Paper clip fun!

Not too much to update with today. So will attempt to at least keep a happy point on here for the day... Namely the point that at least there is still a thing or two to be smiled upon today! Such as that I did complete a couple things today. Not much but at least a couple things... lol

Number one that I did get my wall from the other day completed in decor, with the horse/barn bit done. Mainly in that I was trying to figure out what I was going to do on the other walls of that room. Wanted to continue the look of aged barn wood, but not the entire wall -- think it would just look too dark then. Managed however to find some fun paper clips at the grocery store the other day, they look very similar to the link on the left but are red, white, and blue. So, was able to glue some above the door. Now I'll be able to work in some mini print flag fabric on part of the walls and have it tie in with the paper clip decoration. Meaning not only will I be able to work in the horses, but also a bit of a patriotic nod as well. Two of the girls' dad was a marine, and the whole family is very proud of his service -- most especially his daughters!  :)

Also, got a bit more done today in regards to furniture possibilities, well at least to what I may be getting. Specifically, in that anyone who has gotten stuff from JBM Miniatures may like to hear that they are starting to sell retail now! Just go to their new site jbmminiatures.com to buy some of their new furniture or to at least look around. :) Not much more to mention today, but at least that... For now though that aught to do it...

Til tomorrow.

Craft store day

Today I didn't actually do too much with the house itself, other than I did make up some walls from foam board. I may still break down and actually get some of those nifty room dividers of laser cut wood -- but I just don't see spending that sort of money on a house I know is probably going to get some rough play. Maybe when they're older. lol

As is, I did finally get a day trip with my mom to go check out craft/hardware stores. She had told me there was a Michael's about an hour away along with a Crafts 2000 and some other fun little shops. Unfortunately the Michael's was closed, so I still have yet to ever set foot in one of those. Crafts 2000 which I normally love, I found this one to be waaaay overpriced on most of their products. Found a couple good deals so it wasn't a total bust, but it was a disappointment. First place I've been they wanted $1.00+ for a piece of scrapbook paper! Thought that was totally nuts...

So my bright side for the day is I got some cool tile to use in one of the big dollhouses I'll be making/rehabbing soon, and some more glue. Other than that not too much to report for the day, other than to also mention along with the glue I bought a couple boxes of corn starch. If my plans work out, it will be another way to be creative for a whole lot less. I'll share once I do this experiment on whether it works or not...

Till tomorrow have a good one!

New pics -- finally!

Yea!!! I finally remembered to grab the camera while doing some of the dh stuff today! I know, it's been how long? lol Anyways, have determined to do two kids rooms. I suppose one could be made into a nursery if they want, I'll be doing that with a fairytale type theme to it. The other room I've been excited to do is themed on horses. The family this is going to -- horses are a major love!

After finding a picture of horses that came up in a google search of free horse clipart I printed out three different pics that I really liked. Took them out the other day and used a clear spray sealer to seal them, and today glued one up. I had this one picked out to go by the door because it is the exact height, and therefore just awesome looking. Not sure if I'm going to put interior doors on this or not. Figure I may do a portiere type of thing on the other side if necessary. But there are a couple of smaller kids that may from time to time play with this, and doors I just don't see holding up so well to that type of play for now...

Anyways, that first picture is of my recycling efforts in effect. The stripwood used on the townhouse floors that I picked up was done in playscale. Which if I'm successful when I rehab that one it won't be any longer, but will instead be 1:12. So got to thinking that it would be good if I could reuse that wood somehow, however realized while removing it that it was just glued in with the paperbacking. So pulled out the old spraybottle, added a bit of warm water and fabric softener and sprayed the backside of the wood. I rather figure if that combo can remove wallpaper, it aught to be able to remove sticky paper residue. Guess what -- it actually did! lol

I will freely admit I wanted an old barn look so some pieces I made sure to get that were ragged looking. After I glued these up, I took a piece of heavier grit sandpaper to help get rid of some of the sheen still on the wood from previous varnish efforts. Still wasn't satisfied with the look I had, wasn't aged enough I guess... So took what was on hand and mixed up some Burnt Umber and Black acrylic craft paint with some Matte ModPodge, and check out how it came out! I love the effect!!!

