My Dollhouse Progress

Creatin' Contest 2010

2010-12-15T22:52:00.001-08:00

The deadline for the 2010 Creatin' Contest is here and gone so I can post the pictures. I did my version of the Little Red School House. For these photos I actually remembered to change the date stamp before taking the pictures.

Be sure to read the following blog entry also as I added the finished photos of Dem Bones Mortuary.
Front view.

Inside. Notice the outhouse...it is a two holer...lol

Closer look at the inside.

Another shot of the front view. Notice the brass bell in the bell tower. Thank you Kris for that piece of the project. The bell tower would have been naked without it.

Side View.

Update on Dem Bones Mortuary

2010-12-15T22:35:00.000-08:00

In looking at the blog I noticed I hadn't updated you on Dem Bones Mortuary.
Front porch view

Front view with double doors.

Inside without the roof. Left the roof off so more light would get in for the photos.

Another view with the roof on and I guess that captured fumes and caused the assistant skeleton to keel over...lol

Finished front view with sign.

2010 Project #1 Update 1

2010-04-17T01:19:00.000-07:00

Finally time for an update...okay so past time for an update but here it is at any rate.

Note the dates on the photos aren't accurate and until I figure out how to change it on my camera and remember to change it BEFORE I take the pictures you'll just have to ignore them.
The door I have was an exterior door and to make the addition look like a real addition I decided to put clapboard on the side where the door is...it will make the door fit better also. This is the addition attached and the clapboard on the wall with the clamps holding it in place while the glue dries.
I have the inside of the main building painted...and the deck made and due to room its sitting inside at the moment. The floors in here will be tile once all the painting and trimming is completed.
Inside of the addition painted a light-mint green. The floors will be hardwood in here once the interior is completely painted and the windows and framing is done.
Another picture of the inside of the addition showing the clapboard siding.
First coat on the outside. The door appears to be floating but the deck that was in the picture above goes there.
View of the outside from the left.

View of the outside from the front.

After the antiquing has been applied.
View with the corner trim on.

The doors with the trim laying on top. The trim needs to be glued to the doors but I'm trying to get the oh so tiny hinges nailed on...I may have to glue the hinges on...the 1/8th inch...yes I did say 1/8th inch nails, my semi-poor eyesight, and my fat fingers don't work well together.

That's if for now. Enjoy:)

2010 Project #3

2010-04-04T00:50:00.001-07:00

Be sure to check out the "Older Posts" as I've added info on 2010 Projects #1 and #2 as well.

Project #3 is the Spring Fling 2010 kit shown below. We can do it with or without the optional addition and again we can make it into anything we want. I like it with the addition so I'm showing the pictures with the addition. Check out the Greenleaf website at http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com for complete information on the Spring Fling 2010 contest and wonderful kits, accessories, and miniaturist's galleries.

Since this has to be completed by May 31, 2010, this project has been pushed up to number one in order of completion...at least I don't have to have "actual" photos...lol

Started with the main section...you can see the Lighthouse in the background. Had it all glued together when I realized I hadn't cut an opening in the side for a door to go to the addition...silly me.

Got it cut out...even though it WAS all glued together and would have been a heck of a lot easier with a flat wall. If I do say so myself I think it looks rather nice!

Another shot of the door from the inside...yea I am pretty proud of it. I just have to figure what I'm going to do with the width difference of the door jam and the thin walls but I'll think of something. Figure I'd make the addition and think about the width deal later...I can always put siding on the main wall and it would be like a real addition had been done.
Since there wasn't much room where I was working I opted to put the addition together on another table. Things are going well...until...

...I make room for the addition and discover the floors don't line up and my beautiful door isn't so beautiful anymore...lol On the bright side it really IS going to be like a true addition now.

Just another picture of the beautiful mistake I made of the door...still think I did a good job on it...lol Then I called my friend, the one that's getting the lighthouse, to tell her of my ordeal and after a good laugh she said she wanted pictures. Well, here they are.

2010 Project #1

2010-04-04T00:38:00.000-07:00

This year the contest is to take the following kit and make it into something by December 15, 2010. I'm going to make it into a one-room Little Red School House. I have the exterior painted red but don't have any pictures of it and it has been put on hold due to other projects.

2010 Project#2

2010-04-04T00:08:00.000-07:00

Project #2 is a Lighthouse and a Keeper's house for a friend of mine for her birthday in March. On her birthday, I asked her if she just wanted the kit(s) or if she wanted me to put them together. She opted for having me put them together but I told her that meant she had to tell me what colors she wanted inside and out. She wanted red, white, and black and bare on the inside. It is 1/2" scale so half the size I'm used to working with.
The back side of Keeper's house before the shingles were on.
The front side with half the itsy bitsy shingles done.

The front view of the completed...well almost completed Keeper's house...it needs a front door knob.

The back side without the ladder to the second floor. It goes where the notch is on the left...and looks just like the one in Project #1.

This is how far the lighthouse part is.

December 2009 Contest

2010-04-03T23:31:00.000-07:00

Just to update the blog since last time. I got an honorable mention (and a $50.00 gift certificate) for the Strip Wood Contest...the Conservatory.

After that, I did the HBS contest that started with the following kit.

We could make it into anything we wanted...just like the Red Door Mill that I did earlier. I chose to make it into a Cleopatra scene.

