It's a Vardo!

I know, I know, I barely got one project done and I'm starting on another one already... I can't help it. That's what I do. I make stuff.

I started out with a paper mock-up to see how it could fit together and went from there. I've been wanting to make one for a long time now but there's only one kit that I could find and it's way out of my price range.

I finally decided not to let that stop me so I'm designing my own. I have nearly a whole sheet of plywood and a new dremel scroll saw to break in.

I love the romance of a gypsy wagon and I prefer the kind with the raised skylight roof. It's called a mollicroft. I also like the little chicken cages on the side. I tried to put everything I like into this one wagon. I'm getting a sixties vibe on this one.

The roof is a little tricky and I can tell you that thin sheets of balsa and poster board work wonderful to bend it into shape. You hold the shape with rubber bands while the glue dries overnight between the layers. Then the mollicroft rectangle is cut out and built.

I had a little trouble with the wheels because I couldn't find spoke wheels locally. So I bought flat 2-1/2" wheels and 4" wooden rounds (could have cut them out myself), then decorated them with a foam core rim, skewers and chopsticks for spokes. It works for me and much cheaper.

I sketched an internal wall the way I want to make it. I will use it as a guide to make the wooden wall for the bed and under storage. I'm going to do mirrored panels that slide shut to close the bed off from the living area.

I also have some other little tricks up my sleeve for the wagon before I can start decorating.WHEW! This is going quick compared to the French Country house!

The Bedroom Tour

The chandelier and mirrors add such a romantic feel to this room. But the room really came alive when the flowers were put on the mantel. Yep, that's my wedding picture there.

The built-ins in this room is what makes it so interesting.

That little vanity was the crowning touch to this room. The little perfume bottles are made out of beads.

I put some little coat hangers in the shallow closet. If I had been thinking ahead, I could have put pull out drawers under the closet and bookcase.

The inside is done.

The outside is done. I'm calling this project DONE and DONE!!! (I can always go back and re-visit and update!)

The Child's Room Tour

The most challenging thing in this room for me was going to be the carriage and the doll. I found and bought a wire carriage that I loved, but making the tiny doll was a miniature project all in itself.

I loved the child's bed. For me it was magical the way the wire frame looked. I never would have thought of using florist's wire for dollhouse furniture. I've learned so much from this book.

Little touches like books, toys and pictures on the wall make the room complete.

I loved everything about this room too... let's face it - I loved this whole house so much that I wanted to make my own!

The Living Room Tour

There was so much furniture to make for this room that it felt like the focal point of the whole house. I love everything about this room so I tried to stick pretty close to the book on making it. Except I thought my drape fabric was a little bright and I could have put the pelmet up higher, added a few more pictures, accent pillows, etc. All these things can be done later.

The flowers and pictures really give the room some life. I also added some books.

The Landing Hall

The upstairs landing is an interesting part of the house. It's not easily accessible except through the bathroom door and the living room french doors.

I put a chair and some picture frames in the hall.

There is a little landing between floors. You can see the light coming from the third floor nursery.

This stairway was probably the most challenging thing about this whole house. It's also the most interesting architecture of the house. Most doll houses don't have an elaborate staircase like this one.

I wish it were a little more accessible so I could play more with that area of the house. It's hard to get my cell phone in there to get a good picture!

The Bathroom Tour

I was in love with this bathroom from the start. I decided to make my own fixtures out of paper clay.

Love the little toilet paper roll. It was fun to make with wire, cardboard and paper towel strip.

I made the little bars of soap out of polymer clay instead of real soap. I want to make a wire soap holder for the tub later and a better shower curtain.

The Kitchen Tour

The metal heat deflector over the stove was fun to make and it adds an old world charm to the kitchen. (I'll have to work on my dish cloths, they didn't want to lay flat with hairspray.)

I did make a rug for the kitchen. I printed one out on real canvas on my printer and added fringe to each end.

The hutch looks a little modern for this room but I wanted one that displayed my dishes. I made the dishes and cups myself. The food items were bought off ebay.

You can see the mirrored panel I made on the buffet. Since directions weren't given for the one in the book, I didn't want to copy that one exactly but I wanted another mirrored object in the room.

I love the sink and the little drain board. I might paint the pipes silver because they are hard to see.

The Grand Tour Starts In the Entry Hall

The hallway is absent of a lot of furniture but it's simply beautiful the way it is. I added a little umbrella stand and some flowers to the table.

If needed, you could store something under the stairs. A baby carriage or coat rack would fit nicely.

The flowers and the flower pot are made from polymer clay. The flowers are glued to some plastic greenery with moss as a filler.

A few little floral pictures on the walls make the entry hall complete.