Dollhouse Update: New Wallpaper & a Front Door

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Happy Sunday everyone!

Yesterday I visited a dollhouse store that’s about 20 minutes from me. The owner was wonderful and I was able to pick up a few little bits for the dollhouse including a door knob. I also found a really neat old book about doll houses and miniatures that really made me happy! It’s called “Chats on Old Miniatures” by J.J. Foster and it was written in 1908. I was still able to find copies on Thrift Books (affiliate link) if you are interested. You know how much I love journals and books so this was a really fun find. I plan on keeping the book in tact and haven’t decided if I will try to repair it at all-I am thinking I will leave it as is as a collectible with my miniatures but I might have some plans for some of the imagery in it.

I also picked up some nice wood from the shop. I don’t know about you but one of the hardest things for me to find is wood for miniatures so this was a nice find. I am planning to use it for making the furniture and the kitchen cabinets.

I designed a fun wallpaper for the kitchen. I am calling it “tea party” as it has some fun tea pots and tea cups on it along with yummy treats. If you would like it for your own dollhouse you can buy it in my Etsy shop here.

The door has been built and I am really proud of it. I haven’t made anything like this before so I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. Now I am just trying to decide on what color to paint it. If you have any ideas I would love to hear it!

I am also trying to think of the name of the little cottage. I want to write a story around it and I am feeling it start to form so I will be sure to keep you updated on it as well.

I have decided to change the direction of the stairs so you can see them better and I plan to use this tutorial from Julie Warren to build an under the stairs cabinet but that’s going to be down the road a bit. As I am writing this I am thinking that once I do the window in the kitchen and attach the door I might move upstairs to do the walls and flooring and then let Season #2 of the dollhouse be the decorating and furniture making. It’s so much fun I just keep coming up with ideas.

Well that’s it for me today. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Relaxing Color with Me Video (And a FREE Download)

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Happy Friday everyone! Just a quick post to wish you a really lovely weekend. Do you have any plans? I am super excited that my local independent paper craft store is having a garage sale!!! My birthday is coming up next week as well so I am hoping to find a few little treasures to gift myself with. One year at this sale hubby bought me my Cricut machine for a really great price so who knows what I will end up with for this year.

Today I am sharing a fun little color with me video. If you saw my studio vlog you know I am de-cluttering and trying to organize things and I found a coloring book that I had purchased a while ago and never really used. It seemed like fun to film the process of coloring one of the pages. Maybe you have an adult coloring book sitting around-if not I am including a free printable for you to print out and color along with me. I had an audio book playing in the background and it was really very relaxing. I hope you enjoy it!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Book Club: Victober & Halloween Reads

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Hi everyone and welcome to Book Club!

This week I am sharing the books I am planning to read for Victober and what I am dubbing my “Halloween Reads.” As usual I have far more books on my list than I think I may be able to read inside of one month but then I suppose that’s the fun of a TBR list right? Lately I have been reading about 1 book a week and starting a second one. I keep trying for two a week but haven’t quite mastered that consistently. Regardless it isn’t the amount of books we read but rather that we enjoy reading so I will share my goal list with you and the give you updates throughout the month of October. Who knows maybe you will find some to add to your own TBR.

All of the books for Victober are on my Kindle and I believe they are part of Kindle Unlimited so if you have a membership I believe they are all included.

If you aren’t familiar with what Victober is it is focused on reading Victorian Literature throughout the month of October. The hosts are:  Books & Things, Kate Howe Reads, Blatantly Bookish, Books with Petra, and Scallydandling about the Books This is my first time taking part and I am excited to take part. I love reading books that are set in the Victorian period but I realize I haven’t read much that were written in the Victorian period so this should be a fun way to delve into a new genre of reading.

The books I plan to read for Victober are (Affiliate links provided below):

Silas Marner by George Eliot

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Three Men in a Boat (not to mention the dog) by Jerome K. Jerome

My reading list for Halloween is (Affiliate links provided below):

The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

The Other by Thomas Tryon

Whose Body by Dorothy L Sayers

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

All said there are 8 books on this list which is doable provided I can read 2 books a week. Lately I have been doing 1 maybe 1 1/2 but if I am being honest I am perfectly find with finishing some in November. Setting challenges and reading goals is fun but I don’t want to be so focused on getting things done that I make it feel like work when reading is mean, for me at least, to be an enjoyable past-time and hobby.

What about you? Are you familiar with Victober? A lover of Victorian novels or maybe you are just all about the spooky and creepy Halloween reads. I would love to hear what you have planned for October.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Dilettante’s Dollhouse: Finishing the Windows & the Trim

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Hi everyone and welcome to dollhouse Sunday! I have moved my schedule around a bit and will be sharing all things dollhouse and miniature on Sundays again. I think I have settled into our fall routine finally and am excited to keep the content coming on a bit more of a regular schedule.

