Finished Attic, Final Shots, and Moving On

Well, the attic extension is officially finished.  I was lucky enough to have it featured in the Winter 2013 issue of Fashion Doll Quarterly!  I am very excited about it and thankful to Pat Henry at FDQ for doing the spread, it looked great and she is a wonderful and kind person.  Now we can leave Evangeline, to pine away for Mortimer in the solitude of her attic.  Below are some final pics of the attic before moving on.

and now it's time to move on to my next project, with a new muse: Tonner's Anne de Legere!

Building Permit

Evangeline has informed me that there is no more room in the attic.  She has two lovely outfits en route and there isn't room for so much as a hat pin.  She has packed her bags and is checking in to the Ipswich Grand Hotel until such time as I can provide her with an appropriate abode.

I have filed for the necessary permits:

and tomorrow begins construction on the new north wing of Evangeline's Attic!  Stay tuned!

Birthday Present For Evangeline, or, How To Hang a Tapestry

Yesterday, when Evangeline came home from work at the mortuary, she found a large parcel waiting for her.  She hauled it up to her attic and opened it to find a lovely French Aubusson tapestry inside with a little note in delicate script that said, "Happy birthday Evangeline, we love you."

Clearly this treasure did not belong in the attic so Evangeline set to work hanging it in the largest and loveliest bedroom in Barkley Manor....

Well, actually, I won a pair of miniature tapestries on Ebay.  I won them for $7 each.  They are about 10" square and they look like they are actually meant to be sewn inside a fancy border on an accent pillow.  But as it happens they are perfect scale for Evangeline:

I used these in Evangeline's library and at the time I hung them on the wall using small glue dots but I always wanted to make a proper hanging rod for them.  I have recently disassembled the library and turned that space in to a larger bedroom for Evangeline so now is the perfect time for me to hang the tapestry properly.  For this project I am using the tapestry on the left.

To start with I trimmed up a bamboo skewer to be slightly larger than the tapesty:

Then I whittled down the ends a bit so they would fit inside some small knobs I have that will work nicely as finials.  The small knobs are by Tim Holtz and can be found at Michael's.

I then sprayed the skewer with gold spray paint.  It's easiest if you stick it in a piece of styrofoam, spray paint it, let it dry, then stick the painted end in the styrofoam and spray the unpainted end, let that dry and you're ready to go:

I glued one end of the skewer into the screw hole of he knob:

I made hanging hooks out of some other doo-dads by Tim Holtz.  I believe these are meant to pin small notes or ephemera on to craft projects.  I used a pair of needle-nosed pliers to bend the stick pins into hooks:

In the picture above, the two hooks on the right are what they look like when you buy them at the store.  The two on the left are after I bent them using the pliers.  In the picture below you can see how I then used wire cutters to trim off the sharp points and used the pliers to bend the remaining piece inward to close the hook:

I threaded them on to the skewer:

and glued the other end of the skewer into the remaining knob and hung it above the fireplace in Evangeline's bedroom.  Happy Birthday Evangeline!

The Circus is in Town!

I have always loved Tonner's Sinister Circus line but there always seemed to be other dolls that were higher on the "to buy" list.  When I heard that there were more coming in 2013 I decided it was time to buy the first round because there will be greater competition for them when the new ones come out.  Like all Tonner and Wilde dolls pictures don't do them justice and when I got them home they really inspired me to create a nice display for them.  Originally I wanted to do a circus tent.  I looked into buying a dog tent and salesman sample tents but they were all too big.  As I was doing some research on what vintage circus tents looked like I discovered that the early circuses were actually on the stage, in theaters.  That made life so much easier.  I decided to build them a theater.

I found this very heavy bookcase at a consignment store for $10:

I liked the look of the dark wood, I thought it would make a nice Victorian era theater.  I removed the shelf and headed to Lowes to look for a cornice board.  I found some great pieces of chair rail molding that would be perfect:

The top piece is 8 feet long, cost $14, and is what I used to make the cornice.  The bottom piece is also 8 feet long, cost $10 and is what I will use to make columns on the sides.  I cut the pieces to size using a hand saw.  I spray painted them with the same walnut spray stain I used to make EG's attic.  I then used a 24K Gold Leafing marker to add highlights (to do this, I used the same technique described in my entry on making miniature paintings for EG's library).  When it was dry and looked sufficiently like a cornice in an old, seedy, theatre, I took a strand of battery-operated tiny wire lights off of EG's xmas tree and hot glued them to the cornice.  It worked really well!

I bought a gold tension curtain rod at Walmart ($2) and 2 yards of panne red velvet at Jo-Ann's ($8 total after coupon).  Panne velvet is perfect for this because it is so supple that it will make realistic, to-scale, folds in the curtains.  It also doesn't fray so if you cut clean lines you do not need to hem every side.  I cut two panels.  I folded the tops backward about and inch and half and pinned it:

I zipped the panels through the sewing machine and hung them on the tension rod.  I hot glued the cornice in place:

I still need to turn the other piece of molding into columns for the sides and my plan is to get a series of vintage landscape posters to use as changeable backgrounds, just as they did in turn of the century theaters.  I may also add some gold fringe to the edges of the curtains and I may do a second set of curtains in the back as well.  I haven't decided if I am going to add a chandelier or not, I could go all out and really pimp this one out. There are so many possibilities!  I think it will be great fun to rotate the "act" on display and there will be updates as this set evolves!

