Quandie

the attic rec room.

Published on March 27, 2025March 26, 2025 by Quandie15 Comments

Today I’m sharing the makeover of the attic rec room in my dollhouse.

Here is how it looked before I gave up the dollhouse back in 2017.

It had a pool table, and a wood burning stove. But those items were long gone when I retrieved the dollhouse from my in-laws.

I debated adding back another pool table, but ultimately I decided not to. Instead I picked up this sectional from The Modern Dollhouse.

I’m finding that these ‘upholstered’ sort of miniatures are eminently paintable.

Simply water down your chalk style paint with about 50/50 water to paint. Then just apply it with a brush. I used Dixie Belle’s Burlap on my sectional.

As you may have noticed, after painting the walls and ceiling in Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth, and the wainscoting in their Gravel Road, I hung an old sports photo on the wall.

I bought that photo at a thrift store back in February 2024.

I made the throw pillows on the sofa by stamping some drop cloth fabric with some of the I.O.D. Ephemeral Type stamps, then simply gluing the edges shut.

Once the glue was dry, I trimmed the edges with scissors.

I added my Union Jack credenza over by the brick chimney.

I apologize that the Union Jack is still upside down. I do plan to correct that.

I’ve placed my artist studio on the other side of the chimney.

I’ve had that license plate for ages, I can’t remember where I purchased it. I like the graphic punch it adds to the wall.

I have the desk that I thrifted tucked into the back of the room …

It definitely needs some more staging. I’ve also got that fab harp back there, my friend opK gave that to me.

This is quite a large space, so it may take a while before I fill it up. But for now, I’m calling it mostly ‘done’.

What do you think? Leave a comment and let me know.

fleurs et fruits.

Published on March 25, 2025March 24, 2025 by Quandie12 Comments

It’s time for another toolbox!

This is one of the toolboxes from my Habitat for Humanity ReStore haul. If you’ll remember, I found three of them at once earlier this winter.

I’ve already re-done the grey one that is under the blue one in that photo above.

Now I’ve completed the blue one. As a reminder, here is the before.

As you can see, it was in rough shape with a lot of peeling paint and patches of rust. After using some Goof Off Gunk Remover and a flat razor blade to remove that oval shaped label from the front, I gave the toolbox a good cleaning with Dawn dish soap and hot water. Then I pulled out my new Mouse sander (my sister gave me a new one for Christmas, my old one had finally given up the ghost) and used 80 grit sandpaper to remove as much of the chippy, peeling paint as possible.

Then after another good cleaning, I gave it two coats of Dixie Belle’s clear Bonding Boss. This time I followed the proper directions of applying two coats with 4 hours of dry time in between coats, followed by 24 hours of dry time after the 2nd coat. Although Bonding Boss doesn’t technically prohibit the rust itself, it will help keep any remaining rust from bleeding through the paint. In addition, any protective layer, whether it’s Bonding Boss or just paint, will also help reduce future rusting.

OK, so once my 24 hours were up I gave the inside of the box a couple of coats of Dixie Belle’s Bunker Hill Blue.

I applied a floral bit from the I.O.D. Lost Garden transfer (from their new spring release), since, spoiler alert, I was going to be using that transfer on the outside of the box as well.

Next I gave the outside two coats of Dixie Belle’s new color called Ecru.

If you are a fan of Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth, then you will LOVE Ecru. It may be my new favorite warm white. Obviously it’s not wildly different from Drop Cloth, but I would say it’s a bit less yellow and also just a tad darker. Dixie Belle is calling it a ‘timeless beige’, but I think ‘beige’ has gotten a bad rap over the years. Let’s call it a warm off-white with ‘an earthy undertone’.

Once the Ecru was dry, I sanded the box to distress the edges. After wiping away any dust, I started applying the Lost Garden transfer.

According to The Painted Heirloom, this transfer is “designed with large décor in mind” so you could line up the first six pages into a cohesive design across the front of a large dresser for example.

But I chose to break it up and use it on this toolbox.

I cut various sections out of several different sheets and fitted them to my toolbox so that it appears as one continuous design.

By the way, as I was working with the transfer I was surprised to realize that three of the sheets are repeats (the first three sheets are repeated a 2nd time). Just something to know if that sort of thing is an issue for you.

The thing that drew me to this particular transfer was the addition of the blackberries.

I love the combination of fruit and flowers. It reminds me of Dutch still life paintings.

I’d left a space at the top of the toolbox for some typography and for that I pulled out my old standby, the I.O.D. Label Ephemera transfer.

How perfect is that? That translates to something like “choice of the most beautiful flowers and fruits”.

I also added a number to the top of the toolbox …

As well as a tiny little bug to the latch.

Both of those are from old Tim Holtz rub-ons.

I actually painted up this toolbox a couple of weeks ago, but I couldn’t share it here until Dixie Belle released their new colors, which they did yesterday. There are 7 new colors in their Southern Roots collection including Ecru. Be sure to head to their website to check them out. I think I’m going to try the Blue Grass next.

As for the toolbox, I actually took it into the shop to sell last week. If any of you locals are interested, you could always pop by Reclaiming Beautiful in Stillwater, MN to check it out.

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co. for providing me with samples of their new colors!

it must be do-over week.

Published on March 21, 2025March 20, 2025 by Quandie8 Comments

Well, I guess it must be do-over week.

On Monday I shared the do-over of a big metal box.

Then on Wednesday I shared the do-over of a miniature credenza.

And FYI, one of my readers kindly pointed out that I put the Union Jack flag upside down. I’m pretty embarrassed to have gotten that wrong, I hope no one took offence. But that means I’ll need to do-over my do-over. Luckily this is a miniature piece of furniture and not a full sized one!

Today I’m sharing the do-over of this bucket.

I painted that up last year for my Carriage House sale and I added an I.O.D. paint inlay to it.

This was my 2nd use of that particular inlay, and as you can see the result was rather faint. For comparison purposes, here is how the first use of that inlay looked …

That crate was quite nice, but the bucket really turned out just a bit blah. The inlay wasn’t really a good fit for it.

So I decided another do-over was in order. After painting over the inlay with a couple of coats of Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth, I went through my stash of transfers. I definitely need to start using up some of the transfers that I have on hand and stop buying more new ones!

I ended up pulling out the Champs de Lavende transfer from re.design with prima. I’d purchased this one a couple of years ago and I always planned to put it on the front of a dresser or something, but I just never did.

So even though I knew that using it on this bucket would mean cutting off about half of the transfer and discarding it (because the transfer is 24″ tall, way taller than my bucket), I decided to go for it anyway.

Before adding the transfer though, I gave the inside of the bucket a couple of coats of Dixie Belle’s Secret Path.

Then I added the Champs de Lavende transfer all the way around the outside of the bucket.

I just love the detail of that little bee.

Once I had all of the transfers applied, I gave the bucket a couple of coats of Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat on both the inside and outside.

Now, you might be thinking ‘what in the world is one supposed to do with this bucket’? Obviously it’s not going to be used for scrubbing the floor.

But I think it would be adorable as an Easter basket. Fill it with faux grass, a giant chocolate bunny and colorful Easter eggs.

OK, so I didn’t actually have any of those things on hand to fill the bucket for a photo, so I made do with an aluminum bunny mold and some faux flowers. But you get the idea.

And speaking of bunnies, I have one last do-over for you.

I painted up this bunny pull toy back in February 2023.

I brought him to the shop back then, but he didn’t sell.

To be honest, I sort of forgot that I even had him. But I came across him while looking for anything at all to put in that bucket and decided to give him a quick makeover as well.

I gave him a fresh couple of coats of Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth, then after a good sanding to distress the paint, I added that section of the I.O.D. Traditional Pots transfer.

Perhaps the warm white will appeal to a buyer more than the former grey color did. We’ll see.

I did take all three of these items, the bucket and the two bunnies, into the shop where I sell on consignment this week (Reclaiming Beautiful in Stillwater, MN). So if any of you locals need to get out this weekend, be sure to stop by and check them out!

the union jack credenza.