Today I am sharing a quick update on the dollhouse. The living room windows are painted and I also added a little wood filler to fill in the cracks and spaces in some areas. The chair rail is up and painted and in today’s video I paint and install the baseboards in the living which really finishes the room off so nicely.

You may remember I took down the tile paper I had put up in the kitchen so today I went ahead and added another cardboard backing so I can put wallpaper up on. I am still deciding on what kind and may end up designing some myself if I can’t find anything. I am not really sure the style I am looking for so I might need to search out some more kitchen inspiration.

I have started the front door and completed the door frame and made a start on the door itself. I also made a start on the kitchen floor and am running the wood flooring in the opposite direction as the living room but I think I will stain them all the same color.

Well that’s all for today’s update. I hope your weekend was a good one and that maybe you were able to get in some creative time as well.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Video: Studio Vlog-Shopping, Declutter & Cleaning

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Hi everyone! Today I am sharing a little something different-a studio vlog! I haven’t had much time at the studio this week so today I decided to have a bit of an artist day while I visited the used book store and a few craft stores before heading off to the spend the afternoon cleaning my very messy studio.

It was raining today but as I was heading to the car I saw that someone had left a lovely note in our Little Free Library thanking us for setting it up and keeping it so nice. It was a really nice surprise as I wasn’t sure how many people were using the library but it really made my day! They didn’t sing the note but I am so grateful to them.

My first stop was the used book store. I am very lucky to have an amazing one nearby and so I went in and left with a stack of books! Some are for my little library, some I plan to read and then add to the library and some are for my own collection. I will share a full shopping haul next week with my book club update.

After that I went to fabric store but they were closed because their power was out. I had wanted to buy some fabric to use as backing for a crazy quilt I’m making but it will have to wait for another time.

A stop at the library for, yes another book and then I found my way to the studio. The rain and chill had me looking forward to a cup of coffee and then I finally got down to the business of cleaning.

I also did a little shopping and I think for my birthday I am going to purchase some storage units for the studio. One will store items and also work as a great place to pack orders when I start offering physical products. The rest is to hide away all my supplies so the space feels much cozier and neater.

I also managed to get some work done on the dollhouse and film for tomorrow. All in all it was a really wonderful day!

I hope you enjoy watching the video. Please let me know if you like this sort of thing as I might add it to the regular rotation of videos.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Book Club August & September Reads

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This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links I may earn a small commission but you do not pay any more.

Today I am sharing what I have read in August & so far in September along with the books I hoping to finish reading this month.

It’s been a good reading month for me and I have found lots of great books and some new series. So here’s what I’m reading:

I finished Shady Hollow by Juneau Black (affiliate link) which I shared with you last month. I really enjoyed this book and I continued on with the series and finished book #2 which is Cold Clay. (affiliate link) Another cozy mystery only with animals as the characters. Super fun and imaginative!

I finished Once Upon a Broken Heart (affiliate link) as well and again, a great new series but this time falling under the YA fantasy genre.

I also finished Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie which was such a great mystery! I listened to it on audible and it kept me guessing back and forth the whole time.

Winterhouse by Ben Guterson which is a young fantasy series really captivated me and I have already purchased book #2 and cannot wait to read it. An orphan finds herself spending the holidays at a wonderful hotel and learns a lot about the mysteries of the hotel as well as some things about herself. I highly recommend this book.

I finished The Ogress and the Orphans (affiliate link) which I just loved. This book has all the feels of a classic to me with a town that was once perfect but now is far from it and at the heart of it’s hope is an ogress. Such a beautiful story.

Dear Mrs. Bird (affiliate link) was another book I finished this month. If you love historical fiction (this one taking place during WWII in London) then you may want to check this one out.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman (affiliate link) is another book I finished in September. Loved this imaginary world and the strange characters in it. I am on the hunt for my own copy to add to my bookshelf.

Lastly I finished Art Matters also by Neil Gaiman. (affiliate link) It’s a short collection of some of his thoughts on creativity combined with some beautiful illustrations. If you are a creative you definitely want to check this one out.

With just over a week left in September I have what might be a lofty reading goal but one that I definitely feel is doable. I am hoping to finish Katherine of Aragon the True Queen (affiliate link) by Sunday.  I have been reading this book for a while and have run out of library renewals so I am hoping to finish it and purchase book#2 in the series. I am really enjoying it and looking forward to collecting (and reading) the whole series!

I am also working on “A Study in Murder” (affiliate link) which has all the cozy mystery vibes but taking place in the Victorian Era. So far I am already hooked by the story and the characters and hope I can finish it this week.

Lastly I am reading “The Fortnight in September” (affiliate link) which is all about a family’s annual trip to the seaside. So far I am really enjoying the story and the cast of characters. I am reading this one on my Kindle (affiliate link) and hope I am able to finish it by the end of the month.

So that’s my reading wrap up so far. I will be sharing my Victober list and my October/Halloween list with you next week. I have quite a few books on that list so we will see how it goes.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante