Wednesday 21 March 2018

What's Cooking? My Mini Kitchen Makeover



Wanna to see my kitchen? This is my latest mini make, like my real one HERE, its furnished entirely from inherited bits and pieces, other people's junk, hand-made stuff and lucky eBay finds.


Yes, I am well and truly obsessed with decorating my doll's house. It's taken me back to being twenty-four and owning my first house, a tiny end terrace so small I could pick up a tin of paint on the way back from work from the DIY clearance centre at the bottom of my road and redecorate a room in a couple of hours whenever the fancy took me.


Friends would pop round to discover that the colour scheme had completely changed from the week before or that I'd transformed the bed's headboard, Ottoman or a chair with a piece of fabric I'd found in a charity shop and my trusty staple gun.


In those days the cupboards were bare. Back in 1990 interest rates were sky high, I was living alone and in order to afford to pay my bills & mortgage I lived on a tight budget of £25 a week. I ate at work (working in corporate hospitality wasn't all bad), cut my own hair & bought all my clothes from jumble sales - just as I'd always done - and the rest went on socialising and tins of bargain paint. My thrifty ways paid off, I was mortgage free before I was 40. 


In my mini world I still don't spend any money on food - I Google free doll's house printables and fill my cupboards for free.


In my first house I went without a fridge, I became the proud owner of a second-hand one when I reached the age of 25! In my mini house I've made one from a broken 1950s sink unit that came from my Mum's doll's house and painted it with Barry M nail varnish. Like our real one the door's adorned with Polaroids of us at Glastonbury and in India.


There's loads of these 1970s Lundby cookers on eBay. I took my time and found one for a decent price. 


When I was a child I loved buying Lundby doll's house furniture. The houses were expensive but the bits and pieces to fill them with were pocket money prices. I'd already got Mum's furniture from her childhood so I mostly bought odds and ends. The saucepans, cutlery, toaster and the loaf of bread survived years of playing. I found a photo of a Taunton Vale chopping board, sized it down, printed it off and glued it to some cardboard salvaged from the recycle bin.


These chairs were pink last week - I haven't changed. Rose wine and Ritz crackers, aren't I sophisticated?


The tea towel is made of paper but with a few folds it looks like fabric. I managed to find the matching sink to last week's kitchen unit on eBay. I made the splash back and the shelves are lollipop sticks.


I helped myself to a sample of wallpaper from Wilko's. I could have used scaled down doll's house paper like I'd used for the rest of the house but quite liked the drama of the supersized retro print.


My reading material - a copy of the NME from 1967 with The Stones on the cover.

WEARING: Green bell sleeved top (retail sale, 2017), Vintage maxi skirt with floral trim (50p sale rail, AGE UK, yesterday), 1970s wooden pendant (Free from the hospice charity shop, the lady insisted I had it!)
I need to crack on with the outside restorations for Number 62, my latest house arrived this morning and I'm itching to get cracking on the next project. Addicted? Me? Absolutely!

See you soon.

65 comments:

  1. Love the dolls house obsession, my obsession is with my bottle garden. I love the idea that everything is orderly, tiny and contained but hadn't thought about accessorising it, or adding anything fake ..... but you've got me thinking!

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    1. I love your bottle garden! I think these tiny spaces we create are a way of escaping the chaos and disorder in our real lives - a calming and perfect little world.
      I think you need to add some tiny animals and a deckchair & garden to your world! xxx

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    1. Thank you!! I think Jon is convinced I'm crazy! x

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  3. It’s hard to believe some of the pieces are not full size. It’s lovely how you are weaving your story into your new hobby. You’ll have your own housing estate soon haha xxx

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    1. Don't tempt me, I seriously want more!! xxx

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  4. Your tiny house is as lovely as your real one. That wallpaper is fantastic and all the tiny food and drink is just so cute. I love your creativity and your story of your first house. I used to live in a council sky-scraper. Sounds bleak, they had a seriously bad reputation, but it was one of the best places that I have ever lived. Your story of picking up a tin of paint and redecorating in a couple of hours reminded me of my ever-changing bathroom. Could never find just the right shade for it. Love your gorgeous green outfit and your new skirt is just lovely. That was so nice of the lady in the charity shop to donate that pendant to you. You have the chazza ladies well-trained. :) Xx

