My aunt Maxine is very fond of the shabby chic and country cottage look. Her entire home is covered in pink roses, inside and out.
When I showed her some of the dollhouses my husband has been making, she told me all about her childhood dollhouse. It was likely an early 1940s lithographed tin house. She remembers it fondly.
"I think I was about 7 or 8 and my mother ended up going to the hospital. While I was in school, my grandmother, my father's mother, came to stay with us while she was hospitalized. My brother trashed my dollhouse while I was at school. They were little and ruined so many of my things. My baby buggy and my Betsy Wetsy doll. Boys are just very rambunctious at that age."
When Maxine came home from school she found her dollhouse had been ruined. She has always wanted another one.
My husband made her a Victorian house in 1/12th scale and we helped her put the siding and trim on it. Then, we helped her assemble the House of Miniatures kits we had. The rest of the decorating she has done by herself.
She painted the roof mint green and then decoupaged roses on top.
She has been making landscaping items for the yard. In January, I purchased some artisan made rose bushes to give to her this Christmas.
She has placed ivy up the front of the house. It makes it seem more at home with the rest of her decor (photos later).
This is the inside of the dollhouse.
The kitchen has been decorated using scrap wallpaper. The fabric and trim on the curtains were scraps given to Maxine by her granddaughter Chelsea.
The dining room is filled with a hutch that Aunt Maxine asked me to order for her, a House of miniatures table and chairs and some mini food I made. The tea set I had given to her 10 years ago when I returned from England for a visit. The wallpaper, of course, depicts English ivy.
The living room is a hodge podge of design ideas. I gave her the pink sofa in January after purchasing it from Rau's Country Store in Frankenmuth, Michigan. The Boxers are Christmas ornaments and Aunt Maxine is on the lookout for 1/12th scale dogs to replace them. I think she might like some dolls as well. The table is another House of Miniatures kit.
In real life, Maxine has a hot pink bathroom. This is almost a direct reflection of that. She made all of the towels and the bath rug. I made the toilet tissue and then decoupaged a bathroom set to give to her. The "photo" on the wall is a cut out from a magazine and she made the little table from a button and a spool of thread.
Maxine has turned the landing into a guest bedroom.
The bed in the master bedroom was made by Mary Jo Waldron. The matching curtains as well. The dresser is one I ordered for Maxine. The green table is also from the House of Miniatures. The treasure chest came from a yard sale.
The nursery contains two House of Miniatures kits that Maxine has painted, just like she does with her real life furniture. The curtains came from her granddaughter.
The attic is currently housing spare furniture and a House of Miniatures table.
I leave you with some views of Aunt Maxine's REAL house. It's just beautiful and very rosy. As Maxine puts it, "I love pink. It's my favorite color. I just love roses. I like to collect things. In fact, I'll collect anything I can get my hands on. I enjoy painting and decoupaging things." I love that you do, Aunt Max!
