20% off sale in my Ebay store Pumpkin Hill Studios

I'm having a 20% off sale in my Ebay store Pumpkin Hill Studios and many of these Ebay store items have Free shipping! I need to make room, room , room on my stock shelves to bring in more items. (I sometimes think my home and garage look like a scene from the Hoarders!LOL!)

This includes but isn't limited to- dollhouse components, past issues of Miniature Collector, large scales of Bespaq- 1:6, 1:4, & 1:3! Custom Bespaq by me, and more! There are some items that have limited stock- such as only one or two, so shop now!

Sale lasts July 17th thru July 21st!

Thanks for shopping- and don't forget our Ebay Auctions !

Customized Bespaq walnut with gold swan vanity- on sale NOW!

Sunday morning in Barbietown...

I have felt so out of sorts after seeing the remarkable pics of the Barbie convention and those extrodinary sets the designers at Mattel were displaying. Forget the loot, OOAK raffle dolls, even the convention goodies- I would probably have forgone everything else to drool at those display and sulked because I would not be able to move the dolls around and play!lol...

So I consoled myself with Barbietown, which on a Sunday morning after church, what could be better? So a quick post...

Here are some more pictures of the French bed/apartment I am working on. I have decided that this would be an extravagant bedroom in Agnes Von Weiss' wondrous mansion, Maison de la Royale located in Provence, which is where Barbietown is located.

I did a marble floor, but the floor may have to be bigger for the scene..

Things between Vanessa and Romain have somewhat 'heated' up, and after partying all night with the chic of Paris, early Sunday morning they are progressing in their newfound attraction with one another. But back to the details....I used marble contact paper on a regular 20 x 30 foamcore sheet, but I do not think that will be palatial enough for the look. The Bespaq night table is from my collection and I love this Aubusson rug with the bed.
I had pulled out my old Barbie car I had as a kid which was bought with green stamps by my mom- back in the early 1970, when I was probably 5 or going on 6 years old. I had the camper later, but both it and the beach buggy were given away. (yeah, kicking myself)
Both Ryan and Bob Greene decided to refurbish and clean it up, with Buck's help- Buck's girlfriend Rosie is window shopping in Barbietown....

Rosie, is still drooling over that fab outfit just debuted in the boutique. (her style is somewhat out there and she loves matching clothes up to the color of her hair...)
Ryan decided to take the day off from McDonald's and let Ricky and Hannah handle things- he needs a day off to chill and think about Poppy, who he can't get off his mind...needs some time with his friends.

Meanwhile, the other inhabitants of Barbietown appear to be going about their regular day to day business, strolling along the sidewalks, shopping, going to the coffee shop (by the way, Michael's has these little easels for a $1 in their dollar bins- great for outside of shops, etc. and resemble menu boards)
I have some more ideas for expansion for Barbietown, so hopefully I can clean up the mess you aren't seeing and include Mickey's bake shop with more room for cars, etc. the Mattel pics of the convention really inspired me.Enjoy!

Custom work continued- Marie Antoinette bed..

I finished alot of work on the remaining two sides of the headboard, as well as the curtain/drapes behind the headboard. Still alot more to do, but it came out better than I expected. I also edged the mattress with champagned cording..
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!

Forgive my poor pictures, I am using lights held above or one the sides of the scene, so I played with lighting quite a bit to get the pictures I wanted. The two side panels tufted are hand tufted and the curtains are sheer fabric, pleated and tucked to give the effect of curtains puffed, above that gilded headboard piece. I am thinking of doing sheer panel swags with fringe at the top of the canopy on the front.  It took the better part of today and last night, stopping frequently because of my hands sweating because of the heat. Overall, I think I managed to achieve the effect I wanted, I simply adore how it looks like an aclove at the headboard. More pillows will appear, of course. Vanessa or one of the other dolls needs an over the top negligee to model on this...I used her because her evening gown drapes so beautifully over the blue....
I hope you enjoy the pics!
~Lisa

Our Blog has a Facebook Fan page!

We are now on Facebook and have our own Fan page- it was about time. I have the blog hooked/linked in with Network Blogs which posts on my Facebook page as well as the King William Miniatures facebook page. (Yeah, I think I have too many Facebook pages, lol) Anyhow, click on The One Sixth Scale Dollhouse Facebook Fan page and like us to become a fan!

First, I would like to thank you all for the kind comments on my over the top bed I have been working on. I am usually hesitant about posting works in progress, but as this was something I had wanted to do, I also wanted to share the progress, which in my opinion, is half the fun of creating it to begin with. Today I went to the fabric store to buy some material for the drapes behind the headboard, as well as trims, braids, and cording. So far, I have one side panel tufted and the mattress trimmed. One problem is I have to occasionally stop on my progress as the heat makes my hands sweat so much. Though we have air conditioning the record breaking temperatures outside- 103 degrees today- tomorrow on Saturday it is projected to be 107 I think, or hotter. This makes our cooling system work overtime. I am hoping to make a great deal of progress on the canopy so I began the little details such as the tassel work, and the room display for the bed.

Today I would like to address some questions I have had here in my Comments section as well as on Saucy Suwi's blog Facebook Group Fashion Doll Dioramas . Kirsten Elizabeth had asked if I could post some links to places where it would be possible to purchase supplies or materials, since she lived in Norway. So here are some links to some reliable places for all. And please check out my links on the left sidebar of this blog- I have tried to make it a resource for all with links to message boards, artists I know who also work in 1:6 scale as well as 1:12 scale and remember, most of your message boards such as the Doll Divas and the One Sixth Scale Warrior have tutorials on dioramas, faceups, and building incredible sets out of nothing.
Dollhouse Emporium located in the United Kingdom, they have a stunning selection and also give free gifts and sometimes free shipping. Though mostly 1:12 scale you will find an incredible selection of garden items such as urns, Ruetter Porcelain items that will work such as small vases, tea sets, etc. as well as building supplies, ornate plasterwork for walls, wallpapers, flooring, and carpets as well. You can request a printed catalog to be sent to you & they have an online forum as well
Norm's Dollhouse  located in Denver Colorado in the USA. One of my great friends, an online buddy of Miranda Wandering  works there and they have an amazing selection.

