Having Way Too Much Fun

Okay...as the post title suggests, I'm having way too much fun looking at pictures of New Orleans homes for inspiration.

I've been trying to nail down the external architectural details, window pediments, roofing, bracket/corbel styles...  At least that's my excuse for wasting three quarters of an hour at a time looking at pictures of different styles of homes in New Orleans.

This did start out as something fairly productive.  I was trying to find a style of pediment that wouldn't look odd over an arched window.  And the internet was such a help!

And it looks like a Yorktown style pediment will work pretty well.  I found some on Ebay that almost perfectly match the first picture.  So I snapped them up really quick, along with a couple of small Yorktown windows for the bathroom and maybe next to the stairs.  That has yet to be decided.

I also started looking at what sort of siding the homes in New Orleans typically have.  I haven't seen a lot of brick homes.  Foundations yes.  But an entire house?  There were some buildings on Bourbon street but I didn't find many traditional row houses out of brick.

What I did find was siding.  Not clapboard though.  I think its batten and board siding? Anyone know?

The second and third pictures have that pretty corner detail that I like and it goes so nicely with the curved windows and simple pediments over them.

I've been debating shutters but I don't think I want them.  For one thing, I have some double windows and shutters won't look the same with them.  Plus there is such a thing as too much detail.

And the detail I really want and I struggle to find are the brackets.  The homes I'm looking at have those gorgeous filigree supports for the porch roof/balcony and reproducing them in miniature is going to take some work.

See how pretty?

 

This last picture has a lot of color (and helpfully captioned noting it).  Not sure I want to do this but I do admire all the details, arched windows, pediments, shutters, corbels and siding without overwhelming the house.

So I did order some siding in that style with the cool 20% off coupon Miniatures.com sent via email.  This weekend I have to run some errands so I'll be making a trip to the Hobby Lobby or Home Depot for the wood for the dollhouse.

I also want to keep an eye out for some half scale fishscale shingle strips because that would be some nice detail along the roof peak.  Kinda like this...

See what I mean?  It needs something to make it pop...and I'm a little worried my circular window will be too big.  I might have to make my own window in a smaller scale.  We'll see.

Thankfully roofing doesn't seem too difficult.  Though I find the combination of regular shingles and clay curved shingles on the roof corners a little odd.  They're in several pictures and they're all the same orangey clay color irregardless of the house color.  Weird right?

The other debate is whether or not I should use wood for the walls or get some foamcore board and use that.  It's certainly lighter and easier to cut.  And if I use wood siding for the exterior it would be sturdy enough.  My tools don't run to table saws or drill presses so the more forgiving my work materials are the better.

Suggestions?  I've seen some great tutorials about foam core and card stock over on Kris's site and I'm planning on bookmarking her one on making windows until I have it memorized.  I think that'll be the only way I can recreate windows to match the kit.

So wish me luck this weekend!

Establishing a Theme

Getting a project started from scratch is never easy for me.  At least with dollhouses.  The last one didn't go quite as well as I'd hoped and let's all just pray that I learnt from my mistakes on that one.  Strangely enough, starting a new story is the opposite. I'm always overflowing with ideas that pour themselves onto the page but peter out after a while.

With stories, finishing is the hard part.  Plot, theme, character interaction, those all try to do what they want and corralling them into a finished story is a little like herding cats.

With the dollhouse... it takes me a bit to get going.  I've got some great inspiration photos.  Gorgeous shotgun houses down in New Orleans, beautiful two story homes with similar rooflines, and Bourbon street row houses with balconies that make me drool.

See?

For safety's sake I need a higher balcony railing.  But I am enjoying the clean look of the roofline.

I really want to find some four inch brackets like the first house on the right.  Love how those look.

I think I could pull off something like the brick house here. Carved posts and fancy brackets underneath?

Much as I love the fancy balcony roof trim, it might be too much.

This is another favorite. 

So obviously I've got plenty of inspiration about the outside right?  The inside, the overall theme of the house... that's a little more difficult.  But with some looking around and shopping I think I've got an idea.

The Architect's Abode was very modern.  To the point of turning the second bedroom into a studio.  It had very chic furniture thanks to the Etsy shops of Otterine and ModPodMiniatures.  I want something a little more blended this time around.  New Orleans is this crazy, wonderful place with plenty of history but updated for modern living.

