A miniature makeover is in the works...

Remember when I came home with this pale blue dollhouse back in May from the Allegan Antique Market?

Earlier this week, the weather was cool and dry.  Perfect for a little black spray paint.

I really don't want to rush summer, but I'm getting a jump start on this Halloween transformation.   

What do you think?

Time to get my craft room messy again.  

Let the decorating commence!
 

Bringing the beach inside...

We've had much cooler weather lately.  I'm not complaining about the open windows and turning off the air conditioner, but I certainly don't want to rush summer away.

Before I start hauling out Halloween decor, I thought I had better snap a few pictures of my living room mantle all gussied up out for summer. 

The tea pot is a favorite because my grandmother had the exact same one.  I found mine at Goodwill a few years ago for a steal.

The fish aquarium is a new acquisition.  Chris picked this up last Friday at an estate sale.  I love the decorative edges.

The sand pail and shovel next the aquarium are reproductions, but aren't the graphics fabulous?  Chris found me this vintage sand pail last Friday at the same estate sale as the aquarium.

The Bobbysey Twins book reminds me of my mother's collection that I used to read at my grandparents home. 

The framed Household magazine was a recent find from Allegan Antique Market.

A chalkware boat and a collection of postcards also fill the space nicely on my mantle.  

Can you believe it's nearly August?  Seriously.  Where did the summer go?

PS.  Thanks for all the praise on Chris's latest door project.  He loves all the feedback and compliments. 
 

13 doors later...

Back the first part of May, my husband came home with a van full of free vintage doors from a coworker.

Since May, he's collected an additional 5 more doors from various estate sales.  The doors are being incorporated into a structure in the underside of our tree house for a storage/potting shed.

Over the last week, he's been busy getting the land prepped under the tree house for flooring.   The floor sits on two 8 foot posts in a bed of gravel (which had to be leveled...which meant lots of digging).  He then built an 8 by 8 box using treated 2 by 4s.

The floor top is treated plywood.
 

Now, the fun begins!

He's been laying out designs and plotting how the pieces will come together.

A vapor barrier will separate between the ceiling of the new structure and the tree house.  Additional wood will be cut to make the doors all the same height.  

The doors will also be treated and then painted all different colors.  We haven't picked out paint yet.

We were originally going to have sliding doors on one side, but now we're going to have sliding doors on both sides to allow air flow (this was Emma's idea and it's brilliant).  

Chris has claimed stake on this structure, but now that it's going up, we 3 girls have been thinking we might want to ALSO take over this new area too (hee hee).
 

Where Kim K. creates part 2...

Thank you for all the kind words regarding my part 1 when Kim K. creates craft room tour.  I feel a little self conscious showing off my room because it's so full of supplies and collections.  

Are you ready for the final part of the tour? It's definitely picture heavy. This tour begins with the west wall in my craft room. As you can see, the windowsill is deep enough for two dollhouses.  A few of my favorite doll clothes (some are from my childhood made by my mother and others were collected from estate sales) hang above the dollhouses as a window valance.

Next to the dollhouses is a white hutch filled with some of my favorite Christmas decorations. Loads of aprons (many hand created by Renee My Vintage Mending) as well as estate sale rescues, hang on a hook next to the hutch. 

My pink feather tree is filled with the ornaments from Elizabeth's (Creative Breathing) swap last year.

 I loved them all so much, the pink feather tree stays up year round.

 The Santa blow mold was given to me by my Aunt Marion.  He stands guard over the room.  You probably recognize the snowman standing in front of Santa as another fantastic creation from Elizabeth (Creative Breathing).  

The picture of the little girl mailing a letter to Santa was me as a child.  I made the Christmas light bulb wreath last year and it's so fragile that I decided to keep up it all the time.

The white hutch is filled with squares of felt, special scrapbooking stickers, my really good scissors (that no one is suppose to use but ME) and vintage Christmas wrapping paper.  I've also got loads of crafting supplies specific to Valentines and Christmas easily accessible under the hutch in plastic bins and baskets.

My favorite vintage cards that I've collected or been given, are in a wooden mailbox holder that I picked up from one of my favorite antique vendors.

The chair next to the white hutch has a family quilt and lots of pretty pillows on it.  

I always fantasize about sitting down in my chair, but the only one that uses the chair are the cats or my girls when they join me in my room. 

On the north wall of my craft room is a melon painted hutch filled with special collections and crafting supplies that I use on a regular basis.

You'll find things like pencils, brushes,tiny silk flowers, tape, glue, pipe cleaners, scissors, sequins and glitter.

Josie's horse collection and several Christmas pieces given to me by Lynne (Irish Garden House) are on display in the hutch.

Vintage party supplies are mixed with a few childhood toys on the second row.

Next to my melon hutch is my toy collection.  The teddy bear and the white rocking chair were my childhood toys.  You probably spy another dollhouse tucked in the mix too.

This is a Marx style house.

The dollhouse fits perfectly on top of doll bed that I picked up at a flea market last summer.

 Board games, bingo, sewing cards and paper doll collections are stored under the dollhouse in the doll bed.

On the east wall, is a child's dish hutch filled with children's dishes and paper dolls.

Framed paper dolls and special doll house furniture given to me by Renee (My Vintage Mending) are on top of the hutch.

A metal Hoosier and storybook albums hang on the wall.

I love my pot holder dresses.

Next to my toy collection is a jelly cupboard that Chris helped give a makeover with a fresh coat of paint and special wall paper from Renee (My Vintage Mending).

 I struggled to carry this cupboard to my car at the Allegan Antique market, but its been one of my favorite purchases.

The inside of the cupboard is filled with more Christmas crafting supplies and estate sale finds.

Next to the jelly cupboard is the door to my craft room and beyond that is a bookshelf filled with every Mary Engelbreit Home Companion magazine that I ever owned and my vintage party planning and crafting books.

My mother's childhood teeter totter is now hanging on the wall above the bookcase.

A blue wooden hutch holds Easter crafting supplies and silk flowers.

The top of the hutch has also become a nice area to display my doll collection.

On the door entering craft room hangs an apron filled with Valentine cards.  Most of you have seen this in February when I post this as my blog header. The bulk head in my craft room is filled with children's picture records. 

Produced in the late 40s and 50s, I collect them for their graphics.

This concludes my where Kim K. creates craft room tour.  As you can see, my room is very small but I love having all my special collections out around me for inspiration.  This is where I stay until the wee hours of the night (and most weekends) plotting, playing and creating.