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    1. I loved reading about your council sky-scraper and the continual quest to find the perfect colour bathroom! My first house was in the red light area, a bit dodgy but it's all I could afford and I loved the excitement.
      The chazza ladies all know me and some are so sweet, putting strange things aside or insisting I have a few freebies when I buy stuff, bless 'em! xxx

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  5. It's getting better and better. I just love the attention to detail. Painting the fridge with nail varnish is so clever, and how fab that you've added the polaroids. My doll's house's kitchen is fully kitted out but I haven't decorated so it all looks a bit boring, especially when compared to yours. xxx

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    1. You should download some of the free wallpaper and flooring, it'll make all the difference - I've just ordered some cats to make mine more homely! xxx

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  6. oh, oh, oh, I luv it all. You are so good at decorating it to be your own. Soon we won't know which world we're in - mini Vix or maxi Vix.

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    1. Thanks, Pao! I think I'm gradually retreating into a mini world. Everything I see takes on a new dimension - yesterday I stopped a friend tossing his empty vape canister into the bin as it had doll's house potential! There's no stopping me! xxx

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  7. That's it, I'm buying myself a doll's house asap - I'm loving all this! x

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    1. You must!! The kitchen furniture is the best! xxx

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  8. So mad.....I love it, especially the cooker. xx

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    1. Thank you! Jon does think I've gone mad! xxx

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  9. You look fab in your mini kitchen!

    The kitchen itself is amazing. The little photos on the fridge, the NME, the cornflakes packets are just wonderful. What a very careful little girl you must have been to keep so many things for so long in such good condition...

    We had a lovely warm sunny day today - I think Spring might be here!

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    1. Thanks, Vronni! I was beside myself with excitement when I found all those free downloads - there seems to be a real sense of community in the doll's house sisterhood, fellow enthusiasts are so happy to share tips, ideas and printables. It's wonderful! xxx

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  10. Love all the little details like food and bread board. Y

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    1. Aren't they cute? Like real life only better! xxx

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  11. I'll be sharing this with my friend Carlie.

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    1. Thank you! Is she a fellow fanatic? xxx

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  12. That's what I love about the hobby. It really does suit budgets of all sizes. Beads are marvellous for perfume bottles etc.
    Arilx

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    1. That's a wonderful idea, Aril! That's something else to look for in chazzas, cheap necklaces! xxx

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  13. Don't bump your head on the light! That oversize wallpaper is great, it adds another scale.
    Your inventive mind is running at maximum. I can imagine these selling well in your vintage themed stall. Surely people would love them if you could bear to part with them.
    xo Jazzy Jack

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    1. I nearly did bash my head - my doll's house makes me appear tall - no wonder I like living in it!
      I could make mini rooms in boxes, couldn't I? A whole new thing! xxx

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  14. What fun! A super easy cheap way to redecorate and fantasize daily. Even better that you can "magically" superimpose yourself inside.

    Suzanne

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    1. It's so good to imagine something and to create it out of almost nothing, I love it! xxx

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  15. You look right at home in your funky little tiny house!

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  16. how fun that you can place yourself into the mini world!

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    1. It's a great escape from real-life! xxx

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  17. I love all the details, but I get such a chuckle out of you "in" the house. Wonderful! I was mortgage-free by 45 - it pays to be thrifty!

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    1. Hooray for Picmonkey!
      Isn't being mortgage-free brilliant? I hate any kind of debt. xxx

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  18. I recall when that acid yellow was the 'on trend' decorating color in the '70's- it was usually paired with a lot of brown. I like your psychedelic color scheme better! Actually, I just painted my kitchen daffodil yellow too!
    xox

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    1. More is always more! I remember the brown/yellow/orange colour schemes, too - it was a shame to water those vibrant colours down, wasn't it? Lots of brights make so much more of an impact.
      I love the sound of your sunny daffodil yellow kitchen. I painted the walls in my first house lime green - it always looked like the sun was shining! xxx

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  19. Hi Vix, I love that the dollhouse has such fab vintage style. Love your green outfit too. How's the snow today?

