Bereft

Yes, I am feeling just a wee bit bereft!   I should be celebrating though!  So I guess it's a mixed emotional ride.

What seems to be causing the emotions????

I finished the construction on the Greenleaf McKinley!!!! 

  I started work on Christmas night after having stared at the box for a few weeks. I  admittedly had moments of frustration during the build. It for the most part it was a really positive experience for my first go-round with building my own house!!!!

I chose to nix the trim. It just seemed over the top and not what I wanted.   The only trim I MAY include is the trim on the edge of the roof...the peak trim is a definite NO!!!  I still have a few of the final components to install....namely the bathroom cabinet, the fireplace, staircaseand chimney.   The tower roof attached and the brackets put on..but all that stuff will be installed as I finish each section of the house!

So my reflections on the build....and notes should I ever build another McKinley and maybe before I build another kit.

I was totally overwhelmed when I first opened the box.  Luckily they do include the caution to not panic on the instructions. It let me know that what I was feeling was normal.   Well done Greenleaf!

I chose to build my house and decorate...wallpaper, apply siding and whatnot after it was built.  I had a vague idea about what I wanted to do in the bathroom and the kitchen...but no where else.  Vague....the house needs to 'speak to me'. And it wasn't really speaking to me when it was in the box in pieces!!!   Looking at the completed yet incomplete house I have mixed feelings about this choice. If I HAD chosen colors before hand I most likely would have not been happy with my choices!   However as I look at the house I'm looking at more difficult fussy work yet to come!


Electricity....wow I'm kinda stumped at how to move the electric tape between rooms since the door trim is already in place.   Guess I'll be using extra tape to navigate.

What changes would I make during a future build of this house if I were to build it again?

The stairs...annoying to build!!!   Had Greenleaf simply included an extra staircase spine (that's what it was called at least) it would have gone SOOOO much easier and I would have been happier with the results. If i everbuilt this again I would trace theincluded spine and create my own...each stair would easily be placed and perfectly evenly!!

The drawers????  Really????  Perfectly square and the right drawer will NOT fit. The left drawer front was messed up and I had to trim quite a chunk off....honestly that is the only part of the build that I am not happy with at all.   So I will probably be doing a false panel on that left drawer space....or build a new drawer out of my own material.  It was the only thing that didn't go together smoothly...and yes everything was carefully labeled.

The tower was a bit unweildy....but that I imagine is par for the course.  So definitely have an extra set of hands present for that day.

The instructions...ouch.  Not exactly user friendly!!!!  Navigateable though...maybe!.   At least I think I did everything right...but I was constantly pulling up pictures of the McKinley online to try to figure out what they were telling me to do!

Why didn't I look at the picture on the box?  Well because the picture was pretty marred during shipping. So it was not a viable option.   Speaking of that shipping?  This was a birthday gift from my boyfriend....a surprise gift!!!!   His  complaint was that it came in an open box...so HAD we been living together or had it come while I was at his place  the surprise would have been totally ruined!!!!

All in all it was a fun process.

Now on to the fun of interior design and decorating!!! (Slowly as I'm broooooke!!!!)

Progress

I worked on the kitchen bag window!!!  The kitchen is 'closed in'!!

And the porch!!   

I pulled the tape off this morning and there was a wee little piece that needed to be reglued.  No biggie. It took me about 2 minutes to re-glue and re'clamp' with tape!

The I spent some time looking at the tub, toilet and sink in the bathroom.  Just to get an idea of how they will work in there...ideas!  Here is a built in shelf on the bathroom back wall that will be added eventually/soon!

And the kitchen also.....

Yes I have paper on the floor and I rough drew in where and how I want the kitchen cabinets to be.  

I plan on using the window seat as seats for the kitchen table!!!

The only thing wrong?  I don't know where this will go...and I REALLY want this!!!

Let the snow fly!!!

Let the snow fly!!!

In the dollhouse world at least!!!  About two or three nights ago I started with the walls on the McKinley.   I was so excited!!!   I glued and giggled and was just happy as a clam!!!   I taped and clamped and I went to bed!!!

Yesterday morning I removed the tape and took a gander at the house!!!   Oh yeah, it was looking good! I was giddy!!!

Yesterday evening I got home and as soon as my real life responsibilities were complete (laundry, food, those types of things) I settled into the dollhouse work!  

