201206 Dollhouse Christmas

I'm sure I am not alone in my fascination with tiny things. Miniature candlesticks, dolls, china dogs: you can find a tiny replica of anything you can think of. For many the enchantment of a doll house is an extension of this, the little details that bring it to life. I longed for a "proper" doll house when I was a child and enjoyed endless hours playing with the one I did have, made of tin, do you remember? A proper one would have been made of wood with shingles and glass windows. I thought that I might acquire one for my children but I didn't find it until ten or eleven years ago, too late for my kids but perhaps a grandchild; meanwhile I would enjoy it.

My cousin and I are (except during a pandemic) avid garage-salers. Saturday mornings from May through September we can usually be found on the road, occasionally with a couple of ads from the local paper but most often just following the signs along the main streets in our "catchment" area. We consider the boundaries of our area to encompass the distance we can cover in a morning, generally speaking, Eglinton on the north down to the lake and east/west Royal York Road to the East Mall, venturing west as far as Mill Road on occasion. We sometimes go north of Eglinton but we have to watch out for the Garage Sale Police so we don't get caught outside our catchment! One sunny saturday we parked across from a busy colourful sale and found not one, but four or five well-made and even home-made houses in various conditions with selected furnishings. Several were okay but none was just right, the nicest was more than I could spend; but I spotted an empty and unadorned house at the back of the garage and I politely inquired if it was for sale. It was so perfect, and they asked $35 which I thought was a good price: excellent size, a proper peaked roof, glass windows and a staircase, it was obviously home-made with real wood, and painted. Ah! I thought, I might repaint it and add sandpaper shingles (although that hasn't happened yet!).

I brought it home grinning gleefully and soon had it set up on its new home and display table, a vintage kitchen hutch, wooden, with shelves behind glass and wooden doors and a formica counter. The house was a perfect fit. It was safe and easy to enjoy in what was a spare room at the time. (Now it is K's room - but I don't think he plays with the doll house.) I fetched out my collection of 35 years, almost all of it second-hand, of small chairs, tables, dishes, lamps, cups and saucers, jugs and jars, beds and cribs, and a few tiny knives and forks. I had enough to completely furnish my new house! I have spent the years since finding stoves, a fridge, more dishes, purses, tiny dolly toys, tiny dollies, paintings for the walls, step-stools, sleds, rakes, a miniature sewing machine (pencil sharpener) and more, again mostly second-hand. It is endlessly delightful, innovative and creative to find more doll-sized treasures to add to the decor; transforming scraps of cloth into curtains, finding a tiny camel and a rocking horse for the children's room and a pin cushion stool for the master bedroom. My inner child gets way too much play-time!

Yesterday Indre and I decorated the little house for Christmas. We have a tree and a turkey, a wreath for the door, even a tiny creche and gingerbread house! Everything is ready for Christmas Day. I made a little angel for the tree and stockings for the mantle and a fire in the fireplace. The turkey, the gingerbread house and the apple pie on top of the stove were created by a talented 13 year old who was selling them at the Applewood Shaver Homestead Christmas show and sale a couple of years ago. Her wares would have made the cut of the One-of-a-Kind show. I didn't see the Applewood Shaver show in the paper this year, but I wasn't looking. Keep an eye out next year - many local artisans take part every Christmas (except in a pandemic). The bottles peeking out from behind the kitchen counter are orange and lemon flavoring. I found them last week at Vatra on Bloor, the "bread" too is from Vatra - Milanowek Milky Cream Fudge, made in Poland.