Friday, December 13, 2013

Stairs

I've been working on the stairs. For a couple reasons, they weren't easy to construct.
 
One problem is the warping of the wood in this kit.
 
Another problem was that I wallpapered before making the stairs.
 
The stairs curve. Not sure why. It's a bit hard to photograph, because the curve just makes them look oddly crooked in photos.
 
This is showing the groundfloor stairs.
 
 
 
This is showing the second floor stairs.


 
Side view. I'll be closing the gap at the bottom of the side with trim.

 
Here, also.

 
The sconces will be on the sides of the stairs, one on each floor.
 
I'm still a few light fixtures short.
 
The halls will require sconces - of which I have one.
 
The living room needs two table or standing lamps. I have one table lamp.
 
The kitchen will have two hanging lamps, which I have.
 
The bathroom will need a ceiling light of some sort.
 
The bedroom will need a table lamp - which I have - and possibly an overhead light.
 
The attic will need three hanging lamps.
 
I have two more hanging lamps. So I figure I'll need 12 altogether, and I have 7. I'll be scouring Ebay and hoping for coupons/clearance on other sites.
 
I've drilled holes for the hall sconces and the kitchen lights.
 
It's funny - the houses usually look 150% better when I'm done. In the process, they look pretty rough. This one will be particularly interesting, since I will need to make most of the furniture.
 
Sadly, it will be on hold for the next week or so, while I knit cork gnomes and get ready for Christmas.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Fairfield, bedroom

Photos by Andy Fish.
 
The carpet is velvety scrapbook paper. One of my mother's rugs is at the foot of the bed. I made the picture frame over the nightstand. The pitcher on the nightstand is made of scrapbook paper, shaped and polyurethaned to look like enamelware.
 
The metal dragon on the wall is a jewelry finding.
 
 
 
We were quite amused that the camera is visible in the dresser mirror.
 
The fireplace is another cast piece from Petite Properties. I dabbed it with gray paint, then wiped most of it off. There's a statue of the Virgin Mary on the mantle.
 
On the dresser are various bottles and jars of lotions, and little boxes of jewelry.

 
The pewter hand on the left wall is a jewelry finding.

 
There's a photo of my grandson emerging from our dryer on the left wall.



Fairfield, guest bedroom

Andy Fish photos
 
 
This is the guest bedroom. The fireplace was a cast piece from Petite Properties. I aged it by dabbing brown paint, then wiping it off. I made the picture frames; the one over the fireplace was bought on Ebay, and the one over the bed I printed out. The rug was another of my mother's.
 
 
I used white beads for the doorknobs.
 

 
I dressed the bed with fabric, then added little pillows I bought on Ebay.

 
A pitcher and basin are on the bureau, along with a double picture frame.



Sunday, December 1, 2013

Fairfield, kitchen

More Andy Fish photos.
 
This is the kitchen pantry cupboard. Through the doorway is the dining room.
 
The stove is part of my mother's furniture collection. I made most of the groceries on the shelves. The top shelf needs to be filled in, and there's more room on some of the other shelves also. The picture on the wall is one I downloaded, printed, and framed. The coffee pot was an Ebay find.
 
 
I made the clock from a page of clock faces in a magazine and a button. The (crooked) wall cupboard was a kit from Petite Properties. I made the paper towels. The white table in the corner and the green rocking chair were made from a half-scale furniture kit. My grandmother always had a rocking chair in her kitchen.
 
The floor is scrapbook paper, covered with polyurethane.

 
The sink unit was made from a Petite Properties kit. My mother had purchased the pot of tulips.
 
The cat was an Ebay purchase. A black cat for a haunted witch's house.




Fairfield, dining room

More Andy Fish photos.
 
This is the dining room. The lady was found on Ebay. I made the wall art, using a scrapbook embellishment.
 
 
The rug was part of my mother's collection, as was the mantle clock, and the table and chair set. That set was made by Phyllis Pitkin's father, Mr. Rhodes. Mom had commissioned him to make it for this house.
 
 The corner shelves I made (to cover a gap), and the decorative items are beads. The little teapot is also a charm. I made the newspaper from a kit from paperminis.com




 
Here you can see that bookcase, and enough detail to realize that I had better add some art and decorations to make this room less empty looking.