A day in the life.

It's a bleak day in February, as the three little sisters Mies, Corry, and Magda play inside with their dolls house after enjoying a warm, afternoon snack.

The house was made specially for them by their father, mister Willemse; a gentle and wise man who adores his three little angels. It has a kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom, and two other big rooms that can be used for various purposes.

The girls play, fully absorbed in the magical world of children's make-believe, and their spirited chatter sounds like music to the ears of their proud dad.

These are the precious moments of happiness that are revealed to those who have the wisdom and open heart to recognize and value them.

 

 

© 2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

The Smallest

Behold the latest -and smallest- addition to my collection of antique and vintage dolls houses! 

Pictured here inside the big 'Centennial' dolls house, this little beauty stands only 9 cm tall. Its width is 4,5 cm and is 6 cm deep (for my American friends, that is: 3.54x17.7x2.36 inches).

The house is made of plywood and is covered with paper. The inside is an empty space with no floors, but that can be changed if desired. I have no idea about her age, but I wouldn't be surprised if she's from 1950s vintage.

I'm thrilled with this little gem, as she mimics the 'look' of my bigger dolls houses perfectly. Just like her 'big sisters' she shows her age, and that makes her so fascinating! I couldn't wish for a better item to decorate one of my dolls houses with!

 

© 2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Asylum room 1318 / Something totally different for a change.

Lost Reflection

 

 

Locked in this attic, been here so many years
Shana won't set me free
She says I'm evil, but then she doesn't know
I'm not pretending, ooh, no, not me

Full moon reflecting a face in the mirror
Twisted and bleeding
No, you can't be real, no, you're all in my mind
Shades of insanity, you're not me, you're not me

 

Life in the attic, I like my rocking chair
Staring at shadows
Crouched in the corner waiting for something
Laughing at nothing (ha, ha)

No one there, and on and on I wonder is there more

What is life beyond the attic door
The full moon in my eyes is all that's real
The mirror's lost reflection is in me

 

Life in the attic (life in the attic)
(Life in the attic, life in the attic)

 

 

Cobwebs and dusty dreams
Sharp knives and hollow screams
Wide eyes of terror
Clawing the attic door
Can't take it anymore
You better go away, yeah

Who's there? (ha)
No one there, no one there, no-one there
You're not me (you're not me, you're not me, you're not me)

Songwriters: J. Lord / John Drenning / Midnight

Lyrics to the song "Lost Reflection" by Crimson Glory.

 

 

© 2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author. Lost Reflection lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group.

At Night

Sweet little Rain, sometimes I wonder: what happens in the living room while I sleep? Does stillness reign in shadows? Do your eyes see?

 

© 2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Of Warehouses and Newspapers

An old Dutch-style warehouse looks gloomy and ominous in the fading light. And that's exactly how I love it to be!

Outside, a little wheeled cart sells German evening papers; "Zeitungen" being the German word for "newspapers."

 

 

© 2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Battered beauty

Hello Friends, I hope you're  doing well!

The "Centennial" is one of my favorite -if not the favorite-  dolls houses in my collection. It was generously given to me for free by a very nice elderly couple living in the beautiful city of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 

 

 

The house was built in the early 1920s by a Dutch gentleman named Mister Willemse for his three young daughters Mies, Corry, and Magda.    

Being obviously a wise man, as well as an excellent carpenter, he ensured that the three girls would be able to play together, by building it in such a way that it could be accessed on three sides simultaneously. The above image shows the house in the "closed" mode, i.e. with the removable wall panels attached.

 

Naturally, the house has seen quite some wear and tear throughout her 100 years history, as well as some alterations, some of which were not for the better, I must say. Even so, I totally love the way she looks today because, to me, all her 'scars' are a testament to her longevity. 

 

 

This blog posting is focused on the outside of the house, and is meant to show you its 'battle scars' in detail. People often tend to see tear and wear on old dolls houses as something to be 'fixed', while in reality they just show the passage of time, and definitely add character and charm to an old lady such as this. They call it 'damages', I call it LIFE.

 

Needless to say that I keep this beauty 'as is', and the only things that I might consider 'fixing' are really minor, 'post Mr. Willemse' alterations, such as the white paint on the glass window above the entrance door.

 

 

 

The above image clearly shows the original brown paper underneath a more 'contemporary' one. I'm not even thinking of removing the latter, choosing instead to leave it like this, so you can get a glimpse of the past underneath its current top layer.

