Giveaway Winner is...

I added all 63 Followers and the 6 others who follow through Google Reader and other servers (that left a comment letting me know) into an excel spreadsheet. I sorted alphabetically to make sure I didn't have duplicates and then used the random number generator function [=RANDBETWEEN(1,69)] to pick the winner.

Congratulations... marivigano!
Please email me your mailing address at modernminifan [at] gmail.com or go to my profile page and under Contact is a link to my email.

Sorry to those who didn't win, but I do plan to have more giveaways in the future and I will be selling these lamps and others on etsy, hopefully in the next few weeks.

Free Translation Tool for Blogger

For anyone trying to find a translator for their blog I think the new Google translate bar is the way to go. Some of the translator gadgets open new windows and translate the links, so anyone trying to bookmark a page or send a page to a friend might end up with a broken link. You can also customize which languages you want to translate into.

To add the translator to your blog. Go to: http://translate.google.com/translate_tools
1. Select the original language you write your blog in
2. Select the languages you want to translate to
3. Copy the script in the box
4. Open your blogger control panel under "Layout" "Page Elements" click on "Add a Gadget"
5. Open the + button next to "HTML/Java Script"
6. Add a title like "Translate this blog"
7. Paste the script into "Content" box
8. Click Save

If I left your language out, please let me know and I'll add it. Enjoy reading in whichever language you prefer.

Free Giveaway: Modern Lamps

And the surprise modern mini is... this set of custom modern lamps. If you are listed in my "THANKS FOR FOLLOWING!" on the right OR if you commented on my earlier post, there is no need to leave another comment, I already have you entered in the drawing. :)
If you are following this blog through another source (google, feedblitz, etc) please leave a comment and I will add your name to the free giveaway.

I will draw a winner on Monday, May 31, 8pm PST. Good luck. :D

East Bay Play Date

I'm used to having play dates for my kids, but today it was my turn. I had the pleasure of meeting callsmall earlier this month, and today I spent the morning/afternoon with My Realitty. My husband wants to know who's next. Anyone else in the Bay Area want to meet up? Email me anytime.

I had planned to photograph Carol's amazing collection of 20 dollhouses, but we had so much fun talking time slipped away. She did let me "play" with her MH1 house and we brought minis from all over her house to put these scenes together. You may have already seen similar photos on her My Realitty blog or on her new blog dedicated to just modern LeftCoastMini, but I had to post these here too for the memories.

The lamps were my first build of mini lamps. If you like them, you are in luck as they are the surprise giveaway prize as well. Carol gave me a couch and chair that she made and a bozart vase, that I can't wait to put in my new house. You can see photos on her blog here. I'll take photos soon.

In case you are wondering about any of her great miniatures here are the credits she listed on LeftCoastMini: Living room scene. MH1 house by Wes Christensen, Bozart vase, Texas Tiny buddah and African mask. Strombecker flocked deco arm chair. Bedroom scene: Minimodernistas bed and hanging lamps. Vintage DDR linoleum flooring, Tomy lamps and plant, Strombecker arm chair and ottoman and floor lamp. Contemporary computer, original mini art nude by Oese.

If you plan to be in the Bay Area, please drop me or My Realitty a line, I'm sure we'd both love to plan another mini play date. :D

Inch by inch, floor by floor

I knocked off work early tonight and was able to make some more progress on The Antrim dollhouse kit. So far we are at day 5 of the build. Priming and painting took up the first 3 days (late evenings when the kids were asleep). Tonight was the second day of building. This house is a beast. There is no way I could build this without my husband and all of his tools, which I'm sure he never expected would be used this way.

I painted it a flat white, but now I'm thinking a semi-gloss is going to look better. Yay, more painting. Any suggestions or advice on paint? I'm all ears.

Disappearing Act

ACK!!! Where does the time go? I'm sorry to say the giveaway drawing will have to postponed a few days until May 31. You may or may not know, but I'm full-time mom by day and web developer by night. Work has been extraordinarily busy and has taken over every spare minute I have. I'm so sorry to leave you hanging, but know that my inbox has been ignored, my hulu queue is overflowing, my Antrim dollhouse is begging to be finished, my back log of posts is getting ridiculous, and I got my first Paris and I barely had time to get it out of the box.

Yes, I said Paris!!! My amazing husband surprised me with these three incredible pieces for my birthday from one of my favorite designers in 1:1 and 1:12. The furniture is 1:12, but my real life dream is to have a house filled with 1:1 Paris Renfroe Designs. Here are the M.U.T.T. Floor Mirror, M.U.T.T. Coffee Table with Spring Leg and M.U.T.T. BENCH from PRD Miniatures. I am chomping at the bit to put this in a real room, but sleep has been getting in the way.