Published on March 19, 2025March 15, 2025 by Quandie10 Comments

If you’ve followed me for long, you may know that do-overs seem to be a regular thing for me.

For example, this one was fun …

I had originally painted (and sold) that dresser in black and white.

I then purchased it back via Craigslist Marketplace and painted it in that lovely custom mix of Dixie Belle Silk Paint (check out all of the details here).

I also shared a metal box do-over on Monday.

But I will say that a miniature furniture do-over is so much easier than one on a full sized piece of furniture.

Back in November I painted up this Tate Modern Sideboard from The Modern Dollhouse in Dixie Belle’s Silk Paint in Everglades.

I did like how it turned out, but the color wasn’t really working in my dollhouse, so I decided to give it a different look.

I had a small Union Jack stencil in my stash, it was one of those freebies that you sometimes get when you order something larger online. In this case it was a stencil from Maison de Stencils (I believe they have since gone out of business).

I’d only used it once, and that was to create a patch for one of the pillows on my patio dining set.

The stencil turned out to be the perfect size for the front of the credenza.

I started with sanding the credenza with one of the Dixie Belle Sanding Sponges. These sponges are 220 grit and I’m finding that they are perfect for working with miniatures.

After wiping away the dust, I gave the piece a couple of coats of Dixie Belle’s Gravel Road on the top, back and sides, and then I painted the door/drawer fronts in their Drop Cloth.

I then applied the full stencil using a custom mix of Dixie Belle’s Dried Sage.

Once the Dried Sage was dry, I went back over just the triangle sections of the design with Gravel Road.

I then sanded very lightly to distress the edges. I didn’t want to see any of that Everglades green poking through, so I used a very light hand and that 220 grit sanding sponge. Next I applied clear wax over everything and then used a small brush to add some of the Dixie Dirt in Earth to add some dimension and age.

Finally, I did go back with the Dixie Belle Gold Gilding Wax to add some ‘feet’.

By the way, while I had that Gold wax out, I also gave a mirror a new look.

That is the mirror that was originally in the 2nd floor hallway of my dollhouse. I thought I had taken a good ‘before’ photo of it, but this is the only one I could dig up.

It’s rather difficult to see, but it originally had a dark, shiny ‘mahogany’ sort of finish on the frame.

All I did was apply the Gilding Wax right over that finish using a q tip. I did two coats to get a fairly opaque look.

I let it dry (or harden?) for a day or two, then I gave it a quick buff with an old t-shirt and hung it back on the wall in that same spot.

Although, of course, as I shared back in January, that hallway is now wallpapered in book pages.

As for the union jack credenza, I’ll be putting that in the attic rec room. Be sure to stay tuned for the full reveal of that space coming soon.

embracing imperfections.

Published on March 17, 2025March 15, 2025 by Quandie10 Comments

Sometimes it takes a couple of tries before I feel like I’ve gotten something right.

Such is the case with today’s project, this metal box.

My friend Kathy gifted me with this box last summer. I really wanted to try and save that original very distressed paint job. So after cleaning the box, I decided to paint just the lid and then apply an I.O.D. paint inlay to it.

I shared the full details of that back in June of last year, and it ended up looking like this.

I have to admit, I didn’t love it. I did put a price tag on it for my occasional sale last summer, but it didn’t sell. So I tucked it away for a bit.

But I pulled it out last week to give it another go.

First up I sanded the lid vigorously to prevent the lines of the paint inlay from showing through a couple of fresh coats of Dixie Belle’s Midnight Sky.

Then I decided to give another I.O.D. paint inlay a try. But this time I wanted to put it around the sides of the box rather than on the lid. Once again, I didn’t want to paint over that chippy paint though.

I’ve seen quite a few people applying the paint inlays into a clear top coat rather than paint, so I decided to give that a go.

I used Dixie Belle’s flat clear coat, and it worked out perfectly.

Or … well … somewhat imperfectly, but just like it’s supposed to.

Basically just follow the same steps that you would with paint, only use a clear, water-based top coat instead (find full step by step post for applying a paint inlay here). In addition, be sure to remove the paint inlay paper backing fairly quickly once dry. If you wait too long the top coat will harden and make it difficult to get the paper off.