 

Now my only problem is figuring out if I'm going to carry the aged wood effect around the room on the other two walls... If I do I'm thinking I'd only do so on half the wall so as not to have it too dark. But for now, this is the first wall decoration I've done other than the dining room and I really like it(hopefully they will too)!

Ahhh... :)

I really don't have too much to blog about today... Other than that I have two kits in the mail as of today!!! The first being my Bay Mansion kit, and the second one that I won't be posting about until after the fact. The second is being done for my niece Adrianna, and basically will be doubling as a night light for the next little bit. :)

Only other thing that I've really been looking into are the different possibilities for doll sculpting clays. Seems a lot are huge fans of Creative Paperclay, whereas others seem to prefer Fimo and Sculpey. For myself, I'm just trying to find that which will be most forgiving. The Paperclay has the plus of being an air drying clay, but in the same breath I can see that as being equally bad... Just going to have to keep up researching, and possible experimentation in small quantities until I can make up my mind.

Hope everyone's having a good one. :)

A whole lot of repetition!

At least in regards to dollhousing today... Basically I decided(yet again) to focus my efforts on good looking floors. Which today meant using poly, letting it dry, sanding, and repeating again.. Think I'm going to do at least one more coat and see how I like it from there. I have yet to keep a house I've worked on for myself, which I think is pushing me to attempt better work. At least I'd like to think so...

I keep hoping that with each build/project I might continue to not only learn from others, but also better my own attempts from each "learning" experience. For example, I'm learning how to type one-handed while blogging so as to keep my dog happy! He has a definite whimper that tugs at the heart strings if he doesn't have a hand on himself. Yes, my fur babies are just a wee bit spoiled... ;)

So, have been not only thinking about the Townhouse remodel and the Walmer house kit, but caught myself dreaming of them today. Nice little daydream of what I could do with each... They're definitely going to have to have families. Haven't gotten the directions yet for the mansion, but I've begun to really picture it in my mind. I think these two houses are going to be different from anything I've worked on yet, as I've begun imagining the interior first -- normally it's the exterior I picture so clearly in my mind at first... Should be interesting, they both have larger footprints -- so I'm really thinking it's smarter to just take it slow and listen to them first... Though goodness only knows when inspiration hits if I'll take it so slow then! lol

Til tomorrow guys :)

Couldn't help myself!

Sooo, remember how I wasn't going to touch the Townhouse til I had the Petite Dreams house done? Yeah, I broke -- it was too much for me to go out to the shop for a tool and just see it looking all dejected like. However, I did make sure I didn't go gung ho on it without a reason! At least it seemed a good reason for me at the time. lol

The kids I'm rehabbing(or at this point building) this house for have varied interests. Several are incredibly into horses and the other little miss really seems to be a girly girl(as in lots of pink and purple). Was scratching my head the last few days trying to figure out how to combine the two, and finally figured out I'm going to do a half wall on the upper floor as well. One part will be a nursery done in a fairytale theme, and the forward room towards the back will be done up not like a stable so much -- but definite evidence of horses.

Now if y'all are wondering how my work on the Townhouse is tying into this... The entire townhouse had that plank flooring, which I found out wasn't actually glued in. Seems it was paper backed flooring that they never removed the paper. Therefore while I wasn't able to pull it out as easily as I'd hoped, I was able to at least get the edge of the utility knife under it and pry it up. Now I'll be using it for wainscoting done rustic on the lower half of the wall, and very possibly the floor of that room as well. Really think it aught to look good.

Hoping with-in the next couple of days I'll be able to get my butt in gear and start taking pictures and posting of my progress. But for now I'll just say I like what I've been accomplishing!  :)

Quick update..

Just a quick update -- one square away from having all my parquet work done! Yeah!!! :)

Other than that for yesterday's work, printed out and sealed several pictures for wall murals to be put up in the kids room and nursery. It feels like I can see the end line coming near -- so excited to start another.

