Trusting fate... as well as luck!

 This year started out rough for me as so many knew in regards to the loss of my boy Cory. From there however I had my grieving time, and I'd lie if I said I didn't still tear up ever so often when a memory hits -- but I now also have the pleasure of being mom to one of the quirkiest animals I think that has ever lived. A wonderfully cute lass who when she stands can put her paws on my shoulders and jumps nearly as high as I am tall... You get to witness those jumps when she's chasing butterflies and birds, yet will hide from bunnies. Truly she's just such a pleasure to be around and fills my heart daily!

 Anyways, in regards to the title of this post -- I shared this in the GL forums already and thought it high time I update here. Sorry I've been so lax in my posts of late -- going to really try to remember to update here!  :/ oops

 About a month ago I saw a craigslist ad for a house, and I was so struck by it.. It was listed for an amount I knew I couldn't afford -- but I e-mailed the person whom had it listed. Basic e-mail consisted of: This is a beautiful house, and while I can't offer you the money you're asking, if you are unable to find someone to help you out with this before your move I would love to finish/rehab this b/c I think it will be beautiful once completely finished and I would love to bring it to it's full glory. Fast forward to this last Weds. when surprise I got a reply e-mail! She stated she had had another interested party -- but that person was unable to find transportation for the house. She then stated she would like to give the house to me!!!

 I knew I couldn't make it up there on such short notice. Luckily I've a friend that lives not even three miles away and was willing to pick it up and hold it for me. As of 11am this morning --she picked it up, and sent me pictures. Going to share those with you guys as I've shared on Greenleaf's forum. Cannot even begin to share how very excited I am!!! 

Hope you all enjoy the eye candy as well!  :)

Progress... Slowly but Surely!

Don't have pictures as of yet, but I have been making some progress on the Walmer house.  :)
Just wanted to update here, and hopefully make sure I take some pictures and post later! Seems I never do that until a project is done, and I promised myself I would take pictures and track  this while redoing it. To update so far, I've had a bit of help using some scrap lumber to brace the bottom floor. I've added the brace length wise across the base, and then also added a couple of cross braces on each end. This was for a few different reasons. Number one, it's a big house and there was a small bit of warping to the base. After spritzing with a bit of water and weighting it, it seemed to straighten out fairly well -- but, this is a secondary measure to keep it so. Number two, this allowed me a place on the ends to add wheels so that I can move it easily! It's big, and when put all together a decent weight. lol Number three, I've never electrified a dollhouse I've worked on yet, though I've been thinking of doing so for a long while. This house, with the braces underneath has perfect hiding locations for electricity to be added! I've already figured that with the number of rooms, the amount of lights(more specifically the bulbs) will need to be split between several transformers... I've already got three, and knowing the visions that have been filtering through my head of chandeliers that I want to attempt to make and a good billiard light(again, hoping to make it) I KNOW I'm going to be using a lot.

I have also repainted the base on the outside, so far it's just been redone with a latex white paint to clean it up a bit. I've also used some Houseworks tile flooring in the kitchen, the white tiles with inset black diamonds. My mother when she sees that automatically jumps to the matter she loves the way it looks... For myself I keep wondering if I may need to pull out a toothpick again and use a shade of grey in between the tiles to not only give it a bit more depth, but also just make it more realistic looking to me. Still contemplating that.

For the dining room I've decided on a herringbone parquet floor. This room is set next to the kitchen and is I believe two inches deeper. If I'm recalling right it is 14 inches wide and 16 inches deep. Btw, if I didn't mention it -- this floor is not a kit. It is being cut from Band It veneer in two woods -- and I don't believe I've seen it done this way before... But, again I like the way it looks so what the hey! ;)/

Next room will be the foyer, or entrance room, if I didn't mention I'm describing these from left to right when standing at the back. This room in and of itself, is truly interesting as it has a two step entrance down into the room, and then has a staircase on the left hand side that turns into the room. I figure on doing a parquet pattern in this room as well, based on a French provincial design I've come across several times and loved. Hoping I've enough of the Greenleaf parquet floor tiles to do this, and will in all likelihood add in some of the Bandit veneer in the design as well.

