Virgil's Turn

Last week I was able to share the progress on Vera's cottage and was hopeful to get Virgil's cottage just as far. Great News! I did it!!!

Here's where I had left off on Virgil's cottage before turning my attention to Vera's. With all of the major structural changes completed, and with the priming done, I was looking forward to starting the interior and exterior wall finishes. It's the exact same layout of Vera's cottage, only mirrored.

Virgil's Cottage - Pop Outs and Dormers Added

Because new grooves had to be cut into the base for mirroring, and because a new lower groove was added to each side wall (in order to lower the second floor for more head room), the old grooves had to be filled in. Strips of 1/8" x 3/8" basswood were almost a perfect fit. A little glue and a tap or two with a hammer worked like a charm!

Primed and all but one floor groove filled in.

Like Vera's cottage, I used papers from the Oopsy Daisy wallpaper line for Virgil, too - only I went with blue patterns for him. I just love a good gingham and this blue one is adorable! It conveys a relaxed and casual home while the paisley paper seems fit for a gentleman. It elevates the cottage just enough without being fussy. So far, I haven't decided to use the daisy borders in either cottage, but I am keeping the option open. It might work well incorporated onto the furnishings, somehow.

I used a combination of basswood and moldings cut by hand, and mat board cut with the Cricut Maker for the trims on the interior and the exterior. I love the way it all came together, just a little country home to comfortably house a simple country mouse.

I can't finish the trim around the fireplace wall until I get the fireplace finished. I was able to design and cut a unique version for each cottage using Inkscape and the Maker. I hope to have a tutorial in an upcoming post with svg files to share.

I have such a hard time trusting my instincts when it comes to blue paint. I love blue, but it is the one hue that I change my mind on the most. One minute I love how a particular shade is reading, the next I wonder what on Earth I was thinking! That is why I made up the swatch board, hoping it would provide me with some certainty. It didn't stop me from feeling uneasy about my choices all the way through the trim work. I kept telling Russ that I was feeling uneasy about the dark stripes and may have to repaint every detail again. It wasn't until I had all of the paper up, trims on, exterior cladding on and the structure in a test fit that I decided that I really liked the look. Phew!

Here are the pop outs, inside and out. What do you think? The cottage now reminds me of striped pajamas, and to me, that is perfect for a gentle country mouse. I love it!

The next task, and one which I was very much looking forward to after all of that trim work, was the wood flooring. Like Vera's cottage, I used Houseworks Southern Pine flooring. But this time, I stained them in Early American instead of Cherry. It's a little bit warmer and richer, but not too dark for the airy sky blue walls. I used Quick Grip adhesive and was able to position the seams in the back where they will mostly be hidden under the kitchen unit.

Final fit after trimming and glue.

Second Floor Before Stain

And with stain and several layers of Polyurethane.

And the exterior in test fit. As planned with Vera's cottage, I will likely use clapboard siding on the main body. But that's a few steps ahead yet. And this fitting does not include the porch roofs. They'll be one of the final steps.

Now, both Vera and Virgil's cottages are up to the same point in their construction. They are both very happy with the progress and are starting to share ideas with me about the type of furnishings and decor they'd like me to make for them. They sure sound excited!

The next phase will be the electricity, and I'm thinking I'll work on both cottages at the same time. I envision eight to twelve round wire fixtures in each cottage. The wires will be running under the foundation, out the walls, out the roof and meeting at a hub under the house. That means very soon I will have to make decisions about the type of foundation materials I will use. Brick? Rock? Concrete? I just need to make some mock ups and get them on the cottages before I decide. I also have yet to run channels and paper the ceilings. Lots of fun tasks to come and l hope they all go smoothly! But then, we all know how wiring goes, right?!? :O)

Hope your projects are progressing nicely, and I hope to be back soon with more to share on the cottages!

xo xo,
Jodi

A Den Of Thieves

Hello mini friends! It is I, your long lost fellow mini nut! It's only been two and a half weeks since my last post, but it feels like ages! June came and went like a thief, taking my PC down for 10 days, denting my hope in humanity and stealing my productivity with it. I am (gratefully) back up and running, and though I don't have much to show for my time, I thought I'd share the minuscule progress on Lisa's Country Cottage anyway.

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

Meet Vera and Virgil... and the Lavender Vanity Drawing Winner!

Hello everyone! It's been a busy 10 days and I am in shock that June is half way over already! And kind of relieved that 2020 is half over, too. What a challenging year, so far! I sure hope that 2021 will be much kinder to all of us! Let's focus on the positive, though, and enjoy a little bit of mini happiness!


Meet Vera and Virgil

Vera and Virgil are the mice who will be taking up residence in each of the two Lisa's Country Cottage kits. They are next door neighbors who are courting one another, and are engaged in budding love. With new homes to look forward to and getting to know one another, it's an exciting time for them! As their names suggest, they are old fashioned to the core and will be taking things as slow as molasses on a cold winter's day. :O)

Speaking of slow... I have been making slow progress on the yellow cottage. I bet you won't be surprised to know that the yellow cottage will be Vera's. Can you guess the color theme for Virgil's cottage? :O)

I started by painting the windows and doors, finishing the pop outs with T-111 like siding, and using the Cricut to create a fun texture stencil for the gables.

Here's how the facade is coming along. The main body of the cottage will be finished in clapboard siding but not until I have the interior painted, papered, floored and trimmed.

A little more about Vera and Virgil...

The creator of these precious needle felted critters is Yuliya of WoolenBoutiqueUa on Etsy. I contacted her about a mice couple that she had listed and asked if it was possible to have clothing done for them in yellow and blue. She happily agreed and knitted them new sweaters. She also made the adorable and color perfect dress for Vera at no extra charge! And then shipped them lightning fast! Her pricing was so affordable and the shipping charge was so reasonable, especially since there was tracking the entire way from Kherson, Ukraine.

Original Listing Clothing 

After Yellow and Blue Request

 When they arrived, they were wrapped in a box in beautiful wrapping paper and finished off with a bow! So thoughtful!

They stand on their own by adjusting their wired tails, and the craftsmanship and finishing are excellent. Look at those whiskers and the tiny wooden heart buttons! I love them, and based on my experience, can't recommend Yuliya's work highly enough. She has a nice variety of mice and other animals, and her costuming is charmingly detailed.

I am excited about continuing work on the cottages for Vera and Virgil so that they can get settled in and start living their dreams! Now that they are here, I'm sure I'll get lots of input on their wants and needs. Hopefully, each cottage will be novel enough and will reflect each of their unique personalities!

But first... We have a drawing to get to!!!

I'd like to thank each of the 53 entrants and also each of the followers who come by to share this passion and it's seemingly never ending excitement and creative possibilities with me!

~Thank You~!

I only wish I could show my gratitude by giving a mini treasure to everyone!

Drum roll...

And the winner is...

Congratulations Jocelyn Redmond!

You can visit her fun blog here.

I hope that you are more than delighted when

you receive your minis in person!

I have your email so will send you an email to get your address!

This was so much fun and thank you again to all who entered!

Come back soon and I will share my crazy 3D printed kitchen farmhouse sink disaster story and how Vera's little kitchen came to be!

Be safe and well, my friends, and with an open mind and a loving heart we'll get through this. And maybe even be better people for it. 💗

xo xo,

Jodi