Empty Cage

I'm enjoying this extra time off from work.

Happy Thanksgiving

Sheila desperately tried to think of something to be thankful for.

Where Did You Get The Mike & Sheila Family?

I have gotten a few inquiries about the little wooden dolls that I have been using in the silly adventures of Mike & Sheila posts. They were made by one of my favorite artists--her name is Michelle and her Etsy shop is Goose Grease. I am an avid collector of her custom wooden dolls. I'm sure this comes as a great surprise that I collect things. I have a cabinet that is getting full of her work. She's bound toward fame--having had her doll creations featured in LMNOP magazine and soon on Martha Stewart's "The Art of Wedding Cakes 2" so if you want to order your own set, I would suggest doing so now. The customer service is excellent.

The Goose Grease dolls are wooden and made with non-toxic paints and finishes. Michelle makes all kinds of character dolls, custom families to look like yours (or the one you wished you had) and wedding cake toppers. Below are a few examples of her fabulous work. I have to warn you that you won't be able to order just one.

Images: Goose Grease

The Summer House

The 1983 contemporary hexagon-shaped dollhouse kit by Rundquist Miniatures called The Summer House is on eBay. This 1:12 kit is new in box and features spiral stairs, closets and balconies. It's a lovely design (even better than the coveted Garden House) and very hard to find. Bidding is currently at $37...

SOLD for $306.22


See the built kit HERE

Image: Greenleaf Dollhouse Forum

5 Little

Oh sure, "5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" sounds so cute until you're living it. Sheila thought that the worst part was almost nobody ever fell off and when they did, rarely did anyone sufficiently bump their head. The only time Sheila ever called the doctor was to get more prescription medicine cocktails for herself.

Stockholm Syndrome

I decided to pack away the Voila S553 doll house this weekend. If you've seen the previous post then you already know that I'm tinkering with the Lundby Stockholm 2005 dollhouse in its place. It's interesting to be working in a different scale--1:18. I've promised myself that I won't buy anything new for it, but we all know that's a lie! First, I'll see how many different rooms I can come up with using the stock that I have. I had to dig out some old school stuff to get to the Lundby furniture and lo and behold, don't you know I came across some Ikea PS Eskistuna stools that I completely forgot about. Weird. I have nowhere to put them so they got shoved back into storage where they will eventually "surprise" me again in another year or so.

Eskistuna Image: IKEA

What To Do With This Blog...

Sheila stood with her five children, looking up at the glass house that her husband Mike was showing them. It became painfully obvious that he indeed had an inability to understand how many bedrooms their family needed.

Mike beamed. He was proud that he had stumbled upon a modern gem of a house in a sought after neighborhood, "It's even got a pool!"

The kids were excited about the swimming pool. All Sheila could think about was that you had to go outside to get to the bathroom and to the single bedroom.

With a polite but faint smile on her face, Sheila let Mike show her around the property. "I think this is the ONE", Mike said, "Don't you think this is the ONE?--And the kids love it!"

"Don't you think it lacks privacy?", Sheila asked.
"I think it's a small price to pay in an effort to reduce our consumption while preserving the Earth's resources", Mike said, "And, babe, look at that view".
Sheila quietly wondered why she had chosen to marry this man, "So...we wouldn't remodel?"
"Goodness no", Mike laughed, "It's perfect as it is--maybe a coat of paint here or there but the structure is fine."

The kids loved the house. "Daddy, I want to live here!", one child shouted, "And sleep on the roof!"
"Daddy, is this really going to be our cool new house?", another child asked.
"Well", Mike said, "That all depends on your mother."

Sheila remembered the last time she had disagreed with her family on a house purchase. It had ended badly.

In the end, she felt that she had no choice but to consent.

M112 POD House

The M112 POD House by Paris Renfroe of Paris Renfroe Design (PRD).

This 1:12 masterpiece is constructed of solid exotic woods, sliding Plexiglas doors, concrete finishes and corrugated aluminum deco metal. There's an open floor plan, modern landscaping, a deck, a balcony terrace and even a lap pool.

What you see here isn't even the finished product. Paris is also building stairs, a Poliform kitchen and a Minotti sectional for the living area. You can watch the complete evolution of this house here. The structure is 57" L, by 24" D. The base comes in two pieces 28"L x 24"W and the top unit is 14" D, by 40" L, by 11" H. The interior height is 8" H. The second story is 28"L x 14"W x 11"H.

The M112 POD dollhouse is slated for ebay, but Mr. Renfroe will consider offers prior to putting the structure up for auction: Paris@parisrenfroedesign.com

This will not be the only venture that PRD takes to the 1:12 world. PRD will be creating more modern dollhouse designs based on a concept of stackable pod units. Additionally, the company will create custom dollhouse units based on a client's budget.

And I really thought I was joking when I said I would be broke by the end of the year. Sigh.

Images: Paris Renfroe

There's Something About Paris

Paris Renfroe. Modernist builder. Urban industrial design artist. He's exploring the 1:12 realm and what he has created so far is spectacular. The images above are a few of his exceptional miniature modern designs that are currently up for bid on ebay now. Bids start at $5 and $15 and the auctions end on November 16.

He is also building ultra modern dollhouses.
More information to come...

Images: Paris Renfroe, www.parisrenfroedesign.com

ELF Miniatures Online Store!

Whoa. I know I am going to be broke by the end of the year. ELF Miniatures has an online shop now--making it even easier for you to purchase the wonderful modern miniature kitchens, bedrooms, baths, etc. that Elizabeth LePla makes. You can also find the Miele and Reac Japan items via this online shop.

Images: ELF Miniatures

Room by Room Again

The plastic modular dollhouse by Jazwares called Room by Room Dollhouse has returned to the market. It is available via ToysRUs.

This dollhouse always strikes me as what the Fisher-Price versions (Dream Dollhouse, Loving Family + extensions like Grand Mansion, Twin Time, Sweet Sounds, Home & Stable, etc. etc.) should have been looking more like in the early 90's. I find it bizarre that Mattel (Fisher-Price) has never truly redesigned that dollhouse. I like the late 70's/early 80's Fisher-Price dollhouses but since that design, every year it's the same old same old with a new coat of paint and a different name to give the impression that it's something new. I will congratulate them on moving slightly away from the pastel pink and blue palette. The chunky pieces work well for children but the design is still way way off. And there's too much plastic. I'm still waiting for a company to make a killer modern dollhouse out of bamboo. Imagine the floors! Anyway, that entire toy company (Mattel and it's subsidiaries) seems out of touch with consumers.

Where was I...Oh! the Room by Room Dollhouse is a cool concept for a toy dollhouse but lacking because you cannot fully decorate the house/modules due to the built-in furniture structures that allow the unit to produce "realistic" sound effects, etc. When I learned that this dollhouse had been reissued, I had hoped that it was going to have a completely new exterior design, color palette and decor. So far, it looks like it is the same set of modular rooms as before. The only change that I do see is that they repainted some of the pitiful Room by Room dollhouse family figures (new version on right)...and apparently turned the little boy into a dog.