Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Vines & Balcony Table...And a Few Other Things

Fair Warning. 

This post began on Monday.  And I got to dollhousing and never posted it.  So it's a bit long.

Vines Part I

Okay... so I spent some of today looking up how to make miniature flowers for the flowerbeds and the possible flower boxes I might have on the balcony railing.

And I'm still not sure what I'm going to do there...but I did get another table made for the balcony.  The first one I made was nice, but it was too tall next to the chairs.


I like it but it doesn't work where I intended it to so I made another one that's a bit shorter, same style, and I think it looks much better as a side table for the mint juleps.  See?

The adorable chair and Mardi Gras beads Keli sent me! Love how they look.

I got the mint juleps from Everyday Gourmet and the other chair from MiniEstates

I also sanded down the moss on the roof so it looks a little less green. 



Slightly better.

Keli suggested I age the foundation a bit since it looks newer than the rest of the house.  Since I'd added a poly coating to it after I added the grout I was a bit worried about making the new wash of paint stick.  After a little thought I added some Elmer's glue to the water and paint and that seemed to do the trick.  I did the same thing to the front steps since they looked a little too shiny to belong to this old decrepit house.



The foundation isn't super obvious but it does make a difference when I compare it with the pictures from a couple days ago.

I still need to add some rust to the downspouts and utility boxes but I dripped the glue/water/paint mixture all over them so they look like they've been out in the weather.  You can see that a bit in the picture below.

As you can see I also made the flower beds...  They are deliberately of a size that I can pick up and put inside the house. 

And I've added my vines to the side of the house.  I had to use hot glue to make them stick which is always interesting.  Burnt fingers and strands of glue every-freakin'-where.  I wanted a lot of vines because down south its very easy for them to overgrow.  They'll root in the gutters and climb over the roof sometimes.  I've seen oak trees growing out of gutters.  Down in Orange TX and Southern LA if it's not growing its molding.




Vines Part II

That was how I left it to get some much needed sleep. 

When I woke up this morning, this is what I found.





Yep. That's right. Five pieces of vine on the table, pulled off by a certain Building Inspector who shall remain infamous.  And people wonder why I'm hesitant to make my own paper flowers or put anything like this on the outside of a dollhouse...

This is the reason:



Yes. That is a dollhouse she is inside. 

Husband is ordering me a grill cover to use for protection since I am not up to making another plexi-glass case to protect the vines.  I'll end up covering the house and part of the table each night and using my dictionary and thesaurus to weigh it down.  He thinks she won't be able to burrow or claw through it without us hearing.  We'll see.

I added some rust to the utility boxes and pipes as well as the gutters.  I used my patented glue and cinnamon method with sticky tacky glue since I wasn't trying to adhere to plastic.




Some cinnamon on the ground there... thankfully it blows away easily.




I've also added flowers and bushes to the flowerbeds. 




And made the flowerboxes for the balcony.



They're also removable since I have a cat that likes to attack things. 

I got some adorable little potted shrubs from Brae's store and they look so cute on the front stoop and back steps.  They make me want more flowerpots.




I'm going back and forth on one thing.  Tomorrow, (assuming there is no further destruction of the greenery overnight) I'm going to start putting in furniture and accessories...

Right now the couch looks like this:



Does it look like it needs piping?  To me it looks as if it's in better shape than the green chair did before I added the piping, but I can't be sure.  Opinions?

I'm excited...I'm in the home stretch. I think...  Let's check 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
Add all accessories & stick them down as needed.



15 comments:

  1. Bravo! The greenery brings the house to life! I love it! And the rust and aging of the foundation looks great. I'm so excited for you being so close to being done.

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  2. Thank you! I'm excited to see the end of this project eventually.

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  3. The aging looks great. It makes the bricks disappear.....which is a good thing! Your landscaping is soooooooooooo pretty. Bravo!

    Maybe use cayenne pepper instead of cinnamon. One kitty sniff, and there will be a dollhouse phobia. Just joking!

    I like the couch as is! I am pipping phobic. I've had some bad experiences that resulted in reupholstering because the glue wouldn't come off.

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    1. Thank you! I'm excited about the landscaping, it's the first time I've done anything quite like this.

      I might just try the pepper thing... Tali is insane with attacking my things.

      Coolio! One vote for no piping!

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  4. The couch looks wonderful, don't monkey with it. No piping.

    LOVE the rust and vines and greenery, it's really bringing the house to life. The roof looks great, too.

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  5. Also, I really like the end table, very clever.

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    1. Thank you! That's two votes for no piping...so I'm going to leave it. It looks pretty clean so I don't want to mess it up.

      There was some concern that there were too many vines but I wanted that overgrown look.

      I was pretty excited about the table.

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  6. Wow! I just stopped to catch up this morning and you have so many new details! I don't know where to start! I should just employ bullet points! :O)
    The first thing that comes to mind is how frustrated you must be to see your hard work undone by your beloved babies. Just now, I took a hair clip, partly destroyed, from Woodson's grasp. If he wasn't so adorable and guilty looking I could be mad, but he is and I am not. What to do? Maybe bars across the doorway with a sign reading "Mommy's Room - no furbabies allowed!!!". No, that does not work at my house either... Hopefully the cage from wonderfully supportive hubs will work!
    I like the sofa as is with no piping!
    The steps, roof, moss and rust look awesome! Everything is just so much fun to look at!
    I do have one suggestion about the garden... Some of the bushes look pretty manicured. Maybe a coat of glue and clump foliage in spots might keep the impression of an overwhelmed owner who hasn't kept up on the gardening?
    I have to say it again, Sheila! You have done such a great job with every tiny detail on this build, and I love it! I look forward to every new progress post, and will soon go back through every post from the beginning just to relive the fun!

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    1. Well as my workspace is my dining room table there is no door to close. So we're working on alternative protection. I used my Big voice and grabbed her by the scruff and told her Daddy on her. Then she pouted for hours afterwards.

      I agree with you guys. No piping on the sofa.

      I also agree about the bushes. With the flowerbeds being overgrown and weedy the manicured bushes are out of place. So I'm gluing on bits of greenery to make them look a touch unkempt.

      Thank you thank you! It's been a nice six days of fun and work and now I feel like I've actually made some good progress.

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  7. Looking great Sheila. The plants really bring the house to life. And well done with all the aging and rusting, very realistic. Keep going girl, you're nearly there!

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    1. Thank you! I've added some greenery per Jodi's suggestion and it's drying now so the bushes should look less manicured. Now I'm just fussing with the furniture.

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  8. I LOVE miniature gardens and I LOVE the way yours is developing Sheila! Don't forget to age the planter beds just as you have aged the flower box for the balcony.
    LOVE the way your roof looks, the rust, the downspouts, the meters not to mention all of those wild and Crazy Vines on the side of the house which reminds me of what I saw when I last visited New Orleans- Very Authentic!
    One final thought regarding infilling that gap adjacent to the front steps and the long planter-it looks like it needs something there to close it up.
    I am really enjoying this build of yours and can't believe how much you have done.... WOW!


    elizabeth

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    1. Thank you! I'm pretty excited about it...if I can keep the cat from messing with it.

      I need to mess up the wood on the planter boxes definitely, scar it up some...I've got some moss added to the corners. The space between the steps and the planters...I think I just need to get another little piece of wood in there with some weeds maybe.

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  9. It looks great. I love the rust, it looks so realistic. The vines and landscaping look awesome! I love the moss on the roof.

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    1. Thank you! Still a few things to work on but it's coming along.

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