Progress on Buns & Roses

Had a little trouble sleeping last night so ended up in the shop poking around with the latest build. I glued it together with some Elmer's wood glue and set it aside to dry. Then I lightly sanded the front door with a piece of brown paper bag and gave that a second coat.

Played around with a business card design online for awhile and finally headed to bed. This morning, I heard the proprietors of the new shop having a discussion about how it was going. They weren't too sure about the masking tape, but agreed that at least it was progress and wasn't I just the slowest contractor they had ever come across?!

When I cleared my throat, they realized I was there and hurried away with lame excuses. Always checking up on me! LOL! They like it better with the tape removed

and watched with interest to see what I was going to do next. I swear I could smell popcorn....I got out my tub of border paste and the old brush I use.

I thought I'd try brushing the paste onto the wood this time instead of the paper to see if I could avoid the usual puckering.

So much for that idea...maybe it will calm down as it dries.

After a little while, I couldn't wait any longer and decided to do one of the windows to see how it would look! I think this is going to work fine and the light I have for the inside will give it just the right look. Here's what the translucent paper looks like in place.

Since it's raining here today, it will probably be tomorrow before the brick paper is dry so I think I will start work on the shutters next. Have a great day!

Trim, Bricks and a Fashion Show....

By Debra from Olde Cape Cod, 23 July

Had another day of randomness! LOL! When I was looking at the pictures of the Neverwas Haul, I noticed that it has copper trim along the roof ridge. At first I was going to order something similar online but then the thrify Yankee in me kicked in and I decided to see what I had kicking around the shop. I've had some plastic wrought iron fencing for years and pulled it out. It looked like one edge would do the trick so I got out my wire cutters to trim away the parts I didn't need.  I tried out the pieces on the Summerhouse and I think after they're painted copper they'll be just what I was looking for.  Also finished the brick paper on each side of the front bay so that will be the end of pattern making! So I succeeded in knocking over the telescope and knocking the telescope part loose. But, everything else stayed together! Yay! Fixed it and put it up on the shelf where I can't break it. Last I saw, one of the minions was using it to spy on the lady in the McKinley room box... So with the trim taped to the top of the Summerhouse, I then started to tape other pieces on just to see how everything is working together. I was happy with the balance of everything, so took a couple of shots to show you:  
The sun peeked out just before starting to set, was nice to see it at last. Have a great evening all!

Trim and Telescopes

By Debra from Olde Cape Cod, 21 July

The back of the tower has been sitting there bare for awhile now so I decided to add that little piece of brick paper to make it complete. That way I can also glue on the remaining corner trim for the tower.  With a bit of work, I transformed the white cardboard trim pieces that came with the kit to something fit for a steampunk house! I was standing there admiring my work while the Captain was looking at pictures of the Neverwas Haul online. His first words were, "Heyyy, there's an observatory in there!" Hmmm, hadn't really thought about that at the beginning as it was going to be a cute little Victorian house.....I told him he would have to give up the bathroom to have an observatory and he thought about that for a few minutes. He decided that he'd better keep the bathroom as Rose really loves the Jacuzzi tub. Knowing that he likes to stargaze, I suggested a telescope instead. He liked that idea so after hunting around in my metal and wood pieces, I came up with this:  I found a cute little resin tuffet in my stash and now you can sit for hours looking at the stars.
Whenever a cartoon character looks through a telescope or binoculars, they show huge eyeballs on the other end...I'm sorry, but I just couldn't resist! LOL! Hope I made you smile today. Have a great day all!

Laundry Day at the Summerhouse....and Front End Work

By Debra from Olde Cape Cod, 16 July

Rose announced that it was laundry day and you should have seen people disappear! LOL! She's been teaching the steampunk robot how to operate the Wringer Dinger Washer and he has really gotten the hang of it. But there was a fatal flaw to her plan; she decided to include minions on this venture. It all sounded so innocent at first. All they had to do was hold the laundry basket and catch the clothing that shot out of the wringer part of the washer.... Rose figured two minions could handle the job without any problems. Things seemed to be going well when the rest of the minions decided they wanted in on the fun too. They all grabbed baskets from my stash and positioned themselves to catch laundry too.  What happened next was epic....laundry was shooting out of the wringer, minions were running everywhere trying to catch it, grabbing laundry out of each others baskets and then smacking each other with the wet laundry. Then one of them got smacked in the head with underwear and they all dissolved in laughter! I thought the skellies were going to fall off their carnival ride they were laughing so hard and Rose got a fit of the giggles and couldn't even talk! When she regained her composure, she gave the minions the rest of the day off. The laundry finally did get done, but we were all out of breath from laughing. When calm returned, I started working on what is technically the front end of the Summerhouse. This end has been ignored because I can't really finish it all the way until wiring and interior wallpaper are done.  So I added the brick paper and decided I could glue on the front bumper that I had built quite a while ago.  I made more sticks with rivets and the front is starting to take shape. The large opening is for the bay window which will be the helm area.  I have headlights made too, but they stick out too far so will have to wait until the interior is done also. I still have to finish the brick paper on each side of the large bay near the porch, then we can finally do the porch roof and the porch posts. Have a great day all!

