Heritage – parlor firebox, wiring and coals

Before I could truly get to work on the parlor floor, I needed to finish up the parlor fireplace. The first order of business was gluing the final side wall into place. Before I could apply the parlor wallpaper, though, I needed to make channels for the two sconces that will sit above the fireplace.

In order to know where to start the firebox, I had to make the hearth. I cut a piece of cardboard a little thicker than the parlor floor marquetry border.

Next up was building the firebox.

The firebox sits partially inside the chimney through a hole in the side wall.

I’m using a Phoenix Models firegrate and resin coal fire, so the box didn’t need to be very deep. The resin coal wire will exit out the back. I might end up installing a flickering unit for the fireplace, so I’ll determine the final wiring pattern later.

Here’s the whole set up in relation to the chimney. I don’t have the gable in place, but that’s why the back of the chimney is angled. You can really see how massive that chimney is…makes my massive fireplace look small.

Here’s the firebox bricked, painted and grouted. It’s nice and dark from years of use.

The fireplace and firebox aren’t glued in place yet, but here is how they fit together. The hearth will cover the area in front of the fireplace and into the opening to meet the firebox.

The next order of business for the parlor involved turning the cardboard hearth into marble. :D Don’t you just love alchemy?

This technique is shown in the DVD by Master Miniaturists called Faux Finishes. I used a subtle dark green base with black, off-white and just a touch of metallic bronze. Once dry, I sealed with Triple Thick Glaze by Americana (so many coats I lost track). It’s by no means perfect upon close inspection, but it is rather convincing considering it started out as cardboard. :D Of course, all the painting and sealing swelled the cardboard a bit, so I had to trim it to fit again…that was scary.

It is also only one element in a larger scene and likely won’t be the focus of the fireplace if the griffins have anything to say about it. I might also bring the hob grate forward a little more so it shows better.

(Since the last photo, I’ve installed the wallpaper and flooring in the parlor, but I wanted to round out this post with the final detailing.) I tried out the red bulb and resin coals for the Phoenix parlor hob grate. I love the way it brings out the detailing in the fireplace, but it was a bit bright. I like the idea of sleepy embers in a warm, cozy room.

I used black acrylic paint to tone down the brightness of the resin coals. Having the light on while painting ensures you don’t overdo it and block out too much light.

I coated the back and bottom completely so light would come only from the top and just a little from the front and sides. It’s much more realistic with a smoldering, warm glow.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
January 29, 2012 | 0 comments

Fancy parlor floor – part 1

I finally have all the supplies I need to make the parlor floor a reality. The marquetry border I am using is from eBay seller great-instruments and was advertised as being for guitar making. It is thicker than the flooring sheets, so I will need to build up the floor sheets to use with the marquetry strips.

Bristol paper is 1/64″ thick and should do the trick as an underlayer for the wood sheets. I’ll work on that portion later.

This is will allow for a completely flush surface for the floor.

I usually finish my flooring before installation, so I decided to do that in this case as well even though I will be piecing it all together afterward. I just wanted to make sure I could get the coloration I was looking for before spending the time putting it all together. I also worried about getting glue on the wood surfaces which would make it harder to stain once in place.

Here are the three materials in their original states. I bought the herringbone sheets from Green Gables Dollhouse and the walnut flooring at a local mini show. These are pretty common and can be readily found from online resources.

I started with the herringbone pieces first since that makes up the largest area and will set the overall tone of the room. I sanded the sheets thoroughly and then applied Minwax oil based stain in English Chestnut.

Wow, is this ever a lovely color!

I think it is going to look fabulous with the furnishings, though I’ll need to recheck it after letting it dry completely just in case the color changes as it dries.

Using the same Minwax English Chestnut as I did for the herringbone portion of the parlor floor, I stained the walnut flooring sheet to coordinate. Even though I will be cutting strips out, I made a full sheet to have consistent coloration. I can always use the leftovers for the balcony on the second floor.

Again, it turned out beautifully.

It will be the perfect frame for the herringbone center.

