Inspiration Comes from the Oddest Places

 Can you believe that I am back so soon? I really am trying to spend more time on this blog, which I can do as long as I more working on a dollhouse project.

Finally a completed project, the House Works, Ltd. refrigerator. You will certainly want to know if I would build another one. I'll get to that. Here is the finished refrigerator. I had a choice between buying a sleek, stainless-looking modern one with French doors with built-in an ice maker and water dispenser, and assembled Who wouldn't want such an upgrade? Or I could build a plain Jane, retro refrigerator in a kit, giving me satisfaction of building it myself.




It assembled easily, painted nicely, but not without problems. I sanded each piece with a very fine grained sanding block. Next,  I applied  two coats of acrylic craft paint with a wide artist's brush to get a smooth, stroke-free surface. Once the paint dried, I sanded each coat with a brown paper lunch bag crumpled up which gave a very nice shinny surface.

Those were the easy steps. Installing the doors was the most challenging. Above, you can see that the hinge pin split the wood when I dried to push it into the pre-drilled hole. When I  tried to install the hinges, I had more trouble. I like to glue hinges in place before putting the nails. The glue didn't want to stick. But there was a more serious problem.

I struggled the one big flaw in this kit: on the right you will see the nails that come with the kit and they are too large. I dug in my stash where I had these small hinge nails that worked so much better. 

Here it is in the kitchen. While not perfect, I will keep it. I will have to look for printable food items that I can make small enough to fit in the door racks. They aren't very deep. My favorite parts are the acrylic glass-looking shelves. Room enough to store the Thanksgiving turkey.

I also worked on the counter top for the sink and cooktop. Coming up with a good, easy, doable countertop had me frustrated. I came up a few not so good ideas: nothing, painted countertop, samples of formica from Home Depot kitchen center, a butcher block look top stained with the stain that I will use on the floor. Then I had a brain storm.  I found my inspiration for the kitchen cabinets this morning watching country singer Trisha Yearwood's cooking show. She has a new kitchen with black counter tops on white cabinets. It was stunning.  I save all sorts of plastic containers like this black one that came from the super market deli loaded with vegetables. These trays come in handy for a plethora of uses, but I like them best for my mini projects. It is, however, very hard to cut both with scissors and utility knives. It scratches easily, too. 

I began the countertop by placing a piece of scrap computer paper on top of the two cabinets. I ran my finger over the tops to create an impression on the paper. Then I cut out a pattern.

I tested the pattern for a fit. I left an edge on the back of the cabinet for the back splash and I want the counter top to extend over the front and side edges. Next I cut out the pattern on a piece of thin bass wood.

Then I cut out the openings on the black plastic for the sink and cooktop. I will glue the plastic to the bass wood counter top to give it some body and thickness. 

Now note the gap between the two cabinets as they sit on the work mat next to each other--a rather unsightly wide gap that indicates one of cabinets might not straight.

But when I put a shim underneath one cabinet, a level shows that a hidden shim helps to close the gap. I may need a bit more thickness to close the gap completely. Now I need to paint the cabinets, glue on the counter,  add the sink and cook top, paint the cooktop and knobs, and assemble it all. I am going to love the kitchen. 

Over the years, I have remodeled 2 kitchens and watched my husband's uncle install the cabinets that he build for one kitchen and followed him around as he install the cabinetry for our downstairs that he built for his house. He is a true craftsman, but even the best carpenters make mistakes; what makes them truly great craftsmen is how well they cover up their mistakes or vix someone else's. Uncle Don used a lot of shims to level out cabinets against uneven walls and floors out of kilter. Even in the best built houses there will uneven surfaces. There is more to do with the cabinets, but I want to install the flooring next before I do anymore with them.

I moved on to the bathroom, which is going to have a nautical theme--mermaids, sea horses, shells--as the photo below hints at.

It will have a ceramic vintage bathtub from my stash and a shower. I made my shower head today. Took me a while to figure it out. From jewelry findings, I used a gold head pin, findings, a crystal bead, and an earring back--you can buy a bag of pierced ear backs. I started with a paper clip as the shower pipe, but it wouldn't fit through the hole in the back. 

The crystal bead for the water faucet doesn't photograph very well, but it makes a very elegant faucet. 

Why gold, you ask? Mostly because the earring back is gold. However, our old house which was a custom build home in the '70s (we didn't build it) had gold fixtures in the hall bathroom. While the house had horrible '70s huge floral wallpaper, the gold fixtures looked pretty In that bathroom, I liked them even without the dated wallpaper.  Now I need to figure out a shower curtain and a curtain rod that will surround the vintage bathtub.

And now the find of the week. I am going with a modern farmhouse, shabby country look for this house. I want it modern, clean, simple. (We'll see if I can keep the clutter down. I love miniature accessories.)

When I was little kid living on a farm, dad butchered a couple of calves. One was named Junior. My dad didn't let anything go to waste. He was a child of the Great Depression when families had to use everything necessary to survive. He had the hides tanned and made into rugs, but we used them on our beds. The old farm house didn't have central heating; instead, it had one oil burning heater that was turned low at night. The hide had a felt backing, clover green with a layer of gold felt, both cut with scalloped edges. I slept under that cow hide for years. It was heavy, warm, and comforting. I don't know whatever happened to Junior. I wish I still had the old hide.

Dad didn't butcher anymore cattle after Junior. As he always told the story, his two little children cried and fussed over losing their cow, so he couldn't raise his own beef anymore. I have from time to time mentioned to my husband that we should feed a beef here--we have the room--but he says that he'd get too attached and could't kill it. Me neither. He says, "things don't come here to die."

This little cow hide is, of course faux, but is similarly marked like Junior only he had more white.  I found it on Etsy in a delightful store in Canada, Looking Glass Miniature . I'll be returning to this store to buy some of ancient botanical books, minis, of course. 

Hubby is working corn harvest for friends out in eastern Colorado. He'll be gone for two weeks, depending on weather. The farm has 23-2500 acres of dry land land corn to thrash, so I have lots of time to do what I want. Play with my dollhouse.

Thanks so much for visiting. I enjoy your company.