Vermont haul :)

So, I promised a post about my trip to Vermont and what I picked up at the Real Good Toys Summer Clearance Sale in their factory outlet store in Barre, VT. Well, here it is!

One of the bigger things I picked up was this neat room box. The wallpaper, ceiling, and flooring can be removed and are also reversible! And the whole thing is electrified! Unfortunately this one didn't come with a cable, but Jason has some expertise in electronics so he's going to figure out what we need so we don't get the wrong polarity...

Now, the box came with the orange and blue lamps. The baskets, vases and table were purchased separately at the Outlet store. While there, I also picked up some tiny books, doorknobs for the historical society, and some gifts for friends an family (early Christmas shopping FTW!). I can't show pics of the gifts, because I think some of the recipients read my blog. ;)

The shelves below were bought at an antique shop on Route 7 somewhere north of Rutland. I wish I remembered the name of the place because it had some other dollhouse furniture too!

Now you may be wondering who manufactured this awesome little box? Well...

...that "AG" stands for American Girls! One of the women who works at RGT told me that American Girls did a short-lived1/12 scale line, but I guess it never took off? Here's a link about the series, and apparently some electronic pieces were defective. We'll see about this one. There's also some stuff from AG Minis on eBay. Lots of mod stuff, too, if you're interested.

I think these were demo kits that they had in their warehouse. They even threw in the drawer for free!

Here's a close-up of the lamps:

We also stopped at a couple of other places on the way home. One was a great little bookstore called Monroe St. Books, also on Route 7. I picked up three PA Dutch books and two dollhouse books there.

And one more place we stopped was Camelot Village just west of Bennington, VT. OMG. This place is awesome. Both my fiance and I have passed it going to and from NH on our trips to see each other when we lived apart and wanted to stop. But we *finally* visited, even though the shop was only open for about another half hour. We did a quick breeze-through. I found some dollhouse furniture, but we definitely didn't see everything. This place is really big and if you like crafts and antiques it's definitely worth the stop if you find yourself in this area! On the way out the door, I noticed a dollhouse in the window, but they were closing so I didn't go back in. Next time... :)

Here's what I did pick up - table and chair set and a bag of marbles (for etsy stuff):

So...that's it for now. It was a great weekend trip. :) Hopefully more etsy and other updates soon!

Vermont finds

Well I promised in the previous post that I would include a few things I bought in Vermont over Memorial Day weekend. The first group of items was purchased at the Real Good Toys factory outlet in Barre, VT. Seeing RGT dollhouses in person is always a treat and one could save a lot of money on the ones they have here. The store isn't that big, and there wasn't a huge selection for accessories, but it was a pleasant visit. They have items in both 1" and 1/2" scales, including houses and furniture! There was also a Melissa and Doug section for the little ones. And they had Reutter Porcelain sets marked down. Anyway, let me show you the goods:

I bought some mini books, a Reutter Porcelain "Farmer's Brunch" set, some doorknobs, patterns and instructions for interior decorating of the RGT Simplicity house (which was marked collectable, can be used for any house, and was only 5 bucks), and some shutters for the Alison Jr. which Jay is going to turn into a haunted house.

I laid out the brunch set in the Glencroft kitchen.

Close-up of the pattern and instructions. There are two big sheets with projects on both sides.

The other items...

Anyway, we stopped in Montpelier on the way back from our trip, and I visited Rivendell Books on Main Street and found this:

It was 6.99, and one of the books on my "want list." So I was happy to find it. :)

Glencroft redecorating and finishing

Well...have I been making some progress. I am in the midst of job searching and hoping I get one very soon, but in the meantime, I have been keeping myself busy (and sane) with the Glencroft. I finally decorated the Glencroft bedroom (including dressing the bed, my first one ever!). I also painted the living room walls and added the moulding to the front kitchen wall, between the ceiling beams. For the interior, all I have left are some minor touchups with paint and wood filler (the latter has become my best friend in this process) and adding the front door.

