Mod Pod Refurbish- Happy Happy Happy!

After finishing up the refurbish on my new modern dollhouse, "Palazzo Moderno", and it's photo shoot, imagine my surprise when I found glimpses of this very dolly house, on Mini Mod Pod's (all rights reserved) blog! Could it be? Have I a Mod Pod creation?! I was filled with hopeful anticipation.

I messaged Mini Mod Pod thru her Facebook page, Mod Pod Miniatures (all rights reserved), included some pictures, and lo and behold, I do have a Mini Mod Pod creation, apparently the first "from scratch" home, and I couldn't be more geeked!

 

I don't know how it got to Cincinnati, where I picked it up on my Extreme Winter Weather Trip Home from Denver to Ann Arbor in a "Local Pick Up Only" eBay event, but I'm sure its wee, sturdy walls know all! At that time I never dreamed I'd locate it's creator, or as in the case of making a wee home, it's Handler. These homes do have a life of their own and just require gentle prodding, insight and willing big hands!

 

I hope Mini Mod Pod will like my refurbish sense! And the lovely lady in Cincinnati that I picked it up from. Boy! Was she very very nice! Thank you!

 

My First Modern Dollhouse 

 

Palazzo Moderno is just lovely all by itself. Stoic "stone" support pillars; a long, picturesque, cooling first floor; Danish wood plank siding and just the right amount of "chrome". I have since learned that it was originally part of a larger home, but that Mod Pod decided to make it into two. Il mi amore, la mia casa delle bambole!

 

 

I test my idea for a spiral staircase using a scrap piece of wood and two sets of old Fisher-Price plastic spiral stairs. I used the same stair concept in my Rich Toy Plantation remodel post.

The Second Floor Is Around the Back...

or is that the front?!

It has lovely real bamboo floors and a cork accent wall...

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The Refurbish Begins...

 

I don't know if I would have done anything different had known from the beginning Palazzo Moderno's genesis. But now I'm really glad I decided NOT TO glue a fireplace to the cork wall! I did want a fireplace, and that wall is the natural choice. Right before I was gonna glue (nooooo!), it dawned on me I could make a frame to hang the fireplace on top of the cork wall. I would use the indents between the cork parts to help anchor the frame. Ora che e l'architettura!

I used outside corner molding from Manchester Woodworks to fit and make the outside frame. The two little support sticks fit right in the indents of the cork wall and it all fits snugly and secure!

 I glue the fireplace back to the front between the little supports.

I've learned to leave a small area unstained, when I'm going to glue something. You can see the stair base ready to stain as well and the little fireplace I'm going to use.

Stained, glued....

...and applied. No glue or tape needed!

 

Of course, if I have the Fisher-Price spiral staircase, I have to have it's banistered landing. I just had to cut off some underneath nubbins, glue and paint a bottom filler on it and cut a bigger notch to make it fit around the cork fireplace wall. Love my utility knife!

Petite Princess chair, ottoman, statue and tea cart. Lundby log holder. Jim Coates Collection doored Oriental armoire.

I just couldn't wall any rooms out, for one thing those awesome windows prevent it. I did order some patterned window film but it hadn't arrived from China yet. Cosi sara. So my favorite concept, room divider furniture!! Yay! Easy to move around in the very least and suggestive, no? Oh, mio!

I did supply a Petite Princess screen for some bathroom privacy.

Remember my Strombecker/German Frankensteined bed in my last post? Here it is with vintage plug in lamps that plug into that little vintage plastic battery box dresser. Waiting for bulbs. One lamp works and the other needs fillin'. Cosa sto guardando!?

Look! There's the JFK bust Mom got on the Capitol tour!!!

Here is Moderno on top of the cabinet meant for it! My miniatures treasure trove cabinet! Arghhh! (pirate accent goes here).

Downstairs, Form and Function. Or as our Ms. Schenk says, "Its Danish Modern!"

 Thank you Fisher-Price! Look at that removable staircase!!!

I know, I should have used the first floor as a gentle breeze porch of a palazzo in the hills of green, ahhhh, but I have had a little Dol-Toi, Barton, and Lundby collection percolating for a while now. Now I have a place where they belong! Benvenuti piccoli!

Kitchen - Lundby, Dol-Toi and Donna Lee??

Those Lundby kitchen appliances, I snagged from my Rich Plantation House Poor Little Thing remodel. I took that down a while ago, just too big. I hope to sell it someday but I'm not sure anyone would want to buy any of my remodels. But I digress!

Dining Room - I think vintage Lundby, German and Donna Lee

Living Room - Vintage Lundby

 

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So now I can gaze and picture Cyd Charisse with cocktail, exclaiming, "Saluto mistro!" to Gregory Peck playing the Lundby piano. Didn't Fellini's Armacord have a famous line, "Un amonte della vita e bambole casa!"

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Well, there you have it. Of course I'm waiting for a floor lamp and art to "complete" the gosh darn little bambole casa. And of course none of our houses are ever truly done as we all know! 

I love this thiannnng!! 

Thank you Mod Pod!! & the cool lady in Cincinnati. 

Ciao Bella!

Spring Cleaning and All Those Little Projects

The thing about finishing up a major dolly home is filling the void it leaves without starting another dolly Big Project, just for a while. For me its good practice to wait to start another, bring me back to the Big World of my life with all my kids, grandson and friends. Bless you all, your patience and understanding!

As well of course it means cleaning up the leftovers of the hurricane that was that Big Project, yuk. So of course I moved all my tables and such, repositioning my working space. Come to think of it I seem to find that the best way to restart anything in my life. And I got to move that comfy velvet vintage rocking chair next to the fireplace for when my Benny comes to visit his Granny! I also got obsessed for a whole day culling my dolly home furniture collections. Thank you old movies!

So here's one of three little projects I gathered and moved to the side as I worked on my RGT 22 Town Hill, Larrson Dockhus (Swedish for "dollhouse" I hope, cause that's what I named it!). For some reason I see fit to work on each at the same time. Oh, and go to work everyday too.

My Frankenstiened German Strombecker Bed Creation

On the way home this last time from Colorado, my hubby and I took a detour to Cincinnati Ohio to pick up my "new" modern dollhouse score from eBay. With the winter traveling weather we were constantly in danger, not to mention the semi trucks, but we met an awesome couple and we achieved our "Local pickup only" purchase, only 250 miles away from our home in Ann Arbor

So now of course I'm outfitting it.

Here I'm making a 3/4 scale bed out of an oversized German 3/4 scale bed. Next to it is one of the cuboards that came with it so you can see it's crazy big size.

 I feel bad I took it apart and cut it down but it was not in prime shape anyway and that is that!

Here you see it in comparison to the lovely 3/4 bed it came with. I used that to help me proportion my new creation.

I found a box lid and sliced the sides down for the correct depth of the "mattress". I then cut and folded it 

to length. A bit of quick set glue and some tape till it dried and I had my mattress!

I cut the foot board down so it would be split in the middle, glued it back together. I left the head board intact to create the back of a floating nightstand bed. I then took a parted out, broken, walnut Strombecker solid buffet drawer, cut it down to size and split it in half to make the matching nightstands, those are on the left. The walnut "strap" decorating the foot board pieces is from an old Strombecker something parted out too, it's walnut as well.

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 One Little Project, Finished!

So here it is, glued, polyed and upholstered. Sorry about the little speck on the one nightstand! I used my cellphone to take these pics.

Here is the awesome shelving unit I bought way back, not knowing what to do with it, and the back view of za bed.

Put them together and whaddya know....

And here they are, together, in their new home.

On to the next!