Great lightening show!

So yeah, being the insomniac I am at the moment I was up most of the night watching all the lightening... While I don't like the rain so much, I do love a good storm! Though I must admit I still feel like I'm in a bit of a slump in regards to working on the house.

Lazy day :)

Today I must admit as being an incredibly lazy day(we all aught to have one ever so often!) Anyways, didn't really work on the house today per se, but did treat myself to working on the first Chrysnbon kit I've ever tried -- the bathroom kit. It has the decidedly Victorian flair I'm working to achieve in this house. Still very much like the idea of it being based on Victorian decorating, but coming through the ages so that there are modern conveniences as well.. Not too sure how it'll all come out but hoping. lol

Also dug through some of my craft stuff I've amassed over the years, whether by my own doing or someone looking at me and saying I'd be more handy with it. That's how the cardstock I came across today came to be in my possession. My mom had attempted scrapbooking quite a few years ago, and then found it too time consuming, she gave me the odds and ends of shaped scissors and odd bits of paper. As it turns out, some of that discarded paper is a very nice marbled effect, and I'm hoping I may be able to work it in in the bathroom with the mosaic tile remnant I found the other day.

For now though, going to get back to the book I started today and keep my hand on the sidekick cat that has yet to leave my side today. Both he and my puppy(okay older dog but thinks he's a pup) Cory tend to not like the thunderstorms so much as I do. Have to say though I did get to watch some magnificent lightening shows tonight -- have always enjoyed those quite a bit. :)

New windows

Not a whole lot to post about today, other than that I have started making new window panes. Wanted originally to make these out of thin glass...

Bathroom flooring -- found!

Bathroom mosaic tile

Was taking stuff down for storage to clean out some room in the house today, and found several feet of old linoleum that was once slated to fix up an area that has since been decided against. As it is, it's PERFECT for a bathroom floor.

Paint sample is here!

It's here!

As evidenced by the picture my paint sample is here! Quite a bit brighter than I had figured it would be, but still confident it will get used in good time. Hat's off to Valspar though -- not only do you get the 8 oz paint sample of your choice, they also include a paint chip card to show complementary colors and also a card to show good accent options...

Veneer sample packs...

Veneer samples -- NICE!

I got my two veneer sample packs today... I'm seeing LOTS of possibilities with these -- flooring, wainscoting, counters, shelves, etc... There seems to be a really nice variety of these as far as wood and grain types go. What's really nice with several of these, is the simple matter if I want to have the look of a stenciled floor -- I can choose my pattern and print directly on them using the inkjet. Nice to know I can get a bit more detailed if I wish to with these.

Other than this have been re-sanding my walls I spackled yesterday, and am down to two window casings left to take apart. That's going to be my mindless type work for the evening. Still amazed at how strong my friend is to be dealing with all that she is at the moment... Just wish there was more I could do for her. Though she knows I'm here for her anytime. I've always heard that god only gives you so much as you can handle -- but she seems to have been given so much in such a short time to deal with...

Hope everyone else out there is doing well, and may have the wisdom to find all the pleasures and joy daily in your life. You never know what day will be your last...

Cleaning and sanding...

The title of the article says it all. After receiving news of a disturbing nature today, chose to just work on mind less tasks. Mainly still scraping glue, sanding, and then scrubbing down the trim for the Victorian dollhouse. Not so much progress to bother with taking a picture, and honestly not in too much of a mood to talk at the moment...

Hope to be slightly more upbeat tomorrow, but for now this is it.

Rain rain go away...

The simple thought going through my mind basically all day. The rain rather puts a damper on my painting, personal preference there but I don't like painting with lots of humidity. Seems more often than not when I do, there are issues...  :(

Expect the unexpected...

Baby blue before...

 After working on ceilings and picking out wall coverings, decided to work some more on the outside. As I had previously mentioned I was going to paint the main shell of the house a color called India Green. Only problem with that idea was evidently the paint was older than I knew. Literally when I opened the paint to stir it up -- it was chunky.

Minis with a mini!

The roof looks white but was covered with what could only be described as ugly paint and bad attempts at grafitti....

