Wallcoverings
Keeping with the yellow theme for Vera's cottage, I began laying out the wall design with wallpaper, trims and mat board panels that I cut using the Maker. The wallpaper is from Itsy Bitsy Mini's Oopsy Daisy design.
Though these are technically "new construction" cottages, I think I want to make them look a little lived in. So I added a bit of highlighting to the wallpaper and wood work with a shade darker yellow mixed with some glaze. It'll be an ongoing process until I find the sweet spot.
Windows
I got all of the interior window trim measured and cut, and then sanded, painted and installed. I am glad that there are only four windows and one door in each of these cottages because windows can be a lot of time robbing work!
Flooring
I debated on the type of flooring to use for the cottages. I considered egg carton stone, vinyl tile, wood or a combination of all three. In the end, I went with Houseworks Southern Pine wood flooring, stained cherry, throughout. I was already having a challenging month and I didn't want to pile more stress on top of myself. I won't say too much because this is supposed to be a fun blog. I will only say that because of real life thieves, Russ and I were not receiving any income for six weeks. Hackers and identity thieves crippled Washington State's Unemployment Insurance system stealing over 650 million dollars. As a result, all payments stopped to people until their identities could be confirmed. This took training 50 National Guardsmen and six weeks in our case. Some poor families are still waiting. Thank God, though, that we qualify for unemployment. No one is spending money to build or remodel right now in such uncertain times.
I'm waiting to glue the roof and structure to the base until I think I am finished with the hard to reach aspects.
For now, Vera's cottage is on hold until I catch up on Virgil's. At least I have a direction to go in... Blue!
Although it was largely frightening, worrisome and challenging, June's story ended on a happy note. We got paid, my PC got repaired, our daughter got moved and settled in to a new place and I even got in to (finally) see the eye doctor for new glasses. All is well that ends well, and if this last few months has taught me anything, it's to be ready for anything and that this too shall pass - eventually! Let's just hope that July is much kinder and more predictable for everyone!
xo xo,
Jodi
New glasses, and new a outlook are the order for the day....I am sorry you have been caught in an identity nightmare. Keep your chin up, and if you get down just look at that beautiful cheery house.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carrie! I am looking so forward to to seeing better and am grateful for the faith building that has been a constant theme throughout this Covid crisis. I only wish there was more we could do to help families with kids and those who are impacted with much heavier burdens than us. It is wonderful to have the cottages to keep me focused on positive things and the cheerful colors really do help!
DeleteI love the color choices!
ReplyDeleteThanks Brandy! Hope your family is doing well during this stressful time!
DeleteWow. I hadn't even heard about that happening in WA. I'm so glad you finally received your payment and you could get your glasses and fix the computer.
ReplyDeleteYay blue! One of my favorite colors. I can't wait to see how you decorate his cottage.
Thanks Sheila! Yes it is funny that we are supposedly one of the technology leaders in the country, yet were most vulnerable to hackers. I think everyone is learning a lot from the situation, and so many are being made aware of the needs of families. Our local food bank has it's annual fund raising drive in June but could not do the dinner. As of last week it had also only raised 30% of it's goal. I hope as everyone finally gets paid they will remember their situation and be sure to give back to others who are not so fortunate.
DeleteGlad to read that your computer is up and running again, Jodi. Lisa's Country Cottage looks so charming and adorable, it looks like a fairytale house. Great progress!
ReplyDeleteBut omg, these digital robbing issues are not for repetition, if it happens to someone it's so scary!! Good to read that you finally received your payment, phew.
The plan for the house of Virgil is (in advance) already a good one: my favorite color is blue ;O)!
Stay safe, take care, dear Jodi.
Hugs, Ilona
Oh Ilona me too! I felt so displaced being out of my regular routine for so long! I had a laptop to work from, but not having my files and being worried that they would not be recovered was stressful! In the end it only took a $20 part and the excellent soldering work of my electrical engineer son in law!
