Little Rosey Posey

A Handmade Farmhouse Kitchen Island

2011-06-19T23:17:00.005-05:00

Many moons ago, I tried my hand at making a piece of furniture... a kitchen island, for my miniature farmhouse kitchen. It turned out 'ok', but wasn't square, and the more I looked at it, the less I like it. So I put it away and ordered a new island. However, my girls still preferred my crooked little rookie creation. Reluctantly, I pulled it back out recently and worked on it a bit more. I was able to level it up, put a new top on it, and repaint it red for a whole new look. I think I really like it now!

I've mentioned before that this island design was based on my own kitchen island which is made of old house parts, including a tin-ceiling front. :)

{I made a little toolbox for the tools... still have to paint it!)

I wanted the new 'old' island top to look as if it were made of old barnwood... this look was achieved by wiping on and off a little burnt umber and white acrylic paint and then sanding....

I think the little handmade island will be a charming addition to our little house and I'm so glad my girls persuaded me to give it a second chance!

Until next time!

Miniature Patisserie Project

2011-05-11T08:50:00.003-05:00

Hello, everyone! First of all, I'm so happy to see that I reached the 100 follower mark overnight! This really thrills me... thank you! I'm so excited to be a part of such a creative and charming little community of miniaturists and I look forward to learning so much from you!

I thought that since I am giving away a new dollhouse kit for one of my Cottage Charm giveaways this month, I'd share a few photos of the kit I'm working on. It's the Storybook Cottage. I've gotten the main parts all glued together except for one side of the roof - I'm waiting until I install the wood flooring in the attic to glue down that side. Also I have the little roofing bits above the bay windows to add as well. I'll be using lightweight spackle on the inside to make the walls nice and smooth and then I'll be ready to add some trim work. I haven't yet decided how to finish the exterior - whether I'll use siding or some kind of sanded stucco or stone - or ...oooh...an aged brick foundation?!... {As if I didn't have enough decisions to make with our real house!} Ah, but this has been so much fun and I've enjoyed working on it here and there when I catch some snippets of down time.

This little house will become a little patisserie. A few months back I made the tiny pennant banner for a cupcake party I had for the girls and used it to decorate the miniature farmhouse kitchen. I couldn't resist {very prematurely} stringing it up in the patisserie for these photos just to get an idea of how sweet it could be.

The little attic space...

The floor has been stained a dark chocolate color. I was thinking about creating a white 1-inch diamond pattern on the floor as well. What do you think?

Oh polka dots! I have such a weakness for you!!!! Especially you red and white ones... *sigh*

I don't know where I'm going to put all these *little* projects that have stolen my heart with their sweetness. Our real house is tiny itself and I'm running out of space!

But I think the patisserie project is just fine right here for now. :)

Have a lovely day, everyone, and until next time, don't forget to keep checking in on the Cottage Charm Giveaway party going on this month. If you want to add a giveaway to the party, that's even better!

A Giveaway - The Buttercup Cottage Dollhouse Kit

2011-05-09T01:11:00.005-05:00

That's right... I'm giving away a brand new Buttercup Cottage dollhouse kit. Please click here to read the details and to enter win on my life size blog. The winner will be announced on May 29th. See you there!

Multi-Blog Cottage Charm Giveaway Party!

2011-05-01T09:11:00.005-05:00

This is a bit of a crossover post as I wanted to share with everyone what I'm up to on my "other" {full scale} house blog. Every year I host a "Cottage Charm Giveaway" party where everyone is invited to post links on my blog to their own giveaways on their blogs. All of the giveaways are cottage style related - all very charming! I wanted to invite my fellow dollhouse enthusiasts to take a look and participate if they like! I haven't yet posted my giveaway but will a little later on this week and believe me, dollhouse lovers are going to want to see what I'm offering for one of my giveaways! So for more details about this event and to see all the giveaways listed so far, just visit my other blog here. And you are more than welcome to add your own giveaway if you like!

Farmhouse Cabinetry

2011-04-27T19:10:00.010-05:00

It has certainly been a while, but I thought I'd share some of the progress I've made on the old farmhouse. It seemed like such a feat for a first timer, but I finally got all of the kitchen cabinetry put together. After gluing each tiny little piece together and sanding everything just right so that all the doors and drawers closed properly, I painted everything only to find that the doors and drawers would no longer close properly! So more sanding... and more sanding ... and more sanding...

I ordered the upper cabinets already assembled {they are not yet hung on the walls in these photos}, but removed the plastic "glass" doors and installed "chicken wire" in their place. For the chicken wire, I just used fabric netting spray painted brown. I was very pleased with how it turned out!

The counter top will be trimmed down a bit and painted to look like dark stained wood. it think it will contrast nicely with all the white, don't you?

I will need to add little handles as well. Can anyone recommend where I could find some sweet ones?

