Not A Townhouse... A Trunkhouse!

I'm not sure if this has ever been done in miniature home building, but what you are about to see attempted is the creation of a Trunkhouse. It's like a townhouse, in that the rooms are stacked on top of one another. But this one will be inside the "trunk" of a "tree". The "trunk" is actually a concrete form tube, known in the construction biz as a "Sonotube". These cardboard tubes are coated with a moisture barrier inside, and are ready made for concreting things like wooden fence posts into the ground. They come in various circumferences. My 10" tube is actually 9-1/4" of what I hope will become suitable living space for a very special Fairy Beary Godmother and her pet dragon.

48" of heavy duty, moisture barrier coated, cardboard tubing.

Intended purpose of a Sonotube

Here's the rough idea, very elementarily demonstrated by combining generic graphics. Imagine the Sonotube becomes a Trunkhouse, like a Townhouse, only it's the trunk of a Treehouse.

Are you picking up what I'm putting down? Great! Let's move on...

Because my tube was 48" tall and I needed only 33" (three 9" tall rooms and a 6" base at the bottom to accommodate roots), I needed to cut 15" off. Have you ever tried to mark and cut a tube? Well, let me tell ya - it's tricky!!! The best way I could come up with was to hang my tape measure from the top, then mark the tube at 33" at many places around the tube. To connect the marks, I taped my fabric measuring tape just below each mark. I used the top edge to draw my lines around the tube. Then I rechecked my drawn line, just to be sure. Because the tube and lettering are constructed in a wrapped diagonal, my eyes didn't believe my brain! The method seemed to work and I employed it again to mark where each floor/ceiling would land. 

I made note of the circumference in case I needed to know later on. 31"!

To cut the tube, I scored the line several times with my utility knife. Once I had a nice groove, I went in with my razor saw. I found that I had more control with the utility knife, so I used that exclusively, going forward. The biggest challenge was holding on to the the heavy and awkward tube while cutting.

Once I had the length cut and the floors marked, I could create the openings. I wanted something large enough to be able to reach inside to finish the rooms. And to be able to see inside well. But I also knew I'd need to preserve some wall space. I made a cardboard pattern, then traced around it in between floors.

It took a little patience, but eventually, all three openings were finished.

In the interest of creating more trunk details and a little extra room, I decided to attempt to utilize the 15" of leftover Sonotube. I reasoned that if I cut it in half lengthwise, I could make smaller rooms that connected to the main room which would provide additional living space.

But this cardboard is extremely stubborn! It needed to be coerced into bending at a more severe degree. I was able to persuade it with some wood strips and lots of wood glue! 

Once the strips had had a chance to set up well, I figured I'd better cut the openings into the room additions. 

This is upside down, of course! Easier to reach!

I wrestled the half tube in between the wood strips, glued them and taped them like an engineer. Luckily, this will all be covered in bark at some point, so there is no use trying to score extra points for neatness!

Once the gobs of wood glue had dried enough, I finally got a look at it upright. Like me, you'll have to do your best to imagine it clad in chunky bark and branches.

Russ asked me what type of base I was going to use. I told him it would be plywood, about the same size as the dollhouse. That should make for a stable and balanced diorama. He suggested that I glue a piece of plywood into the bottom of the Sonotube so that the base could be screwed up through it. A plug of sorts and much more secure with screws than glue alone. Great idea, Russ! Thanks!

I traced and cut the "plug" with my scroll saw, but when Russ saw that it was only 1/4" plywood, he said I should use 1/2" or 3/4" plywood. I told him I used what I had and what I had tools capable of cutting with. He chuckled like he always does at my "mini tools". Then he offered to cut a sturdier "plug" for me. Thanks once more, Russ! I will use my wimpy 1/4" plywood plug for the ceiling that connects the trunk to the treehouse.

I also cut and laminated the floors/ceilings out of two layers of very inexpensive chipboard. Because of the curved walls, I will likely create the floor bracing and the baseboards from cereal box cardboard. But before floor/ceiling installation, I should probably decide on windows/doors and cut the openings. I pulled a few things out of my stash, but will probably end up making custom windows with the Cricut. Bending chipboard to form around the curved walls will be much easier than bending wood, though I can create a few pop out boxes too. 

