Heritage – bedroom ceiling, part 1

The original kit attic floor was a poor-fitting board to begin with, and it was pieced over the bedroom causing a noticeable seam on the ceiling. Additionally, since I added two walls on the second floor not originally intended as part of the house, I needed an attic floor that covered more area than the original. Trying to cut one board to span the entire house without having any fitting issues didn’t seem like something I wanted to attempt. So, I cut each ceiling board individually, having the seams over each new second floor wall.

The bathroom ceiling had its wiring channels cut prior to installation. All wires lead to the outer wall and will be hidden inside the chimney. The notch on the left side is where the back roof piece sits.

To make a template for the bedroom ceiling, I used a spare piece of Cellfoam 88. It’s the same thickness as the plywood I would be using for the final board, and it was easy to cut and adjust. First, some rough measurements.

I snipped and adjusted. I was still off in the end, so I marked where I needed to add more. I also marked where the tabs should be. Since there were slots on the front and side, I figured I might as well use them.

I traced the foam template onto a new piece of 1/8″ plywood and cut out the ceiling board. Here you can see my foam template was just of the front cuts. I projected the full length back from there.

Here are the notches I cut for the foyer light and bedroom table lamps previously installed.

The hallway ceiling has been started, too, but it remains separate. It needs to be installed last since it is a snug fit between the two outer sections. Here are the hallway and bedroom boards in place.

I made minor adjustments until the new ceiling board fit…mostly. I have to tell you, this is the most lopsided board I’ve ever had to cut for a build. That ought to tell you just how out of square this house is. Even at that, it’s still not a great fit, and I cannot figure out where the rub is that’s causing the problem. So, it stays its 95% self, and I will add flat molding along the edges of the ceiling. Crown molding on all those angles makes my head hurt just thinking about it, so flat molding it shall be.

With the ceiling in place, I plugged in all the lights for the room. The lantern on the dresser is battery operated.

The Ray Storey ceiling fixture adds a good overhead glow to the room. I had thought about using a smaller, simpler ceiling medallion here with the fixture, but when I looked at the resin piece more closely I just didn’t like it. It was rough and uneven, and spending a lot of time to get it in paint-ready condition wasn’t something I wanted to do. Besides, this room has a relatively short ceiling so it’s probably not a good idea to lower the light fixture any more.

I had also thought about putting in a lamp over the comfy chair, but I think there is plenty of light in this room. Besides, grandma might just have a clip-on LED lamp for supplemental lighting just like I do for my needlework. Once I get the ceiling painted bright white, it will reflect more light as well.

I cut the notch for the back roof piece and carved the two remaining wire channels on the top surface of the bedroom ceiling board.

Part 2 here.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
December 30, 2012 | 0 comments

Bespaq bed makeover, part 1

You might recall from my previous post, this is where the bed started. The finish was too dark and the bedding too large for scale.

I then primed it with grey spray paint to cover the red wood and varnish shine. Of course, I didn’t take a better photo of it in grey. :\

Here it is after a few coats of Krylon Almond in satin finish. :D We’re already getting somewhere!

There are a few imperfections in the paint coverage, but those will be hidden by the bedding.

To age the bed, I removed some of the Krylon Almond satin paint using a sanding stick. I picked up a package of these at Hobby Lobby.

I went for a little less wear than my inspiration photo.

Detail of the wear patterns on the inspiration bed.

Detail of the wear on my bed. I wanted to emphasize the lines and details of the bed without overdoing it, especially since miniature finishes tend to work best when they are subtle.

I dry brushed some brown paint into the grooves and recesses, again using only a little. It added some nice depth.

I cut new foam core board pieces to replace the original mattress.

We’re ready for bedding!

The bed looks somehow heavier now than it did in plain almond, don’t you think? :D

Categories: Furniture, The Haunted Heritage
December 28, 2012 | 0 comments

The Artist’s Studio – Rustic crate bookcase

Of course, I can never fit all the items I want into any particular build, so things get pushed out and saved for later. One item that I love for The Artist’s Studio is the unique rustic cabinet.

But, I’ve had this image in mind for the Studio all along, so out the cabinet must go!  :\

Could I have made nine identical crates? Yes, but why do that when Minimum World offers perfectly suitable ones already made? :D I bought these for $2 each instead of trying to make a bunch of identical crates, which would have taken days. With the angled front wall, I thought an offset stack would look best.

A set of nine in straight columns is not as interesting, and twelve (as shown in the original photo) wouldn’t fit in the allotted space without crowding the daybed.

