Theme: My own Favorite Mattel StructuresArchived Message
Posted by Sandi M in Chicagoland on July 15, 2020, 10:10 am
I'm a different type of doll collector, it all started with building a barbie dollhouse for our grandgirl. photo from the hand-built doll house garage. I had purchased two thrift store dolls to scale the house properly. That was the beginning, lol.
I found this Victorian Mansion at a thrift store..it definitely needed work.
I added a new second floor and opened it for maximum square doll footage. You can't put a 12" dollbed on an 8" of floor!
Very soon after that--I get a phone call, Mom do you want this, it's $6.99 and everything works. Of Course...The HFIM house is born
For me the major problem was Pepto Bismol PINK...omg, I couldn't paint it fast enough.
In between I picked up several other houses, townhouses. But I really went overboard with this which you are probably sick of.
The Grand Hotel, now the Grandview.
Very expensive originally the GRAND HOTEL was wired for phones, again, I thought the proportions needed some additions. I payed $9.99 for this 'shell' of the Grandview, nothing electrical was worth saving and many details were also missing and no furniture.
My work crew worked hard to remove the existing floor and dug a new foundation. (2x4 raised the ground floor to a height where the dolls could actually walk under. Pillars were added for structure and a new second floor added.
I created a backstory of a hidden stainglassed window which is the central feature of the rehabbed hotel, now housing a Salon, lobby, mini-office and bakery/coffeeshop. Upstairs two condos and fictitiously 4 floors above that.(Boy, do I have an imagination....?)
Another favorite structure are these closets. Everytime one showed up in a thrift store I bought them for $1.99 to $4.99
Restructured, painted I used 3 in Vickie's Vintage. Another is being used in Vickie's Condo. I have two more...which can quickly become temporary setup walls for a diorama. Painted white they are gorgeous! I have used the removed doors for the second floor in the Grand View (hotel), condos.
I loved the hotdog stand...this was in POOR condition when I found it, but it is still adorable.
It makes a great set up in the park. Our Grandgirl loved setting it up..and naming the "Hotdogeria", LOL.
She keeps it fully stocked to feed all the customers.