An Evening in Ipswich

When Parnilla found out that Mortimer had invited Evangeline to dine with him at the restaurant in the Ipswich Grand Hotel, she immediately set a plan in motion to make sure that it was she who would dine with Mortimer.  She sat at her vanity, in front of her mirror, because she liked to look at herself as she wrote.

When she finished the letter she read it aloud to herself.  "Dear Evangeline, There is a change of plans for this evening.  I have something important to ask you.  I must ask you in private.  Please meet me by the lamp post at the farthest end of Ipswich Cemetery at dusk.  Affectionately Yours, Mortimer."

"That should keep her occupied," thought Parnilla as she laughed with glee.  "Now to send this by messenger and decide what I will wear when I meet Mortimer for dinner tonight!"

Meanwhile, at Barkley Manor, Evangeline was reading in the library, passing time before she was to meet Mortimer for dinner.  She was dressed for an evening in Ipswich with the man whom she was hopelessly in love with.

She heard a noise in the hall.  Was it the doorbell?  It had been so long since it had rung that she couldn't even remember what it sounded like.  Mouette came scurrying in with the letter from Parnilla.  Evangeline took the letter and said, "A letter from Mortimer?"

She finished reading the letter and her heart just about jumped out of her chest.  What could Mortimer have to ask her that he needed to meet in secret?  There was only one thing she could think of.  She was so happy she almost cried.  How romantic!  A proposal in the cemetery!

Evangeline got lost in a day dream.  She would finally have the cemetery wedding that she had been dreaming of for years...

"No time for day dreams Mouette, I have to change my clothes.  I must meet Mortimer by the lamp post at the far end of the cemetery.  That's too far to walk.  I will have to take Iago!"

She ran up to the attic and changed into her riding habit.  She re-read the letter and again her heart filled with joy, a feeling she seldom knew but was strangely pleasant to her.

It was getting dark but she rode Iago to the cemetery.  It was a very large cemetery, but she knew most of the residents.  In fact, she was the last one to see most of them!  The lamp post was in the oldest and loneliest, and farthest part of the cemetery.

At last she reached the lamp post and wondered who it was that came out here every night at dusk to light it.  Whomever it was was no where to be found.  She was totally alone.

Meanwhile, somewhere across town, Parnilla was sitting down to a dinner of partridge and peas at the Ipswich Grand.  Mortimer looked confused at the excuse Parnilla gave him but he said only, "She changed her mind?  Oh. I see."

Back in the cemetery, Evangeline got down from Iago to wait for Mortimer.

She should have heard his footseps by now but she heard only silence.

To Be Continued...

Project: Turning a Chair into a Vanity Bench

Here's a short little entry.  I have a 1:3 scale Bespaq Swan Vanity that really needs a vanity stool.  It's in the mahogany finish and I happen to have a Victorian side chair that I won cheaply because the upper part of the back of the chair had split.  The piece looked like this  when I started:

You can't tell from the picture that the chair was damaged but it was, right at the very top where the delicate woodwork is.  So, I got out my hand saw....

and I turned it into a stool.  In the pic above I added two round wooden beads to the area where I cut the frame.  The beads are in the same mahogany finish and are from a very damaged 1:3 rocking chair that I bought for it's parts.  Some men keep broken-down chevys on cinder blocks on the front lawn for parts, and some men keep broken Bespaq doll furniture for parts, to each his own.

I like the wooden beads, but I also tried out two brass knobs that I saved from a jewelry box that I had turned into an armoire:

Before I glue them down, I need to sand the area a bit so they are level, and touch it up a bit with a wood-stain marker, but I haven't decided which I like better.  Here's what the stool will look like from behind, remember, I still need to sand the point of contact down so the beads or knobs are attached correctly.  Wooden bead on the left, brass knob on the right:

I'd like some opinions if you care to offer them.  Brass knobs, or mahogany beads?  Life is full of tough choices.

DIORAMA SOURCES: PART I

I receive many emails and comments asking me where I find the props and furniture for my doll displays.  Well, to be honest, EVERYWHERE.  But there are two sources that have really supplied me with the best of the best in my dioramas.  I am calling this entry "Part I" because over time I will share more sources as I find them.  To me, a huge part of the fun of doll collecting is sharing ideas and sources and helping each other find that perfect item for our dolls. 