Hobby Builder's Supply- HBS  A very good miniature online supply dealer. They will send out free catalogs and have good prices, especially for the beginning miniaturist. Also have coupons and can request a printed catalog. Sign up as a new member on their facebook page and you get an extra 10% off the percentage of being a new customer when you register online.
And now - some links that are not necessarily 1:6 scale, but great for inspiration and materials- more on the pricey side, but some of my favorites as far as producing a quality project.

The Lawbre Company don't discount them or their prices- great people to deal with, I used to carry their stunning components when my shop was open and use their components when I built in 1:12 scale. Stunning garden ornaments, fencing, as well as the plasterwork for walls, murals, ceillings as well.

Frogmorton Studios website of the fabulous Rik Pierce, and his amazing miniature works of art & workshops in paperclay.  He does many of these miniature workshops or at miniature shows in the USA as well as the UK & Europe. His pictures are worth looking at for inspiration on different styles of decor as well as how to work with paperclay, which I myself have used on the exterior of the One Sixth Scale Dollhouse for exposed brick
EV Miniatures makes the MOST amazing miniature books, scrolls, orrys, and miniature 'magical ' items ...Ericka also works in larger scales, contact her via email. Real miniature books that open and close, are blank, etc. She makes wonderful items for miniature libraries, and her 1:12 scale items would work for 1:6 scale as well. Sells on Etsy, and Ebay under minifood, which she also creates too

Hobbytown USA models galore and remote control cars, airplanes, etc. Great resource for railroad landscaping supplies, paints, etc. If you need tools, this is one of the places to go- I have a store near me and love it- especially since alot of the remote control cars have items such as decals, tools, etc in 1:6 scale

Woodcrafter's one of my all time favorite places to go for exotic woods and wood veneers, and wood veneer edgebanding which I used for miniature plank floors when I used to build customs. My stash of exotics is still in my 'stash' drawer, and exotic veneers paired with the right stain can really jazz up a miniature table top including those in 1:6 scale. My favorite is birds eye maple.

Elf Miniatures in the UK? Sells kitchen and bathroom kits I think, in 1:6 scale as well as 1:6 scale prams or baby strollers. Works alot in contemporary or modern decor

Ron Hubble Miniatures great to just drool over...works mainly in 1:12 scale and teaches workshops at miniature shows in the USA & Europe and does commissions. (I get alot of my inspiration from artisans like this...)

Susan Bembridge Designs period wallpapers, fabrics wonderful high end and quality designs. Located in the UK.ALSO carries wood, stone, brick papers as well. Printed silks and cottons in miniature.

I think this is a good beginning for places to begin if you are a beginner to building in any scale. Though I myself started in 1:12 scale and smaller, then went to 1:6 scale, a rule of thumb to always remember is it can be resized to fit any scale- but fabrics- especially prints, and most of all- COLOR- have to be 'miniaturized' as well. Though I know many people are drawn to the bright colors of mod and retro, sometimes I find them better received and more in scale, if muted then too 'bold'..
One great way to begin to 'see' with the eye of a miniaturist is the habit to be able to take everyday trash or treasure and turn it into something for your dioramas or dollhouse- for instance, a small pillbox cover may work as a stunning pillbox hat for Barbie or our Fashion Royalty girls, or flipped over and painted silver, a great tray to hold drinks! the pill bottle itself may make an excellent umbrella stand or trash receptacle if painted or covered with paper. In working on my bed, I used pieces from broken items that couldn't be repaired, and sketched and looked at pictures quite a bit before building. I hope I have helped with some of these links, and enjoy! I hope to have more progress on the Palais bed this weekend with another blog entry soon!
~Lisa

Custom work...what I've been up to...

I have been up to quite a bit of customizing, and managed to squeeze these two Custom Bespaq Bijou tea tables in today.
Gold custom Bijou table click Here
Silver Custom Bijou Table click Here
Both tables are on ebay now; the MH w/ gold ends 7/10 & the WN w/ Silver ends 7/12. Both with reasonable starting bids of $25 each

But my real distraction has been some of the dolls want ever more extravagant furniture, so I have hastened to comply. I have been working on a very exotic bed for the last few days, here is Vanessa modeling for me. I still have alot of work to do on the bed.

Here was my inspiration:

Shown are pictures of Marie Antoinette's bed at Versailles, as well as pictures of herself holding a rose , her signature, and Kirsten Dunst who played her in the movie in 2006. The bed is simply stunning to drool at. I believe these are the summer linens shown in the above pictures. Even today, almost over 200 years later, when we hear Marie Antoinette Style, we think of luxury, chic, simplicity with a dazzling abundance of color, as well as simplistic lines.
Here are some sneak peeks of my bed- though hardly to be compared with the one above...

The bed has been constructed in pieces, I still have work to do on the base as well as the canopy pieces, plus a huge amount of sewing to do for the coverlets and pillows, and trims. The canopy will have puddle drapes. I finished the two pillows shown, the headboard and the mattress yesterday. This bed is quite large as you can see Rock Steady Romain is standing next to the bed and he is not taller than it....I had purchased this blue satin silk a year or two ago to create a gown for Gracie, my MSD sized bjd, but it looks better on the bed!
More coming soon when I get the bed done...all for now, and enjoy the pics!
~Lisa