Fix the Balcony Doors!

I was so happy with my balcony doors, until I tried to open them after I added the balcony railings ... and they wouldn't open all the way. It was then that I realized that the balcony doors have to swing inwards, and not out!

So I had to take off the doors and the side jambs. The hinges came off in the process, but it was nothing SuperGlue couldn't fix.

Once the doors came off, it was quick work to pry off the inside jambs using my Xacto knife.

Then I glued the inside jambs outside, and the outside jambs with the hinged doors inside. It was considerably difficult to align the doors this time, since I had limited space inside the room to maneuver my hands as I worked.

But at least, the doors open all the way now!

However, I am not sure if I can manage fixing the front balcony doors. If I want to do so, I will have to work through the opening of the second floor bay-window.

LESSON LEARNED: the balcony doors must swing in, not out :(

Lighted Aquarium

Ever since I saw it on eBay, I have always wanted a lighted aquarium for my dollhouse ... but at around $25, I never quite bought one. But last year, I got lucky and won it at auction for $10 (with shipping)!!!

The only catch: when it arrived, I saw the wire did not have a plug attached to it. So I could not plug it into the electrical outlet in my dollhouse.

Last week, I finally did something about it. When I soldered the lamps in my dollhouse, I had kept aside the male plugs they came with. I took one of those plugs, pried out the pins using nose pliers, stuck in the exposed wire ends from the aquarium, and pushed the pins back in place. And now, my aquarium works! Look at the happy little fishies :)

Wrap-Around Porch Railing and Gingerbread Trim

On weekends, I will sometimes get a half hour here and there to work on the dollhouse while my child takes his nap. I have finally finished assembling the porch railing and the gingerbread trims. The intricate woodwork is one of my favorite features of the Garfield kit.

I had to wait until I added the paper-clay brick. I had to trim the trellis piece a little to make adjustments for the additional thickness created by the brick.

Initially, I had wanted the railing to be removable, but I could not make it happen. The process would have been easier if I assembled the railing before putting on the porch roof, like the instructions say. But that would make the bricking more difficult.

Inspiration Photo: Kashipur Rajbari

I found these photos of the Kashipur Rajbari (palace) as inspiration photos for the architectural details of the Garfield Manor. While the palace is very different from the Garfield, there are some common features, such as the arched windows and the tower. I might be able to take some of the simpler architectural details and use them on my dollhouse. 

The railings on the veranda in the photo below look very similar to the Garfield's porch railings.

The weather-vane reminded me of the one I got for my Garfield. I also have an old Durham water-pump that I can place behind the kitchen, reminiscent of the water tap shown in the photo below.

Chrysnbon Dresser Kit

I have not had the opportunity to work on the dollhouse much lately, so I am finding pleasure in amassing mini trinkets for the dollhouse.

I was very happy to win the Chrysnbon Victorian dresser set in auction for less than $5.50! With my toddler tucked away in bed, I stayed up til midnight photographing the tiny collection.

This set greatly resembles the Ivory Du Barry Py-Ra-Lin dresser set from the 1920s pictured below.

Thank you Amber Dawn!

Last but not the least in this series of cupcakes show-and-tell, these mini pastries were sent to me by Amber Dawn last year. My son was only a few months old then, and I did not get the chance to photograph them at the time. I should really photograph them beside a coin to show how tiny they are! The smallest one is half-scale.

For more minis by Amber Dawn, visit:
Blog: InventiveSoul.blogspot.com
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/inventivesouls
YouTube: youtube.com/user/FunFairCreations
Etsy: etsy.com/shop/AmberDawn

Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Amber-Dawn-Creations/132876490085347

Thank you Lulu!

I won this delightful collection of mini cupcakes recently, from a contest hosted by Lulu's Miniatures. My favorite is the vanilla cupcake with a tiny raspberry on top! There is also a lavender cream cake with flower decoration, chocolate chip cupcake, and the one with light blue frosting that I named "Blueberry Cottoncandy"

For more minis by Lulu's Miniatures, visit:
Website: luluminiatures.com
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Lulus-Miniatures/97168438535

Thank you Kimmie Lou!

Long overdue photos of the cupcakes sent by Kimmie Lou

 

For more minis by Kimmie Lou, visit:
Blog: kimmilouminiatures.blogspot.com
CDHM: cdhm.org/user/kimmilou

Thank you Jennifer!

Pickled watermelon from Windy Point Miniatures joining my dollhouse pantry! 
 

For more minis by Jennifer of Windy Point Miniatures, visit:

Blog: windypointminiatures.blogspot.ca

Etsy: etsy.com/shop/windypointminiatures