Make Something Pretty

 After a little time away from the workshop, I returned to the basement determined to begin wallpapering the Manchester, but things never go as planned, do they? 

Before I could wallpaper, I decided that I needed to refit and resize my window frames. My dear, sweet husband had noted that my frames were too large for the windows to give a proper fit, so I had to resize 5 window frames. That's when I began yesterday. 

This is the large window for the addition living room. When first made the frame, I cut one side off for some reason then glued it back together to save wood, reasoning the both paint and the window curtain would cover up the mistake. But the more I fiddled with the frame trying to get it to line up with the window, I discovered that it was crooked, so I disassembled it and rebuilt it to the correct and even size.

Of course our main rule when cutting anything from lumber to wallpaper is to measure twice, cut once, but as I read Studio Miniatures this morning, Elizabeth put that rule more accurately Take multiple measurements and still cut it wrong. ME!

Using a jig helps glue straight corners. Most often the corner fits inside the jig, but I used a small square of wood inside the frame to get an accurate fit. It worked great helping to get straight lines.

And so I repeated the process with each assembled window frame: disassemble the frame, cut to size, re-glue.

 I repainted the frames with a light coat of white craft acrylic paint then sanded them down to give a bit of a vintage or aged look to wood work.

Wallpapering

I have followed the same process for wallpapering with each house that I have built:

• I always use either "Yes" or Grandmother Stover's dollhouse wallpaper paste for these specific reasons: both are of the same consistency and spread nicely. I use Grandmother's because it is readily available at Hobby Lobby, while I have to order "Yes." The glue doesn't  not set up quickly so you have time work with it; it's slippery so it slides into place and can easily be repositioned; and, most importantly, it can be removed easily by saturating the wallpaper with warm water.
• Once my paper is cut to size for the wall, I place a layer of wax paper or this Press'n Seal kitchen paper on the work surface, Wax paper has to be taped in place, but Press'n Seal holds itself in place. I use a new sheet for each application to prevent glue from previous piece getting on the front side of the wallpaper.
• I use a wide craft stick as an applicator.
• When I apply the wallpaper to the wall, I use either an old credit card or my Cricut scraper to work out the air bubbles and wrinkles in the wallpaper.
• I also keep a damp cloth or paper towel to clean my fingers or even to wipe excess glue away.
• Note: too much glue will seep out the edges when you use the credit card to Smoot out wrinkles, so once you apply the glue to the back side of the wallpaper, use the edge of your applicator to wipe away excess, leaving a thin layer of glue.

I paper the back wall (front of the house) first, cutting the paper 1/4 inch to 1/2 an inch wider at each side to wrap around the corner. I use the credit card to poke the paper tightly into the corner. As this photo shows, I pre-crease the sides so that they fit into place.

Now I'm ready to slather on the goo: 

The wall doesn't need much prep. Just clean and dry.

Note: Some apply glue to the wall. I just found that awkward in the room. Please don't use hot glue. There are all kinds of adhesives; use what works best for you.

You can see how the paper wrapped around the corner will make a smooth joint for the side walls. The side wall paper will then just slide into place, making a clean corner seam. This technique is especially helpful for those kit walls fit together with taps, leaving gaps in the corners. Wrapping the wallpaper around the coroners in those older kits makes a very nice, clean seam over the gapping corners. 

I printed this William Morris paper from rawpixel.com on mat photographic paper, a heavier paper then I protected it with Kryon sealer. It's awful stuff. I use it in the garage with the garage open and my Covid mask on! But it will protect the paper from fading and discoloration.

I discovered that printing on 8.5 x 11 inch paper on my home printer doesn't give paper wide enough for a 12 inch wall. I centered this paper carefully so that my crown molding on the top and the floor board on the bottom would cover the edges, so you have to choose a pattern that will cover the wall the way you want it to. I printed and reprinted on on computer paper until I had it all lined up for a good fit.

I let the paper glue cure over night then this morning installed the crown molding on the left side. I'll do the right wall after I've added papered it. 