When I did the original paint inlay on the top of the box last summer, I noted that I got some inconsistent results.

Since I was applying it over a solid, fresh coat of black paint, I think that looked a little out of place.

But I think the same sort of result looks much more fitting over the chippy sides of the box.

Once I had the paint inlay applied, I gave the sides of the box a quick spray with a matte sealer to protect it from smearing.

Next I gave the top of the box a good sanding to rough it up a bit because I felt it looked too freshly painted in comparison to the sides.

Then I decided to give one of the I.O.D. gilded transfers another shot.

You may remember that I purchased these when they first came out and I wasn’t super enthused about them.

But I did give them another try later, using them on some ice skates in the fall with much better results.

I definitely felt like using them in this way, layered over something botanical, was the way to go.

But for the top of this box I decided to try applying one over black paint once more. I’ve seen examples of this online that look really good, so I was willing to try again.

I think you have to be OK with imperfections when using these gilded transfers. Much like the paint inlays, they aren’t meant to produce perfection.

Once you accept that and decide to work with it, they can be really lovely.

You also have to get a feel for how to apply the gilded transfers. They work a little differently than your typical transfer. It takes more patience, and just gentle pressure rather than hard rubbing to get these adhered.

Ultimately, I think this box turned out pretty cool.

I did paint the inside in Dixie Belle’s Anchor to freshen it up, so it would work well for storing stuff like your garden journals, hats and mittens, your old DVD collection, your stash of greeting cards, craft supplies … and with that hasp, you could even lock up your secret diaries in this box.

I staged my photos with this pretty little tea cup.

I still have a major weakness for pretty floral china, although aside from using it in photos I rarely do anything with it.

I’ve gotten rid of most of the floral china I once had with the exception of anything with birds on it.

How sweet are those little birds?

Anyway, back to the box.

Now that I have decided to embrace the imperfections and work with them instead of against them, I’m much happier with how this box turned out.

How about you? Are you OK with imperfections? Leave a comment and let me know.

By the way, this box is for sale. I’ve added it to my ‘available for local sale‘ page, so you can check out the details there. Also, FYI, I’ve created a new page for the mini’s that I have for sale and am willing to ship. For clarity, I decided two separate pages might work better. Be sure to check those out!

miniature crush.

Published on March 14, 2025March 13, 2025 by Quandie12 Comments

Earlier this week Mr. Q and I drove out to Savage, MN to visit Miniature Crush.

If you’ve been following along on my dollhouse renovation project, you may know that I found them on Etsy. I initially ordered a couple of things from them through Etsy, but then I searched out their website and started ordering from them directly.

I’ve gotten quite a few things from them since, including this armoire …

and this bench …

and this pair of chairs …

and this hallway table.

I should point out that I painted all of those items myself, they didn’t arrive looking like that.

Anyway, a few weeks back the owners of Miniature Crush reached out to me. They had seen my blog posts and knew that I was local (well, just across the other side of the Twin Cities from them anyway). They invited me to come out and tour their facility.

They don’t have a brick and mortar shop that is open to the public, but I thought it would be fun to check out their set up.

They are very much a family run business, and they started out working out of their basement and selling online in 2018. Over time the miniatures were taking over though, so now they rent space in an office complex to house their inventory of over 5,000 miniature items.

Hey look, here’s that armoire that I purchased …

Please excuse my poor quality photo, I haven’t got skills for taking good pics in fluorescent lighting.

They get their inventory from a wide variety of sources. They carry quite a few items made by individual artisans like Warren Richardson who creates these spectacular chandeliers using Swarovski crystals.

I think my favorite items were the Sir Thomas Thumb pieces like this scoop.

They are so realistic looking! Although I didn’t bring any of these home with me, I think I’m going to pop back onto the Miniature Crush website and order some.

They also have all kinds of the building supplies necessary for dollhouse making, such as these trim pieces from their ‘lumber yard’.

And they had quite a few shelves full of wallpaper.

Plus lots of options for flooring.

