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!!

Farewell 2016

Well last night I hung trim in the mini mansion.   It is pretty much the last of the construction style work to the house.  Well...except for the lights which will be installed when I have the money to purchase them.  (Christmas and car repairs sucked me dry!).    

This morning I was rushing around getting ready for work but I just had to take a moment to remove the tape that was holding the trim and wainscoting in place while the glue dried. I was like a kid at Christmas, giddy with excitement!  I couldn't resist...I pulled down the box of furniture that I do have for the mini mansion.   I'm so excited!!!   I didn't have time for the books and smaller things that I do have...but it's an idea!!

Bedroom

Sewing/quilting room

Living room

Kitchen 

I was carefully pulling the tape off of the trim and one piece came up unexpectedly...tearing the wallpaper in the living room.  Aaaarrrgggggggg!!!  You can't see it in the pictures because the chair hides it....it's right by the doorway leading to the kitchen. I could probably leave it unfixed but I know it's there and it bothers me...so I will have to fix that!  Good thing I have extra paper!!!

Theoretically the mini mansion can now be moved to its resting place and I can focus on the interior fun stuff...the knick knacks and furniture and things that make it look like a real life home!  And what's better?   The workspace is now free for the construction of the McKinley!!!  Bring it on 2017!!!

Addiction

Work is steadily progressing....on everything!!!  I usually spend an hour or two in the evenings working on my 'dollhouses'.  It is so relaxing and satisfying to see things come to life!

First of all let me include a picture of the rope bed that I FINALLY finished!

And beside the rope bed is the cradle with the wee itty bitty afghan that I crocheted with embroidery floss.

Yes I have sheets and a quilt for the bed but it's too darn cute to not show off the rope part!!

With those two things done I haven't done much else on the log cabin...other than think about little things that I want to do.  I still want to put in a fireplace crane or a gridiron at the fireplace. 

And I want to have some dough being rolled out with the rolling pin....little things like that!). 

Work has been moving along on the mini mansion.  The living room received its floor and then commenced the slow polyeurthane...dry... sand....clean..polyeurthabe...sand..dry...clean...repetition!  As soon as I was happy with the 'waxed floor look' I finished up the living room with the trim and other than the lighting (I am working on a budget, the fixtures are going to have to wait a few weeks/months!). The room was/ready for furniture.

It will need all the fun little touches...stuff like a foot stool...a knitting basket....pictures...etc.  but it's fun to see it look 'kinda real.'

Speaking of pictures...this dollhouse was my boyfriend's sister's when she was a child.  I found some of her artwork on the walls.  I kept one (I wish I would have kept them all but I wasn't thinking until it was too late).   This morning I made a wee little frame.....

and painted the frame gold!   

Well, the curtain rods I made are gold...which were not hung yet in the previous picture!).  

So next up was the kitchen....I decided on green walls with a white wainscoting, a white tin style ceiling, and the same light pine flooring.  The walls were covered and the floor was laid tonight.  Lots of clamps and weights!!

Once again I was at a standstill....

So on to the McKinley!!!

After being overwhelmed the other night I knew I had to tackle it.  Otherwise it would gain big ugly horns and I would never do it!  So the next morning I started pulling out the pieces for the first steps.   

It was just time consuming...flipping through the large awkward panels and getting parts without the other pieces popping free from the panels.

   So I gave up...and went and purchased a whole raft of ziplock bags.  I spent a few hours labeling all of the pieces and bagging them in ziplock bags according to the panel number from which they came.   Much more manageable!!!

Tonight the real work began!!!   Window and window trim!!!!!  

All of the windows have their outside trim!!!

My workspace is way too small!!!  

I think I need to finish the mini mansion....at least the walls, floors and ceilings so I can rest those baby back on the piano while I dream and plot about the furniture for upstairs and the little fun things that make it seem real!  

Then I'll be focused on stuff like...

Spice boxes

And rug beaters

But the addiction grows!   I finished my work tonight and picked up the flyer that was in the box that my dollhouse came in and I think I know my next dollhouse...it will be a quickie though!!!!  

The Storybook cottage by greenleaf.   

Why that?  I've always said I wanted to do a quilt shop!  Wouldn't that make the cutest quilt shop!!!!  (The Coventry cottage would work too...but the smaller one is the think I'm going to go with...when that day comes!!)

Overwhelmed

Wow...I am so overwhelmed right now I can't even think straight!!!