We had to send in photos by December 15, 2009. Unfortunately I didn't read the instructions closely enough and they wanted...get this...ACTUAL photos...not email attachments...go figure. So I didn't get to enter this contest but I DID learn a valuable lesson. I know I should have learned it a LONG time ago but hey chalk it up to I'm entering my second childhood...lol

Strip Wood Contest

2009-10-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

Hello folks. No I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I just reviewed the last time I updated this and it was in July!!!! It is now October and haven't clued you in on my progress...or lack thereof.

The first thing that stopped my progress was the Washington summer. You know that when SeaTac registers 108 degrees it is down right miserable for people like me who start to wilt above 75! I basically hibernated in my bedroom with the a/c blasting which made life tolerable but not conducive to working on my minis.

The second thing that stopped my progress was I got stuck. I couldn't figure out how to get the next section to look like the original photo. I pondered and tried different things and it just didn't want to go together. September 30th was drawing closer and closer and closer...that was the date I needed to submit my photos for the contest...and the project just wasn't going anywhere. Then I decided I didn't really HAVE to finish the project the way it showed in the original. The contest wasn't to make a copy of a real building, it was to make something without using a kit.

I had gotten a little further than the last photo I showed you in July but I didn't remember to take a picture of it before I ripped it off...sorry. So although it isn't like the original photo, I did get a roof on it. The following four pictures are the ones I sent into the contest. I also sent one of the ones during the construction phase as they requested but I can't remember which one I sent so that isn't included here.

Since I wasn't finished with the project I tried to make it look like the area was a construction site.

Shows some of the terracotta planters and garden gnomes that will go inside and around the building.

The back view. I'm hoping they won't notice that the back hasn't been grouted yet or realizes that it is still under construction...lol.

Here the workers are looking over the blue prints trying to figure out what's next. You can't really tell from the photos but the grey floor is actually miniature gravel.

So there you have it. I've actually gotten a little further on this since these were taken. I've started to put on the clear plastic that represents the glass. I have photos but will share those with you in the future. Hope this finds everyone well and I'll try to update this more often now that the weather has gotten to respectable levels...lol

The Rafters Are Up!!!!!

2009-07-09T22:19:00.001-07:00

Front view with the rafters all glued and ready for paint.

Right side view.

View from the back with the rafters painted. The square inside is the next level up all painted.

Left side view.

Front view.

It is coming along but sure is a lot of work. Learning quite a few tips on what I would do differently too. I would have put it all together before putting on the stones and then probably spray painted instead of brush painted everything and then did the stones. The stones made the wood warp and though the pictures don't really show it too much it isn't quite square. I measured twice and cut once (sometimes several times) and it still didn't come out as square as I would have liked it...trying to let go with some of my perfectionism isn't easy but I'm working on it. But because it isn't all square it meant each rafter piece had to be measured, cut and sanded to fit...not mass produced like it would have been in real life. Dad never would have built a building so out of square and mom would have said that's what lets the devil out. I'm going with mom's philosophy on this one...lol Just noticed that the date has the day-month-year notation rather than the month-day-year. I'll have to fix that on the camera. A photographer I'm not. Until next time...take care all.

All Connected

2009-07-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

Instead of working on the rafters I decided to put everything together. I was going to make the front opening the size of the doors but then I wouldn't have a good square to make the main room on up to the top. Now I have to figure out what to do with the gap between the door and the walls but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I am going to hinge the back so that I can reach in and arrange and rearrange the inside.

View from the back. I'll have plenty of room to get inside with this size of an opening.

The door comes in a frame and is currently just sitting there. As you can see I'll have to do a better job of centering as well as figure out some way of filling in the space between the posts and the doors.

View from the front with all the beams painted.

View from the front with the beams for the rafters glued in place and drying. I want to give them a good chance to dry before I start messing with them to measure the rafters. Figured I'd update you all while it is drying...besides my AC is in where the puter is (it got warm today) and the game is over (Mariners beat the Red Sox 7 to 6 in 11 innings.) Have a Happy Fourth of July all. I'll be home trying to keep Nannuk off my head while the fireworks go off.

Dry Fit of Roof Section

2009-06-28T16:40:00.001-07:00

As the title states here are pictures of my first attempt at creating the roof over the left wing section. Dry fit means I haven't glued anything in place yet. LOL...you can see in the first picture's background I was watching the Mariners beat the Dodgers (at Dodgers Stadium I might add) as I was working on this. I tried making the rafters but found I couldn't get a good measurement of the angles in the dry fit stage. I'll begin to glue things in place and then I can make the rafters so they will fit snug against the beam. More later.

Walls Are Up

2009-06-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

The stones have been mortared and the posts that go from ground to roof are glued in. I have the project sitting on waxed paper so that if any glue leaks from putting in the corner posts it won't glue to the board. I haven't figured out yet how I want to do the back because I'll want to have some sort of access for my hands to get in and arrange things. Not sure if I want to hinge it somehow and if so where...or make the panel removable or just what I want to do. I also haven't made it because I wanted to see how the door I've chosen will fit and if I want to make it bigger or smaller than the original plans.
View from the front.

I painted the french doors. They aren't glued in place yet but I was anxious to see what they looked like. The windows are full length and one piece so I can remove the squares and have clear glass or I can do a water decal and have a design on the windows. Haven't decided yet and may put up some different options and see what you guys think. I'm also thinking I want to have a bigger base (or add to this one) so that I can have a path leading up to the doors instead of practically being on the edge. Glad I have until September....lol still a lot to figure out and do. Next thing I'm going to tackle is the roof over each wing of the building. We'll see how creative I can be to make it resemble the real life picture I'm trying to copy...lol Until next time, hope this finds everyone well.

