The journey with the Manchester Country Home began with a vision: a perfect build. Really? More easily dreamed than accomplished. I made three rules: Use from my stash before purchasing new; make as much as my talents and knowledge would allow (somewhat limited there), and purchase items that are handmade or come from what I perceive as a small business or a cottage business--a home based business. You know what I mean. While the perfect build didn't happen, I have learned how to cover up errors--most of them--and I have supported independent artists, which I think is the most important. 

In the beginning, too, I thought about creating one of those modern, chic, clean farmhouses, all white and black and gray, trendy, cool, modern--but that just isn't me. I like color and tradition and I wanted the project to reflect me.

I am now happy to announce that I'm very close to finishing the Manchester, having worked obsessively the last several days to get major projects done on the house, and today, I checked off some major accomplishment. While the house is not finished, the main parts are in place: electrical wiring, floors, and wallpaper on the first 2 floors. 

One room that I'm not happy about is the kitchen. I went way overboard making cabinets, including a center island and coffee bar, but the kitchen just isn't big enough for all that furniture, so I think I will be remaking it on down the road. 

I decided to attach the upper cabinets using that very strong double sticky carpet tape to allow access to the light that light the behind the exhaust vent. Still not really happy with, but I'll install it for now.

I love the pendant lights and so easy to make, all items from stash--well I did have to purchase the clear globes.

Jodi Hipler at My Miniature Madness 3-D printed the cooktop and offered them for sale last year. The oven, microwave, and dishwasher came from Elf miniatures int the UK. Great kits, but non-opening. I still need to add drawer pulls to the little drawers and the cabinet doors, but then I'll be rebuilding this unit--again.

The bathroom is pretty much done, except for the wainscoting that is made but needs installing and I have to finish the shower and the vanity and glue the flooring in place. I sourced the wallpaper and the flooring in the last post: printable by Jessica Cloe. 

You can see how crowded the kitchen is. What was I thinking?  I did try out a variety of cabinet arrangements, but the refrigerator and the built in over and microwave just over power the room and take up too much room.

The bathroom turned out just like I envisioned.  I could add a ceiling light since the room seems a little dark. The wainscoting breaks up the wallpaper and perhaps a hint at an older bathroom. 

The bedroom is nearly finished. The wall is paper and the light fixture  works. It's nice, warm comfortable room, but very crowded with the stairs in the middle.

I think my favorite room is the dining room. The dinning set comes from Hobby Lobby and I think I'll paint it white and distress it, but I do love the natural look. The clock needs to be finished. I dug it out of the stash the other day. 

One major change is the wall. I build a stair surround that I spent so much time on, but it just not fit well and I decided to forget enclosing the stairs. That whole project has frustrated me.  At this point the rug is paper, but I'll print it on printable fabric.

This week's project was to finish the second floor room on the addition.

Good grief, whatever possessed me to do an addition. It has been trouble from the beginning. It just never really fit properly.  It's prefect for its companion Real Good Toys houses, but not so much for this older kit.  I finally it managed to get it installed and trim will cover the ugly joining of the two kits. The arch between the rooms has been a challenge to trim out, too. 

Now time for the electrical. I was up early Sunday determined to paper the upstairs room, but first I had to install the lights. It didn't go well.

 Took me all day to install the electrical. What a mess. I thought I had power in all the room, but apparently I didn't. Getting the power to the tape wire in that last room proved quite challenging since all the other rooms were papered and I couldn't access the lines.  In the end, I connected the upstairs addition room using round wire and plug-in to power the room. I like that because I can unplug the room if I want. The connection will be hidden behind a rear roof.

 Not very pretty, but it works.

My light works. That's a good thing, taking all day Sunday. I unwound with working on the afghan I'm crocheting while watching Yellowstone --now that'll get your mind off your troubles.

The wall paper is in. Downloaded from an Etsy store and printed. I didn't take the trouble to match the pattern since it will be hidden underneath to roof.