DeleteI am really liking the blue and yellow color combination of these projects and blue seems to be a favorite of mine in a number of projects, too!
Hope you are staying safe and well, too, Ilona!
Parece que esas cosas solo se ven en las películas. Debe ser terrible estar atrapado en esas circunstancias. Por lo menos ha sido un final feliz, así que concentraté en el bonito trabajo que estás haciendo.
ReplyDeleteGracias isabel ¡Fue un mes muy dramático y a mí me gusta la paz y la previsibilidad! Como con la mayoría de los desafíos en la vida, todo está bien al final y nuestra fe ha crecido. ¡Somos victoriosos!
DeleteHi Jodi. The cottage looks gorgeous with the papers and the trim. The colours are so refreshing. I am also happy to hear the problem with the unemployment has been fixed, but so awful for all the people depending on these payments and not having that income for so long. Take care of yourself and keep pushing on. X
ReplyDeleteThanks Shannon! I am really enjoying the patterns and they do seem perfect for a little mouse lady! I am hearing more and more stories of people finally getting their back payments but it is the families that we don't know about that worries me. We have family that would have been willing and able to step in if we had needed it, but so many do not. My worries seem small in comparison and am glad that it has made me aware and able to help!
DeleteI am so sorry you had such a rough June! What a terrible thing for the hackers to do, when people truly need that money. Your little cottage is so pretty. I love your choice of wallpaper, and the lovely sheen you have on the floor. Vera is going to be so happy there! And I hope you have a much, much better July! P.S. I'm getting new glasses, too. Yay! I can hardly wait.
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb! You know, I think the worst part and most difficult to cope with was the fact that the sun did not come out for like 15 days! I can handle any challenge, as long as there is sunshine! Why oh why did we move out of California, lol! I am glad you are getting new glasses, too! It's going to be amazing to be able to read cooking directions again without my 4x clip ons!
DeleteSo sorry for your troubles and I'm glad things are looking up. The cottages are looking great.
ReplyDeleteemjay
Thanks Emjay! We survived and are looking forward to a much better month!
DeleteWashington State residents are really being put through the grinder right now, but having your money stolen and your computer down and no money coming in is simply HORRIBLE not mention STRESSFUL to the MAX!
ReplyDeleteSo much strife everywhere you look these days but I'm glad that you have been able to find some time to work on Vera's cottage to help take your mind off your very real worries, Jodi and may I say that the colour yellow is very cheering and uplifting for the soul!
Love the turquoise window trims too!
Keep the faith as well as your natural optimism because GOD is Good and this too shall pass!
elizabeth
Thank you, Elizabeth! You know, the amazing thing to come out of our whole situation is that even though we were concerned that so many things could happen or that we'd experience lack, we never did. All the bills were paid and we never went hungry once. As a result, our faith grew and we were shown again for the umpteenth time in our lives that even though a situation does not look as comfortable as we'd like it to look, we are still looked after and taken care of. I grew and drew closer to what is supremely important and that is a gift that I am so grateful for! In my younger walk when things got tough I ran away. Now I run towards Him. 💗
DeleteOh dear Jodi. I had heard about the hackers, but had no idea that you had been caught up in it. Thank you for letting us know. What a relief that for you the situation is resolved and also that your computer was able to be repaired. Now, while you think you have made little progress on minis, Vera has a charming Cottage and your daughter is settled into her new place. That is all quite positive. Take care 💛.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sherrill! The worst part of the entire ordeal with UI was that there was no communication from them whatsoever. It took three weeks before we'd even heard on the news why most people's payments had stopped. We never received an explanation letter or email from them. We simply had to have a body look at our social security cards and photo ID to resume payments. Unfortunately, because the focus was on trying to stop the hacking and recover the stolen $$, There were no bodies to help until the end of June. People like us who have paid into the UI system for 40 years were a last priority. We had enough resources to make it through, but those who did not were true victims. Unfortunately, it takes extremes like this sometimes to know what to plan for and avoid in the future. I think Washington's UI system will be much better prepared in the future.