Of course, I did find a few things that I had to bring home with me.

I’m not even sure where I’m going to put this cupboard, let alone what colors I will use to paint it.

But I thought it was so sweet, I just had to have it.

I also purchased a set of books.

Because, you know, you can never have too many books.

I brought home this ceiling medallion and plan to use it in the dollhouse living room. I’m not sure yet if I’ll leave it white, or paint it gold.

I’m told that the center of it is the perfect size for holding one of the magnets that many of the battery operated dollhouse lights use. So I’m going to be on the hunt for the perfect light fixture to affix to it.

I’m looking forward to doing something fun to this door.

I don’t particularly have a spot for it, but Miniature Crush kindly gifted it to me when I mentioned that it would be perfect with some sort of transfer on the ‘glass’ (it’s actually really plexiglass).

They also gifted me with a little gold frame, and I’ve already filled it with a simple botanical image that I also brought home from Miniature Crush.

I just mounted the print on a piece of scrapbook paper that I cut to fit the frame.

The botanical print is from a box called Notes on Nature that contains 100 little cardstock prints.

I have no idea what I’m going to do with the other 99 prints, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something.

It was very interesting to learn more about Miniature Crush and to see their warehouse. And I’ve already placed my next order (including that adorable Sir Thomas Thumb scoop) with them online. I should point out that they make it their mission to ship most orders within 24 hours of receiving them, so I bet my stuff will arrive early next week!

a late winter thrift haul.

Published on March 11, 2025March 10, 2025 by Quandie8 Comments

Both my friend opK and I are suffering from serious garage sale withdrawal. Although there may be a handful of sales as early as April, garage sale season doesn’t really start here in Minnesota until the first weekend in May. So we still have a ways to go.

In the meantime, we are trying to make do with thrifting even though it has been very hit or miss for us lately. So last week we hit up a couple of local Goodwill stores as well as a Turn Style consignment store. The prices are always a bit higher at Turn Style, but I still can usually find one or two things to buy.

Both opK and I found some fun things this time out, starting with those brass apples.

They are quite heavy and look to be genuine brass. I have already given them a quick polish with some Brasso and will be selling them on.

I purchased these owl bookends to flip as well.

I thought they had a bit of a mid-mod vibe about them. I tried googling to see if I could find them online, but although I found scores of mid-mod owl bookends I didn’t find this exact pair.

I thought that little faux bird cage would be nice with some succulents inside. I happened to have some faux succulents on hand, so I decided to give it a try.

I purchased the globe simply because it was bargain priced and I just couldn’t pass it up.

The stand is metal rather than plastic, and I always think of that as a sign of age and/or quality.

The fact that it says ‘Union of Soviet Socialist Republics’ on it tells me that it’s pre-1991 and thus definitely qualifies as vintage.

The watering can is a Smith & Hawken and in good shape.

I picked it up since this brand is known for good quality garden implements. I haven’t decided yet whether I will keep it ‘as is’ to use in the garden (since my last vintage watering can sprung a leak), or if I’m going to paint it to be more of a decorative piece. Decisions, decisions.

I am definitely going to paint up the French flower buckets.

And I picked up three different kinds of boxes to paint up as well.

So I’ve got some fun small projects to get working on and I plan to share the results soon. Be sure to stay tuned!

the artist’s studio.

Published on March 7, 2025March 5, 2025 by Quandie14 Comments

Mother Nature played a cruel joke on me this week. After spending 9 days in the warm sunshine at my Mom’s house in Las Vegas, I returned home to this …

Very funny Mother Nature. Ha, ha.

Luckily, as you can see, I still have my winter decorations up outside. To be honest, that’s mainly because they were still frozen in place when I left for my Mom’s.

I’m also very fortunate to have two hard workers to clear the snow away.

That’s Mr. Q and my neighbor/handyman Ken, although you wouldn’t be able to pick them out of a lineup. And yes, I know it’s crazy, but even at 87 years old, Ken still comes over and snowblows our driveway for us. We’ve tried to take over, but I think he really likes to feel useful.