Cutting mitered corners for this crown molding is so tricky and I ruined so much lumber trying to get good mitered cuts, so I'm using these corner blocks that allow me to cut straight cuts. So easy. You can find these 1/4 inc wood blocks at Hobby Lobby, eBay, or other miniature sources.

With two walls in the living room papered and the wood trim that has been painted white then distressed with light sanding, I was ready to paper the left wall with wide opening, but I realized that I couldn't paper it yet because I needed to add sconces to both the living room and dining room on that wall. I'll use sconces from my stash in the living room and hand created sconces for the dining room. The living room will not have a ceiling lighting, but the dinning room will have a handmade crystal chandelier made from a kit that I purchased supplies from a wonderful Dutch company, Bindles Ornaments, I dug in that stash for parts for the dining room sconces. Here is the parts list for these easy to make sconces: 

• Glass globes: I got lucky one day at Hobby Lobby when I found this box of glass globes with earring backs. I didn't think I needed a dozen, but then maybe I do. These glass globes can be sourced on Etsy. 
• The lighting is a bit more complicated. Because I ordered from a kit that Bindles offered, it called for the these bulbs and sockets.
• the sockets come in two sizes. Use the smaller one for wall sconces and the larger ones for chandeliers: 
• Sockets: https://cir-kitconcepts.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13_42&products_id=181
• bulbs: Bulbs: https://cir-kitconcepts.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13_42&products_id=177
• There are a variety of bulbs both 12 volt and LED that you can use; these sockets might be a bit intimidating, but if I can assemble them, so can you. I used these because that's what the Bindles kit used.
• To learn how to assemble your own sconces, visit the Bindles website to watch their tutorials. I ordered kits to learn how to make my own lights. Cir-kt will have all the supplies you need, but there are other sources, as well. Use what works for you and what is assessable. 
• I use this jewelry glue for beads and glass; other glues will fog the glass. This is not a fast drying glue, so glue your pieces and let them set for a while before going on to the next step.
• The little cups for the candle socket to fit in FL 451: there are two sizes; choose the smallest for this project https://bindelsornaments.nl/product/fl-451/
• Sconce base, FL 434: https://bindelsornaments.nl/product/fl-434/

Be sure to test you bulb once you have it assembled to make sure that it works.

Now, you are ready to assemble your lights by threading the electrical wire from the front to the back of the sconce.

The fun part of using supplies from Bindles to build your dollhouse lights is variety of parts and supplies for making miniatures things. You can create your own beautiful lights that are unique and beautiful and quite affordable. You may need some simple jeweler's tools and some YouTube tutorials to get you started. 

These tweezer clamps are a good way to hold these tiny pieces.

 

The first bulb is the earring globe; the second on is a replacement globe that orders from Jeepers Miniatures, but I can't find them there now. It's just a bit smaller and perhaps more to scale than the earring part. 

When I assembled these, I place the brass socket holder on a toothpick, use another tooth pick to dab glue on it then place it in the center of the base and set aside to let it dry. 

When the glue sets, I thread the wire for the light through the opening from the front to the back of the sconce base. I don't glue it in place because I don't want the glue to corrode the bulb's plastic coating and ruin it. 

I use a toothpick next to dab the edge of the opening of the glass globe and put it over the bulb. This glue does not grab quickly, so carefully set in the work top to set up.

So there you have it. Two projects for today, plus a blog post. Not a bad day's work. 

What did you accomplish today?

Thanks for visiting. Now you go make something pretty.

One Day

This blog cycle has been a busy one. I had three main projects to work on, two non-mini projects that stole time from my obsession. The weather has been so miserable, I wrote in earlier posts--no moisture for both March and April, the months when we get the most moisture,  and awful wind, every day for a month.  Today we have rain; Praise the Lord for that because we haven't had rain all spring; in fact, April has been the windiest month that any  native Colorado Native can remember, giving me ample excuse to stay inside and work on minis instead of doing necessary spring gardening. Now I will have to split my time, working in the garden in the cool of the morning and retreating to basement worskhop as the days heats up--if they ever do.