DeleteWe are on a positive note now and are so much more grateful for the small blessings we take for granted each day! 💛
Jodi,lamento escuchar que os ha tocado vivir la pesadilla de un robo de identidad,tiene que ser horroroso,imagino que momentos tan terribles habéis tenido que pasar! Mer alegro que todo haya podido resolverse y ahora con tus gafas nuevas y tu aliada computadora puedas ver la vida de otra manera!
ReplyDeleteTus progresos en la casa me han gustado mucho,me encanta el contraste de tono del amarillo con las ventanas verdes,queda muy luminoso!
Y me gusta el azul para la otra casa,es una gama preciosa!!!
Suerte para tu hija en su nuevo hogar!
Besos.
Gracias Pilar! ¡Estoy tan contento de que la prueba haya terminado y ahora podamos seguir adelante! Mi PC está funcionando muy bien gracias a mi yerno, ¡y el disfrute se ha reanudado en las cabañas! ¡Tendré mis anteojos en un par de semanas y espero tener un tiempo mucho más fácil para leer todo!
DeleteJune was crazy! I haven’t been posting OR working on my miniatures much. It was just too crazy and time seemed to be at a premium!
ReplyDeleteLove the progress on the cottage!!! It looks so great!!!!
Thanks MaryFran! For believes of that kind of thing, apparently, Mercury is in retrograde until the middle of July so electronics are supposed to be an issue. If I had only known ahead of time I may have just gone into hibernation until August 1st, lol! I hope your July is off to a better start than June was for you, too!
DeleteI am happy your back! 😁 I have also been "away" with real life stuff and nothing mini to show, so for me your progress is a lot! Yellow is my favourite colour and I find your yellow cottage sweet and adorable, I really love it. Vera will be very happy there.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alex! I hope you are finding time to get back into your projects, as well! I also have always been drawn to yellow, especially in my kitchens over the years! It's just a happy color and I think it connects us with sunshine and spiritual light!
DeleteI am loving your work. The blue and yellow cottages will be quite charming. I am gaining new appreciation for your Maker skills as I am working on learning the very basics. Thank you for encouragement, for it has given me courages to grow my skills. Life does have a way of kicking us around, and I am sorry that you have had a rough go.Yes, as Shakespeare penned, "All's well that ends well."
ReplyDeleteThanks Ann! And another favorite from Shakespeare (and the bible)... "there is nothing new under the sun". There will always be challenges to deal with, and I am convinced that they become just a little rougher as we level up. That means we're always improving so I will focus on being grateful for the opportunity for growth!
DeleteI'm happy to hear that you are having fun with your new Maker and can't wait to see what creative ideas you're coming up with!
Welcome back, Jodi! I love the way Vera and Virgil's cottages are shaping up. The shape of the buildings themselves is really attractive and, under your skillful finishing talent they will both be gorgeous in the end.
ReplyDeleteI must say, I don't think I will ever live long enough to cease being surprised and shocked at the depths to which some people will go. Given the challenging times everyone is in trying to make ends meet during these crazy shutdowns and slowdowns, it appalls me the number of people who will go out of their way to take everything they can from anyone they can. I do always try to "love my neighbour" but some people sure make it difficult. Glad everything is settling down for you. Big hugs. - Marilyn D.
Thanks Marilyn! It feels like forever when I don't post and connect with my friends for more than a week! As for the cottages, I had such a rough idea of a plan and so they are unfolding rather organically. And I am making a lot of mistakes and forgetting things as I go so am having to re-do or compromise. Because of all of this it will be interesting to see where I end up. I am convinced that there is a lesson in here somewhere so I will just try to listen and see what unfolds...
DeleteI am also saddened when I hear or am the victim of people's greed or selfishness. Especially because I know that we are all connected and that those actions will hurt and be deeply regretted by the person doing them one day, as well. But I try to remember who this world really belongs to and that we are all here only for a time. We'll get through it, make it home and all will be forgiven. :O)
Me encanta la combinación de papeles y del color. El suelo ha quedado genial.