Wrestling match

At least that's what it felt like getting the townhouse out of the car today! lol That sucker is not only big and unwieldy but really heavy! At least on the bright side if small children were to play with it I don't think there'd be a chance of it being knocked over. Though I have to laugh when I think of the picture posted on the RGT site of the two girls playing with this, it is literally not even a 3 inch difference in height between this house and myself.

Tired... gonna make this a quick one.

Tired, so very very tired! Something about being in a car for long periods of time that does that to me... Today, I was in a car quite a bit longer than I had expected to be. Was a few hours to get where the Town House was located, remember I live in a rural area -- just getting out of the county from where I'm at is about half an hour to 45 minutes. Trip up though wasn't so bad, getting to the location and realizing that after the last two days of solidifying plans to meet with this woman to pick the house up AND she wasn't there... That left a lot to be desired! As is, once I finally got through to her on her cell she let me know it would be an additional bit of time but she would be home. Basically, this amounted to me having to waste a couple of hours after already being in the car for about three. I was not happy.

There is a bright side though... Found a scrapbooking store and got some neat paper! If you'll all remember for the nursery I've been working on puzzle piece flooring, but today I found textured cardstock that not only looks 3-D but has the texture to prove it. It's Lego Paper by Creative Imaginations. I got a sheet of the yellow b/c that was the only color they had -- but I can see lots of possibilities with this... oh yes I can! Btw, these were one of my all time favorite toys growing up, so I'll warn you I may be a bit biased. lol

Next up I got some more textured white cardstock to double as ceiling paper, different pattern than what I've currently got on hand. Last bit of paper I got is put out by a company of the name PinkPaislee.com, and this to me is looking like encaustic tile. The name of the pattern is Honeycomb from the Queen Bee Collection.

Have to say the dollhouse is still in the back of the car, as when I got home to top the day off -- we had no power! At least it was turned on about an hour ago, and I live in a rural enough area going for several weeks is not unheard of. lol So that was a definitive high note.

Going to try and get a picture or two tomorrow of the house, it's not in so bad a shape as it was made out to be. I think the most depressing thing for me to see with it, is the house wasn't in so bad a shape(other than the color which will be changed) originally -- but I think it was left downstairs in the basement to amuse the kids. Which to them meant ripping out the chandeliers and ceiling fans(all supposedly worked but I'll never know since they've not been  located), and breaking all the windows and doors. What surprised me however is it appears that the wallpaper isn't half bad, unfortunately I'll still have to remove it to get down to the tapewire and see what's what, and also to redo the floor/ceiling placement.

For now though I'm going to go jump into pjs and relax with my animals. Night all

Gearing up for a road trip!

Yuppers, that is correct -- tomorrow I have actually managed to have the fates align to go pick up the RGT Playscale Victorian Townhouse. This was a Craigslist find, but then ended up being free. I think this house was originally bought as a rehab for her daughter and when she didn't take to it just sat and collected dust for the last number of years. So officially tomorrow I go to pick up my first RGT house... then by next week I should have my second with a birthday gift I'm trying to get a start on for my niece.

So my basic planned order of houses being worked on is to finish up the Petite Dreams dollhouse, and get that over to it's new home. As far as I'm aware the girls don't know anything in regards to it yet -- so it should be a complete surprise! Hopefully one that they not only enjoy, but are able to work through some issues with their grandma if need be. Then I'd like to start on the townhouse or the Bay Mansion but I'll actually try and get the other RGT kit knocked out to make sure that birthday gift is done by July. It's half scale so I'm hoping to get it done fairly quickly and be awesome for her.  :)

Then it will be on to one of the mansions -- either the townhouse, which will be needing to be disassembled first and then bashed into more proportionate aspects for a 1:12th scale house and then put back together, or the Bay Mansion. Before I start on either of those indoor though, I will need to move around or get rid of furniture to fit them in. For now I'll be putting the townhouse out in the shop along side of my Harrison to await me.

