The Ainsleys continue their house hunt.....

Nevil and Annie liked the house they looked at yesterday, but after a good nights rest, they are ready to look at more houses.

Today Maryam has taken them to the Keystone Meadows subdivision on the west side of the village.  "The builder of this house was Keystone of Boston. It was built in 1947 and has 660 square inches of living space.  The seller is asking $130 for it, which I realize is at the top of your budget, but we can always offer a lower price to start. Let's look  inside." Annie mentions that she loves the red shutters and gray roof.

"Oh, what a lovely curved staircase!" says Annie.  

"Cecil, the owners haven't moved their furniture out yet, so I want you to be on your best behavior.  Understood?" says Dad.  "Yes, Daddy, I'll be good." answers Cecil.

Annie notices the fireplace and says, "This will be great for hanging stockings at Christmas...and I think Santa may even be able to get down this chimney, kids!"
Nevil thinks this living room will be a great place to watch his sports and fishing shows on TV...in fact, he may be doing that already. Fiona is looking for a good place to sit so she can  read the next exciting chapter in her book.

Upstairs Mom is checking out the big closet in the bathroom while Cecil checks out the size of the bathtub.

"Oh, Rory, we will have to get you a little duck to rock in," says Annie. Sophie says, "I wanna wock too, Mummie!"

         
"Nice size bedroom," says Annie. "I love the blue wallpaper--we won't have to replace that.  And there is plenty of room in the corner for Rory's crib."

Nevil likes the size of the refrigerator and wonders if the owners are leaving it. 

"This is big enough to hold all the beer I will need for  poker parties with my new friends," he says. 

"Well," says Annie, "let's wait to meet your new friends before we plan a poker party!"

"Maryam, we really like this house!  Let's keep this  one on our list too!" says Annie.

After lunch, Maryam takes them to a house located on the northwest side of the village in the Keystone Woods subdivision.

"This is the newest house of the three, and also the largest at 1084 square inches. It was built by Keystone Wood Toys in 1955. Don't you love this bright blue door?" asks Maryam. 
 "I like  the large windows," says Nevil, "and it is landscaped nicely so the upkeep should be easy for me." 

"Oh, this is a large living area!" Annie exclaims. "I hope it doesn't look big just because  it is almost empty."  Nevil likes the hardwood floors.

"Girls! Girls!" says Annie, "don't snoop in the boxes. The contents don't belong to us."

"Oh, this kitchen is great!" says Annie. "I love to cook and having so much space will make it even more enjoyable. I can even start teaching Fiona to cook.  Look, Nevil, a window over the sink facing the front of the house...just perfect!"  

Maryam tells the Ainsleys that all the appliances stay, including the two portable cabinets.

Upstairs everyone checks out the bedrooms. Nevil says, "I think the children's area will be large enough...a set of bunkbeds for Fiona and Cecil here by the window, and Sophie's little bed there in the corner. That will still leave a little room for playing...upstairs instead of downstairs!"

"And the other bedroom is not a bad size either," adds Annie. "And look, the bathroom is right off the master bedroom."

"Cecil, please stop climbing on everything.  Mummie doesn't want you to get hurt."

 "I'm not going to fall, Mummie, I'm a big boy!"

                                                                 

"Look, Nevil, double sinks.  Isn't that wonderful? Now I can have a sink that's not full of your whiskers everytime I want to clean my face!" 

"Good location for a  washer and dryer, " says Nevil.  "Wonder if they stay? Let's not forget to ask Maryam."

"So," says Maryam, "shall we keep this one on the list?" 

"Oh, I love this house, Maryam.   We forgot to ask what the seller is asking for it!" 

 "It's listed for $84, which is a great price in this neighborhood.  It just came on the market yesterday, and it will probably sell quickly. So, if you are interested in it, you will need to make a decision quickly." says Maryam.

Nevil and Annie decide to take overnight to think over their choices, but early next morning they are in Maryam's office making an offer........

             

and then signing the papers on their new home!

Soon they are back in their Winnebago and headed  home to start packing for their move to a nice little village in the south.

Hmmn.  Wonder which house they decided to make their new home......


The furniture in the first house is 1":1' by Strombecker, 1935-50, with the exception of the pink baby crib which is unmarked, but possibly made in Germany.

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.

Modern dollhouse plans may be available!

GREAT NEWS from Mini2B:   Well, I found the plans for this house by asking Mr. Grandberg!! He sent me the following response: "Your e-mail is timely in that I have been looking into "re-introducing" the plans to the market. I'll look into the logistics of establishing a mailing package and its related out-of-pocket costs. Thanks for linking me into the blog-very exciting! If you wish to contact the blog and pass on my information, I have no problem." He requested that "contact be thru my web-site @ www.grandbergarchitects.com." So if you are interested in the plans, let him know.

Thanks for all your dilgent searching after all my suggestions were dead-ends, Mini2B!  I plan to let Mr. Grandberg know I am still interested after all these years. I may not get one built (as my true love are dollhouses from the 1930s-1950s) but I collect dollhouse plans as often as I collect dollhouses! 

If you are interested in building this great house, please let Mr. Grandberg know at his above web-site.

