Well, I've been doing a bit more work on the dolls' house.
As you can see, I've only been painting blocks of colour, unlike my pal Max who's making HER OWN FURNITURE! Have a look at the great ideas she's coming up with here. And I'm not sure if Zigsma's taking part.
For me, the next stage is the roof.
I've been sourcing much inspiration from the Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Book ... here's a whole lot of pictures, and very little commentary, on how 1976, for better or worse, is influencing this project.
Waves of red and purple.
Unrelated clutter.
Block of orange and don't hide the cow hide.
Mustard and wicker. Wicked.
I can't get enough of brown. Unless it's the brown that's found in a nappy and I'm start to think those nappy days are numbered. I've got to start wearing undies.
Hello Marimekko and pile of shag.
Good evening kelly-green, big red floppy flowers and an in-your-eyes blue carpet.
I've run out of comments.
Tiles kissing shag. I ask you, what's not to wax lyrical about?
Lots of colourful Poster-Art formerly known as Prints.
Rainbow flooring. Do you think I could pull this off?
This is my favourite room. I'm ditching the Mid-Century for the 70s.
Watch this go "Pinterest viral" ... a wooden utensil window treatment.
A place for everything, and everything in its place.
Wallpaper.
Blackboard.
This is a cool boys' room.
Cork boards, timber, one of those expensive wooden monkeys and Snoopy. I love it.
Who says you can't play in the laundry? Makes sense to me.
Oh my God, I've turned into my father!
I believe being locked in the laundry to play was basic 70's Practical Parenting. Are you living vicariously through your dollhouse? Will you one day be standing in one of those room portraits in a maxi with an tooth picked devil on horse back? Are you really Carmel or has Ray Eames taken up residence in your corporeal accommodation? These are questions I am willing to ponder.
ReplyDeleteI. LOVE. IT. ALL. As you can well imagine. All of it. I'm only just starting realise just how much I love the '70s aesthetic. (You've known all along.) Do you think that is a set of Childcrafts in the Raggedy Anne wallpaper room?
ReplyDeleteI'm finding that print/poster room hard to date though...
PS - Zigsma is not taking part. Are you kidding? Compete with you? And Max? I know, I know, it's not about competition but, I'm a narcissist.
This probably should have been an email... I'm a bit snessed.
Zigsma,
ReplyDeleteI know. The Raggedy Ann fan. Man. I'm really loving the 70s aesthetic. I wish now I wasn't born in the 70s and then I could say that that fact didn't influence me. I wish I was born in the 1750s or the 1910s and then I could say I'd found the 70s on my own. But I'm not Edwardian, so.
I like a room which comes with its own colourful hallmark.
It's a competition all right!
Annie, we used to play by jumping down the laundry chute from the upstairs bathroom and we'd end-up a floor down in the laundry sink.
OH.THE.LAUGHS!
As for the fun-factor, laundries are underrated in this day-and-age.
I like it all except the bright blue carpet..... This doll house is looking like it is going to be a Mecca for funky dolls.
ReplyDeleteToo much love is not enough for all of this. LOVE IT!
ReplyDeleteOh, all that lollipop colour is just terrific. That loft bed with flowery wallpaper I could just have for myself right now thank you very much. Can't wait to see the room by room reveal. melx
ReplyDeleteWhere DID you get that book from? I can remember my parents having some spiral bound design book in the 70's but not with all of those fabulous coloured pages. The wicked mustard & wicker shot reminds me of a bad green Thai curry!
ReplyDeleteI am now in love with the rainbow flooring!
ReplyDeleteThese were groovy times baby.......Love all the color!
ReplyDeleteCarmel! i like where this is going, especially the mondrain-esq backdrop and the rainbow painted floor boards and walls, BRILLIANT, BLINDING! look at 'etraders' online for cheapish 70's looking, colourful mini designer chairs, I just indulged myself there after hubby took my too-small-bathroom off my hands! i've been trying to figure out how to make those hexaganal floor tiles; you have an advantage over me there as I think child cutting-out labour is the only way x
ReplyDeleteThe doll's house wallpaper in the top floor room (right) reminds me of our duvet cover in 1973-5.
ReplyDeleteIn 1973 we painted our new (first) baby's room bright yellow with green and yellow curtains because I had been taught that primary colours were good for babies. I think the carpet was multi-striped. Our sitting room had brown graphic print curtains from Habitat (so trendy!) And we eschewed a traditional three-piece suite for the new fashion of two matching and facing sofas in cream with off-set brown stripes at each end. And white walls with brown carpet. Thinking back - even though colours were 'in', white walls were the parallel trend for people who liked pop art because it displayed better against these. Though many friends fell for metallic wall-papers, perhaps on just one 'statement' wall of a room. Strangely this idea seems to have been embraced by stylists on current 'makeover' TV programmes. Maybe an idea for your 70s sitting room?
Your little dears seem to be very patient of your efforts. Mine would have fast-forwarded to something else by now. So stop dilly-dallying MMMC and get on wiv it! Orange and brown , orange and brown! And metallic. Simple.
Wowza, it's like something very colorful exploded in front of my eyes!
ReplyDeleteMy choice is that foyer as I love the Brady Bunch vibe. Love good ol snoopy too :)
With those luscious pics for inspiration your dolls house is going to look awesome.
ReplyDeletePlease tell me you're going to whip up one of those utensil curtains for your teeny-tiny kitchen? You know Max could whip one of those up in a second!
And I love the last pic and your description. Alot.
I can't believe I'm really liking this stuff! By the way, you should be out of your diapers by now. 'Depends' will come all too soon!
ReplyDeleteYours from the land of nappies,
My father painted a large, bold, bright, red, lacquered stripe along the internal walls of our house that, i think, ended in an arrow head in the laundry. Just like the one in your pool room shot. It was 1976/77. He was one hip dude or he just really wanted us to put our dirty washing in laundry tub not on the floor.
ReplyDeleteOh no, you march yourself right back to mid century! Or maybe your blog title should be Make- Mine-Mid-Seventies. No, that doesn't have the same ring. Okay, I do love the seventies vibe. Go ahead Carmel, knock yourself out. I'm with you on this one. Love, Mid-seventies-madam.
ReplyDeleteIt's all utterly amazing and totally drool worthy. If only you could find out how to shrink yourself and then you could live in the dolls house when you have finished...of course then you would have to know how to unshrink yourself. I know where am I going with this....who knows he he. My fav is definitely that utensil window...I think I might have to try that somehow...LOVE it. Xx Katherine
ReplyDeleteThis is such a labour of love! How fun to have such a massive craft project on the go - I hope you have the vinyl spinning and you're gluing all those tiny bits of wallpaper!
ReplyDeleteOh, and I'm with the Old Boathouse on the fabulousness of that utensil window!
- Catherine @ The Spring (in Brisbane)
http://www.thespringblog.com/
I think I already turned into YOUR father...I have always brushes to clean in the sink and there are hammers and stuff everywhere around in my house, because I'm always doing something. I love the rainbow floor. Remember the dolls house I told you I was trying to build and that I abandoned? Well, I destroyed it completely, because building a real four rooms or more dolls house would be too expensive for my poor pockets now, and transformed it in the house of my dreams, and that's a little cottage of course. I'm working on that. I need something to do that is creative and just for fun. The cats were very afraid of the saw.But I had fun. I'm sure I looked like a psychopath, but I had fun.
ReplyDeleteMy pupils have dilated from such intense colour and design wonders. Those brown '70's hexagonal tiles are enough to make any mid-century fan jump ship.
ReplyDelete