Saturday, July 12, 2008

Just Thinking Out Loud




Here are some shots of the main room in Garfield, minus the staircase. I am working on the crown molding, which will hide the white line on top of the wallpaper and also the baseboards. I am waiting on delivery of wainscoting trim and Palladian front door, which will have the same stain. I also need to work on the interior windows, which will be stained. I've bought the standard door for the dining room wall that too needs to be stained. All trim will go up last, before I install the staircase. I don't plan on gluing down the staircase. It fits neatly, very snug in it's little grooves. With the baseboard on it, you'll never see the grooves or any gaps. I'll be able to move it out if need be, I think.
This area is called the entry, living room, and dining room in the actual plans. I am going to make it all "Entry and Parlor" and use what is called the kitchen as the dining room. There will be a kitchen in my imagination, but not where anyone else will see. On the wall between the Parlor and Dining room, I am putting a fireplace ( The actual plans called for a fireplace on the side of the staircase, but that didn't look too practical...no chimney !!! Where did they think the smoke would go???) and another fireplace between the windows on the unseen left wall. I've seen someone else try that and it looked like it worked fairly well. We'll see soon enough after I finish the first one. I need them installed before I do the baseboards and wainscoting trim.
I still have the left wall to put up, plus the wallpaper and wainscoting all on the left side. The tower area needs spackling and repainting....it will be all the baby blue that you see. When it comes time for the window seat at the foot of the stairs, it'll be painted the blue...no wallpaper...and the woodwork stained. I love, love, love this woodwork. It is "Cabernet" stain with Bullseye shellac on it. It has such a rich, luxurious look and feel to it...it is so smooth, no little bumpy marks.
I'm filling in the gaps on the front side with spackle........everyone raise your hands if you love spackle!!! It's a good thing!!!!! So, of course, I'll need to touch up the paint out there. Eventually, I'm hoping to put up siding, but that's a "we'll see". If I do, then it'd have to have a primer anyway, so it works out. That's so-o-o far in the future, it's not worth talking about right now.
Oh, what a good time I am having and YES, I'm excited about this experience...more so than I have ever been with other houses. Garfield has become more than just building a miniature house....adding the blog has opened up a new aspect to it and I'm even creating a story for the house and the Victorian Lady who lives there, which I hope to share with you as time goes by.
Thank you for being here with me and for telling me how you feel about my little (?) house.


4 comments:

Gina said...

Kathy, your Garfield is turning out beautiful. Thank you for the compliment on my blog. I added a link to yours on mines, I hope you dont mind.

Kathy Calhoun said...

Oh, I don't mind at all. In fact, I'm delighted and honored. Thank you. It's more fun when we get to play with friends.

Anonymous said...

How nice to hear of someone who doesn't feel the need to show every room in a house. When you've made one kitchen, what plesure is there in making another. Your kitchen is at the back somewhere, of course. Ditto bathrooms. Love what you are doing with the house. Barri.

Kathy Calhoun said...

Barri, you've got it right, the kitchen is in the back of the house. No decent Victorian woman would consider showing her guests the kitchen, so it is out of view. Just to satisfy people's curiousity, the Butler's Pantry is in the cutaway portion of the house, which leads into the hiding kitchen, run by a wonderful and faithful cook and her helpers. And the bathrooms, well, we don't discuss that sort of thing in proper company. ;)
Thanks for your visit.