First of all let me say that all major construction on the mini mansion has been completed.   She is fully painted and she has a nice brick foundation and a nice brick front porch!   The outside simply needs the chimney attached (way down the line) and some flower put in the window box!    

The inside is coming along nicely.  The living room is wall papered, the ceiling is covered and I have laid hardwood floors.  The living room floor has received their first coat of polyurethane to make them a little glossy.  I have cut the trim for the room (both floorboards and cornice!) and have that all painted a nice crisp white.   Why yes...I'm rocking the living room!!!

I'v sat and stared into the kitchen trying to come up with a plan for that room.  I know that the three main pieces of 'furniture' in that room will be a table and chairs (just two chairs). A cabinet and a cookstove.     I found some wallpaper that I liked but it just seems a bit too fancy for my purposes.  I do like the idea of a wainscoting!!!   But really?   What color scheme?   What floors?  Hardwood to carry it through?   Tile in a 1900 turn of the century house???  Decisions decisions!

So after I stared a while and came up with no answer...I turned my attention to.......(drum roll please)....the McKinley!!!!   

I have been putting off the McKinley because I wanted to have the log cabin completed (well mostly, is any dollhouse really ever completed).   I finished that with the rope bed being done.  And I wanted to have the major construction and remodeling work done on the mini mansion.   Check and check!!

Yes I didn't just look.  I cracked the box!!!

Immediately fear welled up within me!!!   How was I to do this?????

I read the first page and I knew that I wasn't the first person to feel overwhelmed when I saw this!  

I read the instructions started pulling aside the panels that I would need to start!   Apparently I start on Windows! 

It was getting late and I need a few things.....so I sat everything aside and went to bed!

They recommend hot glue gun as my adhesive...but I read somewhere that hot glue guns are no longer the way to go...so I'm wondering if I shouldn't do the secondary method that they gave....wood glue?   I would just need to clamp and secure everything for drying.....so either way I need a hot glue gun or some clamps and tape (they actually said masking tape works well!)

I think it's going to take me a long time to build this!!!

Jack of all trades

I had always wanted to work on dollhouses.  I remember when I was young...like earlier than 10 years old and going to a hobby shop (they sold model trains so we went frequently for my brother).  This hobby shop sold amazing (ok to a 10 year old maybe) dollhouse furniture and accouterments!  I know that as a kid I drooled and I know that as a kid, what was sold there was not 'toys' and therefore I didn't get more than a single piece or two from that store.

For years as an adult I dreamt about what I wanted to do with the log cabin that I was given as a child.  I never took more than the first preliminary steps to start....

In the meantime I was hopping from one craft to the next.   Literally!!  I would work on quilting and be hung ho on that.   Then I would get bored and decide that crochet was my thing.  I would crochet like a crazy women until I got bored.  Then....counted cross stitch!!!!  Yes I love counted cross stitch, count me in!   But yeah, that bored me after a bit too.   Scrap booking?  Yup..been there done that.  Rug hooking?  Absolutely!  Painting?  Yeah I dabbled!  Cake decorating?  Uh hu!!!   You name it, I have probably tried it!   (I should work at a craft store...I've dabbled in almost everything!). Jack of all trades, master of none!!!   Eventually in my travel through the circuit of all things craft I would make my way back to quilts...or back to cross stitch...or sewing...or whatever.  Until the wild hair struck and I was off on the next thing.  I cycled through crafts!

So last year when I actually got serious about dollhousing (Is that a word???  I like it as verb.) it came as no surprise to anyone.   What comes as a surprise to me is how well it is adaptable to someone like me that had had extensive 'training' in all manner of crafts.  I'm not a master at anything but I'm proficient  enough at a Lot of things to be able to work on my dollhouses!  My jumping from craft to craft taught my invaluable skills for dollhousing! 

Furthermore dollhousing is perfect because I can change direction and never get bored!

For example.....My last 24-48 hours?

I made bookshelves and worked on the railings....woodworking

I made books...paper crafting

Today I reupholstered chairs....

The red is the old one the gray the new!

Worked on a quilt for the log cabin rope bed and trundle bed.....

Stained the rope bed and trundle bed

Painted the mini mansion

Before...

After...with one coat of paint...

I also started fiddling with concepts to make a front door (there is none) and worked on crocheting a wee tiny Afghan!  

Wow...talk about going from one craft to another!   And guess what??  I love it!!!!