I still don't know exactly what this room be, but it's another favorite in the house. 

This morning I installed the 2 piece roof.  I had one chance to get it glued in correctly. After applying the glue and placing each section, I taped them in place then added weight--my microwaveable, birdseed  filled heat pads. 

 

The moment that I've waited for and worked toward for a very long time.

  

I am very happy how nicely the room fit into place.

The floor will go soon as well as trim.

I had great hope for the lighting in this room, creating large glass globes that will hang from the vaulted ceiling, but I've not been able to get them placed. I am thinking maybe can lights since despite the large sky light, the room is still dark. 

The desk lamp is the only light that works so far.

OH NO! 

No big deal that the tape didn't hold. At least the cupboards were empty. I'm redoing that wall any way. I added wall paper to heavy yard stock and used the double tape to install it. During one my sleepless hours in the middle of the night, I decided to redo that wall. I'll remove the faux wall, repaper, and glue the cabinet in place. I may even rebuild it since it is just a little long for the space.

So the house isn't done, but the major projects are done. I still have the 3rd flood to complete, but I don't know what I'll do with it yet--a 3rd bedroom with bathroom? A library? I don't know.

There's still a lot of blue tape holing things in place, trim and molding have to be installed, and the stairs have to glued in place, but the house is nearly done. 

I've cleaned up the work space, put tools away, and swept the floor. I'll leave my mini world to make few things for Christmas, do my baking, shopping, decorating the big house, and all the other things that we do during this holiday season.

I'll be checking in again soon.

Thanks for visiting. 

Ann

The Lights Are On

                                                                              I tend to say, "Life gets in the way," when I don't work on minis, but that is only a half truth. Sometimes I just lose momentum, especially when I'm facing tedious tasks in the dollhouse. This week, the mood to mini returned, nearly obsessively. I am ready to have the Manchester finished. Worried that the house wasn't turning out the way I wanted it to or that some of the workmanship isn't exact,  I think fueled such a long hiatus.  This last week, though, with most my obligations competed, I dug in and made great progress. In addition, I've not been able to commit to wallpaper, lighting, even a bathroom sink, even though I had purchased two Shapeways sinks. Here's what I've accomplished.

Electrifying a dollhouse might be the worst project, second to maybe roofing with individual shingles. Mitering crown molding also tends to bring on procrastination. Following Sue Conlin @ sussmallobsessession, reminded me of some of the cutting techniques for crown molding and some electrical tricks that I had used in the Pink Farmhouse, giving me confidence to continue on.

I've made my own lights since the beginning using beads and beading findings. I took my first lessons from Cinderella Moments, following her chandelier tutorial. I made several, with fair results. Wall sconces were inspired by the various tutorial I found on Pinterest. 

I make lighted wall sconces using beading supplies from Bindles Ornaments, a Dutch company with a wonderful selection of high quality beading supplies with tutorials and kits. Their kits might be a bit more advanced for the beginners, but they are a great way to learn how to create your lighting fixtures.

You will find the information for my tutorial for the bathroom sconces at Make Something Pretty. The foundation for the sconce came from Bindles, but when I checked their catalog today, this piece doesn't seem to be available, but there are other pieces that might work. 

Bindles is a lovely company to work with: great service, beautiful products, great instructions, and most importantly, quality products. The only drawback that I can find is the delivery time since they are overseas. Beginners might do well to shop local craft stores that sell beading supplies, such as what I used for this little light. Once you begin buying beading supplies and tools, you build up a stash that will make it easy to make all kinds of lamps, sconces, and ceiling lights. You can also find beading supplies online. 

The supplies are simple. I purchase the little lights from Cir-Kit Concepts, but other miniature suppliers offer the same lights. Check prices and shipping. I like this company because they offer such great support. I ruined an expensive chandelier that I purchased from them and shipped to them for repair.  

