Today my youngest child, Penelope, is turning 3. Most of my crafting time this week has been spent getting her present ready. When my sister and I were little, we were both given wooden dollhouses for Christmas (different years). I've blogged about mine before. I loved it. I crafted miniature things for it all through my school years and it is set up in my sewing room now. My sister never really got into hers very much and now she has two boys. A number of years ago, her dollhouse took up residence in my attic. My older daughter isn't really into dolls, much like her aunt. But I see potential in Penny and she is just the right age. So we secreted the house out to the barn and sanded and primed and painted.
It's now a white Cape with a pink roof, perfect for the little mouse family who will be living there (they are in the packages!). I papered the rooms with scrap booking paper and spray adhesive. It worked pretty well but was a pain in the neck! I can't wait to give this to her tonight. Right now she is napping before her big party.
While on the subject of Penelope, and this being a sewing blog and all, I have to mention this new line of fabric called Penelope! It's by Holly Holderman for Lakehouse Dry Goods and I love it! I can't wait to make something with it but I am not sure yet what I will make. Any ideas? The periwinkle print will be used to make a gift for my mom for her kitchen at some point.
If you are looking for some, Sew Fresh Fabrics has the Tea Labels in black and linen. Sew Me a Song and the Fat Quarter Shop have most all of the prints.
I think I am going to have to add a couple more prints to this stack. They are named after my daughter, after all. That's safe to say right, since she was born first right?


Love! Happy birthday to Penny! My girls would be all about this doll house!
ReplyDeleteeep! I am SO glad I have a little girl...
ReplyDeleteThat house is adorable.
and happy birthday sweet girl!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet birthday gift!
ReplyDeleteThat fabric looks like it has plenty of fussy-cutting potential... It would also make lovely travel bags for delicates.
So cute! My sister and I made our own dollhouses out of bookcases and the like when we were little. I would have loved to have something like this!
ReplyDeleteHey I would use any excuse I could to buy more fabric.ha.ah.a.a.
ReplyDeleteThat house is so adorable and with the cute little mouse family living in it will make it all that more special. Besides, how can you go wrong with a pink roof!! Happy Birthday Penny!!
Happy birthday Penny!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome gift! I'm sure she'll love it more and more as the years go by! Happy Birthday to your precious daughter!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to Penny! I had a dollhouse
ReplyDeleteas a young girl and loved it. A wonderful
gift! I love the pink roof. :)
Happy Birthday Miss Penelope!! I am sure she will love her doll house and the little mice that inhabit it.
ReplyDeleteThe fabric def came after Miss Penny so yes it is named after her for sure. I can see a paris garden block with fussy cut topiary - but my creative imagination is not legendary ;0)
Amy, it looks so, so sweet! She'll love it, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteOh my is Penny going to be 3 already?? I remember when she was born!! What great posts you wrote and the pictures were so precious. Happy happy birthday to this little sweetie. I know she will love the house.
ReplyDeleteFantastic update on that house! My girl would love it now and she's way older than Penny!:)
ReplyDeleteHappiest Birthday Wishes to Penny! I shared an antique Victorian doll house with my mom!!
ReplyDeleteYour primed, painted, and papered doll house looks awesome, especially with its PINK roof! Love the mouse family - cute! Sweet idea - looks great.
Happy Birthday Penny! What a sweet gift. I bet she'll love it!
ReplyDeleteThat's really neat you are doing that for her. She will love it! Looks like a good house for those Calico Corners critters. They are so cute.
ReplyDeleteLove the fabric too. You will come up with something to make that is far more clever than anything I could ever come up with!
Amy -
ReplyDeleteIt is sooo beautiful. I would have died to have that house when I was a little girl!
I still have a dollhouse book from the 70's that I can't seem to let go of : )
I hope Penelope had a wonderful birthday!!
I did the same for Lula when she was little- painted a house in a 'Maisy' mouse style and she then had 2 two other dolls houses in later years! Yours looks so pretty, happy birthday to Penny x
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely idea, my dad built a wooden dolls house for me when I was about 5 and he varnished the floors and papered the walls with offcuts of real wall paper- I thought it was the best thing in the whole world! I'm sure penelope will be thrilled!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to Penny! The dollhouse is adorable!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet gift! I loved my doll house when I was young also up until I was about 12...oh those days!
ReplyDeleteOh wow! I remember when Penny was just born. I can't believe it has been three years already.
ReplyDeleteThat dollhouse looks adorable. I hope she loves it!
happy 3rd birthday, Penny! did you get her the calico critters? Henry has the cat family and loves to play "kitties." i think he has finally noticed the sweaters i knit for them :) you did a great job with the dollhouse renovation. scrapbook paper on the walls is genius!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Penny! What a sweet gift! Love the fabric too!
ReplyDeleteawww man....when I saw the picture of the doll house, I just KNEW it was something Mark made and you were so generously sharing a tutorial!!! The middle child just turned 6 and for her bday she wants a Barbi Dream house or something...$150 for carboard and plastic???!!!! No thanks!! I am hoping the husband will be motivated to make one...maybe I'll show him the pic and tell him Mark DID make it, that works sometime!! ;P
ReplyDelete