Goodbye 2014! Only 368 days till next Christmas!

Happy New Year! Welcome 2015!

Mom watched the kids play with their new toys while the turkey cooked

Mom got a new apron and kitchen mitts! (This is the 1950's).
Hope you fared better! 

 "It's true, Christmas can feel like a lot of work, particularly for mothers. But when you look back on all the Christmases in your life, you'll find you've created family traditions and lasting memories. Those memories, good and bad, are really what help to keep a family together over the long haul."
Caroline Kennedy
Time to relax! Good job parents. (and Santa). Cheers CM

Everythings good 2 go at the North pole!

German Kitchen room box with Gottschalk white furniture

Merry Christmas!

Happy Festival of Lights!

Happy Hanukkah to a my Jewish Friends! 
So I only had birthday cake candles to light when I took this picture and one of my friends commented, "Celebrate,but don't burn the house down!" CM

Mini takeover

After reading Susan's comments on her blog Susan's Mini Houses
I had to Google Harrod's displays that Mitchymoo mentioned. Way cool. I think this was 2013.
I'll take 3 London Eye Ferris Wheels, please... to go.

You can Google Harrods to see all current and past window displays.


Have you noticed too in the opening montage scenes of the BBC's Sherlock, how they show the city of London in a shift photo making it look miniature? Love it! CM

The Bletchley Circle

I am a fan of the BBC production "The Bletchley Circle". It tells the story of  the women who worked in this famous WWII code breaking department in England and the lives they faced after the war as they returned to the more restricted roles of housewives and office workers (or not). I was delighted to see this scene of Mother and Daughter playing with a Triang Dollhouse. What a clever touch to make a current drama seem so of it's period. Kudos to their prop person.

Triang Dollhouses made in England by the Lines Brothers are quintessentially English. There is a lot written about them and as they were one of the first mass produced dollhouses many are in existence today. There are many models. To see more go to Flicker: and enter Triang Dollhouse.

I used Doltoi furniture in this one and some Deco looking Strombecker.

I liked the scale of Tootsietoy for this smaller scale even though it is American made.

Their rooms were made of heavy wood and their facades were of metal. Originally they had cardboard roofs with later styles being made of plastic. They came with decals for decoration.

Fellow bloggers Rebecca, The Shopping Sherpa and Beatrice have wonderful ones in their collections.

My cardboard roofed one has the name "Judith" scratched into it so to honor that past child we call it Judith's House.

My favorite inhabitants of these houses are of course The Grecon Dolls,

There is more on Triangs than I can put here but I was so excited to see it in The Bletchley Group scene. (used with absolutely no permission of the BBC, SHHHH, It's very hush, hush...)

Code name: Dollhouse  Lover

UPDATE: today is 12/7/14 and I found this on ebayuk have a look and drool,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/triang-dolls-house

Dollhouses Past and Present ezine also has a time line with pictures 

 http://www.dollshousespastandpresent.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=5852895

Holiday Stress?

What is going on with Mrs Santa????

Update: Well Neen, this is the Caco dollhouse doll version
of  Mrs. Clause

Oh deer what a work load! They say behind every successful 
man there's a woman.

Although I have seen her celebrate New Years after the holiday rush was over.  CM

New Game: Who are you in the doll house?

Hmmmm... perhaps my grading was rather harsh....

If you enjoyed playing "What kind of dollhouse are you anyway?"
(see below)

Well let's find out what kind of doll you are...
Answer these questions and then I will tell you how to score yourself.

1. When some one cuts you off while driving you
                     a, Flip them off.
                     b. Roll your eyes.
                     c, Wave and smile forgivingly
                     d. Ignore them.

2. What instrument would you play?
                a. I'm tone deaf

                     b. Piano
                     c. Let's do a duet.
                     d. Go look through my CDs.

3. Now you are hungry. You
                      a. Yell at your spouse to get you something,
                      b. Walk away and wait until the next meal.
                      c. Take a piece of fruit and say grace.
                      d. Finish whatever the kids left on the counter.

4.  You'd rather read
                       a. John Crais
                       b. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow                    
                       c. Ashley Gardner
                       d. Caitlin Morse

5. In the 2016 Presidential election you'd vote for (remember this is pretend)
                       a. Dick Cheney
                       b. Hilary Clinton
                       c. Jeb Bush
                       d. Elzabeth Warren
                       

  Add 1 point for every a, 2 for every b, 3 for every c and 4 for every d. 