But, no worries, it’s supposed to be nearly 60° by next Monday. So spring really is just around the corner. In the meantime, this just gives me more time to work on my dollhouse project.

One thing I’ve noticed while surfing Etsy is that the U.K. has some amazing miniatures. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen something on Etsy and thought “I must have it!”, only to look at where it ships from and find the United Kingdom listed.

Not that I’m opposed to buying from the U.K., but most of the time the shipping cost exceeds the actual cost of the item. Plus, it takes quite a long time to receive items from other countries and as we’ve already established I am not a very patient buyer.

So the item has to be one that I really, really want, and can’t find anywhere closer to home.

Such was the case with the miniature ‘oil painting’ (it’s not a real painting) that I purchased from Artistique via Etsy.

That’s a miniature of Constable’s painting called The Wheat Field, and I just fell in love with it.

It was $32.90 with shipping, so a bit on the pricier end, but I absolutely would buy it again, even though it took weeks to arrive.

Once I had it, I decided I needed to add an artist’s studio area to the attic space in my dollhouse. And that meant I needed a few more things starting with that adorable easel.

I ordered that from Marquis Miniatures (also on Etsy) along with the blank canvases.

Isn’t the detail on those precious?

The little stool is a piece that I found while out shopping at a 2nd hand store near me.

I had been admiring some stools online that were fairly pricey, but I found this for only $5. A bargain!

I also ordered a few miniature art supplies from Miniature Crush.

The paint box is from them, but I doctored it up a bit.

I painted the outside of the box in Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth, and then I added that round label to the inner lid. That label is from a slightly ancient set of labels from 7 Gypsies, and they are no longer in business.

I also purchased another art box set from Miniature Crush that came with loose paints and a couple of brushes. You can see the brushes in that blue ball jar on the easel (the jar was from Woodland Trail Whimsy also on Etsy, you’ve seen more of them in my dollhouse kitchen), and I’ve scattered the loose paint tubes on the floor.

Ultimately I’ll be setting up a little corner of the very large attic space in my dollhouse as the artist’s studio.

But I still have a bit to do in that space, so you’ll have to stay tuned for a final reveal of the attic!

In the meantime, what do you think of the artist’s studio? Leave a comment and let me know.

dining room sets.

Published on March 5, 2025March 4, 2025 by Quandie2 Comments

I shared my mini Welsh cupboards a couple of weeks ago (there’s only one left, so act quickly if you want it), and today I’ve got the dining room sets that I promised would be forthcoming.

I ordered three of these dining sets from Hobby Lobby.

They are unfinished, and they come with cushioned chair seats that can be glued in place once you’ve added a finish to the chair.

This is the same dining set that I have in my dollhouse, and I decided to paint this first set in a similar fashion to my own.

The chairs and table base are painted in Dixie Belle’s Dried Sage, the table top and chair cushions have a wash of Drop Cloth ( approx. 2 parts water to 1 part paint), with grain sack stripes in Dried Sage and a re.design with prima knob transfer over that on the cushions (for more detail on how I did those chair stripes, check out my original post here).

I still love this look.

But I have to admit the next set has surpassed it as my favorite.

For this set I gave the chairs, seat cushions and table base a wash using Dixie Belle’s Burlap mixed with equal parts water and paint.

I gave the table top a slightly more transparent wash using about 3 parts water to 1 part paint so that the wood grain would show through a bit.

Then I used just a small section from the bottom of one of the I.O.D. Ephemeral Type stamps and very gently stamped it onto the chair seats using VersaFine Clair ink in a color called Pinecone (I found my ink at Hobby Lobby).

I had to practice that a couple of times on a spare cushion first. If I pressed too hard the image would smudge. But once I had my technique down, it was fairly easy to stamp the chair seats. Also, keep in mind I am stamping these before gluing the seat cushions onto the chair. So they were laying flat on the workbench.

Speaking of which, here is your q tip for today, clothes pins make awesome ‘clamps’ for gluing miniature items.

In this case I placed a piece of cardstock between the cushion and the clothes pins to keep the cushions from denting.

