Moving on

I wasn't quite honest when I said in my previous post that deviations were merely rewards for doing boring tasks. It is, as all teachers know, a better strategy to vary tasks so you don't get really bored and frustrated. But another reason is that I want to see some progress, something that I can proudly display and share. Yet another white wall or yet another set of window surrpounds doesn't feel much of a progress or something to share. But a front wall like this one is:

 

Therefore I have made this front even though it will take some time before I can put it in. It fact, this is the last (!) of the thirty five windows (except for dormer windows which will probably not happen until next summer so I won't worry now).


This morning I dismantled the basement for the fifth time.

 

The reason is that I feel I am getting closer to the final assemblage and glueing. But before I do that I need to finish all work on flat surfaces.

When I started this project, I consulted my facebook groups concerning the principal technique: glue first and then decorate or decorate before glueing. Not suprisingly, opinions differed, and both sides offered persuasive arguments. I followed my instinct, and I guess I will soon know why I was wrong when all my decorating gets damaged during assembly. But having done some other projects I know how much easier it is to work on flat surfaces. Imagine doing this inside the limited space of an assembled room:

 

Of course you can ask why I am doing this in the first place. This is a meticulous task - yes, I am cutting the 0.5x0.5 cm tiles one by one and pasting them on one by one in a diamond pattern. It takes ages. I could have left the walls white. I could have bought a border. But I enjoy the process as much as the result. (I used to do throwing, and although the results were mostly pathetic I enjoyed doing it immensely). And the result is unique. I promise: there will be no kitchen like this in any dollhouse ever. Unless, of course, somebody copycats me. But then, I have aged the walls with tea, and no one can copy that shade exactly.

There are some things left to do before I can start. I need to fix door frames, again because it's easier to do on separate panels. It means that I need to fix the door knobs first. To see how I am doing it, please read the next post.