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!

The Carl Larsson Experiment: Part 9, Finally! Voila! - Real Good Toys 22 Town Hill Road CC2 Front Opening Kit

Voila!!!

 Well, after a few family challenges and a week in Denver, I finally finished. How happy am I! This little place will house some of my porcelain collection, as you will see.

6 months to complete after a 6 months in storage! A lot of interruptions but we just persevered!

Open open open...

...open open open

Love that hinged roof. Glad I decided to do it!

Doorwall detail

The Parlor....

The Kitchen...

The Bedrooom...

Bedroom stair railing detail.

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Now the best part, and always sooo longgg in coming! Furnishings!

It was difficult finding all the porcelain in the same 3/4 scale, or at least close to it. And of course I used brass colored pieces to round it out a bit.

Furnished Parlor...

I hope to get some more artwork for the sides of the ceramic stove but some things just take patience (and money!). I think my kakelugn came out pretty well!

The porcelain sofa and chairs look so comfy. Woulda thought??

I love the round picture, so you get a better view of it.

Yes, the side table is a door knob. Pretty clever huh? I didn't do it but I'm glad I bought it!

Furnished Kitchen...

 Must have a place to relax and have a good read while tending to dinner!

Remember, the staircase does come out for easy play!

Furnished Bedroom...

I was so lucky to find the little porcelain sleigh bed and wash stand.

The little wood stove is a salt shaker. I think the salt is still in it!

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Well, I hope you enjoyed my tour of the little Larrson experiment! I know it doesn't exactly copy the Larssons' house in any way, but I think it has a bit of that character. And now it gets to sit next to it's sister, my Barton Tudor!

BTW, I purchased the next in the RGT Children's Choice opening front dollhouse kit collection, the 333 Franklin Street brownstone. Let's see, I have to paint my front room, that'll be three months, have to go to Denver again, another month, and... Geez! I should be done with that one too in another year!!

Cheers Everyone!

The Carl Larsson Experiment: Part 8, This and That and All Those Little Things - Real Good Toys 22 Town Hill Road CC2 Front Opening Kit

Well, it's coming to where I can see the end!

Now comes all the little finishing up things that you can't wait to finish. Not that shingling a dolly roof is a little thing. Especially after dyeing, salting, coffeeing, and bleaching all the little shingles in a hot sink bath. Yuk!

Railings

But first to finish a major piece, the railings. I can't remember how many little rails I punched out of the, I call it "splinter pack", that the kit has, and sanded each one. I waited to paint the railings until I had them glued up. One set for the top, one for the middle and a couple for the door.

I filled the groove in the top and bottom rails with wood filler, sanded and then painted.

The Roof and Shingles

Like I said above, the shingle dyeing was a journey all it's own. First the shingles were too dark, then too blue. I tried everything I could think of from my clothes dyeing days; salt (that just set the dye darker than I wanted), rinse, vinegar, rinse, strong strong coffee and it's grounds (soak soak soak, stir stir stir) rinse and finally some bleach and the final rinse. They sure did end up having a weathered look and now that they are on I very happy with them. My neighbor thought I was a nut however as she watched me. All I needed was a big wart on my nose and I'm sure I resembled a old wicked witch!

The back. Only a row and a half of shingles to go!

Altered Chimneys

I decided to make the roof part that was supposed to come off for access to the third floor, hinged instead. I just don't like major dollhouse pieces that come off only to possibly be misplaced or accidentally slammed onto dolly furniture! In the instructions the little block chimneys are used to hold the the removeable roof piece onto the home. So now that I won't be using them I have to have chimneys of some sort! Just the thing to try those cool rock stencils you see advertised.

My hubby cut me up some chimneys and I painted them a dark gray with some craft paint. I them peeled off the grout lines of the rock stencil and applied them.

I just had to get an idea what they would look like on the side of the home, especially since I just stained and polyied the sides for a more furniture look...

Gee! I hope I'm not gonna be sad I didn't leave the chimneys just like this!

I mixed some black craft paint with some drywall compound and had at it applying it with a paint mixing stick. I then removed the grout stencil, which was a bit tricky and messy, but I think they turned out ok.

Right: Drying. Love the variegation in tone.         Left: scraping the compound off the back after a thorough drying.

I'm still a quandary whether to touch up the color and how am I going to apply the chimneys to the sides????? Oh well. I'll figure out something!

