1: 144 Scale Interior

Here are some new pictures of the (nearly) finished interior of The Whispers. 

I was making the last chair for the blue bedroom when it shot out of my tweezers and flew across the room. It must have been intercepted by invisible aliens because I have never found it. I looked for it for over an hour. Do gremlins steal things from your work space? Sometimes things disappear when I haven't even moved!!

I thought I should take a picture before I added the ceiling. I knew it would be very hard to see inside the room once I added it. The beads for the 'oil lamp' are only 2 mm. They are too big but it was all I had.

I cut up one of the 1: 12 scale doilies I had to make curtains, a dust ruffle, valances and 'crocheted blankets for the bedrooms.

The candle sconces where made by cutting elements of a N scale brass weathervane and a antique French brass bead. The candles are 24 gauge wire painted white with a 30 gauge wire for a wick. The over head ceiling light fixtures were made using a tiny brass bead end cap and a half round opal. When light catches the opals it looks like they are turned on. haha

Now onto the small garden around the house.

Progress On 'The Whispers'

 August 22. 2013

I finished the living room today and glued in the ceiling.I would like to add some flowers to the coffee table but I have to find the right sort of  'vase' first.

I am still working on "The Whispers'. It has been slow going because I am waiting for materials to arrive. I can't start the second floor until I have finished the living room.

I wish my camera photographed colors accurately. The curtains are not as orange as they appear, but rather a subtle peach color and soft green. Actually it was the only paper I had I that could use. My printer will not print anything fine and the ink isn't water proof. Grrrrr

I made the rugs with my Crazy Cords machine by twisting two threads and winding it into a rug on top of double stick tape. Then I painted on tacky glue (on the back side). Once that dried I was able to peel the rug off the tape.

The brass fender for the fireplace was made by cutting a strip out of the N scale brass fence I had for the Georgian Townhouse. I also used that for the brass basket.

I made both lamps out of beads and some altered brass jewelry findings I cut apart for lamp shades.

I have several more things for I want to make to put on my tables. Candlesticks for the mantle would be fun.

Then I can start working on the second floor bedrooms.

Welcome to 'The Whispers'

For three hundred years the people who have lived at the Whispers have reported they heard and felt someone whispering in their ear. Though no one has ever reported they have seen a thing! Just that they heard a woman's voice.

It usually happens at night when people are asleep. They wake to hearing a soft spoken message. "Is the baby alright"? That was heard by a guest who had come to visit with her two year old boy recently. The child had gotten up from his bed and was stabbing the banked coals in the fireplace with an iron poker. As he had seen his mother do before they went to bed.

Sometimes while I am working, I amuse myself with stories. Do you make up stories about the people that live in your dollhouse? Do you know what those people like to collect, what their interests/passions are or what they do for a living? Do you know where or what country they live in, the name of the town or village or street? Feel free to tell a little of your dollhouse story here. After all, isn't this all about having fun.

Still in progress..... A 1: 144 Scale half timbered cottage.

The roof is not glued in place yet. I can't add any weathering to it until it is attached.

I am working on the rooms and furniture now. I am wondering if I will want to do any landscaping in a small area around the house. Maybe add a over the door small roof.  

1: 144 Scale Half Timbered Cottage

I have been side tracked by a new project. It is something I have wanted to do for a long time. Ever since I added half timbered additions to the nutshell houses  I have wanted to do a 1: 144 scale cottage.

I wanted to use twigs  because I thought they looked great on the other pieces I made. (I buy twigs at Michaels in the floral dept. They are six feet long, all I can use are the tips.) And.... I wanted to fill between those "timbers" with a super fine sand & glue mixture I make. I thought it looked much more realistic/ interesting then just having a flat painted background. It is a bit tedious... more than a bit actually. You have to be so careful not to get the thick sandy glue on the "timbers".  I push it around with the point of a toothpick and pat it all into place between the twigs with a damp finger.

The end of the pin is black from burning off the Zap-a-Gap glue off it. If it gets up your  nose it can make your eyeballs CROSS!

It is not going to be finished for a week or more. I am waiting for shingles and some more windows. I want to operate on those so the inside will have a finished look around the windows.

I was going to paint the double front doors white but now I am leaning toward a sort of barn red. Which might compliment the roof if I try to simulate a reddish tile look.

Where is everyone??? Taking the summer off from blogging I suppose. :-)

Thank You Pepper!!!

 

Here is the gorgeous George 1 cruet set I won on Pepper's blog. http://mitchymoominiatures.blogspot.com/ 

What lovely and generous prizes she offered her Followers. I was thrilled and feel very lucky to have won this beautiful sterling silver set made by silver/goldsmith Stephen J Randal. He is a wonderful silversmith, the detail in his work is fabulous.

Thank you so much Pepper. I will treasure it forever.

It's finally blooming!

I planted a new crape myrtle tree in my front yard two years ago. We have had three years a drought, so this is the first year it has bloomed. We have had so much rain everything in my garden is happy.

In a few short years the tree will grow to be as tall (or taller) then my house. The foliage will get thicker and it will have more blooms. This type of crape myrtle (Sarah's Favorite) flowers several times during the summer but it is also very pretty in the fall when the leaves turn a bright red.

This older one in my back garden is very happy too.

I

I have always planted impatiens in the west court yard but because I sit out there so much at night I thought I would plant a lot of white garden this year.

Even the 'Knock Out' roses are happy on the back of the wall.

Not much survives our summer heat so this is pretty good for this part of the world. 

It is 97 degrees F today (36 Celsius) and the humidity is killer!!! Those brick walls make the court yard feel like an oven.

The only way in to the west court yard is through this gate.

Designing The 1: 12 Scale Kitchen Today

No matter where I have lived, the kitchen was where everyone congregated. It isn't that I don't have a very inviting living room, There are comfortable chairs, big sofas and a huge fireplace. The kitchen is just where everyone always wants to be.

I have to admit.. It is my favorite room in the house, so it is no wonder I have collected so many things for a miniature one. I bought this hutch a couple of weeks ago because I was tired of looking at all the Stokesay Ware in the temporary shadow box it was in. It didn't hold everything anyway. Still I am not sure I will use use it. I may want everything on the walls built in.

The apricots, lemons, plums & cherries were made by Teresa Martinez. She is so talented I just could resist their charm when I saw them a few months ago. Thank you Teresa!

A sterling silver chamber stick arrived today made by Mike Sparrow. What a saga! The first one went to Melbourne, AU. (according to UK Airsure tracking). They (Air-unsure) sent it half way around the world in the WRONG direction. When it finally arrived here it had been totally crushed. The top of cardboard box it was sent in had an imprint of the candle stick embossed in it. An elephant must have stepped on it!!! So I am very pleased that a new one arrived today. The snuffer actually comes out of a drilled slot. Thank you so much Mike!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway this dollhouse is going to have a big kitchen!