As Darkness Descends...

 

Is Madness Far Behind....?

I was only going to look in the box, Dear Readers, to see if I could find the kit and check out what supplies might be needed and see what the construction might involve, and maybe have a glance at the instructions... Well! The very first thing the instructions said would be needed was to spray paint all the pieces (except for a few) with flat black paint... which I did not have...! And then I realized that we were at that time of year .... possibly the last weekend of outdoor spray-painting weather for the year! Was there still time to buy the paint and get all the pieces sprayed.... both sides with drying time between..... and daytime temperatures hovering in the 50's (Farenheit) and early early night fall with frost in the forecast....? As you can see from the above picture... yes, just barely! And as you surely can guess.... I was suddenly and unexpectedly launched into the mini mini Madness of another Robin Betterley Kit, the "Ravenwood"! In case you don' know this kit, here is a picture...

I bought it quite a few years ago, and stashed it with my multitude of kits... 

waiting for the right Time to begin...

Ready or not... here we go!

I was careful to read all the instructions first... 

so I could get a picture of what came first and why...

(the better to know when to make changes...!)

for changes there must be!

Here I have begun the assembly of the House body.

This kit is like the Secret Christmas House kit

 in that it has pull-out sections inside an outer shell... 

but this kit has three pull outs instead of just two...

one on each side and a central Tower that lifts out from the top!

 

Here the outer shell is mostly assembled.... 

just lacking the side mansard roofs...

Using a rock to weight the roof as it is gluing... 

while I make supper.

Starting the Tower pull-out assembly....

fitting the Tower attic floor and testing it in the house body....

And testing it with the mansard roof  in place to see how it goes....

and then I realized that this attic was going to be

 all closed in and Inaccessible...???

Really?

A Perfectly Wonderful Spooky Attic going to waste???

Well, I was going to have to make some changes here!

Here is what the space looks like with both side roofs but no top roof...

and the "roof support" that you can see in the previous picture is a bit clunky.

I abandoned the idea of trap doors and ladders to make it accessible to little people... 

but I feel strongly that the bats will need access to this space! 

There needs to be a window.....

At the very least!

I carefully marked the spot....

And started drilling in the center with my smallest drill bit 

(I didn't want to risk cracking this fine piece of wood!)

I kept increasing the drill bit size all the way up through my bit collection,

 ending at 3/16th of an inch diameter.

Then I took my small round file and continued to shape an opening...

The sides needed to slant correctly as the roof sits at a slant.

I split the attic roof support and made it two legs... 

so the bats could fly straight in the window and not hit a wall!

Here the roof and the Mansard side roofs have been attached.

Testing the fit inside the house body...

And starting to build the window frame...

A very small piece of cardboard,

 curved and shaped to fit the slant of the roof... 

making a dormer window.

Of course, I got really involved and forgot

 to take any pictures of making the tiny window! 

Which you can see here... all assembled and glued in place.

It is a cutout of plastic packaging material...

 fairly stiff, with a notch cut out for the broken window pane.

And the gothic framework is made from fine cloth covered florist wire,

 painted black and cut to fit and glued in place over the plastic.

Here it is attached and in the Tower.

But can we see the window pane...?

There!

Now you will know,

 that the attic is not Inaccessible!

At least for the Bats!

And you can rest Assured, Dear Readers,

 that there will be a few more changes made 

to this Wonderful Enchanting Kit!

Because the Darkness is Falling...

Let the Madness begin!

Just a Tiny Project....

Falling Behind.....

Well, Dear Readers, We turned our clocks back on this side of the Pond, Falling Back they call it, but somehow I just feel like I am falling Behind! We are now into the Dark Season, when all thoughts turn to the Holidays, and what better way to get in the mood than by starting a little Holiday Project? Every year I plan to try to make something "Seasonal" and never seem to get very far before I am overtaken by the looming deadlines for my major yearly project, and here I refer to my Annual Christmas Card, which I have drawn every year now for more than thirty years, so I dare not skip a single year! (And so far this year, I have no idea what my drawing will be!) So to make myself feel as though I am making Some sort of progress on Something.... I have started a New Project! (Don't Laugh!) It is just a Little project.... it is a kit for making a 1/144th scale Dollhouse which is all decorated for Christmas! It is called the "Secret Christmas House" and is a kit made by Robin Betterley who makes marvelous tiny things! I bought the kit last Spring at the Sturbridge Fair and have been itching to get started ever since! Of course, I forgot to take pictures until the project was well under way...

