My packages, sent off yesterday. If you look closely, you'll see a slight spoiler.

saucy's little parcels

2007-08-01T00:30:00.001-04:00

I promised to post a photo of my little packages all wrapped up, and here they are. We've been working on my dollhouse around here lately. Have a look here.

fairiebees

2007-07-30T08:57:00.000-04:00

Here is what my packaging and tag look like -a hint to what's inside :) Finishing up today for the mail tomorrow. :)

I NEED

2007-07-25T20:02:00.000-04:00

one of the littles that Saucy sent. I had to sneak a peek at them and now I'm afraid that I'll be devastated if I don't get one. Amy, will you be taking special requests? With pretty-please and sugar on it?

Anne

club little house report...

2007-07-25T12:05:00.000-04:00

Lots of bundles of littles have arrived already...it's all very exciting!

Here's whose packages I've received so far:

-June
-My sister Jennifer
-Heather Blaire
-Lorraine
-Anne Green
-Karen Gill
-Michelle White
-Amy Wilson
-Maggie Thacker
-Emmy Thacker
-Heather McClure
-Heidi Dicou

I'll update this list often. If your package was sent a while ago (over a week), please let me know.

Please comment to this post to let us know the status of your littles project.

Anne: My Packages ....

2007-07-22T13:13:00.001-04:00

These little boxes were sent to Amy last week.

my package....

2007-07-22T10:27:00.000-04:00

is winging its way to Amy as we speak!

GINA: Inspiration can be anywhere

2007-07-17T10:57:00.000-04:00

Everyone that loves miniatures, doesn't necessarily have a dollhouse. Miniature worlds can be anywhere. So with just about 2 weeks left to get all the little packages in, I thought I would give a little inspiration that might spark the imagination.

Here is some wonderful inspiration. And what about this little miniature village! Click on the close ups of these little houses because they are just amazing. A review about a miniature food book, which is always good to know. And this wonderful site with tutorials. And then Here was a lot of links for doll houses and miniatures but it did have a lot of advertisements or pop-ups.

reminder

2007-07-12T21:11:00.000-04:00

Email Amy to get the address for sending your package.

Shopping For Our Doll Houses...

2007-07-09T01:22:00.001-04:00

I had so much fun at a doll house store today! It's all on my blog - http://michellemwhite.typepad.com/

MICHELLE: My Favorite Doll Books

2007-07-07T00:54:00.000-04:00

I am truly obsessed with dolls and dollhouses! These are some of my favorite books and authors. No one is better than Rumer Godden for doll books: "The Fairy Doll", "Miss Happiness and Miss Flower", "Little Plum", "The Doll's House" and "The Story of Holly and Ivy". Ann M. Martin: "The Doll People" and "The Meanest Doll in the World". Rebecca Caudill: "The Best Loved Doll". Jacqueline Hickey: "A Doll for Great-Grandmothe. Rachel Field: "Hitty, Her First 100 Years". I'm sure I'm forgetting some...if anyone has any doll books they love - please share them!!!

MICHELLE: Meet Allie...

2007-07-07T00:44:00.000-04:00

This is our doll Allie and her house. My three daughters and I were given Allie and her house from a dear neighbor we lived next to in Norfolk, Virginia. Our neighbor, Allie, had no one to leave her dollhouse to, and when we moved home to San Diego she gave it to us so that she knew it would be passed into a loving family! How blessed are we?!? Allie's house needs a little redecorating, so I thought Club Little House would be a wonderful adventure.

A question for CLH members...

2007-07-03T11:08:00.000-04:00

Hello, dolls! Last week, the first submission arrived (from early bird June!) Oh, is it ever wonderful!

I started thinking about doing things differently for this go 'round. In previous rounds, I only ever had as many as two groups going at once. Previously, everyone sent in 12 items, including one for themselves. And I divided groups up into two groups, depending on when their goodies arrived.

This time we have 4 groups. I thought I might like to mix it up. Since we have 4 groups going I think I can work it so that you won't get your own item back. Also, working this way, everyone will probably get a different mix of 12 little things. It'll be a bit more complicated but I think it would be better this way.

What do you think?

