Poor Little Thing - Rich Toy Mansion Remodel

What Did I Get Myself In For???
Oh my! I didn't realize, even after looking at the posting's pictures, how bad this Poor Little Thing was, until I won, it arrived and I unwrapped it. Outwardly it didn't look too bad from it's picts, but the inside was a bit more decrepit than I ever imagined. So much for a good washing and a nip and a tuck here and there. This baby needed major reconstructive surgery. And masonite, lot's of masonite.

Hmmm....missing window, check....

 ....splash over paint on railing, check....

Let's see, the inside.....

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 Whoa!!! The inside isn't supposed to be this bad : (      it's supposed to look more like this!!! : ) 

And what's up with the kitchen paint job............And the upstairs bath???

Dang! Look at those filthy window "frames"!

 And the ceiling? Really? Really???

 Did the last "contractor" really repaint this whole Poor Little Thing in finger paint style??????

Even the wee door!

AGHASTMENT     DISGUST      PITY     DETERMINATION

right here in river city, well tree city anyways!

Get out the sander Honey!!!

I pitched all the inner walls. They were cracked, badly painted and provided no roof support what so ever. I threw out the floors as well. One was a feeble plywood attempt and I won't have any plywood in my masonite homes!!!
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Remodeling Is Just a Large Table Away

I vigorously sanded the inside walls. I decided not to use stripper for fear it would end up on the original outside graphics, or soak into the old masonite, so sanding took a good couple of days, the finger paint treatment was pretty thick. But finally the basic insides were ready and I painted them the classic interior Rich cream color (well what I think is a match).

I must admit however...

I decided to do the #1 No No in Vintage Dollhouse Land:

I redesigned the wee home's layout and added "features"! 

My shame! I'm bad, very, very bad!

What am I thinking!
Ah, so what! The outside is in kinda poor shape too. Nobody is going to want this thing!
I had my hubby Dan cut some new masonite parts to my specs for Poor Little Thing. 
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I decided to do the masonite floors in Poor Little Thing, like in my Keystone, plain but with a hardwood design.

A long straight edge and gold Sharpie later, lots and lots of horizontal lines!

Steady now....

the verticals. Now, only one more floor like this to make!
The best of the Rich Toy and Keystone worlds! Ha Ha!
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Bottom floor and sides are up with the corner supports....

and a little 3/4 table and chairs to check scale. Finally, it's taking shape!
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2nd floor supports go up next (an added structural feature) and a scarfed old Fisher Price spiral staircase and banister I had on hand. Let's go all out for Poor Little Thing!

I rather feel like a mad scientist! My creation! Ha Ha!
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Making the stair concept...

little wee holes to hold the stairs in place, the thresh hold will help hold the convertible pass-thru wall up, and the Fisher Price banister is modified for a squared angle.

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 All put together...

 

One can leave the stairs and convertible partition wall out for an open concept

or

add them. My choices abound! Ha Ha!

Just have to put the windows back in and put the roof on.

In any case, an improvement structurally, functionally and in design I hope...

that even vintage dollhouse purists might forgive me for, just a little?! Please?

Poor Little Thing! It's alive! Now, to decorate!

Make It - Easy Peasy Bedspread

Dolly doesn't mind that it's paper!

You've probably noticed, I don't go for realism. I'm more of a suggestive kind of girl. I really like that simple kind of style from a Carl Larsson painting. The Strombecker and Kage furniture of the past really lend that feeling for me. So when I realized I had to do something about my dolly's bare naked beds, fabric just didn't seem the thing to me. But with all that scrapbooking paper out there, I have an awesome media for my humble vision!

Not to mention, way cheapola!!

Make It!

So...... pick your paper:

 This is a specialty scrapbooking paper, from Jo-Ann's. I paid $1.20 on sale

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Pick your bed:

 This is a 3/4 scale Strombecker sleigh type bed, True Scale, circa 1960. I added the little gold scrapbooking embellishments to jazz it up a bit.

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Measure the width to the floor (or your desired height from the floor) on both sides of the bed and add that to the width measurement of the bed. Measure the length and add about 2".

 Lightly transcribe those two measurements to the back of the paper and cut out. You could use some scallopy scissors to create a sweet edge along for sides of the bedspread, but leave the head and the foot straight.

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Fold:

Put the bedspread side up, on the bed so the foot is at the foot! Fold the paper up at the headboard, you should have that extra 2" comin' up at you. You can fold your sides down over the sides of the bed now if you wish.

Turn the bedspread over to it's backside (no spanking!). Fold back the extra at the top so that it overlaps the first fold about a 1/2". Bend together at that first fold. That will make your "pillow". Tape down the 1/2" flap that to the back. Turn the bedspread over and bring the folded area down to meet the top. Double side tape under the fold to the top to hold the pillow portion in place.

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 Tape the sides:

Use removeable two-sided tape along the sides of the bed frame the length of each side to tape the bedspread to the bed. Tape the bedspread to the bed!

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Bed (zzzzzzz):

 Look at that cool, little pillow, ahhhhhh. Sleepy time! I suppose you could add some cotton balls between the pillow folds to pump it up!
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Place the bed in your dolly house:

Voila! Dolly has matching roman shades as well, taped on with that good removeable two-sided tape. Nothing permanent for dolly, she's a girl who changes her mind on a whim!