Miniature Lavender Cottage Interior - So Far

 
A friend on FB asked to see the inside of the Lavender Cottage, and I realize that it's been awhile since I showed the full house. I have several posts of the different floors (see left column archives) but in different months, so I guess it's time I combined the pix I have so far for easier viewing. (Here's the last post on some furnishings.) 

* Don't forget to check out the latest dollhouse-related books post!

  (*Click photos for full size.)

I'm still working on decorating, adding pictures, decor, etc. and working on the outside (and shingling) so it's far from done. I'll have a ton of pictures, plants, books, to add. Just like real life!

The house (the 1:24 Abriana Country Cottage, Laser Dollhouse Designs) has been empty as yes, still shingling as you can see.

 (Left: the outside so far. I have some trim to do yet under the lower roof.) I had some wood blocks, so I glued on wood strips, put painted Model Magic clay in for "dirt," and covered them in the brick paper for matching planting beds. It'll look different once I add plants and outside vines.

In case you're wondering: it's the first time I'm using LED lights on the whole house. We use electric tape, solder lights to the tape, and this time I'm using a small transformer set to 3 volt. There are lights on the porch side roofs, too. I used small clear Christmas tree globes for the porches and the attic ceiling.

Here's the full back: I added the trim but still have some to do on the small roof sides. I've started the shingles since this photo.

First floor: kitchen on left. I had to use the green scrapbook paper for the kitchen as I loved the design! All the papers are scrapbook paper, except the textured white brick (Starboc2 on Etsy.)The right side will be a living room and TV area. (The lamp on the floor goes on a table by that window.) The stained glass on the doors was made using gold floral design scrapbooking stickers.

Kitchen testing set-up: The kitchen wall is deceptive as here's the secret: I had to adjust the whole thing to fit the kitchen counter. I shortened that window and took off the bottom sill to fit right above the countertop and papered the rest of the wall inside. The bottom of the longer window on the outside then shows a small part of the back of the counter cabinets, which is actually the back of the wallpaper to make it look right.

(Yes, that's a mini-fridge (photo) under the counter. I kept looking at the plain cabinet and since a fridge wouldn't fit, I thought that was a perfect solution. We'll say the full fridge is in a hidden back room, like the bathroom. 😏 - And the stairs; they took up too much room so I took them out.) But I love the results. First time I had to figure setting up one long kitchen counter to fit a space. The bright yellow-green countertop is textured cardstock over mat board. The cabinet handles are shiny bugle beads, which were a nice color contrast. 

Materials & Kitchen:

 The sink unit is from CastleCrafts; the stove is a modified Petite Properties kit; the upper and modified lower end cabinet are from MiniEtchers (they have full 1/24 kitchens you can design.) The 3D printed green painted hanging lightshades are from ShopMiniDecorandMore (Etsy). The counter was a swap gift that I painted and decorated. (I added the top paper and side shelves.) The first and second floor flooring is from Melvin's Miniatures.

Second floor: bedroom and game area:

Third floor attic: storage and an extra bedroom space: Flooring is a faux wood sheet from Hobby Lobby.

I'll show rooms again as I decorate and have the furnishings in. I set up each floor as combination multi-purpose rooms as I figured this as a vacation cottage. But, I can always switch things around later if I want to change the furniture and give the rooms a different look. I might do that to decorate for Halloween and Christmas, which will be fun! I never tire of setting up for Halloween especially and I have tons of Christmas decorations, too!

* Thanks again for visiting! Come back soon for more updates! * 

The Latest Miniatures, Craft & Fiction Books

 There have been a lot of new and interesting, crafts, dollhouse-related fiction, and miniatures books come out lately. Here's a selection of books (plus a few oldies too!) that you're sure to enjoy!

 I'll add other books as I find them. (Links are to bookshop.org, where you can order via any bookshop. Affiliate links offer a small compensation to the author.) * Keep reading to the end! There are several new dollhouse-related fiction releases marked with *** .

NOTE: This post is also linked on the top tab under the banner.

Crafts: 

Creepy Crafts,  Ashley Voortman - Signed Copy/Etsy 

Bring various chilling creations to life including a - One-Eyed Pumpkin - - Spider Teacup - Barbed Wire Frame - Severed Ear Chain - Bottle of Lost Souls - Tooth Fairy Stash - Pincushion of DOOM - Death Mushrooms Ring Holder

The Amigurumi Workshop: A Beginner's Guide to Crocheting Miniature Toys, James S. Ward - I don't crochet but these tiny animals are so cute! Would love to see if anyone makes something from this book.

