Sunday 24 January 2016

Making a house a home

I have been working steadily on the house, although the frenzied nature has possibly slowed with the structure more or less complete.

Now it is time for the details to be added, and for the trims to be added. Finishing touches that I hope will lift the house to a more realistic and lived in look.

What do you think so far?


The sink unit was made by me, and is very basic but serves the purpose for the moment. It still needs taps. I would like to increase my skills in making miniatures, and need to be patient as practice will mean improvement. I am also working on the oven/stove in the foreground, trying to make this look okay. Many details to be added here, including trim around the window.


This is my doll, who is nameless at the moment. I knitted her clothes quickly as she was naked. In the foreground you can see Topsy. When my husband was a little boy he was lucky enough to have a Family Tree House (I would have killed for this) and he loved the little dog Topsy. In a fit of rage his older sister hid Topsy and he disappeared. This is a replacement Topsy given to my husband for his 40th birthday - all the way from France! No more guilt tripping. Out of scale and not at all realistic, but he can live in the house if he likes.

I have been making books for the bookcase to replace the carved wooden ones you see here. Also lacking is art work and lighting and general stuff you need in a living room. A piano is supposed to fit in here somewhere, but at this point I am not sure how I will achieve this.


Bedroom with no bed. Curtains are in the process of drying at the moment. You can see a chip in the floorboard. I used some kind of self adhesive wood strip arrangement, which is pretty good but very splintery. This will be covered by the bed or a rug or something.
I made the fireplace in this room. Again, it's rough but serves a purpose and won't look too bad once it's dressed and I add some trim to the side to cover the gap I can see in this photo.


Bathroom needs a different basin - I think a pedestal would be much better, but I don't have one yet and the items online are a bit wrong - with flowers added or too squat looking. I need to think about this. I also don't have a toilet that I like, so that is also on the shopping list. Curtains to come and a Chrysnbon accessory kit to put together and paint.


The attic study/library which has lots of potential (ie it's empty) but will hold little quirky things that remind me of the grandparents' house. A bowls bag, some writing paper, a barometer, a tin full of pens . . . many bits and pieces yet to be made or sourced.


Tiny attic door I made, and a gaping hole in the floor that I am thinking about. It will be taken care of in good time, but my skills are not such that I can scratch build a surround for it and I need to slow down on the dollhouse spending a bit for a while.


The attic storage space which will hold, among other things, a photo of a woman dressed in black and a large panda. It will all make sense in the end. At the moment, it's the junk room.


Give me a home among the gum trees, with lots of . . . this photo just reminded me of this song we had to sing in primary school.



Sorry.


The front view. I have since added the top of the windows which I had forgotten about until I found them on the table. I need to consider guttering and downpipes and trim the ugly sides. I also realised today I need to paint the eaves. The roof is made of painted corrugated cardboard in the style of a lot of Australian houses with corrugated iron.


The chimney in place, which still needs a chimney pot.

Phew. Much achieved, much still to achieve. What a wonderful time I am having building this house and making it a home.

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