Wear and tear

Last night I was looking through photos of Johnson's Boarding House and one thing popped out at me - everything looked too shiny and new for a post war boarding house. So I got out the sandpaper and started adding some wear and tear. The floors especially were too new looking but the sandpaper helped solve that problem. I also added some chips to the enamel cabinet that Harriet is working at.
The living room tables got the sandpaper treatment, too. I didn't want them to look beat up, just well used. I left the dining set alone, though, on the presumption that the family ate in the kitchen when the children were young so the dining room has only been really used since the boarding house opened.
The foyer floor and the newel post show some use now.
I even sanded the leather wing chair at the head, seat and arms.
This isn't wear and tear but Harriet got a new (and final!) bedspread. I think this fabric looks like chenille so I had to use it. :) I made the linens from an old lace edged hankie.

I just made subtle changes but they made a big difference in telling the "story" of the house.

Off to find a new project! Have a great day!

Clean and fresh

 I started by sealing the whole house inside and out since the original paint most likely had lead in it. The exterior walls and window frames then got fresh paint. The window frames will need touched up although I purposely didn't make the paint perfect. It is a rural house in the depression years so chips would be normal but I will likely hand paint some in as I don't want to sand down my sealer. I don't know what I am doing with the roof yet and I am still deciding whether to draw siding on the house or leave it as is.

 The lower level got a coat of pale turquoise paint which brightens up the area nicely.

 I left the oddly sized kitchen door in place on the exterior but sealed it shut and created a framed in area for the woodstove. That makes the kitchen a bit tighter since I can't slide the stove closer to the dining room but it makes sense for the stove to be there. I also took the green depression glass dishes from the boarding house to use here. Harriet uses her other plates most of the time anyway, lol.

 I darkened the finish on the bed to make it fit into the time frame better.

This is the kitchen door. I painted it the same as the walls to blend it in better.

I bought fabric and foam board today for the sitting room furniture. Hopefully, I can work on that tomorrow afternoon.

The upper story has been sealed and primed but I ran out of steam before painting it. That will be a project for another day.

It is coming along. I think it will look nice when I finish it but there's a lot to do to make this clunky house look finished.

Sorry I've been away for so long

I have been working on the boarding house. We're still having internet issues at home but I should be getting a call today from the phone company to see if we're eligible for their DSL. Still have crossed fingers and toes, lol.

Since the boarders' rooms are so large I decided to give both of them comfy chairs for those times when they just want to be alone. Sandy has a matching ottoman. Looks like her kitten thinks it's the perfect spot for a nap.
I added mirrors to the back of these shelves/sconces. The mirrors were cut from mirrored poster board left over from the saloon.

This is George Peterson. He's sold as the father in a pioneer family set of dolls but I got him separately. I changed his vest and tie but the originals are in his armoire. George got a black leather wing chair. The leather I used for this was way too thick - it worked but it was difficult to work with. I wanted to use up what I have on hand before purchasing more.

We may have found a home for the boarding house. I'm kind of afraid to try moving it there but it's a possibility - on top of the entertainment center. I'll keep you posted.

Have a great week everyone!

The results

It isn't perfect but I purchased this fabric with the intention of making a sofa. I used a bit of it for the dining chair cushions in the boarding house but it wasn't the best choice for the living room there. This sofa was not made from a kit. I used thin wood for the base and back, foam core for the arms and cushions, a bit of quilt batting for padding, and skinny sticks for the legs. I glued 2 together to form the leg pieces and used a single layer for the stretchers. I don't really have any plans for it but I needed to do something mini to get the ideas flowing again.

I also need to stock up on Michael's hutches again. I use them for so many things other than hutches. Home office cabinets, fireplaces, windows, benches, kitchen cabinets, just to name a few. The boarding house used up the last of my miscellaneous minis, too. I think I may have to hit a couple of craft stores soon to stock up. Gee, that's too bad. ;-)

Harriet's been busy!

She's been working on the Christmas decorations for the boarding house. They are very simple in 1946 - there just isn't much money to spare. Outside she's hung evergreen wreaths on each section of porch rail and on the upper story windows.
Each hall banister has an evergreen cluster tied with a bow and a glass ball ornament.
The living room has an evergreen swag decorating the mantel and a small table top tree decorated with simple glass ball ornaments and bead garland. The boarding house looks festive and ready for Christmas.

Sandy

It looks like Sandy is just getting home to the boarding house after a long day at her secretarial job. She's a lovely young lady but is still grieving for her fiance who died in the war. She needed to get away from some of the memories and that's why she now lives at Harriet's boarding house.

