Dollhouse Miniatures

When I was little, my mom would use thread spools and tape register spools to make so many peices of furniture for my doll house. My house was made of Avon shipping boxes covered in contact paper for wall paper. She used so many random things around the house... oatmeal boxes, juice boxes, she even made me a lamp out of a broken toy.

Such memories!!!

that sounds really neat KimyCate! ...it sure is fun to find new ways to use ordinary things! :)

Swoon...THUD! * picking myself up from the floor * Ohmygosh, I am SO in! This is like Barbie scale, isn't it? Correct me if I am wrong. But either way, I am in.

Oops! Okay, I'm thinking they are actually like HALF Barbie doll size. Can you give examples of some name brand dolls that are the right size and scale for this? Your doll and doll room above are so cute! I love it's bright cheeriness.

i believe Barbie size is called "play scale" which is 1/6 ...which is twice the size of what we'll be doing (1/12 scale), so Barbie size would be way too big

so dolls that are about 5 inches are good for this scale (a five inch doll would be a 5 foot person in real life)...

my doll is a petite "Blythe" doll (i think she is about 4", maybe a little more)....

i'm definately not a doll expert or a miniatures expert...so, i'm not too sure what other "brands" of dolls are about 5" tall...but if there are any more experienced miniaturists out there, maybe they can answer that question :)

....and i'll try and come up with some more info or links or something before the close date of the swap :)

Thanks for the fast reply, enakitty! Now to eBay to get a mini Blythe... And, yes, if anyone knows of other readily available dolls that are this scale (an adult doll = about 5 - 5 1/2") please comment.

This is going to be so much fun!

Wanda- this is where i bought my mini Blythe:

http://www.thisisblythe.com/ and here is a miniature shop link: http://miniatures.com/hbs/global/index2.asp (it might give ya'll ideas for things to make, as well as a sense of the scale and a reference for measurements)

*************** a note about "handmade" ********************

...just wanted to add that "handmade" doesn't necessarily mean "from scratch"...really anything that you've added your personal touch to should be fine... examples =items made from kits, and purchased items which you have altered.... those things would be fine too!

I guess an adult doll would be about 5 3/4". I just thought about digging out and checking the size on my McDonald's Happy Meal Madame Alexander dolls. They are 5", which might not be too bad, even if they are obviously children by the look and style. That would probably work for me, if I didn't have any totally correct scale dolls for comparison, in the same room scene.

I have a Petite Blythe from eBay, coming, and she should arrive in early October. It is the Spirit and Spice one with purple hair.

Anyway, I am anxious to get started. I have some ideas for items to make and am glad to have an idea of scale so I can start trying them out.

Wanda- you sound like a really fun person! i hope i get to see pics of your dolls and creations at some point! :)

Well, thanks, enakitty! Yes, I'll post photos when I get things made and all that.

If you are interested, here is a link to an OLD doll story I started. The 'episodes' are in reverse order, though, so scroll down to the #1 album at the bottom where the story begins. I only got three episodes done, and never finished it.

http://groups.msn.com/Mortensenphotos/shoebox.msnw

wow! how neat your site is! looks like you have some groovy dolls and accessories! :)

It's me again...LOL! I can't leave the Discussion feature from this swap alone. ;)

Anyway, I was just wondering what type of aproximately 1:12 dolls everyone has that they are going to be using their swap gifts for? And do you have a room box for your dolls or are you using a shelf, or a regular doll house, or what?

I have been using my Madame Alexander McDonald's Happy Meal dolls to 'measure' by. And then Kelly's could be, maybe, in the general size range, too.

I have a Petit Blythe (hopefully) on her way from Hong Kong via eBay. I wish she would get here soon... For my 'normal' doll living accomodations, I use an adjustable bookcase shelf, sized to 1:6 scale. But for my new 1:12 scale interest I think I will probably make a room box, although a 'cheap' one, from a cardboard box, maybe lined with foam core. Anyone have any ideas for a better room box without going to constructing one from wood?

i've been making some really fun things for my partners....i am having so much fun! i hope my partners love their stuff as much as i love making it!

all my goodies will go in my dollhouse (which is a very inexpensive dollhouse which i got at Michael's for like$20)....my petite Blythe doll lives there

as for suggestions for roomboxes...you could use all sorts of things...i was at the salvation army a few weeks ago and i found a smallish drawer (like from a dresser), if it were turned on it's side...and i thought it would be interesting to use as a shadow box or room box....you could also make a paper mache box...regular ol cardboard box would probably be the easiest and least expensive....they sell pretty inexpensive roomboxes as well

sent my swaps out today!! woohoo!! it was a blast making up my goodies and packages!

Thanks for the suggestions, enakitty. I never knew anyone sold room boxes.

I am stuck at the moment. My crafting has been much slower with our oldest son home on his vacation. He works in Baghdad, so when he comes home for 5-10 days every 8 months or so, it is a big occassion.

I have one of my items for my swap partners done, but I am not so satisfied with it. I made myself one too, and I like it for me, but feel it needs to be more 'finished' or 'spiffed up' for someone else. So my next step is to add another coat of paint, and then cover edges with something. Unfortunately, this is making it look more 'country' than I would like... I have a couple of ideas for my 2nd item, but neither idea has really 'grabbed me'. Anyway, I will be starting on those next weekend.

Oh! My Spirit and Spice petit Blythe arrived from Hong Kong yesterday! I really do like her.

glad your new blythe made it to her new home!

i really want this to be fun for everyone ...don't stress too much about making your things perfect

if we all want "perfect" things we can buy them from a miniature company it's the unique handmade nature of the items we're swapping that make it so fun and interesting!

My items will hopefully work for my 5 year old son's log cabin where the three bears live. I got the kit from Joann.com for $20. He is really happy having a house for bears and I am happy because I love dollhouses. I didn't think I would get to do one with my child since I didn't have a girl. But then I saw these 6 inch Boyd's bears, and then some 3 inch ones that could be the children bears, and I got the idea to do a boy friendly house. We have the best time getting things for it together. I also have the house my grandmother had made for me when I was 4. I want to totally redo the interior because it is now 34 years old and a little worse for wear. Maybe that is something we can do together this winter!

fredgirl- wow! what a wonderful idea! how clever to work on a log cabin bear house with your son!! i would LOVE to see it when you finish!! that sounds absolutely adorable!! i think i just might have to have a bear house at some point now! :) ...i'm so glad everyone is having fun with this swap!! ...i'm already thinking about doing another one! lol

Whew! Mine just went out...right under the wire. There will be photos on my blog in a little while, unless I just really get caught in a time crunch.

Thanks so much for hosting, enakitty! Your swap ideas are so creative and irresistable!