So I want the house to look as if it has history.  And I think the trim, moldings, floors and railings will be the way to establish that.  The furniture will follow, comfortable but still elegant enough that it doesn't look out of place.

The kit comes with those gorgeous windows and doors, and really that's what sold me on it.  I don't like how low the ceilings are or how small the original footprint is, but those windows and doors just called to me.

I liked how they had the cross bar but the curve at the top of the window was very modern.  The curve softens the effect of the windows.  So taking that as a jumping off point, I decided to go with a combination of angles and curves. 

So here are some of the things that will establish the character of the house.

An overall view

Crown molding, the front door and the living room/dining room floors.

Otterine did this gorgeous patterned floor in her Haunted Heritage, Grandma's Parlor... And I'm hoping to do something similar for the NOLA House living room/dining room.

The stair rail, a kit window and the window for under the roof peak

The stairs call for a ten inch wall for the lower level which is just about how I like it.  For the second floor I'm going with a nine and a half inch wall.  It's about an inch higher than the kit calls for but in order to have a balcony that won't look super cluttered or closed in, I need a higher ceiling.

I feel for the railing right away with the combination of curves and angles.  The diamond shapes match the floor and the curves echo the tops of the windows.

For these stairs I don't think I'm going to build a wall and a hidden bath.  Shotgun houses tend to have a lot of open space so I'm going to leave the space beneath them open. 

Some flooring, cherry beadboard and another kit window.

I thought about using the bead board for wall paneling but I didn't want it to be too dark or busy, considering the geometric pattern for the flooring.  I have three pieces about this size in cherry wood but I've got some larger pieces in plain old bass wood and I'm planning on using them for the ceilings rather than plaster/paper.  The second floor will have a half attic over the bathroom with a higher ceiling in the bedroom.  And I'm debating doing an attic door like Otterine's.  Given that the hidden stairs I found on Ebay are more than twenty bucks.  That's a lot of money for an attic you can't even stand up in.

At least that's the current plan.  I love the look of dark roof beams with beadboard paneling between them so I'm going to do that for the bedroom ceiling. 

Flooring for the bedroom will be a bit simpler.

As for furniture, I'm hoping to make a lot of it.  I've got a bunch of kits and some good ideas for the kitchen.  I'm flexible on colors but I was thinking of something earth toned.  Browns, golds, with pops of red maybe.

So? Any great thoughts or suggestions for me?

Cut and paint and repeat

The one thing I don't care for with this type of kit is the constant measuring of the trim, painting it and then adding it to the dollhouse.  I suppose if I were more organized I could cut it all at once and label everything then paint it.  But with cats who like to play with spare pieces of wood...that isn't always something that'll work.

However I did finally get the house trimmed up.  Now I'm just working on the staircase.  Before I put that in I'll add some narrow crown molding to the lower floor, maybe. Still not sure about that.

I'm definitely pleased I went with the shingles and the second coat of paint over them darkened them up nicely. 

I'm thinking of a custom made bed for the upstairs simply because everything I find premade just looks too big or too high.  Something low to the ground with a short headboard would work better. 

The first floor...I think I'll need to make some kitchen cabinets with a half fridge.  I've got a sweet little stand alone porcelain sink that I think will be perfect.  That's for after I get the stairs in.

Sorry this is such a picture heavy post.  But I've got the Architect's Abode moved so I have workspace on the table again.  I'm going mess around with the new contest kit later and see how it works.

Wish me luck!

Inspiration Pictures

I have ideas for the 2016 Creatin' Contest.  You remember the base kit right?

And you can always check out the actual site.

I had some ideas... and I'm leaning more and more towards a scaled down version of a New Orleans townhouse.  Something with an upper balcony for certain.  So I went a searching the interwebs.  And lookie what I found.

I love the steps up to the doors and the arches with the balconies overhead with the brackets.  I think I could do it with some wood and the kit.  I could cut a hole in the roof peak for a window.  Some fancy iron railings for the balcony maybe?  I'll admit that the barn fence style railings are my least favorite part of the kit.

