The Sylvanian Decorator.
I started decorating sylvanian houses in 2009. I think that it was partly due to my obsession with miniature objects and partly my lack of finances. I had often looked in the window at my local Dolls House Emporium, thinking that when I eventually win the lottery I would buy a doll house kit and decorate it in a Victorian syle. I loved tiny details in the displays in the shop, particularly the food items. But one thing that I really didn't like were the creepy dolls.
I have never really been one for dolls, barbie was OK due the myriad of clothing and accessories available for her, but these grotesque waxy looking monstrosities would not be part of my collection! But then, whilest in my local Smyths Toys store, I found the solution. I remembered Sylvanians Families from my childhood, I never had any myself but I clearly remember a school friend of mine being crazy about them.
The figures are totally adorable, much better than the weird waxy dolls, and in relation to size some 1/12th scale pieces can work well with sylvanians. I started off with a couple of playsets and then the following Christmas my husband bought me The House on the Hill and I had found my new obsession!
I have never really been one for dolls, barbie was OK due the myriad of clothing and accessories available for her, but these grotesque waxy looking monstrosities would not be part of my collection! But then, whilest in my local Smyths Toys store, I found the solution. I remembered Sylvanians Families from my childhood, I never had any myself but I clearly remember a school friend of mine being crazy about them.
The figures are totally adorable, much better than the weird waxy dolls, and in relation to size some 1/12th scale pieces can work well with sylvanians. I started off with a couple of playsets and then the following Christmas my husband bought me The House on the Hill and I had found my new obsession!
I had loved the House on the Hill from the moment I saw it. It wasn't too big, it looked pleasant from the outside, not too "toy-ish" looking either. I thought it was fairly good value for money as there were a few furniture items included as a bonus. I was so pleased to receive it for Christmas. At the time it was the only Sylvanian house I wanted. That was mainly because it seemed to me to be the only one that had enough room to fit one of each type of room in it. Most of the other houses didn't have enough space to fit bedrooms for the whole family along with a kitchen, bathroom and sitting room. When there is such a choice of furniture available I didn't want to limit myself to only 2 sets. It took me a while to decide how to lay it out but once the space had been allocated I was very pleased with the way it turned out.
You can view more pictures of my House on the Hill (and other projects) by clicking on the House on the hill page in the drop down decorating menu.
My next project was Applewood Cottage. This was more of a side project while I waited for supplies for the House on the Hill to arrive. It was a bargain at less than €30 and it included a small amount of furniture and 1 sister figure. It was a project mainly as practice. I used wallpaper that was spare from the House on the Hill and just bought new carpet to give the rooms a cozy yet bright finish. The whole process from start to finish can be seen by selecting Applewood Cottage from the drop down menu.
My next project was The Grand Hotel. This was transformed into a family home rather than a Hotel, I didn't really want to just have lots of bedrooms, I wanted to be able to use different furniture sets and vintage pieces that I had found on ebay. I wanted to create a fun play environment but also showcase some of the tiny details that make Sylvanian Families so appealing.
You can view more pictures of my House on the Hill (and other projects) by clicking on the House on the hill page in the drop down decorating menu.
My next project was Applewood Cottage. This was more of a side project while I waited for supplies for the House on the Hill to arrive. It was a bargain at less than €30 and it included a small amount of furniture and 1 sister figure. It was a project mainly as practice. I used wallpaper that was spare from the House on the Hill and just bought new carpet to give the rooms a cozy yet bright finish. The whole process from start to finish can be seen by selecting Applewood Cottage from the drop down menu.
My next project was The Grand Hotel. This was transformed into a family home rather than a Hotel, I didn't really want to just have lots of bedrooms, I wanted to be able to use different furniture sets and vintage pieces that I had found on ebay. I wanted to create a fun play environment but also showcase some of the tiny details that make Sylvanian Families so appealing.
I am often asked where and how I find the supplies to decorate my houses. Most of the supplies I use were purchased from ebay and The Doll House Emporium. I am lucky enough to live in a city where I have easy access to a shop that sells most of the products featured in their catalogue, but they do have a website and they are very quick to send out orders. There is a link to their website on my Contacts & Links page if you wish to view their website.
I have since bought a few other houses and buildings second hand as I developed such a love of creating these tiny homes. I will continue to add photos of my projects to this gallery and although I do not have a s much time to decorate houses now that I have a 3 (almost 4) year old daughter and a full time job, I do manage to get a little bit of time to indulge in my hobby every now and again. Plus I finally have someone who can fully appreciate my work as my daughter is starting to take an interest in playing with the houses now!
I have since bought a few other houses and buildings second hand as I developed such a love of creating these tiny homes. I will continue to add photos of my projects to this gallery and although I do not have a s much time to decorate houses now that I have a 3 (almost 4) year old daughter and a full time job, I do manage to get a little bit of time to indulge in my hobby every now and again. Plus I finally have someone who can fully appreciate my work as my daughter is starting to take an interest in playing with the houses now!