Walls, Doors, and Walls

I have spent the day trying to get the walls for the 2nd floor to work right, but am doing things that are NOT part of the directions. To get to the walls, I had to first make sure the floor fit correctly, which took some whittling and trimming. Finally, after lots of whittling, the floor fit perfectly. On to the walls, which took more and more whittling and trimming. I'm moving a wall and had to trim some of the top of the staircase newel and banister that presses up against the master bedroom wall. Bought a door from Hobby Lobby and it'll have to have the casings trimmed some to fit, but it'll go. The wall to the second bedroom was tougher. It was crooked, tabs WAY too big, the doorway was too small to fit a store bought door and, when I trimmed the wall and attempted to fit it into the stairwell, the doorway and transom window ( both held on by only a small piece of wood ) broke off. Oh, well, I can fit a piece in there, but I don't know now about the transom. Finally, I got the wall to fit perfectly in it's spot and with the master bedroom wall connection. Now, I'm fitting the doors to fit the spaces, removing only enough casing to make it work.

Now all that sounds quick enough, but it took hours, not just the work, but life continued along with it. Tomorrow, I'll have the doors finished and can move on to painting and wallpapering. I'm still days from gluing those wall to the house.

Boy, is it fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looking Down From The Second Floor

All three views are looking down from the 2nd floor. The photos looking up were fairly dark and you couldn't see much. The carpet runner is a simple flannel, cut to 1 3/4" wide with a satin ribbon on each edge. The color matches the blues on the 1st floor and the walls in the hallway on the 2nd floor ( but they're not yet painted. ) I did add newel post caps, except on the 2nd floor itself. I'm waiting to add the walls first. I know I'll knock them off if I don't wait. In one of the photos, you can barely see a brass ornament between the stair and the post cap. I'll take better photos of the 2nd floor staircase and hope they'll show up.

One of the 2nd story floors ( the part over the Dining room is done and ready to install. I had some problems with the ceiling of the 1st floor side and had to do it twice. I'm waiting until I get the main floor section done and installed before I show the photos. It won't be long.

I've been pretty busy with other things that indirectly affect the Garfield. I cleaned up my dust bunny covered computer area and installed USB pots so that I can connect both the photo printer and the camera. The dust bunnies were the hard part. Some of them could have carried off my cat! After doing that, I realized I need to be brutal and clear out some spare wood parts and other things around my work area.

I'm also getting out my winter clothes and putting up summer...it's snowed in some parts of Colorado and it's getting down in the 40's at night, so it's time.( How that affects the Garfield is easy. The clothes are in storage boxes under the twin bed in this room and I had to move supplies that are blocking the way to get under the bed.....I told you, it's a small house. )

One day this week, I'm going to a scrapping party at my friend, Angie's, house and my Garfield scrapbook will get caught up. I've printed out many photos and I want to get it up to date or it'll get carried away from me. Plus, I need to print out some pages from this fun blog and keep that up to date too. When I die, whoever gets Garfield will get these books telling it's story. ( While he's way too young right now, I'm secretly hoping my grandson, Mark, will one day have a little girl and it can be hers. )

Something else that I must do, but has nothing to do with Garfield, is to cut down some foliage in the garden and I'd best do it now!!! It's a mess and I need to clean it up so the Autumn plants will look better, so I'm putting the Garfield work aside for a few days. ( I can't play dollhouse ALL the time, though I wish .............................)

Well, off to act like I'm doing all those things.

From All Sides

My work area was a mess, so it was time to clean it up, put everything back in it's place, dust the Garfield, and start fresh. These are shots from each side of the house; exterior doors are NOT glued in place; fabric is hanging, waiting for the back wall; the upstairs fireplace is not stationary, waiting to see if I'll further decorate it. I removed the staircase and partition from the Parlor. I'm carpeting the stairs right now and finally adding the decorative parts to the newel posts.

