Ann's Dollhouse Dreams

The Ballet Studio closed last week for a few repairs.

The shingling on the roof need to be finished and the stair rail upstairs had to be installed. I had put off these two projects so long that it was time to finish the little house before I take on another house build (The Bellingham Farmhouse waiting to be assembled in the garage).

Shingling isn't t hat hard to do, just tedious. I began last year using a wood joint compound that once dried the shingles did adhere, but I wasn't happy with it. It was messy, the shingle wood did't like it, and it was very hard to squeeze out of the tube. I went with that product based on advice from builders around the net. The thin shingles tend to curl with a water based glue they . Wood glue dries yellow, which it does, so any drips that aren't wiped up will be yellow. Hot glue hardens two quickly; however, the builder at Norm's Dollhouse store in Denver said that they use hot glue to install their shingles. So to finish the job, I used Eileen's Tacky glue, which I have come to like very much. This glue hardens more quickly than Elmer's with a firmer hold. Some of the wood furniture that I glued together from kits need to be re-glued because the Elmer's didn't bond strongly.

The shingles also had to be dyed. I mixed an entire pack of dye powder, but dyed only a couple of handfuls from a full bag of shingles that I had ordered from Real Good Toys. Not a hard job, but it is a messy process, and the shingles take a few days to dry.

So now the roof is finished. Next, the stair rail had to be install. Since the studio was my first build, I wasn't quite sure how to go about doing certain things, but now I was able to build a stair rail out of scraps that I had.

The studio will be back in business, soon. I  have to move all of the dollhouses to another room so that the carpet can be cleaned in a couple of weeks. In my real life, I am reorganizing and cleaning up the downstairs room, especially my craft area. It has been such a mess with the blue farm farmhouse remodel that now that it is done I am organizing and putting away supplies and tools before I begin the next build that will be done mostly in the garage. I want all of the current project finished before I begin a new one.

I thought about hardwood on the upstairs floor, but with the wiring on the floor, I decided against that. Instead I will put the carpet back in place even though the piece is not quite large enough. It's an attic room, so of course a remnant piece of carpet has been used. 

With each stair that I install, I get better. I used a Houseworks stair kit from Hobby Lobby instead of the stair pieces included in this Real Good Toys kit, It didn't quite fit, but I liked it better than the pieces that came with the kit. Nor did the kit have the pieces for the rail upstairs. Luckily I had scraps that I was able to use. 

Now the upstairs looks fresh and clean. It will be the sewing room where all of the costumes are designed and made.

Tryouts for this year's Nutcracker were held just before the repair work began, so I know that the girls and -----are anxious to know which parts they got. The girls will be back in  few weeks to start rehearsals. Headmistress drops in each day to feed Jasmine, the guard kitty.

Eventually this little house will go my middle granddaughter, Lucy, who is our little ballerina. She just found out that she will be an angel in her Nutcracker production. I have been looking for another small cottage to build for the oldest granddaughter, Elinore. She loves animals so I am thinking of building an animal rescue/sanctuary. After looking at Real Good Toys for another house, it looks like they have discontinue the Alpine House kit which makes me sad because it is such a cute little cottage. 

I have been working on other projects, too: hall trees made out of old doors and House of Miniatures upholstered furniture, a wing back chair and a sofa. I'll be back too so share those with you.

Most importantly, I will go the Denver Museum of Dolls,  Miniatures and Toys Show in Denver Friday. I am so excited. I will be going alone on Friday since my daughters have other obligations on Saturday. My sister in law has prepared their applications for the DAR (Daughters of American Revolution). While I really wanted them to go with me to this once a year event, I think that it is most important for them to attend the DAR meeting with their aunt who has worked so hard to get them qualified to join. Other than making the hour and half drive too Denver alone, I am excited that I will be able to wander the show without distractions. I've saved money. I want to look for garden flowers, especially this time. Of course, I'll have a full report for you when get back. 

Thanks so very much for visiting.