ReplyDeleteMe alegro que todo haya acabado bien.
Gracias Eloisa! ¡El amarillo es un color tan cálido para trabajar y los pisos de Houseworks son encantadores para terminar! ¡Me alegra que te gusten también!
DeleteHello Jodi, oh what a horrible time you have been going through, I'm so glad you weathered the storm, I think I would've gone into meltdown, I don't cope well when things go wrong. Having a lovely hobby like ours is good to help transport us for a while. You cottages are delightful, the wallpaper is gorgeous. I like yellow but don't often use it. You are so lucky having lots of online stores, the Itsy Bitsy Mini store is lovely (I will check out their postage costs). We don't have many here in the UK, quite a few have closed down. Looking forward to seeing more progress.
ReplyDeleteThanks Polly! In retrospect we were always doing fine and I am grateful that everything has been resolved. I crave normal and stable, too, and when the future is uncertain and issues are not getting resolved despite all effort I often just allow myself a good sob. It's cathartic and seems to somehow refocus my resolve. :O) The best medicine is to broaden my awareness about what others are struggling with and do something to help them.
DeleteIt is troubling the number of online shops that haven't been able to hold on in spite of record numbers of folks finding their passion for minis. It's always great to share our resources because often it's just the thing someone needs! I like Itsy Bitsy's papers - they are a nice quality, heavy and durable. I hope you treat yourself to some!!!
What a surprise... so BLUE will be the colour for Virgil's cottage??? I would never have guessed THAT!!! *LOL* But I should have guessed that you would make a model sheet of your bluish colours to find the best match. ;O) I know I've said that before but I have no problem to repeat myself: I truly admire how organized and prepared you are.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's promising that there's also a daisy border at the blue paper sheets - I hope you're going to use it for Virgil's cottage, it's decent enough for a mouse guy but enough to be a perfect match to Vera's interior. Oh, I love what you've done with her home so far... the friendly, cheerful yellow is pure joy to the eyes and the soul. And so are the daisies; what a fantastic choice (although I must admit that I'm hearing Katy Perry now in my inner ear with her current song "Daisies", my, when I hear it in the radio I always shudder because somehow she's shrieking it and I always think what's wrong with her, should we offer help... eh... where was I... oh yes, daisies) Vera will be one happy mouse lady for sure living in a very happy and friendly home. And I'm glad I could introduce you to the other Vera, I suppose a framed picture of her famous namesake would be to Vera's likings. ;O)
But I'm very sorry to hear about the trouble you and your husband had to go through. I've read in your comments that you made it surprisingly well through this awesome period - nevertheless it's frightening to hear something like this happened. And it's not only the money missing, it's also this uncertainty about what's going on because the officials are concentrating on other things and information is running low. We've also had a terrible hacker attack in Germany at the beginning of the lockdown. The federal and the local governments offered financial help to companies - and the help sites for applying for the aid were just online when an identical copy of the help site of Nordrhein-Westfalen (our state with the highest population) appeared in the internet. It was so well done that it took days until people found out they had given all their data to criminals. According to me the internet is blessing and curse at the same time...
My best wishes for a much better July to you and yours - and I'm looking forward to see more of the cottages.
Hugs
Birgit
Dear Birgit you were right! Virgil's definitely a "blue guy" although there will be another prominent color in his theme and you'll see that one next post! And of course I had to paint a blue chip sample board this time because I have THE WORST time with blues! I decide on a shade, love it and am convinced beyond doubt that it is THE ONE only to change my mind as I am painting and think WHAT WAS I THINKING??? I really thought the chip board would help me decide once and for all but sadly, I have put myself through all the certainty/regret as usual!!! And ended up using three shades. ;O)
DeleteI am so sorry to learn that the good folks in Germany got hacked, too! I know that the effects can last for many years. I still get emails from random bad guys with old passwords in the subject line. They try to bait you in to further molest you. I will not engage them and report them to the FCC and the Attorney General. It probably does no good but one must try.