For reference, here’s a narrow configuration in the main living area. Again, the full stack of twelve would not have fit.

With the rustic cabinet in its original place, it’s just too crowded in my opinion.

I stained the crates with two washes of grey, black and brown.

Already much better.

Once dry, I sanded them as needed. There was slopped glue around many of the seams, but that was easily masked by stuffing the shelves full. :D I put my wheat back penny in the bottom row for size reference.

I’ll make some additional items appropriate for a studio, but I love the way they look so far with some minis I had on hand.

In fact, many of these items will have to stay…they just look so completely at home.

Categories: The Artist's Studio
December 27, 2012 | 0 comments

Unfettered

While buying supplies for The Artist’s Studio, I picked up a battery operated flickering firelight from Minimum World for The Aero Squadron Lounge.

If you recall, I had hardwired the fireplace bulb, which hampers the removal of the removable fireplace.

Close-up of the recess and fireplace wire.

I have to slip the bulb out of the hole drilled for it in order to truly remove the fireplace.

Before deconstructing any of the hard wiring, I made modifications to see if the new battery light would work for this instance. I fed the bulb and wire into the fireplace to see if the wire was long enough.

Since the back wall of the fireplace is made of foam, I was able to cut a space to house the battery mechanism, switch side down, as well as some excess wire.

It worked! :D

I will probably paint the wire black to blend in more, but it doesn’t really show with the fire screen in place.

The flickering isn’t as smooth as the LEDs from Evan Designs that I used in the jack-o’-lantern, but it is bright enough and relatively convincing. Even a solid red bulb with this battery setup would be nice to have for fireplaces and stoves.

I decided to leave the hardwired bulb in as a backup since it is already in place, so I curled the wire and bulb into the recess made for it.

The fireplace with its new battery firelight sits perfectly in place and is now quickly and easily removable.

My final assessment is it’s a great light for easy access with the caveat that it does not have a completely realistic flickering motion for imitating fire. It is somewhat pricey, too, but overall I’m pleased with it and would likely use it again in the right situation. If I had enough room for full hard wiring, however, I would use the orange flickering LEDs from Evan Designs instead. Those are brighter and more realistic, but they have a larger battery adapter that’s not as easily hidden as this unit from Minimum World.

Categories: The Aero Squadron Lounge
December 26, 2012 | 0 comments

Wiring…a necessary task

I’ve gotten far enough into the build that I need to start addressing the wires that will eventually be housed in the chimney. I have some wires lengthened and marked with masking tape so I know what is what.

Others are just hanging around, too short, and I need to plug them in to see what happens. Haaaaa! What a mess….

I decided to take some time tonight and remedy that issue. All the wires will come down the wall behind the chimney and that will require a track to the back of the baseboard. I cut the landscaping foam but kept the piece to later plug the channel over the wires.

I use the tiny clear, pre-cut shrink tubes by Cir-Kit when when I need to keep the wire joins thin, usually within a channel inside the walls or floor boards of the building itself.

For the wires that join inside the chimney, the thickness of the wire joins doesn’t matter since they will be loose in the flue so I use shrink tubing from Evan Designs instead. This is a length of black tubing you cut yourself.

The result is comparable to the clear tubes just slightly thicker. I use a small lighter to shrink the tubing, putting the flame just close enough.

If you get the flame too close, you can use liquid electrical tape. This won’t hold wires together like a shrink tube, but it replaces any lost insulation.

I decided to use a 3V flickering orange LED for the parlor fireplace, the same method used for the jack-o’-lantern on the front porch. I cut a channel in the landscaping foam and then drilled a hole into the cellar doors.

I wired the LED to a 3V battery adapter with a switch.

It’s a softer, more realistic light than the static red bulb. I love how spooky the fireplace looks in low light.

I taped the wires in place here and there to keep them tidy. Much better.

Once the remaining wires are in place, I’ll finish the landscaping and then add the chimney, but you can see the general idea of how it will look in the end. Having the chimney hiding the wires makes the Heritage completion seem like a solid reality. 

I even added the plugs at the ends of the wires. I use a 12-switch power strip, and yes, there are more than 12 lights to be plugged in at any given time. My transformer can definitely handle them all on at once, but I am more of a use-them-when-you-need-them type when it comes to lighting anyway. I could certainly add another power strip, but I don’t. And, yes, I know it’s already a bit of an octopus…ah, well, it works for me.

All this work is worth it once you see the soft glow of the light fixtures in place.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
December 20, 2012 | 0 comments