What do you think of the shelf and drawer liner? I decided long ago that Little Rosey Posey's farmhouse should be fun and cheerful {fitting for both Rosey and my girls!}

Never one to know how to work on one project at a time, I've also been working on Rosey's patisserie. This is my first dollhouse built from the ground up and so far it's coming along just fine. Here is the dark chocolate brown flooring - yum! I'm wondering how pretty it might look with a brown/white diamond pattern? So much to think about - and so fun!

I'm using the Storybook Cottage {below} for the patisserie and I think the girls and I have decided that we will paint it robin's egg blue. But more on that later! Hope my mini friends are doing well!

Miniature Farmhouse Cottage Kitchen Progress

2011-01-11T12:19:00.005-06:00

It's been a while, but slowly I've been plugging away at the old farmhouse kitchen. With it being my first dollhouse rehab project {or first dollhouse project period!}, it surely has been trial and error! Here is where I started...a thirty year old SAD little kitchen!

I'm going for some real cottage charm with this space, so here is where I am now...

Loving the new shabby old door!

The wall on the left will hold upper and lower cabinets. I've built them....still need to paint and hang them, so I'm holding off adding trim to this wall until after they are installed.

The opposite wall there across from the stove {where the chair is} will hold the sink and some lower cabinets...

So basically, what our dear Jonathan Jacobson has done so far is: skimmed the walls to make them nice and smooth, put down wide planked flooring, replaced the windows and window trim, added the new door, installed beadboard, added baseboards, added a tin ceiling {not shown...it still needs some work}, and built the cabinetry. Oh, and he added electrical wiring, too. I hope Little Rosey Posey loves this farmhouse cottage kitchen as much as I do so far!

In other news, I've begun the mini patisserie. More on that soon!

A Few Tiny Cottage Kitchen Snapshots

2010-09-22T12:58:00.000-05:00

I'd like to interrupt my little dollhouse storyline to let everyone know that I'm making making some progress on my dollhouse remodel. My work is slow because, well, we are also remodeling our real house {a cottage transformation in real life scale!} and we have a million projects going on at once here at home. But progress is progress!

I'd like to share a few snapshots of my dollhouse cottage kitchen remodel so far. I've finally collected all of the "remodeling" supplies needed to finish it - all of the tiny crown moulding and window trim and beadboard and baseboards...and the lower kitchen cupboards should arrive today. I have the uppers already, but the lowers will need to be put together, painted, and installed before the beadboard goes up. Wow, just like remodeling a real house! Oh, and my painted tin ceiling is installed along with the kitchen electric wiring, but I haven't taken photos of that yet. Just a few table and floor snapshots...

Right after I started my dollhouse blog, a very talented miniaturist, Tallulah of Tullulah~Belle Originals sent me the adorable little flower arrangement in a tiny teapot you see there on the table. She makes these and is soooo talented! I will take some better, close-up photos of the flowers when I'm closer to being finished with the kitchen {again, these were just random snapshots} but aren't they just precious! Thanks again, Tallulah!

The cake was my second attempt at making anything miniature. {I apologize for the crooked photo...the floors really are level!} The first thing I made were donuts, well before I bought the old farmhouse dollhouse to remodel. I'll always have fond memories of making these little things with my youngest daughter.

Can't wait to make more little sweets! I still have this Storybook Cottage to build when more of the farmhouse is completed. It will be my miniature patisserie.

I love how the "old" plank floor turned out. These planks had to be painted and distressed individually and then glued down one by one once they were dry. I tried gluing them first and then painting them all at once after they dried, but they all curled up on me when the paint was wet! I had to rip them up and start over, but it was well worth it. A lesson learned!

I bought the vintage style table set at Hobby Lobby. It had been on the shelf for several weeks because a table leg was broken along with a couple of chair legs. So I asked the manager if I could have a discount and he gave the set to me for just $10! I superglued it all back together and painted it. I still have to distress the edges of three of the four chairs. It's a bit challenging to work with such small pieces. One little oops and you've practically sanded a table leg right off!

For those of you who may be new to my site, my dollhouse blog is mainly used to tell a fictional story centering around the house and it's remodel, but I'll be updating it here and there with little sneak peeks and updates, too. Thank you for coming along on this fun adventure with me!

{Oh, and for what it's worth, here is a shot of what the little kitchen looked like before I started. Quite scary, eh?}

"Home Forever in Our Hearts"

2010-07-20T11:00:00.012-05:00

Jonathan Jacobson knew that he had to make this work. There simply were no other options at this point. Although he was twenty-four years of age, he had never lived away from home - that is - until now.

Unfortunate circumstances had kept him on his family's farm longer than he had imagined. His mother needed the help, not only with farm work, but in providing for Rosey, his younger sister.

