Christmas Morning in Mindolton!!

Merry Christmas!!

The Caco Clan has gathered for a special Christmas morning with all the children in the family. What a lot of gifts, including new pets.

 The Victorian family is digging into their presents with great joy. They are especially excited about what father has sent from India where he is on duty for the Queen.

The Grecons are excited to see how the children react to the modern Christmas tree and all the gifts. Their faithful maid peeks from the kitchen door.

Mr. and Mrs. Tirolo prepare a special breakfast as they watch Axel and Anneliese play with their Christmas toys.

Jake and Ruby are busy welcoming friends an neighbors in for a morning mimosa.

The Dalley's are having a wonderful Christmas morning.

And back at the Flaggs Patsy still can't figure out why Santa brought her a brother instead of a pony.





I hope all my wonderful blog friends are having an warm, loving, Christmas morning with their loved ones.

Love, hugs, and best wishes for 2011.

Susan 

Christmas morning at the Flaggs

It looks like Santa has come to the Flagg house, but where is everyone?

Oh, there are Bob and Betty, on the front steps. What are they doing there?

Oh, look! There's Patsy in a one horse open sleigh with Betty's parents. Bucky is there too. Mr. and Mrs. Drapeau are doing this for Patsy as special Christmas treat. They know how much Patsy loves horses.

Patsy and Bucky have been staying with Mr. And Mrs. Drapeau for the last couple of weeks.
 As soon as she sees her parents Patsy jumps out of the sleigh and jumps into their arms. She has missed them terribly even though her grandparents spent every moment entertaining her while she was with them.  Bucky just wants to go inside and see what's in his dish.

When the family goes into the living room the only thing Patsy sees is the bicycle.

"Why is the delivery man's bicycle here?" She asks her parents. Patsy loves the delivery man's bicycle. She has wanted it ever since she first saw it the day he delivered the basket from California.

Then just after that her daddy came home.  The deliver man brought him on his bicycle. Daddy had been gone for a long time.

Her parents laugh. "Santa brought that bicycle for you," says Bob. "He knew you wanted one."

"Really!" says Patsy. "Oh, Daddy! Can I ride it? Now. Can I."

"I'm sorry sweetheart, there's too much snow outside today. I'll take you out as soon as the streets are clear of snow." says Bob.

"Patsy is so excited about the bike that she hasn't noticed the big surprise." says Betty to her father.

I think it's time to introduce them," says Mrs. Drapeau.

"Patsy," calls her mother. "Come over here."

"What's that?" asks Patsy.

"This is your new baby brother," says Betty.

"What does it do?" asks Patsy.

"Well," says Bob, "he doesn't do anything but be a baby right now. But when he grows up a bit you can play with him."

"But I didn't ask Santa for a brother," says Patsy. "I asked him for a pony. Can we trade him for a pony? I could play with a pony right away. I wouldn't have to wait."

"I'm sorry Patsy, we can't trade him in. We are going to keep him."

But Patsy has already lost interest in the baby brother who doesn't do anything. She has found a use for his stroller. Bucky is having fun too.

"Patsy! Get Bucky out of the baby's carriage." the adults tell her. "It's not a toy."

Patsy is thinking that a pony would have been a lot more fun. She is not sure she likes Christmas this year. A bicycle she can't ride and a baby that is no good for anything. She can't figure out why the grown ups are paying so much attention to it.

Dolholme house tour Christmas 1930

Dolholme was built for Norma E. Dalley for Christmas 1930. You have seen Christmas morning with the Dalley's in a previous post, but you haven't seen the whole house.


Dolholme is a stucco house with painted green trim. It has a regular plug (bottom left side) coming out of the base and when plugged in a Christmas tree bulb lights up each room.




How warm and welcoming it looks when lit up. Please come in and look around. The family is out at the moment. But they won't mind if we have a quick tour.

The house has four rooms and a front hall. All the rooms have hardwood floors and stucco walls. The interior walls are painted off white with gold accents. The interior doors are wood with metal hinges.