THANK YOU to everyone who has followed me to the new site and for all of your comments, I have blocked out time this weekend to start to catch up. MORE TO COME, I SWEAR!!! Back to work for me.

Welcome! Free Giveaway!

Thanks so much for checking out the new location of my blog. Things to come...I'm working on a post all about scales with a cheat sheet buying guide to help you buy the right scale, plus many posts on where to buy modern minis, more houses old and new, more give aways and whatever else modern I can drum up. If you like what you see, please come back any time. Mi mini casa es su mini casa. :)

Free Giveaway for Followers!

As a way to say thank you to all my followers who have made the move with me (and any new one as well) I have a surprise modern mini that I'll be giving away. All you have to do is sign up to Follow this blog by Monday, May 31, 8pm PST and your name will be automatically entered in the drawing. No need to add a comment, just click on the "Follow" button up top or over on the right and I will randomly select one lucky winner from all of the Followers on May 31st. Good luck! (If you subscribe through google, feedblitz, etc please leave a comments and I will add your name to the giveaway. Thanks so much Heather C-R, I wouldn't want to leave anyone out!)

Update 5/26

Thank you all so much for your comments! Sadly it's going to take much longer than I anticipated to respond. I started a race to build the Antrim kit, but then a co-worker is on vacation and I'm taking over her work as well as mine and have been working extremely late hours. She is back next week and sanity will return shortly. I had to change the giveaway date to the 31st, since I won't have time until this weekend to finish building the surprise.

Mini Shopping Spree

I redeemed my credit card points for cash and had a mini shopping spree. I couldn't wait for everything to arrive to share, so here are some pictures from Australia ebay. I've seen the modern wash stand with sink on two peoples blogs with a large mirror behind it, but I couldn't remember where. If you have one can you leave a comment so I can check out your gorgeous bathrooms again?

If the links don't work, search for the listing titles below; and yes Carbinet is how it is listed on eBay.
  •  DOLLS HOUSE MINIATURE MODERN BATHROOM CARBINET
  •  DOLLS HOUSE MINIATURE MODERN CARBINET WITH VASE
  •  DOLLS HOUSE MINIATURE MODERN SIDEBOARD
  •  NEW 1:12 SCALE MINIATURE WOODEN WASH STAND WITH SINK
  •  DOLLS HOUSE MINIATURE MODERN COFFEE TABLE & STOOL 4PCS (this is the only one I didn't get)
  •  Bedding and vases from Manor House Miniatures

(all furniture images from http://stores.ebay.com/EurekaOnlineStore, other items from Manor House Miniatures)

VERO on German eBay

Okay, I have spent a lot of time drooling over the vintage houses on Puppenhausmuseum, but this is the first time I've actually seen one of these houses in this condition on eBay. Alas, its only being shipped to Europe.

Details from eBay posting
(919) uraltes schönes Vero Puppenhaus mit Blumenbänke Terrasse, Balkon, 4 Räume, mit Gardinen, Kunststofffenster, und bei Terrasse Schiebetüren, Sockel 98x41,5cm, H: 53cm, Puppenstube mit Lampen, und Trafo, mit Aquarium, oberen Lampen, Oberen 2 Lampen funktionieren, unteren nicht, Puppenstube ist in sehr schöner Erhaltung ohne Schäden, in original Karton der etwas kaputt ist

Google Translator:
(919) vintage beautiful Vero doll house with flower boxes terrace, balcony, 4 rooms with curtains, plastic windows, and patio doors, base 98x41.5cm, H: 53cm, dollhouse with lights and transformer, with an aquarium, top lights, the upper two lights work, not lower, doll's house is in very nice preservation without damage, in original box which is somewhat broken.
I'm a little obsessed with VERO right now, and I really hope to own one some day, but for now I'll just drool over any pictures I can find.

(all images from eBay posting)

Vintage Legos

A few weeks ago I saw these vintage lego sets on ebay, and I thought "how cool are these?"

Not even a week later Oese posted pictures of her lego creations on Mini Friseursalon. Then I thought "how cool would it be to be Oese?" Her creativity never ceases to amaze me, and now I can't believe how many cool things she is making out of legos. Truly impressive. Check out all of the pictures on her website here. And if you are interested in purchasing legos, Oese shared this great link where you can pick out the individual ones you want Pick a Brick LEGO SHOP. Thanks Oese!!

(Lego images from ebay, amazing staircase image from Oese's blog Mini Friseursalon)

It finally begins...