I'm also working on the ceilings of the second story/floors for the third story.The directions have me installing those when complete and then the walls that separate the stairs/ bedrooms. I've not decided if I'll need to decorate them before I install them, but I'm pretty sure I'll have to, to make it easier reaching inside this baby. This house has such awkward angles that decorating would be so difficult if I completed the building before I painted/papered it. I have not followed the directions to the letter, obviously. It won't let me.

In the photograph that shows the front of the house..the one where you can see both exterior doors... you also see a good 1/4 of this room. It shows how much space I ( don't ) have to work with in this small 2 bedroom house. The Garfield dangles over the twin bed that's in here and to the front of the table it sits on is a card table that I use to work on, with boxes under both tables holding wood, parts, tools, and whatever. In front of that card table is where I am right now, at my desk, typing away. On the wall to the side is a cabinet full of all my crafting supplies and my own personal closet. Thank goodness I'm the only one that uses this room or the chaos would be much greater.

Today, I'll finish the staircases and the ceiling/floors and maybe sort more of the supplies and spare wood. I'm usually an organized person, but I've let that get away from me this past month. (My husband is pretty much recuperated from his accident and I don't need to ignore my own needs as much.) I want the house to sit around and talk to me, too. I need to learn where it wants to go from here, what to make the rooms do, and what they want to look like. I want to think about the lady who lives here-her name is Novella-and how she spends her time. And, of all things, I need to read the directions and do some dry fitting.

Thank you for your visit. I always enjoy it when you stop by.

We'll Call It The Library For Now

So, here I sit with 2 rooms half finished and they'll be staying that way for a while. The directions are sending me to work on the 3rd floor floorings/2nd floor ceilings...2 different sections that need to be prepared.

The blue flowered room will be the library. The shelves were closets in the plans, but I liked the idea of bookshelves, so there you go. The fireplace is one purchased from Hobby Lobby. It's really the same tan color of the bookshelves, but shows up white. It cries for some decoration and I'm waiting to decide what that will be before I glue it in ( IF I glue it in. ) The trim work will all be the Cabernet stain. I am going to buy the French doors rather than use those provided and there will be casing around the bookshelves.

As you've already seen, the room below is the Dining Room The post is just to keep the floor level until I can install the end wall, which is a long time from now. The fireplace is one that came with the kit, with some modifications. The "marble" is a photograph of rose colored Tennessee marble. ( Appropriate, since I was born in Tennessee. ) There will be wood trim around the base of the hearth.

I have to get those floors done. Since the floors will be for the third floor, ones not very important to the "living areas" of the house, they will be nothing too fancy. I have a lot of sanding to do and I think I'll be marking them with lines for planks and staining/shellacing them. In between waiting for the stain or shellac to dry, I'll work on the baseboards, crown moulding, and steps for those 2 rooms.Once the floors are complete, I'll flip them over and work on the ceilings that will be for the 2nd floor. Kim Hammond sent me some "paintable wallpaper" that I plan on trying, using that which looks like plaster. She couldn't have sent it at a better time and the wood that will be covered is not very nice looking, so the paper is going to cover a multitude of ugly spots. Thanks, Kim!!!!

I'm in the process of carpeting the staircases, but will save that for a later time, just in case I change my mind about what's happening there. I can't seem to commit myself to what I want yet; you know how that goes.

As I've said repeatedly, I am thoroughly enjoying myself building this beauty. I'm spending several hours every day on it, but not all at once. I paint, go do something, glue, go do something, on and on. And, I spend a lot of time thinking about it, not adding paint or glue until I'm positive it's what will work. I've realized that there are many people following the construction of the Garfield and your comments make me very proud. I truly appreciate it and welcome your thoughts and ideas. ( Got any for that fireplace??? )

Thank you for visiting.

Dining Room Update...

I'm on hold again...the directions for the house are sending me to the second floor for a while. I did have to get what you see here decorated before I add on the back wall.....I have things to do upstairs before that happens.