Rosey was tiny for her age, and most people who did not know her guessed her to be three or four years younger than she actually was. It was secretly whispered in the community that perhaps her mother was ill even while pregnant with Rosey, and that was why the child was so small. Nonetheless, she was affectionately called by those who loved her Little Rosey Posey, a nickname she thoroughly embraced.

Though small, she was not weak nor ever felt she was at a disadvantage. She had always insisted that Jonathan leave the "homemaking" to her during the duration of their mother's illness. She was adamant about being her mother's primary caregiver - feeding, bathing, changing bed linens, and administering medicine. She was also her mother's constant companion. Rosey would read to her daily, whether it be from poetry books, the newspaper, or the Bible - she made sure that she worked hard to keep her mother's mind stimulated and her outlook hopeful. One might wonder how a child of Rosey's age could be so nurturing, thoughtful, and wise beyond her years. Simply put, she learned it from her entire family - her mother, her father, and her beloved brother, Jonathan.

Jonathan had not at all minded being the head of the house and farm for the last few years, for he deeply loved his family and knew that his mother and sister had no one else to rely on. Though he and his sister were both able and willing, times had become very difficult, and after their mother died, he had no choice but to look for ways to make life financially stable again. There were unpaid hospital bills that accumulated during the early months of their mother's illness, and doctor bills regularly poured in. Jonathan knew that he couldn't earn enough money to pay them and keep their fine home and farm. He daily struggled with this reality.

Finally, Jonathan spoke with Rosey about their situation. As expected, she didn't pout or cry, but with the same fortitude and resolve that he himself had inherited from their parents, she said, "Wherever life takes us, home will stay forever in our hearts. We must sell, Jonathan."

It was as if Jonathan had just heard his mother utter those words. It is what she would have done, after all, and probably would have done already had she not been too sick to physically endure such a difficult journey and transition.

Neither Rosey nor Jonathan had to wonder where they would go after the family home and farm was sold. Though they didn't relish the thought of leaving their friendly town and farm community, they knew that for whatever reason, their mother had come to be the sole owner of a dilapidated old house that was said to have been in the family throughout multiple generations. They had never seen the house themselves as it was at least two hundred miles away. However, they had heard mention of "The Old Jacobson Home Place" many times times over the years, and they knew that it belonged to their mother. They had even seen the timeworn deed carefully tucked away in their mothers keepsake box. "You must never lose this, Rosey" her mother reminded her one day a few months before she died. "Someday that old house will belong to you and Jonathan if you want it."

All of these things, Jonathan was presently pondering. Yes, he knew he had to make this work and would make it work. Their home and farm had in fact been sold, the hospital and doctor bills were paid in full, and there was even extra money to live on for a while. Neighbors who were practically like family kindly agreed to let Rosey stay with them for a few weeks while he made the trip to the Jacobson home place. He felt it would be better to first scope out the house to see what kind of work it needed, and to begin making some of the needed repairs before Rosey arrived. "The kitchen, Jonathan...if we can first make the kitchen livable, we will be fine. I can sleep in a barn if I have to, but we both need to make sure we eat properly before we can even think about tackling the rest of the house." Again, it was his mother's voice he heard when his sister spoke.

When he first arrived at the old house, he was momentarily shocked at just how much work it needed. He felt pangs of guilt because he thought Little Rosey Posey deserved so much better, especially considering how hard she worked and sacrificed while caring for their mother and home. He could tell, though, that the old house at one time had been beautiful, and soon his shock and guilt gave way to hope and optimism. His mother would not have given them a house that had no life left in it. And Rosey, with her cheerful disposition along with her excellent homemaking and artistic skills, could make any place feel like a home.

He brought along very few belongings - some clothing, a little food, and his father's old tools. It was all he needed to get started on their new old home.

And he did indeed begin in the kitchen.

He removed the rotted window trim, added a fresh coat of plaster, and installed a solid wood door that he made himself. His father had taught him well.

Upon Rosey's recommendation in her last letter, he painted the kitchen a beautiful shade of robin's egg blue. Rosey also thought the kitchen should have white beadboard around the perimeter of the room. Jonathan decided that their new house would have electricity, though, so he needed to wait until someone skilled in electrical work would be available to come. For this reason, he held off adding the beadboard and a new tin ceiling.

He began laying the new wide plank flooring and as soon as he had just enough completed...

...he moved in the freestanding cupboard he was working on as well. Like most furniture, this piece would be tall for Rosey, but she never wanted anything custom built to suit her size. "After all, I haven't finished growing yet, have I?!" she'd say.

It wouldn't be long before Rosey would make the two hundred mile journey to join her brother on this new adventure. Jonathan wanted to at least get a good start on one room - her kitchen - so that she wouldn't be quite as shocked by the house as he was when he first arrived!

