Garbe House

I picked up this small 4 room miniature house at an estate sale today during my lunch hour.  It is 1" = 1'-0" scale.  The estate was a Tulsa family named Garbe.  Thus the name Garbe House.

The house came complete with all of it contents at an extremely reasonable price.  I almost felt guilty paying what they were asking, but I didn't set the price.

I like the greenery out front and the brass mail box.

 The house is electrified, but I could not get the lights to turn on - a project for another day.  The interior is kind of an eclectic mix with lots of Asian accessories.

 The kitchen table is set for two.

 I like the attention to detail, the wash cloth on the sink, the pans and canisters.

 Here is the plate shelf on one side of the kitchen

and the plate shelf on the other side.  I like the little glass vase and the Wedgewood.

 The living/dining area has a lot going on.  An Asian inspired table and chairs, a Victorian fireplace, and lots of plants and accessories.

 The upstairs bedroom has some more Asian accessories and a couple of tea sets.

 There are also a few needlepoint pillows on the bed and a porcelain doll.  An Asian style desk has some books, a framed picture and a working lamp.

 The bathroom is decked out in off the counter Victorian fixtures.  There are some nice accessories here too, mauve towels wash cloths, soap, plants, a framed picture and a brass ceiling fan.

 The dining room has a large open cabinet with a grouping of ceramic serving dishes and pewter plates and a stein.

 Here is a detail of one of the pewter tea sets.

 Some of the plants in the living room bay window shelf.

 The large needlepoint rug fills the entire living room floor and appears to be homemade.

 Here is a detail of one of the tea sets in the master bedroom.  It is sitting on a tarnished silver tray.

 Here are some of the Asian accessories.  The green vase with the dragon is marked "silver" on the bottom

 There were a few miscellaneous items that came with the house including a gift basket of wine and cheese wrapped in cellophane

The chandelier works, but was not attached to the ceiling.  If any of you know anything about any of the accessories or furniture in this house, I would love to hear from you.  I would also like to figure out if have anything valuable.   Comments are appreciated.

Metal Frame Furniture

I have had this table and chair set for a few years.  I believe it is part of the KAGE brand dating from the 1930's.  The chairs are 1"= 1'-0" scale while the table is a little smaller.

After photographing it with several different backgrounds, it seems it was easier to see the metal wire frames on a black background.  They are constructed of painted wood and wired frames.  The rest of my KAGE collection can be seen by clicking here.

I won these two green chairs in a box of items at an auction.  Most everything in the box was from Germany, so I assume the chairs are too.  I have not been able to find them in any of my books.  They have shiny chrome frames and the metal seats and backs are a textured and flocked with a nice green color.  The chairs are 1" = 1'-0" scale.  I suspect they are from the 1930's too, but would look great in a modern setting.  If anyone has any info on these chairs, please let me know!

 This pair of yellow chairs and aqua table are wood with wire legs.  They are from a company called Miniaform and date from the late 1930s.  They were sold with the large sofa and coffee table shown below.  This set is 3/4" =1'-0" scale.   I have a picture of this set in a 1939 catalog.  The picture in the catalog also shows a floor lamp.

I have this furniture in the "sun room" of my Playtown cardboard house which can be seen by clicking here.

Asian Collection

I began collecting items for an Asian inspired room a few years ago.  I have purchased a piece or two on eBay or picked up a few items at garage or estate sales.  Here is a small scene that I put together of what I have collected so far.

Here is a small group of of both Japanese and Chinese vases and a little ceramic Buddha.

I found this small framed art piece at a garage sale.  It is a mixture of shells, plastic and beads on red velvet.  I pictured using this small lead gate in some sort of garden.  The red box in the background was some perfume box that I snagged from my mom's house.

This black screen is actually plastic.  It is very detailed.  Most of the black lacquered furniture was from a set I won on eBay a few years ago.

I picked up the two black folding lanterns at an a estate sale.  The tassels are a little faded, but still look great.

I picked up this wood fan at the dollar store.  I have not figured out what I will do with it yet, probably some sort of architectural details.  The green metal cart is actually stamped "France" on the bottom, but it seems to fit with this stuff.

Here is a close-up of the wooden fan.  Looking back, I wish I would have purchased more.

Here is a close-up of the table and chairs

Here is a close of the lanterns

I was thinking that I would probably make an Asian inspired room in my Victorian house. 

Fireplace Fun

I purchased a vintage fireplace on eBay this week.  It looked like it was made out of wood in the picture, but when it arrived, it was plaster - and broken in a few places.  I was able to glue some of the chips off and fill in the gaps with some paperclay.

I have some pieces of white marble tile left over from my real-life fireplace project in my living room, and it looks like it will make the perfect hearth.

I was considering putting the new classic fireplace in the Crescent Moon Cottage in place of this one in the living room.  This is the house where I keep my Tynietoys.  What do you think?  It may be a little too formal - not sure...  Crescent Moon Cottage link

Here are some pictures of my real life fireplace project in the living room.

Before

During

I painted the old fireplace white, and covered the brick areas with blue/aqua glass tile.  I replaced the beige 1980's tile with some marble subway tiles on the floor.

After 

Meanwhile, I have had a disaster at the cozy cabin fireplace that I have been avoiding. The air-dry clay that I used shrank to nearly half its size.  The arch collapsed and the there are now gaping holes on the sides.  My plan "B" is to salvage what I can and try a different brand of clay.  I will keep you posted.

Cut A Rug - Part 2

I did a little research and found some great websites out there about tobacco felts.  There are literally thousands of variations out there.  Most felts are actually flannel !  If you missed my first post, click here: Cut A Rug Part 1

In the early 1900s, tobacco companies began inserting small rugs as advertising promotions or premiums into packages of cigarettes, chewing tobacco and there is some debate on if they made their way into cigar packaging. Larger rugs were also offered and could be ordered directly from the company by sending in a number of package coupons. All of these rugs were printed on flannel, felt or velveteen with silky eyelash fringe sewn on the ends. Less common ones were woven with silky threads creating the pattern and fringe. The majority of rugs - felts, flannels or silks as they were popularly called, were produced between 1910 and 1915, with production ending in the 1920s. These are a few from my collection.

This is a larger one that I use in my Tootsie toy great room.  It measures 3-1/2" X 6-1/2"

 I particularly like this giraffe print one.  I have always liked the bright pink fringe and envisioned it in a child's bedroom.

 Rugs are usually marked on the back.  The markings tell which factory number they came from.  Some companies were better than others about marking the backs.

I came across a great site, The National Cigar Museum has a great website with more info that I could ever put on my blog here:  National Cigar Museum Website  


I end with another great piece that I found on the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum website.  A quilt made from tobacco felts with flag prints.