Strawberry Salsa & Barbie Dollhouse Kitchen Renovation Update

My little strawberry patch did well this year and the first big round of fruit is winding down. I had fun coming up with new ways to enjoy the berries. This Strawberry Salsa was bright and fruity and and truly a little different. We enjoyed it as a dip with tortilla chips. I can see it served over grilled chicken too. The only thing that could make this any better would be fresh garden ripe tomatoes... But we have a way to go before that will happen:@)

Strawberry Salsa-adapted from Taste of Home

1 pint strawberries, washed, dryed, hulled and chopped

4 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped

1 small sweet onion, chopped-I used scallions

1-2 medium jalapenos, seeded if desired, chopped

2 T fresh lime juice

1 T olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1. Mix all, cover and let mingle in refrigerator for 2 hours.
2. Serve spooned over chicken or pork, or as a dip with tortilla chips or crackers.

The dollhouse is coming together nicely and I feel the kitchen has it's major pieces in place, I'll only change things out when if I find something I like better... It's fun looking for little 1:6 scale trinkets and items to help make the house look more realistic. Toys, mini salt and pepper shakers, craft store supplies, Christmas ornaments, anything goes. Ken is our model today, he's patiently waiting for his morning coffee to finish brewing... Say Hi to the nice people Ken... No??? Sorry folks, that coffee will be done soon, I promise:@)

The main working area of the kitchen: Gloria kitchenette to the left, which was a very good Ebay purchase! Providing a compact stove, oven, sink and counter, with seating. Actually, I like that my expanded kitchen layout provides ample seating as needed, between the high counter seats, the stool(s) at the island, and then the table and chairs in the dining area. As for the color, ~pink~ I mentioned previously that it's so dominant in these toys, I'm not fighting it (much)😉 I may paint some things as time goes on, but for now I'm ok with the look.

A glimpse into the dining area: I like that everything is open, and the dolls can interact in the scene. What needs the most work? The table and chairs... I keep asking my son to cut different sizes of wood and buying pre-cut pieces at Dollar Tree for the table top. But so far I don't have the look I want, which is a pedestal table small enough to seat the dolls, yet big enough for plates and food. And while I'm ok with the design of the chairs, this is the only pink in the room I really don't care for. 

And the long view... I decided that far wall with the window needed some kind of wallpaper, this is just wrapping paper from Dollar Tree, but I like that the different hues of pink, in the small scale, help to pull all of the colored pieces together just a little better.

So there you have it folks,

the kitchen as it is today.

As a point of reference,

this is what I started with:

Say goodbye to the nice people Ken.

Much better, thank you Ken.

Indeed...

~Make something just for fun,

and have a great weekend😊