Now on to the promised blog link I found yesterday to give an idea as to what the Bay Mansion could look like. I've enjoyed scanning her blog and have found it not only entertaining but educational in regards to the different types of dolls out there. Hope this one might be enjoyed by you all as well, it is called Susan's Mini Homes. If you are wanting a more finished preview of the mansion she has named hers Mindolton Manor. Just list that in the search box and it'll come up with several different articles. Neat thing I learned in regards to this from searching her pics and articles -- the house is open in the back but hinged to open in the front as well... Just keeps getting better and better!

Decision day!

 I'll explain the picture in just a moment...

If anyone read yesterday's post I was really excited to see the Greenleaf Spring Fling announcement. The kit is awesome looking by the way! Reason I was so looking forward to seeing it though, was because it was going to be either that or I was going to go ahead with a different project that had caught my eye. Funny because while the kit this year doesn't per se look like the Tiffani, the roof line and gable really remind me of this kit. Which I already have going being made into a Tudor themed house. Then the SF kit has all these awesome options for different additions... but I've already done that with my Tiffani kit. lol

Quick one...

Just wanted to make sure I updated this today really quick. Still have been doing those lovely little veneer strips(typed just a bit sarcastically) lol, and also started scoring some pine veneer. Hoping the scored pine will make some nice looking planks for the center panel of flooring. Will in all likelihood stain it with either cherry or a maple, but have yet to decide until I compare how the color comes out on a piece of scrap.

As for other dollhouse related news, I don't know how many others out there are/or have been involved in the Greenleaf annual Spring Fling -- but I have been anxiously checking their site and my e-mail to see what the project will be this year... I also am checking to see if I can afford it or have any ideas for it. lol If I can and do, this would be the first contest of sorts I would enter into in regards to miniatures. Funny because I know there is still so much I feel I aught to be doing better, but that's the fun part -- the learning as you go I mean.

I can tell just from what my niece Alyssa's house was made into, to what I'm doing on the other house projects I have going now -- huge improvement! At least in my opinion. Though I think that first house will always hold a special memory if for no other reason how much I learned with it, and the smile I saw on Christmas morning.

For now though I'm going back to checking for updates while I cut more veneer. Hope everyone has a good day!

Not a lot done today...

Besides being more tired than I think there are words for from staying up with the kitten last night, I was just not in a good mood. Just down I think for not being able to do more to help it make it. Have to look at the bright side though that at least the kitten knew a bit of love and care before passing.

As far as mini-ing went today however all I can really claim is working on stonework color and those darned veneer strips still. I did manage one other point today, but that's to be kept secret for a while. Though once completed I hope to be able to share some fun pictures!

Til tomorrow...

Better late than never!

Mini foundling

Not a lot to update for the dollhouse, other than that I've still been working with veneer strips and decoupage images. Want to get the floors looking really good, given once it's finished it won't be around for me to be bothered if it's not "perfect," but I like to know if I'm gifting it to others that they have a good basis to start with.

Contemplating the options of tiles...

Not a whole lot to report for the day's dollhouse work. Again, I think it's one of those things with the bedroom floor until I have it completely done it just doesn't seem like I get too much done on it -- just a bit of my impatience coming through I think. I like those projects you can sit down and whip out in a short amount of time sometimes... Seems this is one of those times. lol Ah well, it's coming along slowly but surely.

I've also been looking at my options for the front porch on the main level. I haven't done anything with that yet, for the simple reason if I go with my original thought of cheap popsicle sticks made into plank wood don't think it would feel right. However, as encaustic tiles were commonly used on Victorian era houses, I've been drooling over different options to attempt to fake. Basically I think I'm just going to attempt to paint on whichever pattern I finally choose. Just a matter of making up my mind. lol

Also, I may have inadvertently stumbled upon another project. My first dollhouse project I worked on was for my eldest niece Alyssa. Now I think I may have found one that will go to the youngest Adrianna... dependent of course if I'm able to get the kit for a decent price. If not I may well decide to try my hand at scratch building what I'm thinking of for her. Will also be able to double as a night light of sorts for her if needed. Not going to dwell on that now though, as I'd like to let the idea cook in my mind a bit more to make sure it all works in regards to what I'm thinking of. Guess we'll see...

