Still In The Hallway

I'll have some photos tomorrow of what I've done today, but I need to get new batteries first. Sorry. I have the 4 walls painted the blue...so nice and clean looking...and I cleaned up the corners at the tabs to make sure everything fit snugly. I measured and cut the wallpaper and got it up on 2 of the walls. I can't do anything more on the walls until I get the ceiling put in, as it holds up the 2 inner walls.

The doors and trim have been stained and, tomorrow, I'll work on the transom windows. That's about it for the day. I had several things to keep me away from the work on the house today, darn it. I'm loving the ideas I have in my head and can't wait to see them working.

Sorry there's not much more to entertain you today. I should be able to get more done later.

The Second Floor Hallway

This hallway really started several "chapters" ago with "Walls, Doors, and Walls"..parts 1 and 2. I fought with trimming the ceiling, the doors, the walls, and even the staircase getting everything to fit. It's all been in the dry fit stage while I did the library. Today, I took all the doors, walls, and ceiling out and what you see here is the area with a newspaper drop cloth, taped to the floors.

I'm sure you remember me sweating over my paint and ( printie ) wallpaper and I've made my choices with the wallpaper I showed you and the darker blue paint. I've sealed the wood with a light coat of Bullseye spray shellac and applied the first coat of paint to the 4 walls. It did bring out the grain of the wood some, so I sanded it smooth, painted again, and sanded one more time. I've since done 2 more coats, a total of 4 coats of paint and it looks good enough to move on to putting on the wallpaper. ( I'll start that tomorrow.)

The walls are about 8 1/2" high, so I'll put the paper on the bottom of the wall going up about 4 1/2" high. Where the walls and paper meet, I'm adding a 1/2" stained flat strip of wood. Nothing fancy. Where the opening of the stairwell is......1st floor ceiling meeting the 2nd story floor, I'll add stained corner guard, which will cover up the confused look of the 2 surfaces, giving it a nice clean cut look.

Once I'm finished with all that, I'll stain the doors and make the transom windows that will go over each door, then I'll work on the ceiling. ( I'm waiting on an angel friend to send me some paintable wallpaper to be able to finish the ceiling ) I want to add some sort of design to each of the transom windows for a crafted look.

This hallway has both a balcony with French doors and a bay window, which can be made to be removable for easier access. I'm going to leave it removable, unless it looks badly and will then glue it. I need to see how it'll look.

I've been looking forward to doing this area. I think it'll have a delightful effect on the center of the house since I'm carrying the same blue ( but with different shades ) up the center of the house.

Back To Work On The Garfield

Before I tell you about my work on the house, I want to tell you about 2 yard sales I went to on Saturday. The first advertised dollhouses and there were 3...1 was like a fort for the backyard, the second for a Barbie, and the 3rd, made from plans by the child's Daddy, was a huge 8? room house with stairs and balconies, hallways and doors. "Daddy" did a great job, but it stopped there. No decorations were done except for one room done in life size wallpaper, overwhelming the room with huge polka dots. They were asking only $30 and, if I'd have had the room in the birdhouse I live in, I'd have scarfed it up in a heartbeat. It could have become a true beauty. It reminded me of my very first house built 30 years ago from plans, The Dogwood Plantation. Miss Scarlet would have been happy there. I bought some of it's furniture, well beaten, colored on with crayons, hardware missing, and some without legs. They can all be easily fixed according to my imagination. For $5, I got a high head/foot board brass bed, 2 upholstered sofas, 4 upholstered chairs, 2 chests of drawers, 1 dresser with mirror, and an end table. With my purchase, a little girl gave me a free cup of hot chocolate, too. The second yard sale provided another interesting piece for a ceiling medallion...an old brass belt buckle in a circle with flowers and leaves on it. Since flowers and leaves are on the library walls, I'm thinking the medallion will go in there.

