Step by step: nursery

The nursery at Womble Hall has a long and interesting history. I had a nursery in the very first house in a bookshelf, but I didn't have time to develop it properly. I remember having problems with the bed because I simply had no idea about how to make a bed.

In my cabinet house, I didn't have space for a nursery. I had to sacrifice something, and as the nursery at that point was least developed, I sacrificed it. Instead, I made a nursery room box.

Then I moved the nursery to Helen Hall, a Playmobile house that a friend first gave me and later, when I had bought all the missing parts and renovated and decorated it, wanted to have back. So the nursery returned to a room box, although by then I had made something else in the original box and had to use a different one:

This was before I could even imagine that within a few months I would have a huge house with nineteen rooms where there would be space for a proper nursery. This looks temporary and unfinished, and it was. I had never really invested in this project, just put in things that happened to come in large lots or randomly bought at flea markets.

When I started working on Womble Hall, the most natural place for the nursery was obviously in the attic, and I planned it so from the beginning. Yet it was one of the last rooms I got down to, and for a long time it looked almost like the picture above: bare walls and a heap of objects. As with the rest of the house, I decorated as much as possible on flat surfaces, and when I finally assembled the house, inserting the door all the way back was quite a job.

The wallpaper is a printie from Jennifer's website, which I tried in various sizes. There is a disadvantage with this wallpaper because it is a bit distracting, but I like it. Most of the old furniture is still there, and some is out of scale. The table is a cheap piece from Poundland, the bed is too large, the corner cupboard is a Lundby, and the cabinet on the left is Playmobile. The little fireplace is a plastic one that I upcycled. But someone told me they would kill for this rocking horse. It came with a job lot from ebay.

I then added an Adam ceiling as I did with all other rooms.

When I came to making proper furniture for the nursery, I used a couple of Chippendale kits to make a bed and a cabinet.

This is what it looks like now.

There are lots of lovely objects that have accumulated over the years, but I don't know how to display them better. Chaos is natural in a nursery, and there is a limit of how many objects I can put in the foreground. Maybe I should just move them around every now and then. This room is above eye level so you need to use library steps to have a look. Perhaps making this effort also encourages the visitor to look more closely.

Chippendale miniatures, update

I have made quite a few new Chippendale pieces since last year, testing various finishes and even making some bold decisions. I will not show all of these projects step by step, unless there is something special to comment on.

This bookcase was almost as difficult as the breakfront, with a lot of precision work, inserting hinges, making the doors symmetrical - in this scale, the tiniest fault is fatal. I don't have space for this beautiful piece anywhere in my large house, unless I sacrifice the old bookcase in the rear corridor of the smoking room, which I don't want to do for two reasons: it's pretty, and I like it; and it also has space for more books. Since I have made 60+ real miniature books now, I need a large bookcase. So this one just sits on a shelf until I find use for it or perhaps build a room box around it. I used dark oak stain for it, several coats.

Another magnificent piece is the broken bonnet highboy.

It looks more complicated than it actually was; it was mostly a matter of making these endless drawers that, unexpectedly after many projects involving drawers, all fitted nicely. I used mahogany stain. Sadly, in moving between rooms it lost its finials, and these are very hard to replace. This piece is now in the Pride and Prejudice room box. I have a similar kit, flat top highboy, but at the moment I don't know where to put it, so it will have to wait. Another new piece you can see in the Pride and Prejudice box is a tall case clock. It was relatively easy to make because it is similar to another clock I had made before.

I made several tables, using different finishes, for instance:

Tavern table. Easy to make. I used antique pine stain for it. It went nicely into best kitchen which I will show in due time.

Connecticut tavern table. Interestingly, I used exactly the same stain, and it turned out completely different. So this table is in the working kitchen, which you will also see soon on the continued tour of Womble Hall.

 

Trestle stand, painted with white wash, to match the cabinet in the best kitchen. It was very straightforward, and a lovely piece.

Duncan Phyfe library table was a bit more complicated, but no major problems. The stain is dark oak, and this piece is also in the Pride and Prejudice room box. The room also features a fireplace and mirror. I think I will write a separate post about the fireplace, but the mirror was a lot of work, but no trouble, and no parts were broken, as with the other mirror.

