Dollhouse Demystified Part 3: RE-MENT

For the last installment of my dollhouse craziness, I'm going to talk about some of the things that I just had to BUY. Like, couldn't resist.

I searched high and low for a cool Barbie kitchen. Everything that came up was cheap, or made of cardboard, or super expensive. I wanted a cool, modern kitchen for my girls' Barbies, dang it, and I wasn't going to stop at nothin'.

***A little note on scale: Barbies are considered 1:6 scale. When you do your internet searching for Barbie paraphernalia, make sure you google "dollhouse 1:6 scale." Most avid dollhouse makers and collectors use the 1:12 scale. So if you think you've found the perfect Eames chair for your dollhouse and you order it, it will arrive more the size of a Polly Pocket. Eek!

Anyway, in my hours of searching, I finally came upon something called REMENT. Made in Japan, like almost everything else irresistibly darling, they are miniatures in the 1:6 scale. Let me share with you some of my images:

Let me present the perfect modern kitchen:

The Rement items here include the actual kitchen (purchased for $20 on ebay....the price seems to have gone up since I purchased last year!), the mixing bowls, canisters, orange utensil holder on counter with utensils, vintage-looking Pyrex, "swanky swig" vintage cups and cup lazy-susan, and Jadeite salt and pepper shakers. (The green cupboard was only $1 at Michaels in unfinished wood. They have a few varieties and did even last time I shopped there.) The drawers and pull-outs are fully functional and store a bunch of rement plates, utensils, pots and pans, platters, etc. Yes, I went a little crazy on the kitchen.....but, I really wanted this to be a star part of the house.

This bathroom cabinet was also from the Rement lines. I loved the print on it and the fact that the opaque, textured-plastic door opens and closes. I also scored some Rement beauty products (tiny perfume bottles, lipstick, nailpolish, etc.) I'm pretty sure those items are long-lost (I have a 2-year old!), but it was a fun effect.

I also used rement to accessorize other parts of the house; I bought a stand mirror that I set on the bedroom dresser, a set of donuts and pastries with a cakestand to go on the kitchen table, plates, tea set, and a little pink dresser/sideboard for the downstairs, and 2 cute cats complete with heart-shaped food bowl and little tiny food.

I think it was very fun and effective to mix/match the Rement stuff with the thrifted "out of the box" items.

Here are a few of my favorite rement items:
BlueBird's Tea Party
Red Kitchen (only $20)
Princess Tea Party
Vintage Tray/Serving Stuff
Mushroom Jars
Elegant Fruit Tart
Retro Chairs
Little Red Riding Hood Plates

There seems to be a bit less available this year than last, and it seems more expensive, too, but I think if you look hard enough, you can still find some great deals. The key is really putting in a bit of time.....the Little Red Riding Hood Plates were $2.99 on ebay, but $7.99 from a store. So do a bit of searching to get the best deal.