Stones Glued On

2009-06-14T23:10:00.000-07:00

The jigsaw puzzle is done. I've also sealed them with the Polyacrylic so the walls are ready for mortar anytime after tomorrow. The Polyacrylic has to dry for 24 hours before the mortar goes on. I also sanded and repainted the corner posts and cut, painted, and sanded the corner posts that don't go from ground to roof. They are in the foreground with the chandelier leaning against them.

Here is a close-up of the chandelier I'm planning to put in the top section. We'll see if I can figure out how to build around it and hide the wiring...the fun continues. Hope this finds everyone well...more later.

Conservatory Stone Walls

2009-06-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

Not a lot to show for progress but what the pictures don't show is that I sanded all the pieces and repainted them. I've started to apply the "stones" to the walls. It is like putting a jigsaw puzzle together without having the help of seeing what the final picture should look like.
I have two sections of the walls glued with the "stones". I'll need to apply the Polyacrylic to seal them as the "stones" are made from high density casting plaster. I have to let that dry overnight and then I can put in the mortar. What you see in the pictures as brown will be filled in with gray mortar. I only painted a bit of the background to make sure I had a good coverage on the rails but no need to waste time or paint on an area that will be covered anyway. Getting all the walls to this stage will take a lot of time so this will probably be the last post for at least a week...maybe two.

Walls Are Together

2009-06-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

More work done on the conservatory. I had two of the side walls completed and then realized there should be a post down the middle so had to tear them apart and make them into L-shaped components.
The M-shaped looked good but wasn't according to the plans.

Torn apart, remade and set up in the shape they will be placed. Next step is to paint them.

Side view of the same. I don't want to glue the posts in until I have the rock glued onto the wood. It will be easier to glue on the stones if I can lay them down.

Got them all painted...at least the first coat. I plan to sand, spackle any booboos and repaint before glueing on the rock. This is actually the view of the interior. The other side will have the rock on it. So that's what I have so far. Will keep you updated.

Next Project

2009-05-31T19:05:00.000-07:00

No I don't know the results yet of how The Red Door Flour Mill has done but it is onto the next project. This one is through Miniatures.com and it is call the Strip Wood Contest. No kits allowed. You are limited only to your imagination. Strip wood basically means you start with miniature lumber and build something with it.
Here is a picture of some of the possible strip wood you can use. They come in all different thicknesses (1/8", 3/16", 1/4", or 3/8"), widths (1/8" up to 6") and 24" in length.

This is what one person made with strip wood to model for the contest. They call it a Day House and they give you the measurements, lumber list, and instructions on how they made it.

At first I thought there was no way I could come up with something from scratch. Then I thought maybe I could take those instructions and build a greenhouse instead of a cabin. Substitute glass (acrylic) for the walls and walla. I could fashion it after the actual greenhouse we have at work that we call the 'Little g' and make a 'Mini g.' I was surfing the net and figured hey maybe there are plans for making a greenhouse that might not be as complex as the Day House they have as the example. I found The Victorian Conservatory shown below.
I saw this and fell in love with it. I figured it would be a great addition to my Garfield (if I ever get that built). The plans are for a 32' side to side and 24' front to back. Being I like to work in 1:12 scale that would be 32" by 24" which is a bit too big for me. The Garfield is only 41 1/2" W x 40" H x 30 1/2" D and I wanted it to compliment the house not outshine it. So the first order of business was to draw up a scaled down version. Mine will be 22" side to side and 16" front to back.
Here you can see the stack of wood I've cut for the walls, the bowl of stones I will glue to the wood for the wall base, I've painted the posts (laying in the middle), and have the foundation laid out.

I've started the wall and while the glue is drying I came in here to update you. I'll try to remember to take more pictures as I build this. We have to submit one picture during the building process to show that it actually IS made from strip wood and not some modified kit. Back to work. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

The Red Door Flour Mill

2009-05-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

For those of you wondering where I've been and what I've been up to it is called Greenleaf's Spring Fling Contest. The picture of the "Roof Options" is the kit we had to start with. We could make the kit into anything we thought up. I chose the standard roof option and went from there.

To make the container where the "grinding stones" would be I cut "Skinny Sticks" to size, taped them together and then glued it around an oatmeal container I cut down to size. Then I painted it and put a lid on it.

Here it is put together and painted. I did this while I was waiting for the actual kit to arrive.

Here is the kit put together and on its brick base. The bricks still need the mortar at this point but they are glued in place ready for the mortar. It was quite a process and very time consuming to glue all those itsy bitsy bricks to the wood making sure the spacing was right and that they were somewhat straight.

Another angle of the project. You can see from the side where I have added the board and baton siding and where I haven't. From there I went full steam into bringing my ideas to completion and I neglected to take pictures as I went. But the following three pictures are the ones I submitted as my entry.

The front view.

The front and wheel side view.

The interior.

There are a lot of great entries so I don't expect to win but for my first completed miniature project I'm pretty pleased with myself. The results of the contest will be announced the first week of June. Wish me luck.

Now it is onto the Miniatures.com Strip Wood contest. It is due September 30th so I'll be working on that from now until then.

Chrysnbon Cane Seat Chair

2009-02-22T23:09:00.000-08:00

Some kits are made of wood like the trestle table and some are plastic and then you paint or stain them. The following is a Chrysnbon Cane Seat Chair. I thought I'd show you how it comes and then the next picture after it is painted and glued together. This chair will go by the roll-top desk in the bus.

