Snow day #2

The calendar says it's April of 1955.

Scott paper towels and dispenser added in the kitchen, too.

Mr. S. has a tray to hold his wallet and loose change. He also has the last photo taken of his parents on his chest.

Just a boy and his dog watching a boy and his dog.

I added a little LED light inside the TV. It's just a little battery operated light but look how real it makes the television look!

Kind of like hopscotch

 At least that's how I feel as I jump from one little project to the next today. The pan of soup was done last week but I just remembered to show you. I had a rubber band out to make a rawhide chew toy for Davy's dog. As I looked at it, I realized I could cut small slivers and make noodles. My "yummy" soup recipe is rubber band noodles, polymer clay bits of carrots and celery, and amber glass paint. Since Mrs. Sherwood has been deep cleaning all day the Sherwoods are having canned soup, white bread and butter for dinner.

 The table is set with soup bowls and silverware with napkins, a basket of bread slices, butter with a knife, and salt and pepper. There's fresh baked apple pie for dessert.

 I finally got the books made for Davy's shelf. He's got some classics like Charlotte's Web, The Borrowers, and Robinson Crusoe as well as some Golden books. His favorite, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier, is on his dresser.

 I made a mailbox out of some scrap metal. It even has an atomic starburst embossed on the lid.

 I wrapped some spice printies around a scrap of balsa to make these spice cans. The little shelf is made from scrap bits of wood. You can also see the recipe cards on the counter in this photo.

The clock is made from a metal lid from a champagne bottle, paper, scrap metal, and a little watch bit. I painted the lid with nail polish.

I still have plenty of little things to do to add personality and life but I am very pleased with the results so far.

Have a wonderful, blessed week!

It's starting to look like home

 Thank goodness for curved manicure scissors! I wouldn't have been able to cut the flying ducks out with my regular craft scissors. You can't tell in the photo but I embossed them to give them some dimension on the wall.

 While Davy and the dog greet Dad at the door, we can just see the new art piece on the wall to the right of the bay window.

 Mrs. Sherwood is dabbling in a bit of modern (mid century modern, anyway) art. She's not too sure about it even though the colors go beautifully with the rest of the room. That's why it's hidden a bit from the first view of the room. Of course, that lamp is going to highlight the piece but we won't point that out to her. I really like it. ;-)

The bedroom picture is of flying sea birds. The pinks and blues look nice in this room.

There's still a lot to do inside and I haven't really done much with the exterior. Monday is a teacher in-service day at school so I get a day off. Yay for play days! I hope to make some major progress. I love working on a new project but I'd like to have my dining room table back again. Fingers crossed for a productive Monday.

Wonderful husband and getting started

First, the wonderful husband part - after 4.5 weeks of resting with my foot elevated I was getting a bit restless. My husband decided to rent a wheelchair that would allow me to elevate my foot. We went to the farmers market, had breakfast out, and then he spent a couple of hours wheeling me around Hobby Lobby so I could start thinking about decorating the Westville. It was heavenly. Also, I saw things from an entirely different perspective, literally. Wheeling around at a child's level made different things jump out at me. It was fun and eye opening. :-)

Now for the getting started part - I found a large book of scrapbook paper (1/2 off!) in the colors I am planning to use in the Westville. With a 1950s timeline I wanted teals, pinks, greens, etc. Last evening and today I spent some time with markers adding color accents to some of the papers to give me the 50s feeling I'm going for. This is a sample block of different colors of the linoleum floor tile I want to replicate.

 I started with this green and cream checkerboard scrapbook paper and added colors to the "tiles" to get the effect I want.

 Then I folded along all of the squares to make them look like individual tiles. Once I get page sealed and in place, I think I am going to be happy with the results.

 This paper will be the living room wallpaper. It was all just turquoise on white. I added pink, olive green, and a bit of blue gray. This also needs sealed but will look good with the tweedy gray sofa and gray print drapes. I haven't decided whether to make the chair matching or contrasting.

 I feel like I'm making progress on the design part of the house now. I'm starting to see it come together in my mind. Fingers crossed that my thoughts translate well to reality. ;-)

Have a wonderful, blessing-filled week!

Just a few more details

 No one gave an opinion regarding the bench but I decided it needed to be weathered and aged. I like it much better now.

 I added more family photo collages to the upper hall wall. The HBS catalog was a great source for pictures.

I gave the bedroom art piece a frame of sorts. I used a Sharpie marker on the outer edges. It makes the painting stand out a bit more, which I like.

I only added a few things but they give the house a more relaxed and cozy feeling. I need some sort of curtain over the low window in the bedroom. I just frosted the bathroom windows but  I think I need more than that in the bedroom. I'm still debating...opinions?

It's the little things

 This roof is moving along slowly but it's going to be worth it...at least, that's what I keep telling myself, LOL.

 A new shelf in the bathroom holds various toiletries - shampoo, conditioner, baby bath, perfume, aftershave, nail polish. There's room for more but these are enough for now.

 The kitchen got dishsoap and a scrubbie.

 I made a clock and a fireplace screen. I love the screen!

The bedroom got a pretty urn full of flowers.

