My kids' school is having a silent auction at a fundraiser. I'm donating this:
Man, why did this photo turn out so crookedly? Sorry! Aaaaaanyhoo. I did NOT build the castle -- I found an unfinished wood dollhouse at Michael's. I sanded, primed, sprayed that "stone finish" stuff on it, then spray-painted it and finished with a clear glossy acrylic. I made the set of Harry Potter characters based on a set I'd made before (
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=375937.msg4433928#msg4433928). It's Harry, Ron, Hermione, McGonagall, Dumbledore, Snape, Hagrid, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.
I was going to simply paint the inside a stone gray, but when I saw a package of library stickers (Jolee's Boutique), I became obsessed with how to decorate the inside.
On the top left is the Gryffindor common room (a few couches, a fireplace, and the Gryffindor seal), and on the bottom is the library (desk, bookcase, a sign demanding "Silence Please").
In the center is the big entryway (with a drawbridge door). On the right is a large staircase with lots of paintings hung up all around.
On the left top is the hospital wing (an eye chart, a hospital cot, Caduceus, a table filled with magical medicines), and on the bottom left is a classroom (a table with two bubbling cauldrons, a cabinet of magical ingredients, a chalkboard).
In the center is the Great Hall, featuring the banners of the four houses, and a long table. This must be the start-of-term feast. Then there's another staircase.
Overall, I'm really pleased with how it turned out. The doll house itself was $20 retail, but, you know, people like us? We always have that 40% off coupon in a pocket. There were a number of cracks in the wood, and the hinges aren't entirely square, and the screws attaching the drawbridge door had busted through the wood (I had to glue and clamp and drill new holes and all that). And that was the nicest one they had in stock. Still, for $12, it's not a bad place to begin on a project like this. Also, the house came with a little drawer that fit perfectly into one of the rooms ... until I put all my thick stickers in there. It still fits in the Great Hall, though, so that will be a handy place to store the peg dolls.
Thanks for looking!