Almost...

Hopefully my next post will be the last, the finish, the reveal, of the Carl Larsson Experiment. We'll see!

The Carl Larsson Experiment: Part 7, the Doorwall, Last Of the Inside - Real Good Toys 22 Town Hill Road CC2 Front Opening Kit

That big doorwall. Keeps the dust out but adds another wall, front and inside, to complete. This will be some of the last of the interior decorating. Finally!

I hope I have enough paper for the 1st floor. Had only three sheets for four walls. I've decided too not to trim out the inside doorwall with the wainscotting used on the other walls on the two floors. A lot of work and there is no side trim like on the RGT CC Tudor to take up the added thickness to have the door hinge and latch properly. Geesh! I guess it will be more like the old dollhouses of yore, where the inside walls are all tricked out but the doorwall interior is more meager by comparison. Still, there is a lot to plan out.

Planning and making the trim. Trim and door stained, polyied, finger rubbed with silver craft paint and polyied. Boy! Am I crazy!

I had to make some side edge strips out of 1/32" thick wood to cover the edges of the wallpaper and take up the space between the crown moldings and the 1" corner blocks' space when the door is closed.

Papered and initial trim applied. Made do with the leftover wallpaper. Insert above the door says,"Happy Little Home", in Swedish (I hope!).

When wallpapering both floors I applied the paper as a full sheet, and carefully sliced out the window openings. Was just faster than making a template.

After waiting for some trim I didn't end up using, I finally finished the 1st floor of the interior doorwall windows...

Inside looking out before the back is put on.

The upper floor papered and finished so the whole kitten kaboodle......

Even though no wainscotting, I think it looks pretty good. Now to the exterior railings. Getting close!

The Carl Larsson Experiment: Part 6 Windows, Tricky Tricky - Real Good Toys 22 Town Hill Road CC2 Front Opening Kit

Sorry for the long silence. The Holiday Season took a chunk of time and I've been dreading the assembly of the RGT Town Hill Road windows. But I have to see how the windows fit and work before I can start the interior decoration of the door wall. The instructions are a lot to be desired at this point.

Beveled Windows

These little windows are one of the nice architectural features of this dollhouse. Little beveled jewels, if I can pull them off.

Geez! How many times have I read through these instructions???

The instructions make for a tricky process, and after thinking about it, I've decided to modify their assembly by installing the frames directly onto the the outside wall itself, then the jambs and sills to them, to get the correct bevel and have that bevel supported as the glue dries. The instructions have you assemble the windows frames on the table, and then mount them to the wall. Seemed flimsy at best and might make for questionable fitting when installing on the doorwall window openings.

Painted frames, pre-glued to door wall. Side bevel jambs ready to be fitted and glued.

The larger second story window was another bit of thought. There are two jambs that bevel together to make the center jamb, and the instructions didn't give any guidance for that. I used a thin dowel and centrally glued it to give the center jambs something to glue to.

Dowel glued for support of central jambs. Stiles to be fitted in at tops and bottoms.

Windows glued up front and inside. Time for filling and sanding and more painting!

At least I know now I can trim out the inside windows any way I want!

Gosh! When will these windows be done already!!

The Carl Larsson Experiment: Part 5 Stairs To Up There - Real Good Toys 22 Town Hill Road CC2 Front Opening Kit

Stair Assembly

I think this kit must be pretty old, as the stairs are an assembly job, not like the RGT Tudor, which had solid stairs that needed no assembly. I'm glad these stairs came this way as I wanted them to be almost like a ladder, so you can see through them, into the kitchen. I left their kicks off, to achieve this effect. I also left them unattached to the home, so they could be removed at will for easier play. Like I play with my dollhouses! Ha!

I've used a piece of wood to clamp the sides of the stairs onto, for even spacing when I glued the treads on.

Not So Tall Walls

Well, I got my inspiration for the top floor, at all places, K-mart. Between a matching placemat and runner, I have the "wallpaper" for the small room. The embroidered print is a little bigger than what I would normally choose, but I thought, if I was painting a room like Carl Larsson, a large design might be fun!

 

 

Stairs To Up There

Now I've got all the interior sides done and the stairs and their opening all trimmed out. As you can see I can hardly wait so I put a few pieces in the kitchen, so I can enjoy my handiwork. Love that gold porcelain pooch!