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Monday, March 28, 2016

In Shambles With No Direction...

Oh good gravy where to begin...



I cracked open the Sugarplum box, mostly because my life and home are in shambles, and there's no clear direction which way to start. You see, my family room is getting new floors, but the hubs also has other work to do so it sits now as is...



Which means that all of it's contents are residing elsewhere for the time being - mainly my kitchen and main hallway. I can do nothing about anything until the last pieces are cut and installed, including the new quarter round trim to cover the gap in the baseboards where the carpeting used to be. Once that is done I can begin to put the room and it's contents back into functional order...



Happy ending, right? But wait......... After this part of the house is finished then we begin to empty the living and dining rooms - also known as my office and workshop area to install new floors there too. This of course means more shambles and work progress based on the hub's schedule of paying jobs which take priority. More importantly, it means I am out of the mini business until that project is finished. While I love the idea of getting rid of 8 year old carpet in favor of easier care wood floors, I feel a little like a captain without a ship to sail. I may be leaving on Friday to go on a little sunshine seeking trip with my mom, so I am just doing what I can until I have control over anything again...



So today I decided to crack open the Sugarplum Cottage kit and at least do some planning. I have never been known to leave well enough alone, so I'll be making lots of modifications. I did a dry fit to get an idea of the size, and to mark out where I need to make new and bigger openings for the doors and window upgrades.

Here I have traced the new door opening I'll need to cut
Here's the door I'll be using


These will be the new window frames


I am adding a different round window to the upper level. This meant I had to leave in the cut out for the original window. Inside the original cut out was a roof brace. I had to trace a new one using scrap plywood to fill the hole back in with. Now I will trace and cut away the material for the round window.



It was a pretty thick window, so luckily I was able to pry two of the layers off so that it will better fit the thin plywood opening. I have another window, but not sure where to put it at this point since the space on the opposite end of the upstairs wall is slated for the chimney.



The upgraded windows and doors are made by Allesso and sold on eBay through Manchester Woodworks. I've been collecting them for a while now, just waiting for the perfect project to use them in.



I am going to cut away the majority of the second floor, leaving only about a one inch display shelf all of the way around. The second floor really blocks off the view into the ground floor, and since this is going to be a frilly fru-fru type soapy shop, it's better to be able to see in.



Everything is in shambles right now, and that is really out of my comfort zone. I like an organized sort of chaos, and the way my house and work area stands, it's really driving me crazy. Is this yet another lesson in tolerance lovingly given to me by the universe? Well, that's how I am choosing to interpret it... for now...

BTW... Anybody have any idea what this is?




10 comments:

  1. Pretty new doors and windows, love the upgrade.

    No idea what that is....is it like an envelope or protective cardboard squares taped together? Perhaps the inserts for the original windows are in there?

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    1. Thanks Keli! It's exciting to be back working on something again!

      Upon better inspection, it does look like a mini photo frame. That's nice of them to include in the kit, but it still puzzles me. It's not in scale, and it has a magnetic backing. Hmmm...

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  2. Ooohhh can't wait to see your bashing results! Looks like it'll be fun. I love Alessio, they're the floors and wainscoting for my new project.

    You and Keli are geniuses with wood and finishing it so I'll be snooping around your blog for ideas on how to stain/paint to keep the patterns.

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    1. Oh I was wondering about your materials for the contest! I can't wait to see what you do! Thanks for the generous compliment! I just love that we all get to share with each other!

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  3. Hi Jodi, sorry you are in a state of upheaval! I'm torn between wanting the business to go really well and you having finished floors. The mystery object looks like a black paper marbled picture frame with a paper marbled insert. Very pretty, but the marbling is too large for 1:12. It is hard to see through the plastic but the marbling on both sections looks lovely. Is it a thank you gift for buying the kit?

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    1. You know we always seem to take on a lot of projects this time of year. I think it must be spring fever or something. I grew up in a "white glove" kind of home, and Russ grew up in an almost hoarder environment. I can stand the chaos, as long as a little progress is being made, but I am going to keep working on this new project until the boys literally move the table away from me! Did I mention I might just paint the dining room, too?

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  4. Hang in there !!!! It will all be beautiful when it is done !!!

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement, mom! You can totally relate to chaos right now with the storm damage! I hope it's all better than new for you very soon!

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  5. At least you now have some time for minis! I love Alessio doors and railings. The soap shop will be awesome! The little do dad looks like some kind of cardboard picture frame.

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    1. Yes!!! Time again for minis makes me so happy! More to come on the soap shop re-configuring! It actually is a photo frame with magnetic backing. Coulnd be a little thank you gift I guess. I will definitely find a use for it somehow!

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