I’m super excited to start 2015 with a new “mini-series” — literally. Over the course of the next few months, I’ll be documenting the process of building, decorating and furnishing a 1:12 scale, split level, wooden dollhouse — made from an original 1955 Betsy McCall Do-It-Yourself Dollhouse pattern. Is anyone else as pumped as I am about this? I love my job!
Before we get into the details about the build, let me explain (a) why I am so excited and (b) what made me want to build a dollhouse in the first place. Let’s take a flash back to the early 1980s when I was a kid. My Dad has always been handy — a skill he began sharing with me at an early age — (above) just look at 18-month-old Kate wielding that hammer –watch out world! He had this great idea to make me a little playhouse using some leftover siding and supplies from the 1980 ranch house that he and my Mom built just before I was born. Needless to say, I loved the idea.
By Christmas, the playhouse was complete, and Dad set it up in our basement so I could play in it all winter before moving it out into the back yard in the spring. I absolutely loved that house, and spent many hours of my childhood hanging out in there hosting pretend tea parties and playing peek-a-boo through the shutters at my Mom. Thus began my love of miniature houses.
Fast forward a few more years, and yet another tiny house –built by my Dad — found its way under the Christmas tree. To say I was thrilled is an understatement.
Dad designed and built the dollhouse himself out of 1/2-inch thick plywood. It was furnished with all of my Mom’s childhood doll furniture and various tiny decor items she had collected for me to play with. Mom even sewed me some tiny curtains for the windows. I spent so many hours rearranging furniture, dreaming up imaginative story lines about the Barbie family that lived in the house, and loved every minute of it.
My obsession with miniature houses continued into adulthood, when I found a way to incorporate tiny houses and furniture into my “grown up” decor by building midcentury house shelves for my living room wall to display my miniature chair collection.
And of course you are all familiar with the midcentury Christmas Putz houses that I’ve been making for the last three years here on Retro Renovation — yet another manifestation of my miniature house infatuation.
DIY Betsy McCall dollhouse seems to have had a few versions
So then, it should come as no surprise that I became obsessed with the midcentury split level dollhouse I spotted in the bedroom of a stunning 1960 Toronto time capsule home we featured late last year. The moment I saw that dollhouse, I knew I had to build one. Thanks to a few of Retro Renovation’s readers, Pam and I learned that the time capsule dollhouse was likely made from a 1950s Besty McCall dollhouse pattern. The dollhouse in the photo above (from the Toronto time capsule) is slightly different than the pattern we found. Are there any dollhouse experts out there who know the model year of this groovy-yet-scary-staired version above?
Mere minutes after discovering the existence of the pattern, Pam went into search-and-acquire mode and spotted an original pattern on Etsy. To my delight, she bought it and had it sent to me with the promise that I would build the house and chronicle it on the blog — a task this handy, mini-house loving gal was more than happy to take on. Yes, it is now “my job” to build this dollhouse, documenting the process all along the way.
Making a dollhouse on a budget
Before I began, Pam gave me a few guidelines for building, decorating and furnishing the dollhouse:
- No using any ready-made, new dollhouse parts or furniture in the construction and decoration of the dollhouse — meaning I cannot buy roofing shingles, siding, flooring, etc. that is specified for use in a dollhouse. All such things must be made from materials I can find at the home improvement or craft store.
- All furniture must either be vintage or homemade.
- I have a $100 budget to furnish the house — a real challenge if you know the price of vintage doll house furniture these days.
- Pam sent me a few boxes of goodies from her hoard to help with covering floors and walls.
These rules ensure that I’ll have to be creative and also keep the project true to its humble, homemade retro roots, by repurposing items and using scraps that are already around the house with the goal of spending very little extra money to get the job done. Sounds like a fun challenge to me.
Katie Pix says
Can I just say how GRATEFUL I am to finally have some mid-century enamored, retro lovin’ individuals with which I can share my love of all things vintage without feeling like a 90 year old woman trapped in a 30 something year old peer group.
THANK YOU ALL!!
Kate, you’re an inspiration!!
Pam, thank you for ALL your hard work!
I’m working on sharing our 1965 retrovation, but am a newbie at creating blogs and websites. We’ll see how it goes.
Again, thank you both!
Katie
pam kueber says
Well howdy do!
Kate says
Aww thanks Katie Pix! Don’t worry, there are other thirty somethings out there who love retro (ahem, me.) 🙂
Melissa Johnson says
If you would like to see this same dollhouse that I picked up (off Craigslist) a number of years ago that I have renovated, please email me and I will send you pictures. It was in pretty bad shape. I tried to stick with the mid century modern idea. It’s a pretty big dollhouse but I love it!
Kate says
It is a big one, but oh-so-cool! I’d love to see pictures of yours!