I had a sewing project that was conceived in 2020 for Colorado DAR State Conference, which was canceled bed of the pandemic. The Saturday night banquet requires formal attire, so I wanted to make a cover for the sleeveless black dress that I planned to wear. So two years later Thursday the day before I was leaving for Conference I spent sewing up my cover up. It's just four rectangles stitched together, but I took me all day--when I could have been making a tiny file cabinet. 

The conference began Friday morning, but my sister-in-law and I left Thursday afternoon. It's only about an hour and half to Boulder, so we had an evening to relax-- when I could have been making a file cabinet.

Daughters of the American Revolution is a a female service organization. Members must trace their ancestral line to a revolutionary patriot, the great father who served in some capacity for the Revolutionary War. The workshop Friday morning was given by local author and genealogist who encouraged use to write our own genealogical books, something that I have long wanted to do, but that means a lot of research and lot of work--when I could be making a file cabinet. One day.

I spent the better part of the week--up to last minute-- before Conference making a desk for the second story addition room which will be some sort of office/ art studio. Instead of trying to design it all by myself, I watched Julie Warren's most current craft desk tutorial for her current dollhouse that she has has been working on. 

I put all of the pieces in Design Space, which works so well, except the left side--the drawer side--is 3/32" basswood. In the past, I've not had a problem cutting that thickness, but it appears that the Design Space updates have changed that because not the machine stops at a couple of rounds. Fortunately I use my scroll saw the make cuts on the lines etched by the Maker. 

My plan all along was to paint the desk white to keep that dark upstairs room light and bright. After one coat of acrylic craft paint, I sanded it down to distress it, making it look like it had been hauled out of the refuse pile or rescued from an attic or garage. Her video shows how to use fabric to line the storage boxes on left side, but I haven't decided yet on fabric or paper or twine

.

The white desk had a major flaw and mistake with one of the shelves that was pretty apparent, so I cut another  desk, avoiding that mistake, but it too has a flaw so it's not perfect. I decided to paint this one green and distress it as I did with the table for the living room. I began with a white base coat, sanded it, then added the green and sanded it. I am quite drawn to this green desk. Instead of fabric, I used twine to wrap around the storage boxes and painted the inside white instead of using fabric, really because I just couldn't decide on the fabric. I like baskets, anyway.

Careful sanding helped to fix the bad shelf that suffered from a bad cut and it was glued in crooked. I managed to loosen the glue and reset the shelf, so that once the drawer was in place the flaw in the wood doesn't show. I've learned over time that careful sanding sometimes helps correct some mistakes.

Next I made a bulletin board--Julie calls it a "pin board" in her video and uses a very thin cork. I had a hard time finding cork at Hobby Lobby, but I did find square cork coasters with rounded corners that I used. They are thicker than what she recommends, but I think the coasters work fine. She has a very simple, short video on how to assemble the bulletin board. I had cut my cork before I went to her video, so it is quite large. I'll make a smaller one that won't cover up so much of my sunflower.

I found the sunflower online some place--rawpixel.com, maybe--. I decided to have just one image on this wall. I may change my mind when I put the roof on, and I can't wait to show you wallpaper for the rest of the room. 

 

Side by side the desks look so cute. I am having a really hard time deciding which one to use. Will I have to make two file cabinets?

Being a long time Mac user-- beginning 1989 when I went to grad school--, I love my mini iMac ordered on Etsy. Sweet Brody grapped the key board as I admired and of course ruined it, so I wrote the vendor and she kindly replaced it for me, at no charge. Thank You! ZZ Mini World located in Dallas Texas.

And that's what I did before Conference. Today I'll build my file cabinet following Julie's tutorial for the file cabinet that she built for her craft shed. Easy and so cute.

I totally appreciated your comments on the 3rd story bathroom and I think you know what I'll      be doing.

Part of the problem with taking so long to do a large project like this house is that it is easy to lose sight of the original plan. I purchased the paper for the walls, made the bed, and made the bedding just for this room. Then midstream I decided "What if I moved it all upstairs." I decided to stick with the original plan and just get over the lack of other bedroom furniture and stairs the 3rd floor. It's a dollhouse. Dolls will live there and hopefully children will play with it--if I let them. 

