The kitchen cabinets are beginning to take shape. Currently I have planned 5 large pieces for the kitchen:

• the lower cabinet where the cooktop is located with plenty of drawers
• The upper cabinet has two cupboards with "glass" doors on each side of the exhaust hood
• A center island that will house the sink and dishwasher
• A tall column cabinet that holds the microwave and the oven
• A cabinet that will be the coffee bar

None of the pieces are finished yet. I still have to finalize gluing various pieces in place, do some sanding, add the final touches, find affordable drawer pulls, and paint. I also have to construct the center island and finish the coffee bar. 

This counter has six working drawers, but non-working cabinet doors. It is cut from 1/16 inch basswood.

Once I glue on the countertop,  the gaps won't be so extreme. I'll do some more sanding to even out the high places. 

I ordered the refrigerator from Elf Miniatures in the UK. I tried to make my own refrigerator, but I just couldn't get it to turn out. The inside of this refrigerator will hold all kinds of good food. The cook top is really special. It is hand made, actually 3-D printed by Jodi at My Miniature Madness. 

I've followed Jodi for a some time now and learn so much from her well written tutorials. She introduced her gas cook top that she created using her 3-D printer for a kitchen that she is making for her daughter. At the end of the post she offers her cooktop for sale with two choices:  a kit that you can assemble or a completed appliance that she will assemble. I chose to have her assemble my cook top because by the time I purchased the glue and the paints to to finish it, I'd spend that much in supplies, but mostly because I feared that I would mess it up if I built it. In just a little over a week, I had this fabulous little stove top in my little house. 

The cooktop will be the focal point of kitchen, won't it! I've already starting accessorizing. I ordered the blue serving bowls just this week from Factory Direct Craft, an all purpose craft supply site with an amazing miniatures section. I borrowed the red teakettle and the mixer from the Pink Farmhouse, but I have a mixer and teakettle on order.

The upper cabinet with the exhaust hood has been particularly troublesome. I had thoughts of remaking it, I think I'll be remaking but decided that I put too much work into this one to scrap it. I've decided to re-cut it because I'm not totally happy with the design the more I think about it. 

Instead of making the cupboards individually, I attached all the pieces to one back board, which caused problems getting all the pieces to fit together nicely. I had thought about  doors that didn't open, but I also wanted to display pretty dishes. I thought about a plate rack to display white dinner plates, but the building the racks turned into a nightmare and looked unfinished, so I decided to add doors with glass (plexiglass) and glass shelves. I hinged the doors using straight pins, a bit tricky, but I managed to get the pins located where I wanted them. I used 3/32 inch bass wood for the doors to give a wider edge to locate the hinge pin.

(The problem with this exhaust hood is that it is too tall, so I'll shorten it up. In all the examples that I see, the hood housing does not reach to the bottom of the cabinets, I'm definitely remaking it.)

I designed the upper in the Cricut Design space. I am so pleased with myself as I am getting better and learning how to measure more accurately. My designs are still pretty simple, but simple works for me.

Once cut out, the pieces  fit together nicely but I realized that I needed to make adjustments and add reinforcement pieces for a sturdier piece. I also need figure out how of if I want to add a light inside.

With the upper cabinet ready to paint, I move on to the column cabinet that will house the oven and microwave. It was a tricky piece to fashion, and I was determined to have working doors, so I used this process to hinge the doors for both the upper cabinets and the doors on this cabinet.

Using seamstress straight pins can work very nicely to create hinged doors, but this little project can also go badly very quickly because basswood tends to split easily.  With the help of my Cricut Maker and taking careful measurements to get the doors the right size, the doors fit nicely. For the cabinet bodies, I use 1/16" basswood, but for the doors, I use 3/32" thick to give a wider edge to center the hole for the pin hinge, reducing--not eliminating--the tendency for the wood to split.