First up was the porch....it took some time but the steps I needed to finish were completed.  Woohoo!!!  I have porch steps, and a porch floor and a back railing!!!!     Next up...tower walls....obnoxious!  So obnoxious!   There may have been a few moments where I said 'never again will I buy a kit with towers!!!  It was just awkward.  And well...gluey!!!!  My fingers were covered in glue!!!  I taped and clamped and glued that tower into submission!!!  (I have a bay window in the kitchen yet to do!!  Grrrr)

Seriously...I find it hard to believe that everyone else can be so neat while constructing their dollhouses!   

I soooo wanted to keep working but that tower REALLY needed to dry!!!!  I compromised and pulled out all the pieces for the next step of the McKinley...and read the instructions well.   But that was it...off to bed I went....praying I wouldn't hear any tower pieces falling in the middle of the night!  (Hahaha. Ok I wasn't really afraid of that because it was glued and then clamped/taped well! I was more nervous about the removal of the clamping system!!!)

This is my Saturday to work so I was up early.  And I jumped out of bed!  I wanted to check the structural soundness if the tower!   Tape and clamping removed and it was solid!!!!!  I danced a wee little jig and then headed off to the shower, grinning the whole time! 

I rushed around all morning to get ready so that I would have a few moments spare before leaving for work.   Why???   Remember I had pulled out all of the pieces for the next step on the McKinley?  Well I had looked at them and studied the directions and I knew how they fit.   I was confident that the next step would be fairly simple. If I had enough time I could conceivably roll through at least part of the next step!  

I had the time!  So on went the roof!   All of it!!!Glued and taped and drying while I am at work!!!

Let the snow fly...my dollhouse family (if I had one) will be safe and dry!!!!  Ok....so I still have a door to install....and the bay window in the kitchen is still a great big gaping hole....and well the tower has no roof yet....but for the most part my house is under cover and out of the winter elements!!!

We have walls!!!

Well then....I just realized that my post from earlier this week/last week never went live...oh well, I will have two posts today.

The lights...NIGHTMARE!  They sucked the joy out of dollhousing for two or three days!!!   I tried to follow the method in the book for hanging my ceiling fixtures and it just wasn't working for me!   So I delved deeper and the next night tried the light with the adapter.   I first tested the light in the plug that I installed. (It will be hidden from view in the house behind furniture and whatnot).  The light worked so I started following the instructions.  I cut the plug off the light.  Separated the wires and stripped them.  I checked the light and it worked.  I did the next steps....and heckled the light. It worked.  I reworded that light like a pro.  I finished and plugged my new plug in and voila, it worked!!!!   So I turned my attention to the flush outlet I had to create in the ceiling.  I followed the instructions.    I struggled more with this step....but I eventually got it to where it would work.  The moment of truth...I plugged in the lamp.  I had light!!!!! I was so excited.   For about 5 seconds until the light went out. And from that point on...no matter what I did...I saw no more light!   The kick of it is....when I desired it...you take those words right up to the base of the Light.  So I don't have 'wiggle room' to undo my wiring...strip the wires further down and redo it. So this light maybe unlit.   I was so frustrated the few nights that I worked on the electricity!  I finally decided to take the mini mansion off of the work bench and put it back up on the piano and focus on something else for a bit.

I did think a lot about the electricity though.   Here is the thing.  The dollhouse is wired and electrified!   I hate to give up!  But the hard wiring right now is just waaaaay beyond me and totally not giving me happiness!  So I am compromising.  I will be installing plugs into the house...in places where I can easily hide them behind furniture, plants and other accessories.  I will be creative in my light cord hiding efforts.   The two hanging lamps will hang without electricity for now.  So the house WILL be lit.   Eventually I can go back and pull down those lamps and wore them properly should I desire!!    This electrification will happen soon but I'm working on the 'hiding techniques first as some of them will have to be in place before I plug in!!

In the meantime, I will lay a line of tape wire and a junction box  on a piece of wood.  And I will play.   I will play with hanging ceiling fixtures.  I will try different methods and figure out which is best for me....which one is the most solid...and the best for my dollhouses and my skill level.  

So I'm not out for the count...just changing directions.  And as for the McKinley....I'm still planning on electrifying it.  At the worst it will just have plug in lamps...which is not a big deal, especially since they have the cutest ever little outlet covers at cir kit!!!