FURNITURE SOURCE:

pumpkinhillstudios is a reputable seller on Ebay selling doll miniatures in several scales.  One of her specialties is large-scale Bespaq.  Many of you may know Bespaq already as a high-end dealer in dollhouse (1:12) scale miniatures.  Back in the late 1990's Bespaq made a line of larger-scale doll miniatures and managed to keep their impeccable quality and detail.  The line of large-scale Bespaq has long been discontinued and pumpkinhillstudios is one of the only dealers that has it available for sale and she certainly has the best selection out there.  For Evangeline, stick to the 1:3 scale.  For your 16" dolls you will find the 1:4 scale perfect.  Many of you have written asking me about the vanity I use for Evangeline.  It is exquisite and is the crown jewel of my doll furniture collection for sure!  That vanity is the "1:3 scale Bespaq Hat Vanity".  The 1:4 scale Bespaq Hat Vanity does NOT work for Evangeline but it DOES work really well for all 16" Tonner dolls.  It is so highly detailed you will be blown away by it.  Please be sure to read her descriptions.  She takes great pain to describe each piece and any flaws it may have in detail.  Many of the items are first quality but for the items that have flaws, most can be fixed with glue and patience.  I highly recommend her doll furniture, it has made my dioramas come alive!  You can contact the seller directly through E-bay or by e-mail at pumpkinhillstudios@msn.com

Here is a picture of Parnilla Ghastly in front of the 1:3 scale Hat Vanity.  On the left of the picture is the 1:3 Curio.  I have the curio stuffed with hat boxes I made in a previous blog entry and several velvet necklace display busts (source to come in a later blog post)  All items in this picture are in the walnut finish:

Here is Cemetery Wedding preparing for her wedding-day-sans-groom at the same vanity:

Here is another vanity available from pumpkinhillstudios.  This one is the 1:3 Swan Vanity.  I am using it here with the 1:3 piano chair, both are in the mahogany finish.  On top of the vanity from left to right are as follows: (1) plastic cake candelabra that has had some of it's arms trimmed off to make it a more traditional candelabra (source to come later),  primed black, and dry-brushed with Golden brand sterling silver paint. (2) assorted vanity bottles I made in a previous blog entry, (3) black velvet necklace display bust, (4) two Durham bowls discussed below:

Here is Mortimer in the 1:3 Bespaq Rocking Chair:

And this pic of Mouette and Valentine taking it for a spin in the attic shows you more of the amazing detail in the chair:

Here is the 1:4 Bespaq armoire that I use for Agnes Dreary's wardrobe:

Here is Lady Dreary (aka The Queen of Hearts), with daughter Agnes, at her 1:4 Hat Vanity.  The lamp and the radio will be discussed below:

One last photo.  In this photo I am using the 1:4 Swan Vanity without the mirror (the mirrors are removable) as a tea table in Mort's parlor.  So as you can see some of the 1:4 scale Bespaq can be adapted to use with Evangeline.   In the back is a large scale Bespaq room screen (I don't know if it's 1:3 or 1:4 to be honest) and the Bespaq fireplace which I altered in a previous blog entry to add a simulated fire:

.

PROPS SOURCE:

The question I get most often is where did I find the little phone that Evangeline uses in my dioramas.  The phone is by Durham Industries.  Durham made a line of die cast miniatures in the 70's.  They are lovely.  The only problem is the scale in the line is ALL OVER the place.  So some pieces work beautifully and some don't work at all.  At this time I can confirm the following miniatures work in the following scales:

1:3 (Evangeline) scale: telephone, mixing bowl (with and without lid - makes an excellent bowl for a floral arrangement to go on top of the 1:3 vanities, see photo above), egg beaters, old-fashioned clothes iron (see photo), miner's lantern (I have 3 of these and LOVE LOVE LOVE them, they are pictured somewhere in a previous blog entry), coffee grinder, the typewriter (see pic), and the kitchen scale.

Here is Evangeline lounging in the 1:3 Bespaq Bergere chair, talking on the Durham phone:

Here is Evangeline using the Durham old-fashioned steam iron getting ready to go out:

Here is Mort's desk (the desk is a jewelry armoire I found at a junk shop) with (from left to right) the Durham globe pencil sharpener , the typewriter, and the phone:

For your 1:4 (Tonner 16") scale dolls the following Durham miniatures work well: hurricane lanterns, lamp, radio, and typewriter.  The lamp and radio are perfect on the 1:4 hat vanity (see above)

1:6 (Barbie) scale: the gramophone and the old fashioned wall phone

IMPORTANT: There are 3 ways that these miniatures were marketed and sold.  1) They were sold as lovely die-cast metal miniatures for collectors.  2) They were packaged and branded under the "Holly Hobby" name.  3) They were made with a built-in pencil sharpener and sold as collectible pencil sharpeners.  They are available in mass quantities on ebay in all 3 formats.  Whenever possible I try to avoid the pencil sharpener versions because they have a big hole in them somewhere for the pencil. That said, the pencil sharpener line has some pieces that I have not seen in the two non-pencil sharpener lines, for example, the desk globe that I use for Mort's desk, and the radio on Lady Dreary's vanity.  Usually, the pencil hole can be easily hidden but if you can avoid it why wouldn't you?

*Important note on Durham pricing:  DO NOT OVERPAY for Durham Miniatures.  The pricing on ebay is all over the place.  Generally speaking, never pay more than $12-$15 for a single piece and then only if it is in mint condition and you just HAVE to have it.  I have had amazing luck buying "lots" of them on ebay.  For $20 or so I have routinely scored lots of 8-10 pieces, some of which I want, some I don't, but it's still usually cheaper to buy or win lots. 

Have fun shopping, there will be more sources in later blog posts.