7 points and under you are him:     

  

Dude! Get some prozac, The world is not your oyster. Chill.

New  scale: 8 points you are her... 8-12 points you are her:

 

You are practical and well, a little boring. Sorry.

New Scale: 9 points you are her...    13-15 points:   

You are unbelievably sweet and kind. We probably can not be friends.

16-20 points:

New scale: 10-20 you re her...

You are cool, you're calm. You take it as it comes. And let's face it you have great style.

Cheers, CM

Thanksgiving

So my First Thanksgiving on this blog was November 14, 2009 when I posted this

by Jennie Brownscombe both scenes rather idolized, as there were only 68 pilgrims left at that point.

So I am a Mayflower descendant through my Father's Mother's Grandmother who was a Fuller and is related to Dr. Samuel Fuller who signed the Mayflower compact. Also Priscilla Mullens and John Alden of the famous line from the poem The Courtship of Miles Standish where Priscilla says "Speak for yourself John." if you know that work. 

John and Pricilla's graves in Duxbury Plymouth

Classic reproductions of what John Alden and Priscilla Mullen Alden were thought to look like.

Elizabeth Alden Paebody

This is an early painting of  John Alden's daughter Elizabeth Alden Paebody. Her future ancestor was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who wrote the poem "The Courtship of Miles Standish" from family stories handed down. He also wrote "The Midnight ride of Paul Revere".

Then there are lots of grave stones until we come to 

Jonas Chilson Conkey husband of Mary Loretta Fuller Conkey. Her Fathers family led back to Rev. Samuel Fuller and her Paternal Grandmother was a Loring who led back to John Alden and Priscilla Mullens.

About this time one of my female relatives painted this picture of their home in what I think is Chatham, Ohio. I used it as the backdrop for this photo. This is a behind the scenes look. My Dad gave it to me and it hangs in my daughter's house now.

After that great, great grandmother who was a Fuller came her daughter Parmelia, the older woman in the first row of this family picture.

She was named Parmelia called Millie and mother to my Grandmother Muriel

Who was mother to my Father 

then me

and I had 2 little girls who had the following children

So I explained all this to this little girl (my little assistant) and she thought  and said, "Hmm you and Grampy are my Mom's parents right"? Then she said, "Wait a minute, Nana you came on the Mayflower???"

This little girl has English, French, German, Croatian, French Canadian and Belgium, Irish and Choctaw ancestors too.

         And who am I giving thanks for? These little miniatures too.

Just for the record  these children also have English, French, Croatian, Irish, Spanish, and Italian in them. Were just an American Family.

                       The John Alden house today a Museum in Duxbury Plymouth, Massachusetts.

 

And don't think for a minute, if my Tynietoy furniture wasn't back in Pennsylvania I wouldn't be trying THIS scene.

Plymouth today as an historical site.

Is it timely to say, we were Immigrants all (excepting the Choctaw)

Happy Thanksgiving and I am grateful for our blogging community too! That means you, Cheers, CM

The Miniaturist

I am reading  "The Miniaturist" by Jessie Burton. The story takes place in the 1600's in Amsterdam. Our heroine, Nella, recieves a "Baby House". Adventures, griefs, and severe church rulings against dolls, mimicing Popery beset her. I recommend it to anyone especially if you have a penchant for things small.

The RijksMusum, Amsterdam

                   Contains the Baby House of Petronella Oortman this book is developed from.

                                                   Here are three rooms from her baby House

                     You can see more by googling: Images Petronella Oortman's dollhouse.

  I love Historical Fiction. The story this house created is marvelous. And let me add how glad I am to be a woman in this century... we have so much more power, Even if they try to remove our choice in anything, once you have been freed, you never go back.

This is a painting of Sara Rothe and Family who has several baby houses in Dutch Musuems
one Museum in Holland that holds one called "Sara Rothe's Display" is at the Frans Hals Musem in Haalem, the Netherlands.

http://www.franshalsmuseum.nl/nl/

 and there are 17 pins on Pinterest for Dutch Baby Houses.  and

Cynthia Howe has kits you can see here:  http://cynthiahoweminiatures.com/shop/ to build.



What is your favorite part of miniature houses, control, interior design or voodoo? CHEERS, CM