I also made a very complicated dining table with an extra central leaf and an intricate mechanism to insert it. It was by far one of the most difficult kits ever. I always have issues with tripod tables because I can never get those 120 degrees right, and the legs tend to fall off. So I got the difficult bit done and then spent ages on the legs. Right now they are off again, but there is no space for this table anywhere in Womble Hall so I will have to make an environment for it. Perhaps together with the bookcase above. And I'll need some chairs.

Speaking of chairs, I didn't do very well with some of those, and I am going to improve them one day. Chairs are not my forte. I can never tuck in the fabric neatly. But I need more chairs, and I have several kits waiting.

Someone in my miniature group showed a picture of a chess table, and I thought I could make one. I printed out a chess board, resizing it several times to fit, and then decoupaged it on the table top. I had never worked with decoupage before, and I am not sure I got it quite right, but I like it, and it's certainly unusual. It joins an array of occasional tables in the music room.

I made a double settee to replace the one I had before, bought from an online shop.  You can buy a lot of furniture that claims to be Chippendale, but you can tell the difference.

I made a hooded cradle that I am really pleased with. It would fit best in my Tudor house, but I have one already so I am not sure what I might do with another. I have a swinging cradle in the master bedroom.

Last but not least I have re-upholstered the Queen Anne settee that I was dissatisfied with because I didn't have suitable fabric. I bought some fabric at the Kensington dollhouse fair, and now I am really pleased. Just shows that you cannot compromise. As you know, I am recycler and prefer not to buy anything, but in this case I have to admit that the difference is striking. I have tried to use one of my husband's ties before, but it didn't work. This is perfect. I will never be stingy again.

Yet I am particularly proud of two pieces where I allowed myself to be bold. There kits are so delicate and I have had such respect for them, to begin with just staining them with mahogany, while now I am experimenting with various stains and paints. But it does take some courage - and probably imagination - to step outside the predictable. I wanted to make a particular kind of chest, and I was going to make it from scratch, but then I saw a kit, and it was a duplicate, so I felt better using it for something different. Please judge for yourself:

Finally, I took another duplicate kit to make another attempt with Adam top, and I have already shown it, but will show again:

I will write a special post on Adam furniture explaining how I made them and why, but at the moment I just wanted to show off.

I hope you enjoyed this quick walk through my most recent projects.  I enjoy making them, and I still have quite a stash. Come back soon.

Step by step: guest bedroom

As promised in the previous post, I am resuming the grand tour of Womble Hall, including quarters normally omitted from tourist routes, but you, my dear reader, are privileged to see every corner.

I continue with the attic, where almost a year ago I stopped in the servant room. The right-hand door leads to guest bedroom. This is of course profoundly wrong because guests would not have to go through servant room, but this was the only solution other than skip guest bedroom altogether, and that I didn't want.

Unlike most rooms in Womble Hall, the guest bedroom does not go back to my first house in a bookcase. There was no space for two bedrooms, and I would probably not have a guest bedroom if I hadn't made the Chippendale bed. It went into my small Georgian house that I made entirely to display some Chippendale miniatures and that was then given away when I started Womble Hall. But I then had a dilemma, since I had two four-poster beds, one beautiful Chippendale and the old bed which was my very, very old miniature made almost exactly ten years ago. Of course I could not discard it, therefore I have two beds and two bedrooms. (A real house of this proportion would probably have ten bedrooms, but I pretend they are all in the back, behind rear corridors).

Anyway, when I started planning Womble Hall, I of course considered various options for where the guest bedroom could be, but given all other rooms I wanted there really wasn't another reasonable place, therefore in the earliest test, the guest bedroom is already where it is now. However, it took a long time before I got down to this room. I did test flooring just to have something rather than just bare primed surface, but I didn't do any further work on this room until many months later. If you haven't read my blog before: I decorated as much as possible on flat surfaces, before I assembled the shell. So the walls already had wallpaper - a printie - so all I needed to do was skirting. And as you see, the floor has changed.

About a year after I started, the attic was more or less finished.  Some months later we did the lights, and it made a huge difference. Then I added ceilings. And that's it.