The instructions said to paint/stain all parts before assembly and "Leave the smaller parts on plastic 'trees' for easier handling." Now everything 1:12 scale to me, at my age, and with my eyes???? EVERYTHING is small. I painted them all on the trees and then took a knife, cut them off and glued them together. Then all I had to do was minor touch ups where the pieces were attached to the trees.
So this is how it comes and....

this is painted and glued together. One nice thing about taking pictures of everything...it really shows up the flaws so I can then touch it up. I don't usually take another picture after touch up I just leave it to your imagination. However, this time I did because I didn't like how the seat turned out. Though you can't really see it in the pictures the seat looks like caning and so I felt it needed to be the color of caning too. I think I like this better.

Another Hutch from Michael's

2009-02-22T17:20:00.000-08:00

I've been gluing. sanding, painting and varnishing items for the bus. Last time I showed you the hutch I'm planning to use in the bathroom. This time I have the kitchen hutch I'm using for the pantry and the trestle table and benches I'm using for the kitchen/dining table.

I used the same decal on this hutch as the one in the bathroom. I took the decorative piece of wood off the top, glued it in front of the bottom shelf because we all know a vehicle in motion needs shelves with something to keep the items from falling to the floor. I'm planning on getting some small wooden skewers to put in front of the upper two shelves for the same purpose and the small shelf (which was a faux drawer) I think I'll put linens in there.

This came as a kit of 26 pieces that had to be put together and then painted. I was rather impressed with the construction of this piece. The legs of the table are put together with dowels. Not sure if or how I'm going to add padding to the benches but we'll see.

Just another view.

Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round

2009-02-15T16:39:00.001-08:00

In my last post I said I'd been painting wheels. Then I got the bright idea to put lettering on the wheels. Love those water decals. Well sort of. I printed them out, cut them to shape, put them in water, took the decals off and had I thought about it I would have realized...the white isn't printed on the paper...it IS the paper so all I got was the black around the letters. Had a good laugh over THAT one. Though it doesn't look as good as if it were the decals, I printed them off on regular paper and just glued them on.

This is one layer. The wheels are actually four layers thick.

This is the side view of a "full tire."

Then I took one of the Michael's hutches I bought unfinished for a buck and painted it and added the flowers on the top using a water decal. I will fill it with towels and toiletries as it is for the bathroom in the bus.

Happy Valentines Day Everyone

2009-02-14T17:40:00.001-08:00

I've been busy painting wheels and seeing what else I can get my hands into. I decided to try my hand at making some of the water decals. Since a big part of the exterior will be water decals I figured I'd better see if it works as described...lol I went to the Washington State Licensing page to see if I could make miniature license plates for the bus. I found one but it I didn't want "MY NAME" on the plate like it shows in this photo.

So I saved it to the paint program and got it to where it was blank.

Then I printed it on the water decal paper. It was still a little too big so I literally cut and pasted it onto the little license plates included with the kit, added WOLF, and here is the result.

My photography skills could still use improvement but I'm happy with how the plates turned out. They look better in RL then in the photo but I think you...pun intended...get the picture.

Bus Progress

2009-02-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

Went out to dinner for my birthday and got the common question of, "how's the progress on the house coming?" It has been a while since I've updated you on my progress. Partly because there really isn't much progress that shows. I've finally sanded and painted (several times) to where the side of the bus is smooth enough...I think.

When I first joined the Greenleaf forum...a forum for miniaturists by the company that makes the kits...I read several places where people said either that "their house talked to them and told them [the people] what they [the kit] wanted" or suggested to people to listen to what the house tells them.

Now everyone here knows I'm in the mental health field so I immediately thought that some of the people were just plain crazy and that if a kit started talking to me I'd schedule a bed for myself at work. Well thank goodness we are at full capacity and don't have any beds available cause though the kit didn't actually LITERALLY talk to me I got this nagging feeling about the color of the bus. I tried to shake it, I tried to think of other colors but it seemed like it (the bus) wanted to be baby blue. Now I like blue...but baby blue???? For a bus??? I guess with the wolves being grey and not really much of the bus color will be showing...it might work. Either that or I really am going nuts and this is just the first stage. (I can see all the knowing nods as you are reading this...lol)

Well, baby blue it is...for now.

Then what held me up is as I started looking at the bus and how I sunk the floor so people (yes I know they aren't real...in case you were wondering) could walk...it put the driver up to where he would have to duck to look out the front windshield...not a safe way to drive a bus. So I had to figure out a way for the driver to have some leg room.

So cutting and gluing, painting and sanding and he now has room (although a bit cramped) for his legs.

The underside of the bus is now painted black.

You can also see the gazebo in the background. It is almost all finished with the base coat. I found some marble online that I think I can print off onto water decals for the floor of the gazebo and then the plan is to paint it gold and black and have a cleopatra scene with a leopard etc. for the contest in December 2009.

So, that's where things are at at this time. Having a blast and making progress although slow.

Camera Skills Improving

2009-01-01T18:20:00.000-08:00

I'm really excited. As I said in my last post I tried to take a picture of the birthday cakes my sister sent and I couldn't get them in focus. That concerned me a great deal because for any of the contests I might enter they rely solely on pictures and if I can't get them in focus to show the detail I'm sunk. So I decided I needed a new camera. I surfed the Internet looking at different cameras and seeing what other miniature artists were using and found one I could get for right around $149.99. Although that isn't out of reach I really didn't want to pay for another camera. Then I went to Kodak and looked up the camera I have to see if it was the operator's fault and it turns out it was. I know I know this information just shocks and stuns people right? lol I tried out the suggestions of miniature photographers and though I can't seem to set the aperture to 8 I got it to 7.1 and below are the results.
Sorry for the shadow but hey at least you can see the cakes. Each time hopefully my skills will improve!!!!!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T19:10:00.000-08:00

Tis the night after Christmas and all through the house not even a creature is stirring...well except for the dogs.

