Heritage – front bay window, part 2

One of the nicer elements of the Heritage dollhouse is the inclusion of the bay windows (well, now one window in my case). But, straight out of the box, they are somewhat lacking in pizzazz.

I did a bit of sleuthing around the internet and found the lovely B Street House Bed & Breakfast in Virginia City, Nevada, which has very nice details.

Well, this is what it looked like before restoration.

Whoa! Now, that’s an awesome inspiration for my old haunted Heritage! In order to capture some of this essence, I modified existing pieces and added some laser cut trims. I first removed the excess framed bottoms from the kit window pieces. It’s amazing how just cutting off some clunky trim can make such a huge difference. I will add the small frame detail under the windows similar to the inspiration house later since I don’t have any thin strip wood on hand.

I swapped out the old corbel brackets for Laser Tech fancy corbels (purchased from Manchester Woodworks).

These come two to a pack and needed to be assembled.

I added some Laser Tech fancy roof trim purchased from Green Gables Dollhouse to the upper flat portion of the window walls. I added a more decorative molding along the upper edge that sits just under the roof piece. Nothing here is glued; the gaps seen will be gone once it’s all put together. I’ll also be finishing off that terrible (non-laser-cut) plywood edge.

I absolutely love it! I need to cut the excess roof down, too, but I love it!!!! :D

I think once it’s painted and aged it will really bring out that certain melancholy of times gone by.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
August 29, 2011 | 0 comments

Bishop Show, day 2 – Aug 2011

I did end up having time to pop back over to the show for a few more items. 

The Little Dollhouse Company: a glass perfume bottle along with some beautiful laser cut brass minis by le mini de Pierluigi (a pocket watch and spider web).

It might be a little ‘modern’ for the haunted Heritage, but I liked the pocket watch well enough to take it anyway.  I can always use it in a more modern build later on.

The spider web is super delicate.

I also bought a companion for the mouse I bought in Denver.  This one’s been taking his multivitamins.  :D  It was made by the same artist who made the griffin candlesticks: Don Henry.

More from Wright Guide Miniatures: some vintage cleaning products and a broom.

Categories: Miniature Shows and Shops
August 28, 2011 | 0 comments

Bishop Show, day 1 – Aug 2011

I’ve tried to include vendors where possible.  I am sometimes bad with keeping track of what came from where so I made a point to be more diligent this time around.

From Wright Guide Miniatures: matches, shoe polish, and a cobalt bottle I’ll make a label for before using.  They have a set of awesome vignettes on display using their items – just wonderful stuff!

A pair of pedestals from Carol’s Bloomers to finish off the front steps.  I’ll paint them to coordinate better with the stone.

A frame for above the fireplace from Small Talk (no web address), shown here with a quick printout of my original artwork titled Favored Knight.  I will change the coloration so it’s not so bright and shiny.

From the same vendor, I bought several colors of tiny punched Impatiens flower shapes (not for the Heritage).  I’ve looked at these many times at shows, never bought them and always wished I had.  :]  I have some flower punches of my own, but nothing that makes shapes as small as these.

From Mini-Tiques: a pewter sugar bowl that looks like an urn, a wine bottle with removable cork, a pewter ring holder, and several packages of Grandt Line widow’s walk in 1:48 scale (look at the new penny design!).

One of the finest (and most expensive) miniature purchases to date: a pair of sterling silver griffin candlesticks.  These are crafted by Don Henry for Small Treasures Miniatures.

The detailing on them is incredible.  They stand just 15/16″ tall without the candles.

Categories: Miniature Shows and Shops
August 27, 2011 | 0 comments

Hoosier cabinet from Keli

The autumn Bishop show is being held in my area this weekend, and tonight I had the pleasure of meeting Keli in person. I met Keli and her nephew at a local pizza place before the show, and she had made a wonderful surprise for me for the haunted Heritage: an old, well-loved Hoosier cabinet.

I just adore it! There are so many wonderful details to it, from the perfectly crackled green paint that will go so well with the wallpaper to the tiny pink piggy bank inside one of the glass front cabinets. I think that piggy bank is just the cutest! She has also included a stack of bowls, a can and some liquor bottles.

She said she was glad I liked it so much since it is hard to make things for others. That is so true. But, this is really the sort of thing I had planned to do with the space next to the Roper stove – only with a wall hutch and a butcher block top floor cabinet. It was as though she read my mind.

She thought I was going more for an old vibe than kitschy and macabre on the interior, and she’s exactly right. I think of an old woman living in the house she’s always loved, though it has fallen into disrepair on the outside. On the inside, it is warm and cozy, just old but well-loved. I love that she included some liquor bottles in the cabinet. I said, “Grandma likes her liquor,” and we had a laugh. Grandma doesn’t even make an attempt to hide it – it’s right there in the glass-door cabinet when she wants it! :D

The aging she added is superb – the cutting board showing its wear. It’s even fitting that it sticks a bit trying to slide it in and out, just like any antique wood cabinet is bound to do over the years. She even included some loose pencils she made (the cookbook I already had but thought it looked right at home here). The ceramic knobs are a fun vintage touch as is the flour sifter.

It fits perfectly next to the Roper range. I needed something substantial in the space since the stove is so large. This cabinet really balances out the visual weight of the stove.

Keli also gave me a laser cut double gate. She had bought two and gave me the extra.

Thank you, Keli, not only for the cabinet and the gate but for the enjoyable evening out at the show. 

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
August 27, 2011 | 0 comments

Heritage progress – foundation, porch, cellar

In between cutting what seems to be an endless amount of bricks for the chimney I have planned, I’ve been continuing to work on the exterior. I have only the front of the foundation covered in bricks, but I painted it to see how the coloration was going to work. I like the visual weight of the dark foundation, and the landscaping I have in mind will work well with it as a backdrop.

I’ve aged the gables with white paint crackled over a black-grey base as I did for the siding and the connectors. The crackle didn’t work as well on these pieces, but it still looks aged since I lifted some of the paint with a paper towel while it was wet. I probably should have put two coats of crackle medium on since the wood seemed to really soak it up.

Now that the gables are also in the aged white finish, it’s really starting to look like a cohesive build. I’ve painted the gable window trim black-grey. I doubt I will leave it dark but instead crackle white paint over this layer. I like the idea of the door being the main focal point and everything else looking in a state of disrepair. Plus, I think it will start to look more whimsical instead of creepy if I make the house all black, white and red.

I’ve also painted the front porch floor black in preparation for worn out porch boards. I don’t want bare wood peeking through!

I primed the cellar windows with black paint, and I’ll probably paint them to look like rusted iron windows. Aging them with white paint will make the foundation look like a candy cane.

I taped an LED in warm white from Evan Designs inside the foundation. It seems a little dim in real life, though the camera picks it up well. I’ll need to figure out a good way to make the most of the basement lighting.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
August 24, 2011 | 0 comments