Before I attempted to drill the holes for the pins, I rounded the hinge side of the door by dragging the edge on both sides across sand paper to round the edge so that door would open then I positioned the door in place and used an 1/32 drill bit to begin drilling the pin whole in the top of the cabinet.

Once I can see the drill bit had gone through the top of the cabinet and  begin to penetrate the door, I remove the bit and then remove to the door and finish the hole to make sure that it is centered on the edge of the door. I start the hole then use pliers to push the pin into the unfinished drilled hole for a tight fit.

At this the point, the door can easily be ruined if you don't have the pin hole centered. If the pin is off centered, likely the wood will split.

Once I have the pin hole in place, I remove the pin, put the door in place, insert the pin, and then cut the excess away. Repeat the process for the bottom hinge.

The bottom hinge does pose a challenge because it is hard to get a straight angle to drill the hole. 

Jeweler's pliers are helpful in positioning the pins. Once you have the hinge pin inserted, you can cut the excess away, leaving enough to reinstall the door and then trimming away the rest of the pin so that it is flush with the surface of the cabinet.

Yes, my worst fear, the pin didn't go in straight and the wood split, but I'll add so glue to secure it and the plexiglass window will add support--it's not like this little door will get a lot of heavy use.

And there you have it: Hinged cupboard doors--looking good even upside down.

I ordered the assembled microwave and oven kit from Elf Miniatures. They are nonworking--that is the doors don't open and they are supposed to look built-in for a clean, modern kitchen. I wasn't sure how to mount the appliances, so I cut a piece to back the front of the cabinet so that I would have something to adhere the appliances to keep them in place. Cutting to cut-outs for  the front of the cabinet was so easy in Design space.

I still am mulling over a working drawer or a faux drawer front beneath the oven. 

And that's how I have spent my week, obsessively working on the cabinets for the kitchen, ignoring real house chores like doing the laundry and beginning the spring clean-up in the yard--it's been too cold and windy anyway to get any work done outside. 

I end with a special thank you to Jodi for creating a great cooktop and then sharing her talents with those of us who for one reason or another don't take our miniature obsession to another level. 

Thanks for joining me today. If nothing else, I hope I have given you courage to build your own pieces for your miniature project. I am learning a lot, mostly as I go along and making a lot of mistakes along the way, too, and always learning. I am especially excited about the gas cooktop, hoping that I do justice to Jodi's amazing workmanship as she masters her 3-D printing skills, and so willing shares her talents.

Mock-Ups

When I began the Manchester Country Home by DuraCraft, I set some guidelines--rules--goals--for this build.

First, I wanted to test my skills and apply all the things that I have learned since I began this mini journey in 2016 when my soon-to-be 37 year-old requested that I finish her childhood house for her birthday. I never thought that I go as far as I have, but here I am.

Having said this, I expect the country home to be my last big kit. I don't know what else I'd do with a big house and I'm running out of room. It becomes quite challenging to find new ideas and do things differently with each house. I'm not going stop making minis, for I have other projects in mind and each one of my houses could use more work, more plants, more stuff. I also want to recreate my grandmother's cabin and build a tribute to Betsy Ross.

I also decided that as many items as possible in the house must be handmade, so I will:

• create items from scratch 
• make things from  kits
•  purchase items that I can't make satisfactorily  from miniature artisans who can
• use as much as possible from my stash

Pink here, a former MacDonald's Happy Meal Girl, was rescued along with a bag full of other Happy Meal Girls who now have happy homes in my houses. Once she recovered from her humiliating stint in the thrift store, she took over shopping for the dollhouses. I just wish she'd do something with her hair. Anyway. She's been helping with the layout of the kitchen and doing all the shopping. 

I finally settled on moving the kitchen to the far right room because of the size and space; however,  the stairs in center of the house make for a difficult layout. I'v'e used an assortment of odds and ends to simulate the layout of cabinets and appliances. 

This arrangement seems to be the final plan. I spent the day cutting out the pieces on the Circuit to create a more realistic mock-up of the kitchen. I have learned to cut my designs out of paper first to make sure that my measurements are accurate before I cut the basswood. For these pieces, I've used Cricut board.