Van Gogh Collage Paper - Assortment of 8x8 scrapbook paper sheets. Because I like Van Gogh!

Dollhouses/Miniatures:

50 Makes for Modern Miniatures, Chelsea Andersson -  A prop designer who was part of NBC TV's Making It craft-competition show offers her own take on modern minis.

Collectively Speaking, My Passionate Pursuit of Miniatures Vol. 1, Kaye Savage Browning - A beautiful photographic account of Browning's decades long dedication to collecting and curating exquisite miniatures.

Making Mini Food, Lynn Allingham - Make 30 assorted food items with polymer clay from realistic pancakes to pizza, burgers, ice cream and more. I still want to try these!

 

Making Miniature Period Furniture for Dolls' Houses, Angela Law - Recreate an assortment of realistic Tudor and historical furnishings in 1:12th scale.

Making Miniatures with 3D Printers, Frank Fisher and Angie Scarr - Scarr, known for her polymer clay foods, teams with her husband on a book to explain the in's and out's of 3D printing.

 Miniature Food Masterclass, Angie Scarr - Great selection of miniature food how to's from eggs, to gray, sushi, and more from the Queen of Polymer Clay!

The Dollhouse: Pop-Up and Lift the Flap Book, Grace West - Cute Idea that caught my eye. Something fun to get the little ones interested in dollhouses!

Fiction:

A Dollhouse to Die For, Cate Price (eBook) - At an estate auction, Daisy is delighted to find the perfect present for a young girl she knows—a charming dollhouse in need of restoration. But when local collector Harriet Kunes tries to strong-arm Daisy into selling it, she’s in for a shocking—and deadly—surprise when an intruder breaks in and steals the dollhouse. Daisy soon suspects the mini house holds the key to a second, unsolved murder.

 Death in the Details, Katie Titejien, Book 1 - Inspired by the real-life mother of forensic science, Frances Glessner Lee,  - Maple Bishop is ready to put WWII and the grief of losing her husband, Bill, behind her. But when she discovers that Bill left her penniless, Maple realizes she could lose her Vermont home next and sets out to make money the only way she knows how: by selling her intricately crafted dollhouses. Business is off to a good start—until Maple discovers her first customer dead, his body hanging precariously in his own barn. Something about the supposed suicide rubs Maple the wrong way, but local authorities brush off her concerns. Determined to help them see “what’s big in what’s small,” Maple turns to what she knows best, painstakingly recreating the gruesome scene in miniature: death in a nutshell.

*** New - coming in Sept.!   Murder in Miniature, Katie Tietjen, (Pre-order: Publishes Sept. 23) - Second book in the Maple Bishop historical mysteries, inspired by the first miniature crime scenes of Frances Glessner Lee - In post-WWII Vermont, Maple Bishop has a thriving dollhouse business and a new career as a crime scene consultant for the local sheriff's office. when she discovers the body of a childhood friend in a burned cabin. Called in to help solve the crime, she also recreates the cabin in miniature as part of her investigation. 

***Recently published! The Library of Lost Dollhouses, Elise Hooper - The head curator at a beautiful small library in San Francisco discovers a pair of beautifully-made dollhouses hidden in a secret back room. Her hunt for the history of the dollhouses turns her life in an unexpected direction when she learns of their personal connection to her. Great read!

The Miniaturist, Jessie Burton - Was a PBS series. Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam, 18-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office—leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin. Her world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist—an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . .

***Just released! 

The Miniaturist's Assistant, Katherine Scott Crawford - 2004: In historic Charleston, recently divorced art conservator Gamble Vance throws herself into her career restoring centuries-old miniature portraits. But one portrait haunts her: a woman in a fox stole, with familiar hazel eyes. When Gamble meets a girl in an alley, she's convinced it's the same woman-- and it's not the first time they've met. For help, Gamble turns to African American Studies scholar Tolliver Jackson-- a former foster kid with secrets of his own. But as Gamble's memories resurface, the pair discover a connection which may endanger more than one life... in more than one lifetime. Then there's a switch to a miniature portraitist in 1804.

The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone, Audrey Burges - From her attic in the Arizona mountains, thirty-four-year-old Myra Malone blogs about a dollhouse mansion that captivates thousands of readers worldwide. Myra’s stories have created legions of fans who breathlessly await every blog post, trade photographs of Mansion-modeled rooms, and swap theories about the enigmatic and reclusive author. Myra herself is tethered to the Mansion by mysteries she can’t understand—rooms that appear and disappear overnight, music that plays in its corridors.