I have to thank Elizabeth of Small Moments in Cornwall, UK for sending me the pretty antique dollies. Some time ago she sent me set of six and I've been able use one in each of my dollhouses as an afghan on the beds. After she had sent them to me, she told me that I think either her mother or grandmother had hand crocheted them, making them an even more special gift. 

Thanks so much for stopping by. I alway enjoy reading your comments, so if you are new to the blog, leave a note to say "Hi." I don't share information or emails. 

What will you be making this week?

Have a wonderful time whatever you choose.

Humming a New Tune (since I can't carry one)

I made great progress last week. Most of the wallpaper has been cut and is laying out in the garage so that I can seal it with Kryon sealer--stuff stinks so badly that I have to mask up and open the garage door when I use it, but it will protect the paper from fading and yellowing. 

The rest of the wood floors are stained, waiting to be glued in place. I used a light pine finish, wanting to use a bit darker stain that had more character, but I grabbed the wrong can and before I realized that I had used the wrong color it was too late. Oh well. The flooring turned out nicely and once glued in place will look beautiful.

 

I spent another morning trying to figure out how to make some dresses for the closet that I've spent so much time trying to build and now maybe won't use in this house, but I did manage to create a facsimile of a dress by finding an image on Design Space. I use fabric glue. Just an easy way to make such a cute little dresses.

  

Through trial and error I finally had a close facsimile of a dress that fit Miss McDonald Happy Meal Prize at least in length.

Because one dress will be the back, it has to be flipped horizontally so that one will be the wrong side and the other dress will be the right side. You can see the two different sides in this photo.

This little dress was easy to design and easy to make. I'll be making more and dressing them up some lace and ribbon.

Now for the real conundrum.

The original floor plan calls for the bedroom to be the room on the left second floor with an entry into the addition which will be some sort of studio with the bathroom in the second room on the opposite side of the house. I like that; however, the stairwell in the center of the house ruins that space if you don't use the original kit half wall aligned on the left of the stairwell I could still do that because I haven't glued the walls in place yet, but then my flooring would have to adjusted and I'd have a very large bathroom.

A new plan is complicated by this very large 4 poster canopy bed.

I played around with putting that bedroom on the 3rd floor, but it just didn't feel right and then Jodi suggested making that 3rd floor the bedroom. So I took a second look at that possibility. With the tall bed, there will be a lot of wasted space with the slanted roof and the tall canopy; still, a 3rd floor master suite is gaining appeal.

Some time ago Jennifer scored a a box of vintage dollhouse furniture on a garage sale that had been exposed to some water damage. The are some lovely and unique vintage pieces, but I flipped-out over the bathroom fixtures, especially one piece, the bidet. Not many homes at least here in the USA have such a fixture unless it is a custom home. Our last house, a custom house, had a urinal in the half bathroom by   the garage. It was quite a conversation piece. The house has sold a couple of times since we moved and the new listing photos so that the piece had been removed, so some are not into those customized bathroom fixtures. 

    

But. Here is the dilemma: would it be out of character to use the vintage bathroom fixtures in the second bathroom? Are two bathrooms too much? I tend to think literally, that is to say that even a dollhouse bedroom needs the ensuite bathroom. 

Who would buy a house with an attic bedroom and no bathroom and worse, no stairs! I can suspend the reality just so far and not insist on stairs.

I rather like the idea a vintage bathroom on the 3rd floor to retain the original character of an old farmhouse that has been modernized. I justify the new modern bathroom for guests and so the homeowners don't have run all the way to the third floor when they need to use the bathroom.

I know. I'm thinking too literally. Or am I?

So I am open to your suggestions.

Now, a trip down Memory Lane. Heather sent me this photo a while back as she must have been traveling around memory lane herself. Back in 1979, Mom was still with us--she would have loved all this dollhouse stuff and Heather would have been 4 years old. I didn't get the house finished in time for Christmas and tried to do some more work it afterwards, but she never really took to it. You can read the story of this house which began my miniature obsession. It was the story that launched this blog. 

