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.

The Garfield Manor's 2nd Story Floor

The second story floor to Garfield sits wet from varnish on the work table, looking beautiful, however, unfinished. After piecing together the flooring sheets, I glued them all to the wood provided in the kit, taking care that the tabs and holes were not covered. ( Lots of sanding, cutting, and whittling away to make that happen.) I dry fitted all the slots to make sure of proper fit and then sanded it all well, cleaning the dust by vacumning, air blowing, and wiping off with a damp cloth, then brushed on 2 coats of the Cabernet stain, matching the staircase. I have but one coat of the varnish on at this point, but will lightly sand, clean, and apply one more coat. The floor has a deep rich color to it and a shine that glistens, but does not glare. After letting it sit for several days to completely dry, I will flip it and work on the ceiling for the first floor. That will end up with the ceiling sheets of small circles, which are ordered and on their way to me. While I am waiting for delivery, I think I will start with the wallpaper for the walls in the main room on the first floor. I am still a long, long way from fitting the pieces together to make it look like a house.