While the glue was setting up on the pop out trunk section, I had time to work on the front door. I'd picked up this door at Auntie Em's in Glendale AZ in 2017. I'd always envisioned it becoming a fairy house door, and now I actually have the perfect project to use it in! Getting the curve right for the enclosure and the shed roof was a bit of trial and error. Luckily, since I'm using foam board, it is easier to make adjustments than it would have been with wood. I'd really like to cut a window into the door, and to finish it while I can move it around, so for now, it will remain temporarily in place just for photos.

Here it is placed at the height that it will actually sit on the trunk. I imagine some stairs leading up, but my ideas are sure to evolve as I begin to incorporate the tree's roots.

Looking into the living room, you'll have a peek-a-boo view of the door alcove. I may add windows to the side panels, as well. We'll see!

I thought it might be nice for Roz to have a small balcony off her bedroom. Because wall space is at a premium, I decided on a single door. The door was a leftover from a previous kit - I just had to recreate a frame and drill holes for the hinge pins. I'll decide on railing details when I get to the exterior finishing.

The trunk's character is beginning to take shape, and that will help a lot in deciding on windows and their placement. Then, I can get those openings cut out, too!

I'm having a design meeting with Roz soon, and I think she's going to feel like the trunkhouse is off to a good start. I have exciting ideas for some interesting interior features, and I bet she'll agree! Hopefully, this addendum trunkhouse to the fairytale treehouse project will be fun for you to follow along with, too. Maybe it will even inspire you to make your own fantasy project!

Back soon with progress...

xo xo,

Jodi

Fastidious Floral Fairytale Fireplace

I got a little sidetracked and engrossed on something which was completely unplanned for the fairytale treehouse, and it took all week. Surprise! Surprise! 😜

I had intended to work on getting the balcony assembly installed. In fact, I earnestly started that goal by attaching the flowering vines to the balcony posts. 

Repainted vines from last post.

Flower vines wired to balcony before filler flowers were added.

I even filled in empty areas with supplemental mulberry roses and buds. All was going well...

After mulberry roses filled in.

Until I put it in place for a dry fit. Then I began to ponder whether I needed more vines adorning the panels or if there was enough going on on the posts. What about the structural beams holding the balcony up from the first floor? Maybe just green vines there? Yeah, but despite it being two weeks since I ordered them from the Etsy shop, they hadn't even shipped yet. So, I put that decision aside and carried on with the dry fit instead. 

Dry fit with wall and floor/ceiling to decide placement of fireplace.

I had questions about how the girls' fireplace wall would tie in to the balcony. I had always intended to have a railed portion so that you could look down into the great room, but on which side? The balcony or the back of the treehouse? The wall, being a couple inches short, would need to slide one way or the other. In order to know for sure, I had to look at the actual wall, floor and ceiling in place - not just imagine it. Once I saw it in place, my ideas for the fireplace began to bombard my brain. From past experience I know to seize this kind of creative momentum, lest my ideas float right on out into the nethersphere, never to return. So, the balcony got put aside once again until my vine order and solid ideas for it are at hand.

As per my M.O., I designed the structural pieces of the fireplace in Design Space and cut them with the Cricut Maker. Straight cuts? Cheap chipboard? Yes, please! I covered the kit's wall with scrap paper leftover from the girl's cubbies. Because the kit wall is only 1/8" thick, to give a more realistic chimney feeling, I also made a chimney breast, covering it with another scrap. The fireplace itself has a top, a hearth, a back, double layered front, and sides. To the inside, I added egg carton bricks in a herringbone pattern, just for fun. To detail the fireplace, I had a few packs of resin column fronts with an artichoke frieze. They were the perfect size to flank the firebox. Dresden appliques adorn the front, edges and sides.

While the fireplace assembly was drying, I worked on the fire basket. I made a log holder with firedogs out of kraft card. 

No need to point out anything salacious about the firedogs. Believe me - Russ already has. 🙄 

Resizing things down to 1/12th scale doesn't always translate well.