I always use glue made just for beading because it won't cloud the beads or glass globes like white glue tends to do. I ordered the frosted replacement globe from Just Miniatures and they can also be purchased from Factory Direct. For the clear bulbs, I purchase glass globe findings at Hobby Lobby, or anyplace else, including Etsy. The assembly is quite simple string the findings on the lighting wire, using a toothpick to apply tiny dabs of glue between each layer, being careful not get glue in the wiring.

And there you have it. I originally this style for the wall sconce above the bathroom vanity.

But found that it was too small.  I work out my wall design on the work counter laying flat then photograph the arrangement so that I can see what it might look like. 

I ended up installing this light on the ceiling in the bedroom above the canopy bed. It's perfect for the spot.

Installing the wall sconces was easy, once using Susan's technique. 

To begin, I printed my  wallpaper on mat photo paper and sealed it with Krylon.  I measured the location for each sconce then punched small holes to feed the wires to the back of the paper and used dabs of the beading glue to attach the sconces to the paper (purchased from Lovely Minis Designs on Etsy).

Because the paper is downloaded and printed, I work with a prin-outt on computer paper first to test size and placement. 

Ordinary scotch tape holds the wires in place on the back of the wallpaper. The photo paper is heavy enough that the wires won't show through the paper, but if you use a lighter weight paper, mount it on card stock to reinforce to print and to prevent the wiring from showing through the wallpaper. Since I had the wires on the back of the wallpaper, I applied the wallpaper adhesive (Grandmother Stover's) to the wall.

I run my copper tape wire across the floor, then run the sconce wires down the wall behind the wallpaper and across the floor to copper wiring. This technique works only if the sconce wires are long enough, which mine barely are. 

Making wall sconces and ceiling fixtures allows for more creative, distinctive lighting at a reduces cost once you have created a stash of beads and beading supplies, including the specialized beading tools. Here's another light that I have decided where to put just to demonstrate how easy it is create your own lights:

Tools:A drill. I most often use my Dremel. Because of its length, I have to drill the hole at an angle, but that really doesn't matter. Sometimes I use tool that came with my Cir-Kit wiring kits that has both an awl point and two drill bits. I use Cir-Kit's awl to make the pilot hole for the eyelet; insert the eyelet with the black awl, use the allgatory clamp type tool to strip the insulation from the wiring, a small hammer to pound the eyelets in place, and scissors--just in case.  

With the wires secured in place, I cover them tape: blue painter's, scotch, or even electrical. I've used all three through out the house. Covering the wires with tape will secure them in place and add some protection once the floors are in place.

This wall is now ready to decorate. I'll add the vanity, sinks, toilet, and shower.  

 

Next for the kitchen hanging lights. Lighting the Way post shows how I created the glass pendent lights

There's one thing that I didn't include, how to hand the lights. Commercially lighting has all the component for hanging and attaching these types of light, but handmade lighting requires a bit of creative thinking. I needed to be able to attach the chain that suspends the light and attaching the electrical wire to power. The wire is fed through a hole in the ceiling then attached to the copper tape wire.

I used a Dremel drill to drill the holes, but a thumb screwdriver works well, too. 

The pendent chain is attached with a jump ring to a head pin with the loop used in beading. I thread the head pin through same hole the hole in the ceiling. If you have difficulty pushing the electrical wire through the hole, I thread my wires on a needle with a large eye (but not too large to go through the hole.)

Now you are ready to attach the wires to power.

I used bulbs with black insulation for the kitchen and white for the dining room chandelier, hand made using a Bindle's kit.

Here you can see the head pin. I didn't trim mine back, tapping in place instead. 

Here's a tip I learned from a Cir-Kit tutorial. There are two ways to strip away insulation on wiring: a) use your thumb nail, which works well for the tiny rice bulbs since the wiring is so small. If you have strong nails, a thumb nail will effectively strip the insulation away;  b) use an alligator-like clip too that you can order from Cir-Kit--an invaluable tool. 

