His project dolls up the fair
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"It's just a hobby for me, it's fun."That's what Glen Blaalid, 30, of New Ulm says about his doll house construction, which has netted him two ribbons at the Brown County Fair.
Blaalid, a maintenance worker at New Ulm Medical Center, started building doll houses as Christmas gifts for his nieces last November and has built five since then.
HE CONSTRUCTS his houses in one of two styles. The simpler southern plantation home and more complex townhouse.
A 1964 graduate of New Ulm High School, Blaalid toured several southern homes while in the service with the Army reserve.
"I've always liked old houses,"he says.
Ten months ago, Blaalid built his first doll house from scratch, without any instructions.
The four-room southern plantation house takes about a month to construct, according to Blaalid. The townhouse made up of seven rooms requires 1-1/2 months' time.
"It's a good hobby for the winter time, but I don't really get that much done on it in the summer,"he notes.
The frame and furniture of each doll house is made of plywood pieces. Wood trim imported from England and Germany is also used extensively along with wallpaper and hardened cardboard pieces for the roof shingles.
BLAALID'S EXHIBIT at the fair is a seven-room townhouse finished in robin's egg blue with white trim and a white shingled roof.
The front of the house is the most ornate side with white lace curtains and white window boxes with artificial pink roses around each window.
Going from top to bottom, Blaalid's townhouse contains an empty attic for the top story.
The third floor features two bedrooms-master and baby. The master bedroom is done with a gold wallpaper pattern and the baby room with a green pattern.
Both upstairs bedrooms contain dressers, beds, and lamps.
THE SECOND FLOOR is made up of a gold wallpaper patterned dining room and a green patterned family roomette dining room contains a hutch, table and chandelier while the family room sports chairs, tables, a couch, fireplace and a fish bowl.
A kitchen is located in the first floor with a pot-bellied stove, table, chairs and cupboards.
The townhouse is carpeted in blue throughout.
Blaalid's work of art earned him both a purple and Bicentennial award ribbons under Division M handicrafts.
New Ulm Daily Journal
Aug. 18, 1976