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.

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.

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.

Fairfield parlor

More photos from Andy Fish.

 

This is the Fairfield parlor, looking toward the foyer. The photo on the foyer wall is of my parents' tombstone.

 

 

This view shows the window over the door in the foyer. The hutch is filled with tiny objets d'art. Some are turnings from CW Lubin's Etsy shop, as are the two pots on the marble-topped table. The tombstone clock was an Ebay purchase. The dragons on either side of it are beads. The plant on the coffee table is made with a bead and a flower snipped from a larger silk/plastic flower from AC Moore. The couch pillows were an Ebay purchase.

 

The rug was from my mother's collection, as were the marble-topped side table and the yellow upholstered chairs, and the fireplace (not shown in this photo). Her furniture was purchased at Fred's Miniature Dollhouse shop, which operated in Pittsfield, VT, until Fred's death in the late '90s.

 

The birdcage on the right, toward the stairs, is actually a jewelry bead/finding. I made its stand from wire. The bowl on the mantle is a turning from CW Lubin.

 

This view shows the mermaid painting over the fireplace, a great view of the foyer, and the bookcase between the parlor and dining room. I made the books in the bookcase, from printables found online and tiny pieces of scrap wood.

 

The doilies are made from tiny pieces of lace.

 

Andy does such an awesome job with photos!

Stairs

I'm building staircases. These are odd little stairs. They "curve," which is a bit odd, because they don't actually need to curve. Between the odd stairs and the warping issues, these are pretty rickety looking. The application of spackle once the glue dries should make a huge improvement. Plus, baseboard trim is another help in covering flubs.

 

 

Each step has a tab that's meant to slide into a slot on the wall. It's recommended to paint/paper the walls before making the stairs, and I did that. Problem is, that has thrown a bit of a monkey wrench into the tab/slot theory. Some of the tabs I was able to cut down enough to fit them in the slots. Others, I had to completely clip off the tabs.

 

These photos (poorly taken by me) are all of the second floor stairs.

 

While I actually like the rickety look of the stairs, I will try to improve them.

 

A bit of needlework. I'm making a rug for this house. Pretty simple, just stripes, but fun to make, and tiny enough for half scale.

Exterior shots

While my brother, Andy Fish, was visiting this week, he took some awesome dollhouse photos for me. The next few posts will feature those photos.

 

 

 

 

 

This is a detail shot of one of the gargoyles at the gate. He is sitting on a pillar I made. I used cardboard and tape, then painted it gray and dry-brushed black.

The fence is from Miniatures.com. It is actually 1:12 scale, but works really well as a tall half-scale fence. The pillar gargoyles came from the Dollhouse Emporium.

 

Window detail. I am still on the lookout for tiny birds/bats/whatever that can sit on the outside window sills.

 

Tower detail. I painted the tower windows to look like stained glass. I used a tiny paper punch to make the little bats.

 

Another view of a pillar gargoyle.

 

The gargoyle in the corner of the roof was given to me by my niece, Jessie. I think it looks perfect in that spot on the roof.

 

Front door, view into the foyer. The little hall tree chair I made from a kit.

 

The front door mat is from upholstery material samples that my sister, Debbie, gave me.

The Glencroft

The concept of this house is an old-fashioned home. Heated by fireplaces and woodstoves. A library full of books, and music.

I am electrifying this house. It'll be the first project I've done with wiring.

 

The kitchen has a chicken theme. The floor is made of craft sticks, sanded, stained, and varnished.

I haven't worked on the ceiling yet. It will be stucco, with beams.

 

This is the living room. I still have two walls to paper, and the floor to finish. I'm still thinking about what the fireplace will need.

 

The photos were taken by my brother, Andy Fish.

 

I do like to have several different scale projects to work on. This house is on the back burner right now, until I'm further along with Grandma's Summer House.