All the pieces are laser cut from very fine wood. 

They go together with very little adjusting needed.

The central framework for the house holds two slide out sections.

Here you can see the main house frame and the left hand section partly done.

Here they are a little closer....

Here the wing sections are tucked inside the framework.....

Here they are pulled out.

And there is a table too....

And here they are together....

But I will not attach the house until it is finished.

And just so you could see how Huge this house is.....

Salome came by to have a look at it!

I am sure she will be telling her sister Lady Evelyn de Paradise 

that it is yet another unfinished property!

Certainly Not ready for Habitation!

Well, I don't know about you, Dear Readers, 

but I Love to start new projects!

And whether I am Falling Back or 

Falling Behind remains to be seen!

Teeny Tiny Dolls

Pollyanna Goes Shopping....

I Think it was Inevitable, Dear Readers, that Pollyanna would come across that Fascinating Dollhouse Cabinet as she was browsing in a Trendy Local Shopping Mall, and that she would be smitten! She can hardly believe that she Never Knew that something as Marvelous as this Cabinet Dollhouse even existed! Where has this been all my life, she wondered, as she suddenly saw all the potential for making a one-of-a-kind miniature house! It didn't matter at all that she had Nowhere to put it... and she hadn't even asked about the price! She knew she had to bring it home with her! She hurried to find Arthur so she could show him her Discovery!

"Isn't it just Amazing?" she asks him.

Arthur isn't Quite so sure!

"What will you Do with it... ?" he asks.

"Well... I'll decorate it...." explains Pollyanna.

"It will make a Wonderful practice piece 

to try out different decorating..." she argues...

although she really just wants to fill it full 

of everything she has always wanted but never could have.... 

but she couldn't explain that to Arthur... 

he might feel badly that they 

don't have everything she ever wanted....

"It's so big..." said Arthur, trying not to sound critical...

"Where will you keep it?"

"Ummmm...." said Pollyanna... 

"I haven't figured that out yet....

But I'm Sure we can make room for it 

Somewhere in that Big Old House... 

even if we have to clear out the mess in the attic.... 

I could make a workroom up there" she added excitedly!

Arthur is not looking convinced!

"Can we even fit it up those stairs?" he asks.

"Of course we can!" said Pollyanna... 

determined to find a way.

And while Pollyanna is trying to convince Arthur of

 the Wonderful Opportunity that is This Cabinet, 

Dear Readers, I have been trying to dress the Teeny Tiny dolls!

Lady Evelyn de Paradise needed a Gown Worthy of her stature 

as the First Lady of The Teeny Tiny Dolls!

(Do remember to poke the pictures to see them larger!)

I started with a tiny scrap of maroon velvet 

that has lovely glittery flowers on it....

I glued it on as best as I could and made a "train" at the back....

Of course, the cloth is a little bulky... 

but I was determined that I use this fabric!

And then I added a ribbon 

wrapped around her torso for the top of the gown....

Surely it is a Gown from the House of Worth at the very least!

The signature asymmetrical glitter "embroidery"

 and the long train that resembles a peacock's tail....

Of course, it is not easy getting good pictures of this gown!

Is that better?

I know she looks so matronly... 

but she is the eldest of seven sisters....

and so far, she is the only one who is married....!

Here, let me introduce you to a couple of her sisters...

Please excuse their nakedness.... 

we are just getting started, after all!

Here I have painted several of the little people...

and then I add their hair....

This one is Virginia..... she is the next eldest sister.

I start by gluing a "knot" of sewing thread to the top of the head....

And then when the knot has completely dried, 

I gradually add glue to the thread and wind it around the head...

Eventually it looks like a hairstyle with a bun at the top.

But I wanted to try something fancier on the next sister....

I wanted to try to make some curls....

This sister is named Salome...

And she is probably too pretty for her own good!

Once I had added enough curls, 

I wrapped the thread around the bun the same as for the others...

And then I needed to give them each a lace petticoat....

At which point, Lady Evelyn came by to see how they were looking....

Clearly, we have a long way to go!

But Lady Evelyn has had a lot on her mind....

She is trying to find appropriate housing for all of them....

It is not easy, because nothing seems to be Ready for living in....

Or it is completely the wrong scale!

"But perhaps something very nice 

can be made of this one", she is thinking.... 

When suddenly the house is opened wide...!

"Oh", says Pollyanna in surprise.

"Look, Arthur!" she exclaims. 

"It even has a little doll inside!"

"We'll have to bring her home too...!"

Well, Dear Readers, Clearly I am 

just getting started with the Teeny Tiny Dolls....

And Pollyanna is just getting started with her Shopping!

The New Dollhouse....

It Was Just A Matter of Time....

I suppose, Dear Readers, that you want to see the Tiny roombox in its proper location on the bookshelf in The Folly Parlor. But I must tell you that it is incredibly difficult to photograph it there! I cannot seem to make the camera focus on the roombox, so it is always just a little out of focus! At least the morning sun was shining brightly on Saturday, allowing me to get this picture in the best possible light. It is not completely finished, there are still one or two details I think I want to add, but I was not able to accomplish any of them over the weekend. It was one of those weekends where I seemed to do a lot of little things that didn't add up to anything noticeable, and certainly no steps crossed off the lists!

( Where it all began... The Lovely Old Dollhouse.....)

I have also been aware in the back of my mind that last week was the Sixth Anniversary of this Blog...!!! (How does the Time go so fast???) I have debated having an anniversary drawing... but have been too disorganized to pull one together... so I mention this as an aside... that I might get one organized... so stay tuned! I also debated trying to do a "Review" but.... that just seems Exhausting! I cannot begin to summarize the Adventure that it has been for ME... connecting with so many Wonderful, Inspiring, Creative, Generous, Talented Miniaturists from All over the World...! I just Never could have Imagined how enriching and supportive and amazing this community would be! Thank you ALL for sharing yourselves and your creations in this amazing Blogland! I hope it continues being an amazing Adventure for many more years!

 As for the weekend.... I managed to work a little more on the attic of Hardwick Hall! Remember that LIST I made of All the steps I needed to accomplish before I glued the side walls in place? I know, it was a while ago... but One of those steps was to figure out the Wiring for the attic lights! So far the majority of the lights in this house are on the central wall, and the wiring goes down behind the kitchen hearth to the basement where it connects to a plug strip. Well, my Plan was to add sconces to the attic walls and to run the wires around to the back of the house and down the outer corners to the plug strips. These wires would eventually be covered by the corner trim of the house. Well, I got a little ahead of my plan, and glued the Mansard Roof onto the sides before I remembered to run the wires for the sconces..... which meant I had to Make a New Plan! I think the New plan will work as well as the old one so no harm was done and I did not have to remove the Mansard roofing! In the above picture you can see I have attached two sconces to the far wall, one on either side of the window.

Here you can see they are being tested..... 

it is such a dark room and it was a dark day.....

But the lights work!

The New Plan is to run the wires around to the back 

above the ceiling trim where they will not be visible. 

It will probably be easier this way!

I still need to splice extensions onto the wires 

because they have so Far to Go to reach the plug strips!

I think there will also be at least one overhead pendant light.... 

but the ceiling is still being designed... 

so I am not at all sure where those wires will travel!

I know it is not very visible in the above picture... 

but there are stars on the ceiling....

Well, of course there are!

But so far I have not been able to get a satisfactory photograph 

of them with the ceiling panels in place!

And Another small thing that I started but did not finish...

Was adding my favorite Silver paint 

to the table and chairs which will go in the Dining area of Hardwick Hall.....

It was a Very Gloomy morning.... 

and they probably need another coat of paint....

And there will be some other decorative details... 

so they are far from finished.... 

but I do think they look wonderfully... Spectral!

But what about the "New Dollhouse" I hear some of you asking?

Well, I was wandering through the Internet recently during my lunch break at work, 

and stumbled across the "Pickering Manor Dollhouse"!

It was Love at First Sight!

And it arrived Today!

Yes, I am in Trouble now, Dear Readers.... 

An entire Mansion in 1/144th scale!!!

It is one of those purchases that Surpasses the wildest expectations!

The interior is not divided into rooms.... 

so I can design them as I see fit.....!

Even the attic opens!!!

And just to see how the scale looks with my Tiny Roombox....

Yes, there is ample room for elegant interiors!!!

And if one wanted to, 

it could even serve as a bookcase in 1:12 scale!

But Where oh where am I going to "house" this "dollhouse"?

I don't think it fits into ANY of my current Dollhouses!

Who does it belong to?

What era will it be a part of?

Will there have to be a New Dollhouse to house the Tiny One?

There HAS to be a Story......!

Ah, Dear Readers, this Adventure is Far from over!

I have Always wanted a tiny dollhouse like this one!

I guess it Was only a matter of Time 

before I got another New Dollhouse!