The back story: I read a blog post on the fantastic Red Ted Art about making your own dolls house - this one. I immediately desperately wanted to do this. However, I am notorious for starting ambitious craft projects and not finishing them, which may not go down so well on the birthday morning ("Sorry darling, I was going to make you a dolls house. Wonky box any good?"), so reluctantly decided that I should buy one instead.
However, I still couldn't quite let go of the idea - I grew up with a spectacular dolls house which was my mum's 5th birthday present, handmade, and frequently redecorated over the years (electric lighting and all), and really liked the idea of giving Rachel something a bit more personal which she could add her own ideas to over time.
Then I came across a plain wooden one with a load of furniture included (this one - post not sponsored by ToysRUs!) and sensed an achievable project.
This is it before I started:
I then gave it a coat of white paint all over to act as an undercoat:
Then the fun part - decoration. For the roof, grey slate tile (paper), and black chimney pots:
Inside, a range of decor, suspiciously mirroring colours you'll find around our house, mixed with some wallpaper samples from a well known DIY store, and fairly neutral carpets (with the exception of the bathroom and the kitchen):
Outside, vaguely Georgian white with black detailing:
Iron included for scale, apparently!
And given that she isn't here, I couldn't resist a little play with the furniture...
It's not the most flawless piece of work as my enthusiasm for progress may have overcome neatness from time to time, but I think that all adds to the fun. It's all very cute. Unfortunately, it's still 11 days until her birthday and I have no idea how I'm going to wait that long to let her play with it!!