The next step in the floor finishing was staining the guitar marquetry. I wasn’t sure if the stain would take to it the same way as the flooring sheets, so I started with a small sample at the end using Minwax English Chestnut. It was too dark and lost all the beautiful marquetry detail. The original was too light, so I next tried IKEA antique stain. It warmed the color but wasn’t dark enough. So, I next tried an acrylic paint wash using Real Brown by Folk Art. It was a much better match.

Here are the results left to right.

The Real Brown warmed the marquetry without losing the detail. I like how some portions took more of the pigment; it makes it look like an old floor. :D

I bought three marquetry strips each 25″ in length and ended up using the paint was on all three (minus the small test portions I had cut). I again wanted consistent coloration and any leftovers could be used on the balcony on the second floor. It would be a nice way to tie in the floor upstairs with the fancy floor downstairs.

Now I just need to let it all dry while I finish the prep work in the parlor.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
January 28, 2012 | 0 comments

Heritage – 1920s kitchen sink

I love the 1920s porcelain Kohler kitchen sink by Jacqueline Kerr Deiber that I bought for the Heritage. But, the legs are shorter than the drain pipe, making for a rather wobbly sink that likes to tip forward…and fall down. :[

To fix this problem I bought a bag of washers from Home Depot.

I attached one washer to the sink.

I then glued the leg into the hole. The washer blends in perfectly with the leg so it’s not noticeable as an extra piece.

Now the sink can stand up straight. :]

I received a beautiful basket from Lidi at Basketcase Miniatures. We did a post-holiday swap. :D

It’s so beautifully made that I just had to spend some of my mini time today playing instead of building.

Looks like grandma has been in her garden. She picked some beautiful flowers (these were made from Bonnie Lavish kits). I love this basket!

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
January 21, 2012 | 0 comments

Foyer to kitchen pocket door, part 3

Continuing work on the pocket door. The lever I built to open and close the pocket door is great and all for my omnipotent hands, but the mini residents need to be able to operate the door as well. ;] Putting a doorknob on it doesn’t really work since it would keep hitting the door frame. What I needed was pocket door hardware.

Dollhouse hardware is limited to begin with, so finding scale replicas was out of the question. I liked Kathie’s idea of using paper printouts of beautiful vintage hardware, but I had another idea. Enter two 1:24 scale letter boxes, one for each side of the door. :D This is not the first time I’ve used half scale items in my full scale builds, and it won’t be the last! A special thanks to Keli for helping me track them down at The Dolls House Mall. They are a very good approximation of the original.

I’m not usually fond of brass, but considering this is a vintage house it didn’t bother me so much.

Even though they are glued to the surface and not set in, they don’t interfere with the functionality of the door since they are so thin. Once I get the rest of door and baseboard trims in place, I think they will look even more like the real thing. :D

Part 4 here.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
January 19, 2012 | 0 comments

Heritage – kitchen lighting

I picked up this white chandelier from Green Gables Dollhouse. I love this fixture. I used one in black for the Newport dining area. The white gives it a wonderful vintage feel without being too fussy.

The light isn’t permanently attached. Looks like I have the positioning a little crooked. I had to shorten the chain a little since this is a shorter ceiling height than the light must be intended for. I will be covering the gaps between the ceiling and walls, as well as the holes at the bay window opening.

The light gives off the perfect amount of warm light to keep from losing the details I’m fussing over in the deep room. The silver Revere Bowl by Clare Bell Brass also came from Green Gables Dollhouse. I need to make some fruit for it.

As I was sitting across the room writing this blog post, I noticed the light through the window and had to go back for one more photo.

For the cooking area, I treated myself to a lovely Ray Storey pendant gas light. If I had had a larger budget, I would have bought the matching 3-arm down light for the dining table. But, the white chandelier is still a beautiful piece.

The gas light is very well made (though I neglected to straighten the top of the chain in this photo).

I love the way it highlights the textured ceiling. It’s the perfect vintage touch.

I don’t suppose in reality this dim fixture would do much good in the kitchen for nighttime cooking, but it casts such a wonderfully soft light over this part of the room.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
January 18, 2012 | 0 comments