Beginnings of a new rooftop patio...

Wasn't too sure how much time I would have to work on my minis today -- as one of my favorite minis is here for the weekend. However, in between making some fun hippy inspired acorn bowls for her dh, and painting some rocks we picked up in our travels today -- I was able to find time to start on my rooftop for the Victorian.

Something other than minis...

Late post due to my involvement in other projects throughout the day. Had decided to clean out my work area and reorganize, so as to make it a little bit easier for me to work on my different projects. This involved some major thinking on my part(as well as some heavy lifting!)

First floor flooring -- finally done!

I know I've been working on it for a good bit of time, but I really like the way these came out. Not to mention the ceiling's looking pretty good too! My only issue I've been trying to figure on is my proportions for my drywall compound mix.

Current progress...

Well, let's see from yesterday's progress I can tell you I added a bit more to the dining area ceiling. It hasn't had it's plaster work done yet, but it does have a nice border to go around the ceiling medallion. Tonight I will hopefully get the plaster work done for that room. I'm still somewhat befuddled as to what type of ceiling I will be putting into the kitchen area.

Gonna be a short one today...

Not a whole lot to show for what I've been doing...  But I still feel like I've done some major stuff! Was able to find some scrapbook paper to double as wallpaper for the dining area, and fit in with the color scheme of the ceiling medallion I made from the tin lid. That is major kudos to me, because I didn't think I'd find anything to match to it, and I reeeeally wanted to! lol I also managed to prime the kitchen and dining area ceilings(needed to do that before I do any plasterwork.)

In regards to the priming before plastering if you're unaware it helps to keep any of the color(tannins) from the wood leaching through and coloring the plasterwork. Going to give that a bit more time to make sure it's completely dry and will hopefully start on some plastering tonight. Have also decided to see if I can't possibly get some of my exterior paint on the house. Would like to see the base of the shell taken care of, and if I'll like the India Green I picked for it.

Until next time...

It's official -- I've lost my mind to mini-ing!

   

What it looked like before...

What it looks like now!

Well, I don't think I've really lost it, more like changed it once again... Had that dining area floor all figured perfectly with the Celtic knotwork parquet pattern, but last night decided I wanted to work on something different. So started finishing up some ceiling work for the first floor..

Flooring and sanding...

My first of three!

Two words that really seem just a bit more than interchangeable in my mind at the moment! Though I really must say the difference between wet and dry sanding is incredible(a lot less dust), will in all likelihood be doing more wet sanding than what I have after doing my porch yesterday. Haven't applied color at all to the dining area floor, but I have put polyurethane on the border pieces. Soooo, think I'm going to look at what stains I have available and see what I can do to start making my pattern come to life(crossing my fingers I can do this half as well as I can envision it in my head.)

To be honest I also started work on a Creatology Puzzle House. I got three of these free from a member on another forum site that I frequent, she mentioned they just weren't her cup of tea... Have to say though it really went together easily. Sort of like a house by number kit, though it looks very much like it's name sake -- a puzzle. I have some definite plans for it to look more house like... Not going to get too into it at the moment though. If anyone else is like me and hasn't heard of these it's a half scale house or 1:24 scale. Basically you can have a whole house in a lot less space!  :)

For now I'm going to get back to work on flooring and decking, hoping that I can actually remember to take a picture or two of progress as I go...

Still scoring tiles...

Yeppers, that's right -- still scoring the little tiles. There are times I've realized when you get one of those AHA moments, you know the ones you just can't ignore -- that no matter if you think they'll be perfect, getting to that point is going to take a while...

Last of the first floor floors...

Not too much to enter here as of today. After having settled on the Celtic knot design for the dining area, I was having trouble figuring how I wanted to go about making it a reality. Problem solved though in the wee hours of the morning. Decided to be safe rather than sorry, so made a quick template from cardstock of the floor area.

After making the template I decided to use a piece of strip wood not quite an inch thick. This will be the border for the room. In the center of this I chose to use some of the same tiles I used for the living area -- however I chose to make them smaller. So instead of these being an inch square, I cut the majority down to one quarter inch square. Some of these will be smaller yet though... I won't be posting a picture of this yet as it would look like it was all white. Have to say though, once I get my colors added I think it should look good(crossing my fingers.)