My Books:

 

Dollhouse Decor & More - Christine Verstraete and Joanna Campbell Slan -  My co-authored book - an assortment of over 50 projects, from simple accessories to slightly more complicated furnishings to fill your miniature home!

Searching for a Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery, Christine Verstraete - In my oldie but goodie kid's mystery, two friends and their mischievous dachshund, Petey, search for a lost miniature painting. Ages 8 and up.

* More to come when I find them, so check back periodically. Thanks for visiting!

 -- C. Verstraete, candidcanine.blogspot.com

Miniature Salad & HS Cottage Furniture

Between working again on the Lavender Cottage shingles (making a "little" progress), I am always doing a few other things. Oops! Thought I'd posted this, so some catching up to do!

 (* Click photos for full size.)

The 1" scale salad was an easy fun project I was determined to make as a birthday gift for my friend (Happy Birthday again Gigi!). I love making these salads! 

Also finally got some other furnishings done for the Lavender Cottage! 

This 1/24 half-scale ping-pong table kit (SDK Miniatures) turned out better than I thought it would! I'd had it awhile, then let it sit, so I figured better finish it before I lose the pieces! I think it's going to be that catch-all space in the Lavender Cottage attic. You know the one - exercise equipment, old pool or ping-pong, game tables, etc. I'll have to find things to pile on it. ha! 😏

These interesting books are not what you think!

They actually are book "drawer," kits from CastleCrafts. Perfect place to hide some jewelry or, hey--Chocolate! Turned out pretty cool, I'd say. I think I'll use the purple book in the cottage even if it's slightly bigger. 

Also from CastleCrafts is this French Easy Chair kit. I really love how this turned out. I have the chaise lounge, too. I might get another pair of these chairs for another project. I added a cushion and made the footstool from a stacked foam bead. I got a bag of different shaped foam beads a while ago from the dollar store.

Made more books. I've admired the different collections offered by Artsy Miniatures on Etsy. Yes, I make my own and it's simple enough to do with a photo program, but sometimes it's easier to just buy them so you don't have to hunt down and shrink photos. ha! This is the Home and Garden magazines/books. Pretty covers. (I reduced them for half-scale.) They're pretty small to fit a shelf, but I might print some a bit larger for the table. There's also a dogs and cats set that's rather cute. 

I also got these cute printable laundry crates on Etsy. I printed them smaller to fit in the half-scale house.

And added some impatiens to the cup and saucer feeder I made for the annual Half-Scale Swap. That looks better! I have a birdfeeder I might use as well and decorate the same. Have to decide what to put in the garden. Maybe make it seasonal to change out?

And lastly, I made a furniture set (SDK Miniatures) for the front of the cottage. I'll have to make some kind of chaise for the porch. I have other tables and chairs, too. It's a big porch, so lots of furniture (and plants!)

So, just some odds and ends. Back to my "favorite" part of miniatures - shingling! haa!

* Thanks again for visiting! Come back soon for more updates! *

Some Spooky Miniatures

 

The Before

No matter what, I can't seem to stay away from doing something spooky for long.

I'd seen this small corner vignette kit from The Covered Chipboard before the Spring Showcase show, but for some reason didn't think of reserving one. I got to the show and changed my mind, but the kits with the Gothic window were gone. (* Click photos for full size. And other kits I did get! See show post here.)

I decided to get the kit with the round spiderweb window and proceeded to see what I had in my stash to use. I figured the kit would make a nice half-scale background for photo taking and be a cute scene otherwise. 

After assembling and gluing, I covered the walls with lightweight Spackle (hole filling compound - you can get a small tub at the hardware store.) I like using this as it has a "frosting" consistency and can be tinted with acrylic paint.I also glued on some textured brick pieces to have exposed brick spots. I had to add in the two lights so they'd be under the wall compound.

I mixed in a mustard yellow and then -- oh! It came out more yellow than I wanted. 

No worry. I aged the walls with light washes of brown chocolate paint and touches of Wedgewood green. My friend came up with the great idea of adding some blue plastic on the window to give it a nighttime look and having rust lines streaming down the wall, like the window had leaked. I added the lines and spots by the window using burnt sienna acrylic paint. I also added the floor from a wood placemat and the painted wood shapes. I'm still deciding what chair to use, maybe a rug, and probably some scuffs on the floor.

I put in two small lights, one set in a 1/24 lantern kit from CastleCrafts on top the cabinet (hard to see here), and made a faux candle for the table using a skull bead. The LED light's wire and top of the bead are covered with an ivory puff paint to give it a waxy look. (Like the faux candle I made for the half-scale swap.) The table is from an old piece of furniture with legs I cut from basswood. I painted the cabinet taken out of a small Hobby Lobby room kit. The taller bottles on the shelf are handy acrylic shapes from a CastleCrafts kit. Very handy!