I did seriously consider swapping out the dining set in my own dollhouse for this one, but ultimately decided that the one I have works better with my Gravel Road sideboard.

That being said, I had to have one of these chairs for myself so after perfecting my stamping technique (which involved painting over the seat with solid paint rather than a wash a couple of times and re-stamping it), I’m keeping that spare chair.

I went a bit shabby chic with the third dining set.

For this one I started with a base coat of Dixie Belle’s Coffee Bean so that I’d have something to distress back to. Then I added two coats of Drop Cloth to the table base and chairs, and a Drop Cloth wash to the table top and seat cushions. Then I used 220 grit sandpaper to lightly sand the edges to bring out that dark underlayer.

Next I applied some more re.design with prima knob transfers to the seats.

I added a coat of Dixie Belle’s clear wax over everything including the chair cushions to add a little protection.

Much like with the Welsh cupboards, I will be listing these dining sets on my ‘available for local sale‘ page (but they can be shipped to non-local buyers in the lower 48 states!).

So we have Dining Set no. 1 (Dried Sage with grain sack striped seats):

Dining Set no. 2 (Burlap with stamped seats):

and Dining set no. 3 (Drop Cloth with floral seats):

They are $60 each, including shipping to the lower 48 states (or $50 without shipping). For now I can only accept Venmo or PayPal as a form of payment for shipped items. Each dining set comes with the table and four chairs.

I’ll mark them sold on my ‘available for local sale‘ page once they are spoken for (first come, first served). If interested in purchasing one, please email me at qisforquandie@gmail.com to make further arrangements.

In the meantime, which dining set is your favorite? Leave a comment and let me know.

a little storage space.

Published on March 3, 2025February 22, 2025 by Quandie16 Comments

The 3rd floor of my dollhouse has three rooms if you count the hallway as a room. In addition to that U.K. hallway that I shared with you last week, there is a very large rec room on one side and a small-ish attic space on the other, because everybody needs a little storage space, right?

I remember my dad being particularly pleased with how the little attic room turned out. He loved the newspaper on the walls and the exposed studs.

He also added exposed electrical conduit pipes and boxes leading to the bare bulb that hangs from the ceiling.

Now, you might be wondering, what is that elephant in the room? That chunk of mechanical looking stuff that is bolted to the floor?

Well, that is the mechanism that makes the ceiling fan in the room below actually work. Well, it did work anyway. Now that I have some sort of short in the wiring, it no longer works. But it did work in the beginning.

My dad was pretty tickled about that ceiling fan too.

But of course we didn’t want to look at those fan workings, so he made a little box to go over them.

I doctored up the box a bit recently using more of those Tim Holtz Curator Snippets that I used on my suitcases.

I thought this attic space would be a good place to stash some of the left over bits and pieces that I have accumulated throughout this project … well, and from farther back in time as well.

For example, I originally purchased a pair of shutters from Hobby Lobby to see if I wanted to use them to replace the missing shutter on the dollhouse I painted back in 2023. In the end it was easier to have Ken make me a matching shutter rather than replacing all of the shutters with the Hobby Lobby version, so I’ve had a spare pair of shutters lying around since then.

The shutters came unfinished, so I gave them a paint job.

After a base coat of Dixie Belle’s Coffee Bean, I then used my foolproof technique for getting a perfect chippy finish with milk paint … just in miniature.

Basically that just involves applying a little wax in strategic locations, like along the edges, before brushing on your milk paint. You can do this over a base coat of chalk paint, or over a previously stained finish. Then apply your milk paint. In this case, I used the same mix of Sweet Pickins milk paint that I used on my hallway table (approx. 25% Birdie/75% Sweetwater). I applied two coats of the paint and once dry I sanded the shutters with 220 grit sandpaper.

A pair of chippy painted shutters is just the sort of thing you’d find lying around in an attic.

I also painted up a couple of crates for the attic. I purchased them unfinished from Miniature Crush.

The crates also received a base coat of Dixie Belle’s Coffee Bean. This time I followed that up with a coat of Dixie Belle’s Dried Sage. After sanding to distress them, I added a couple of re.design with prima knob transfers to the ends.