There's still more to do besides finishing the roof. I want to make a lamp for the master bedroom nightstand, and an alarm clock, too. The upper hall is just boring. I need to add something, just not sure what. If I find labels I like I may add them to the products I made today. As much as I like this house, I think it's still missing some personality -  it needs more to make it personal. Any ideas?

Making it look lived in

I've added other details like food and water for the dog and a bowl of toddler friendly food on the table but my favorite little touches are these -a stack of mail and keys in a shell bowl. We all have that spot in our homes where everything is deposited as we come in. So do the mini people, lol. I scanned a set of real keys and reduced the size to make these. They are just paper but since the console is  behind the stairs I just needed the illusion. These paper keys are more realistic than most dollhouse keys anyway.

We are plowed out and a path has been made to the chicken coop. We got roughly 14 inches of snow.
Today the sun is shining and the sky is blue so the snow just sparkles.

Have a wonderful day!

It's the little things

 Although my daughter thinks I'm a bit weird for even thinking of this, I think the added detail of family photos using the actual dolls really adds a lot to the coziness of the home.

 My husband put tiny little canvas boards in my stocking. I glued on miniaturized prints that I found online. They turned out really well.

Well, that didn't take long...

Joe and Joy just moved in yesterday and already they wanted to remodel the kitchen. In all fairness, I'd mounted the upper cabinets too low to be able to use the stove or lower counter and it had been bugging me. Just not enough to want to change it until Joy tried to use her kitchen, which then looked like it had been built for children. So, with a bit of heat and prying, the cabinets came out, the wallpaper was replaced, new tile was put in and the cabinets were replaced. I also got the other porch post/support in. The tiles are mini mosaic tiles from Hobby Lobby - another gift from my husband. They are a bit thick but I think they look great in the kitchen. Now, Joy's happy and if Joy's happy, Joe is happy. And I'm happy, too. Apparently, life is just happy here today, lol.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

A Whole Day to Play Leads to Major Progress

 I used diluted acrylic stain to age the plaster and then, instead of the included exterior trim, I used mini tiles (a gift from my very thoughtful husband) to trim the doors and windows.

 The doors are all blue - French Blue to be exact. How appropriate!

 The previous owner of this kit had purchased all of the plastic "wrought iron." I painted all the white pieces black to give my house the look I wanted. The bay window roof is copper with a patina.

 All that's left on the outside is the chimney and roof. What a difference a day makes!

I know that a lot of miniaturists do not put dolls/figures in their scenes because it takes away from the illusion. I fall strongly in the other camp. Almost all of my houses have people - most made by me but some from other artists and a few resin or other manufactured dolls. These are Houseworks dolls. As soon as I saw Joy, the pregnant mama here, I knew I had to have her. She and Joe, little Jamie, and soon to be sibling, look quite happy that their home is nearing completion. It's hard enough to get their toddler to nap on a good day but the construction has really disrupted her schedule. :-)

Just a few more details

 I added an ornate hanging bracket to the bathroom mirror. It looked too contemporary for the rest of the room before.

 The stove end of the upper cupboards needed a bit more to look finished so I gave this silver frame a bit of black patina and framed the rooster that was already there.

 I found the mini Eiffel Tower in the boarding house. It is more appropriate here and is just the right extra this table needed.

 I made an ottoman to act as both coffee table and footstool. It's upholstered with a French script scrapbook paper. The candles are pencil erasers with a black thread wick and glue melting wax drips.

That's all for tonight. The little details are making this house a home. I'm sure the residents, Joy, Joe, and little Jamie, would love to have doors, though. That's going to have to happen soon! Joy and Joe are now ordered, too. I've got to get the house move in ready!

A day for details

 The bathroom is closer to finished. At least it has most of the essentials. I added toilet paper - a standing dispenser and a spare roll on the tank. The tub faucet is finally in place, too. Rugs, mirror, candle, and a new lid for the bath salts finishes today's work in this room.

 A piece of country styled art for the living room and a rug that will lay flat once there's a finished floor in here.

 The kitchen got a huge ivy plant that hides the upper cabinet join and a pitcher of flowers for the top of the fridge. There's also a new rug for in front of the sink....

 ....and a kitchen clock showing that it is, indeed, lunch time.

I've done nothing to the upper hall or any of the doors. I'm probably going to finish most of the interior work before even starting the exterior. I'm working on this project in very topsy turvy manner but I am having fun. :-)

It's the details that really count

Teenage daughter, Polly, and the family dog, Georgi, are enjoying the newly completed exterior. A colonial style antique brass hanging lamp lights the front porch. "Concrete" benches add seating under the windows and the planter full of flowers adds a touch of color.
The bathroom is now complete with art, towels, lighting, and the all essential toilet paper.
The kitchen has an overhead light fixture, a green clock, and artwork over the table. I also made a small sink for the cabinets on the right. You've got to have running water!
It looks like Georgi needs to go back to obedience school. He's certainly not paying much attention to Polly. The living room got a new area rug, overhead lighting, a table lamp, artwork, and a really cool wall clock. There's a newspaper on the coffee table for when Dad gets home from work.