While the stair wall is meant to be on the other side of the stairs, I think this arrangement will work even thought the wall will end in front of the door rather than off to the side of the door, but it will work. The tall cabinet will have the built-in microwave and oven with a cabinet to the left of it that will serve as coffee bar. You can see one of my purchases, the coffee maker, from My Miniature Emporium, along with other pieces that I'll share later. The taurine  and canisters  came from Mollysue Miniatures, another favorite artist. I don't know if it will they find their way into the house permanently.

The far wall will have the refrigerator, upper cabinets with ample counter top that will have the cooktop with a pot filler. The sink and dishwasher will be located on the center island. The final challenge for this kitchen will be to design the upper cabinets and exhaust fan. I've worked it all out on paper, but I haven't decided on the fan. I've been looking at modern kitchen design and there are so many routes that I could take with the fan design. 

With the kitchen finally figured out, I turn to the bathroom. I wanted a really modern bathroom--one that I would like in my own master bath. I ordered these bathroom pieces from Shape Ways, a website that supports 3D printed products, including miniatures. I found these pieces offered by Paper Dolls Miniatures. I love them. The quality is exceptional and Kristen, shape owner, is amazing. I have already messaged her to ask how to paint theses pieces and she responded with very good directs and with such an enthusiastic voice in her writing. 

The bathtub and the standing faucet--ordered separately are so modernly vintage. As I searched for inspiration modern bathrooms, the round sinks that are mounted on top of the cabinet are the rage and this little sink that come with the faucet is just amazing. The shower head and faucet come as a pair and the bridge faucet will go in the kitchen. Love these pieces. I still need a toilet and am considering a wall mounted one, but the lids don't open. For some reason I want the lid to open. Next challenge will be to paint these pieces. Later.

The last qualification on my list of must-do rules is to use items from my stash. I found this little table that I think I made as a bench for the Hen House. I think it didn't turn out like I wanted to because I made two; not I can't remember why I made two or what is wrong with this one. I may or may not use this as the vanity, but it will work. 

Pink has given her final approval on the bathroom purchases, but she but has made it clear that shower stall needs to be sent back to the stash. Yes, Madame.

We are still digging out from the Big Storm that hit Sunday. Actually our neighbor kindly used his fork-lift with snow plow attached remove the foot of snow that covered  the drive-way; the horses are okay, but our massive pine trees are stressed under the weight of the heavy snow and some have suffered major damage. We will have a big job doing that clean-up. 

        

On the bright side, snow days are perfect days for working on minis and made very good progress today. I have two more big design projects: the kitchen top cabinets and the entertainment center for the living room. Stay tuned for those projects.

Do you make mock-ups for your rooms?

Usually I link my gardening blog with Monday Mosaics, but just to shake things up a bit, I'll link this post with Monday Mosaics. Join me there.

Thanks so much for visiting. 

 

Manchester Takes Shape

               I've been procrastinating putting the roof on the Manchester because roofs can be so tricky. I messed up the roof on the Bellingham, so the roof is not square. I know exactly where it shows, but only a close inspection will reveal the fault; none-the-less, it bothers me. So I've put off this roof, even knowing that it doesn't have the difficult pieces that other one had. 

If you are building your first house, read the instructions a dozen times before you begin and identify the pieces so that you know what you are working with. Once you begin the build, continue to refer to the directions. I know this seems pretty elementary, but I tend to go rogue--take off on my own and then I make mistakes. But I have learned. 

Having said that, know that pieces  just don't go  together as they are supposed to, so then you have to make a judgment call and do what works.

Last week I committed to getting the house assembled. I've held off, too, because I've been ordering things for the interior, so there really hasn't been a hurry to get the house assembled. I began by gluing in the 3rd floor the moved on the triangle shaped side walls, but first I made wallpaper templates for the pieces that make up the attic walls.

