Perseverance (Really?)

I’ve been away from the minis for quite some time. Other things have just required my attention, and to be honest, I lost my mini mojo with this house because assembling it has had so many problems, yet in order to finish this house, I must preserver. 

As a reminder, this the Real Good Toys Newberry, is such a romantic little cottage that one would think that it would be an easy project with just the tow floors. NOT. Now don’t get me wrong, I love RGT kits. They are so well designed and easily assembled, but not this 1990s kit with a first floor that actually is quite a challenge to assemble with so many working pieces that have to be glued together and with each. Nor was it a company original. RGT acquire the rights after the original company shutdown.

 As I searched Pinterest and googled for examples of how others had assembled and decorated this little cottage, I found only 3 example of finished house, one done by the famous Robin Cary who tweaked the original kit. Occasionally one will pop up eBay. I found this one on Facebook Market Place 

 So I was pretty much on my own. After painting all the wall pieces, I began by wallpapering and installing windows on each of the 8 panel--probably not the best way to go. 

When it came time to glue the free standing wall panels to the main floor base, there were two major problems: little surface to attach  mini clamps and no way to keep panels from falling over as I assembled them. I didn't take many photos of this process simply because I was too involved in getting the pieces to attach to each other as well as to the base floor.

Let me briefly summarize what happened next: Once I had all the pieces glued to the base floor, I noticed that the side pieces that would be the living room wall on one end and the kitchen wall on the other didn't line up with the edge of the base. Bummer. And I had measured and marked so carefully. Guess not. At first I thought that I could live with that crookedness but then I realized that the interior surfaces would be crooked. 

Finally I decided to unglue all of the wall panels and start again. Using my embossing heat gun, I was able to soften the Gorilla Wood Glue enough to release it. I measured, repositioned, used little pincher clamps to help keep pieces in line where I could and finally glued it together. The photos show how the walls attach and stand in place. Next the first time around I did not use the clamps to help secure the walls in place; instead I relied weight to press the pieces into place. To undo my mess, I used the heat gun. Goo Gone by the way does not dissolve or soften glue. 

  

The second time around, I used my mini clamps to clamp pieces where I could, which really helped.

 

The first floor is now securely in place with walls that line up.  In future posts you will see the second major problem that occurs when the ceiling/second floor is added, but for now let's make some window treatments.

As I search for minis on a variety of mini shopping sites, I get frustrated because I can't find exactly what I want and prices are so high these days. I've alway been a DIY-er, making many of my own things inspired by all the mini bloggers who are true craftsmen-women-people. So, of course, I make my own curtains. I went through my 18" doll dress making phase some time ago and purchased some beautiful antique lace that I would use on the doll dresses, but I'm not doing that now, so I talked myself into using this wonderful antique lace to make curtains for this cursed house.

Supplies

• Lace or fabric, newly purchased or from your stash

• Spray starch to stiffen and stabilize, especially to make folds

• Fabric Glue--short cut to sewing edges. 

• Craft Sticks to make the wooden valance. Tongue depressor for larger, wider valances; popsicle sticks for narrow valances.

• 1/4th" wood trim for the sides of the valances--or something similar

• Double sided sticky tape. I've gone to this to attach so many things instead of glue for a number of reasons. This tape is scrapbook mounting tape which I like because it comes in a couple of widths. The red will peel off, leaving a clear, sticky tape.

I begin by starching my pieces to give them body. I use a pressing cloth--and old handkerchief--so that iron does not sit directly on the delicate fabric and the pressing cloth will absorb some of the excess starch.

I am using my mini Cricut heat press. Love it. Recommend it for mini making. It does not get too hot, holds its temperature, is small, making it easy to maneuver. I use seamstress pins to help keep folds in place, and for many materials finger pressing them into shape works, too.

The side seams are pressed into place and held securely with a dab of fabric glue. 

Clear tape is attached to the inside of the valance to hold the lace panel in place and the lace panel is pressed into place. How easy is that!

The wood valances are cut length to fit the window, using scrap wood trim for the sides and painted, stained, or upholstered before adding the curtain.