Small Beginnings

2010-07-07T21:23:00.005-05:00

I've been having such a grand time picking out and buying some of the mini materials needed to get started on my first dollhouse. Crown moulding, baseboards, beadboard, chair rail, a new interior door - all for the first room that I'll be remodeling - the kitchen!

I chose one of the bigger rooms for the kitchen because, well, I just like big kitchens! Besides, there needs to be lots of space for all the baking that will be done here in the future! I will be creating the tin ceiling myself, as well as the new hardwood flooring. I've already removed the little fireplace shown in the photo to make space for the cast iron antique style stove that I've ordered {it's on backorder and will arrive in August}. What do you think? It was only about $16 at Miniatures.com!

I've done some preliminary work on the space like sanding and wood filling, but besides waiting on more supplies to arrive, hubs needs to get started on dollhouse electrical work. I know that technically I could do this if I read up and studied on it a bit, but this is part of what he does for a living, so I'll let it be his contribution to the house! I would be perfectly happy without lighting {most of the lighting that I like is really expensive and the more affordable ones, I'm not too thrilled about}, but my girls are tickled pink with the idea of having working lights.

I'm also up in the air about the windows in this dollhouse. While they are charming in a vintage dollhouse kind of way, they also seem to be too chunky and the mullions are out of scale. They window opeings are not a standard size - a bit larger, actually, so I'm wondering if I could even make standard sized replacement windows work with some shimming and a bit of work? Or maybe I could just replace the mullions by making my own? Or should I just retain the basic original "charm" of my first dollhouse and not worry about them? Hmmm...

I'm working on a bit of furniture as well and am almost finished with an island. I haven't yet figured out the layout of this space but I do know there needs to be room for the stove, a sink, and a row of lower cabinets with perhaps shelving above {no doors}. There is the island to make room for as well as an informal dining/work farm table.

Tell me, in miniature world, does traffic flow and functionality really matter as much? Or is it "the cozier the better" in most cases? So much to learn!

I so appreciate all the new followers today! Thank you, Tallulah Belle, for the sweet shout out!

A Miniature Chocolate Cake

2010-07-01T21:35:00.000-05:00

Hello there! I would like to formally introduce myself as I am brand new to the world of miniatures - and what a fascinating, whole new world it is! My name is Kim and I am the author of the blog "The Twice Remembered Cottage" - which is a documentation of progress as we slowly turn our home into our own cottage haven. I decided to create this blog to document my miniature projects, however. If you are a miniature pro, a newbie like me, or just thinking about getting started, I welcome you and your thoughts and ideas as I begin to figure things out. I have a feeling I'm going to need all the help I can get! And as I write about my miniature endeavors, I will also weave in the stories of Little Rosey Posey. I can't wait to share them with you!

I recently decided to try my hand at making a polymer clay miniature cake and while there is definitely a lot of room for improvement, I'm pleased with how it turned out. I don't think I quite got the layers even or straight but it really does look like one of my real life crooked cakes! I don't have any fancy cake plates or serving dishes yet, so I made both the cake plate and the saucer holding the slice, too. What fun!

For this cake, I followed the general instructions of this wonderful tutorial written by the fine miniature artisan Betsy Niederer. If you have a moment, check out some of her beautiful work on Flickr. Simply amazing!

The Old Jacobson Home Place

2010-07-01T14:12:00.002-05:00

The old Jacobson home place. Though meticulously built by Matthew Jacobson ages ago for his young and growing family, the house seemed to lose it's will to hold itself together after Matthew and his wife passed away in their old age.

The old house was left to the family, but all of the children had moved on to various bustling cities with their own young and growing families, where they were very contented to remain. No one wanted to sell their place of birth and upbringing, but no one was willing to care for it properly, either.

To the family's credit, some of the major damage to the home was dutifully repaired, namely, the dormer that had been destroyed by a falling branch of an ancient oak tree.

The exterior of the house was also given a fresh coat of cheerful yellow paint, Mother Jacobson's favorite color.

While the outside of the house maintained at least a portion of it's original charm and dignity, the interior was quite another matter.

A few years after both Matthew and his wife died, their children leased out the home to a lively family of twelve, who put their own stamp on the Jacobson home place. They were much less meticulous than Matthew had been, particularly in the area of painting.

No one knew exactly how, but that entire family of twelve completely vacated the house in the middle of one mild winter night, taking with them some of the home's finest features, including the wooden doors Matthew had made by hand and the beloved old cook stove Mother Jacobson had used to lovingly prepare thousands of meals.

Stripped almost bare, no vestiges of the beautiful and cheerful interior that reflected Mother Jacobson herself remained.

The house was never put up for lease again after that unsettling experience, nor was it sold. It was simply "kept" by the Jacobson children and grandchildren, wistfully visited a few times here and there for "old time's sake".

Eventually, though, the Jacobson home seemed to be all but forgotten. It was abandoned and left in it's shameful state to face alone the cold and cruel consequences of time.