The "wallpaper" in the Dining room is a material I found at Wal-Mart, as is the coordinating trim. ( Looking at the photo, I see a crooked spot that I'll correct...can't have that in Ms. Picky's house! ) It's not my original plan. Staring at the room for hours caused me to change my mind several times. I am almost finished with the fireplace that will go on the wall you see here. The doorway on the far right is not the original. I didn't care for that door and have a Houseworks door ready to go in, but that'll be quite some time, after the exterior is finished being painted. I plan on continuing with the Cabernet stain on all the trim and will also be working on that this coming week.

The gold pin is something I found in an antique/whatever store. I'm hoping someone can tell me something about it. There is the word "agnew" in small letters on the back....no other identification. There is a small bolt in the very center. I'm hoping that I can fit a chandelier through the center and it'll hang in the center of the dining room.

Directly overhead on the second floor, I am back to sanding, and preparing pieces. I have to install 2 closets, again cover walls, and prepare the french doors, even if I don't install them yet. I must get into those small spaces before I put on the end wall, so I'm working in many areas at once. I need a bigger table, room, house, world to do all these things at once.

I am having a ball..........the ideas keep popping in my head and I need to write them down as fast as I think of them before they fly out again. As I've said repeatedly, I'm very serious about this construction as never before. I plan on making the features in this house as exquisite as it's would have been 100 years ago.

My Dining Room Floor...Finally

After false starts, bad moves, poor results, tears, and a bit of swearing, I received some wonderful advice from Larry Marshall of "Woodnbits", whom I "met" through the Miniature Collectors Club, I have a beautiful floor for my Dining Room. It is not glued to the base as yet...much work to do before I make that important step, but I had to show it off and send kudos to Larry.

The floor is a mahogany veneer that I cut to shape, sanded clean, and stained with 3 coats of my favorite stain, Cabernet by Varathane. ( This stain will be prominent all through this house ) The border design and "medallion"are from my scrapbook supply...peel and stick trim. I love it's look..in fact, I used it as crown moulding in my Alison, Jr. house. I had the problem, on the first attempt, of the Bullseye varnish drying with streaks and clots, bubbles and ridges. Pure T ugly and, after complaining about it through MCC, Larry suggested that I dilute the shellac with denatured alcohol in a 50-50 proportion. I mixed up the concoction and practiced on a scrap piece of wood and was delighted !! I was so cautious when I applied it to my already pretty floor, knowing, if it turned out wrong, I'd have a bad behavior. I knew immediately that I had a good thing happening. I quit at 2 coats. I was afraid to press my luck. I think it's perfect!

As you can see, this is another cranky spot in the Garfield Manor and I'll need to decorate the already attached wall around that awkward corner before I erect the outer walls. The small 3" edge leading to the side porch has a door I don't really care for, so I bought the Houseworks door with the 4 pane transom from my local Hobby Lobby and am altering that wall and the trim to the door to make it fit. It's going to take a few days to finagle it all, but I have all the supplies I'll need to get it adapted correctly and decorate the area.

I've also been working on the ceiling to the Dining Room and the floor to the 2nd story room above it.( not shown ) The floor is the store bought plank flooring, stained and beautifully shellaced with the same great results. The ceiling was another pistol. I wanted it to have the rough texture of plaster ( tiny orange peel look ) and bought some stuff at the hardware store that was a total bust. After cleaning off the wood and returning the product, I purchased Rust-oleum's multicolored textured paint...mixed tans...and sprayed on 3 coats. Awesome !!! and, again, I'm happy. Lots of work to do before it's ready for Show and Tell. I (underestimate ) a week before the room is finished.

As I've said several times before, the Garfield Manor has me fascinated and I hold myself captive in my spare room every chance I get, often ignoring chores and garden. The house seems to speak to me and tell me what it hopes I'll do with it. I have file folders full of ideas and hopes to turn this into the fine Victorian home it is meant to be. Many of you have sent me compliments and great words of encouragement and that just spurs me on to do this house justice. I do thank you for all your kind thoughts and, as always, am open to suggestions.

