Sneak Peek Of The Barn Bedroom

More coming soon!

From Ordinary to Interesting...

Like I mentioned in my earlier post, I really needed a creative project to keep me excited about finishing the barn. Sometimes, I lose interest in stuff pretty easily, and then it sits there collecting dust until I find some new inspiration. All these functionality issues I've dealt with on the barn lately had me yearning to get to the fun stuff...

Several months back I had purchased a lot of 7 old dollhouse furniture pieces on ebay that I knew could turn into treasures with a little creativity and some love. They were so cheap (under $2.00) I really could not pass them up!


I knew this sad little bed could be the inspiration for several pieces. I'm going to use the frame to make a log bed for the barn, and later I will use the head and foot boards to upholster for a fancy bed.

These "wood" pencils are available on Amazon in several different lengths in a pack of 10 or 12 for about $4.00. I've had the grapevine wreath stashed away for some time, and the sticks are huckleberry branches brought home from a hiking trip a couple of years ago. With my mini eye, I see awesome country type furniture!

First I had to carefully deconstruct the old bed so as to keep the reusable pieces in tact. Then I sanded with 80 grit sandpaper to remove the nuclear varnish that Chinese manufactured minis are famous for. WARNING: As you sand the varnish off, your nose gets full of crud and your throat feels a little sore. Use a mask if you have one. I got a little rough and needed to re-glue a support to the rail.

I decided it would be better to attach the main logs onto the frame with screws in order to have a more stable bed to start off with. I pre-drilled holes into both the braces and the logs to make getting the screws in easy. Since the logs were actually pencils, I had to trim several of them down to length.

Four main logs, and four screws later we had the base. Now comes was the fun part - getting creative with the style. I had a dollar store Fairy Chair that I could borrow bent wood pieces from. You'd never know it from looking at them, but they are actually held in place with staples. This means removing them, re-positioning the pieces you want to keep, then reinserting the staples where necessary.

Of course with all things mini, you have to patiently do things in steps as glue dries. I am not good at sitting idle, so I decided now would be a great time to make the little end tables for the bedside sasquatch lamps. I collected a giant walking stick on last summer's Redwoods vacation, so I was able to cut several 1/4" tops on my rip saw until I found ones I liked the wood pattern on. The bases are from another wood stick treasure I got on our Gifford Pinchot vacation in 2012. A little gue, stain and varnish and ta-da!

I also sanded, assembled, stained, varnished and installed the hardware on the House Of Miniatures dresser kit during "drying time". Other than pictures and a rug, I think the little bedroom is about complete.

Here was the reward for a good creative day's work! I won't show the bed with the bedding on yet until I get the entire bedroom decorated and ready for unveiling. 

Have a great weekend everyone! Get creative with something! The worst thing that can happen is that you make something horrid and then get to laugh at yourself! It's all good, either way!

Finishing Up The Hardscape

The next little segment to complete on the barn was to finish off the entrance/stairway/living room area. My goal is to complete all of the "hardscape" tasks so that I can get to the most exciting part - the decorating!

I took several of my tongue depressor type craft sticks and taped them together at the ends and in the middle. Then I used my saw to cut off the curved ends, and then cut them in half.

I stained them all and let them dry for several hours. Then I cut pieces of cardstock to the length and height of the walls they were going on. I then glued the strips to the cardstock and sandwiched them between two boards. I clamped and weighted them until the glue was dry. This was a much more efficient method than gluing them piece by piece and trying to keep them from warping.

I glued in the baseboard molding, then glued the cardstock strips just above them. I then added the trim board above that. I clamped again and let them dry several hours.

While the glue was drying, I set to work trimming out the rest of the room with baseboard, window trim, door trim, and even decided to make a doggie door for Georgia, my beloved beagle who likes to constantly go in and out between naps.










After everything was installed and dry I placed a bit of wood filler into gaps in the trim. When I do my final touch up in the room before the furnishings go in I'll touch up the stain and add more detailed finishing. I'll also address the access deck to the front door and add the adorable factor to that area, as well.

I'm glad to have this part of the work finished up, but am really needing a creative project in the meantime to keep my excitement going. I think the next project will be turning an old ebay bed into a log bed for little Russ and I to dream in. Check back soon for details!