 

 

 

 

Same for the deliciously weathered roof; the tiled paper is missing in many places around the edge of the roof, but i just LOVE the way it looks today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you enjoyed this post! If so, please consider 'following' me on this platform, Instagram, or Facebook. Your visits and comments are highly appreciated! See you again soon!

 

© 2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Blackbird

A handsome blackbird landed today on the Centennial dolls house. Such a cute little fellow..!

© 2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

A New Painting

Hi Friends, I hope you're doing well!

Below is a pic of my latest miniature painting, titled "Autumn evening." Acryl on canvas, 7x7cm (2,75x2,75 inch).

I've decided to dust off my brushes and get going with some new stuff! And I must say that I enjoyed doing this one very much! If interested, I invite you to take a look at the other paintings on this blog. Thank you and have a great day!

© 2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

A Little Boat

A little boat rests perched on a wall cap inside the Centennial dolls house. I'm sure she's sharing her adventures with the miniature steam engine that chose the same spot to relax.

 

© 2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Birds

Mommy, the garden is full of birds! They're all dancing, and singing a song..!

 

 © 2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

The Scale and the Warehouse

I had this huge, heavy, old scale gathering dust at home for a while. It looked very cool, pure weathered wood and rusted metal! It was love at first sight when I laid my eyes upon it, and hence bought it with the idea to use it 'for something' at some point. 

That moment came when I bought this wonderful, vintage 'Dutch' style warehouse. I saw the two and somehow knew that they belonged together. So I added wheels to the ancient scale to make it more easy to move around, then placed the warehouse on it, and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

© 2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Sneak Peak

Below is a 'sneak peak' of one of the rooms of "The Centennial," which is my favorite dolls house. She's over one hundred years old, and my first dolls house of that age, hence the name I gave her. 

I have more "centennials" in my collection, but this one, which I got as a gift from a nice elderly couple in Amsterdam, definitely holds a very special place in my heart!

 

© 2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Elise and the shadows.

As King Winter reigns over the Northern hemisphere, the days are short and the nights endless; the wind is chill and rain abundant, while the temperatures hover just above the zero mark. Sometimes, the landscape gets covered with a thin layer of snow, as if to make a point that it is truly winter.

Inside her home, little Elise enjoys being cozy and warm. "Let the wind howl and the icy rain drop like needles from the sky," thinks Elise, "I'm all nice and warm inside! With my dolls houses and fresh croissants I think I can weather the winter!"

I hope you liked this blog. If so, leave a comment, and see you next time. Thank you!!

 

© 2023 José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

 

The Green Vase

 Enjoy your Saturday, everyone!!

© 2023  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Penance

My lover died a century ago,
Her dear heart stricken by my sland’rous breath,
Wherefore the Gods forbade that I should know
The peace of death.

Men pass my grave, and say, “‘Twere well to sleep,
Like such an one, amid the uncaring dead!”
How should they know the vigil that I keep,
The tears I shed?

Upon the grave, I count with lifeless breath,
Each night, each year, the flowers that bloom and die,
Deeming the leaves, that fall to dreamless death,
More blest than I.

 

‘Twas just last year—I heard two lovers pass
So near, I caught the tender words he said:
To-night the rain-drenched breezes sway the grass
Above his head.

That night full envious of his life was I,
That youth and love should stand at his behest;
To-night, I envy him, that he should lie
At utter rest.

John McCrae (1872 – 1918)

 

© 2023  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

While you Sleep

Your picture ignited a poem in me.
A brusque stirring of the soul,
a thunder, and then, finally,
the words came crashing down like rain.
Oblivious of the conquest your image achieved,
you sleep.
Will you answer my heart's muffled scream?
Will you meet me, in a dream?

José Pereira Torrejón

 

© 2023  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Fair (2)

Hi all, this is a follow up to my visit to the dolls houses and miniatures fair in Houten, The Netherlands, last Sunday.

It was very nice and inspiring, as such events usually are! I got to meet very dedicated and creative people, and to see their wonderful work up close!

One of the 'memento's' I bought that day was a beautiful small doll, very delicately dressed and measuring only 7 cm (2.75 inches) in height, as well as a even smaller doll from the same artist. The small one is only 3 cm (1.18 inches), and as you can see below, she has become a doll for the 'big' one! 

I cannot imagine any better way to start the new year! ⭐

 

© 2023  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.