Modern Dolls Houses for Girls and Boys

This post has been in my head for almost a year but with one thing and another it just didn't happen. But now in the run-up to Christmas it seems like a great time to talk about dolls houses. I'm sure Santa will have been asked for one or two already!

I loved my dolls house when I was little; I 'wallpapered' the inside with football stickers but I played with it for years. And now with my job as a modelmaker, I get to build little houses all the time! Maybe because of this, and maybe because I cannot stand all the expensive, very pink dolls houses that seem to be everywhere, I started to think slightly differently when choosing one for our son Wiss.

There are some truly amazing ones on Pinterest (of course!) My board This is Dolls House Heaven has lots of inspiration to get started with. I really like the ones that have been made out of other things - boxes piled up together to make tower blocks, or houses in bookcases or sideboards. And I love that they are not gendered - a house is a house, and can be enjoyed by both boys and girls. Simple.

I bought a Componibili storage unit when we bought our first home. I persuaded my husband that the expensive price tag was worth it because it's a 'design classic'. Stylish and retro yet modern - I soon came to find out that it is actually completely useless too! It is impossible to put anything at the back of the compartments as you can't get to them from the front. Aargh! But it looks so damn cool though.

It found it's way into Wiss's room when we moved house and he started to play with it. Genius! It makes a brilliant 3 storey dolls house with a roof garden too. I printed out images of flooring I found on the internet - tiles, carpet and parquet - and some grass and water to make the garden. I glued them on to card and then stuck them place to make the kitchen, lounge and bedroom/bathroom. We already had lots of Happyland people, and I bought the wooden furniture on eBay.

I love the way that Wiss involves lots of different toys when he plays; we often have the Brio train taking people from their dolls house to work and back, and even Lightening McQueen has popped in for a cup of tea and some cake. You can see some tiny figures that have made themselves comfortable on the roof terrace - scale is not important round here!

 

If you want even more inspiration then why not ask an architect to design one for you? I'm not sure that all the houses would be popular with kids but there's definitely some interesting ideas in this article from the Guardian.

As always, I'd love to see what you (or even your kids) have made. Where do the dolls in your life live? You can leave me a comment below or tweet me your pictures @thisiswiss.

Thanks for reading! Angela

I Found My Knitting Mojo Again!

A couple of weekends ago I had the treat to spend a few hours in the West End, alone. Well, obviously there were other people around (although it was so early on Saturday morning that it wasn't that busy.) But importantly there was no little person to dictate how long I was able to shop or linger. Heaven!

I was actually buying supplies for This is Wiss production, but I slipped in a little shoe shopping too, as you do. Anyway, when I was in John Lewis haberdashery department I saw this yarn and I knew I had to buy it. I haven't knitted anything for over a year, and to be honest my 'To Do' list is busy enough without adding new projects but I just loved the grey and the neon pops, so I bought it.

Wiss and I had a trip to visit my oldest school friend in Paris this weekend so actually I was able to find lots of time for knitting - on the Eurostar, on the train, in the evenings when the kids were in bed, even just over coffee! It seems that knitting is considered pretty unusual in France and we attracted some funny looks but I managed to finish a scarf for Wiss in two days.

This wool is super-chunky so I only had to cast on 14 stitches. I wanted to make some little 'pockets' at the end of the scarf to keep Wiss's hands warm when he doesn't have his mittens on. Which is most of the time! The pockets are a 2 stitch rib for 16 rows, then simply garter stitch for as much as possible, before repeating the ribbing for the other pocket. This is not a real pattern, I completely winged it, and ideally I'd like it to be a bit longer, but I only bought 2 balls of yarn. Perhaps it would work better as a wrap over scarf rather than being tied?

Wiss has agreed to wear it (bonus) and I found a hat from Hennes with neon piping on it too. So winter, we are ready for you!

I'm itching to get something else on my needles now - I'd forgotten what a great activity it is for when you're on the move, or how perfect it is for cosying up on the sofa. But what to knit??? Any ideas gratefully received!

