Dollhouse Renovation

I was able to spend a little time in the dollhouse today.

If you read last week’s post you know that I had a few things I wanted to work on this week and I was able to check them all of my list along with painting the ceiling-a project I have been putting off for some unknown reason.

I was able to paint the exterior window trim trying out the gray color I painted the door and I really like it. I am still deciding if I want to add shutters but with the door fully painted and the exterior colors mostly settled on I was ready to wrap up some things on the first floor.

I spackled the kitchen window and touched up the paint there. I used a fine wood filler and just smeared it into the cracks where I didn’t cut the wood perfectly. I also added some to the scallops on the front of the house to close up some very noticeable gaps I had.

As I mentioned I painted the ceiling and I have decided to move on to the second floor and get the walls prepped and the floor done before going forward with the kitchen. I think it will be nice to see all the walls and floors done ready for “moving in” so to speak so I’m going to see how that goes. I really want to tile the bathroom and make my own tiles so I need to do some research on the best way to do that.

So that is my little update for this week. For next week I am hoping to have a little character ready to introduce to you. More on that to come.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettant

I am excited to finally be sharing a dollhouse update with you.

If you remember I shared how I was focusing on my shop and getting things ready for the holiday. My dollhouse had become a storage place for fabric as I made lots of handmade gifts for the kids and friends. January has been filled with colds, a new job and lots of just being.  I had some amazing plans for the new year but things that needed my attention were coming first so my little dollhouse sat patiently waiting.

Then I was able to get some work done and do some filming! Only to lose the footage lol. Ah well, things happen. Still I am excited to share my little update for my fellow miniaturists and let you know that I should be able to plan regular weekly updates going forward. So let’s see what’s new!

I stained the floors on the first level. I am really happy with how it came out. I used Minwax Natural 209 and it really makes them look like hardwood floors-instead of cut up Popsicle sticks!

I finished the kitchen window and painted the door white on one side but have decided instead to make it gray. I was going to have the outside of the door be white which I liked against the pink siding but decided I really like the gray so I am going to have the door gray inside and out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also started cutting out the pieces for my first ever piece of furniture! I am following Julie Warren’s tutorial in her book “Creating Dolls’ House Kitchens in 1/12th Scale” and making the sink unit found on page 120. I want to put the sink under the kitchen window and then want to see how much room I have so I can plan out the way the front door will swing open and also the direction of the stairs.

This week I am hoping to finish painting the door and then decide what color I want to do the window frames on the outside of the house. Do I want shutters? That might be fun! Once I decide I would like to finish the outside frame, spackle the interior of the kitchen window, touch up the paint and then continue on with the sink. I am planning to put all the fixed pieces into the kitchen and then move on to the next floors before I go ahead and decorate etc.

So that’s where I am at. I am really excited to get back into my regular miniature making and sharing the journey with you.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Happy Sunday everyone!

Yesterday I visited a dollhouse store that’s about 20 minutes from me. The owner was wonderful and I was able to pick up a few little bits for the dollhouse including a door knob. I also found a really neat old book about doll houses and miniatures that really made me happy! It’s called “Chats on Old Miniatures” by J.J. Foster and it was written in 1908. I was still able to find copies on Thrift Books (affiliate link) if you are interested. You know how much I love journals and books so this was a really fun find. I plan on keeping the book in tact and haven’t decided if I will try to repair it at all-I am thinking I will leave it as is as a collectible with my miniatures but I might have some plans for some of the imagery in it.

I also picked up some nice wood from the shop. I don’t know about you but one of the hardest things for me to find is wood for miniatures so this was a nice find. I am planning to use it for making the furniture and the kitchen cabinets.

I designed a fun wallpaper for the kitchen. I am calling it “tea party” as it has some fun tea pots and tea cups on it along with yummy treats. If you would like it for your own dollhouse you can buy it in my Etsy shop here.

The door has been built and I am really proud of it. I haven’t made anything like this before so I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. Now I am just trying to decide on what color to paint it. If you have any ideas I would love to hear it!

I am also trying to think of the name of the little cottage. I want to write a story around it and I am feeling it start to form so I will be sure to keep you updated on it as well.

I have decided to change the direction of the stairs so you can see them better and I plan to use this tutorial from Julie Warren to build an under the stairs cabinet but that’s going to be down the road a bit. As I am writing this I am thinking that once I do the window in the kitchen and attach the door I might move upstairs to do the walls and flooring and then let Season #2 of the dollhouse be the decorating and furniture making. It’s so much fun I just keep coming up with ideas.

