Thursday, May 27, 2010

House Hunter....Dollhouse style!



Here come the Ainsley's!
Nevil Ainsley's employer has transferred him to their offices in a big city very near Dollhouse Village. Nevil and his wife Annie thought this was a great opportunity to take a fun trip with their kids and look for a new home at the same time.  So they packed up their Winnebago, stowed  the kids aboard, and headed south to look for a new home that's big enough for a family of six.
Nevil loves driving this big motorhome....see his coffee cup on the dashboard? Just give him a cup of coffee and a little country music on the radio, and he can drive, drive, drive.


Cecil and Sophie  finished their cereal and are still at the table playing with toys.  Mom would like to look for a new recipe in her cookbook , but baby Rory wants attention and she is more than willing to play with him.


Big sister Fiona finished her breakfast and is already curled up with a book on the foldaway bed.

Annie and Nevil made arrangements with a realtor in Dollhouse Village to show them several homes.  Let's see what houses realtor Maryam Magnus has found for them to see.....


Maryam first takes them to the Rich Valley subdivision on the northeast side of the village...we find her telling Nevil and Annie about this big house...   
"This is a plantation style house  built by  Rich Toys in 1942. The Rich Company built a lot of plantation style homes but  this one, with its nine windows in the front, may be the largest model.  It's  a fixer-upper, but it does  have 648 square inches  of living space and is on a quiet cul-de-sac...great for kids! The owner is asking $75 for it.  Ready to look at it?"
Annie says, "I love the four pillars across the front. Let's see how much of a fixer it is.  That never stopped us before, as  Nevil is quite handy with a paint brush and his hammer and nails! Cecil!  Get down before you fall!"



"This living area is rather small, but I suppose we could make do,"  says Annie.
"Mom! Dad! Look at me!  I can slide down the bannister!" says guess who.
"Cecil, Cecil! Watch out for Sophie at the bottom of the stairs..... and where will we put the TV?"  asks dad. "We certainly will need to paint or wallpaper these rooms. And possibly get new carpet. And curtains for you, Annie."

"All the appliances stay with the house," says Maryam. 
"Oh, Nevil, this kitchen is so small...but there is  a nice size dining room where we could put the table, but we will need to buy a storage hutch for dishes and things."
Nevil says he likes the patterned floor tiles, but they do make him a little dizzy.



Maryam asks how they like the master bedroom.  "This bedroom is a nice size and this vanity is just like mine...so I think our funiture will fit," says Annie.




"Oh Nevil, even with baby Rory in our room, I just don't know if we can get 3 children in this small area." 
" We definitely would need a set of bunk beds," says Nevil.


Going into the bathroom Annie says, "Now I like this bathroom!  It's nice and large and the kids will love splashing water out of  this nice big tub....good thing there is a tile floor!"


"So," says Maryam, "shall we keep this one on the list?"
"I think so," says Nevil.


Hmmn.  Wonder what Maryam will show them tomorrow......

In the US, cable TV's Home and Garden network has a show called House Hunter.  Usually 3 houses are shown and the buyers select one of the 3.... not always the one I would pick...but that doesn't keep me from being totally addicted..  It's a bit like Location Location that we used to see on BBC America. 
$75 was the purchase price for this dollhouse...one of the first ones in my collection.. Furniture is 1":1' by Strombecker, 1935-40.

9 comments:

  1. Dear Florine,
    thank you for this little trip. I love your motorhome, very comfortable!
    I love this house too, and its furniture. Of course, the kitchen is small, but the bathroom is great! these green and pink colours look so nice together. Will be happy to visit the next one with the family, and see which house they will choose .

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  2. What a great motor home - it fits them all so perfectly, and is so well appointed! I love seeing the Ainsley family look round this house - such a good way to get a feel of a new dolls house! I hope they find something a bit bigger - I can see that they'd manage here, especially if it has a big yard, but big sister Fiona will soon need her own bedroom.

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  3. So life like with the kids. What fun! I enjoyed this much. The Winnebago is a fixer-upper too. Lovely post. Love that green suitcase and the overhead shot of the vehicle.

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  4. This was a great post! I love the camper! I live in the US and I watch Location Location Location by downloading it each week! It is currently in its new season, on episode three!

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  5. Glad you liked the Winnebago, ladies! It was on a top shelf when my almost 4 year old grandson insisted I get it down...and then insisted I put a dollhouse in its' place. So it was just in the right spot when the Ainsleys needed it.....I think it had lots of playing time outside in it's previous owner's life.
    Rebecca, I have often wondered why dollhouses have so few bedrooms but doll families come with so many children!
    Jessica, thanks for the info on Location Location...I will enjoy seeing it again!

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  6. Una autocaravana fantastica!!!
    Me ha gustado viajar con la familia, seguro que encuentran una casa en la que estar muy comodos.
    besitos ascension

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  7. What a cooooool camper! And i really like the Ainsleys, with the 4 kids. The story is so funny and well written! I enjoyed it very much - like in really life. You chose lovely names for the kids!

    Now I have to read how it´s going on :)

    *Nicola

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  8. Thank you, Ascension! The caravan has proved to be very popular...and my grandson still loves to play with it!

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  9. Nicola, I'm so glad you enjoyed my story...and I am wondering how you will handle the "new batchelor" that has appeared on your blog! :) Could get very interesting!

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