A mini challenge

Just before we left for Berlin, Call of the Small posted about what, for her, was involved in making a scene.  This was one of my favorite posts and I was inspired to tackle the challenge. I do my scenes in much the same way and I'll stick with her post format for this one.

Unfortunately, I don't have a dollhouse. I designed and created a roombox but there are a couple of flaws in the construction so I can't use it yet. So I'm still left with only this Petite Princess roombox. Usually I'll wallpaper it with scrapbook paper and do something with the floor. But when I started placing the red and orange in the space, the turquoise blue seemed just right so I didn't change my background.

Motivation: I picked up a few really cool pieces in Berlin and I have been dying to use them (but crazy busy!). I started with the orange and white chair and was planning on doing something totally different but after I put the credenza in there and then the red lounge chair, it all started to work.

The accessories: My favorite part of making a scene is adding all the stuff. The TV was first, of course. It is a fairy tale viewfinder of Hansel and Gretel from Berlin. There is a crazy image of the kids shoving the witch's fat ass into the oven. It's hilarious. I didn't think the aqua would work but I think it really does. Of course I had to use the "ball tower" (the fernsehturm) souvenir and that thermos (a recent eBay find). My mom bought me a box of mostly trashed dollhouse furniture at a flea market and that bird cage was right on top. I didn't think it would work either but it did. (I think it must be a Christmas ornament). Next I went with a vintage Sylvanian families cabinet and the TOMY planter. The pillows I made came next and then the mostly Playmobil dishes (check out that sausage! I am not into fake food much but that is too funny). Oh, the red shoes are from my childhood Skipper doll. Ah, the teeth marks...

The dinosaur was a last-minute find (I share a space with the toddler and husband so their toys often come in handy).

I definitely like to play around with color and I care little for realism. I like to have fun with spaces that appear realistic on first glance and then smack you with something ridiculous (like the bright green sword from some appetizer or mixed drink).

Time: It took 15 minutes to set everything up.  Everything was out and on hand so I didn't have to dig through any bins. I usually spend much longer because I often have a toddler around. I took 22 photos for 5 minutes. I spent 10 minutes with them in Photoshop (basically resizing a cropping a bit). Then it too me about 3 days to actually have a few minutes to write this post.

Finally, I would LOVE to know more about the new pieces I acquired, especially the lounge chair. It has real upholstery, it's not molded plastic. I have an identical one with brown "leather." I don't know anything about the orange and cream chair or the credenza (the only piece with a marking -- W Germany). They are all flea market or secondhand finds. Anyone?

Thanks so much to Call of the Small for such an inspiring and informative post. 

New curtains on the way

I'm hoping to take advantage of this 3 - 4 day weekend by sewing up some new curtains for the bedroom. I got these off-white curtains with the grommets at Gabe's a couple of weeks ago for $7.99 each. They are the right shade for the room. The fabric is almost like a cotton duck so it should be thick enough to keep out the light. Mr. Lemon and I like our sleeping room like a cave. In fact, I keep my alarm clock in a drawer next to the bed because the light keeps me up.

This blue stuff is a set of two panels that I will use to sew at the bottom of the curtains to cover up that unsightly 1988 forest green (see above). I'm also going to fold over the grommet section at the top of the curtain because large curtain rods are like a million dollars and I really don't think the look works with our mid-century melange of styles. This color is perfect. It's my favorite shade of teal/dark robin's egg blue. It's almost variegated so that the lighter color is the same as what's in the bedroom and the darker shade calms it down in a much needed way.

As for the bed: We want this Mandal bed from Ikea because it is made of actual wood and not a composite but I don't like the unfinished birch look for our room. I think it will completely clash with the Broyhill Brasilia hutch that I'm stuck on. I'm all about mixing styles but that's a bit much. I'd paint it but I don't really want to spend $350 on something that I have to refinish. I'd have to do the drawers too. The drawers are actually the best part about the bed. Since our house is about 900 sq. ft. we need all the storage we can get. Does anyone know of a good bed that will meet our needs?