Introducing Virtage...and felt playhouse

Here I am, a young-ish Italian woman, living in Hertfordshire, UK, with a great passion for homemade everything: food, cards, toys, clothes, you name it! Born and bred in Sicily, my mum is as passionate about making stuff as I am...my grandmother was a tailor. Well, you get it.
I'm pretty much self-taught though, as when I was a child and a teen I tenaciously refused to learn anything that would keep me still for more than a hour...now, at the wise age of 30 something, arts and craft give me so much satisfaction and pleasure that sometimes I think: I should go out more!
So, down to business now; let me show you my little masterpiece, and probably the best way to start a blog on crafts...

A felt playhouse, made as a Christmas present for my little monkey. The idea isn't mine, I have to admit, but the one of a really clever lady who writes a fantastic blog from America, Jill. Her blog, Homemade by Jill is one of my favourite reads after a long day at work. She has made the most incredible felt playhouse a few years ago and used her kitchen table as a structure. I have to say, that was a no-no for me, our kitchen table is permanently covered with, in no particular order: fruit, unpaid bills, books, toys, leftover food, empty (dirty) cups, crumbles etc etc.
So, I have decided to buy a cheap playhouse off eBay, I immediately threw away the super-toxic vynil cover, and started my gigantic project, armed with felt bought by the metre at my local street market, some A4 felt sheets bought over the Internet from The Felted Rainbow, and lots of ideas coming from Jill and this other incredible lady who sells homemade felt playhouses, Julie from Wisconsin.
I loved making this house, but I have to say, the toughest 6 weeks of my crafting career! I never embarked before in such a big project, felt is pretty bulky too, and a challenge when everything is sewn, but you have to make it go through the sewing machine to stitch up the "walls"...But, how much satisfaction in seeing my little miss' face when she looked at it, rubbed her little eyes (on Boxing Day's morning, I didn't make it for Christmas, in spite of all my best efforts) and said "Wow! Casa!" - she is only one and a half, and obviously her vocabulary is limited to single words, mostly in Italian...still, big achievement!

The details I love the most are perhaps the pick-able apples and carrots - little miss started loving carrots and broccoli from the day I made this house with felt vegetables you can pick -, the little birds (from a template featured in this craft online magazine, Country Dreams) and the animals: a cow, a pig, a cat and a dog, which I can proudly say, are the product of my own making and thinking.
Credit to my mum who has made the cute curtains, the only non-felt element in the whole lot, only using my description over the phone as a basis.
And after a number of mistakes and a not-so-perfect ensemble (I know where I could have done it better), here it is, little miss' house.