The night before my birthday I got hit with a chest cold. I haven't been that sick in a good fifteen years or so. Knocked me on my butt. I still get complaints I sound like an old salty truck driver when people talk to me on the phone. Though the cough and raspy voice remain I feel 100% better than I sound. Needless to say I haven't done much physical work on the bus. I have been surfing the net and getting ideas and pictures of what I want to include so I have made progress just not any that you can see.

I've showered myself with several Birthday and Christmas presents but with the inclement weather "Santa" (UPS) hasn't delivered yet. My sister did send me two birthday cakes in 1:12 scale. I tried to get a picture of them but my camera skills or maybe my camera doesn't do them justice. If they are in focus you can't see the detail and if I get close enough to see the detail they aren't in focus anymore. So you'll just have to believe me that they are really cute.

When I last did any physical work on the bus I had sanded, puttied, sanded, painted, sanded, reputtied, sanded and repainted the outside of the bus. Because I don't want it to look like painted wood I was a bit disappointed at the end result. I want it smooth as a babies bottom and it looks more like a baby that had a major acne problem at one time. With each step it is getting smoother but I don't have a lot of progress to show everyone. This time I used Spackle to see if that makes a difference and while it is drying I'm writing this post. From the initial look of it I think this is going to be the ticket. I don't think the wood putty could get into the fine parts I'm trying to smooth out. It did great on the big parts but we'll see.

That's it for now. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and I hope and pray that everyone has a great 2009!!!!

Bus Progress

2008-12-07T21:35:00.000-08:00

Well I've puttied, sanded, painted, and sanded again the five main pieces to the first floor of the bus. Of course each step takes time in between to thoroughly dry so it may not look like a lot of progress but it really is. After all this is a hobby and not something I want to rush just to finish. I am looking forward to seeing if the finished product looks anything remotely close to the picture I have in my head of how I WANT it to look...lol.
The inside floor section (right) and the driver's side wall section (left).

The underside of the floor section.

The passenger side, front, and rear of bus. And yes, I am a messy painter...that's why the cardboard covers the table:)

That's it for now...later all.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving All

2008-11-30T22:13:00.000-08:00

I have three floating holidays I have to take before the end of the year (or lose them) so decided I'd take one the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, have Thanksgiving and the day after (regular holidays), Saturday and Sunday (regular days off), and take another floating holiday Monday which is tomorrow and that would give me a week off and not even have to dip into vacation hours. Needless to say I have been working on my bus project.

First of all, to make it a double-decker the overall height can only be 14"...equalling 14' in real life. Actually it was quite interesting. I was surfing the net to find out what a typical double-decker bus was and found out on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Transit the following:

"Community Transit put a double-decker bus into service on August 1, 2007. An Alexander Dennis Enviro500 manufactured by Alexander Dennis Limited, it will be used on commuter routes between Seattle and various points in Snohomish County during its first year in operation. Community Transit is one of three transit agencies that operate double-decker buses in the United States for non-sightseeing purposes, the others being Unitrans of Davis, California and Citizens Area Transit of Las Vegas, Nevada (which operates the "Deuce").
Community Transit has since then ordered 23 additional buses to reduce congestion within the Snohomish County-Seattle Interstate 5 corridor. The first of these 23 will be delivered sometime around 2010."

So I am right in step with progress around here.

Doing some more surfing I found out the overall height was 14' thereby making my miniature needing to be 14". So the kit if made according to the instructions would measure 11 3/8" so I have to do what the miniaturist community calls "bashing." Bashing just means taking a kit and modifying it to make it work for the purpose you want to use it for. I figure I need at least 7" for the first floor and 6 1/2" for the living quarters...I know for my relatives that sounds awful short but not everyone is 6' or over in this world...lol They should be sitting when it is moving and they'll just have to deal with the lower ceiling.

To accomplish this I lowered the first floor. Quite the undertaking I might add but it gained me 1 5/8" that I didn't have before. Measuring and then cutting 30" lengths four times (okay 6 before I was done) took quite a bit of time. Thanksgiving day I cut the floor apart into three pieces using my hands to stabilize the wood...not very effectively I might add. As much I as didn't want to venture out on Black Friday, I found I could order online from Lowe's and they'd have it ready for me to pick up at the customer service desk. I was in and out in 10 minutes. I got a set of 15 clamps ranging in size from 2"-18" for under $20.00. Well worth the dough and saving wear and tear on the ole muscles. This allowed me to make the other 2 cuts with relative ease. Go to glue it together only to find out I hadn't allowed room for the axles and had to recut the two vertical pieces about 1/8" off...least with the clamps it wasn't that difficult but time consuming...lol Below is the glued, puttied, sanded and ready to paint results of my efforts.
The three sections were the original floor. I had to cut that apart and then with the extra wood that surrounds the pieces I was able to get the two vertical pieces that actually drops the floor.

Here is a side view with the driver seat just sitting there to add something different to the photo...lol You can see the wheel support...the cut away section is where the door will be. You can also see the dashboard and wheel. They look purple in the photo but are actually a deep blue. I found a picture of a speedometer, gas and oil gauge online that I can cut out and paste to the dashboard and it was a deep blue so this will match it nicely.

