Rich Toys Vintage Dollhouse Tour: 10. Hodge-Podge Room

Unfortunately, I didn't have any extra 1950's furniture from my childhood to place in this room, nor did I have a goal for decorating this empty area, so it became a catch-all space or a hodge-podge room. "Hodge-podge" is used to describe a jumbled collection of things. That word certainly applies to this final room on our tour!

-There's a deacon's bench because this particular piece wouldn't fit in the kitchen and I couldn't part with it.
-There's a small world map cut from a travel magazine on the ceiling because I considered making this room an office.
-There are some toys because I thought it would be fun to collect charming miniature toys to create a playroom for the dollhouse kids. (There WAS a cute wooden rocking horse in here... the story below...)
-There is a wonderful find:  a small handmade cedar trunk I picked up at a craft fair years ago. (The bear on top? I bought him last month!)

-There's a little sewing nook in the far corner because I purchased the plastic kits (sewing machine and dressmaker's form) and assembled the pieces some time ago.

-There's a plastic rocking chair and a plastic phone sitting on another rug grandmother made; I love them all!

-There's a brass bed simply because I wanted one in my real house!

There you have it! The hodge-podge room! Perhaps, it should be called the "guest room," but what can I say? Speaking of "guests," some old friends have arrived for a visit. The lovely lady and her son and daughter are posing here for quick pictures. (As you have probably guessed:  the mother's and daughter's dresses were knit by my grandmother when the original clothing gave out.)

But who actually lives here? Let's find the current residents. Yes, here they are, busy with their children downstairs... 

Finally! The twins have been put down for their naps. Will they ever settle down?

Okay, now I must tell you the story about the rocking horse:

During our last visit, she found out grandma had a rocking horse in her dollhouse and oh, please, could she have it? (The "Little Miss" loves horses and has a small collection of them.) She disappeared for a little bit; I could hear her running up the stairs to her room. She returned with several small items in the palm of her hand including a tiny teapot. Didn't I need something for my dollhouse? She would like so very much to have the rocking horse. Please? How on earth could I refuse? I took the little teapot and of course, when I returned home, I sent her the rocking horse from the hodge-podge room. The teapot? Well, if you missed it, look in the kitchen!

Thank you for dropping by on this tour. I have enjoyed showing you this little house which holds a scrapbook of memories for me of two very talented women who shaped my life. I'm very grateful they hinted to Santa years ago to bring me this wonderful keepsake when I was a little girl. I wonder if they would be surprised it is still with me and how many hours of enjoyment it has given me over the years!

My mission has been accomplished:  to create a little story to introduce my "grown-up" dollhouse to my granddaughter. Nevertheless, I plan to continue writing entries in the sidebar section (called Pages) as I find information to share with you on my dollhouse and furniture.

Keep in touch!