Thursday 29 March 2018

Playing House - Moving Day


 On the day that I've exchanged contracts with the vendors of The Cottage I've also completed No. 62! 


The exterior walls got a few coats of white emulsion and the roof was taped together and painted with floor paint both of which we already had. I only had to buy the green gloss spray paint. The door step was printed off from a flooring website and the scraps came from Miss Violet's Doll's House (link HERE) , the book my friend Lynn sent me. 


With the exception of the kitchen - which I papered using a wallpaper sample, the floors and walls were covered with free doll's house printables already scaled down to size (link HERE). They were attached using a Pritt glue stick and set with hairspray, which I already had in the house. The mini LED rope lighting was from Home Bargains. You'll remember the carpets - they were the posh Spanish upholstery samples I bought from a charity shop last week. I made the lampshades using a pattern I found HERE. To replicate our real-life staircase I covered the stair risers with washi tape (three for £1 from Poundland).


If you watched the fascinating The Private Life of The Doll's House on BBC 4 last week (thanks to my friends Shelagh and Lynn for the tip-off), you'll know that a doll's house is never really finished but here's how the lounge is looking at the moment.


Cheers! I scaled down and printed off the Trechikoffs on glossy photo paper and framed them in these rather snazzy wooden frames (six for £1 in Poundland) which I'd painted white. The pink dresser, Trimphone and settee were things I found inside No. 62 when Jon discovered it in The Cottage's attic. Linda made me the pouffe and the mustard cushion and I crocheted the throw and the other cushions.

 I've lusted after this chair since the day I first clapped eyes on it. As I couldn't run to £850 for the full-sized version I knocked up a mini version using some of the Afghan braid Sarah sent me, cocktail sticks, a cat food box and plenty of glue. I followed an excellent tutorial HERE.




The Wall of Misery! We'd still got some of the paint we used on the stairs over ten years ago so mini Wall of Misery is the same colour as the real one.


I found the television in a bag of vintage doll's house furniture snaffled from a chazza yesterday. The original screen was missing so I added a photo of Helen. Linda created the pineapple lamp, I pinched the guitar from one of my Spanish dolls and made the Mother-in-Law's Tongue from garden wire and sellotape painted with various green Barry M Nail Paints. The pot was a lid from a toiletry sample rescued from the recycle bin.




On to the bedroom...


I bought this black and white cat from eBay, he's one of a pair. The other one is up to no good elsewhere in the house. The Trechikoff, rotary dial phone & lamp came from Linda, I made the bed cover, pillows and felt slippers from scraps I found in my stash.


The bed, chair, stool, dressing table and wardrobe (all painted using one of the many sample pots we already own) were in the original doll's house as was the tassel trim cushion. The printable vintage suitcase was downloaded from HERE. Linda sent me the vase of flowers. I made the book and the coat hanger and copied the dress from the book Lynn sent me.



The lamp was a gift from Linda, the bedside table came in the bag of bits I bought yesterday.


More me-made plants! The "soil" is loose leaf tea.


 Just like in real-life, the spare bedroom is my playroom.


Complete with doll's house! Sarah found a pile of amazing printables in a charity shop last week which is where the doll's house magazines came from. I already had the table & the dresser whilst the lamp was another of yesterday's chazza shop finds. The doll's house was another printable from the website I've linked to. I found the patterns for the fruit storage crates on Pinterest (HERE and HERE).


Here's the other black and white cat, causing mischief!  I made the sewing table from matchboxes, dressmaking pins and beads. The shelf came off a broken piece of original furniture. Linda had the brilliant idea of using cotton buds to make spools of thread. I made the patterns and pincushion. The sewing machine came from eBay.


That posh-looking iron was also in the bag of bits I bought yesterday. I wish I had something that fancy in real-life!


The bookshelf was made using cardboard salvaged from the recycling bin. I printed the shoe boxes off from THIS website and found stacks of printable books on Pinterest (HERE). The mannequin was an Ebay buy.


How amazing is this Did You Get Your Pill Today psych poster? I can't afford the real 1960s one (it's £175) so a mini will have to do!


 You saw the kitchen last week. I've since added a me-made fern, a broom (found in the bag of stuff I bought yesterday) and a red transistor radio bought from eBay. The retro Sainsbury's shopping bag was another printable from the sheets Sarah sent me. Linda surprised me with the mini Jacob yesterday. Real Jacob also lives in our kitchen, it's far too cold to put him out yet!!


The kitchen cupboards, cooker unit, wine bottles and sink were all eBay buys. HERE'S the link if you want to print off some groceries like mine. 