Nothing like the smell of sawdust and fresh paint...

A statement I'm sure that many who look at the surface would never expect to hear me say! lol Ah well, there's one of the problems of people who like to judge a book by it's cover. I have to say though, being that the Victorian is my first house to rehab(Craigslist find for really cheap), I'm really loving the feeling of bringing something that looked abused back to life. Last night I did polyurathane on the wood floor(unfortunately the varnish I intended to use was bad), more Mod Podge on the kitchen area floor to even up the tiles(actually working, wasn't too sure if it would lol), and since I was still feeling like I needed to accomplish more went ahead and added primer(Kilz to block stains) to a couple of walls. If anyone's wondering why the need for Kilz, even after using paint stripper, scraping, and sanding -- the wood had soaked in a good bit of bad color. The above picture is of the floor before and after poly -- the left is the before and the right quite obviously the after. LOVE seeing the wood grain come out and show to it's best!!! I know I'm a geek, but right now that's working well for me as well as the house. lol

Honestly thought I could call this the McDonald's house for the brilliant reds and yellows used on a couple rooms. But it looks so much nicer with plain white to use as a base! Still need to spackle and smooth a few spots on the walls I've primed, but it really feels like this is coming along now. OH, forgot to mention I also found a Celtic knot inspired pattern to use for the dining area floor. Which will in all likelihood be done with the dark and light alternating wood colors... Not sure why, but the color variation really seems to be something I like right now, so I'm just going to go with it and see what comes.

Other matter that I'm still mulling over for this house before I start putting walls up is whether or not I should go ahead and attempt wiring on this as well. Reason being that the rooms are a bit dark due to the depth and no side windows(though I may well add a couple extra yet). If I add lighting though I think it would really help to showcase this as a true miniature home -- not just a house. Still getting my feet under me with the lighting of mini houses, but I do so like the idea of making it as true as possible for any little people who may someday call it their home...

Floors, walls, and some other things...

Well, today I've managed to squeeze in some definite work on the Victorian. Went out to the shop and scraped some more of the hideous paint job off of it. That led to sanding and my losing track of time... So by the time I couldn't feel fingers or nose, decided it was time to head back into where there was heat! As it stands though I've managed to make it to where there are only four more pieces to scrape paint off of before I manage to prime and start piecing this house back together.

I have also managed to start leveling out my stone looking floor tiles for the kitchen. Mod Podge in the matte finish seems to be working well for that idea, once I wet sand that for the last time I aught to be able to clear seal it and have a nice looking floor... hopefully! I also received three half scale puzzle houses in the mail today, so tomorrow perhaps we'll see if they're so quick and easy to put together or not... Hoping that I'll be able to make these look more like the house part than the puzzle. Guess we shall see.

Until next time I'll be off working on more flooring, and looking at possible patterns for that dining area. Really wanting to do some sort of Celtic knot work pattern for that so I'll be looking through some of my pattern books and figuring out how to scale them down...

Well... Better late than never!

Okay, so wasn't feeling great throughout the day, but after dragging through most of it(and yes yesterday was the day I picked up the infamous Fernbrook kit) I figured I'd best take care of a post. So as stated, went and picked up the kit from a wonderfully kind lady in Marietta. Got to meet her two girls(Holly a golden lab) and Lucy(a Jack Russel/Beagle mix) who both were quite helpful in going over the contents with us to make sure it was all there. I can say easily if this would have been my first kit to put together I would have gotten scared as well... Thankfully it isn't! heeheeheehee  ;)

So, besides the simple matter I've made myself promise not to start working on it until I get another house done I also want to make sure I don't spread what little talent I feel I have and gyp one of the houses I already have going. A lot of miniaturists will say that their houses speak to them and let them know what it is they want to become. I firmly believe this as well, consider them more than just a kit -- more so like a canvas waiting to have life breathed into it like a canvas awaiting that first stroke from a paint brush... There is something somewhat magical in knowing that you have a hand in helping it to become what it's meant to!

