A Doll’s House
4December 14, 2012 by Decorum DIYer
Happy Friday, all!
Today is a special day here at our humble abode, as today is my daughter’s third birthday!
As you already know, we will be hosting her birthday party at our home this Sunday.
Today, her actual birthday, we will celebrate with her two brothers with a special dessert. I haven’t decided yet what that dessert will be, but I’ll think of something. Just uttering the word dessert works the kids up into a frenzy. I think it is the only reason they eat dinner.
I am so excited to share with you our gift to our little girl.
This is one of those ‘Red Rider BB Gun’ moments for me.
Are you ready?
Here it is!

A doll house! Isn’t she beautiful?
Disclaimer: As with all of posts, ignore the awful photos. Really, do I take any other kind? Also, as per usual, ignore the messy, cluttered basement. However, do feel completely comfortable taking in the gorgeousness of that faux bamboo desk (part of my larger bedroom set, remember?).
I am over the moon happy that we are able to gift this dollhouse to our little girl. I had dollhouses as a child, but nothing like this one. It truly is the dollhouse of my dreams, so I hope that my daughter shares my enthusiasm for it. I think she will.
Now, you know me, I’m cheap frugal, so I didn’t pay the huge price tag for such a nice dollhouse. Also, you know of my fondness for Craigslist. So, guess where I found this beauty…, that’s right, Craigslist! Believe it or not, about six months ago, I took a stab in the dark with this purchase. The ad was for miscellaneous items being sold out of an overstuffed garage. The ad did not contain a single photo, but did mention that the contents of the garage did contain a dollhouse. I sent a quick e-mail kindly asking for photographs and information of said dollhouse. There are a few minor condition issues, but that is no bother. I will be gifting this to a THREE YEAR OLD! A perfect house would be ruined in seconds. (You know, kind of like my own house. 😉 ) This is what was sent to me:
Two blurry photos of a dollhouse that are even more amazing than anything I saw in my own little head. (Hey, I think I may actually take better photos than the above. Go me!)
I’m not going to lie, I was smitten in a big way. I even made this Pinterest board in May when my husband brought the dollhouse home. Now for the price. I know these things are expensive, but I gave a low-ball offer of $20. I know, a bit bold, but I figured no one knew of this diamond in the rough, as the original ad contained no pictures and the word dollhouse was buried amongst thousands of other words.
To my surprise, the counter offer came back at $45! What? Victory! Now to explain to my husband why I need a dollhouse and that we are going to ‘hide’ this little big present in our basement for a whole six months. (Hence, why all of the photos were taken in my unfinished basement.)
And now,
MORE
BLURRY
PHOTOS!

The front porch. Did I mention that it even includes a family of four and some furniture? Great find, no doubt!

All opened up!

Living Room

Entry, stairwell.

Another room on lower level.

Master Bedroom

Kids’ room on second level.

Attic stairwell/hall.

Attic bedroom #1

Attic bedroom #2
You get the idea. I am just so happy for my little girl. Or is that, “I’m as happy as a little girl!”? – said Mike Meyers’ character on SNL’s Sprockets skit. And now it is time on Decorum DIYer when we dance – the HAPPY DANCE!
Sorry this post is so brief and mentally erratic with obscure references, but I am sleep deprived and still have the entire house to clean and party prep work. I promise that I’ll be updating this dollhouse as Clairisse settles into things. She has already moved all of the carefully placed furniture. But, the look on her face was priceless!
I wish all of you a happy weekend!
What a find! Even at $45, it’s still a great deal : ] This would have been the type I dreamt about as a little girl, too. Hope your daughter will enjoy it!
You and your Craiglist finds…amazing! I need to look more closely at those posts without pictures now because like you said, some of those items could be gems and they’re off of everyone else’s radar! (Genius.) I’m sure your daughter is absolutely enthralled with her new gift. I remember when my parents gave us a pink dollhouse one Christmas…it’s almost like a rite of passage for little girls. Hope the party on Sunday went well! Can’t wait to hear about it. (The more obscure the references, the better!)
I LOVE this dollhouse, what an amazing find. I think every little girl has their hearts set on one of these at one time or another. I can’t wait to read all about Clairisse’s reaction to it and more about her birthday party!
Very, very cute dollhouse – too bad I am too old for it 😉 Hope your girl loves it as much as we adults do! =)