1. The doll house in it's original condition, 2. The thirty year old wall paper and carpet, 3. After scraping and chiseling off the wall paper and carpet,
4. Freshening up the paintwork, 5. New wall paper and 'floorboards' in the first room, 6. The result,
7. Work in progress, 8. The bathroom in progress, 9. Waiting for more floor boards.
On Monday morning I decided to finish the doll house I'd started on six months ago, in order to give it to Emerson for her second birthday... on Thursday. At that stage the dolls house was as you saw it in the fourth image, stripped out and empty, with a fresh coat of white paint but nothing else. So, Monday morning we ran errands to Bunnings for red water based enamel for the roof, Spotlight for scrapbook paper for the walls and a variety shop for their last packet of mini paddle pop sticks for the floorboards.
During Emerson's two hour nap that day I managed to get the first coat of red paint on the roof and windows, two rooms wall papered and one room floored - before running out of paddle pop sticks (there were 250 in the packet!) and having to wake a sleeping toddler to pick up our Prep boy from school. Tuesday I went looking for more mini paddle pop sticks at another two variety stores, but to no avail. Tuesday afternoon I called around and ended up sending my husband on a mission to buy more of said sticks, then spent the evening with scissors and PVA glue in hand, cutting off the rounded ends and laying the 'floor boards' in each room. (I do love that man.) Wednesday was also devoted to paddle pop sticks, the last of which were given a top coat of PVA glue at 10pm Wednesday night. 1,000 mini paddle pop sticks in total, to make up the 'polished wooden floorboards.'
During Emerson's two hour nap that day I managed to get the first coat of red paint on the roof and windows, two rooms wall papered and one room floored - before running out of paddle pop sticks (there were 250 in the packet!) and having to wake a sleeping toddler to pick up our Prep boy from school. Tuesday I went looking for more mini paddle pop sticks at another two variety stores, but to no avail. Tuesday afternoon I called around and ended up sending my husband on a mission to buy more of said sticks, then spent the evening with scissors and PVA glue in hand, cutting off the rounded ends and laying the 'floor boards' in each room. (I do love that man.) Wednesday was also devoted to paddle pop sticks, the last of which were given a top coat of PVA glue at 10pm Wednesday night. 1,000 mini paddle pop sticks in total, to make up the 'polished wooden floorboards.'
As I said when I first mentioned the dolls house on the blog, before having children I would never have anticipated renovating a dolls house. Nor would I have anticipated running around like a crazy lady and spending every spare moment working on it in order to get it ready for my little girls birthday. But what can I say? There's a certain amount of craziness and a whole lot of love involved in being a parent, and I am willing to embrace that and channel it into something beautiful, handmade and special for my dear little girl.
And thankfully she loves it.
And thankfully she loves it.
(And secretly, I really enjoyed the whole process.)
* The furniture and accessories were eBay purchases. Her Aunty has brought her a doll house family for her birthday, and we intend to buy and make more furniture and accessories each special occasion for the next little while to fill those empty rooms.