Well that’s it for me today. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Hi everyone and welcome to dollhouse Sunday! I have moved my schedule around a bit and will be sharing all things dollhouse and miniature on Sundays again. I think I have settled into our fall routine finally and am excited to keep the content coming on a bit more of a regular schedule.

Today I am sharing a quick update on the dollhouse. The living room windows are painted and I also added a little wood filler to fill in the cracks and spaces in some areas. The chair rail is up and painted and in today’s video I paint and install the baseboards in the living which really finishes the room off so nicely.

You may remember I took down the tile paper I had put up in the kitchen so today I went ahead and added another cardboard backing so I can put wallpaper up on. I am still deciding on what kind and may end up designing some myself if I can’t find anything. I am not really sure the style I am looking for so I might need to search out some more kitchen inspiration.

I have started the front door and completed the door frame and made a start on the door itself. I also made a start on the kitchen floor and am running the wood flooring in the opposite direction as the living room but I think I will stain them all the same color.

Well that’s all for today’s update. I hope your weekend was a good one and that maybe you were able to get in some creative time as well.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

Today I am sharing a quick update on the dollhouse renovation. I have made my first ever window! It was a bit fiddly and far from perfect but I am so happy with how it turned out.

I started out by lining the opening with popsicle sticks (affiliate link) so I had a smooth surface to glue the window to. Then I made two squares from smaller wooden dowels (affiliate link). I tried measuring but in the end I just marked where to cut by holding the wood up to the opening. It’s not precise and required some adjustments but it worked.

I glued a piece of clear acetate between the 2 squares and then used some coffee stirrers to make a cross pattern on the windows. I then dry fitted the window and made lots of trims and adjustments and fiddles and then I glued it into place with my wood glue (affiliate link).

I used more popsicle sticks to make the trim as well and that really finished the window off. I cut the angles using my hand miter tool (affiliate link) and I am so happy with the results it gave. I am going to finish it off by painting the trim white.

I hope you enjoy this quick little update. If you have any questions please let me know!

 

 

 

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

 

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I am so excited to share with you the latest updates to the dollhouse!

I have made some really nice progress and things are turning out pretty well. I finished the paneling and touched up the paint. If I were doing it again I would have painted the cardboard the same color as my paneling, in my case white, prior to gluing the paint stirrers. This would have made things easier as you wouldn’t have noticed any gaps that way. It worked out in the end but definitely a tip I will keep in mind for the future.

I then decided to give the floor a coat of white paint to clean it up a bit. I had given it a quick sand first and wiped out any dust with a wet rag. I also glued in the wallboard for the kitchen with the purchased tile board. I added some painters tape to attach it and I was hopeful it wouldn’t pull the paper off but unfortunately it did. I am not too concerned since I plan to put cabinets on the wall as well. The process of purchasing the paper has made me realize that I really want to make as many things as I can for my dollhouse. I was toying with the idea of purchasing stairs and if in the end I can’t make them I will definitely go that route but to start off I am going to give it a shot. There is just something much more satisfying about building the pieces myself-at least for this project.

That being said I am toying around with the idea of taking the wallpaper out of the kitchen and starting over. I am going to think it over a bit and I’ll let you know what I decide.

I have started the flooring in the living room. I am using Popsicle sticks (affiliate link) cutting the ends off with my cutting tool. I purchased this a while ago but as I haven’t used it much it shouldn’t be dull yet. Still I found you can purchase replacement blades but I also found a comparably priced tool with 4 replacements blades that wasn’t much more than just 4 replacement blades. I am going to purchase that and then try out the blades in my current cutter as I think it will be handy to have 2 ready to go. The original I purchased is no longer available but the one I am buying next is here. (affiliate link).  Once I cut off the end of the sticks I adhered them with my wood glue. (affiliate link).

I added weight as I went along using various objects I had in the studio to help hold them flat. I will have to see tomorrow how everything glued down. In the end I am alright with the dollhouse looking loved and lived in so things don’t have to be perfect.

With any luck I will get the floor glued down in my next work session and then I will decide on what my plans are for the kitchen-whether I take out the wallpaper I added or not. I also need to figure out the ceiling (probably should have done that before the other projects) and then the windows I think. Once the windows are done I am going to think about the door way to the kitchen and stairs.

So that is all for today. I hope you are enjoying following along with my dollhouse adventures.

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante

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