A Modern Dollhouse....now on eBay

** Plans to build this dollhouse can be found in the column to the right under PAGES

A couple of weeks ago I was looking through some old dollhouse stuff I had from when I was trying to decide how to build my daughter's dollhouse, and I found this article from Woman's Day magazine dated October 1976. (yeah, I have a hard time throwing stuff away).   

This dollhouse was designed by Ira Grandberg, A.I.A., and at the time this article was published, it was being presented to the Museum of the City of New York to become a part of their famous dollhouse collection.

The roof and the bedroom wing lifts off for easier play. The article says that with this dollhouse children play in "right now" or even "when I grow up" time as opposed to "once upon a time" in a reproduction dollhouse.

Plans for this dollhouse were not offered for sale in the article, or perhaps my daughter would have had one of these! It is a large dollhouse sitting on a base of 47" x 49" and 2 feet high, the scale being one inch to one foot.

The interior design was by Marilyn Budnick-Wein.  The article gives hints and a few instructions on how you can make the furniture shown.

These are great....

but I think Oese has them beat!!

Well, guess what's listed for auction on eBay this week....

Evidently plans were sold for this contemporary dollhouse, possibly at the museum to which it was donated. The auction states that a dollhouse of this design was built in 1976 and presented to the Museum of the City of New York and is part of their famous dollhouse collection. Has anyone seen this 33 year old beauty at the museum?

Ebay item is 200463543993 and listed as pick-up only.

Rear view with pergola added.

This is a great house...

I hope it goes to a good home!

Thank you Amy for a great spring vacation!

Rigoberta and Felipe Hogarin have just returned from a wonderful stay at the Lundby Lane time-share on Amy's Miniatures and Smalls site.  They stayed busy with horseback riding, dining and dancing and just enjoying the relaxing atmosphere on Lundby Lane.

Rigoberta is showing her beautiful new crystal vase to her daughter Talina and granddaughter Rocio.  "Oh, I must get my suitcases unpacked! I always dislike that part of a trip...but at least Consuela will do the laundry for me!" says Rigoberta.

"Oh NO!  Felipe!!  Where are the clothes? All that's in our suitcases is champagne! What have you done with our clothes?"

Felipe is busy sharing a really big homemade Ding Dong that sweet Millie sent back to Consuela and doesn't hear Rigoberta.

[Felipe enjoyed their stay at Millie and Martin's time-share so much that  he made a big sign to show his appreciation, and has asked me to post it on my blog so everyone will know how enjoyable the time share is.]

"NO NO NO, Felipe!" says Rigoberta, "That's what you write on a restroom wall to advertise a loose woman.  Oh, Felipe, what will I do with you?"

Why did the chicken cross the road?

To get to the other side? 

Nooooo, not this chicken!  This chicken DRIVES down the road.....because this 15 foot tall chicken is on the chassis of a 1988 Mazda truck...and goes anywhere he wants to.

This chicken is an Art Car...and Houston, city of this chicken's hatching, lays claim to hosting the world's oldest and largest Art Car parade.  The parade is a 4-day celebration that attracts 250+ vehicles and other entries from the US, Mexico and Canada, and has a live audience of some 250,000. The Art Car parade, a free public art event, is created by and for the people. There is no pre-selection process; anyone who makes a decorated, augmented, or decked-out wheeled vehicle can participate.

The 2010 Houston Art Car Parade will be held on May 8 with Dan Aykroyd hosting as Grand Marshall. Events include the Art Car Ball held Thursday nite; on Friday is the Main Street Drag (where caravans of art cars visit children's hospitals, schools, community centers, and senior living facilities); Friday nite is Sneak Peek and shop talk; Art Car parade held downtown on Saturday at 1 pm; and the Art Car Artists Award Ceremony on Sunday. If you have never experienced an art car parade, plan to come to this one or get yourself to the one nearest you!

I took my son to his first art car parade in 1989, the second year Houston hosted an Art Car parade sponsored by the Orange Show.  I guess it left an impression on him, but it took a good 12+ years before he and a friend created their first art car...named Laundry Car. He followed that with  2 art bikes (Horsie Bike and Automobike) and a coffee scooter (Smitty's Percolating Coffee Psycho). He evidently enjoyed the art of creating so much that he changed his major to art, and in 2009 graduated summa cum laude  from the University of Houston with a BFA in Studio Art - Sculpture. Drew is now teaching art to students in an area high school.

This big chicken was actually a project in one of Drew's sculpture classes.  Big chicky is made  of new and used corragated steel with the tail feathers being interior pieces from hot water heaters.  Entered in the 2008 Art Car Parade as Hen-a-tron II, this big chicken won the People's Choice Award out of  250 entries. Mom was proud.

Big chicky got some new feathers for the 2009 parade.  To see the big chicken in action in 2009, go to this  local news segment. The Psychedelic Surfer Dude 60's era Porsche shown in the segment was the big winner in the 2009 parade.

....Horsie bike

....coffee scooter

...Laundry car with the performing artists Lonely Maytag Man and Smuggles the Fabric Softener Bear

Drew's 1966 VW Variant is at the age where it needed a little help seeing just to drive around town...just an art project, not made for the parade.


As you can tell, this post is not about one of my old dollhouses....so I guess it falls under "other treasures".  But the other treasure is not this big chicken, the treasure is my son!