Crushing on a Dollhouse ~ Part One

I remember the first time I saw Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. I was a little girl and it was the first time I ever saw anything so magical. That is a story for another post. Now I want to give you a little tour of another dollhouse that is another place of magical perfection.
Kathleen's dollhouse. Kathleen Holmes is a Facebook friend of mine. She is the owner and designer of wonderful dollhouses and dollhouse miniatures. Every detail is so perfect, so realistic, you feel as though you have been transformed into a little fairy. At least that is how I feel. I have often told Kathleen that I wish I could have one of Alice's "eat me" pills that would shrink me down to the perfect size to fit into Kathleen's house.
Let's begin. Just imagine that we have pulled up in this lovely vintage auto. Here we are in the drive and about to walk through the gate.

Looks like someone is delivering groceries, anticipating our arrival no doubt. We are expected, so it's okay to open the gate and walk up the path.

A bird bath, coneflowers, a succulent, potted rose and hydrangea too. Someone left their sandals on the first step. They look like hurraches don't you think?

Such a charming front porch. Look ~ isn't that a humming bird on the feeder? I would love to hang out here for a while, but we have a lot to see, so let's stop back here later.

Of course since we are in a magical place, we can twitch our noses and instantly change the season to fall. The leaves are changing. Mums are planted around the base of the tree. Pumpkins are flanking the front door. Isn't this exciting? I love looking at houses. Don't you?

Some wonderful aroma is coming from the kitchen. Let's go see what's cooking in here. It really looks like a granny's kitchen with it's vintage Roper stove and old ice box. I am loving that old sink too. What a beauty! Do you see that hoosier with all the lovely salt glazed crocks on top?
I don't know about you, but this kitchen makes me feel more like family than an invited guest. So ….

Let's grab an apron and get busy. Who wants to roll out some pie dough?
Now that the pie is in the oven, let's do some more exploring.

Come with me and let me show you the living room. Isn't it cozy?

Let's just imagine how it will look when it is decorated for Christmas. Little reindeer on the mantel. The stockings are hung. Christmas cards are strung. How about a cup of hot chocolate?

There has been a lot of Christmas card addressing going on here. Look's like a package is ready to be mailed too. A brown paper package all tied up with string ~ just like the song, it's one of my favorite things!

And here it is on Christmas Eve. The fire is aglow. Presents are under the tree. Milk and cookies for Santa. Perfection!

Let's not forget the dining room. Fully decorated for Thanksgiving thanks to magical fairy dust and the wonders of Kathleen's decorating talent. This is fit for a blog post on Tablescape Thursday! I wonder, I will have to check with Susan to see if dollhouse tablescapes count ;-)

Here is the kitchen before the dinner. The turkey is ready for the oven. Yams ready to be peeled. Celery, onions, carrots and cornbread all set to prepare the stuffing. Since this is an old fashioned kitchen there is no dishwasher. Lot's of hand washing. Someone has already started washing up because the dish drainer is full.

I imagine that many of the vegetables for Thanksgiving dinner came from Kathleen's own garden. She is such a talented gardener too!
Watch out for that snake! It was probably enjoying an afternoon sunbath until we disturbed him. Lets hope he slithers off soon. I'll have to suggest to Kathleen that she put some mothballs around her garden because thats what we do down here in Texas to keep the snakes away. Trust me ~ down here in Texas we know about snakes.

I know you want to see the upstairs. I will show you around. Here is the master bedroom complete with fourposter bed, handmade quilt and a crochet afghan. See the pup lounging at the foot of the bed? Bentley loves to do that on our bed at home. Dogs are just the same everywhere ~ even the ones who live in dollhouses.
Did you notice that breakfast tray? Lots of pampering going on in this house :-)

Come follow me down the hall. There is a charming nursery too!

And a sweet bath with vintage honeycomb tile floor and pedestal sink. I like the wallpaper too. For some reason I really like wallpaper in a bathroom.

Let's take another peak at the master. Looks like an Aubusson rug on the floor. Pretty. I like the simple tie backs with the ball fringe edge. Takes me back to a simpler time.

The attention to detail is truly amazing!

Just one more moment on the porch before we leave. Blissful, don't you agree? I wish we could stay longer, but we cannot over extend our welcome. Kathleen has a very busy schedule because she is moving! That's right. The family has outgrown this home and the movers are starting to pack it up to move into an even grander space, if you can imagine that!

See, the truck is already here and the packing has begun. No worries though. I have more surprises in store for you because tomorrow we will start touring the new dollhouse. Prepare yourself to be blown away!
Thank you Kathleen, for letting me show your magical creations to all of my blog friends. Your special dollhouse has provided me with hours of enjoyment and I could not wait to share it with everyone. See you tomorrow when the tour resumes.
I am showing off Kathleen's dollhouse to my friends Paula and Patti too, so please visit: What's It Wednesday
Bentley ~ did you see that cute little dog on the bed in the master bedroom? Yes it's true, you curl up on your mama and daddy's bed just the same way.
Big Texas Hugs, Susan and Bentley