Until later............................

The Garfield Manor's Dining Room

Sorry...no photo today, but there's not much to see at this point. It's still in my mini-brain. After some thought on how to approach the Dining Room and putting a plan of action down on paper, subject to change, I'm sure, I've begun work on the Dining Room. In the plans, Greenleaf labeled this the Kitchen, but I prefer to ignore a Kitchen in this house, placing it in an unseen area, and am making this a Dining Room. It has an odd shape, just as the Parlor did, and will need to be decorated as it is built. There's an angle and small area in a corner that will be tough to get to if I put up all the walls first. I dislike the door provided and have purchased another with a window and transom above it that does not fit in the space provided.....I WAS aware of that at the time of purchase. I'll be playing with that wall to make it work.

But first, I'm tackling the floor. Initially, I sanded and stained the base flooring provided to see what it would look like and I hated it, which I kind of suspected I would, so went out and bought a sheet of 1/8" maghogny veneer. After looking at the grain, I felt it was too large to look real in the house, so I flipped it over to a smaller grain look. I made a pattern of the odd shaped floor, traced it on to the veneer, and cut her out. I've sanded it down to a fine smooth feel, dry fitted to the base and walls and am ready to stain it today. The dry fit caused some trimming to be done, especially at the tower area, needing the slots of the wall it slips into to be enlarged somewhat. It'll work and I am excited all over again!!!!

Tomorrow, probably, after I get the floor stained and glued down, I'll start back with the photos, making sure you can see the odd angles I have to play with in this room. I have so many ideas for this Dining Room and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you.

Come Into My Parlor

I have finally finished my Parlor in the Garfield Manor ( almost ;) ) The design will stay as it is...left to do are tiny ( ha ) things, such as adding the carpet runner and post caps on the stairs, lighting, ceiling medallions. Those will be done much later, as I decorate.

The first photo shows the added fireplace in what the company called the dining room, but it is an extention of my Parlor. The door to the right of the fireplace is not glued in yet. It leads into what will be my dining room ( what the company called the kitchen ).

The second view is a broad shot, showing the stairs and partition, which are not glued in just yet, in case I need to get behind them still. Barely seen is beading across the top of the window seat/bay.

The third photo is just inside the front door, where you can see the window seat/entry bay and the understair closet. I plan on upholstering a cushion for the seat. There are a couple of little ribbon roses that will be pillows resting there.

Number four is the tower area which had called for window seats, but I chose to keep that as room area and placed window seats in the entry bay instead. The posts and fretwork were not part of the original plans.

And, the last photo is of the added fireplace, where a window had originally been. Remember, the company had a too small fireplace at the base of the stairs with no flue for the smoke to rise. I think it looks more practical.

I have never approached the building of a house like this...completing a room before the house itself. The entry area had to be completed first or I could not have accessed that area with the stairs in the way. I got carried away and did the entire room. I can see that same principle will be needed in a few other areas. I've, also, been more demanding of myself in this room, wanting the "out of ordinary" home. The Victorians loved an ornate decor and I want that to show here.

I'm ready to move on to the next step in building this beautiful Garfield, but I do not know what that step will be yet. I'm going to clean up my mess, re-organize my tool box, check my supplies, read the directions, and think, think, think. I am scrapbooking this house and want to update it to show the Parlor progress.

I am so delighted in the building of The Garfield Manor, thanking my luck finding this steal at the Goodwill store for $40. Currently, it's cost is about $175, including trim pieces and moulding, addition flooring and ceiling....half the cost of the house kit if bought brand new.

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions, some of which are already incorporated in the design of the Parlor. To those of you who have already built the Garfield, or are in the process now, please let me see your photos or hear your own stories. Every little bit helps. I thank you for all your support so far. The fun will continue............