Last but not least you get to what I'm thinking I'll either make into the main floor library or game room. Leaning towards this being the library though. The flooring in this will be marble. I had one sheet of Handley House Green Marble Flooring, along with a bunch of black plastic tiles I was thinking of using with it. As it was in laying it out, I really just figured it would all be waaaay too dark. So I then decided to try my hand at making marble out of mat board... Which led me to a different layout of my green marble and the realization that the depths would be totally off. So after several days, I found the perfect number(three) of sheets of cardstock to glue to the back of the marble paper to match up with the mat board marble. Haven't gotten all of the mat board glued in, and have realized my cutting of the green marble wasn't as well done as I would have liked -- but who knows, I may just make another sheet of marble out of mat board and use that instead of the marble paper. I haven't decided on that as yet, as I don't care to waste anything -- and this house is being done on the cheap. AKA I have a lot of different paper etc, that I would like to actually use as opposed to just buying thinking that I should go out and buy more.

This has already led to a theme for this house, a family home lived in through the ages. In some rooms I hope to have some of the modern amenities, and then also have touches of what may have been there before. Truly think this one will be not only one I intend to ensconce some memories(already have several corgi figures that will go in it throughout) but also just have a lot of fun with in trying out new things!

It is quarter after 5 in the morning and I still have yet to be able to sleep, Going to try to do so now, and hope that sleeping upright may help -- when it feels like you have spikes going through your joints like your hips and knees... Rather prevents comfortable sleep! lol Learn to adjust as you can, like my dollhouserie so far! If I can I will try to get pics up of the progress I've made so far later today.

Hope you all out in bloglandia are doing great!  :)

Long Overdue...

First, let me just wish everyone a Happy New Year and a hopefully Merry holiday season, whatever it is you may celebrate. Mine was a little rough due to my own health issues and losing my boy Cory. I know his passing was a blessing, as he'd been fighting a battle that I can only be thankful I was by his side  so he wasn't alone. However, even knowing that that time is coming... I just don't think anyone is ever prepared to lose one they love -- whether they have fur or not. Suppose my one point I can truly be glad of, is that he died while wrapped in my arms being told how much he was loved. He was a truly special boy, and I will love and remember him always. <3

In a way, his passing inspired me to get to work on a project or two I've been letting sit due to not enough space while taking care of him and myself. But I thought now more than ever I needed something to keep me from dwelling on all that went ways other than I wished this last year. So I pulled out my Walmer French Colonial, and cleaned up my work space. I hope in this house... to put together something truly remarkable, try new and different things, while respecting older, experienced, and valued methods. All of which Cory helped me do in my life. I hope in this project to truly do honor to my memories of him. Not necessarily to honor him, because to be quite honest it's generally been the cats that have been most interested in the dollhouses. None the less, it will be special to me in regards to him.

So, a quick recap of what this dollhouse is. It stopped being produced in the 1970's, which makes it older than me by a bit. It has 12 rooms spread out over four floors, all of which average at least 13-14 inches square. This was termed as a "drop down" dollhouse, meaning it was slotted together and then held with wooden pegs. Quite amazing as when this is all together it measures over 4 feet in height, and I believe as much in length! The following is a pretty crappy picture of it, but this was taken a year ago plus when I first got it, and was making sure it would all go together. It was evidently painted this dark navy blue for the house body, light gray roofs, and white detailing in the factory. I can tell you all right now it will not stay these colors, nor when I am done with it will it have the same features. If you look at the picture you can see the chunky window details, while these were a general character trait of most Walmer houses I just don't like them in this case. I also hope to come up with something different for the front door. Bright side though, other than a lot of stain on the floor, and some excess use of glue on the stairs -- nothing at all was done with the interior. That's all for now, but wanted to catch everyone up as to where I've been, and where I hope to go for now. More updates next time, til then...