In place of industrial sized clamps, builders can use strong, wide tape, but I found that with these heavy, large houses, clamps work best. They are worth the investment if you are going to build more than one house--I wasn't, yet here I am on house 3. 

At this point some will be asking if I paint pieces before or after assembling. Both. This time I decided to assemble the house first then prime it and it goes much faster and easier. I use regular house latex with Kilz as my primer coat. On the the first two floors, I gave two coats for a nice smooth surface to paint with acrylics or wallpaper. 

Note: between each phase I let the glue cure over night before I go to the next step.

The back brace that will hold the main roof is glued in place next. It's tricky to hold in place.

The instructions make note to make sure that the side wall lines up exactly in the notch channel so that the front roof sections fit properly. 

Do lots of dry fitting before you glue anything in place.

These front panels are heavy and will require lots of taping.  

Next the front window wall will be installed. I played around with this piece for a long time before I committed to gluing it in place.

Once I was sure that I had it positioned, I taped the front seam then slid my Kilz can against it on the inside to give it support.

The instructions say to lay these roof pieces for the triangle roof flat with the grooves down and tape them together then turn the piece over and apply the glue. The pieces will fold in the center. Keep the tape in place.

Before adding the glue, with them taped together together do your dry fit. It's a tricky fit and you will find yourself referring to the directions several times to make sure they are placed correctly. You will check for the interior of the house to see if they line up then you apply the glue and set it in place. You may need another set of hands.

The roof now has all of its pieces in place. 

These pieces are so hard to get placed exactly. You dry fit until the pieces are perfectly in place and the you end up with a big gap. I showed my husband and his comment was that perhaps it was just the machining of the of pieces--the way they were made, so you do the best you can to make sure everything is square and in the correct position. So maybe I did the best I could, but this not a fatal error that required taking it all apart and doing it over. No.

                        

Despite all the dry fits, I didn't get a tight fit on one side.

I searched my stash and found a piece half inch crown molding that will act as nice trim for attic alcove and conceal the gap while adding stability to that side. I purchased this pre-painted crown molding at Hobby Lobby and is it available unpainted at various online miniature shops.

I am not going to let these gaps fluster me because they will covered up with wallpaper and trim and maybe filled with calking. 

On the back side there are two more roof pieces that I will not glue in place until the electrical tape and the wallpaper have been installed. I will also paint their back sides before installing.

So here it is, the Manchester Country Home by Duracraft, 1998. I love this house and I love the addition. 

It is similar to the Vermont Jr. One drawback is that the stairs are in the middle of the house. That stair hole can be filled and moved to the side. Searching Pinterest to see how builders have redesigned the stairs will help you if want to move the stairs. I wish I had, but but I had already cut the openings for the addition, so visit a lot of bloggers to see how they have bashed the stairs. 

Common Questions:

To paint or not paint before assembling: Your choice. I found that painting afterwords went much faster. Priming piece by piece requires a lot space to spread out the pieces then you have to turn them over over and paint again.

To wallpaper before or after: Because I wrap the front wallpaper piece around the corner in each room to cover gaps in walls and to create a smooth seam, I paper after I assemble; however, with hard to access attic walls, it pays to paper before assembly, like the Bellingham attic. I do make make wallpaper templates using computer paper or butcher paper before I assemble the house. 

Glue: I used Aileen's Tacky glue for this house; wood glue works, too. Aileen's will dry clear; some wood glue will not. You will want to wipe away drips and spills immediately. I know that some use hot glue, but I avoid hot glue for a couple of reasons. First it sets quickly which tacky glue and wood glue don't, giving you time to reposition the pieces should you have to make adjustments. Secondly, I'm sure if it creates a lasting, tight bond.  Let glue cure for 24 hours or over night just to create a tight bond before you go on to the next step.

Don't get in a hurry. Enjoy the process. 

Thanks for joining me. I'd love your feedback on how you put your projects together.