Before I get to the pics, I want to say a word about shingles...I went shopping for shingles on Tuesday, first at Ben Franklin, because I had remembered that they had bags of shingles for a reasonable price. Well when I got there and looked at them, I noted a) their selection was a bit limited and the price wasn't as good as I had thought and b) some of the shingles were in pretty bad shape in the bag. So I grabbed some of the other things that I needed and moved on to the local A.C. Moore, which sells dollhouses and components. Oh boy. They had shingles all right. But for 46.99 for a BAG of 1000. 0______0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obviously I did not buy shingles there, and I have made a decision to buy them from Tom's Mill/Earth and Tree which is much cheaper and local. Plus they make their own, which makes me happy. I like to give my local miniature shop business when I can anyway. I am going to wait until I am employed to purchase the shingles, and hopefully that will be soon!!

Anyway, here are some pics:

This is the whole bedroom. I papered the sloped ceiling with some awesome scrapbook paper I found at Ben Franklin's...one side was a solid color and the other was textured and you could sand it.

A close-up of the bed... I made the comforter myself. ;) Super easy.

Here, you can kinda see the window seat I made. I LOVE the ribbon I used to cover it. Super-cute. I found it at A.C. Moore for a dollar or so.

The comforter is reversible, but the same pattern on both sides. Underneath, I placed a little flannel blanket. The sheets were made from a satiny handkerchief I had in my stash.

I used ribbon as trim for the sloping walls...this room turned out very "springy."

 Just a close-up of the window seat.

I built this shelf above the bed because the wall is a little "wonky" right there. It also adds more storage space.

Now for the downstairs:

In the living room, I painted the walls an off-white color. I also made this tiny bulletin board to go next to, or above, the rolltop desk.

More living room. The window seat downstairs is much simpler than the one upstairs. Just silk-covered padding embellished with some ribbon.

Last, but not least, here are the mouldings I made for the kitchen...it looks a lot better than before. 

Thanks for reading! I have a few goodies from the RGT Outliet Store in Barre, VT and a find in a Montpelier bookstore to post about next time! Cheers!

Manor House Minis order + some good local mini finds

Hello everyone!  I recently ordered some great stuff from Manorhouseminis.com and decided to make a video slide show to show you instead a long list of pics. I had a lot of fun doing this and may do more in the future!



Seriously, I have no need for the doll or the pediments as neither of them work with any of the projects I am currently working or plan to work on in the near future. The doll's hat is glued on her head, but the dress may be removable...maybe. If you want them, let me know. I wouldn't mind swapping the doll or the pediments for some mini books or whatever you may have and not need...leave a comment. :)

I have also made some great local mini finds. The first is from Bo-Mar Antiques in Wells, ME (where I found my general store!). There were several pieces of dollhouse furniture, all very cute. I restricted myself to buying just one piece, which cost less than 5 dollars: a little handmade rocking chair with a woven seat.

I love handmade stuff so this was perfect. There were also some corner chairs there and a few table and chair sets. So if anyone is nearby, it may be worth visiting. The variety of items at Bo-Mar changes frequently so I  recommend that if you like something, grab it while you can.

My local used bookstore sometimes has miniature books, but not very often. I happened to find The Complete Guide to Remodeling & Expanding Your Dollhouse by Nola Theiss in the "woodworking" section of the store. They do have a craft section which occasionally has books on the hobby as well. But again, the selection of books varies as the store has a lot of turnover.
Here's a picture of the book:

There is some good stuff in here, and a few color pictures. I haven't yet read the whole thing, but so far I like it.

Jay and I are going to Vermont this weekend and I am really excited about the Real Good Toys Factory Outlet Store! I just learned about it - on CraigsList of all places. But here is the website: http://www.realgoodtoys.com/about-our-company/dollhouse-factory-outlet-store/

Even though RGT is shutting down their factory and shipping departments for a long vacation starting on the 28th, the store will remain open. I look forward to checking them out and seeing what is there. I'll probably post what I find when we get back. :)

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend!