Dollhouse Rennovation: Complete!

It's complete!

Between my last update and what I'm featuring today, there was a lot of back-and-forth, hiccups, and neck craning to get the dollhouse done. I mentioned that the paint seemed to be "absorbing" into the wood...well after about eight or ten coats I finally covered most of the imperfections. The ceiling was the easiest to paint - using white craft paint and a foam roller I was done in two coats {leave it to me to buy the foam roller the day I'm finishing this instead of using a paintbrush for the whole thing first}.

I used a smaller paintbrush for the trim on the inside and the windows, both inside and outside of the house. That was tedious, but I kept reminding myself that I was almost done and all of these little details will be well worth it.

My Dad found the linoleum flooring at Menards for pretty cheap and went the extra mile to find me the appropriate glue {thanks, Dad!}. I measured and cut {a few times...it's hard to draw a straight line off a tape measure alone}, battled a rash on my arms and knees from the fiberglass on the bottom of the flooring, applied the glue, and laid the flooring down. I think it looks AMAZING.  

I am so glad to have this dollhouse rennovation out of the way...it was such a relief to stuff it into the truck {okay, it's a Ford Escape, but it's a truck to me...I just traded in my Cobalt Coupe}, watch the hubby haul it up to the condo, set up all the little furniture and details I had spent hours bidding on eBay for, and wrap it. The best part of it all was watching B play with it for the first time. It was so exciting and made me feel all warm and cozy inside knowing all the memories I stored among these miniature rooms will soon be joined by those of my daughter. This dollhouse was certainly a treasure for both me and my younger sisters, and I know it's something that B will not soon grow out of.

Here's the proud new owner of the home:

{Isn't she just darling?} The outside of the house is a navy blue with white shutters, but I didn't snap a picture of it. I will still have some touch up work in the spring with the roof, but other than that her and I can decorate the walls with wrapping paper, fabric, add small pictures, home decor...whatever her little heart desires!

Here's the dining room up close. It features a cute little table set up that includes everything Barbie would need for a fancy dinner party. Even wine {yikes!}. And yes, the window is missing, but we were unable to find it or a replacement. That's OK though. I have plans. Just need time...

Here is a quick pic of one of the bedrooms. There are some details I wish I had snapped on the hutch, like a fishbowl that B went GAGA over because it looks like her own pet, but once some updates are made to the decor I'll feature our creative additions in full.

This is the "big" bedroom...seriously the bed fits two Barbies. I didn't have that as a kid...they just fit one "back in the day"! This is a completely handmade set and I am so lucky to have found it for B. It's made for play, not just a diarama, plus it's fun, girly, and we just love it.

The living room couch is another handmade set, I got it from the same seller as the "big" bedroom. The entertainment pieces are all plastic so they should last for a while.

Well, there you have it. I wish I had taken pictures as I went along, but I'm going to use a bunch of excuses why I didn't and just make sure I photograph my projects better going forward.

What project should I tackle next?

Working on My Fitness...and Other Updates.

I got my butt out of bed this morning and worked out to Jillian Michaels: 6 Week Six-Pack and holy cow I swear I almost passed out. I better keep it up though! I thought I read somewhere that Jillian Michaels said to keep going unless you faint or die (you never know with the internet...) so let's hope it doesn't get to that point. I have this bad habit of NOT working out because it's just boring to me, and not because I'm a super fit rockstar or anything, I just strongly dislike the repetitive movements and lack of immediate results. I'm going to have to figure out what motivates me so I can keep going.

Dollhouse: what a pain. Part of the problem is I have to drive a half hour across town to work on it since we don't have the space here to hide it. The rest of the problem lies in the type of wood that was used to build it. While absolutely stunning without the marker and writing we added for decor as kids, the wood doesn't take to paint very well. You can see the wood grain even after six coats! I used craft paint, but I'm debating if I should buy wallpaper instead, or paint stripes in the rooms to distract the eyes from the texture of the walls. I only have 12 more days until Christmas, YIKES!

De-Monster Spray: works like a charm. B has had only one excuse in the last couple days (she can't fall asleep) but no fits or tantrums as before! (I feel like a genius, even though it wasn't an original idea of mine...next time I'd like to go all out as Happy Life Crafty Wife did here.)

Happy Tuesday!

-KK

Dollhouse Renovation: Phase 1

I have just begun my first major DIY project.

As a young lass, I adored Barbies. I mean, really. My sister and I would even get caught by our parents playing with them instead of sleeping because we were so excited over the storyline we had created. At my Nanny and Grandpa's house, I had a beautiful handcrafted dollhouse - a gift from one of their good friends. My sister and I played with it every single day. Over the years, it has been passed out between three sisters and last year my youngest sister decided she had outgrown the famous doll. Into storage it went.

It so happens that my 4-year old, B, has recently taken an interest in Barbie dolls. Princesses, particularly. It was also recently that she mentioned she was going to ask Santa for a dollhouse.

Light bulb.

Inspired by photos I came across here and there, I decided to give the dollhouse a renovation. Myself.

Here's what it looked like after seeing it for the first time in years:

Cute, right? Look closer.

Oh. Em. Gee. I forgot how much we had written on it as kids! That house sure took a beating.

Ok, so I had my work cut out for me. To start, I removed the handles on either side of the house.

I'm sure I could find drawer handles at a hardware store to replace these...

Next, I covered the windows so I wouldn't have to replace them (one is already missing, need to decide what to do about that).

 

After cleaning and sanding, it was finally time to grab the spray paint! I chose spray paint because of multiple projects I had found online and decided it would be the most efficient way to cover every nook and cranny with paint, especially in the attic which gets pretty tight.

I sprayed. I sprayed and I sprayed and I sprayed. I ended up with this:

Where oh where did I go wrong?? I have no idea what happened, but the spray paint just clouded inside the room then floated out, barely sticking to the walls. I moved the can on closer thinking that would help, but instead it dribbled down the walls or left puddles on the floors. Yes, I used the sweeping motion. 

I ran out of paint and patience so moved on to the outside of the house. Another problem of a different kind...the outside is now bubble gum pink instead of watermelon, and after two - yes {2} - cans, the spray paint still didn't cover the markings on the house!

Let me tell you, I am feeling like the biggest failure right now! How difficult can it be to spray paint? What a mistake. A waste of time!

There is one bright spot in all of this: the roof. I purchased "Make It Stone" spray paint to add texture to the roof. It looks amazing!

I already started sanding the house again, but this time I'm going all elbows in.

Phase II will be a lot more work and a lot different than I originally anticipated. What's the next step in my Plan? Buy actual paint for the exterior, determine colors for interior, and chose scrapbook paper to use as wallpaper. Let's hope I can get that done this week! Then I will be back to sanding and painting. Hopefully "Santa" can finish this by Christmas!