The first floor I don't want the windows because there will be displays against that wall and for whatever reason I felt the bus sides should be reversed. I want the closed side out to the traffic so to speak and the open side towards the side of the road. That required cutting the two sides apart and gluing them back together so that the drivers window and the solid side are one and the door and open side are the other. (If you are confused look at the last post with the pictures of the bus put together and I think you'll know what I'm talking about...if not...wait until the bus is done...lol)
Instead of punching out the windows I put wood putty in the cuts and puttied where the driver's window meets the solid side section.

It may not seem like I got very far but you have to realize that every glue step takes 30 minutes to dry and if I don't just leave it I tend to fidget with it and mess it up so best just to glue and go play Pogo...lol It also takes the wood putty 2 hours to dry to where you can sand it...that was enough time for a nap! It is the holidays after all. Well that's the progress and here's hoping everyone had a good Thanksgiving.

Update

2008-11-15T02:19:00.000-08:00

Several people have asked me..."How's construction going?" And my pat answer has been, "It's going." A couple of things have come up.

1. I was waiting for an order to come in with my outlets and eyelets for outlets because I needed those before I could properly measure the wainscoting.

2. Order arrived but now I can't find the piece of wainscoting I painted for the living room because things are so disorganized. So construction stopped organization started.

3. Weather turned cold and the second bedroom - the construction zone had stuff piled in front of the heater so needed to clear that so I could be comfy.

4. Bought two cheap utility type shelves to store the "stuff from in front of the heater" on and another work table.

5. I belong to the Greenleaf blog which is all about miniatures and they were encouraging me to start work on my Garfield. What? Start another house before the other one is finished? Most people on the blog have several going at once so that argument went right out the window.
6. One thing I didn't do with the first house was to make a template of everything. (I was too excited to get to work on it to do that boring step...well now I wish I had.) So I'm doing the Garfield right by making templates. Something that takes a lot of time but doesn't really need pictures to show what I'm doing...it is punching out the pieces and tracing around them on poster board...real exciting stuff...lol

7. Then I get an email from the business I bought my kit from. They have contests throughout the year and the next one is going to be, "Get on the Bus." The email included a discount of 50% off on the bus. (Shown below)

Now their contests have some great prizes such as $1000.00 gift certificate at their online store. And generally all entrants get some kind of thank you for entering type prize. Well 50% off and a chance to win how could I pass that up???? So my focus has now changed to thinking about what I can do with the bus.

Began surfing the net for ideas, asked my co-workers and friends and came up with making a miniature mobile classroom. For those who have been to my office you would know I love wolves. I have a bulletin board plastered with all kinds of pictures of wolves. I have a plaque of a wolf, my calendar is of wolves, I have coffee mugs with wolves...basically I collect wolves! So one of my staff (thanks Tim) suggested doing a mobile classroom devoted to the education of wolves. BINGO!!!!!

I'm thinking of making it a double-decker and having the living quarters on the top and the classroom on the first level. So how big is this project? The bus measures 30"W x 11 3/8"H x 9 1/4"D so it is no small structure especially making it a double-decker!!!!! But what fun! I have the capability of making water decals on my printer so figured I can get pictures off the net, put them on decals and the bus will have a custom paint job really easy.

Well that's what I've been up too along with work which has been extremely busy...with several 12 hour days. I swear I should have taken some law classes with investigations, documentation and dealing with lawyers, police, fire department etc. Hate it when real life interferes with my working on my miniatures...lol But the job pays for the fun of working on my mini's so guess I'd best keep it a while longer;) Until next time...

2008-10-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

Guess its time for an update. It seems I've been working on the house a lot but not much to show for my efforts. Since it has been a while though I thought I'd give you an update anyway.

I have everything punched out of the packaging boards and all the pieces are in gallon sized zip lock baggies. The only thing left in the box is the sheets of shingles.

I am very lucky that I have my second bedroom devoted to working on this project so I don't have to pull it out, work on it, and put it away when I'm done. I can just leave as is and close the door. This is really helpful because you need to let the glue dry good before moving on to the next step and you can't always get back to it the same day. I can work on it in 15 minute increments if that is all the time I have.
One thing that has taken a while is measuring the roof for the shingles. It is much easier to do when it isn't on the house but I needed to make sure they all met right at the joints so it will be one fluid line...at least that's the plan...lol
Then because the underside of the roof will be the second floor's ceiling I gave it a coat of paint, sanded it, painted it, sanded it, puttied the imperfections, sanded and painted it again. I now have a nice smooth well-coated ceiling for the second floor.
I also got the rounded tops of the windows cut out of the siding. I tried to do it with a jeweler's jigsaw and broke the blade twice and hadn't gotten very far so took the exact-o knife and worked painstakingly around the tops of the windows. Glad it wasn't glued onto the house so I could work on it on a flat surface.

As you can see to the right of the peak above the porch - there is a gap between the first floor wall and the ceiling. This meant I had to put on the roof before I added wallpaper to either the kitchen or the big room.
Showing the windows cut out of the kitchen bay and the second floor. I then removed all the siding, marked on the back where it came off the house and it is in a baggie now too.
House without siding and the main part of the roof in place.
The back of the roof now is in place with the finials on the ends and middle...blame the photographer for not getting a good picture of the top of the roof where the finials are...okay so I can build the house but not great at photography...yet:) I would have gone back in and gotten a better photo but I have it all taped up after gluing the roof to the house better. So you'll just have to wait:)