While Heather doesn't have time to curate her little house, but she does love her house and loves to go to the miniature shows with me, so we are humming a new tune these day: "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" The plane tickets are purchased and the hotel room booked for the Good Sam Show in October. I can't believe it! 

Visit my very first blog post: Hello

RE the title: My mother had an amazing voice. Some family lore has it that she trained as opera singer. I had trouble singing. She once told me that I couldn't carry a tune in bushel basket. As little kid, I never understood what she was talking about, only that I couldn't sing--so I hum--probably still off tune. Only as and adult could I understand her metaphor. 

 

Thanks for visiting. Have a wonderful week.

 Happy Easter, dear Friends.

He has risen!

 I missed the last 2 weeks posting simply because there was too much going on.  Last week Nathan spent most of his Spring Break with us, so I set aside the mini projects. I did learn how to use iron-on vinyl to make Nathan a t-shirt. 

Wanting to do a project together, I asked him if  he'd like a to make a t-shirt. He came up with the design and we shopped Hobby Lobby for supplies, did  Jennifer Maker and Mr.Crafty Pants Youtube videos  to learn how to use iron-vinyl, and got to work.

I used Design Space on the Maker to find the image of the mountains and to create the meme. It was a relatively simple process and I ruined only one cut. I had to figure out the blade setting on the Cricut for the vinyl because it cut clear through the backing. I used Hobby Lobby's Paper Studio vinyl because it was a better price, but then had to second guess the settings. 

Adhering the vinyl was a simple process. Both videos gave instructions for ordinary irons, but I borrowed my daughter's Cricut heat press, placed the vinyl in the correct spot, covered it with kitchen parchment paper, and applied the heat. It's hard to believe that my little dude turned 13 last week. He's a teenager now and will have a Saturday job working at the roller skating rink where his parents had his birthday party Saturday. No. He didn't wear his shirt. 

But now I know how to customize t-shirts.

It has been unseasonably cold--too cold to work outside in the yard and tomorrow we are supposed to get some snow. For the last week, we've have wind, so yesterday I did play a little on the Manchester's second floor.

The kit comes with half walls for the first and second floors, so I had my husband cut a full length wall with a doorway for the second floor. The stairs and the railing were built months ago, so I can't--or won't--change my mind now on how to handle that opening. I switched the location of the walls from the left side of the stair opening to the right side to accommodate the floor plan for where I wanted the kitchen and upstairs bedroom; however, on the second floor it makes for an awkward stairway. I still have the option of installing the half wall instead of the railing, making a narrow hall. 

I am now fully committed to using the second of 3 entertainment centers that I built. Using card stock and porch railing, I have fashioned doors to convert the cabinet to a closet. Once I get them measured correctly, I'll make the doors using 1/16 inch basswood. I've been bothered because the bedroom is so small that there is not enough room for even an end table, let alone closet. I like the openness of the room without the second wall. While the cabinet was designed for glass shelves, I'll build storage boxes and replace the "glass" with wood shelves. 

On a side note, I have problems with my ability to reply to the comments that you kindly leave, and sometimes I have problems leaving comments on your Blogger posts. I think I have narrowed the glitch down to an Apple OS problem since I did an update on my newer MacBook Pro. I can leave comments on my old MacBook because it doesn't have enough space to update to Monterey, which I think has a bug in the system that won't allow for comment replies, so I will either email you my comments or if you are on Instagram I comment there. I don't seem to have a problem with other platforms, such as Word Press, just Blogger on this computer. 

I was trying to free up room on the old laptop (a 2015 model) thinking that it was my Photos app with 31,000 photos in it that was taking up all the space, but once I really studied the memory use, it's the operating system that takes up so much room, leaving no working space left on the hard drive. I can still access Safari, but that's about all, so when I remember to, I'll comment from that the old computer.

And that is about all I have to say for this week. 

Thanks for visiting. Have a great week.