One Shingle at a Time

Baileydollhouse

Isaac’s
back on his feet and back to work on Charlotte’s dollhouse.  It was a
crafty day all around.  Isaac shingled the dollhouse for hours, while
Elijah built his first model airplane.  Charlotte looped velvet ribbons
and string back and forth across my studio, while I sketched and
painted new fabrics.  No computers, no Nintendo DS’s, no Gameboys, Wiis
or XBoxes, just some old-fashioned, creative, use-your-mind fun.  It
was a good day.

67 Comments

  1. It sounds perfectly idyllic. How old are your children, please? As a mother of a four-year-old and a five-month-old, I need some concrete future date to pin my fantasies on!

  2. I’m sure Charlotte will be able to have extra appreciation for the doll’s house because Dad did it in the lounge not the shed. Well done to all of you. Cherrie

  3. We are “fasting” from our TV this week, turned it off Sunday.. and we have had a great time all week so far. Playing board games, card games, Lite Brite, baking cookies, etc.

  4. What fun! My husband bought a dollhouse kit for our daughter for Christmas too. Its still in the box, but he is DYING to start it! We’ve already made a few trips to the toy store to pick out wallpaper and light fixtures (I know! Its just as in-depth as building an actual house!). I showed him your post, and he can’t wait to see more pictures of the house being completed! Keep us posted!

  5. It really sounds like the perfect day – creative, non-plugged in days are the best, especially for kids! Glad that your hubby is doing better 🙂

  6. Charlotte’s so lucky! My parents made a huge doll house for me when I was young. My dad even created actual hardwood floors, one board at a time. I remember them shooting across the garage as he cut them.

  7. Hi Heather, I try to pop in when I can to see how you all (esp. Isaac; yikes) is doing. We made a dollhouse for Jennifer when she was Charlotte’s age. It was a huge project, but it will become Amelia’s some day, which is a wonderful thought, isn’t it? xoxo to all.

  8. Your family is extremely creative. I love to see children doing creative projects. I love it so much as a child, I am trying to pass some of that along to my Grandchildren. It seems to have been lost on their parents. I love your blog, fabric, photographs and recipes. I made your favorite ice cream at Christmas and everyone loved it. Keep up the good work! Sue

  9. I just linked here from Eema-Le, and what beautiful things you make! You and your children are beautiful too. And so is the site. What a treat 🙂

  10. that looks alot like the doll house we are getting for our little girls 4th birthday in march…. tons of work but in the end it will be totally worth it. we are figureing on having it be an ongoing project for a few years as we are just getting the house to start with along with the little fam. the rooms will be filled, carpeted, wallpapered, etc in due time. i am really looking forward to creating this for her!

  11. A dollhouse! I’m working on dollhouse things too, and I just posted on my new studio in which I used your Pop Garden Rose Bouquet fabric in blue to line the back of my book shelves from IKEA, they turned out great! I love the fabric! It is perfect!

  12. That just sounds absolutely fabulous.
    I’m in love with the doll house… we have a huge wood shop inherited from my grandfather when we inherited my great-grandmother’s house. We’ve only used it a bit, but I’m thinking its due time to use it to its full potential.
    I’m showing this post to my husband. It seems like amazing inspiration to me 🙂
    Have a wonderful new year!
    April

  13. Oh. My. Goodness. I feel Isaac’s pain! I built my daughter’s dollhouse for Christmas, and finally put the last shingle in place at 7am CHRISTMAS MORNING. I had not anticipated the time it takes to paint and glue on that many teeny tiny shingles!!! But it’s so satisfying when it’s done, right? And I bet Charlotte loved it!

  14. I pop in on your blog every so often. Your creativity and photography are truly inspirational.
    Those are the perfect kind of days, and that doll house looks almost identical to the one built (assembled ?) for me when I was a little girl.

  15. Beautiful. My 3 girls each received a dollhouse and doll family for Christmas. The older girls helped build their houses, and now they are starting to paint. (The trim/windows are not yet attached.) Each choose their own color – 4 year old chose pink with white trim, 8 year old chose green grape with white trim, and the 12 year old chose a beautiful sunny yellow with blue trim. My almost 4 year old has a set of sturdy play furniture for her rooms while the older girls will collect furniture over time and I’ll sew sheets, curtains, etc.
    I have a question for Isaac though – what did you use on the shingles and how did you stain them all? Piece by piece, or a spray, or did you purchase already stained? My husband was considering varying shades of grey to go with the houses, but I like the brown much better.

  16. Great dollhouse…. and beautiful family ! We used to be in the same ward in Canyon Country. Wendy Fishler and I are really close friends. Anyway, you have done so much and it is good to see your success! Take care! Candice Carter

  17. My hubby’s grandfather is a carpenter and built a doll house for our daughter as well. He used the house plans from the very first house he built and made her doll house to scale – 1″ for every 1 ft. He shingled the roof like your hubby is doing. He even built all the furniture inside, added rugs, curtains, etc. It’s incredible. My daughter absolutely loves it! It’s certainly one of our favorite family treasures.

  18. The dollhouse is adorable!!
    How exciting that you’ll be one of the instructors at Creative Escape. I can’t wait to see what you have planned. I’m sure it will be something fabulous. I’m glad I had a chance to meet you at DD’s Inspired last year and hope I get to attend your workshop at CE. I’ve gone the last three years and it is so much fun!!

  19. You and your family are so inspiring. Love your site! I can’t stop looking at it! Not sure if you remember our family or not as we used to live by you in AZ-noticed that you are going to Germany in October-we live here! It would be awesome to catch up.
    Brooke Eardley

  20. hey! i really wanna get a dollhouse for fun and for decorating my room. i was wondering where you got yours from? or the brand of it. cause it looks lovely and i dont know where to start looking from.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *