Sunday, November 20, 2016

Last Weekend & This Weekend

Well as you've all heard, we lost the internet the week before last so I wasn't able to post pictures of what I did last weekend with the house.  This weekend I've spent some time working on the dollhouse and some time out in the front yard.

We finally got some cooler weather. (No Keli, not cold, just cooler, though we did get a freeze Saturday night. Yay us.)  So I could plant the hastas and peony roots.  Which meant a lot of messing around with flowerbeds and cutting down the stupid weed trees that seem to sprout up every freakin' where.  I have a lot of bulbs too but they can wait until after Thanksgiving. 

My back and knees hurt quite a bit today but at least I accomplished something for the yard.  So I don't feel guilty about my Saturday.

But last weekend since I had no internet (Frontier I hate you so much), I worked some more on the dollhouse.  I kept staring at it and not liking how bare the back wall looked.  So I got the rest of my vine stuff and the hot glue gun and proceeded to greenify the rear wall and burn the heck out of my fingertips.




The other thing I did was trim back some of the overlapping vines because my husband kept looking at it and saying it looked very busy.  So we have that overgrown look but not so much that it confuses the eye.  Does that make sense?

I also made a cushion for the wicker chair I bought.  The fabric is grey and doesn't match the cushion on the gift chair from Keli but it's close enough for jazz and reinforces the impression that this is very much a new home owner/thrift store house.  Then I got my balcony set up with a magazine and some treats to go with the mint juleps.





I'm going to find another little plant to go on the table's bottom shelf.  I have some that could work. Just need to fish them out.

I'm wondering if the flowerboxes are still a bit too high up?  I can bend the wire some more and move them lower if I need to.  I'll think about that some more.

I also worked on the steps and flowers a bit.  There was an empty space between the side flowerbed and the front steps that didn't look right.  I didn't want more flowers and it's too small for a bed really.  So I got some cardboard and glued some grass and weed flowers to it to fill in the spot.




Some flowers and some of Brae's shrubs in flowerpots to dress up the back steps.

Today I got the pictures my husband printed out for me and matted and framed one of them.  I ran out of frame so I've ordered some more and I'll do that one over Thanksgiving probably. If it arrives in time.


That's a picture of the light house on Lake Pontchartrain LA.  I loved the contrast of the greyish waves with the red of the roof and the bright blue of the sky.

Alistair is still hanging out on the couch, but Marie decided she'd come down and hang out on the white chair and wait for him to come play with her.



The attic is the last 'room' to really get finished.  I hid the switch for the bathroom sink light fixture in the box that looks a little squished.  When I was gluing the vines on the house I got all these threads of glue as they dried so I draped them over the boxes in the hopes that they'd look like cobwebs.




So that's my progress for the last couple weeks.  Where are we with the list?

Glue in curtains
Roof

Age Roof
Trim (bedroom ceiling and outer walls)

Gutters & downspouts (paint and age first)
Eaves & Age Eaves
Roof of back door
Light for back door
Add flowerbeds & vines.

Add Rust
Add Moss to flower beds & foundation.
Wire living room lamp to battery in table.

Clean up the inside of the opening wall so the raw wood and tape doesn't show,
Finalize furniture arrangement-bedroom
Add bedroom and bathroom accessories.
Finalize furniture-living room
Add living room accessories & stick down.
Add kitchen accessories and cabinet by sink.
Make cushion for purchased balcony chair
Finalize balcony and add accessories.
Get base cut down and add concrete texture.
Glue down landscaping and steps to doors.

The last three aren't done because I need to go to Home Depot and get a wooden base that's the right size.  The hold up with the balcony is the plant for the table and a pitcher to go with the mint juleps and brownies.  And of course the question of the flowerboxes and their height.

But I don't think I'm doing too badly for someone who has less than a month left.


14 comments:

  1. The flower boxes are perfect, don't monkey with them. The lighthouse picture is perfect too, good choice.

    The added greenery looks spectacular. Burnt fingers is exactly why I don't use a hot glue gun. I'd probably burn my nose, elbows, and toes too. They do make nice spiderwebs though, I may have to "man up" and use mine some day.

    I'm calling dibs on one of the mint juleps, and are those brownies? You'll never get me to leave.

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    1. I've actually gotten used to the burnt fingertips... they're just sensitive for a while afterwards but the hot glue is the only thing that makes the vines stick.

      You're welcome to the mint juleps and oh yes those are brownies... I'm not allowed alcohol or carbs so help yourself.

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  2. BTW...there was a blizzard here yesterday. I was finally going to put my Halloween decorations away but now all the jack-o-lanterns are wearing white hats.

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    1. So now they're dressed for Christmas!

      I saw that you got a lot of snow dumped on you. I'm just hoping we get enough colder weather to kill the bugs.

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  3. Each item on your list just adds more and more charm! I've been spending all my "breaks" the last few days re-reading all of the blog posts for this project. I am re-enjoying the process so much, and even more this time (no mad work schedules means I have more brain power to really concentrate)! You have just conquered so many challenges, Sheila, and that makes me so proud of you and makes me want to be a little braver myself! Thanks so much for sharing your joys and disappointments! It really has been so much fun to be a part of!

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    1. Thank you! I'm really glad I went smaller on this project than the last one. Everyone has been great about giving me advice and opinions and its been invaluable.

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  4. It's amazing how quickly everything comes together when you start to add the finishing touches. A painting here, some flowers there. I'm so proud of you. Even more so that you've planned this build to perfection and have some time before the deadline to ponder everything.
    Love the glue strands idea too :0)

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    1. Thank you so much. I have to admit I've been going back and looking at your posts from last year and making sure all my details are lined up properly.

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  5. It looks so great. It's a beautiful house.

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  6. Replies
    1. Thank you! Got my board cut today so hopefully in the next couple days I'll get things textured and glued down.

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  7. Marie looks all-seeing, staring out at the viewers like that. Lots of progress Sheila, almost done!

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    1. Thank you! I'm very excited. I feel good about this.

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