ANNE: Doll House Lady

2007-06-27T11:51:00.000-04:00

I found the most wonderful shop of miniatures only to discover it is going out of business! Everything in the store is 40% off. What a windfall for someone who wants the most gorgeous of the miniatures! It's at 2327 Huntington Drive in San Marino, CA. I could have easily spent $$$ on some of the incredible items.

Edited to add: Forgot to tell you the name of the shop - Doll House Lady

SAUCY: coupon code

2007-06-26T12:19:00.000-04:00

Hi everybody!

I was sourcing out supplies for the swap on eBay and the www this weekend and was sent a coupon code for purchases... to pass on to CLH members too so here it is... from Deb at Dollhouse Miniatures:

-------------------------------------------------

I made you a Discount Coupon Code that you can use when you shop on my website at http://www.dollhouseminiatures.net/ - you can share it with your mini friends too! The coupon code is SUMMERSFEST.

The coupon is good for 5% off your website purchases until September 30, 2007. The Discount Coupon code is NOT VALID on eBay purchases, it only works in our site at http://www.dollhouseminiatures.net/ You can search for specific items, shop by category or shop by room -whichever is easier for you. Don't forget to take a peek at the main page of my website -that's where the new minis go first and also the weekly sales. I have over 500 minis in Latest arrivals that aren't on eBay yet....

-------------------------------------------------

I hope this is of interest to some of you. Have a great week!
- Sasha

FARIEBEES: Vintage adoption

2007-06-26T10:40:00.000-04:00

I am having a drawing for this vintage doll on July 1st. If you want to be in the drawing you just leave a comment on my blog in the June 25th post of the doll- fairiebees. :)

past submissions

2007-06-25T10:53:00.000-04:00

Here's a list of links for Club Little House inspiration...

First, be sure to join our Flickr group:

Club Little House on Flickr

Recently there are lots of things from other people who've posted there. But it's all very inspiring.

Here are more Club Little House submissions from previous rounds, and some from the one-on-one swap:

From Saucy

And here, too

Turkey Feathers

allsorts

Alicia

allsorts, again

A post from me

And here

Tracey

a peek at what the packaging looks like

Syd

Another from Turkey Feathers

Another from Alicia

Saucy's one on one swap

June's Flickr spot, including photos of past CLH submissions

I'm sure I missed some...this process of gathering links was clumsy. If I missed any, please add to the list in the comments section...

CINDY: it's a small world

2007-06-24T22:47:00.001-04:00

It's a small world! I have been persuading Teresa, Miss Foof herself, for the last year to sign up for Club Little House with me. She wanted to ... really bad ... but she doesn't have a house. A dollhouse that is. She couldn't stand it one more minute and signed up. This weekend I was at her fabulous "Sparkle Bella" event in Arizona. I had met Michelle White for the first time a few weeks ago in California. We were all three shopping together this weekend when Michelle said "I'm looking for dollhouse items." My ears perked up and I said "Dollhouse?" She replied "Yes I'm in this group called "Club Little House." So there I was - with Miss Teresa from Omaha and Michelle from California with all three of us sharing the common bond of Club Little House. It is a small, small world.

HEATHER: What in tarnation??

2007-06-21T16:03:00.000-04:00

OK...after Karen's post about Ullabenulla and her beautiful pictures of amazing miniatures I went to check it out (of course). WOW! My little farmhouse can't compete with some of the things she has on her blog, but I'll give you a peek anyway. My mom bought me a dollhouse kit for my birthday in February and I've been slowly putting it together. I have four little girls, so I work on it when I can. It still needs the front porch and some inside work done.

Anyhoo, since my dollhouse isn't too exciting YET I thought I'd tease you with what I'm making for the Club Little House exchange. Tee hee hee... No worries, it's not anywhere near finished.

You'll never guess what it's going to be!!

KAREN: Inspiration

2007-06-19T20:16:00.000-04:00

In poking around the internet looking for inspiration for creating the little items for the exchange (and just dreaming about dollhouses) I came across this link to UllaBenulla regarding miniatures and wanted to share it with you. And the most delightful surprize near the end of the post was her credit to Amy. It's a Club LittLe World after all. Click here to see.