Autumn Leaf Bunting

What's this? Two posts in as many days?? Yes, it's true...but this is such a quick and easy make that it's worth sharing, especially after the storm that Britain has just experienced.

One thing we have in abundance at the moment is fallen leaves, so why not get the kids out and collect some to make this beautiful Autumn Leaf Bunting? Davina Drummond at The Making Home has a great tutorial to show you how, but it is super simple and looks great.

Wiss really likes to sew all by himself so we used wool and a plastic wool needle to string the leaves together. Pick your favourite leaves, sew them together and then hang. Easy! Beautiful!

Easy Halloween Decorations to Make with the Kids

We got our hands dirty in the name of art this week!
 

 

Our Dining Room Art Gallery needed a new exhibit, so we went spooky for Halloween... Floating Ghosts and Creepy Spiders! These are so easy to make the kids can do most of it themselves, and they look fantastic too.

For the Ghosts you will need:

Some polystyrene cups, some plain white tissues, pva glue and some googly eyes.
Then all you need to do is turn the cups upside-down, paint around the base of the cup with glue and stick on one tissue, making sure there is enough hanging down past the cup. Repeat with another tissue to create a full ghost effect.

Once the glue is dry stick on googly eyes as desired. Hang away from the wall with fine thread (to create the illusion of the ghosts hovering). The ghosts will move whenever someone walks past....oooooooohhhhhh!

The spooky spiders are made from two black hand prints cut out and stuck together and their web is just cut from folded tissue paper (like you would make a snowflake)

 

I have always loved the Mexican Day of the Dead imagery and think that it is a wonderful idea to celebrate those no longer with us. The brightly coloured sugar skulls and fun skeletons are in contrast to our own spooky ones, and they are great for kids to make (especially those that may get a little frightened by Halloween.)

I drew a very basic skull shape with eyes and teeth and left the rest up to Wiss and his glitter pens! As he was drawing I explained that the festival remembers the happy lives of those who have died so that we don't have to be sad. He thought for a minute then asked if we could paint a happy 'Jimmy'. Jimmy was his black fancy goldfish that was unfortunately found floating on Saturday morning :( So, here are our Day of the Dead inspired skulls, and a fish!

 

Enjoy Halloween with the kids (and the sugar-induced craziness!) but if you're looking for something more grown-up then check out the Horniman Museum website. They are hosting a Day of the Dead Late night on 7 November from 6 - 9pm for over 18s only. With parades, theatre, puppets, Mexican street food and costumes, it looks amazing!!! See you there?

Where is Wiss? Buy Handmade in London this Christmas

I know we are still in October so it's really not the done thing to be talking about the 'C' word yet...but as this is the busiest time for makers and markets I've been planning upcoming events very carefully. It's going to be a really busy time for me but I'm really excited about involved in some wonderful Christmas Fairs.

So, if you are planning on buying handmade and supporting your local area (London) this season here are all the events that This is Wiss will be at (come rain, shine...or even snow!!!)

Saturday 10 November - Richmond Duckpond Market 10.30 am - 4pm

Saturday 16 November - Christmas Bazaar, Dulwich 10am - 5pm

Sunday 17 November - Ruislip Duckpond Market 10am - 3pm

Saturday 30 November - Open House Christmas Event, Herne Hill 10am - 2pm

Sunday 1 December - Red Ribbon Festival, Battersea Arts Centre 12pm - 4pm

Sunday 15 December - Richmond Christmas Duckpond Market 10.30am - 4pm

Phew! My sewing machine is going to need a holiday after all of those!

As well as all the usual best-sellers I will be bringing back my 'ChWISStmas' products: Rudy Reindeers, Make your own Rudy Kits, and festive t-shirts and baby gros. If you are able to come along to any of these events, you will be able to pick up some wonderful, unique presents and stocking fillers from all the sellers - and don't forget to say hello!

#SilentSunday

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