The kitchen windows were even easier to make. I wanted transparent window shades that in real life would roll up and down, so I searched my paper cache` and found this dotted vellum scrap. Just enough to make 3 window covering. Cut it to size. Attached it to the valance made from the popsicle sticks and made the lacy trim-look by cutting edges from square paper dollies that a friend had given me. Fabric lace scraps would work, too. 

Now that the walls are securely in place for the first floor, it's time think about flooring. The base floor is sturdy 1/4" plywood with a pleasing wood grain and I got to thinking, I wonder if I could just stain it. Using the ceiling side of the second door, did the sample test. I used one very light pine and one darker oak. Seems that the wood absorbed them the same, so I chose the light pine stain to finish the floor. 

I will print on muslin or printable fabric my rugs that I borrowed in a google search--not recommended if you plan to sell mini rugs, but since this just for me and I don't intend to profit off images that I have personally created, then I feel okay about borrowing from others. The area rug could be a little larger, but my printer will only print stand size, but I think this will give the rustic look that I like. 

So tell me please if you like the idea of using this as the floor, instead of making a planked floor. I've ordered my Circuit dark walnut veneer and will cut the planks on my Maker II and glue them directly to floor instead of card stock as I have done in the past, but with the bay windows and awkward angles, the floor will be a challenge. I've cut some text planks but I'm not sure that I want to do that.

What do you think? Stain the current floor to create a rustic, well used wood floor covered with a pretty area rug or go to the work to do a plank floor?

I've sanded the floor and it really does have nice character. You be the judge.

Instead of finishing the house and rooms, I get lost in creating the furniture for the rooms. Instead of building from scratch, I decided to use up some of my stash kits, starting with this HOM chair kit. I love how the chairs turned out. I am getting better at upholstering from watching true mini artists work.

  
I did create this hall tree, using a Shackman hall tree from one my other houses as a pattern. It sill needs painted and mirror, but it turned out nicely. Once again using from wood scraps. 

I am really going to love this house once it is finished, but at the moment it is a challenge. If I just stain the floor, the first floor will be done, but without electrical wiring, which will have to run along the floor. I can make my own battery powered  lamps. My post Shedding Light shows how I make my battery powered lamps. Or I could just buy battery lighting--costly as it is.

In addition to using kits to make minis, I am also buying bare or unfinished furniture pieces mostly from Miniature Crush and Miniatures.com (which by now you know is run by Miniature Crush, blending 2 favorite mini suppliers 💖).

I think that is about all I have today. There will be more to come. I do miss blogging, which really is a lot of work, and it seems many miniaturists have turned Social Media to share their work, but I love to write and share more than just "how to", for mini making is a journey, and adventure and storytelling makes it even more engaging.

Give me your thoughts on flooring. Speaking of Trials and Tribulations! Visit this post to see my last flooring project for the Manchester. 

So glad you stopped by. Look Ann's Dollhouse Dreams on Instagram

Blessings and Peace,

Ann

Shedding Light on the Subject

I'm making lamps for the attic bedrooms. This one is for the girl's room. My original instructions came from Dollhouse Miniature Furniture Tutorials: 1 inch. I was thinking about how much work we go to create a room to make it believable, charming, and realistic and that's what makes the hobby so much fun, living out our fantasies, revisiting our childhoods, maybe, channeling our creative nature. And I am so glad that you are here with me. Thank you. 

So before I get down to business here, I posted my electrical problems on the Face Book group that I belong to that focuses on tutorial and how-to's. I don't think that I am allowed to to mention my blog there, so I am re-writing the tutorial that I wrote for Face Book. I have sosmetimes directed readers to go the blog, asking them to comment if they visit, but it is very hard to get them to sign on or leave a comment, so I am ever grateful for the handful that visit me here and take the time leave a little something to make me smile. 

More importantly, however, aside from my own ego, are the horror stories that those miniaturists told about their own experiences with the MFD kits and tape wire. Seems that a lot of people have heart ache over the eyelets or brads coming loose from the composite wood. Round wire and batteries seem to be the solution, but there is another that I have seen on Greenleaf's forum, so I began to practice yesterday: Soldering. 