SASHA: To paint or not to paint - that is the question!

2007-06-19T01:35:00.000-04:00

In my family we have jolly good arguments about crafts. My father and I have been working on my dollhouse for years. Like June's, it swivels on a turntable that my dad made for it! As you can see, I haven't painted the outside of the house. I just can't decide on a finish. My mother likes it left "au naturel" but I think it should have a vintage-y stain to it, so it looks like it needs a paint job but the inhabitants are too bust throwing birthday parties and eating cakes. Which is, of course, the truth, but more about that some other day. In the meantime, the guard dog is in his fenced part of the yard... my dad carved him to look like our old German Shepherd, Bailey.

I'll tell you a little something: if you turn Bailey's fire hydrant... the lights inside the house come on. See you all soon!

JUNE: Beach Dollhouse Adventures

2007-06-17T17:51:00.000-04:00

What a thrill to be able to join in this new Club Little House venture! We are all here because we share a love and fascination for the tiny 1/12-scale treasures that we buy, make, or share to fashion little vignettes of tiny worlds we construct for ourselves.

In reading about the history of dollhouses (Wikipedia), I was amazed to discover that “Today's doll's house traces its history directly back about four hundred years to the ‘baby houses’ of Europe.” It’s fascinating to think that we’re adding to the dollhouse story and maybe our dollhouses will, over time, delight others long after we’re gone.

My dollhouse is a beach house—a gift from my loving parents and sister when my husband and I married. It is constructed on stilts so it doesn’t get washed out to sea during hurricanes. The whole thing is constructed on a platform which sits on a lazy-susan so I can turn it around to play with it. My dad made a mixture of sand from our home beach with glue he adhered to the platform to emulate the house actually being on a beach near the water’s edge.

The little things I have so far amaze me. There is a golf club set ready to go on the front porch, a tiny IRS form for filing your taxes (even in dollhouse world, I guess we can’t escape), a minuscule box of aluminum foil, itsy-bitsy croissants, frosted donuts and yummy brownies in their own bakery packages, a miniature hurricane lamp (so necessary for power outages during storms) and so on. Under the house are our cars, surfboard, rowboat, life jackets, and other assorted toys associated with the beach.

Some of the wonders that furnish my dollhouse are due to Club Little House. This clever group of dollhouse lovers has provided fabulous creations such as a Hermès bag and box, artist’s easel with its accompanying canvas and palette, beds, dishes, blueberry pie, pie safes, china cabinets, cradles, Halloween treats, and so on. The imaginations of the wonderful club members inspire and astound me.

I’m hard at work on my Club Little House project and hope you will love it as much as I love making it for you. May your dollhouse days be full of sunshine and joy!

June

PINK BEE: Vintage Clara

2007-06-16T17:15:00.000-04:00

This is my first time in Club Little House, am so excited about it.
Here is Vintage Clara, right after arriving by post. She moved into the little pink doll cottage
She loves her cottage and set about decorating it.
Wall papering the walls was a big job for her.
But, it came out perfect. Now for making Vintage Clara some new clothes.

CINDY: Meet Emily.

2007-06-16T14:11:00.000-04:00

Meet Emily. She is the newest edition to our dollhouse. She's getting ready to draw a bath. We just returned from a vacation in San Diego where we found a darling little children's toy store in Old Town. We bought Emily and a little crawling baby for the nursery. This is my second time as a member of Club Little House and I couldn't be more thrilled. My daughter, Taylor, and I have been having fun coming up with ideas for our next project. Club Litttle House is so much fun and a wonderful way to make new friends. I was also a participant in a Club Little House swap and met my swap partner, Anastasia, from Australia. We've been emailing ever since and hope to meet in person one day. We still have a lot of work to do on our dollhouse, but it's lots more fun collecting items for it, than finishing the window trim and flooring. Someday!

welcome to club little house...

2007-06-16T10:23:00.000-04:00

I thought we could use this blog as a way to communicate with each other about Club Little House. If you are a member of Club Little House, send an email and you will be added to the authors list of this blog. Then you can feel free to post updates, pictures, stories, etc. You can also participate by commenting on other's posts.