Sunday, June 16, 2019

Books, Testing & Paint

This weekend I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the color for the Loft kitchen.  I finally decided on a color, put the first coat on the boxes and then I called it quits for the day.

I also put some wood putty on the boxes to fill in some of the little cracks where the wood joins up.  While it was drying I tested out some colors on a piece of the wood I used for the cabinet doors.



Left to right, Cherry stain, Early American stain, Dark Walnut stain, Midnight Blue paint, Bark Brown paint, Oyster Beige paint.


I went back and forth a lot and got opinions from Kristine and some of the other mini folks on Instagram.  I tested the blue lowers and Early American stained uppers but they didn't look right.  So I'm going with blue cabinets.  I have some open shelving I'm planning on and those will be stained with the Early American.

I'm planning on a good amount of lighting so I don't think the kitchen will get too dark.  Here's the first pass with the blue on the cabinet boxes.


Saturday I started out making more books.  I'd purchased some more as well, I've got one box that's pretty full now.


I decided it would be a good idea to test out how many books it would take to fill the shelves.


Filling this shelf set took half the books I had.


But I'd had enough of making books for the day so I decided to work on the actual shop a bit.

I measured, cut, (and then did it again for some of the angles) and stained the crown molding.  I'm using basic large crown from Miniatures.com and augmenting it with Victorian skirt baseboards.  It makes the crown molding look more substantial.


It's not the best picture, I'll try to get some more next week with better lighting.

That was pretty much all I did this weekend.  We're running back and forth every evening between our house and another cat sitting until Sunday and of course this coincides with my work's period end closing.

I'm hoping the rest of you have accomplished more than I did!

21 comments:

  1. To be honest: you have accomplished more than I did this weekend, because of Father's Day ;). But you have still acomplished more than I ever can in one weekend, Sheila, maybe that's a comfort to you ;)?!
    I like seeing your color tests and I can't wait to see what color you'll choose.
    You never can have enough books, in real life and in mini, especially you have so much shelves to fill in.

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    1. Thank you Ilona! I can't work on the dollhouses much during the week so weekends I try to pack in as much as I can.

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  2. Hi Sheila!
    I haven't had much mini time this last week either, but what you were able to get done looks great! I love that blue and think it's going to look great paired with the stain on the open shelving! I also love the added molding under the crown - I am a sucker for detailed moldings in real life too and think it adds such an elegant touch in a miniature setting!
    Have a great week and I hope you'll have some excellent progress to share in next Sunday's post!

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    1. Thank you Jodi! I'm hopeful that it will look like a real kitchen when I'm done. I need to add some silver grill strips under the fridge cabinet I think. That'll help.

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  3. I rather like the blue. I think its a colour that goes so well with wood. Books ugh, i feel your pain. I never have enough books or pictures. I only wish I could be as dedicated as you getting projects done :)

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    1. Thank you Pepper! I'm a sucker for blue. I don't know about dedicated...is that another word for obsessed?

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  4. I don't blame you on the making books! You have already made so many, and they look wonderful on the shelves. The mix of sizes and colors looks so realistic! I like your choice on the cabinets. It's a nice contrast to all the wood tones, plus it ties into the blue elsewhere in the build.

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    1. Thank you! I'm hoping to get more done while I'm on vacation too.

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  5. Has trabajado mucho el fin de semana! las pruebas de color son muy bonitas,elijas la que elijas,estoy segura que lucirá genial!!!
    Nunca se tienen demasiados libros! yo acabo de terminar mi librería y sé de lo que hablo,son tan bonitos!!!!!
    Besos.

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  6. Love that color blue!
    I don't know what your using for the inside of your books, but if you find yourself having an allergic reaction to balsa blanks, try PVC foam board. I can't use balsa since I react horribly and stay sick for a week (not exaggerating) but I can use the PVC foam board with no issue. I buy mine from China on AliExpress since I can get a variety of thicknesses. I haven't been able to source it in the US for a reasonable price.
    Marilyn

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    1. Thanks Marilyn! I have a lot of PVC foam board so if I run out of balsa that will be a great alternative.

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  7. I loveeeee the cabinets in this colour!!! The blue is beautiful and you can see everything still including the nice toe kick. It looks really nice in this lighting too. Are you doing flat front doors or shaker? I can really see how this is going to be so great in the space.
    And oh my, I want to hug you after reading that 1/2 your books went into that 1 shelf!!! Ahhhh! Good thing you still have some time before the deadline. The colours look fantastic all mixed together!

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    1. Thanks Kristine! The front doors are flat with slightly rounded edges. I don't trust myself to do shaker cabinets square enough yet. I'm excited about it though.

      Yeah... Lots more books to go. I'll take all the hugs and encouragement I can get.

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  8. Good choice on the cabinet colour Sheila! This will add interest but not be overwhelming I think! X

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    1. Thanks Shannon! I'm pretty excited about them.

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  9. Your color choices are going to work together perfectly! The books look lovely in the shelves, very realistic.

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    1. Thank you Megan! Lots more books to go but slowly but surely I'll get there.

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  10. The blue is lovely. Wow sooo many books and I guess lots and lots more to go :)They look amazing on the shelves.
    Hugs Maria

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  11. Hi Sheila! I am glad you went with the blue for the cabinets! I don't think you will be disappointed! I already love it! :):)
    As for the books.... it can be daunting to do a test of how many you will need... but they do look fantastic, and you have filled an entire unit and only used half your books! I think you have made great progress! (I need to get busy on the books for Hardwick Hall...) And I love the crown molding with the "extender" of the skirting boards! I would not have thought of that... and the Victorians did love to go the extra mile with decorative details! It is all looking wonderful! :):)

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  12. Shelfs filled with books look amazing.

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