I spent a long time (for me, lol) making Sandy. I'm very pleased with her suit and her eyes. I'm improving! I studied the doll my friend Brenda made for my saloon - Pansy has beautifully detailed eyes. Sandy's aren't even close to that good but they are a huge improvement over my previous dolls.

Last night I ordered a doll to be George. I recently had a good sale in my etsy shop and rewarded myself. :) I made so many men for the saloon that I just didn't want to make another one. I'm glad I did decide to make Sandy, though.

The new house!

The exterior color is much more green than it appears in the photo. It's close to a seafoam.
I look a little demonic in this pic - hubby says I just look ecstatic, lol. I got the interior cleaned this afternoon and figured out which wallpapers are salvageable - everything on the third floor, the master bedroom/bath on the second, and the living room on the first. Unfortunately, the two hallways with the stairs both have to be repapered. I am not looking forward to that at all!
This will be the color scheme. Hubby helped with choosing the colors. I think it will be very pretty - just don't know what colors will go where yet.

Oh, and this house is going to be a boarding house, post WWII. The original builder of the house, Sandy, died unexpectedly in a car accident. I'm going to name the homeowner Sandra in her memory.

Hubby's away and I spent the day in play

I made this dresser to match the other furniture. The basic structure is a Dove soap box. The drawers were made with leftover logs from my log cabin.
I finished the upper hall wallpaper last night. By using a solid I could keep the better parts of the existing wallpaper. The mirror is a scrapbook sticker and the table is part of a House of Miniatures table kit. It's really cool. The table is made of three separate parts so you can use them all together, each independently or put the half rounds together to form a round table. I used each piece separately.
The blue bedroom needs a lot of accessories. The furniture turned out well, though. The brass headboard was made with the plastic leftover from a couple of Chrysnbon kits. The desk was made with part of a Michael's hutch and some other miscellaneous bits. I need to make a chair to match and fill the shelves. This boarder is the music/band teacher at the local high school. He also plays in a local orchestra. There's a piece of classical sheet music on the desk and his French horn is on the bed.
The master bedroom needs to be personalized a bit, too. There are family photos on the wall, a basket for the cat on the floor and the slightly worn rocking chair that the children and grandchildren were rocked to sleep in. On the other side of the bed is a table I made for a nightstand. I'll post a photo tomorrow of it -it's really pretty. :)
I made big progress on this room today. The tables are part of the HOM kit I mentioned earlier. The sofa is another House of Miniatures kit. I used my fabric instead of the solid blue that comes with the kit. After making the sofa, I used the pattern outlines to make a chair from foam core board. The table between the sofa and chair is a Chrysnbon kit. On the short wall next to the fireplace is a radio. The fireplace surround was made completely from scratch with a mishmash of wood bits. I added the columns today. I probably need an area rug, maybe a coffee table, accessories, and at least 4 chairs for the dining table. So, including the desk chair, I need to make at least 5 chairs. You all know how I feel about making chairs, lol.

I need ideas for items to put in the blue room for the music teacher. He must have some other hobbies - he has put a world map over his bed so maybe he's interested in travel. I should also make some folded shirts and trousers for the shelves in his armoire.

The master bedroom armoire has a hanging rod. I need to make some mini dresses to hang in it.

Oh, and I've made a decision. I think I'll name the lady who rents the pink room Sandra or Sandy. I've called Harriet, "Harriet" since I made her. Sandra just doesn't fit her but she's perfect for the boarding house owner.

All in a day's work

 John and Louise are relaxing in their sitting room this evening after a busy day on the farm. There is still much to do on this floor but it is beginning to look like a home.

 I hung the original curtains back up after washing them. Even though the fabric doesn't drape well, they suit the house. I like to keep as many original features as possible when rehabbing an older house.

 I am very pleased with the sofa. The rocking chair came from the boarding house and the other pieces were in the antique shop.

I am pleased with my day's work, too.

Not much mini time

Well, I had hoped to have lots of time for miniature projects this summer but it was not to be. I did get the DuraCraft Victorian done (and it was a lot of fun!) but now I'm in the middle of garden harvest and "putting up" for the rest of year's enjoyment. School starts in 2 weeks. I still have that Sweetheart Cottage waiting and I will get to it, I promise. :)

I will have to make some time for projects because I have a really cool swap coming up. It's a personalized swap. We all chose the house we wanted things for - I chose Harriet's Boarding House c. 1946. Then we make something for each person that fits in the house they chose. This one is gonna be fun!

Now I'm off to read your blogs while I wait for the weight on the pressure canner to start doing its little dance. Have a great day!

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!