Call of the Small says
Congrats on this, and how exciting! I will definitely be following along. I think someone linked you to my blog already; I have a McCall dollhouse and have been working to renovate it for the past few years. You can see the posts here: http://call-small.blogspot.com/search?q=Betsy+McCall. In most of my renovations, I only use craft store items, or I repurpose things all the time: coasters, placemats, napkin rings, you name it. As other readers have said, it is very feasible to create your home using DIY eyes! The house has so much potential. You will do a fabulous job! And I think you’ve inspired me to move onto my next room!!!
Kate says
Thanks! Ironically, I just found your blog post about your Betsy McCall dollhouse last night after a google search! Very cool house!
Kim says
Ooh, Kate! This has reawakened my latent dollhouse obsession…and I remembered something. When I was a little girl, a crafty neighbor gave me a whole bunch of dollhouse furniture she’d made out of odds and ends, and it included the perfect retro kitchen. She took three of the old-style cocoa tins–the kind that were made completely out of tin, rather than having a plastic lid–and painted them white. One stood on end and was a fridge; she turned one upside-down and glued 4 washers on the bottom to make a stove; the third was a sink, with the round, recessed metal cap of the tin serving as the sink depression. The fat, rounded-corner shapes of the tins were perfect for retro appliances, and now I’m thinking this lady was some kind of genius! Old tins can’t be too hard to find, and you could of course paint your appliances pink or aqua or whatever you wish. 😀
Marilyn says
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/24769866674016192/
You need to find this issue.
Kelly Wittenauer says
Kate,
Now we know how you came to be so crafty & fearless about trying new skills! Your parents set a wonderful example & nurtured your creativity. Look forward to following this project. I still have the Marx metal colonial dollhouse & all it’s furniture from my childhood. Unfortunately the 2 story A-frame playhouse my dad built for us did not survive an attempt to pick it up with a backhoe & relocate it.
tammyCA says
Oh, I’m gonna love this Mini-series. I have 3 dollhouses and one is the Lundby ’70s with the same shape as yours and the time capsule’s. I’ve made miniatures for years even before I got my first dollhouse (in my 30s!)…I always wanted one as a kid & instead had to use a bookcase…but, that was fun because it helped me use my imagination & make stuff. I still make miniatures out of anything. Put your “mini glasses” on when you go out and about and you will see all kinds of things to create with. I use scrapbook textured paper for wallpapers. There’s grasscloth and flocked, shiny glittered, etc. There’s cheap bamboo placemats for that tiki bar 🙂 and thin cork sheeting and all kinds of neat placemats that make instant carpets.
I always keep a box of “trash” that I can turn into lamps, furniture and accesories. I look at everything first before it goes in the recycle and trash bins…it’s amazing how much useful stuff you get from mere packaging. Wooden chopsticks & sandwich skewers cut down for instant MCM furniture legs. Jewelry beads & findings & chains for lamps & knobs. I bought some of those acrylic mirror doohickies that look like flowers at the hardware store that can be lamp bases.
You are so creative and handy! Your project will get me inspired again!
carol says
Cutest little girl ever! Looks just like you now, and I’m sure your father was completely smitten with you. I too was lucky to have crafty people in my family. I couldn’t count how many times I walked up to my mother and said “I’m bored”. One day she presented me with a sturdy cardboard box and wallpaper samples, fabric, fiberfill etc…. and told me to make a dollhouse. She gave me EVERYTHING to work with. Smart momma, she got me out of her hair for weeks. I used popsicle sticks for hardwood floors and some furniture. I made a hot pink cotton velveteen stuffed sofa and chair. I already knew how to sew because I WAS BORED. I was in the 3rd or 4th grade and it was the seventies. I even made a cardboard corvette for my barbie. Again, I was bored. I had so much fun!!!
pam kueber says
hehe, me, too. the 70s were ALL ABOUT crafting. And, I was a Girl Scout — more crafting!
Carol says
Me too! And 4-H. I missed you guys terribly over the holidays. Hope you guys had a lovely holiday break.
pam kueber says
🙂
I had a cow in 4-H. No crafting!
Mary Elizabeth says
Ambiguous comment, Pam. You “had a cow” (i.e., a fit) while in 4-H because there was no crafting? Or you raised a cow, literally?
pam kueber says
yes. a moo cow
Jan says
I think you can do this, Kate! And by the way, your little self looks just like you!
Mary Elizabeth says
So true! Some children have somewhat amorphous child faces that only gain distinguishing features as they mature. Kate is one of those people whose faces as children already had the basic structure of their adult faces. I once recognized a 50-something man whom I hadn’t seen since we were on the bus together in grammar school. His face hadn’t changed that much.
And now a segue back to the subject of dollhouses. Speaking of schools, the only dollhouse schools I’ve ever seen are turn of the 20th century one-room school houses. Wouldn’t it be fun to see a miniature school room with the ubiquitous Heywood-Wakefield desk chairs of the 1950s?
ElectraChime says
If you are taking reader donations, I would like to supply a scale long bell door chime like one of these as shown on my other site the doorbell museum.org
http://www.electrachime.net/exhibits-landing-page/doll-house-doorbells/
Kate says
Oh my! SO CUTE! 🙂
pam kueber says
omg!