The flooring is painted and cut from a wood strip placemat. I'm sad that I only have a small piece of this left as it's made really good floors. I decided to add a strip of matboard to cover the lower opening (which was supposed to go on the other end. ha!) to access the battery. I folded the end so I can pull out the battery when needed. 

That's about it. A simple, fun and reasonably priced little kit with good results.

Back to the *&^% shingling on the Lavender Cottage then. I'll get it done yet! Next I want to work on the garden for the front of the house. 

* Thanks again for visiting! Stay tuned for more projects and miniature updates! * 

Half-Scale Lavender Cottage Dollhouse Roof, Stairs

 

Yes, I've been slacking off on the project. I started the top roof, which is going slooooowly. But as I mentioned before, the lower roofs are done, and I think, look really good! (* Click photos for full size. Wow, the last update was early last month with the third floor and when I showed the shingles started.) 

Not much else happening on this, for the moment, but I wanted to show the roof results. (*Click photos for full size.) I finally just put the brick foundation paper on and am working on the edge trim now - and done! It looks much better. At least one trim part done.

It'll also look less bare when I decide on what flowers to put in front. It's different as I've never done a white brick foundation (and white stairs) before, but I had a lot of that color left (now only one sheet) and it went with the color scheme.

Thanks to my friend, who had the right width wood, I finished the stair treads, too! I want to add some greenery next, and then wisteria and vines along the roof, porch edges, and posts also.

In the meantime, I can't stay away too long from doing something spooky! I started this spooky little kit  (the corner room) that I got at the dollhouse show, so that's turning out pretty good.

 Here's a hint: I had enough leaves left from the Poison Ivy plant kit (SDK Miniatures) to make some more plants. This project will need a pot! Other pix coming soon. 

So, a short update! 

* For fun, I came across this free printies page at the Mouse Mansion with some schoolroom items and Christmas cards. While you're there, be sure to check out the impressive Mouse Mansion project! 

*Thanks again for visiting! Come back soon to see what's next!* 

Annual Half-Scale Dollhouse Swap

Easter items - so cute!

Always look forward to this! Been doing it for years. At one point it was a huge swap - one year I think it had 60 - but it's tapered off. This year was only 16 participants but I still enjoy getting and making items. Here's last year's swap and links to others. (* Click photos for full size.)

This year's theme was Holidays, which is nice as I figured there'd be both Halloween and Christmas items. I made a bird feeder stand with a cup/saucer, a small skull candle, and added in a Christmas box printie. It does look better than this photo. The skulls come out really realistic, just a toothpick, puff paint, and a snip of black thread. I thought later I maybe should've added the hill with flowers to the planter but I figured people will put it where they want. It can be "planted" in a small  mound of air-dry Crayola Model Magic, paint and cover it with grass and/or moss, and add small impatiens petals. I'm going to use purple for the Lavender Cottage  garden.

The Easter items were really neat. Cute little Bunny basket (Paula W), great teensy filled basket and blue bunny (Sydney H), amazing woven baskets (Glenda D), and that incredible egg dying scene (Cyndi M). Great idea using those little beads as cups for this. I have a ton of those and put fake handles on for mugs.

Christmas too! Great flags from Jen W, a tabletop tree (and orange cake in other photo) Adrian C, all kinds of fun ornaments (even a dog bone! Oops that peppermint is actually a "plate", great idea, with a gingerbread cookie on it. I put the wrong side up!) Sharon J, tree in pot, Bea.

Being a Halloween fan, I love this! All kinds of cool signs, jars, a mini table and even a plate of Gingerbread cookies, Gail. The Halloween mat is perfect, and the cool candlestick, great way to make this, Amy H.

Then some fun additions!

A great little flower stand for the porch (Ruth G), that incredible teensy Christmas gnome! (Annilee T), perfect little pies , Mary W, and that darling dollhouse, Peggy F.

Hopefully I didn't miss anyone. All great items that I'll add to my dollhouses. Always so much fun opening the surprise box each year!

****

** Update: Yes! The small roofs on the Lavender Cottage are shingled, painted, and done! PIc coming! Working on the top roof. What a job! If you didn't see them, in-between I did make some cute carrot cakes and Easter baskets. (More fun than shingling! haa!) 

** Thanks again for visiting!  Scroll down for other posts or see left column archives for my show-seen posts. *