For light with ample wires, I'll strip away plenty of insulation, but not clear to the end. With some insulation still attached, I have a handle to twist the wiring around the eyelet. But pull too hard on the clamp and the entire wire is stripped or worse the wire breaks, which could be disastrous on short wires.

 Always work on wiring with the electrical source unplugged to avoid shorting out your electrical system. Before I pound the eyelet into place I plug in the power to make sure I have a good connection and the light works. I also test all of my bulbs before I use them to make sure they work. 

Insulation tail as a handle or a pair of needle nosed tweezers used to wrap the tiny wires around the eyelet make this chore easier.

Yes I know that bathroom wall is crooked. That's the next project. I'll repeat the process with a Houseworks double sconce from my stash on the bedroom side and wall art on the bathroom side. That's my project for later today.

And now two stories are lighted. The gabled rooms will be fun to add light to, won't they? Stay tuned.

Thanks for visiting,

Ann

 With the card making worshop now closed and a box of over 100 cards ready to ship to Cards for Soldiers in Michigan and time on my hands, I decided to do some Christmas decorating. In the family home, I begin decorating after Thanksgiving, usually the second week in December. It used to be out of necessity because I taught and I always had final essays to grade and semester grades to enter in the system.  I keep that same time schedule by begin the Christmas village. You can see last year's display here. I'm loath to rushing the season by putting up Christmas before Thanksgiving, as some have already done. 

With time on my hands and the temperatures hovering barely above freezing, I decided to dig out the Christmas decorating and begin, however. . . Miniature Land has it's own set of rules and timetable.

I decided to decorate the Blue Farmhouse Now Pink this year. It was my first major renovation project, so the house is special. I can now see things that could be redone since I have grown in skill and knowledge, but I'm going to leave it as is as a testimony to my growth and progression in my skills and knowledge.

Before the decorating could begin, I had to repair some electoral work. As you can see in this photo, the fireplace sconces and the logs don't light up, so I removed all the furniture and the flooring, which is not glued down for just that reason to reinstall the fireplace logs. the Sconces wiring goes through the wall to the hallway all on the other side. I removed the bookcase and used a small hammer to pound in the brads to make them more stable. Now they light up.

I took out the plastic shoebox that held all of the decorations and dumped them on the  table along with all the living room furniture. I couldn't help but think that this mess reflects what the real life living room and dinning room will soon look like. Art intimating life in miniature.

I began with the fireplace using the decorations  created for the Bellingham fireplace last year. The nutcrackers came from Hobby Lobby miniature holiday decorations.

The large, deep rooms are my favorite feature of this large, old house originally built from scratch rather than a kit. 

The kitchen/dinning has been set for Thanksgiving since last year, a reflection my grandmother's Thanksgiving feasts that were repeated for Christmas. I was 12 when she passed, and those holiday memories will are as vivid today as they were when I was little.

This meal was my first adventure in creating polymer clay food. Not bad for a novice, I'd say.

I replicated grandmother's china by grabbing the prints from Replacements.com, a website where you find replacement pieces for you favorite china. I printed the images on waterslide decals and was able to make the plates. The coffee cups were another story.

 

The second floor hallway is actually an odd room. Narrow but deep. I purchased a lot of dollhouse stuff from a junk dealer and loved this old fireplace converted to bookcase, so the upstairs hall is a reading room of sorts.

The third follow has the den or man cave or whatever. I'll add more to it. Maybe some lights to the tree. This fireplace works, too,--sort of--on a whim. I've always had problems with the electrical in this house, so while I added tape wiring to the third floor, it gave me so many problems that I didn't wire in any lights, using LED battery lights instead, except for the fireplace.

 

There is more to do more do, so more will photos will come later.

It's snowing, which will keep me inside, so I'll be in the mini studio all day. 

What will you be doing? 

Thanks for visiting.