 

In stating this I want to post a link to another miniaturist's blog, Doreen is giving away little bouquets of flowers for hitting the 300 followers mark, and if you would like to visit her site it is here. I rather like this idea of thanks to help make another person's house more of a home... Something to ponder on if this happens to take off at all. For now I'm going to post a pic or two of the kit I picked up today, and go attempt to sand the Victorian's floor in the living room again. Sanded it once to smooth the tiles down, and also did a little bit of wood putty for what the sawdust didn't take care of. After this it will be the first coat of varnish, and then yuppers you guessed it -- more sanding! Good thing I've actually started to like that step...

Flooring, flooring, and you guessed it more flooring

So, have about a third of the main room on the first floor done with parquet tiles glued in place. I've in all likelihood made this process harder on myself than needs be by "painting" woodglue on to the base and then placing my pieces on and holding two rows down at a time with a larger piece of wood and old college textbooks to weight them down... Once I get done gluing I will also be sanding theses down. Good tip: wipe the sawdust off don't blow it. When you wipe, the sawdust will help to fill any of the holes or cracks between tiles. Then it's a simple matter of sealing the floor, sanding, sealing again and sanding again with a finer grit paper, and repeat for a third time again moving to a finer grit sandpaper. My whole goal on this is so that I don't see any sign of the varnish other than the sheen...

While waiting on the last two rows I worked on to dry, I figured I may as well start laying out the design of the kitchen area floor. Which also meant I had to figure where it was I was going to put my divider walls for the dining area. Once I had figured that and marked the spot on the floor with pencil I then chose two colors of tile to put down. The tiles I used are the vinyl peel and stick floor tiles put out by Greenleaf. These are commercial grade, but they do suggest to use some added glue since there won't be anyone heavy enough walking on them to keep them down. As it is I used a light tan and a brown looking tile, which for being the first I've used these -- have to say I like how they've turned out.

For now though it's back to figuring what I'll be doing for the dining room floor area, and of course continuing to glue down the living area's floor. Btw, the pattern I chose for the living room floor is called a sawtooth pattern.. While the coloration of both photos today don't really show true to life, if I use the flash they'll both look all white. So all I ask is keep your fingers crossed that I can do this and get it to where I see it at in my mind(fingers crossed)...

Jinxed myself!

Still want to try and get at this daily -- so silly me what do I do, get involved in working on the houses and let midnight slip on by me! lol Ah well, going to post this now to update on progress so far. Not only did I get 144 1 inch square tiles scored and stained last night, I also managed to get primer on the foundation for my Victorian... and drum roll please -- yes that's right have started with the drywall mud for a stone foundation. From looking at my inspiration houses they didn't use "normal" sized bricks, but apparently much larger stone hewn to distribute the weight of the house. While I won't be building the foundation out, it should hopefully look pretty accurate for the period.

For today, I'm still gluing all the parquet pieces in place for the main sitting area -- or in today's time what I suppose would be the living room. I've also settled on flooring for the kitchen, which will look more like marble. Still have yet to figure if I'll be doing parquet in a different pattern for the dining area or what will go in there. Don't know if I mentioned this previously but since the first floor is so open, I'm planning on making a couple of half walls to divide the kitchen and dining area. Just seems the house was let go for so long I'd really like to do right by it with this rehab. Have also gotten a couple of document frames at one of the local dollar stores. Reason being as I've learned from the Greenleaf forum members, the glass is easily cut to make new windows for the miniature houses. I like this idea a lot, because if you have small children playing with them the acetate windows get dirty fast. While these may still get dirty, they'll be a lot easier to clean.

Okay, thinking that's enough of an update for now. Glue should be set on the last two rows of tiles I just glued, just 10 more rows to go. Hopefully will update with a pic once the floor is completely glued down, varnidshed, sanded, etc...

Going to attempt this daily...