A lil bit of this and that

As evidenced by the title today, I had a hard time focusing... I know that's not a real surprise at all. lol For the day though I did manage to keep working on the veneer strips being cut and glued in place -- which I promise you, doesn't sound like a lot of work but most certainly is time consuming. Btw, the link to the left is to Amazon -- and is a good example of the veneer sampler pack I got off ebay. Only difference is that this one has more for less. lol

Figured out second story bedroom... sort of!

Okay, so as anyone who's read this knows -- I haven't been able to come up with flooring that felt right, to me at least. Soooo, being the brilliantly stubborn fool I manage to be more often than not -- I stayed up a good portion of the evening placing different colored veneers next to each other, and trying different layouts. I think I've finally figured out what I'm going to do for the floor's border, and hopefully the center panel of the floor as well.

Fun with glue :)

That was typed with just a bit of sarcasm. lol Didn't like the way my veneer strips for the second floor bedroom floor looked so peeled them off, and decided to do some plank flooring strips in the middle of the floor. That way I'll still be able to do a fancy border around the outside edge.

Blah...

Sorry guys not too much to post today -- finishing up taxes.  Thankfully, this is the last I'll have to do.  :) Then I'll be able to get back to my flooring -- those little slices of veneer are actually sounding exciting to me at the moment. lol Talk to you tomorrow, and will hopefully have more news in regards to the house.

Not too much...

I know looking back at this week it seems to me at least that I haven't accomplished so much with the house. Today however I had an important date with a dog and a shower, followed up with medicated cream for his skin. Stinks when you're low to the ground with allergies that hit ya in the spring -- at least so he tells me. Have to say I feel sorry for him, he'd just about nibbled himself bald with his itching. Just stinks b/c I know he doesn't like the medicated lotion for his skin, and have to admit it doesn't smell so great. If it keeps him from itching so bad though, this will become a more regular occurrence(don't tell him that!)

For now I'm going to go cut some more strips of veneer, and see if I can't get more of the floors done. Finally figured out what I'm doing for the nursery, and if I can figure how to do it -- I'll hopefully be posting some nifty photos soon. :)

More of the same...

Not a whole lot of mini-ing today, have been trying to make sure that relatives and friends both on the west coast and currently stationed in Japan are safe with the tsunamis and earthquake. Thankfully, have finally heard from the last of them -- and they are all accounted for and safe. :)

Repetition is boring...

Yup, you read that right -- repetition is boring... Sometimes I'd say soothing when you want to let your mind wander. Today however, couldn't do that in regards to what I've been trying to focus on(and not succeeding too well!) lol

Picture update...

Okay, finally got my picture of the "marble" hallway with the inlaid wood. I really was wanting to try some of my veneers that I had gotten for the inlay, but the depth difference between that and my "marble" would have been really noticeable... at least to me. lol So, instead as mentioned previously used stripwood instead. I think it turned out fairly good.

Have decided I'll try my hand with the veneers in the room that the hall will open into -- the master bedroom. I'm not sure what the pattern is called, but the picture will show my inspiration for the flooring. Though I'm going to differ my pattern a bit in that there will be two different woods used, and I think I'm going to reverse the angle on the opposite side of the room. I realize that probably doesn't make too much sense. Hopefully when I'm done cutting and gluing all the pieces though I can take a picture to show you guys what I mean.

Until tomorrow, hope whomever may read this has an excellent day.  :)

Lazy day

As far as dollhousing goes at least. Don't get me wrong, I did get my marble cut and the stripwood stained, and then did a stain/paint mix to really make the wood nice and dark. So that hallway floor will be done tonight. I've also started cutting strips of veneer for the bedroom floor, thinking of laying these in either a herringbone or possibly chevron pattern... Yet to decide. lol

Looks to be so little...

