Sunday 19 June 2011

Mini library

This week I finished the Petite Properties book cupboard for the mezzanine level.

After painting it with Games Workshop Bleached Bone, I added the 'glass' panes by gluing the plastic supplied in the kit to the inside of the doors.  I used Glue and Glaze from Deluxe Materials which is advertised as drying clear and therefore suitable for gluing windows.  I find it does grab the plastic quickly and holds well, but it still shows if you get it on the panes.  The advantage over tacky glue is that it dries crystal clear, so it's ok if just a little shows along the edge of the pane.  But if you get it onto the main part of the pane, it still shows badly.  And in fact I managed to screw up my first attempt at the windows and had to cut new ones from some packaging and try again.  The handles are little gold beads that came with the kit.

I made 'books' for the inside in the same way that I made the shelf of books for the little girl's room, by gluing cutouts onto pieces of wood.  This time I painted the wood white because I felt the black I used for the little girl's room wasn't very realistic.  I drew the lines of the book covers in with pencil for the bottom shelf where the tops of the 'books' show a little.  This cupboard is going in a back corner so it doesn't need to be too perfect.





And here is the cupboard on the mezzanine.  For some reason the photograph has come out very grainy, perhaps not enough light in there.



I'm starting to feel that this house is almost 'done'.  There is loads more that I could do, but the major construction is now all complete.  I was trying to think what is still left to do:

  • Arrange the furniture for the little girl's room and add further accessories such as curtains
  • Find furniture for the little boy's room
  • More accessories for the kitchen - look for these at fairs
  • Make cushions for the window seat, garden chairs, and porch chairs
  • More accessories throughout all rooms of the house, including possibly fake non-electric light fixtures and putting up the Miss Lydia Pickett framed pictures that came with some of the kits, towels in the bathroom etc..
  • Glue on the missing skirting bits in the kitchen
It may be time to move the house downstairs to my collection and out of my bedroom.  Then I would be able to dismantle my construction station and actually get into my quilt cupboard for the first time in months.

But where would that leave all of you?  I would feel like I was letting you all down if I don't post something each week for you to look at.  On the other hand, you will all get bored pretty quickly if all that I am doing is adding the occasional accessory. 

It's almost a question of philosophy:  When is a dollshouse project actually finished?

3 comments:

  1. This blog will always be a source of much inspiration to many, I am sure. While I may not turn my Fairfield into a Pickett Hill, the ideas here are a treasure! As far as not posting many more updates cause the house is done, I'd say you need some 1/2 scale dolls now to have adventures in this house! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. You have done well and I have enjoyed the journey. I agree with Christine. Dolls for adventures...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well, you will of course need to show all the updates on the little accessories! And then there will be new adventures in miniatures to share I hope......
    Sandra, gsolfot (Snippets from my Studio)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for dropping by! Let me know what you think.