Hope everyone's been able to keep warm, as it's still chilled temps and windy here. However, cold temperatures not withstanding I still made it out to the shop today and brought in 4 more pieces of the Victorian styled house. These have had the interiors scraped of paint, sanded, and then smoothed. Hoping tonight I can use some of my wood filler to fill the screw holes from some hinges that were put in but completely pointless since the house was glued together... I'm learning though not to question any farther than "What the h*ll were they thinking?!?" lol

I've decided, or rather the house is telling me it wants to be done in an Italianate Victorian style. As opposed to going paint shopping(which can be dangerous for me, very costly) I decided to go through what I had on hand. Was thinking I wanted the main shell to be done in a sage green, what I've come up with is a color called India Green. Most of these styled houses I've seen with quite a few colors, so wanted to make sure if I go with this theme I can be true to the architecture(more on this in a minute) as well as colors. Therefore I will be using an Antique White(more of an ivory color) for the main trim pieces -- and then accent colors will be a burgundy shade, darker green, and an antique gold(darker yellow). Hoping that it will look good when done, have yet to even contemplate color schemes for the inside...

As far as the architecture, what I have noticed with this kit is the corbels that came with it are incredibly plain and simple, and rather thick for the house(1/2" or 6" in rl standards). Sooo, decided to make some new ones myself! I now have 8 new corbels with a bit more in detail on them, and will be cutting these in half(1/4" or 3" in rl) to match up as paired corbels seen more often on these houses.

Have also decided to try my hand at making some patterned parquet floors. I'll be using Greenleaf wood tiles for this, and attempting to customize them just a bit. Seems to me that for those that have looked, most places that sell the wood flooring options for dollhouses make a killing on the prices. Myself, figure I'm ingenious enough to make my own more cost effective option. Will post more on this tomorrow if it works.

A Quick Hello...

I've never done this blogging bit before, but have been inspired by so many of the artisans that I follow in their mini endeavors.. Today I was surprised to find that I will be receiving an Artply Fernbrook dollhouse, and while I have three other builds in progress -- well to say the least I am just super excited! Anyways, had the thought that if I had this blog started it may be another push to keep me on track with my other builds...

So do let me update anyone out there as to what I have been working on:

Last week I was able to get a previously used dollhouse called Petite Dreams by a company that is no longer in business. Basically it's a generic version of a Real Good Toy's Alison Jr. It's just got the tower on the opposite side. This had the paint on it that I believe came from the factory on the exterior, as for the interior I have counted numerous layers and various colors as I've scraped the wood free. You name it anything from a flesh tone to purple, grass green to Christmas red -- it's all been done. It also was treated to fabric paint of all things, still has me scratching my head on that one! lol The picture I've included is of this house, and what it looked like when I got it -- if you all look closely you can also see the green foam stuff on the pillar. This house just needs some time and attention, hoping I may be the one to give it what it needs in regards to elbow grease and love. Thinking this will be finished up in an Italianate Victorian style... at least that's what she tells me she'd like!

Then we have the Ebay dh I got really cheap which was the Tiffani dh kit by Whitney, another dollhouse company unfortunately out of business as far as I know. This is my first "true" bash in that I've added on a small room addition on the side, changed out the door and windows, and will not be using one piece of the numerous pieces of gingerbread trim on this. This house I didn't see so much as the Victorian it was portrayed as, but it seems well suited to become a Tudor inspired cottage...

For the other house that is currently in the shop awaiting my return to it when the weather warms up some is the Harrison dollhouse by Greenleaf. This is portrayed as a Tudor, but I think in all likelihood while I'll keep some of that -- it will probably be modernized a bit... Still figuring on that one though, when it starts to talk to me I only hope I'm ready to listen! Funnily enough, I thought this would be the largest dollhouse I'd ever have luck to work on. Just goes to show you if you have patience any dream can be a reality! Because I'd looked at houses like the Worthington and just drooled over them, here it is that the Fernbrook is like that but has an added 6" in depth! So stoked!!!

So with all of that you see, I'm looking at picking up the Fernbrook next week, going to try and be good and not jump right into that while I have these other houses looking to be brought back or brought to life. But boy I can't wait to even see it! Meanwhile, I think I'm heading back out to the shop to strip more paint. Fun times!!