Friday, February 27, 2015

Fun Deliveries This Week


I received my two "Denise's City Cottage" kits from HBS this week. Also, a door that I plan to use with this project. I'll be combining the two kits into one structure (assuming everything goes as planned). Excited to get started on this and I think I'll be setting the barely started bungalow kit aside while I get this going. 


Also received in the mail this week was a little sofa! I had it delivered to my work, which is a furniture retailer. I got to tell my coworkers that I had a sofa delivered to the showroom that day, and it was in my locker.

I've been looking for pieces or kits that are a little more modern, and ran across this on Ebay. I'm trying not to buy much at the moment beyond materials to finish the room box/house kits I have, but this one seemed to have a nice aesthetic. Also, I'd had a few glasses of wine, so it was much easier to hit the "purchase" button. I love it, although the fabric is out of scale. When it comes time to furnish, we'll see how it works, and if it doesn't I just may attempt a recover.

One other thing of note is that the Seattle Miniature Show for 2015 is only a week away! I'll probably break my rules to buy a few things while I'm there. Thank goodness I get paid next Friday, conveniently beforehand. I had wanted to take a class potentially, but there weren't any workshops that really spoke to me. There is one on lighting that looked interesting, but it was on Monday and I have to work that day.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Doll by Giedrė Petkutė


I almost forgot about another purchase I made last fall! When I bought my kit, I also wanted to get an inhabitant for the house. For whatever reason, I think it helps me to design a space around a "customer," of sorts. The bungalow was going to be a contemporary version of an older home, and I wanted the occupant to be a male artist. (Probably some idealized version of myself, I know.)

On Etsy I ran across Lithuanian artist Giedrė Petkutė's shop (SereneDolls) and really loved her work. She does these incredible 1/12 scale dolls that are full jointed. I had her custom finish me a gentleman with long brown hair and I also bought an outfit and two pairs of her amazing tiny shoes. When he showed up, I was blown away!


I haven't given him a name yet, and just ran across him again this past weekend after a few months of him hiding in his box. I still can't get over the shoes. At some point in the far future I will probably try my hand at making some clothes for him, but that will be later, when at least one of my projects is nearer to completion.

What also made me laugh is that I don't even have a chair to have him sit in. I used to have at least some dollhouse furniture, but I sold it all off years ago. As much as I want to buy a bunch of pieces now, I do need to slow down and focus on getting materials for the house and room box, and get those constructed first. However, I do like that I have a picture of something other than an unassembled kit to share on my blog. Mixing it up a little bit!

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Finding a place to work...


Just as I suspected, I'm definitely not going to get anything done on the dollhouse today, but in cleaning up the apartment, I did move the bungalow kit components into the office. My desk and bookshelves are along the wall here (pictured) and then I put up a small folding table that has the house kit on it. I wish I had more work surface available! Things were spread out on the dining table, but I had to clear that off for a dinner party tonight. I'm wondering if I should set the bungalow aside for a time and just focus on the new kit that is coming in the mail? It will be smaller than the house, and might be a better "first" project to start with.

I do wish I could take over this whole room, but my husband has his computer desk on the opposite wall and he definitely uses this room too. At least it is bright and cheerful with a bunch of my artwork on the wall. (Can you tell I like triangles? I'm an enrolled member of the Karuk Tribe, and I use a lot of geometric patterns derived from traditional basketry designs in my artwork.) There is always so much stuff. I really need to get more organized, but I suppose creative people are seldom tidy. At least, that's what I tell myself.

Friday, February 20, 2015

HBS 22nd Annual Creatin' Contest


Been a little under the weather this past week, so I didn't do any more work on the Craftsman Bungalow. I had still been thinking about the HBS contest though, and I had a sudden flash of inspiration for what I could do with this kit. Since the entry due date isn't until December, I went ahead and placed an order today for my "Denise's City Cottage Kit" (see picture above). I don't know how well I'll be able to juggle two projects, but I really loved the idea I came up with so I'm going to go for it. The contest will give me a little more structure and deadline than the bungalow kit, which should help to keep me on track. Also, it is smaller, although I have many plans to customize it. But no more kits until at least one of these projects is finished, I swear.

