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Monday, April 18, 2016

Finding My Joy!

What a productive day! I woke up early, the sun was shining, and the ideas were just flowing!



I sort of followed the instructions on the Sugarplum, but had to skip and deviate a little because of the modifications I'm making. For example, step # 4 says to add the second floor, and since I am omitting the second floor I just skipped that step. Step # 5 was to add the little partial wall strips to the sides of the back opening. I decided to wait on these so that getting inside to work on the fireplace and trim would be easier.

I did follow steps 1 - 3, attaching the front and side walls to the floor. With patient fitting and trimming, it all went together like a hand in a glove. While the glue dried on the three walls and floor, I covered the bay window in wallpaper (scrapbook paper) and attached the interior window frame. It wasn't too long before I was able to attach that to the structure.





While all of that was setting up I started to play around with the fireplace. Since it's a soap shop converted from and old historic home, it will not really be a working fireplace. I just want it to look like it has been freshly cleaned so that it can be used for display purposes.

The kit makes it so that the chimney butts up right against the house. This doesn't really give it much depth or appeal either inside or outside the house.


I decided to give it a more realistic and dimensional look by building a box around the chimney. This way, I could create a fire box for the fireplace and take advantage of what was meant to be the upstairs hearth, turning it into a display niche.



I created boxed in areas for the fire box and the niche. I'll add brick or stone to the firebox and some embossed paper to the niche. This will make them much more interesting to look at!




I'm working on a hearth made out of marble stationary and some mat board. There will be some tricky cuts to make - I'll need to make slits for the wall and get it to sit nice and flush to the floor. Then I'll decoupage the paper and hope it looks like smooth marble. Hopefully, I'll like the way it looks in the end.


Meanwhile, I am taking advantage of the nice warm weather (new record high today of 88 degrees) to spray paint much of the trim I'll need. What you see here is only part of it! There will be much more to come, but this will get me started on the main shop floor.



I am having so much fun with this project so far! I am never happier than when I am in the midst of some tedious little detail. Listening to scary bigfoot encounters or singing along to some happy little tune. I hope you all are also finding your joy today!



14 comments:

  1. It looks beautiful! I love the fireplace. If the marble proves tough, I just did some successful marbling with a few pastel pencils I grabbed at the Art store. If I looked ugly, it wipes off and you can try again. Then seal and done!

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    1. Oh Kat you are so creative! I bet it looks totally realistic! What kind of paper are you using for it? I have some colored pencils and artists chalk - maybe I should give it a try! You never know, right!

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  2. Muy bonito. Me encanta la elegancia del papel y la chimenea.

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    1. Muchas gracias, Isabel! Yo quería que fuera sutil!

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  3. Wow, this looks fantastic already! I'm new to your blog and would like to know where you get the house models. Would you mind sharing? Sure hope so....have a great day!

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    1. Thanks so much for reading! I'd love to share! The kit for this project is made by Greenleaf and is called The Sugarplum Cottage. You can find it at miniatures.com or directly through greenleaf.com for around $30.00. It is quite simple to assemble, and is a great choice if you are new to miniatures.
      The kits I used for Alki Point are also Greenleaf kits. I combined two of them together because they are small, but you could make a nice first project with just one kit. At under $20, you can't go wrong. This kit is sold exclusively at greenleaf.com.
      Many of the other kits I purchased on miniatures.com. They have a vast selection for every skill level and style. I hope you do decide to take on a project. You'll find it to me an awesome way to express your creativity!

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  4. Fantastic! Thanks for the step by step, so clear. You make it all look so easy. ( Re: last post, Husband thinks a mini chop saw is the way to go. I can see myself having to ask to borrow it from him LOL! ). The chimney looks sturdy, I like that you are making a niche out of the 2nd floor fireplace. You are definitely on a roll.

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    1. Thanks Shelley! If you get that saw I want a photo of you using it! I'll be so proud of you!!! And, you can maybe let the hubs borrow it from time to time, lol!

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  5. Love the wallpaper with the sheen to it. So elegant. And that fireplace! Can't wait to see how your hearth turns out. Good luck!

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    1. Thanks Sheila! Working on hearth and trim today - so far, so good!

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  6. Ditto what Sheila said! Love the white, crisp look.

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    1. Thanks Audra! I am hoping that by making the structure itself tone on tone that the accessories will stand out for more of an impact. If it goes as it is planned in my mind, it's going to be fabulous!

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  7. It's looking really great so far. I can hardly wait to see the finished project. All of your work is gorgeous! - Marilyn D., Oromocto, NB, Canada www.charminis.blogspot.ca

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    1. Thanks so much, Marilyn! I really enjoyed spending the morning reading your blog, too! I love the lighting and illusion you created in the book project! I've added you to my blog feed so I can keep seeing what you're up to!

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