Tapewire Completed

2008-09-29T21:57:00.001-07:00

After the floor was done I started working on wiring. It was amazingly easy. The hardest part for me was to get the back off the tapewire. It was like peeling off sticky labels where they don't give you an edge to grab. The next hardest part was working with the 1/8" brads.
It is hard to see but about a 1/2" in front of the plyers is one of the brads that are required at every junction of the tapewire. I was surprised though that I didn't lose more or have more difficulty putting them in.
Everywhere you see the pink/purple tapewire I can have a light or outlet.
Every time I completed a new junction I used the test light that comes with the kit to make sure the junction I created worked. It was a bit tedious but better to test as you go and make sure the electricity travels to the new tape then get all done and not know where the problem is. Now I can start the wallpaper, beadboard, trim, molding, painting and a whole host of other things...lol

Doing the Happy Dance

2008-09-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a lot of measuring, cutting, dry fitting, gluing and I'm actually pleased with the results. It has taken a lot of time but it was worth the slow methodical process. My mom always said that "mistakes [in any project] lets the devil out." Let there be no doubt in anyone's mind...the devil has a LOT of escape routes...lol I have tried to hide them the best I can - she's pretty square but the planks weren't always the flattest or most square so I had to do some creative carpentry to make it come out looking the way I wanted.
Floor over half way done.
Floor completely glued in!!! Doing the happy dance. This is how it looked before the paste wax was applied.
Ends all trimmed and paste wax applied and buffed. The wax filled in a few gaps and gave it a richer tone and nicer shine. Between this picture and the one above you can really see the difference the wax makes.
View from the back.

Steady as She Goes

2008-09-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

Progress on the house is slow but steady. I'm working on the hardwood floor in the living room. It requires measuring and cutting and I'm able to use a scissors to do it but the piece I'm cutting off usually flies off into the bowels of the room never to be seen again. So I, in all my wisdom, figured well stupid, hang onto BOTH pieces when you cut then it won't go flying. Well although I was left with both pieces I also took a 1/2" x 1/8" hunk of flesh out of the inside of my finger. Now I KNOW why miniaturists say an important tool in one's toolbox are band-aids...lol
Here is another picture of the window seat this time with the beadboard painted and the baseboard setting up against it just to see what it will look like...lol
The other reason progress is slow is because I'm gluing in the hardwood flooring. I'm using what is called Skinny Sticks which are craft sticks similar to popsicle sticks but are only 1/4" wide. I want them to be in next to each other really tight so I have to glue a few, tape them in place, then wait 30 minutes while the glue dries.

I was concerned at first that I might not be using enough glue, that the glue wouldn't hold or the boards would warp but they are holding just fine. In fact, when I had to take one "plank" up because the tape hadn't held and it moved I had a somewhat difficult time getting it off the floor. So, although I could and did remove it, they aren't coming up without prying so I'm happy about that.

2008-09-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

Surprise!!!!! More progress so more photos. I also cleaned up the construction zone a bit. With all the clapboarding there were pieces of wood all over the place.

More of the clapboard siding on the house.

A look at the kitchen furnishings. Its hard to tell but there is a sink, stove, refrigerator and cabinet. The flooring still isn't glued in but I had to see what it might look like and I can always change it.
Well the wallpaper doesn't show up real well but I'm trying to decide on the color of the bead board and trim. I'm thinking I'll go with this color and then accent with the color in the next photo.
I like the looks of the bead board here but with all the trim this color I think it will be way too much. I've been reading on colors and trim and they say the more muted colors are more historic/period colors.
I built a window seat in the front bay. Mostly because I didn't want to have to work the flooring into all those angles and it was a good way to use some of the scrap wood...lol It took forever to get the angles on the window seat to where I was happy with it let alone figuring out the floor. It still needs padding and trim but this is the basic.

2008-09-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

So I know it has been a while since I've updated this so I figured it was about time. I have remembered to at least take pictures...hope that counts for something...lol

Basically I haven't done much more than the last picture shows...just a bit more of the clapboard siding. Measuring and fitting the clapboard has taken a long time but I'm happy with the results. The siding is just taped in place at this time.

I've been in the planning stage most of this last week to two weeks. Making schematics of the house so I can plan the wiring, outlets, lighting and how I'm going to hide what I don't want seen. I also decided NOT to go with the battery lights I got. They weren't the ones I thought they were and would take a lot of rewiring and I just said to heck with it and got an official tapewire kit. I can use them on the outside for Christmas lights or something so they won't be wasted.
The trim on the bay windows and front porch glued and "clamped" in place.

Front view of the same.

First bit of clapboard on the side of the house. If your eyes are good you can also see the door knobs laying on the living room floor...lol

Front with clapboard taped in place. I still need to cut out the upper window but I needed to get a jeweler's jig saw because it has a rounded top. I was also trying out colors for the porch. The color is more green than what it shows in this photo and I want it more grey so though the color will be similar it won't be this exact color.

Porch and side view. Again I was trying out colors and I've decided against these but might be similar just a different hue...although it depends on my mood when I get to it I guess...lol Well that's it for now...enjoy the eye candy and be back later.

2008-09-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

Well this weekend has produced some progress.
I glued on the back walls and have them all taped waiting for the glue to dry. Love that painter's tape...it works great to "clamp" things while the glue dries.
It looks so nice when the tape comes off too...lol Still need to putty and resand but the walls are on.
Then I put on the front porch posts...quite the undertaking too. All glued and "clamped."

Sanded the next two steps and they are ready to paint.

Here they are painted. Once they completely dry I'll sand them and attached them to the house. What you see here are the front supports (the six straight pieces, the front bay/porch trim (the largest piece) and the kitchen bay trim (the C looking piece).