Some progress on the boarding house

This is the foyer just after I got the house (after cleaning). There was a lot of tacky wax that just would not come off the wallpaper completely. I thought I would have to completely rewallpaper but...
I was able to salvage the lower half and just repapered over the upper part with a coordinating paper. I still need to add artwork and a bit of furniture but it already looks very welcoming. The new wallpaper is a sample of 1:1 scale paper. The soft colors look very nice with the existing blue print. The rug was in my drawer of "gonna use some day" minis.
This was the kitchen. I really like this wallpaper but it wasn't in good shape at all. There had been contemporary cabinets hung with wax and when removed (before I got the house) they left a big mess and some of the paper was torn.
Again I used 1:1 samples to wallpaper. The lower paper is supposed to represent tiles. The kitchen was furnished so quickly because I moved Harriet, her grandchildren, their dog, and all of the furnishings from Harriet's breadbox kitchen into this kitchen. All I had to do was put a new skirt on the sink to make it all look good in here. Oh, and Harriet told me last night (after thanking me - she hasn't had a bedroom or bathroom in years, lol) that Harriet is actually her middle name. Her first name is Sandra. Her mother's name was also Sandra so Harriet was called by her middle name.) Her grandchildren, Tess and Johnny, brought their dog, Wilson, over and are now getting a treat from Grandma. :)

Many of the little items in the kitchen have been made by friends. I have some wonderfully talented online mini friends!

Personalized Swap

 One of the groups I belong to recently held a "personalized swap." We each chose which of our dollhouses or projects that we wanted to receive items for. Brenda chose her seaside cottage. The residents are a retired sea captain, his wife and their young son. I tried to make a little something for everyone. Elsie got a bathing suit and a shell book. The captain got a sea chest filled with the tools of his trade. And the little boy got a sand castle with pail and shovel and a child's book about seashells.

 Gaye is redecorating a dollhouse her grandmother gave her. She's turning it into a girls' boarding school reminiscent of "The Facts of Life" television show from the 80s. She got two students in uniform and a spare uniform for another room.

 Rosie is working on a Christmas bakery. Gray and dark red are two of the colors she's using so I revamped the dining set I made for the library class (that didn't work out). I added Christmas patterned dishware and napkins, filled coffee cups and a Christmas pot with extra coffee. The plates hold a cake and cream dessert. The workboard is another cake in progress.

Sandy is making a Christmas house. The chair used to be a picture frame. I padded the area that used to hold the glass and upholstered over the resin chair with Christmas prints. The matching ottoman was a bottle lid of some sort. The side table was a small cake decorating pedestal and I added a Christmas shade to a real mini lamp.

This swap was so much fun! Knowing the recipients already have a home in mind for your projects really added a lot to the anticipation. I chose Harriet's boarding house. I will post photos soon of all the wonderful gifts I received. Harriet and her boarders were thrilled! ;)

In recovery and making plans

Hi all! I am still among the land of the living. I am recovering from foot surgery. All went well but I have to spend most of my time with my foot elevated above my heart. That's not a good position for making minis so I have nothing new to show. I have decided, however, on the 1950s as the time frame for the Westville house my friend gave me for Christmas. I'm excited to start on it. The family will be mother, father, and son. I'm planning to make the boy's room cowboy themed. I already have the boy doll. Those who've followed by blog for awhile may remember the boy with a coonskin cap that I found while hubby and I were in Frankenmuth, MI a few years ago. He's a resin figure like the Houseworks dolls who's been living in the boarding house until I get him his permanent home. HBS has Mr. and Mrs. Sherwood dolls that I think will be perfect for little Davey's parents. I've been doing some research to get ideas for the rest of the rooms. I also have to decide how much I will make and what I want to purchase. Hopefully, in the next month or two, I will actually have  photos of something to share. Thanks so much for your patience if you are still following!

I'm back!

 My birthday was yesterday. A week or so ago , my hubby and I saw this vintage handmade dollhouse while exploring a new antique shop. Today we bought it for part of my birthday gift from him. I acquired some miniatures from a couple of cousins recently and I will be able to furnish much of the house with them. I am also using a couple of pieces made by miniaturist friends, and some homeless pieces I've made in the past. All I need to purchase are the kitchen appliances.

 I gave many of the pieces a contemporary farmhouse makeover. Black chalk paint does a beautiful job covering the bright red finish on inexpensive pieces.

 The hutch was done by my friend Brenda and the table was made by a friend for a dollar store swap. I made the chaior.

 The bed used to live in the boarding house and the other pieces are all from Dollar Tree.

 This is an early layout. I changed out a few pieces after this photo was taken.

All but the coffee table came from my cousin. The table and buffet both got makeovers. This will be a fast project but I am so happy to be working on minis!