Kits & More Miniature Kits

 I love kits. I like making most of them, though a few can get a bit fiddly. But to me, the fun is putting the kits together, choosing colors, paints and stains, and picking the fabric to make it fit into a certain project.

As I mentioned in the last post, I made a few furniture pieces that went with the greenhouse kit I pulled out. Kind of cute. (*Click photos for full size. See other links in left column archives.)

Then, since I decided to make an attic  in the Lavender Cottage, I finally found a place for these:

What are they?

 Legs for a ping-pong table kit (SDK Miniatures.) I'd had this kit a long time; at one point I even wondered why I bought it as I really didn't have a place for it. Then I thought, hey, it can go in this house. Mostly as that place you store stuff on. You know... ha! Actually, it looks pretty cool so far. I'll show it once I get the net on and the paddles painted.

Saw a great little project in my FB Half Scale group of someone's toy room and it's so cute, it made me decide to pull out a bunch of toys I've collected. I can at least store them all here until or if I decide to use them somewhere else. I'll at least know where they are instead of in all kinds of drawers everywhere. 😊 Still looking for a few, though I have to check the Fairfield, as wondering if I put them in there. 

Many of the pieces are great handmade items from the annual half scale swap. I also pulled out some of the art from past swaps that'll fit on the walls here, like my sad vintage animals pictures from the previous Kitschy swap. Might be a few things I'll use from this. This year's should be coming soon!

A couple bookcases I'll use on the side wall for toys, books, and stuff. I'll put a TV on top of the lower shelf.

And... changed my mind! Sometimes you try to fit in different furniture and it just doesn't "feel" right, know what I mean? Then I realized I had this pretty bed set (old Avon resin furniture). I think it looks really nice in the attic and I always liked the bed. So am thinking of using that. I also found a second in my stash so I'll have one to use in another project. (Yay!)

So, a "small" update. I've got all kinds of stuff pulled out now to see what accessories to put in here. Amazing how much stuff a house will need, (and how much stuff is "hoarded" away!) Just like real life. haaaa!

Until next time! Thanks again for visiting! Come back soon of more updates!

Noncorporeal III spooky anthology Kickstarter

Noncorporeal III: Nightfall, the latest anthology of spooky tales coming out from Inkd Publishing, launches its Kickstarter today - April 4. Get it on it for some cool stuff!

Includes my latest story, "Cat's-Eyes," a spooky tale of crime, stolen jewelry, murder, and... Cat's-Eyes! I 'll leave it to you to find what the cat's role is! 

This is an interesting series. My story, "Secrets of the Last Mine," was one of the featured tales in the last anthology, Noncorporeal II.

The new story kicked around for a while. It was accepted once, then the project fell through, then I rewrote it several times, adding more of a crime element and going back to the original spooky part I always liked about the story.

Looking forward to reading the other stories too. Check out the Kickstarter above!

Third floor HS Lavender Cottage Dollhouse

 Yes, still making progress on the Lavender Cottage (see last post) - got the 3rd floor attached now, papered, lights and floor in, windows in... and it's trimmed, plus the back is glued on. I like that it has a bright clean look. (Photos - click for full size.) 

For something different, I decided to make this a type of attic with a newsprint wallpaper. Haven't done that since decorating one of my early houses, an Artply. (Remember those?) I did have the idea at some point to do a wall using my own newspaper stories, (years of reporting and writing, I'm sure there are enough) but I never reduced more than a few. So, this time, I think I'll just add a couple framed pages on the walls as kind of a memento. 

I'm going to add a small couch like a sleeper sofa and then add storage. This will be the extra sleeping room that someone can use when the cottage is booked up. Despite the junk I'll add, it's private, so who wouldn't mind that?

I attached the lights on the back wall by running some of the wires through shrink tubing, then gluing it to the wall above the dividers. You can't tell here but I left the lights hanging slightly, I'll put them into clear globes and glue those to the edge of the back trim.

I also got the second floor finished with the ceiling and baseboard trim in. I think it turned out well, too. I'll be dressing those beds next and adding more furnishings. * And I think I found the bed for the third floor attic! See post.

 Here are the dormers and the front so far. Have to add the first floor roof pieces and then start shingling. Still have a few shutters to finish and glue on, too. It's come a long way!

Also making progress on the other project, the small contemporary house kit. I changed the papers and some designs, of course. Still have to add some furnishings, trim, and the stairs.

And as these both are almost done, (well there're the shingles and lots of trim and foundation brick to go on the cottage) but I was in a spring mood. So I got out a greenhouse kit my friend Gigi gave me a while back. 

Did I need to start another one? No, but... it's like my reading. Always seem to have several books going at once. Get bored with one, then go back to the other. 

Some of the furnishings are made on this and I'll start working on some flowers, maybe even start gluing some walls and acrylic together. It's a small greenhouse so it's kind of cute to put next to one of the houses. I'll show more of that next time.

That's it for the moment. Hope your projects are going well! It will be time soon to start getting ready to do the real-life planting. Hoping my Mexican sunflowers do better as they didn't really take last year.

* Thanks again for visiting. More projects and progress coming soon! *