A bit scary at first, but I think I am getting the hang of it. Might need stronger glasses, tough. My bifocals may need updating. 😁My sweet hubby bought me a simple soldering kit from Amazon, so I finally got brave and tried it out, after doing a bit of reading about how to use it. 

I put a piece of copper tape on a little piece of wood, striped off the plastic covering and went to work. A bit messy, (and out of focus), but I got the hang of it. The connections are secure and strong.
Could this be our answer to brads and eyelets?

I practiced connecting wire to wire, using round wire and with some practice I think I have that down, too, except for the glob that is not good. The one comment on Face Book said that it is a weak spot and told me to flux to help the flow of the solder and to help it attach to the wire.

One note: the small shrink tubes will not fill over the joint. I have larger ones, but they add bulk, but soldering these splices is superior to just twisting wires together and putting the shrink tube on because the splice is not secure. Solder reduces that mishap.

So here is my parts list:

• Hobby Lobby cabinet. Cheap. I don't like to paint or drill my vintage Shackman furniture.
• Evan Designs, a web store that sells parts for hobbies: a lithium battery kit
• Shrink tubes Electrical tape
• Wooden spindle with extra wood removed and hole drilled down the center
• jewelry finding: tube. probably 1/32-3/32 in diameter. 
• Lamp shade kit. This one is out of order on most sites. Very hard to find, but there is a lamp kit in the online stores that has all of the parts or you can visit 1 inch minis to see how Kristen builds support for the lamp shade and you will find dozens of tutorial on Pinterest for lamp making and lampshade patterns. Search 'lamps' on my side and you will find my previous tutorials.
• Tool: drill--either a thumb drill or a Dremel. I put my spindle in a vice on my workbench in the garage to secure it in place then use my Dremel with the round cutter blade to remove the ends of the spindle and to drill. I used two bit sizes to drill the hole: 1/32 and then the 1/16. You may have to use a sharp blade to hollow out the top of the hole to make your jewelry tube fit.

To splice the wires from the battery to the LED together, read the instructions that come with the light, but it is red to red. Green to black. The wires on the left are the batter. Do not insert the battery yet to avoid a possible short.

To begin: drill a small hole in the top of the furniture piece that you hide the battery. 1/16 bit or big enough to accommodate your wiring.

Assemble your lamp. Insert the jewelry tube, insert the LED.

Now begin splicing the LED wires to the battery wires.

Twist the wires to tether. The LED wires are much smaller than the more rigid battery wires, so it is sort of a one sided twist. If you are going to use shrink tubes instead of solder, put them in place before splicing the wires.

Solder. I think for my very first try, I did okay. the shrink tube will not slide over this splice.

So I cut a small piece of regular electrical tape to keep the bare wires from touching, avoiding a short.

Not very pretty, but the splices will be hidden.

I wind the wires in a circle and tuck them inside the cabinet, with the switch easy to get to.

I used craft acrylic paint, two coats and fingernail decals. Some who are talented (I am not) can paint their decoration, use water slide decals, cover shade with fabric or wallpaper or craft paper. Create whatever looks you want. I love my lamps. Search 'lamps' to see my other lamps.

I am excited to get this little room finished. I have wallpaper on order. Oh and the little photo. I love that one. It's grand parents celebrating their wedding by eating cake on a bride to somewhere. Early 20th century, Kansas. My dad was born in 1917, so 1918. They are married in a double ceremony with grandpa's brother and his bride, Renny and Goldie.

Finally, the Bellingham farmhouse lighting has been patched. It was a messy fix. I simply ran round wire from the point of origination for the electrical system to the wire on the second floor where the kitchen lights are connected and the lights are on, again. I'll hide the wire best I can. I do think that I will end up soldering the top connection because it tends to be sensitive to touch since the eyelets don't seem to be in tightly secured or the wires or something. 

So glad that you stopped by. Perhaps you have noticed that I add a Pin feature to my photos, so feel free to pin my good photos.😜

Have great weekend. Next, the Roy Rogers lamp.