It is rough knowing that there are people in this world that see other people as potential victims rather than joining the entire world in being in this crisis together. But again, I have to realize that we have all been warned that this world is ruled by evil and we are the light sent here to fight it. Some souls aren't there yet so all we can do is wait for their enlightenment while protecting ourselves as well as possible.
Oh... And the most important thing we can do is to try as hard as we might to be happy, joyful and grateful people no matter what challenges we are currently facing. Minis and mini friends sure help us to do exactly that! 💗💗💗
Ohhhh, siento mucho lo del robo de identidad Jodi, tienen que ser una situación horrible.
ReplyDeleteLos colores me encantan, la combinación de pintura y papeles es genial.El suelo una maravilla.
Un besin
Gracias carolina! ¡Siempre hay algo, pero al menos tenemos minis para mantenernos en marcha!
DeleteWell done Jodi on being able to swim to the surface of a terrible time and hang on in there until you sighted land. It is so easy to flap and panic and despair and drown in the mess that someone else has made. I think lack of communication as to what is happening is the very worst part. I am great at dealing with a foe I can see but it is so much harder flailing around in the dark. I also applaud that always keep remembering how 'comfortable' most of us are even in terrible times and how SO MANY people aren't able to be that through no fault of their own. It is just so hard to find and help them directly now we are no longer a 'village' society. So well done you and yours and hopefully your life will eventually get back to a proper normal.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile your creative processes are not injured and your work as always is beautiful. Mostly I am in awe of how you are able to disassemble and paper and paint whilst working out accurately what needs to go where so that when the assembly is done everywhere is perfect.
I am most pleased that you seem to find trimming windows a chore as it seems to have stopped my doing anything since i started doing the sixteen windows of my project months ago. I hated it and hit a brick wall. I tried just leaving it for a while and doing something else but had sort of lost heart by then and, so far, can not get started again. So thank you for keeping on through your terrible days so that we can enjoy this lovely blog. Marilyn O
Thanks Marilyn! Gratitude really is the balm! I think going forward we will all have to adapt to this new normal as it seems we are no closer to our lives before than we were in late March. :O(
DeleteI am in awe of and admire those of you who can get a perfect pattern for a room then wallpaper whilst reaching in and maintain a perfectly smooth surface! The anxiety of that is worse for me than fitting the walls together afterwords. :O)
Oh the daunting window trims! And I only had five or six pieces for each to cut! Yours are much more realistic and complicated and I know what a slog it can be, especially when you are not in the mood or things don't seem to be going smoothly. I recommend that you do a fun and whimsical in-between project where you can exercise your Laissez-faire muscles and just have fun, no critical thinking. That is what I had to do before continuing on with the challenges of the New Orleans. It really did help and when I got back to it (after a year and a half), I was ready!
Beautiful cottage and colors.
ReplyDeleteThe blue colour for Virgil's cottage is perfect and I'm curios to see the wallpaper.
Thanks Faby! I am loving the blue colors and papers and hope you will too when I share the progress this week!
DeleteHi Jodi! Whew!!! You had a lot coming down there for a while! I am so glad it all worked out!!! Your progress on the Cottages looks like tons to me! The cheerful yellows of Vera's cottage are just so encouraging!!! (We painted our RL house a lovely "New England Farmhouse Yellow" many moons ago, then moved to another Farmhouse...) and it is the happiest Cottage color ever! I am sure you will make Virgil's Blues just as charming to go with the Sunny Yellow next door! Blue Sky and Yellow Sunshine... who could wish for more? I am always amazed at the speed of your decorating.... no "dithering" in sight! LOL! Keep up the Great Work!!! :):):)
ReplyDeleteThanks Betsy! I think you're right - my soul was craving the blue skies and sunshine! It is so nice to look at the cottages and feel happy about the choices in colors. As for my speed, it feels like I have been making really slow progress, and each time I remember that I have even more trims to do, it kind of takes the wind out of my sails. But I am slowly gaining ground! Vera and Virgil are thrilled with the progress, so that is the most important thing!