Well, I told you about what I did in the garden and I won't repeat myself, though I do have that habit. I didn't completely ignore the garden, working in little bits in the library. When we last were together in the library, I'd had the walls covered with blue rosed fabric ( tan background ). I'd turned the closets into bookcases on both sides of the French doors, and was creating a small staircase and landing. The plans called for 2 dinky steps to come from the room in front of the library down into the room. It seemed rather meek and ugly, not to mention unsafe with no railing. ( No offense, Greenleaf ) I wanted something with more style so I built a small landing, 2 1/2' X 3 1/2", with 2 steps down on the side. The wall to the landing and the spindles are painted the same linen color with the floor, banister, and steps stained in Cabernet. I was wanting a fireplace on that wall to share the chimney, but it was too crowed, so I put the chimney across the room and will just create a new chimney. These houses were built oddly with chimneys everywhere anyway.

I get all confused with placing the pictures. I wish Sumaiya would come to Colorado and teach me. Anyway, the 2 black and white photos are what Greenleaf wanted the room to look like..see the dinky steps. The other photo is what I've made it look like. The other photos came out too dark, but at least I got one good one in there. There green/white curtains are NOT in the dollhouse, but on my windows in my room. I don't know where the purplish glow comes from; perhaps a poltergeist is in there. To the left of the French doors is where the niche is that's so very difficult to get my hand into and decorate. It's about 2" wide in there. Can't even turn my hand over. Holding molding was a pickle. Check out that belt buckle ceiling medallion!!!

Trimming this room was a real pain in it, especially in the far deep corner. I'm afraid the pieces don't fit perfectly, but they were installed using no eyes, just hands. No way could I put the trim piece in there and look at the same time. The only way I can see them is if I peek into the window across the room from them AFTER I did the work. ( Another Greenleaf design quirk )

Note to Greenleaf-please don't consider these things I call "quirks" as bad things. These old Victorians were full of quirks, so, none of them do I consider bad quirks, except for the fireplace on the stairwell. I'll never understand where you thought the smoke would go.

The crown moulding was another awkward piece to do. I used plain flat trim instead of actual moulding, because the door casing took up some of the crown room and I couldn't figure out anything else that would work. Too small for a transom, a decorative panel would have looked silly, so I just used what would work. Even using the easiest piece of wood, with no need for proper edges, just flat against each other, it was hard to do since I couldn't watch what I was doing, even with a mirror. I was in more positions than a magician.

I think the room has turned out beautifully, with the feeling hat I wanted. I bought some cheap books for the heck of it to test the look, but plan on making some in the future with highbrow literary tastes. I am so doggoned proud of this room and am fighting off the urges to rummage around in my boxes of furniture and put some in there. No, now, don't even try to talk me in to it. I'm going to wait a long time till it's done. I don't want it to be in the way and maybe mess something up.

I will try to get better photos to you though.

The Past Week Off

My week off from the dollhouse and working in the garden has come to an end. Tomorrow, I get back into high gear in the Garfield. It's been pretty good timing, too. We're starting to get rain and that would keep me inside anyway.

I've got a lot of work done out there..lots of daffodils planted, some pentstemon, a butterfly bush, transplanted some things, cleaned out the garden shed, threw down dirt into the stepping stone path, cleaned all the hummer feeders, scrubbed the garden ornaments, cleaned and oiled my tools, blah,blah, blah.

I haven't been completely idle with the dollhouse and have some nice things to show you tomorrow when I start back "officially". I'm rather proud of myself.

My sincerest sympathies to Wanna, who lost her sister, and Judy, who lost her Zebadiah, her 13 yr old friendly? feline. Both losses are tremendous to your hearts and I know the pain you must feel. I will not tell you how it will get easier, but I will say I know they still love you and they never go away. Bless your hearts.

The aspens are yellow yellow against the dark green of the pines. Colorado is beautiful this time of year and I'm going out for a drive in it, even in the sprinkling rain. Cedarfest is up the mountain and I plan on buying some apples.

Tomorrow, I'll be back at home in The Garfield.