Day 1. So, it only took 2 1/2 years for this poor kit to come out of the box. I was making zero progress with the new roof on the house my mom built, so I packed it up and dragged out the discontinued Antrim dollhouse kit I bought from Earth and Tree Miniatures in 2007 (sorry, I got the last one). I am thoroughly impressed with the cuts of the wood and the instructions from Tom's Mill, Amherst, NH. So far, it seems like they make really quality kits.

I decided to paint before assembling the house. I have read mixed reviews on whether or not to paint first, so I will definitely let you know if I made the right decision. For some reason I forgot to read how many square feet one can of spray paint can cover (14 sq ft), so I had to run back to the store for more. It took 4 cans of primer to cover all 30 pieces of wood front and back. Now I have to wait 24 hours to dry before painting. Seeing as this is taking up my whole garage, I have a more motivation to finish so I can have my parking spot back. More to come...

DDR Vero 2 Puppenhaus

I've been on a vintage binge lately. Maybe because I'm getting another year older, maybe I'm dreaming of a simpler time before mass produced plastics beat out quality craftsmanship, who knows. I've found myself searching eBays outside of the US to see what the rest of the world gets to fawn over. This "DDR Vero Original Puppenhaus kein Kaufladen" caught my eye. These are pictures from two different listings but I couldn't find the listing that had more information on the house.

I love it. I immediately started decorating it in my head and dragged my husband in to beg for one for my birthday. His reaction "it looks like a bathroom". Ugh. Luckily for him, neither seller would ship to the US, so I lost out on both houses. Luckily for me, the other listing had pictures of the instructions, so I might use these to build my own version.

(all images from sold houses on German ebay)

Plattenbau - Hochhaus

"Plattenbau - Hochhaus", 1966, Moritz Gottschalk, VERO

Okay, deja vu. I'm guessing many of you have already seen this VERO house over on Puppenhausmuseum and other places, but I was cleaning up my old computer and found some photos that I hadn't posted (more to come). Unfortunately, I didn't keep track of where I found these photos. Does anyone recognize them (Modern MC)? The appear to be the same house that is in the newspaper article at the end of the page at Puppenhausmuseum.

Anyway, I've hung on to these photos, as one day I'd like to build something similar, but for now that "to build" list just keeps growing and growing and ... I swear one day I will finish building a new house. Seriously. :)

Kaleidoscopes on Craigslist & eBay

If you live driving distance from San Francisco, CA or Grand Rapids, MI there are are two Kaleidoscopes Houses up on Craigslist.

San Francisco posting: $225. "Has been used, has some scratches and the white has yellowed a bit, but perfect for actual kid use (rather than the collector). Furniture not included." I would have bought this one in this condition, if I didn't already have one. Just a note, white plastic yellows with age so every Kaleidoscope house will have that discoloration. Gives it that antiquey look.

Grand Rapids posting: $300. "Was his daughter's, but she didn't play with it very much. Excellent condition. Has some furniture." I would jump on this if I lived close.

There is one on eBay in Gillett, NJ going for $425 + $199 shipping to continental US only. But it looks well used based on the condition of the furniture and cracks in the acrylic. In this condition and price plus shipping, I would pass on this one. If you are local, you could offer less if it doesn't sell. The small cracks are in the wall structure of the house which would be hard to replace, but the two large cracks in the removable yellow panel could be replaced with a new piece of acrylic from a plastics store. Depends on how bad you want one a K House.

(images from SF Bay Area craigslist post)

brinca dada - Bennett House

Altera posted this yesterday, but here are some photos; I'm still drooling.

UPDATED 5/14

Got an email from Modern MC who of course is super excited about the Bennett House, but with her collection is going to have to get creative to find a place for it. She has been getting emails asking about the "single set of stairs for the structure," and she wanted to pass along the information that "the Bennett will also have a working elevator. How cool is that?" Very cool indeed! Thanks so much for the update MC. We miss you!

UPDATED 5/13

Check out brinca dada's Facebook photos to see the latest designs of the Bennett House. Wow! Just heard back from Doug Rollins from brinca dada. Looking at the photos, I originally thought they were working on two different versions, but lo and behold, their beyond talented designer and architect, Tim Boyle, came up with an ingenious way to open the house. So the photos are the same house just opened and closed! I had to stare at the house for a bit to figure out how it opens; kudos dadas, the Bennett House is truly amazing. They plan to have the house ready for the holidays. Yes these holidays, 2010. I know what I'm getting for Christmas!

The Bennett House will be ¾" scale, same as the Emerson House. They have designs finished to furnish the entire house and are working on prototypes now. I love the living room designs on their website and can't wait to see what they come up with for the dining room, kitchen, kid's bedroom, master bedroom, bathroom and home office. I will be counting down the days until I can start buying.

(all images from brinca dada's facebook page)