Opinions?  I don't want the footprint to be any wider than the kit but with a spiral stair or a narrow staircase I wouldn't have to lose a ton of space to the stairway.

If I push out the front wall, make it a more narrow balcony than the kit shows I think it could work.  The other issue is enclosing it, and how to finish the outer walls.  But from the get go I'm going to make sure this puppy is contained.  The building inspector (who shall remain Tali) will not be stealing things out of this dollhouse. 

For finishing I could buy some miniature bead board or siding. The cheap siding from Miniatures.com is not going to be used again.  Way too much trouble and the minute it got damp from paint or stain it started to curl despite the stick flat glue.

Obviously I need to research a bit more.  Clapboard siding maybe?  I don't see stone being an option. Only for the foundation maybe. 

The next thing to figure out is the inside.  I'll need to do a dry fit, which means getting the dining room table semi cleared.  A probject (combination of problem and project) for the weekend.

We'll see though.  I like the idea of a cheerful color.  But I'm also enjoying the pictures I find of white with black iron trim.

Beach House Winner!

Congratulations!

One of my favorite bloggers won the grand prize!

See pictures here!

I'm so excited for her!

iseecerulean's beachhouse is gorgeous.  Can't wait to see what she does with the 2016 kit.

Winners of the 2015 Annual Creatin' Contest

So the Runners up, Honorable Mentions and now the Winners of the Creatin' Contest have been posted.

Two of the three winners were bloggers I follow religiously so it was nice to see them win even if I am disappointed with my own entry's results.

Check them out here!

We'll hear about the Grand Prize winner on Thursday the seventh so good luck to all of us who haven't won anything yet.  There's still hope right?

Congrats to Brae and Nancy two of my favorite miniature bloggers!

To Shingle or Not To Shingle?

Well I've been enjoying my break from the insanity of non work related deadlines.  I painted the roof of the Fairytale Cottage and stared at it for a while.  I like the dark...just don't like how all the definition of the engraved shingles disappears with the paint.

See?

It looks very one dimensional

I do like the black color though. I think it's a nice contrast with the stone.

So I stared at it for a week or so.  I tried using pen to outline the little imprints of the fish scale shingles...but that didn't really help.  You can barely see them.

So I figured, what the heck, I've got an angle cutter now and a better glue gun, let's dig out the left over shingles from the Gothic Victorian and see how this goes.  It's also a much smaller roof.  You'll notice I'm not talking about shingles with any of the large houses I've got.  Though the angle cutter makes all the difference. Love that thing!

So here's an in progress shot. 

Yeah...I'm not thrilled with the color either.

Did I mention I had to dig through half a ton of dollhouse stuff on my desk to find the glue gun?  Yeah, a major organizational overhaul is needed.  But not today.

So I kept shingling and by Sunday afternoon I was done.  I didn't even run out of shingles and that was a concern for a bit. 

The kit has trim to go along the apex of the roof so I don't need to make half shingles Thankfully.

Still not loving the color though.  Too much brown in it.  So out came the black paint.

I used an old bottle and watered it down because I didn't want stark black. Just enough of a tint that I got that contrast with the stone walls back.

Much better

Might still have a bit too much brown.

I'll live with it a while and see how I feel. 

By the way, these pictures, all taken with the new Nikon camera that was my Christmas gift from my husband.  Isn't it nice how they're all in focus?

In other news, Cap'n Jack our kitten has grown and gone to his first 'Big boy' vet appointment.  He now weighs fifteen pounds. 

In order to give you some idea of his growth, here are some pictures of him about a month after we found him.  Sitting next to his brother on the couch.  Very sweet.

See how big his paws are?  That was a clue right there.  As big as Helo's and he wasn't even a year.

Here's a couple of him with his sissies.  He still adores them.

He just cuddles up with them

Or as close as he's allowed to get.

Now we have year old Cap'n Jack.  Slightly more graceful.  And a lot bigger.  With his brother.

He still likes his brother, but they're a little big to be sharing the cushion now

Perfectly comfortable is what amazes me.

That's Jack who's nearly falling off the cushion.  He's the original slinky cat.

He's still a sweetheart though.  Even if he does think he can put Miho in a headlock so he can return the favor of cleaning her ears.