ReplyDeleteDear Jody, please excuse me my tardiness in replying to your post.
ReplyDeleteIt is a sad thing to read that the bad people in this world burden the good with these things. I hope that the money is retrieved from them. And more importantly that everybody who deserves it gets what is due soon.
In principle I am in favour of small government, but it hould never get so small that it turns ineffective or cannot saveguard itself and its population. then it is too small. But lets not talk politics or political philosophy here. :-D
I love the yellow colour scheme for vera's cottage. Together with the different floral patterns for the wallpapers it is becoming a very bright and happy little home for her.
Huibrecht
Thank you Huibrecht! I am so glad that the yellow theme in Vera's cottage evokes a happy home to you, as well! As for people hurting other people, or governments helping or hurting, I am becoming very philosophical in my old age. I am accepting that this world is not meant to exclusively pursue happiness. Rather, it is to provide each and every one of us the opportunity to fulfill our potential. That can look extreme, unfair and overly harsh but lucky for each of us, this place is the illusion and not the reality. We have much help at hand if only we will ask for it, and when we get where we're going we'll all be glad for the experience. 💗
DeleteSorry to hear you had such a rotten time recently - it takes "Keep Calm and Carry On" to the limit but pleased for you that normal service has now been resumed. These roof angles look tricky to work with but it's all coming along really well and looks lovely.
ReplyDeleteThanks Irene! Yes times like we are in now are great opportunities for training your mind to adopt the "one day at a time" mentality, as anything beyond that can spin you right into anxiety and depression. And I still feel like we are among the "lucky ones" and so must help in any way we can those who are not in such a situation.
DeleteThe roof angles, especially the one that dives into the porch roof, was very tricky! I employed Russ' expertise, watched and listened very carefully, and still question my ability if I were pressed to do it on my own! The shed dormer was only a matter of eyeballing the angle until it looked right, then tracing the triangle area of the wall opening to cut from plywood. Roofing? Well that's going to be another challenge as it is one of my least favorite tasks to begin with!
Though my blog reading has been a bit hit and miss lately I'm thoroughly enjoying how these two cottages are coming together. As always, your colour choices are fresh and inspiring and I say to myself, 'in my next build, I'm going to copy that!' Ha, fortunately there are so many ideas pulling me in so many directions that your intelectual property is quite safe.
ReplyDeleteSorry that you've had computer problems. These days one can't be careful enough on the internet but my biggest gripe is these continuous Windows updates that reset my preferences and sometimes make things not work for no reason. I just spent three days trying to figure out why my email suddenly won't open at all, just to turn on the computer on day 4 and it's miraculously back after yet more interminable hours of staring at a blue screen as Windows updates itself. When I grow up and I'm rich, I'm going to invest in Apple.
I hope you're having a much better July, and that life is not too hard at the US peak of the pandemic.
Hi Megan! It's so nice to hear from you!
DeleteIt is funny how we have filled up all this extra time, isn't it? I feel more busy now than ever before! I am so glad you like where the cottages are heading and you are welcome to any of my ideas any time! It is wonderful to know that you've been inspired and I hope you have fun with that inspiration!
You too with the Windows updates, huh? My surround sound speakers have been suddenly downgraded by Windows 10 to a two speaker system, and since I got them in 2006 of course I do not have the software to reinstall any longer. It is an ongoing mystery to solve... They always said Bill Gates would take over the world, but who would have thought it would be via holding our PCs hostage???
And bad news? If what is happening with iTunes is any indication of what is going on over at Apple, there is no safe alternative. Guess my old computer science teacher was right - IBM was the way to go, lol!
Hope you and Henning are doing swell otherwise!