What I haven't done in this room is hardwood floors. It is still paper, rather elaborate, but still paper. Eventually I will need to make proper floors because they look so much better. But this is exactly why a dollhouse project is never really finished.

I like this room, and I think the guests find it warm and cozy. Would you like to come and stay overnight in this room?

Back to step-by-step

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have discovered that I never finished my grand tour of Womble Hall, and I have six rooms left, as well as some other interesting features. I will resume it now, and to make it easier for you, my dear reader, to orientate, here are links to previous step-by-step posts:


Ground floor

Grand entrance hall 

Reception room

Music room

First floor

Upper hall

Drawing room

Dining room

Second floor

Master bedroom

Smoking room

Bathroom

Upper corridor

Rear corridor

Attic

Servant room

There are two more rooms in the attic, guest bed and nursery. 

There are four  rooms in the basement: best kitchen, working kitchen, larder and basement entrance hall. There is also a rear corridor.

There are fake rooms on the inside of the fronts. 

And of course there is the exterior which is also interesting for consider step by step.

This will keep me busy during this festive period. Make sure that you come back often. 

Catching up - again

I haven't been very good at sharing projects recently. Frankly, I haven't been good at doing projects. I could come up with zillions of excuses, but I won't. Let's just say it hasn't happened.

But now I have a quiet (well-deserved) holiday period in front of me, and I will make sure I catch up both on making and sharing.

I have discovered that I never finished my grand tour of Womble Hall and that the last post was from February - that's almost a year ago! I will continue, because there is still so much to show.

I haven't shared my most recent Chippendale miniatures, although I did share them on Facebook, but without detailed comment. I have bought some interesting things too.

My plans for this holiday season is to fix all the small things in Womble Hall. Like any property, it has to be maintained. Some things need repair, some things I never got round to doing at all, some things I have since then learned to do better.

In addition, I need to have some creative chaos in the house. It looks too neat and new. Aging furniture, spilling some coffee, breaking some plates, filling sinks and bathtubs with water. Finding place for all objects I still haven't put in. I also need to fill all drawers with objects.  Hidden treasures, letters, diaries, wills... Tools, kitchen utensils, linen. That's what drawers are for.

Some dolls need new clothes.

I also plan to make things. Lots of things. So far I have mostly made things for particular projects. I have saved lots of rubbish... I mean, valuable supplies for later, and I want to make many things now, whether they fit into projects or not. Just pull out all boxes and tins and see what I can make

I want to make food. I have just bought a set of fruity nail art. Looking forward to playing with it.

So you can expect to hear from me in the near future. Meanwhile, just as a teaser, yet another Adam piece (which I will present properly soon)

Reflections from a dollhouse festival

I have lived in the UK for ten years, and I remember very well when, ten years ago, I told myself that I would now be able to go to the Kensington Dollhouse Festival. It's just an hour by train from Cambridge. But for some reason or other it never happened – until last weekend. And it only happened because I already was in London and had some spare time.

I had consulted my miniature friends on Facebook, asking for advice on how to make the most of it. The advice I received was: Go early and bring plenty of money. On the former, I had not much choice because I had something else in the morning; on the latter I asked whether credit cards were accepted, and they were. So against the advice, I arrived at Kensington Town Hall about 3pm.

I had no expectations. I had seen pictures from previous events in dollhouse magazines and on the web, but things are different in real world. I knew it was on three levels and there were hundreds of stands. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do at a dollhouse festival. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to buy anything or just look. I am easy to tempt, so I decided that I would only buy something if I fell in love with it at first glance.

I spent two hours browsing. I went around two or three times, returning to stands where I had noticed something interesting.

It was a lot like being at a book fair.

Here are my reflections as a novice dollhouse festival attendee.

Firstly, it's amazing. So many stunning, fantastic things. Most of them unique, one of a kind. Handmade. It means that mortal humans have actually made them. They have probably been doing it for decades, and they obviously have appropriate tools. And today's tools are helpful. Precision laser cutters, 3D printers. You still need your skills, and it takes years of practice, but all these wonderful things were made by passionate, imaginative, creative people. I don't have time to develop the necessary skills, so I will never be nearly as good, but I can try. In a year and a half I will be free. I will get myself a laser cutter and a 3D printer. I will make miniatures full-time and try to be as good as I can. So it was highly inspirational.