The curtains may be original. I am not really sure, but they are not new, so if they aren't original they were added years ago.

The bedroom is the largest room in the house. I have decorated it with 1:12 scale Strombecker furniture. The rug is a tobacco felt. The colorful metal box in the foreground was one of the few pieces that came with the house. I think it is a stamp box.

The wall on the right front side of the house comes off to give access to the living room. This picture looks through the living room into the front hall. The fireplace is built in and is stuccoed to match the rest of the interior. I love the decorative arch to the front hall that matches the arch of the fireplace opening.

The painting above the fireplace came with the house and is an original pencil sketch, but the frame, while it looks good, is made of a newer plastic, so it can't be original. It is possibly from the 60's or later.

The smaller room between the dining room and the bedroom has a few possibilities. It could be a kitchen or a bathroom. But I have decided to make it Norma and Norman's room (picture below).

The big bedroom has a wonderful closet. How many dollhouses have bedroom closets? I love the details of this house. I decided to put a Tootsie Toy toilet and sink in there to give the illusion of a bathroom. You can see a little water damage beside the toilet. I am lucky there were only a few places with water damage in this wonderful house, and they aren't all that noticeable.

Here is the dining room with an arch through to the living room. The table and chairs are newer than the house, but seem to be just the right scale. 1:12 was too big and 1:16 just looked too small, so I tried these. The chairs are Lynnfield bedroom chairs and the table is a Sonia Messer drop leaf table. (Lynnfield evolved into Sonia Messer in the 1970s).

I don't know the origin of the buffet, but it is an older piece and the scale is perfect.

The radio is metal and probably from the 1920's. the double candlesticks are German soft metal from the 20s or 30s, as is the flower basket. The needlepoint carpet and Christmas dish on the table are found pieces.

Norma's and Norman's bedroom is in between the dining room and the big bedroom. Buster is waiting patiently for them to return. The furniture is Strombecker (3/4 scale except the wooden table which is 1" scale)

The rug is a tobacco premium. The lamp is Dolly Dear, as is the one in the other bedrom.

Here is the living room, all ready for Christmas. The lamp is 1920's metal with a fringes shade. The blue chair and side table are 3/4" Strombecker. The rug is handmade needlepoint - a found item, and the cloth flowered sofa is stamped "dollhouse furniture" on the bottom, but as no other identification.

Here is the right side of the house with the wall removed. We can see the front hall, the living room and the dining room.


I love Dolholme. It is one of the most perfect dollhouses I have ever seen. Lucky little Norma. Don't worry Norma. Your house is safe with me.

I hope you enjoyed the tour. Come back and visit again.

Tynietoy Manor

Okay, I admit it. I cannot resist beautiful dollhouse furniture. Quality is like a magnet for me. I see it and "Swoosh!" I have to have it. So, welcome to Tynietoy Manor - aka, the arts and crafts bookcase in my living room. (sorry, my darling Chale, your antique cameras are now in boxes.)

Well, it looks like the girls are up and out early today. Polly's room is neat as a pin. Polly loves her blue room of Tynietoy painted furniture.

Polly is reading Pride and Prejudice for the fourth time. She dreams of meeting a tall handsome man like Mr. Darcy.

The boys in her class are all fools. They don't have Mr. Darcy's pride and high standards. Polly knows she won't settle for anything less in a man.

She and Elizabeth Bennett are kindred spirits.

Her kittens, Jane and Austin, are playing hide and seek under her bed.

 Molly is up early too. She has already left the house. Molly isn't interested in the boys in her class, or men like Mr. Darcy. Molly's world is all about what she sees in her microscope and what she types on her typewriter.

She knows she will make an important contribution to science and she dreams of being recognized by the Nobel committee for her contributions.

 Sophie, the lab, is hoping that Molly will return soon.

 The top shelf of the bookcase with taped in scrap book paper for wallpaper is the girl's bedrooms.