The debacle of electricity this week really sucked my dollhouse joy out of me!  I needed to do something to make me smile...to make me giggle...to bring back that joy!  What better than to make my quilt frame for the mini mansion's sewing room!!!   Simple yet adorable!

And of course that caused me to hurry right out and finish up a quilt project that was originally destined for the log cabin but then I changed my mind so it's been sitting unfinished for a while.   But a perfect fit (with a bit of cutting) for the quilt frame.

Ahhh yes, that did the trick and brought the dollhouse joy right back!!!

My workspace is limited and I chose to put together my dollhouse with wood glue versus hot glue gun. I read somewhere that hot glue guns have changed temps and flies over the years and that the lower temp flies are not as 'rugged' as the hot glue guns from years back.  Besides, my brother is a woodworker and my father always dabbled in woodworking as did my grandfather (I remember going into his workshop a few times) and woodworkers don't use hot glue...they use wood glue.  I'm a Clingan So wood glue it is!!!   The instructions to the McKinley do talk about the wood glue method and recommended masking tape if you don't have a plethera of clamps.  (I have access to some clamps from my fathers workshop but I  liked the idea of masking tape!). I've been working slowly on the McKinley...but the slower drying wood glue does slow down the process....plus I've had to wait for paint to dry...and my workspace IS limited (as it is in the middle of my living room area!).  Other than nights where I have been away from home, one night where I moved furniture..real life sized furniture (but the move allows me to see the tv from my workspace....crazy though because since then I haven't turned the tv on...I've listened to music..hahaha). and the few nights where I only worked on that pesky electricity I have done something on the McKinley.   And last. Igor was a BIG night for the McKinley!   The walls went up!!!!!   Why yes...it is starting to take shape!!!!

The third floor is not defined yet as the walls but that will come I'm sure!!!

Slow progress

I have not forgotten the dollhouses!  Life has just been busy and well...the houses are at points that the work is sloooooooow!

I did fix the wallpaper in the mini mansion...the wallpaper that I messed up when I installed the trim!!!  It looks pretty good  although a careful eye would pick up the repair.   But, I'm satisfied with it.

At a historical museum a few weeks back I saw a roasting oven that was used in open heart cooking.  I was enthralled and decided that my log cabin MUST have one!!!i thought about it..and actually experimented with a tin foil pan but I didn't like that at all. So I changed my material and tried it again....the cardboard/matte board was excellent!   I am very happy with it.  Especially since I painted it!!!!   I will need to get out the polymer clay and make a 'bird'  to have inside the roaster in the spit!  But until then I'm happy (with the back of the toaster toward the fireplace you can't see it anyway...but I know that there is no birdy in there!!!!

I have been contemplating the kitchen of the McKinley.   I knew that I wanted to go between the 20's and 50's for the kitchen...so I started researching...these pictures are inspiration for me!!!!

I also decided that I made a mistake on something with the McKinley.   What was the mistake?  Well since I'm planning on installing lights into the McKinley I wasn't too worried about prepainting and papering the house before installing it.  Yeah I was sitting there looking at these windows....and doors and all that trim and I decided that I should have painted the trim before installation.   No problem....I  decided to paint the inside window trim before the next step.   I was careful around the windows for sure...but I wasn't too worried about getting paint on the walls of the rooms...they will be papered over eventually!!!

We went antiquing this week...it was so cold that antiquing was a good option!!!   Of course we looked at lanterns!!!

But I got lucky and found two dealers that had dollhouse stuff that I liked!  I picked up an adorable ceramic/porcelain bathroom set for $5!  I also picked up a new gas/cookstove that I love but sadly is too big for the mini mansion I will just stay with the old fashioned coal stove.  I also got a towel rack, same cabinets and some neat little things like brass pots and pans, a brass towel rack,  a neato old phone, toaster and just fun stuff!!! I also got the cutest little sink....cute enough thatbibhave pondered putting a false wall upstairs in the mini mansion and adding a small bathroom....you would only see the sink..  I haven't ruled that out totally yet...but I am leaning toward no.. I have no running water in the kitchen so it would be kinda weird to have a bathroom with running water.

I got home from my weekend of adventuring and found a box!   My lights have arrived!  

So today I am reading up on installation of said lights....

I'm terrified Of this wiring process but I am soooo excited to see my wee little baby lit up!!