Years before I even knew I was mad for minis I bought this 1970s Lundby loo from a vintage fair, just 'cos I loved it. It's been on my mantelpiece for three years so I decided to turn the garage into a bathroom to give the groovy loo its rightful home.


As I owned no bathroom furniture other than the loo I had to get creative.


A bent hatpin and a giant press stud became a shower. The Chandrika poster is cut from the box from my favourite brand of Ayurvedic soap from India.


The hinge from a clothes peg made for a towel rail.


 The vanity unit used to be a dressing table and the bowl was the last part of a teeny weeny ceramic tea set I had as a child, I made the tap from my friend Gordon's empty vape liquid container, a cocktail stick and a bead which I glued together and spray painted silver. The mirror was in yesterday's bag of bits and the mug, toothpaste and brush were eBay buys. You can print a washing basket like mine for free HERE.



The total refurbishment cost of No.62 set me back just over £40* - if only real-life house renovation was so cheap!

* That's the green gloss spray paint, lollipop sticks, LED lights, glue, the cooker, sink & kitchen cabinet, the upholstery fabric samples, the transistor radio, the cats, the sewing machine & mannequin, the mug with the toothbrush and toothpaste, washi tape, picture frames and wine.


Check out that psychedelic front door - that's going to be one trippy house!

Will I stop banging on about doll's houses now No.62 is finished? Hell, no! I'm now the proud owner of the house I dreamt of owning as a little girl, a 1973 Gothenburg by Lundby and it doesn't end there, I neglected to mention that the bag of vintage furniture I bought from a charity shop yesterday came with another doll's house....oops!

See you soon!

84 comments:

  1. You have such an amazing talent , Its fabulous xxx

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  2. WOW! Grest work Vix. So very impressive for such little money. Glad u enjoyed the doll's house programme, I thought it was fab. Looking forward to seeing your makeover of the new houses. Congratulations on exchanging contracts. A bitter sweet time I imagine though.

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    1. I loved that programme so much I need to watch it again. Thank you for making me aware of it. It will be very strange on moving in day. Thank goodness we'll be busy working! x

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  3. OMG it's brilliant, I sense an addiction!
    Love all the tiny details, the posters and Sainsbury carrier bag, the stair risers and wall of misery are fantastic...just like the real thing. The exterior is very pretty too. Pleased to see Jacob and the cats have made themselves at home. xxx
    Your latest doll's house looks very snazzy. xx

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    1. Thanks, Fiona! I loved finding and adding all the bits. Jon reckons it's as cluttered as ours is. I could spend hours searching the net for doll's house ideas and frequently do! xxx

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  4. Completely bonkers and I love it! You need a Dawn doll to be you Vix! xxx

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    1. Thanks, Emma! I love Dawn and found one on eBay but she her price shot up. I'll keep my eyes peeled when the car boot season starts properly! x

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  5. You can manage your own WDHG with all those properties ( Walsall Dolls House Group ) xx

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    1. Ha! Nice one! Maybe I can qualify for a government grant? xxx

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  6. WOW!!!
    te vixification of a dolls house! pur magic! every detail ist so lovely......
    my own dollhouse has to wait until next winter - garden season has started - and a lot of work is waiting out there!
    xxxx

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    1. Thank you so much, Beate!
      Still too damp and frosty to get out in our garden yet - this is proving a wonderful distraction! xxx

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  7. Wow, it looks amazing. I love the attention to detail and how you've put your stamp on everything. As I said before, when can I move in? ;) xxx

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    1. Thank you! I loved doing it. I can't wait to crack on with house number two! x

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  8. No. 62 looks fantastic, inside and out! It's full of clever ideas (the shower head and towel rail are among my favourites) and I love how you've all done it on the cheap. Glad to see it has cats. And Jacob! And snap, I've got the same mug, toothpaste and brush! Can't wait to see the brilliant ideas you'll come up with for your new houses. Oh, and congratulations on exchanging contracts! xxx

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    1. Thanks, Ann! Fancy us having the same mini mug, brush and toothpaste. I couldn't resist that or the cats when I spotted them on eBay! xxx

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  9. It's an amazing piece of work, Vix! All the teeny-weeny details are just awesome! And now there are 2 more to delight us all as you spin your miniature magic!! Zxx

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    1. Thanks, Z! I loved doing it and finding all those little extras to download for free, they made it look so much more real! xxx

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  10. Sounds like you've got the bug..I spent an evening last week gluing tiny books together with a friend. We were gassing so much that we stuck them the wrong way first of all and had to rescue them!! So glad you're having fun with it all!
    Arilx

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    1. Ha! that sounds like a fab way to spend a few hours. Sticking the books the wrong way round sounds like something I'd do! xxx

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  11. It's a work of art. I love the way you've inventively used bits and pieces to make such a wonderful finished piece.
    Here's to having lots of fun with the next one and congratulations on the real house sale, I'm glad it all went through ok. xxx

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    1. Thanks, Sally! I'm so relieved it's all signed for and the moving in date is imminent. Refurbing this house has been a marvellous distraction from all the hassle surrounding selling houses and real life stuff! xxx

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  12. This is fabulous, and so are you! Love all the color and patterns and the use or reuse of found items. Truly a piece of art!