In the dining room, the girls' grandparents, who have raised them, are having breakfast. Sophie has abandoned Molly's room in hopes of a few scraps. Grandfather usually sneaks her some behind Grandmother's back.

Grandmother, reaching for the water pitcher, sees the morning mail on the table and wonders what is in the package.

 It is probably another book for Molly. She is always sending away for scientific information.

The dining room is on the second shelf of the bookcase, which explains why there are no doors or windows.

 After breakfast Sophie takes her chew toy into the library. She knows that Molly will go to the library as soon as she gets home from class.

Polly will probably join her and play the piano while they discuss their day.

Despite their different interests the sisters are the best of friends and rely on each other for advice, support, and confidences.

Remnants of Grandfather's card game from the evening before are still on the table. For Grandfather the library is about cards and good brandy than reading or music.


The library is on the third shelf of my bookcase.


The fourth shelf is below stairs and has no dollhouse furniture yet,  but who knows what may happen in the future. And when do we meet Molly and Polly?



Credits: All furniture is Tynietoy (except the bed stair which is Sonia Messer). Most soft metal accessories are from Germany, made by Gerlach to complement the Tynietoy furniture. Most of the glass is hand blown German from the early years of the last century.  Needlepoint carpets are hand made by someone other than me. The other carpets are Tynietoy. Grandparents are Erna Meyer dolls - cloth over wire with stockinette faces. Unspecified accessories are artisan made or antique found items.
To learn more about Tynietoy click on this link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/archive/200501A18.html

Christmas 1930

It is Christmas Eve 1930. The Dalley family has just moved into a new home - a lovely Tudor Revival bungalow. Mr. Dalley wants to make this Christmas special for his wife and their twins, Norman and Norma. He has made sure that Santa will bring Norman a train, a wagon and toy soldiers. For Norma he told Santa to bring a doll carriage, a baby doll, and a riding toy, but he wanted something really special for his little girl.

 What could be better, he thought, than a house of her very own. A special dollhouse that looks just like their new home.

And there is Santa on the roof all set to deliver the presents Mr. Dalley asked him to bring.

Mr. Dalley has a plaque engraved for the house so Norma will always remember the special Christmas of 1930.

On Christmas morning Mr. Dalley gets up early and takes Norman and Norma sledding. Mother doesn't go because she has things to do at home.Mother greets them at the door.

"Hello my dears" she says. "Come in and see what Santa has left you!"

Norman and Norma can't believe their eyes!! They don't know what to look at first.

Mr. and Mrs. Dalley stand back so they can watch the children's reaction.

 "Thank you Santa!" says Norma.

 "Thank you Santa!" says Norman.

They dogs, Peewee and Buster want to be included in the excitement.

 Then Norman remembers something.

At the same time Norma remembers too.

"Mother!" They call together. " We have a present for you!"

"For me?" says Mother. "Oh children, you shouldn't have."

Mother opens the large box.

"Oh children! It's lovely! How did you know I needed a new table cloth and napkins."

"We knew you would like it Mommy!" says Norman.

"Daddy helped us pick it out." says Norma.

"I am the luckiest mother in the whole world." says Mrs. Dalley

The children are very proud.

"Daddy, sit down! We have something for you too!"

Mr. Dalley unwraps his present and finds a magnificent pipe.

"This is quite a special pipe." says Mr. Dalley "I have never seen another like it."

"Do you really like it Daddy?" says Norma excitedly. " I picked it out. I liked the horsey."

"And I wrapped it." added Norman.

"My darling children," says Mr. Dalley. "I have never received a nicer present. I shall keep this pipe as my very best."

Christmas 1930 is a happy one for the Dalley's.


Little Norma cherished Dolholme, her very special dollhouse. She kept it close to her for 80 years.

But there came a time when she could no longer keep it with her and it came to live in Mindolton with Susan, Daphne and the other residents.





And although they never met Norma they recognized a kindred spirit in her and silently promised Norma that they would keep Dolholme safe for many Christmases to come.

We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday, full of love, laughter, and kindred spirits.

Merry Christmas

Susan