HS #Dollhouse Let there be Light!

 Still working on the new/old half scale dollhouse. (Here's the first photos.)

First floor trim, curtains and lights are in! The real challenge was getting the staircase built (the tiny spindles!) and then getting it in the front hall. Still have to attach the post by trying to get my hand through the front door. haa! The rooms don't leave much space to work in! (Click on photos for full view.)

Here's a view of the kitchen (left) and hall...

Here's the dining room and the pretty chandelier:

Closer view:

Three rooms, kitchen, hall, dining room...

Front door: (I plan to add a floral wreath on the door.)

Not real exciting, I know... but it's all these little things you have to do in the building process. My least favorite part, btw.

I also started putting together a fridge from MiniEtchers. (The handles have to be painted and added separate.) I have a fairly modern kitchen set (Houseworks half scale) so I figured this fridge will fit in. The stove is going to be an old-fashioned type, though, one of those half scale fridge magnets.

Also pictured is one of the window boxes I made. It turned out perfect but... I am not going to make 10 or more (likely more.) The plan (so far) is to see if I can make a mold since I bought a mold-making kit. I have a giant jar of plaster. I've tried this before on some frames and it didn't work out too bad.

 Otherwise it's cut out all that wood (!!!) or find someone to 3D print them, or something. If I have to build them, then I'll have to look at it like when I do the annual half-scale swap of 30 or more items, which I'll have to plan soon also. Assembly line TV project. A few at at time so as not to go crazy. (Last time I made mini Monopoly game boards.) We'll see how it goes. I'll let you know!

Next we start on the second floor which will be a bedroom, and study/den. The center hall with the framed opening looking down to the first floor will be included in the den. The first floor living room on the right side (part of the tower) is two stories. The upper part on the third floor will be part of a child's room and play area. The rest of the third floor should have an attic section, a nursery/sewing room and maybe a part-bath. 

The #Miniature White House

  This seems the perfect time to share a real treasure - the Miniature White House made by the Zweifel family.

The model is 1" to 1' scale, which is 60' long, and shows all the rooms of the White House through the Obama  presidency, I believe. The oval office was often updated to reflect the recent occupant. (See more details about it. It's housed at the Presidents Hall of Fame in Florida.)

I was lucky enough to finally see it some years ago when it was in Chicago at the Museum of Science and Industry. Here are photos of the various rooms when it was housed at the Ford Museum.

One of the treats seeing it was looking for the small version of Bo, the Obama's dog made by miniaturist Alice Zinn. Here's a profile I wrote about her and her miniature dogs. 

New Year, New - Old - HS Dollhouse Project 2

 It's a New Year, meaning a new project, right?

Well, yes, and no.

 (click photos for full size.) We pulled out the half scale house that's sat for oh.... maybe 10 years I think? And once we got past the initial arguments (I'm design/decor, he's building and finishing), then maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to keep at this and get it done. You know how it is doing renovations, etc. on a house... it's the same as real life, only smaller. haa!

This is my third larger and full size half scale house besides the country house and the yellow playhouse. (I also have three smaller HS houses: a Tudor one with bakery; a house turned garage, and two for Halloween, plus a one-room house turned garage.) Forgot, there's the small Tudor herbal house, too (see county fair post)...  (First Tudor, also see bakery pix.)

This house is handmade, adapted from part of a smaller house kit and added on to. I don't remember all we did though the tower is handmade.  It does have some flaws, but? I decided to keep at it. I have soooo much furniture and accessories, plus decorative items from years of half scale swaps stored away, that it'll be nice to have somewhere to put a lot a lot of it. 

As this was back when half scale lights were really hard to find, we bought some very expensive handmade lights for this,  along with a few I found in later years. I'll show those once the second floor ceiling/floor is in. 

Just to show color schemes: kitchen, hall, dining room. 

Below: tower curtains. The tower will have a statue, small bench and lots of plants.

It doesn't look like much yet but some new lights were added (not shown), curtains finished, trim moldings put in,  and it was painted outside - again. Third time. I had a greener yellow paint by Martha Stewart, which got lumpy, so I had to get another paint, which was slightly lighter. But it'll look ok once I add the sage green shutters and some windowboxes, (which I dread making sooo many - there are about 18 windows. But boxes will be on the front only.) plus some decorative trims and moldings. Have to figure what colors to add yet. 

We also put a new floor in the hall for the third time. (Three times seems to be the charm on this house.) I had a wood floor and didn't like it so it was pulled up. The tile laid down bumpy so we had to redo the tile sheet pasted to a piece of cardboard. That was glued down around the edges only, just in case. It does look better with a tile floor. I don't look forward to doing the staircase railing and spindles. So tiny!

I know, not much to see yet, but hopefully there will be soon. I'll show the handmade fireplace, too, once we light it up.  Stay tuned for more!

Happy New Year 2021!

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Wishing everyone a healthy, happy and much better 2021!

Thank you to all who visit and read the blog, I so appreciate it! Will be back soon for more posts, minis, and whatever else!

For now, what's underway?

As I always have several projects started at once, I am working on one of those China kits, Sam's Study. (See stock photo above.) I do like the colors on this, but I'm redoing it in dark shades to make it into an Edgar Allan Poe library. Oh, and yes, I have a second one in case I want to do one in the bright colors!

The record store is about done except for replacing one piece of art on the wall and touch up paint on another. More photos coming soon!

The skeleton funeral parlor is also underway and the gold paint worked out marvelous! Photos coming soon. See last update post. 

See you in the New Year!