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  13. It is absolutely fabulous! What a wonderful job you have made of it, so amazingly creative. Awe struck is what I am!

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    1. Thanks, Maureen! I've loved doing it. xxx

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  14. I love your mini sewing machine, you did a great job on the replica sofa - everything looks so fun, I think every girl should get one! Can't wait to see what you do with the other houses.

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    1. Thanks, Betty! I can't imagine that there would be many big girls who wouldn't have fun with a doll's house. I had the time of my life! xxx

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  15. Totally Fabulous (And the dolls house isn't bad either!) Lisa x

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  16. Wow! Someone is dollhouse addicted!

    What a labour of love. Your attention to details is fantastic.

    I'm all kinds of delighted that you have a turtle named Jacob living in your kitchen.

    Suzanne

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    1. I certainly am addicted but I suppose it's better for you than drugs and booze and cheaper than shopping! xxx

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  17. This is amazing, Vix! You did it so quickly too! I am very impressed. JanF

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    1. Thanks, Jan! Once I'd started I couldn't stop! xxx

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  18. I have had so much fun looking at all the wonderful things you have found, bought and made. I am so impressed at how inventive and creative you are. I know how creative you are with your clothes and accessories but to be able to carry it through into the world of mini everything is a huge achievement. Well done, Vix! I'm sure the whole thing must have given you hours of pleasure. No. 62 is a total triumph. I can't wait to see what you do the others.

    I'm also guessing that you're now going around looking at everyday objects with fresh eyes thinking 'how can I put this to use in the dolls house'....

    Fabulous stuff altogether!
    xxxx

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    1. I'm so glad you liked the finished result, Vronni!
      It's true, I can't empty the recycling bin without checking it a couple of times for odd bits and pieces I've missed! xxx

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  19. I probably shouldn't share this link but...
    https://www.msichicago.org/explore/whats-here/exhibits/colleen-moores-fairy-castle/

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    1. Wow! Another link to bookmark. Thank you! xxx

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  20. tiny Wall of Misery and your turtle? To perfect. Did the new doll house come with the bag of goodies or the other way around? Something tells me that yellow/beige wallpaper is not long for this world.

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    1. Thank you! I spotted the house first and the bag of goodies sold it to me!
      No, original or not, that wallpaper's not long for this world! xxx

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  21. I love how your art mimics your life -- and especially the doll house in the doll house. And the critters too!

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  22. I love it! A dollhouse within a dollhouse with another dollhouse!

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  23. I imagine tipping over all the furniture if I would play with one. Are you clumsy like that?
    I adore your bathroom with the creative conversions you've done there. The press stud shower and spring towel rail are priceless! You'll have to start your own site giving other people advice.
    I'm glad your house sale went through OK. Kind of fitting they finished on the same day.
    Looking forward to more miniature adventures! xo Jazzy Jack

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    1. I was nightmare - I'd go to move something and tip the whole room upside - that is until I started white tacking everything down. It's a lot easier now! xxx

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  24. Brilliant...but im now guilt ridden that my little Triang wreck has been sat here doing nothing for 2 years , shes stuffed full of little bags of stuff ive found for her , but theres still a long list to look for

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    1. I'm dying to see it especially what you've collected so far! x

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  25. The detail is astonishing! I won't tire of this subject. I have neither skill nore patience, but this evokes memories of my childhood and my improvised housew with shoe boxes inside bigger boxes to create rooms, or using yarn on floors to create the outline of a floor plan for my Barbies.

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    1. I love the idea of using shoe boxes and tacking on extensions when necessary.You can buy extensions for the Lundby so it could grow to epic proportions one day! xxx

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  26. So many details from houseplants to records to wine bottles. Love what you did with the outside too, it looks great. The little lights were a great addition too.

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    1. Thank you! I was amazed when Jon suggested lights, he's been leaving me to it mostly - probably a good thing. I've mastered all kinds of tools I've been useless with previously! xxx

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  27. This is the best ever!!!!!!

