Texture

Texture's the thing here...it motivated me to use letterpress illustrations (cut from a 2011 desk calendar from the Paper Source), and a new sheet of DCWV scrapbook paper for a lemon yellow and gray backdrop. The flooring is adhesive cork, which has a nice but subtle texture. The "tub" is actually an olive wood "nibble" bowl from Crate & Barrel--textbook texture!

Credits: Tub, platform, and planter are all repurposed items from Crate & Barrel; console is PRD; chair is Reac; side table is miniatures.com; towels are Lundby; sink is a swap from Oese; fixture is Barbie by Jonathan Adler; artwork is Paper Source. Accessories are Re-ment, AG Minis, and dollhouse show finds.

The time it took me: 22 minutes

Fireplace

As soon as I saw this fireplace in a dollhouse store in Denver this summer, I knew I had to have it. It surprised me that I wanted it, actually, since it is more traditional--I have been dreaming about a retro/modern brick one for my Doll Domiciles Contemporary house, which is under construction--but I just liked it. And the price was good too: $19.99!

I have not used it until now, but it has been on my mind. I then realized why: it strongly reminded me of the stone fireplace in our summer house when I was growing up. That one was a darker grey stone, but the profile was similar, and it even had a wooden mantle. This room is arranged in a completely different way than our cabin, which had dark wooden panels and country plaids, but it managed to make so many good memories come flooding back.

Let me know if you've done some creative fireplace work lately -- would love to see your ideas, especially as inspiration for the Doll Domiciles home. Here's a picture of the house in progress as a refresher!

A bit tricky, eh? I hope to go visit the house again soon to check its progress!

I hope lots of you out there are busily working on your scenes for the Call of the Small/Cubebot Challenge! There were 10 lucky international readers who were the first to respond on my post, and free Micro Cubebots are on their way to Canada, UK, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Finland, Spain, and Italy! Can't wait to see what they do! Remember, the winner gets a $200 gift certificate to the amazing design store AREAWARE! Submissions are due on December 1 to minibotchallenge(at)gmail(dot)com. If you don't already have a Cubebot, AREAWARE is now offering a 20% discount on their site; use the promotional code MINIBOT upon checkout and have fun shopping!

Credits: Fireplace is from Norm's Dollhouse store in Denver; couch is minimodernistas; side table is from miniatures.com; rug is handmade by The Shopping Sherpa; cat tower is Re-ment; light fixture is vintage German; flooring and wallpaper are all from the Paper Source. Accessories are beads, Playmobil, Michaels, and vintage eBay finds.

The time it took me: 1 hour, five minutes

Vespa

Oftentimes, a piece of scrapbook or handmade paper will inspire me to do a scene. If I like a paper, I usually purchase at least two sheets, but for some reason I did not buy two of this cool Vespa paper from the Paper Source. It might have been the last one, or it was a temporarily lapse of judgement on my part, but either way I only came home with one.

I decided to go radical on the opposing wall and do it up in green glitter paper. I normally despise glitter, by the way, but I loved the way this paper shines and it is very sturdy for cutting and hanging. And it doesn't "shed," which is the main reason I don't care for glitter. Do you like the glow here? I liked using my AG Minis Room Box...the flooring is very warm and imparts a nice texture. The black square above the couch is magnetic, to hang the wall treatments that originally came with many of the sets. I decided to attach some magnets in a clock or gear formation...not sure which.

I went to my favorite Crate & Barrel outlet this weekend for inspiration for the "I'm a Giant" challenge launched by Emily Henderson, and came up mostly empty-handed, but did get some inspiring pieces. I posted my first mood board on the Call of the Small Facebook page -- I decided I am going for a ladylike McCall's decorator vibe. Still don't have a DIY abode, though, and the December 15 deadline is around the corner. HELP!! Emily is encouraging anyone who is participating to comment on one of her recent blog posts, so that she can share all the creativity going on.

A reminder that my UMBRA giveaway is going strong, and you still have a week to enter! Comment on this giveaway post NOW CLOSED for your chance to win one of TWO phenomenal products, like the TALI wall tile pictured here. Thanks to all who have joined in so far!

Credits: Couch is minimodernistas; plant is AG Minis; Arc lamp is an eBay find; ottomans are Concord; pillows and book are handmade by The Shopping Sherpa; Sketch chair is by Diatom Studio; wall magnets are from Office Max; table is my MitchyMoo Miniatures; wallpaper is from the Paper Source. Accessories are Lilu Shop on Etsy, AG Minis, ELF Miniatures, and beads.

A.R.T.

This scene is courtesy of the lovely Maureen D. Maureen wrote to me a few months ago to say she had seen the New York Times article on modern miniature design and was inspired to jump whole hog into the hobby. She now has a Kaleidoscope House and is swiftly accumulating many fine accessories. One of the things that has made me most happy about the article is when people are inspired to collect and create their own "art," while enjoying the perspectives and creativity of others.

As a very generous (and unnecessary!) thank you, Maureen sent me this AG Minis room box earlier this fall. It was such an incredible surprise and I was really touched. And pretty excited too, since I had not owned one! If you have never seen one, they are quite well-made and heavy, and are outfitted with magnetic ceilings and walls. I've used a ceiling piece for flooring before, but now I was able to use it where it was intended. The floor has tiny outlets for the lighting fixtures and other accessories. I have not tried them out yet, since I need to get a transformer, but I am curious.

It took me a while to get around to setting up a scene, but I finally have. It was a lot of fun, but a bit challenging too, due to the sloped walls. I used some silver "pebble" paper from Kate's Paperie (I papered with the creme here), which complemented the ceiling.

But what to do with the black magnetic squares? I improvised with some letterpress cards from the Paper Source ($2.50 for a pack of ten of each letter, on clearance) and the squares worked well in framing the cards.

Anyone use AG Minis room boxes? What do you think of them? Do you use non-AG Minis furnishings? I'd love to know!

A big shout-out to Maureen -- thanks again!

Credits: Chaise is by Paris Renfroe; plant is vintage TOMY; credenza is made of two vintage German side tables; small side table is Re-ment; Eames elephant is Reac; "light" is an ornament from Crate and Barrel; "ART" lettering is comprised of three letterpress cards from the Paper Source. Accessories are Re-ment, Lilu Shop on Etsy, and handmade by me.