Working steadily

Work is progressing on the McKinley...just slowly!  

I've had some issues and expenses (life responsibilities...car repairs and such) which have caused a general slow down on the project....

I've thus had to try to come up with some different cheaper options.

I wanted a copper roof for the tower, bay window and porch.   The actual copper thin metal sheets were way out of my current budget.  I decided to try metallic copper paint.   

Not to bad if I do say so myself (maybe someday I'll go back and put the more expensive option on...but for now I'm good!!!

I painted the outside trim....it's a bit more vibrant than I envisioned...but I think the yellow for the siding is going to be more vibrant also...so it 'should' work!!!

The porch is done in the green with white...somehow that picture has come up missing....oops!!

And lucky me I had shingles in my box of leftover goodies!!!!   Enough to shingle the roof!!!!  I painstakingly shingled the roof...so many angles!!!

And then I decided to paint it gray!  My original thought was brown but I wanted the copper roof to pop!!!

I had an idea for a houseplant...but that went belly up just the other night...so back to the drawing board.

Meanwhile I'm testing a plan for some tile flooring!!!!!  Maybe we will have something in line soon.

And in reality...I'm just putting off the inevitable of wiring the McKinley for electricity!!!  Guess I better do that next...at least start it!!!

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!!!