By that lovely title I just mean to say that while I felt I made some definite progress on different aspects of the Victorian today, it just doesn't look like I accomplished a whole lot. lol To update though I did manage to finish etching in stone work on the base(had a small section which still needed drywall mud), glued in the parquet tiles for the second floor sitting room/library(not completely sure what the room will be), also glued in a popsicle stick hall floor, and then last but not least made more progress on my slate patio for the rooftop, oh -- and I also cut out my "marble" for my other second floor hallway.

For now though that's all I can really update on for the day, and as I've been battling the beginning stages of a nasty headache for the last day or so. I will admit to this though, I have my eye on another house project(strictly a kit at this point in a number of boxes,) not so sure why I'm even looking at it other than that the price is quite nice and it can take the place of my Fernbrook once that gets pulled out and built. Somewhat like I need to know I have another project waiting for me when I'm ready? Lord, I'm beginning to sound like a dollhouse hoarder. lol Thankfully, I've not reached stages so bad as that -- but I am beginning to have the start of a nice kit collection. For now I think I'm going to go make a list as to the pros and cons of this possible kit... ;)

More tile flooring...

The outlined tile is to show where the scoring is on each tile.

I know it must seem like all I'm doing in this house so far is tile of one sort or another, and up to this point that's pretty accurate. lol However, I am still managing to come up with or find different inspirations for the patterns for each rooms floor. This one being pictured is what will become a pattern called Montecito(though I'm sure there are probably plenty of other names applied to it as well.) If you look at the outlined tile, you'll be able to see where the individual score marks are on each tile. By tomorrow I'm hoping I'll be able to have them all glued in place to show you the finished project.

As for why I have a bottle of paint in the photo -- made homemade stain by diluting a bit of this paint called Cinnamon Brown with DeNatured Alcohol. Couldn't really tell you the measurements because I made this like I tend to do with my cooking -- mix it til it looks right. I'm just not a big fan of measuring. lol Final coloration I got from this looks quite similar to a Maple stain I'm thinking, has that hint of red undertone, and I quite like it.

Not too much more to post for today other than that I was able to pick up several books from the library in regards to Victorian interiors and architecture. If I find any of them to really be inspirational I'll be sure to post what the titles are and authors for anyone else to look up. :)

Rooftop patio stone -- redone!

Old "slate" roof stenciled...

Okay, so as mentioned wasn't so fond of my stenciling work for the look of the rooftop patio. Wasn't horrible I realize, but I wanted to go for as realistic and not so stylized as what it was appearing to be. Sooo, after a lot of consideration -- realized while I was cutting my rl vinyl tile for the marble flooring look(I'll try to get pics of that up soon) that I had the answer to the patio problem in my hands!

Extremely early post!

Normally I find myself sitting down to blog incredibly late... however since I have yet to get to sleep thought I'd go ahead and update what I managed last night. Finished painting the last of the siding(hallelujah!) Also, as mentioned worked on scoring some more of my flooring tiles. While doing that had the thought of doing a different sort of look for my second floor hallway. Had the thought to do a marble floor with wood inlay...

Not a whole lot today...

Not a whole lot to really update on today. Other than the magnificent point that I FINALLY got those darned hinges removed, and was able to bring in the last two wall panels to paint the siding. Already have them sanded down and cleansed, and yes the first coat of paint is drying while I type. Was odd getting those hinges removed, since they had been painted over and I was so much the idiot trying to remove them that I accidentally stripped the screws(whoops!) However, I was able to heat the hinges just enough for the screws to loosen up and then was able to remove from there.  :)

Hmmm...

Exterior of townhouse

Current interior of townhouse

That title says it all! I allowed myself to really think it over, and start envisioning that playscale house -- so after talking with the woman who currently owns it, decided I'm going to have to save it. I was told other wise it would in all likelihood end up on the curb!

No minis today...

Okay so that's not really the case. However, I have to admit after having been contacted about the possibility of another rehab house I didn't work on anything here today. Have instead been attempting to figure in my mind if I have room(heck even if I don't I'd still be working to make some,) and also just what I could do with a "mini" house just about as big as me! lol