Learning Bricklaying.....

By Debra from Olde Cape Cod, 03 July

So, I've never wallpapered the outside of a dollhouse before but made some good progress yesterday. I traced around the graph paper window pattern onto cardstock first.  After a little trimming and adjusting, a pattern for the tower section was made. I measured down from the top and cut out the window section, then shaped the rest of the piece with alot of trimming and adjusting and a little more trimming etc..  I was considering tracing this onto cardstock but got tired of cutting out that window over and over! LOL! So I carefully traced it onto the brick paper and just cut it a hair bigger all around so I could trim to fit.  I was breaking a sweat working on this! LOL! Didn't know paper brick could be so exhausting! LOL! But the end result was worth it.  Just a little repair on that upper right corner and we'll be golden! So with the encouragement of my minion brickmasons, I added a few more pieces until I really had to stop and make dinner. I like how this is coming together.  And even my inside corners match pretty well!  The front bay needs paper around it next, so on with the pattern making! Have a great day all!

A Little Excitement and Minions!

By Debra from Olde Cape Cod, 02 July

Whew! Just had a little excitement while I was loading pictures to show you today! I was at my kitchen table and just tilted the screen back a bit on my laptop, when BOOM I knocked over the large bouquet of gladiolas that were in the center of the table! Water everywhere! On the wall, on the rug, running off the table .....and on the laminate floor!! Laminate doesn't do well with water so I was throwing down towels and mopping up as fast as I could! Hope I got it all. I would have taken a picture, but I had visions of laminate flooring swelling out of control. So, now that the old heart rate is slowing down, here we go,

Deb over on the Greenleaf forum was talking about some minions that her husband surprised her with. Gots to get me some of those! I was going to WalMart anyway, so found them in with the action figures. When I brought them home, they were amped up thinking that they had found another evil leader to help take over the world. I haven't broken it to them yet.....
So they have been standing around discussing the possible plans I might have and if they are going to get cool weapons like the fart gun. 

Later on they were running all over the shop yelling "Banana!" then one would yell "Underwear!" and they would all crack up. I don't think I'm going to get much work out of these guys.....
The pattern making continues. I made this out of graph paper which is pretty flimsy stuff so have to put it on card stock. Then I'll make a pattern of the whole wall section on printer paper so I don't waste the dollhouse wallpaper.

Woke up with another idea...I realized there is not a way to get to the bathroom on the second floor, so am going to look at pictures of ship's ladders and try to figure something out. I may need to pick up some styrene rod and a heat gun, so will keep you posted on this latest development. Have a great day all!`

Musings and Brickmasons....

By Debra from Olde Cape Cod, 01 July

Ahh, it's a misty mornin' here today. Thought I'd catch you up on all the goings on around the shop. First off, I heard a storm brewing in the Summerhouse this morning and heard Rose say the line she was dying to say..."What was that Captain Happy Pants?" Oh dear, I thought that was it for Rose! Instead, the Captain started laughing and they disappeared upstairs. The candles were lit, the steampunk phonograph started playing soft music and there was a whole lot of giggling and splashing in the jacuzzi! Hmmm, I think I have some weeding to do outside!! I came in later and smelled the distinct smell of cigarettes and did not ask any questions! Honeymooners. On another note, I think I found Selkie's Muse. She was in an old display case definitely musing. 
She had a sign out front that I of course ignored.
I told her that Selkie was missing her and that she needed her back home. She smiled and said she just needed some time away like all Muses do and that she already had her bags packed and was getting ready to be on her way. She apologized for disappearing suddenly and vowed to come back with more ideas and insight for Selkie. I wished her safe journey and started thinking about the Summerhouse again. Rose was outside patting her hair and adjusting her hat and the Captain was surprisingly chipper so I started by fitting some brick paper to the end of the house. 
I like how this came out and thought I could just add paper to all the easy sections first. Well, the brickmasons stopped by and said I couldn't do that as the bricks wouldn't line up all the way around...so now I have to make a pattern of the front tower window so I can get brick paper around it....I was too eager to get the trim on so now I am paying for it with delayed progress. But this is not a race and the Captain has been happy to spend time with Rose before they take off on their adventures. I have the pattern almost all made, now have to think through how to line everything up. Have a great day all!