It was interesting to see the prices. I have seen fancy prices on Etsy, and since I know how much time and effort it takes to make a miniature, irrespective of the result, I am not surprised. But I do wonder what kind of people buy tremendously expensive things at a fair. Maybe you need to see them in real life, touch, feel. I did fall in love with a marquetry cabinet, but I am not yet prepared to invest half of my monthly salary in a trinket. On the other hand, why not? It's like buying expensive jewellery or art.

There were lots of things that were lovely, and I told myself: some day I will make these. Again, with some practice and with better tools. And some things I will never be able to make, like ironwork.

Miniature food was prominent; it's fun to make, and given some practice I will get good at it.

There were many 1:24 and 1:48 scale things, but I have never been particularly interested in them. There were no 1:18 scale things! It must be almost exclusively Swedish. 

There was a lot of kitch too.

There were tons of supplies: fabrics, wallpaper – tempting, but I am a recycler. I believe this is my foremost lesson from this visit: I am a recycler, and I am interested in making miniatures from rubbish rather than from expensive supplies. (I did, however, buy a piece of fabric to re-upholster a sofa I am not happy with). But it is good to know that if I need something special, it's available. 

Anyway, next time I go - which I think I will - I'll know what it is like and what to look for 

I had told myself that I wanted to buy at least one thing (fabric doesn't count). So when I saw this one thing I made up my mind quickly. Actually, I asked the seller to keep it for me for ten minutes because I needed to sit down and breathe for a while. I know it's silly to go to an artisan fair and buy an antique, but it just so happened. I am not telling you how much I paid. It's Christmas soon.

 

I didn't think it was appropriate to take pictures, although some people did. But I made lots of mental notes. One thing in particular caught my attention: Adam tables. They were either House of Miniature kits or very similar: lovely half-moon side tables with Adam pattern on tops. I don't know how that seller made the tops, but I immediately thought that I had some Adam paper left from my ceilings, and I also had a duplicate HoM kit that I could experiment with. Back home, though, I didn't want to use the kit before I knew that my idea would work. I used a cheese box for the top. The trick was to sand the edges so that wood and paper were seamless. I used decoupage technique, varnishing and sanding, then painted the edge with gold. It took me a long time to figure out how to make the base because I didn't have a suitable round piece of wood, but finally I found one when I was looking for something else. I used chopsticks for legs and even managed to cut them equally long which has always been my problem. 

 

Of course it is not good enough to be displayed at Kensington Dollhouse Festival, but I am really pleased. 

Pride and Prejudice room box, part 3

Read part 1 and part 2 of this story.

It has taken me some time to finish this room box. First I was away on holiday, then I had to do all the urgent tasks that had accumulated while I was away, and also this is gardening season rather than miniature season. But if I am to display it at our workshop, I'd rather hurry.

The next step was to make the floor, and I wanted to make something interesting that I had never made before. I spent considerable time on the web, and let me tell you, Regency floors were really boring! In the choice between period-correct but boring and not-quite-period-correct but interesting I chose the latter.

 

Since the room box is shallow, I only needed a relatively small surface. Still, it is a lot of work. I haven't kept track, but it took me several evenings, maybe ten-twelve hours of work. Mitre shears is my best friend. I stained the coffee stirrers with three different stains, also trying to emphasise the natural grain.

If you have seen my other floors, for instance, this or this or this or this, you know that I make them because I enjoy doing it. I remember a comments some time ago: "If you do this or that, it will be much quicker". But I don't want it quicker. Slow pace is the main attraction of miniature-making.

Anyway, it took the time it took.




If you look closely, I haven't done it properly since it is crooked, but most people won't notice because they will be in awe, and you won't tell, will you? The tiny corners was the most challenging part. Sanding the floor smooth took a long time. I used real teak oil rather than hobby varnish, and I like the result.

I considered wooden skirting, but decided against it: too much complicated mitring. So I used the ubiquitous wallpaper, and whatever faults there are, they will be hidden behind the furniture.

The final task was to hang the chandelier, and I am by now quite good at it. I used a scrapbooking frame once again for ceiling rose.

So, here it is. Do you think the workshop participants will be impressed?