It's Official: Dollhouse Weather

This is the scene I woke to this morning,dear Readers.  The first snow!  The first snow is rather devious:  it always fools you into thinking, "oh, how pretty.  Maybe winter isn't so bad, after all..."  That's before it piles up in glacier-like proportions.  They are predicting a 'colder and snowier winter than usual,' here in Siberia I mean Minnesota.  All I have to say in response is "BRING IT!"  I have five count 'em five rooms to work on!  And Old Man Winter (and Seasonal Affect Disorder) ain't about to stop the likes of me, I'm here to tell you!

Winter-Schminter!  I laugh in the face of sub-zero temperatures!  Wind-Chill Factor?  Ha!  --Oh, I suppose you probably don't even know what the Wind-Chill Factor is, poor, deprived Reader!  The Wind-Chill Factor is, I believe, strictly a Minnesota thing (or at least a Mid-Western thing), when the thermometer actually reads thirty degrees below zero (Fahrenheit) but because of the Wind-Chill Factor it feels like fifty below!  I know!  What fun, right?

But like I said, who even has time to dwell on the weather when the empty, bare-plywood rooms of Merriman Park are staring me in the face?

So I'm plodding along with the Drawing Room...  My new fireplace mantle from Braxton Payne Miniatures arrived this week.  May I wax poetic for a moment on Braxton Payne?  If you're not familiar with him, gentle Reader, you should be!  His mantles are the most divoon creations on Earth!  Not only are they exquisitely designed, but also expertly wrought with the most superb detail.  He even signs and dates his work, which I think is such a nice touch!  But don't take my word for it:  check out his on-line catalog.  You affectionados of eighteenth-century design will undoubtedly find something to delight the eye. 

The arched frame over the mantle will hold a mirror, and mimic the corner niches.

Because there are so many moldings and panels in this room, I decided to use illustration board, cut to the rooms dimensions, as a 'backer' for everything.  This way, I can work on each wall separately and flat on my work table.  It will also conveniently hide all the wiring.  Sweet!  I stole this idea from Mulvany & Rogers.

 ...Just waiting for my cornice, flooring and ceiling ornamentation to arrive.  Hopefully, it will all come before I run out of stuff to work on!  If it doesn't arrive before then, I may end up like poor little Edie, the Sheltie:

Poor girl!  She looks positively bored to sobs!  I know exactly how she feels --I tell you, it's this weather!  Think she needs a walk, or something?

Apologies!

I almost accidentally deleted a bunch of posts when I tried switching to a new blogger format.  I think I saved them but they were all 're-posted,' so it appears like you will be receiving a lot of  my old posts as' new.'  I am so sorry!  I can't seem to do anything right, lately...

Pilasters Arrived!

Another package greeted me on the front porch as I arrived home last Friday --my new pilasters!  I was so excited they came so quickly...now I could get to work on the Drawing Room.  I was a little nervous about their dimensions being "off," but my fears were quickly assuaged when I tore open their packaging and set them into the room.

I also worked on my corner niches.  They're coming along rather nicely, but I'm still perfecting my arched molding technique! 

A trip to the Art Supply Store brought me rubber casting compound so I was able to make a better-quality mold.  I also needed some more spray-primer and so whilst at the Art Supply store I asked if they carried any.  They didn't.  But they did carry spray-gesso!  I did not know there was such a thing, silly, ol' me!  I love the stuff!

BTW, the DAS clay sands really well so I was able to fix the imperfections of my first niche.  No need to cast a third! 

I have quite a few Lawbre wainscot panels already on hand.  I was going to just pop a panel in under the niche but in consulting with dear, Mrs. Thorne, I opted instead for this slightly more fanciful version. 

It's a lot of extra work with the mini-miter box, but I think it was worth the trouble.

Hope everyone had a great weekend.  We just switched back to Standard Time, so it's getting dark at five-o'clock!   Ugh!

The Entrance Hall, Photographed

The facade of Merriman Park

The other rooms look so bare!

What a fuss I made about lighting!

"And where have you been all evening, little mister?" Check out the new floor medallion, and note conspicuous absence of center table.  Most of the furnishings in this room are from New England Miniatures (hi, Grazhina)! and our local dollhouse shop, Little Enchantments (hi, Karen)!

I swear I did not kill any of the animals hanging on the wall! (They all committed suicide just so they could become gorgeous accessories in this glamorous room.  The cameo was in a box of trinkets my friend Carolyn gave me ages ago.

I made faux marble plinths with seed-pearl feet for the pair of gilded sphinx on the demi-lune tables.

That's my 'real life' kitty, Whiskers, photo-shopped  into the room.  I adore trick photography!

I should have had my friend take my Halloween photo!

Never did get around to building a new cabinet for Merriman Park to sit on...it sure needs one!

And that, dear Reader, concludes our little tour through one of the Stately Homes of America!  Special thanks to BFF Eric Lindahl for the awesome pics!

Additional thanks to: Giac, Simon, Irene, WB Design, Andy, Fiona, Pedrete & Madelva, Karin Corbin, Anneke, Jeffry, Josje, Iris, Cassandra, Barb in MN, Kate Merchant, my partner, Glen (who puts up with this madness) and so many others!  Without your advice, support, enthusiasm (and sometimes hand-holding) Merriman Park would have no doubt been cast off to the basement, gathering cobwebs. 

Curvy Molding

I came up with this one on my own!  The Problem:  How to fabricate matching trim to go around the arched tops of my niches?  (Especially without a workshop full of fancy gadgets),  The Answer:  Make a mold of the straight, wooden molding and cast it in leftover DAS clay and then bend the pliable, cast molding to fit the curve!

 I know it looks a little rough, but I'll work out the kinks.  BTW, the second attempt with the DAS and wine bottle went a lot better, with a little vegetable oil spray to loosen things up a bit.  Guess I'll chalk the first attempt as a 'practice piece.'

Happy Halloween!

From the boys of Merriman Park!  There will be lots of Tricks & Treats, bobbing for apples, and maybe even ghost stories in front of the fire.

I'm living vicariously through my dollhouse for Halloween, since it falls on a Monday this year.  There was of course the usual shenanigans planned for last night at all the bars, but yours truly could not decide on a costume for the evening.  And last year was such a dreadful bore!  Everyone was dressed the same:  either you were a sexy pirate, a sexy cowboy, or a sexy policeman.  Blah, blah, blah!

So I stayed home and worked on my niches.  Anneke was kind enough to pass on the information about DAS.  It is an air-drying, modeling clay that doesn't shrink.  I have to say, it was the perfect solution!  Thanks, Anneke!

This was my first attempt.  I left the clay on the wine bottle overnight and it stuck to the bottle as I tried to remove it.  But the clay that was pressed against the glass was still fairly soft, so I was able to repair the minor damage.  Maybe I should grease the bottle a little next time?

This photo shows you how large the niche is.  They will support two 'life-size' statues, hopefully of Roman gods or goddesses.  That is, if I can find some!

I also received my photographs of the Entrance Hall!  They are burned to a CD so as soon as Glen gets up this morning (usually at the crack of noon, on a Sunday) I will post them later today!