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    1. Thanks, Jess! The snow's all melted but it's still really cold. We've got more snow forecast for Easter now! xxx

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  20. coziest kitchen ever!!
    and you got german vine :-)
    do love all the little details - magazine, grocery bag, tins and cups.....and the warm, bright coloring. but the best are the photos of you and jon on the fridge - sooo lovely!!
    xxxxx

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    1. You noticed the booze!! I had to have some in my kitchen. There's quite a bit of vintage German-made doll's house furniture on eBay. xxx

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  21. Love it Vix! Can you come round and make over our house!

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  22. These are so brilliant! I love seeing your little house, and can't wait to see the next one.

    You're making me want one now, and I DON'T HAVE ROOM.

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    1. Thanks, Mim!! I can't believe how addicted I am to doll's houses already. You NEED a doll's house - you could always wall mount it! xxx

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  23. Oh Vix....it looks totally amazing. So much detail...love it.
    Hugs-x-

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  24. Yes! This is the sort of fun we Vixen fans haven't had since the "really interesting family (their mothers wears lipstick every day!) moved in to the big old house on the hill" and we got invited over to see "what they'd done to it." Our mums explored the kitchen, and we kids investigated their toys. Now, I, too, want a doll house. Mine will have cats and birds and dogs, and books stacked everywhere...

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    1. I've found some pets on eBay , they should be moving in next week, then it'll be a proper home!
      Get a doll's house, Beth! xxxx

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  25. BRILLIANT!! This is so. much. fun. O makes tiny furniture from metal and acrylic, moderne pieces, a different vibe but still so cool to put yourself in that world. And no vacuuming! I look forward to seeing more!

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  26. I can't believe how detailed this tiny kitchen is. It has everything! It is a work of art, an adorable tiny work of art- I love it. We don't really have doll houses here (as far as I know) but I might make some, I was thinking about it.

    Nothing wrong with being resourceful. I often cut my hair and I always dye and style it on my own. I genuinely enjoy vintage, second hand finds and DIY projects but it is true these things can save us money, especially if we also know how to sew- at least a bit. Being able to mend and fix our clothes saves us both money and time.

    I can only hope to be mortgage free by forty! But who knows, maybe if I put my mind to it, I can make it happen.

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    1. You're such a creative woman, Ivana, you ought to try making some miniatures. A book I've been given suggests an old drawer or a shoe box and creating a room at a time! xxx

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  27. I adore everything! It's so incredibly charming, you've definitely got magic! I feel so warm and cozy inside when I look at these pictures, the feeling of a little girl imagining her big (!) worlds, even though they seem mini to adults.

    Lots of love!

    PS Love this green outfit too!

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    1. I'm loving green at the moment, it must be the longing for Spring!!
      Creating a tiny world is so much fun, it's so rewarding to envisage something and to make it from scraps and leftovers! xxx

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  28. My sister won a doll house at a raffle for her grandkids to paly with when they visit. Guess who is always down ther-all her gron up sisters when we go for girls poker night. Your's is just charming.

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    1. What a fab prize! I think doll's houses are wasted on children, they're definately for grown-ups! xxx

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  29. The stove in my favorite apartment was just like that! Bright orange & would preheat in 5 minutes or less. I miss it to this day.

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    1. I love the sound of your much-missed stove especially as it was orange! xxx

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  30. Love the way you combined your photos of the dolls house with info about your real life, you've made a parallel world - brilliant xxx

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    1. Thanks, Sally! It's not only taking over my real-life, it's reminding me of my past! xxx

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  31. You are an incredibly resourceful person. I am very impressed with your kitchen! I am also impressed that you were a homeowner so young and mortgage free so young!! Blimey. I was too irresponsible.xx

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    1. I was really sensible in my late teens and early twenties, I seem to have regressed!
      xxx

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  32. This looks like so much fun!
    xx

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    1. It is! I absolutely love the mini world! xxx

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  33. I just love all the little details you add - the issue of NME, the cutting board, tea towel, etc. All the things that make a house a home. It's so much fun watching you decorate your little house (and looking forward to seeing house #2)

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Thanks for reading and for leaving a message. Please don't be anonymous, I'd love it if you left a name (or a nom de plume).

Lots of love, Vix