Gardening Vs. Dollhouse

Yes, I really have been spending a lot of time in the garden and it does show. I've cut back those plants that will do no more and are showing signs of nighty-night. I've transplanted a good many plants and planted bulbs, especially on my poor lost kitty, Tweedles, grave, who died last year ago Monday of a heart attack while she was at the vet's getting a haircut. Tweedles got new daffodils.

I've taken down the humming bird feeders and sterilized them and put them away, as the hummers have left for their winter vacation in Buenos Aires, lucky birds. I've cleaned out the garden shed and prepared the tools for next year's use.

My husband, Ed, and I have put out an Autumn display of straw, pumpkins, scarecrows, witches, and black cats. The neighborhood children love to see what's new and we add something everyday for them to find.

There is still much to do, including restocking soil on the stepping stones so they won't stick up so much we'll trip over them.

But, of course, you know, I've not ignored the Garfield completely. My new French doors for the 2nd floor balcony has arrived and I've prepped that and it's ready to paint. I need to cut it's interior trim myself. I've been working on a landing for the library. Initially, you'd enter from the bedroom in front of it and walk down 2 dinky steps. I'm still using the steps, but am fashioning a small landing with rails and banisters to look a bit grander. Right now, I have spindles stuck in some florist foam to hold them straight and am painting them. I have the newel posts stained and varnished. Once I finish the spindles, I will cut the banisters and stain them and put them all together.

The door that comes from the bedroom into the library is a standard Houseworks door, but was too tall to fit the spot. I had to take 3/4 inch off the door and the trimwork That was pretty tricky, having to cut a bit off the top and the bottom because of the panels inside the door, but it made it. Then, I stained one side and painted the other...the line that separates the paint and varnish was tricky to keep straight, but was managed with a lot of work.

I am trying to sell my little 4 room farmhouse and The Alison, Jr, so I am cleaning them, packing up the furniture and making them ready for Open House. The ad came out in today's paper. I hate to see them go, but, since I live in a birdhouse, I have no room for them all.

I'll get back to you again later this week to tell you of my progress. In the meantime, may you have a happy day.

A Week Off

This will be a tough one, but I've decided I need to take a week off from the Garfield Manor to do some work around the house and garden. This is the perfect time for me to cut back some plants, divide and transplant, and to purchase and plant new things. I need to amend the soil from the good compost pile and remove completely some things that just don't work. The garden centers are having sales and good deals are everywhere, plus, my buddy, Melissa, has a bundle of things to pass on to me. I can't play house and happy gardener at the same time....either one, I'll get carried away and will ignore the other. I don't understand or practice "moderation". As Annie Oakley says, " With me, it's all or nuttin' ".

Oh, I know, I'll sneak in here at night and diddle around with something about the dollhouse, but, it won't be worth discussing. I won't say that I'll avoid posting anything here either, but don't expect too much.

It's going to be difficult for me, I know, as I so love working on this beauty and don't want her to feel neglected. But, I love my garden and it DOES feel neglected, so I need to make up for that.

Bear with me, please, it won't be long.

The Steps in the Library

Wow, I forgot to post yesterday. Oh, well, there wasn't much done anyway.

Today, I'm working on another adaption to the original plans. In the library, there are to be two steps coming from the room in front of it...two dinky little things that don't have much class and don't look all that pretty or safe. I want to change that. What I'd like to do is to have you come through that door to a platform with railing on two sides of it and then step down the two steps into the library. I've drawn a picture of what I want it to look like and I'm pretty sure I understand what it is I'm going to do, but there's going to be some playing around with it. I haven't decided if I want it to be a straight walk down the stairs into the room, or if I want to turn left on the platform to go down the stairs. If I turn it, I'll need to reposition a fireplace that I wanted on the inner wall to across the room to the outer wall. That is probably what I'll end up doing. I like the fireplace on the inner wall best, but I like the turn of the platform better. Confused yet? Maybe by tomorrow, I can show you.