Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Turntable for Dollhouses

Do you remember when I mentioned the turntable/Lazy Susan used during the Lego Expo to display their dollhouses?  Well I thought about getting one for myself because I love to be able to see both the front and back of my dollhouses!  The front often has a very beautiful and elaborate design so it was a little sad to see it face the wall all the time.  And since I don't glue my miniature down, every time I move the house meant a million of tiny little things would cascade down the floor!

So that's why a turntable would come in handy to allow a smooth rotation of the dollhouse.  I looked around for an affordable option but I didn't find anything until I found a cheap $5 Lazy Susan on Amazon.  It's originally intended for the dining table or kitchen but I thought I might as well try it for my dollhouse.

I didn't want to splurge on an expensive model and I purposely bought a small kitchen model so that even if it didn't work out for my dollhouse, I could still use it for my little dining table or kitchen.  I bought the cheapest model: a 9-inch diameter Copco Non-Skid Cabinet Turntable for $5! Can't beat that price! 
 
 
 
Well it turned out (no pun intended!) that it worked perfectly for my dollhouse!!! I was so impressed by how sturdy it was and how smoothly it turned! 
 
It's a little high but it will eventually work out because I intend to use felt and cotton to create the ground.  If the house was too low, it would snag on the material when I turn it!

 
It fits my bigger dollhouse but not the Calico Cottage which is much smaller.  So for those smaller houses, I had to look for another type of turntable.  The regular Lazy Susan did not come in smaller size so I opted for a simple ball bearings turntable.
 

I found a very small model of 60mm aluminum bearing on Ebay for $5 (including shipping).  It was intended to use for glass turntables for jewelry display but it worked fine for the dollhouse.


This ball bearing model is a little too small for the dollhouse but it still works and turns smoothly.  It didn't feel wobbly but I will buy a larger size in order to have a more stable base.  The present model can be used for smaller buildings such as the Strawberry Shortcakes houses.

I am very happy with how it turned out (oh alright, pun intended :P) and I can't wait to start working on my village display!

Do you have a place to display your dollhouse(s) too?  Please let me know how you do it!  I would love to learn some tricks on how to make a better display! 

4 comments:

  1. Hi Jane Cherie, Thanks for the reminder: I've purchased several of the kitchen lazy susan turntables at Goodwill. I can hardly wait to try them out. I think they're on my husband's workbench as a reminder that I need him to lift my dollhouses for me, but now that two of my dollhouses are lightweight, I can try them right way! Then he can help me lift a third one. Yes, I display my houses on a desk with an arm extended. So the desk fits into a corner of my craft room, and the houses go along both walls and the corner itself. It is starting to look like a little village--yay! Thanks for sharing about the ball bearing turntable. I didn't even know those existed--fun! xo Jennifer

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    1. Good idea to check out at Goodwill! I don't have much time to shop because I am stuck at home with the baby once I finish my work but I love going there :D Let me know how the turntables worked for your dollhouses!

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  2. that is such a clever idea, Jane. we love Calico Critters here! we keep my daughter's CC dollhouse in her window. not very ingenious, but it works! xoxo

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    1. That's a good place for dollhouses as you have natural light coming in to light up the rooms! My window spaces are all taken so it's unfortunate but I can't place my houses there.

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