Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Half Scale "My Shabby Chic Cottage" Finished

I decided I was not happy with the interior of the 1/2 scale cottage.  So I changed it!
Ahhhh! That's better! I added some robin egg blue to the walls. Now that chandelier really stands out. I also decided on romantic lace curtains.
I painted this rug.  I used book binding fabric. It's really thick and strong.
Bunting is necessary!
 The fireplace mantel has not changed. But it too really pops now against that blue wall.
Here's a picture to give you prospective on size.

 I also added more vines. I think it looks a little more cozy now.
I'm listing this one in my Etsy shop CinderellaMoments.




Monday, September 24, 2012

My Shabby Chic Cottage 1/2 Scale

I built my first 1/2 scale dollhouse.
I used the Buttercup kit. I made very few changes to it. I took off the front entry and made an open porch and I added a Widow's Walk on top to hide the battery and switch. 
I added 2 columns and made a working door. 
I used premixed concrete on this one too. I carved out little rocks for the foundation.
on the side I covered up the downstairs window so I could have a fireplace inside. 
 This picture makes the house look crooked!  I must be living on a boat and just didn't realize it. Note to self: take straight pictures.  LOL! :)
All the greenery comes from Hobby Lobby. The vines came from the garland department. These leaves are so tiny they even work on this 1/2 scale.
I used the cool battery operated lights on this house. I wanted a really crisp and clean  light. 





 Hiding the wires is always a challenge!
I think this little box worked out great.

This house measures 5 1/2" deep x 8 1/8" across x 9 3/4" tall. And the interior is 4 1/4" deep x 7" across x 7 3/4" tall. 

I also finished another project! My favorite cottage so far!! Here's a taste:
This one is a 1/12 scale and it is called Reverie Cottage.  I was so excited about it that I finished it in less than a week.   I will share it with you in a couple of days. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!





Thursday, September 13, 2012

Bonnie's Maisonnette

Here's my latest project all done!  It's a commission for Bonnie.
Bonnie saw Tori's Maisonnette de Provence and fell in love with the style.
Here's Tori's above. 
And Bonnie's has purple flowering vines.  It's so interesting to see them together.  They started as the Adam's dollhouse kit.
The doors are clear stained glass.  I made them with high gloss oil based finish. I was going to do a water based polyurethane, but I grabbed the wrong one at the store. So I decide to try the oil based one. It takes more coats and it's harder to clean your brush of course. I'd stick to the water based next time!  I also used silver paint as the lead.
The window box is spare little pieces of wood from the kit. I decorated with a 3D hot glue design, painted and aged it.
The entire exterior is covered with concrete(premixed that comes in a little tub).  Some is smooth, some I carved with rocks, some is done like wood beams/trims.
All the greenery is from Hobby Lobby. 



The roof tiles are regular pine shingles curled over the hot nozzle of the hot glue gun and then set in place on a substantial amount of plaster.  Then the porch roof is done with ridged cardboard. 
I aged the roof and walls with wood stain. I like using darker colors like mahogany.  The red in it is a great warm finish.
The interior is very different from the exterior.  I thought the inside should be bright and light and airy.





 The chandelier is just wires and crystal beads with a battery operated light.


I made the fireplace mantel with leftover bits of the kit.
How would you like to return home here at night? Pretty cozy!
Thanks for coming by!