Not a big joiner, me. Mostly because history has shown that my record of flaking out is robust and indicates a strong future tendency toward dropping the ball. Meeting night rolls around and I suddenly can't find my shoes, and don't go. Or I'll dink around watering my plants, procrastinating so long that by the time I look at the clock I'd be late arriving, and who wants to be that kind of tardy, flaky center of attention, bustling in out of breath with apologies and excuses, forcing everyone to screech their chairs back and, grumbling, make room for you.
I think I like on-line club-member Alicia better than real-life Alicia anyway. Her attendance is more reliable, her crabbiness and bad behavior somewhat less apparent. My current club of choice -- Club Little House, invented by my sweet old friend Miss Amy Powers of the sweet and inspiring Inspire Co. I do love my Amy so. How she puts up with me I don't know. I "met" her years and years ago now, through our web sites -- how did we meet, Amy? I can't remember. We have never really met in real life, but when we do we will be the kind of girls who will walk arm-in-arm while shopping cute little antique towns, I just know it. For now we just talk on the phone. We talk shop and talk life. We talk about how cute certain things are. Amy says, "I buy handbags specifically because I want people to say, 'Wow, I love your handbag!' " Don't you love that?
Club Little House has only a dozen members, and it's a swap where each of us makes twelve little house-y things in 1/12th scale. Then we send them all to Amy, and she distributes all 144 things evenly between the 12 of us. I think that's a cool swap, and increases the chances that you will get some stuff that you love, no? I'm making little china cabinets, sort of based on my own kitchen china cabinet from a few days ago.
For the record, it turns out I utterly stink at painting tiny china cabinets. Oh my goodness. What a mess. I'm sure you can't tell from the photos how many drips, blobs, streaks and other undesirables mar these little beasties. It was quite clear they probably needed to be sanded, whoops. And then I tried to paint the tiny dishes! Huger mess. Paint globbed on every one of my fingers. Everything needs like four coats of paint. But I will get there. We have until the end of May. If you are interested in joining next time, maybe Amy will be doing another one? I think she's going to see how it goes. I can't wait to see what everyone makes.
Thank you to everyone for your suggestions about floor coverings and Dash & Albert. Turns out, they are not as bad as I thought! Joy! Now, how to pick one. . . . Also, is it just my imagination or are there major computer problems happening lately? I know Typepad was messed up for a while, but my email is all messed up, too, and Andy said there were hospital servers crashing as far away as Denver yesterday, so that was making me think it was something widespread. I didn't watch the news, though. Maybe this is old news.
I am so envious! I've been meaning to fix up the little, yellow, shingled dollhouse-of-my-youth for years, and wish I jumped on the Club Little House wee(as in small)-wagon when I could've...
I love your china cabinets, paint troubles, or no. So sweet and pretty.
Your little cabinets are way too cute. I would love to do something like that for my Emma, she would LOVE it. I was not the girly type when I was little (but became that way as I have grown up), but she is the complete opposite! Total girly... hmmm, may have to do this anyway. I am with Sarah, I wish I had known about the Club Little House.
I think your cabinets look just fine : )
Oh my!! Your cabinets are ever so cute!! And what a sweet little club this is. I'm with you I'm not such a club girl. I used to play field hockey for a long time and was good in going every match and training just because our trainer was cute - hahaha!
please post your little things when you are done.
Here's part of the computer woes: http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/05/05/spam/index.php
Oh Dear Alicia! I am in the Little house Club...After viewing your FABULOUS hutches, I am officially SHAMED to admit what pathetic little item I was going to create and send to the clubbers..(and thrilled at the same time to see what you are creating for us!)
I am now going back to the drawing board to rethink my project!
I love your little china cabinets! How cute would those be just sitting on a shelf?
Yes, computers are really acting poorly lately - I've had issues all day accessing my business email. Not something I take to well, you know?!
Have a great weekend dearie! xo, C.
My sis-in-law saw this swap and I swear she was planning on starting a blog that day just because she desperately wanted to be in it. She/I will love seeing what you come up with. We have various obsessions with tiny things around here, and 1/12 doll furniture is right there in the middle.
I saw a pot at Crate and Barrel yesterday that screamed Alicia to me, don't know what (the color mainly, not French so much as Mediterranian).
Tip from a miniaturist from way back: attach mini plate to end of a length of dowel with blutack before you paint. No messy fingers and you can just pop the dowel into an empty jar to let the dish dry.
Have you tried using Modge Podge and paper to make plates with patterns??
If you were a boy, I would marry you. Except a boy who paints doll-house furniture for fun would be a bit weird. I'd marry you anyway.
Gorgeous. What a lovely idea. Are there no end to your talents Alicia?
You have the prettiest, most inspirational blog and store and creations and colors and I couldn't hold back from commenting anymore! Thank you for your daily loveliness.
Hello Alicia
I couldn't see an email address to contact you privately, so I hope this is ok! I just wanted to let you know that we've added your website to our new links page.
Love, Dee
www.poshyarn.co.uk
Oh my goodness gracious! It may be 1/12th the size but I love it 12000 times more than anything in my house! You did a beautiful job ... of course!