Here is the front porch posts all unclamped but still needs putty and resanding. But its coming along and I can't wait to get to the decorating part. Still need to think about where I want the lights to go and how I'm going to make fixtures and shades for them. I got a cheap battery operated set that I won't be able to use the fixtures and shades made for dollhouses so I'm going to have to create my own...but that's part of the fun too! More later folks...enjoy.

Starting to look like a real house!

2008-09-03T23:21:00.000-07:00

Well I've been having a lot of fun but forgetting/neglecting to chart my progress so here it is. I think I finally have the camera/computer thing figured out...at least it was much easier this time so I'll try to keep you up to date with my progress. I don't get a lot of time to work on this during the week due to work but my weekends I can put some good time into her.

Kitchen bay window is puttied and ready for sanding.

View of the kitchen and of the mess I make with painting...lol I did put a few of the furniture pieces together. They still need to be puttied, sanded and painted but curiousity was getting the best of me and I had to see how they will fit in.

Laying down the planks (skinny sticks) to see what having a hardwood floor might look like. The planks won't be glued in for quite awhile but wanted to see what it could look like. Not sure if I will leave them natural color or stain them.

Full floor view I think I'm going to like the hardwood floor look. I have to decide where the lighting is going to be and what I'm going to do to the walls before I glue in the floor so I can hide any wiring or mess I might make painting the walls. So there you have it. More later.

Kitchen Floor

2008-08-28T18:38:00.000-07:00

Kitchen Floor

I got the front bay window in and now I need to start thinking of how she's gonna look on the inside. I'm trying different things so this picture of the kitchen floor is just paper layed down. It isn't glued or anything. Sorta trying it on and see how I like it.

One nice thing about the black and white tile look...I know she's square!!!

Frustrated With Technology

2008-08-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

From the Back (dry fit)

From the Front (dry fit)

From the Front with Second Floor in Place (glued and "clamped")

Tried for several hours to get the three pictures from my camera to my computer. But alas I have given up the fight so no pictures today. I am just too technicologically challenged. It was so easy yesterday I don't know what the problem is but I can't deal with it any more. I'll just have to tell you what I've accomplished. (Before posting I thought I'd give it one more try and well you can see I did indeed succeed!!!!!!!!)

I resanded everything that I'd painted. Wow what a differance that makes in the feel of the house. Then I dry fitted the pieces together. They fit (some more snuggly than others) so glued everything and clamped (taped-with painter's tape) them together until the glue sets. It is actually starting to look like a house!

Sanded and painted the front bay window and porch roof (front bay and porch roof are one piece). Let that dry overnight and I can sand and glue it the next time I get to work on it which hopefully will be tomorrow but we'll see.

2008-08-24T14:48:00.000-07:00

So now that you know what the finished product should look like here is the start of the actual construction. Pieces were sanded and ready to paint.

Pieces needing to be painted.

Second floor and walls after first coat.

First floor

Left and right walls back.

Now they need a good 24 hours to dry before any assembly so more tomorrow.

They've Arrived!!!

2008-08-23T03:07:00.000-07:00

Well, had to change the heading from Garfield Progress to Dollhouse Progress because I am now the proud owner of two dollhouse kits and have a third one on the way. I have been reading the Greenleaf member blogs and it occurred to me that I need to kitbash (remodel) the Garfield or I'll never get it out of my second bedroom. That prompted me to get a smaller project The Coventry Cottage.

The third one is on its way because I have to use the bonus bucks I received for the purchase of the Garfield so getting the Laurel and Primerose addition at less than half price! Can't resist a good deal.

I've checked the box contents of the Coventry and everything is there. I've started the first step which is punching out pieces and the not so fun part of sanding. I'm now ready for the first coat of paint which will be just a coat of white latex semi-gloss to seal the wood and keep it from warping.

Welcome

2008-08-08T11:22:00.001-07:00

To the right you will see pictures of the exterior and interior of the Greenleaf Garfield dollhouse I have coming. Mine of course is yet to be assembled, painted, and furnished but this is what it should somewhat resemble when I get it completed. To see additional views visit their website at http://greenleafdollhouses.com/.

July 28, 2008 - I placed my order for Greenleaf's Garfield Dollhouse from http://miniatures.com/. From there I also ordered a lighting kit, tool kit, glue and fish scale shingles. I can see the dollar signs flying out the window of my modest apartment but WHAT FUN!!!!!

August 4, 2008 - I get the lighting kit, tool kit, glue, a daunting 4 bags of shingles...each bag contains 100-1" individual wooden shingles, and of course their catalogue...the wish list grows. I also received two books I had ordered to help with color choices and Victorian history. Now I'm thinking of ways I already might want to modify the dollhouse once it gets here...lol I've made a book list for people interested in this form of resource. Oh and I started this web page as people have asked about the progress of my new hobby. (As you can see I've changed sites and so this site was actually started on 8-8-08) PLEASE NOTE - this dollhouse will NOT be done quickly...it is my leisure activity and creative outlet.

August 5, 2008 - Received three more books and both my wish list and remodeling ideas list continue to grow. There are so many different ways to make this dollhouse stand out and be noticed. I'm having so much fun looking and planning.

August 6, 2008 - Went looking to see what the recommended number of bags/units of clapboard siding it takes to complete the Garfield and discovered an interesting tidbit of information. The daunting 400 shingles...in reality is 4,000!!!!

August 7, 2008 - I love stained glass so went online looking for a possible way to add this feature into my project. One way I hadn't even considered was creating a picture and then printing it to overhead transparencies. There are other ways such as painting glass but using transparencies seems the easiest and most economical at this time.