The Front Wall Interior

After being away from my worktable and blog for two weeks, it's good to put the mind to creative use. ( For those who don't already know, my husband was walking in a parking lot and struck by a 95 yr old woman...fractured collarbone, multiple bruises and scrapes, but there will be no lasting effects..Thank goodness. Needless to say, I was busy for a while ).

This is the front interior wall to my little house. The tower section calls for window seats, but I've chosen not to install those there. I made the fretwork divider from spare pieces of wood and posts in the wood box. I'd like to try and duplicate the look in the bay window that'll be to the right of this photo, which is what I'm working on now. I am still ( forever ) working on trim pieces, but I'm so delighted with this wall that I just wanted to share it with you today.

I am working slower than I usually do, wanting everything to be perfect. I hope you like it.

Kitty has joined my staff as model. I hope you like her, too.

Cuddle Up By A Fire

These two little darlings are going in the Parlor...the larger will go on the outside left wall ( where I'm blocking up a window ) and the other on the inside wall between the Parlor and the Dining room. I made both from scrap pieces of wood. I'm also working on hearths for them to sit on, but have just started those and it'll be a few days. The concrete fireboxes are printies and the tile is tilepaper glued to wood backing. I will be varnishing both before I attach the hearths to them, but I'm still waiting for the paints and stain to completely dry. The colors are all in the wallpaper and they seem to compliment the room well. Give me a few days and the entire Parlor should be done and ready for a visitor.

Come In The Front Door !!!!

Be careful, the front door is not glued in yet, just resting in the opening. I had to take the tops of the door cutouts and trim them to fit the Palladian door. The frame is painted a "Java Bean" by True Value's 'Colors Made Simple" sample paints; the door is an acrylic "Victorian Blue" and the sun is gold leaf. The glass insert, doorknob, house numbers, mail slot, and kickplate are, of course, all extras.

The plastic window replacements have been ordered and are on their way from Greenleaf. Nice people there..........

COME ON IN !!!!!!

Remove and Prepare.....Sanding, Sanding

I still have many, many pieces not punched from the plywood, so I'm going to spend this weekend getting them punched and sanded, organized and ready for whatever the next phases call for in the directions. I need to stop and clean up, organize, and make some lists again, something I haven't done in the past few weeks.

I've received my order from Miniatures.com...The Palladian door and insert, which I have to figure out how to do the glass, and the wainscoting trim, which I'll cut, stain, and finish.

Hopefully, by Monday, I'll have something new to show......in the meantime, I'l be sanding the days away.

What An Oversight !!!!!

There I was, trying to fit these 2 pieces of wood together and realized they don't match. I had thought they both were the partition and they would fit back to back for strength, but one is actually a cupboard ! Cool !!! but how did I miss it ? I know I really did read all the instructions though as I was getting started, but, obviously, this cupboard didn't register in my brain.

Well, there it is, propped up in it's designated spot during it's dry fit and certainly needs work done ( as does the partition in the foreground ). Since it's a surprise, I have some rearranging to do in this part of the parlor, as I had planned on a fireplace on that wall.....actually, I still do, just different from the one that was almost ready to be installed. I will finish it just as I have all the other trim work, with the Cabernet stain and shellac. There are 4 shelves and I will add more beadboard to the wall and that will be the backing to the shelves. All that's not a problem and, I think, will look great. I just need a different size fireplace, which will be no problem, either. It'll just take me a little longer to make another, but since it's seems as if it'll take forever anyway, one more day won't hurt.

What DOES surprise me is, in every photo of this house I've seen on the internet ( and believe me, there are plenty ), no one has a photo with this architectual detail in it. Why did no one install it ? It's beautiful !! and will add a lot to the corner of this room. I see it displaying beautiful and delicate objects. It's not too big, extending only about 1" from the corner of the wall. Well, your loss and I'm excited about it....surprised, but excited.