Double layer firedogs, log basket, bracing.

Layers glued to create thickness and detail.

Bent, assembled and painted.

It's always a perfect fit when you make it custom, lol!

For the fire, I placed a half water bottle cap (it's translucent so the light comes through) under the fire basket/log holder and placed a red LED chip light inside. Like the Log Fire With Glowing Embers tutorial, I surrounded it with glowing "ash". I used hot glue to make Sharpie colored orange/yellow translucent flames to go between the wood logs, but it didn't work out as swell as I'd hoped. I need more practice and patience. At least one of the glue strips worked as intended - it almost appears to be flames due to the other three chip lights under the logs.

At this stage I had the fireplace assembled to the wall, toned down with washes, aged with washes, added trims, put the fire logs in place, added sconces and of course - installed a mirror. But it still wasn't nearly finished yet!

It had to be adorned with flowers. A swag above the mirror, a swag on the mantle and then a vase with buds just popping. The carousel horse is pot metal painted with gold to tie in the mirror frame. Accessories will likely evolve later as I switch my concentration from structure to accessories.

Testing the lights.

With the room lights off.

And at the same time, there were also flower vine valences created for the girls' cubby windows. Fairytales are full of flowers, especially fairytale treehouses!

Alice's Bed Cubby

Goldie's Bed Cubby

But fireplaces need other things, too. Not just pretty things, but useful things. I wanted to make a fireplace screen for the girls and I was fairly certain I could find something to make them from this hoard of mine. Sure enough, I had a set of six half scale chipboard gothic windows from Alpha Stamps. 

I applied Fast Grab Tacky Glue neatly to the back of three of the windows, then placed them on top of some very thin acetate from Cricut Chipboard packaging. Once set, I carefully cut around the edges. Then, to solidify the panes, I filled in the windows with Crystal Clear Gallery Glass.

Once the Gallery Glass was clear and dry, I glued the other three windows on, sandwiching the acetate between them. Then I wrapped them in 1/8" kraft card strips to smooth out the edges.

I painted the frames with a Krylon Gold Leafing Pen, then filled the other side of the glass with more Gallery Glass.

I added some purple and green polka dots with the Sakura Glaze Pens. To attach the window panels together at the correct angle (so they'd fit on the hearth), I sliced 1/8" quarter round in half, making it 45 degrees instead of 90 degrees. Then I glued each half to either side of the center window. When that was dry, I attached each side window. Sorry Betsy - hinges and chipboard do not good bedfellows make. 😊

I also painted a set of fireplace tools and added a basket of logs. The fireplace wall is ready now to help me make my railing side decision.

And it is ready to install into the girl's room.

After flooring, of course!

Unfortunately, my real life house could really use some fastidious focusing. See ya in a couple weeks!

xo xo,

Jodi

P.S.A. On Blogger Issues:

Sometime in mid 2022 the comments I leave for others on their blog posts were mysteriously disappearing, even days after they had been posted - I saw them post! After many searches, I finally found a thread that confirms that I am not (crazy) the only one this is happening to, and a reason for the mystery. Apparently, if your comment disappears from someone's blog, it has to do with their spam filter within the Comments section of their blog. So, it is ultimately up to the blog owner to resolve - nothing you can do.

If you receive comments saying this is happening on your blog, go to your blog dashboard and click on the Comments page. You may see the comment there which has been spontaneously marked as "Spam" for unknown reasons. You can manually approve the comment.

If you don't see the comment, click the question mark symbol at the top right of the page to tell Blogger about the problem. Apparently, they will reset your spam filter which eliminates the problem, at least for a while.

Some others have reported the cause as security settings on specific browsers or a need to clear your cache. Because I have also been unable to backup my blog content since last summer (stalls out and does not save), as well, I suspect that as things are broken in Blogger, they are just no longer being repaired. I hope it is not the case, but I recommend you look into Google Takeout to protect your work. I have mine scheduled to automatically export quarterly and they send my backup files to my email. If ever Blogger ends or starts to charge for hosting, at least we'll have our archives to decide what to do with them.