Once upon a time, I signed up for a miniature swap. Each participant was to make 12 items or sets of items at a 1/12 scale (traditional dollhouse scale), then would get back one of everything that was submitted (including their own package). What was weird about this for me is that I don't have a dollhouse, or even one of those shadow box rooms people use. I'm still at a loss as to why I signed up! I'll think of something to do with all the goodies.

I figured some folks might actually have dollhouses they wanted to decorate for Halloween, so I'm sharing my outgoing package. This is by NO means an exhaustive list, just a few of the items I made. I can't show you how they look in a dollhouse, because I don't have one.

This isn't the best pic, but I was having lighting issues. This one shows most of the items, anyway.

There were two "sets" of items: the main stuff, plus the little envelope there with some extras. The main stuff: pewter candlestick w/ candle (I painted the candle ivory and made the "wax" drip down over the stick), a crystal ball, and a black bown full of candy wrappers. They were supposed to be candies, but they don't look right. Barely visible in the bottom left and right are miniature versions of two Victorian Halloween postcards, a Dennison Boogie Book, and a 30's Halloween Party magazine.

• Specifics:
  • The candlestick was the easiest of all. Dollhouse shops sell things like this. They actually have more elaborate ones that would be even better, but I was working in bulk. This candlestick cost me $1, then I painted the candle part ivory and let some of the paint drip down onto the stick itself.
  • My pride and joy is the crystal ball. I can't take credit for the idea - the shop sold them, but they only had one. The salesperson helping me suggested that I buy a few individual items, then take them home and figure out how to make my own. How to:
    • You need: clear marbles, bead spacers, good clear glue
    • You can get everything you need in one trip to the craft store. You might get lucky and find a bag of clear marbles at a Dollar store (or - even better - your son's marble bag), but if not, look in the floral section of the craft store. Find these first, so you can pick out the right bead spacers. The key to the spacer is that it is large enough to hold the marble, AND sit flat on the little dollhouse table. Here's a close-up of one of mine.
      
    • Glue the marble to the spacer with strong glue that will dry clear ("Goop" is excellent, but use in a well-ventilated area).
    • Let it cure (dry) thoroughly.
      
  • The small paper items (Victorian postcards, Bogie book (1919) and Halloween Party Magazine (1934)) were very easy. I have book about Halloween celebrations from the Victorian era, and onward. I simply scanned some of the items at a very high resolution, then resized them in a page layout program to approximately 1/12 the size of the original, then printed out in color. I printed everything on regular paper, then glued the postcards to card stock before cutting out. Because I was doing so many of each, I made strips of them and turned it into an assembly line.
    
  • I used Crayola's airdry clay in black to make the tiny bowls. I bought a tiny glass bowl at the dollhouse shop to make sure I was getting close to the scale I wanted.
    
  • The extras: A little bit of cobwebbing, a tiny roll of crepe paper*, a Halloween banner (I used a wood-burning tool to cut the ribbon, so it won't fray), and a couple pieces of confetti that can be used as window decorations.

    *Wow, was cutting and rolling that crepe paper a pain! I cut 1/4" strips from a folded, flat sheet of crepe paper and used a large darning needle to start rolling it up. Tiny strips of tape hold the ends in place

  This is a good start. If you want to decorate your dollhouse for Halloween in earnest, I suggest a trip to a really good miniature shop. You can buy a few things, and get some ideas for making more. Then do some online searches for tips to make your own spooky items. Have fun!

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