My delivery of wainscoting trim and the Palladian door is expected tomorrow. I have several other details ready to be installed and, in just a few more days, I should be finishing up the Parlor ( except for the windowseat area...there's other construction before I come back to that ). I see it all so clearly in my mind and I hope you, too, will find it beautiful.

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.

Garfield's floor, wallpaper, many mini etc.'s

So much encouragement !!!! I thank you all !!!

I have done so many different things for Garfield these past few days....a lot of it hardly seems worth talking about, but it's always the little things that make a house a home. I have the 2nd floor holding on by masking tape and the wall tabs..no glue yet...to help me align the wallpaper. I'm sure you'll remember the wallpaper is a "printie" and I printed it all out, including "just in case" extras at one sitting, to assure color consistency..I did this immediately after installing new ink cartridges. (It's amazing how much ink it took. The printer told me right away I needed more ink soon.) I've also started gluing up the bead board, which I'll cap with trim ( note:time to make up a new order from my fav.."Ernie" @ Miniatures.com ) This part of the wall needs to be decorated ahead of time or I won't be able to reach inside easily.The walls on the right of the photos are also NOT glued in yet, just there for support.

It's here I have to stop decorating on the walls and, yes, place that order which will include the Palladian door and insert, prepare some windows, glue the tower extension floor to the main flooring, then glue the entire floor up, prepare some crown molding and baseboards, prepare the staircase post toppers, glue those walls that are loose right now, and then go back to wallpapering. WHEW ! It's as confusing at times as it sounds and easy to get off track.

I am normally a very organized person, but building Garfield has chucked that out the window. The lack of space IS most people's with dollhouses complaint, and I'm no exception. I'm in a small house's spare bedroom with bed, computer desk, storage cabinet, file cabinet and 2 other dollhouses....The Alison, Jr ( with additions on either side) and a smaller farmhouse of unknown name. I HAVE to stop every so often and clean up, put things back where they belong, and take out the trash.

Since I don't work and have only my dear Ed ( 4 cats, 2 dogs, no kids ) to care for, my working on the house is off and on all day. "Lucky me" I say.

Garfield's 1st floor ceiling Part 2

The photo doesn't do the finished look justice. There are 3 coats of the pearly white paint on the plastic small circles ceiling sheet. I watered the paint down just a touch. It truly has the slight shimmer promised and looks like the tin ceiling tiles of Victorian days. I have, once again, tested to make sure that the tabs all fit...perfectly, after a bit more sanding in a few areas.

This is one of those many moments I get when I'm pleased with my work...I just stare and grin at the how nice it all looks.

The 1st Floor's Ceiling for The Garfield

I am working hard at NOT getting confused. The directions for The Garfield do not allow for decorating as I am doing. The term "R&P", remove and prepare, to me means removing the piece from the plywood sheets, sanding, painting, staining, wallpapering, gluing the ceiling to the plywood, adding bead board, etc. So, I am lost in the "R&P" process.

Today, I've begun the ceiling work, as this part of the house must be ready during the wallpapering process, since sections of the wall need this part for structural support. Sounds confusing, but I've got all the steps I need to do written down as best as I can.

Like the wood flooring, the ceiling needs to pieced together, trimmed in the right spots, glued, then painted. I have but just the first piece of ceiling glued and am waiting for it to dry, will trim it, and move on to the next piece. Looks like it'll take me a few days altogether to complete the ceiling tiles ( sheets ). I will then paint it with Folk Art's Metallic Pearl White acrylic paint and, voila!, it should look like the tin ceilings of Victorian days.

The Walls Are Going Up !!!!!

For me, one of the most exciting parts of building a new dollhouse, other than the actual acquiring the house in the first place, is putting up the first of the walls. Today, I erected 2 walls, the front wall with the main door and, around the corner, the front left wall. I did take a photo, but will post that at a later date; it's just not all that pretty right now, not that that really matters.