Never did hear back from Lawbre about custom windows/doors and I didn't call them either. I figure I should challenge myself and try to work with the pieces that came with the kit. They'll need to be modified for sure. I did see that Jocelyn is coming along on her bungalow kit via her blog. It looks lovely! I really think her color scheme is great and I like seeing what other people are doing with the same kit. Would love to work on my house tomorrow, but I think we're having some folks over for dinner so I think my full scale apartment will be what actually gets worked on. Need to clean things up so that we can have company and mess it all up again!

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Beginnings of a Bungalow


There isn't a lot to share right now beyond the fact that I've begun assembling the foundation for the bungalow. I've still been reading a lot on various miniaturists' blogs, mostly Architecture of Tiny Distinction (AOTD) and Otterine's Miniatures. They are SO inspirational! I have the feeling that there will be many similarities between my bungalow and the one that is on AOTD, because she had so many great ideas in finishing her dollhouse. I'm trying to also make it my own though, so while I am planning on following some of her examples (nixing the staircase, false ceiling for the dormer window, wood panelling on the main floor), there will definitely be differences too.

Never did hear back from Lawbre, which leads me to believe that I should try calling them this week. I suppose I can try assembling my own doors and windows if I must. Doors I'm not as worried about, but the windows feel like they will be a chore to make.

I have been having so much fun getting ideas online from builds that other folks have done, and looking at all the fun accessories, furniture, and kits that are available out there, that I keep having to remind myself to slow down. There's no sense in ordering furniture kits before the house is built! But I'm trying to keep track of things I see that I want to try. I'd love to attempt making rugs or do landscaping like the stuff I see on Otterine's. But again, those projects will come later.

Today I did follow a link from AOTD to McQueenie Miniatures and found this Edwardian Bed Kit that I think would be perfect for the house. Then I realized why... it is the same bed I've seen in posts on AOTD for her American Victorian dollhouse, and also inside her Craftsman Bungalow. It couldn't hurt to order just one kit early, eh?

Also saw this week that Hobby Builders Supply is selling kits for their 22nd Annual Creatin' Contest. Would love to buy this kit and work on that as well, but I'm holding off for the moment. While it would be a smaller (and fun!) project, I should probably just focus on one thing at a time.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Step One: Open the Box


It has been forever since I posted last! Sadly, no miniature-related updates during the busy season at work. I'm starting to feel human again though, and have been planning what I want to do for my Bungalow kit. Last night I even opened the box and started sorting through all of the pieces (as shown above). It was a little overwhelming, but I'm going to take my time with construction as there is no reason to rush. I'm realizing that the tough thing will be figuring out where to build the kit, as I don't really have a good, large workspace available.

I've reached out to Lawbre to see about having some custom windows and doors made as I don't really like the parts that came with the kit. I probably could attempt to make them myself, but I know they would do a better job than me at this point. Plus, it isn't a huge house, so there aren't too many of them to make. There are three windows on the front of the house, and then I want to add two small windows on the second floor (one on each side). I'll need a front door, and then two interior doors for the upstairs. Downstairs, I'm going to rework the wall so that it is more of an open divider between the rooms. 

There are still some supplies I need to get before I even start putting things together, but I'd like to at least start on assembling the foundation in the next week or two. I've been debating between doing a brick or a stucco foundation. Brick seems like the right thing to do, but it will be a much more intensive project. But hey, if I'm not making windows, I can do the brick, right? I've been obsessing over Architecture of Tiny Distinction's blog posts about the Classic Bungalow she built a year or two ago. Her other posts are also full of great info and, if I do brick, I'll probably follow the recommendation for the method she used from Otterine's Miniatures

Of course, I can't help but think ahead to the excitement of decorating. I'm planning on doing wood panelling downstairs with some wallpaper friezes most likely. And upstairs I've been looking at wallpapers and have found ones I really like for the two smaller rooms at opposite ends of the house. 

Birds and Berries on Cream Background by Jackson's Miniatures 

William Morris Fruit and Leaves in Orange/Green by Itsy Bitsy Mini

The larger center room will have a wallpaper frieze, but I don't know if I'll do panelling with it, or a combination of panelling and another wallpaper pattern. And I'm still trying to think of the tone of wood I want. Darker? Lighter? A combination? Since it is meant to be a contemporary home, I'm not sticking too closely to the Craftsman or Arts & Crafts aesthetic. Obviously the wallpapers are a little more Victorian, but they seemed to capture the feeling I want for those rooms. 

I'm excited (and nervous) to get started!