Finally we are able to present you our dollhouse collaboration. It seems like this tree house has been in the making for years, but it actually only took a few months. We’ve wanted to create something like a dollhouse for quite some time and I think we finally figured out the kind we would like to create. As usual, ideas change during the creative process, and as you work you get more and more excited about the future possibilities, characters, stories, etc. But for now, let us present you Thea and her beautiful treehouse.

Side view of the tree house, by Fig and me.

There is magic in the woods, by Fig and me.

Thea spends all her time in there. She keeps close watch over a nest of robins, that she can peep in through one of her windows. Unfortunately the wind blew a few eggs, so she is hoping to see at least one hatchling this Spring. She doesn’t play “house” in her tree house, is more like the headquarters, the castle, the meeting room, the hall, the bat cave. True, there are chairs (two burl logs) and a table (a crate) and even a rug (stolen from the basement) but these are just some comforts and do not a house make.

Details of the tree house, by Fig and me.

Watching out for intruders, by Fig and me.

In some occasions, intruders want to kick you out of your fort, so you have to grab your sword and defend your terrain. At other times, you need to hunt your own supper, although you can get by eating evergreen new growth. Quite nutritious. Other days, you have to grab your cape and defend a little rabbit, or help a bird in distress. The world is wide and adventure always calls. You just have to be ready.

Thea is full of imagination and her tree house is a true work of art and one of a kind. It has been designed and created entirely by my husband Derek. It is made of reclaimed cedar barn board and supported supported by three trees, which are made of walnut, purple heart, and spalted maple. The leaves on the back tree were cut from a small burl of Manitoba maple, which was used to create the stairs as well. The tree house measures 18” x 18” approximately. It has a front deck with walnut railing and cotton rope. It is of very sturdy construction and does not come apart, but the foot print is quite small so it can be placed in a corner of a bedroom or a living room and see how you, or your little one, are beckoned to play.

The three house comes with:

a barrel to store swords and other paraphernalia Thea finds in the woods (or backyard), as well as two log chairs made of Manitoba maple burl (our daughters called them the “cheese rounds”).
two swords with leather hilts, made of purple heart (how romantic!).
a crate, made of reclaimed cedar barn board.
a warm and handy crochet rug made of wool.
a cotton bunting flag that ties with twine.
one little floor pillow, stuffed with wool and hand-sewn.

Thea is also one of a kind. I have never made a doll like her, with her 4 year old proportions and chubby-esque figure. She has string jointed arms, and her hair is made of suri alpaca locks sewn into wefts and crochet into a cap. Her facial features are needle-felted. She wears a cotton double-knit top, overalls, socks and shoes. She has a wool crown, a cotton cape and a little kerchief for when she needs to clean her tree house. She measures about 8.5” tall.

We are so pleased with how everything turned out and hope to be able to make maybe another dollhouse before Christmas, but I know how time gets away from us and I don't want to promise anything, so for now I will relish the fact that we actually brought this dream to fruition.

Thea and her beautiful tree house will become available via auction tomorrow night from 7PM to 10 PM EDT on Indiecart. We really wish we could offer this kind of toys at a retail value for you, but unfortunately the time Derek spends on them forbids us at the moment from doing so. Not only that, they are such unique toys that we are always at a loss on how to price them. Maybe in the future we will be able to offer more of his toys on regular-based uploads and at retail prices, so that more people can buy them and enjoy having such toys in their homes. But for now we can only offer them via auction.

Thank you so much for all your kind words about our work and for your continued support. One thing I am certain, whoever gets this set is bound to have hours upon hours of wholesome play!. Good luck and see you all tomorrow.