I'm going to stop with the walls at this point and decorate the first floor section of these two before I move on...I'm ready to wallpaper here and put on the bead board: it'll be easiest if nothing else is in my way. I have my wallpaper cut..remember the printie I showed earlier?, but have a few more pieces of the bead board to stain and varnish. ( I DID go back to Hobby Lobby to catch the last of the 1/2 off sale, purchasing more trim and bead board. There wasn't much left of anything.)

My sheets of small circle ceiling arrived earlier than I expected, plus Fed Ex made a shipping error and delivered a package from Miniatures.com that belongs to a dollhouse enthusiast in Honolulu...got to get that straightened out ASAP. Kathleen, I promise it'll get there!!!! I need to pick out the paint I'll be using for the ceiling after I get the ceiling glued to the underside of the 2nd story flooring. I don't care for a stark white, but will find an off-white that'll work soon.

I'm so tickled about having the 2 walls up....it just isn't as much fun until I get to that point for me. I like to think I have patience, but not always. From now on, I'll be spending a lot of time just standing there and staring...letting the imagination run wild.

Trim piece prep

When I first purchased the Garfield, from Goodwill, it was obvious that someone had attempted to build it and stopped, dismantled what had been put together with hot glue, and crammed it back in the box. Many of the pieces had already been punched out, but not marked. It took me some time to take an inventory of what I had available and order what was missing. I did not have the luxury of all the pieces being on their numbered sheets. I now have everything arranged in some semblance of order. Once each sheet was identified, I lightly sanded all of them on both sides. This removed most of the tiny splinters.

Building the foundation was pretty confusing. Not only did I have to find all the right pieces, I had to clean off the hot glue from most of them, sand each piece and then assemble. After finishing the foundation, I glued the floor paper for the entry, parlor, and dining room. I will be doing something different for the kitchen. I then worked on the first and second floor staircases. Each piece was sanded and stained first and, then, glued together according to the directions in step B. After assembly was complete, I stained one last coat ( Cabaret by Varathane ) and applied 3 coats of varnish. I have not added the newel post caps yet. I am waiting until it is time to install the staircase. I plan on using some ornamental touch. I will, also, be adding a baseboard around the staincase and a final varnish of the staircase after installation.

Right now, I am stopped from assembling any parts, due to my own home redecorating. My building space is full of boxes and other things from the lifesize living room. I am able to do prep work, though, and only require a small area for the parts.

After labeling each part, I carefully punched out the pieces from sheets 1,8,9,10,11,12,13,14, and 18, according to the directions in part C. These pieces are the walls and partitions of The Garfield. I am now in the process of sanding each of the many, many pieces. I first use a coarse sandpaper and then a finer sandpaper for a neater finish. It's long and tedious work, but it's something that can be done while watching a favorite show/movie. Once the walls and partition pieces are sanded and cleaned of dust, I will move on the door and window trim.

I must THINK ahead here. The rooms have to be planned, at least those that will be difficult to reach in the depths of the house; colors, stains, and designs have to be decided. I will have to decorate some parts before assembly or not be able to reach them after the staircase is installed. There is plenty of time to do that thinking as I continue to work on the sanding.

Any comments, questions, ideas, and hints are more than welcome. This is truly a think as you go project and I will not apply glue until I am sure it is time.

A Little Background

I bought this great house from my local Goodwill for $45...what a steal. Once opened, I learned that some of the instructions and diagrams were missing, but Greenleaf Dollhouses was so kind to supply them for me. OOPS! Now I learn I am missing parts and, again, Greenleaf supplied them for me, but this time at a price of $95, still a bargain, at half the retail price.

I am delighted at the invitation to brag about my work. What is already shown is about 1 month's worth of mostly sanding and sanding. The next stage is all about doors, windows, and walls, which will be many more hours of sanding. Progress is at a pause while I remove a million splinters.