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    1. Thanks, Becky! Hopefully the next one will be better! xxx

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  28. Oooooh....when can I move in....lol.
    Absolutely brilliant Vix.
    Hugs-x-

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  29. It looks just stunning! I am so impressed with your dedication and your utter delight in the process! Yesssssssssssssssssss to more!!xx

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    1. Yay! Thanks, Kezzie! I'm like a big kid with it! xxx

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  30. Seriously, you couldn't be any cooler. I am in awe of you xoxo

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  31. You did a spectacular job decorating the house and I am blown away by your creativity. Get the welcome mat out, I'm movin' in!

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    1. Come on over! I've had so much fun and learnt loads. Can't wait to crack on with house number 2 now! xxx

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  32. Vix, I love this so much and would totally move in!! So excited to see what happens in the new house!

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    1. Pop over and we'll crack open that bottle of wine in the kitchen! xxx

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  33. OMG you are having the best fun ever!!! Long may this continue!

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    1. I am having a blast! I think this addiction could run and run! xxx

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  34. How absolutely amazing. Your attention to detail is just brilliant. I love how your doll's house reflects your won so much and all the wonderful things in it. This look like so much fun to do. I am really looking forward to seeing what you do with your new house. Xx

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    1. I'm so glad you like it! I loved doing it and trying to replicate some of my house in miniature. I'm dying to crack on with the second house now, I just need to work out where they're going to go! xxx

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  35. Love the loose-leaf tea as potting soil – great idea! So much to love about this; I have a lifelong fondness for flamingos so that wallpaper is a personal favorite. And the Chandrika soap box–turned–poster – clever! Thank you for sharing this! As Spicy Philosophy above said, it's truly a work of art.

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    1. Thanks, Brikka! We've got the pink version of that flamingo wallpaper on our landing so when I found a mini version I printed it off immediately! xxx

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  36. I have really enjoyed your house, especially the vintage paintings! I do a lot of miniature things, and I make felted animals to live in Le Piccolo Mondo. See my recent work in story form, at www.extremefelting.com.

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    1. Thanks for the link, you're amazing! xxx

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  37. I'm totally getting hung on this dolls' house world, so many beautiful details, those little bottles and packets, the colorful decoration, the amazing kitchen and the cute bathroom!
    I'm enjoying these posts as a child!
    besos

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    1. Thanks, Monica! I'm so pleased that you're enjoying my doll's house adventure. Jon thought my obsession with miniatures might scare everyone away! xxx

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  38. Au contraire, cher Jon, this mini-world building is also a guy thing when train sets are involved. Here in the states, some layouts occupy entire rooms and cost $$$$. It's fun to imagine what one could use to create a desired object. I particularly admire the homemade plants.

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    1. Too right, Beth! Jon's obsession takes up a lot more space than mine namely electric guitars and VW vans.
      I love making the plants. I think I need to add a conservatory to my next make! xxx

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  39. It's fantastic seeing how creative you're being. Soon you'll have another business selling retro miniatures! I've always loved miniature things, I think it stems from my dad having model trains when I was a kid... perhaps when we get our loft conversion done I'll treat myself to a doll's house.

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    1. Don't tempt me!!
      My friend Liz's dad was really into his model railway, I loved the tiny people, the signal boxes and the greenery.
      Get that conversion done, you NEED a doll's house in your life. xxx

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  40. Absolutely amazing, your vision and creativity know no bounds! I initially thought the living room was my favourite room, but creating that bathroom out of practically nothing is inspired. I think that before long you're going to need a dolls-house room to keep them all in. xx

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  41. This is fabulous Vix - so creative, I love the towel rail / clothes peg. I kinda want a dolls house of my own now.
    Can't wait to see more of your new houses...
    xx

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  42. Vix, that is without a doubt the grooviest doll's house I've ever seen. Makes me want to try one myself. But doubt I could ever create something of this level of artistry. You never cease to amaze me with your creativity and how you are able to do everything you do AND have the time to post interesting blogs about it. I am totally in awe! Look forward to seeing your next fantasy house.

    Theresa

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  43. Your miniature house is superadorable!! Completed with houseplants and mini sewing machine, aww! You did a great job. Now I know whom I will invite to redecorate my home. :)

    I was born in 1973 - can't wait to see what you do with your childhood dream house from my birth year!

    Lots of love <3

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  45. I think your dolls house posts may well save my sanity. I am bored witless and climbing the walls today. If it stops raining long enough for me to dig it out from under the junk in my workshop I plan to bring my house indoors and make a start. Even if it only gets a lick of paint ready for me to start making the furnishings. You're a lifesaver Vix. x

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Thanks for reading and for leaving a message. Please don't be anonymous, I'd love it if you left a name (or a nom de plume).

Lots of love, Vix