Boy's Bedroom and past projects

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well and having a great week. This past weekend I finished the Boy's room.

The room measures 17" x 14" and 11 5/8" high. I'm afraid I don't have anything new to say about this room. I've used all the techniques and talked about them before.

The fireplace is an inexpensive resin one I faux painted using a technique by Whitledge-Burgess. I wanted the walls to be panneled, but chose a simpler design then the public rooms of the house. Because I wanted this room to have a masculine feel, I applied 3 coats of shellac to the floors wheras the Girl's Room and Bedroom hall only got 2. The Shellac flakes I use are Garnett Color. Each time you add a coat the floor gets a darker, orange color.

The furniture was purchased years ago and intended to be a master bedroom suite. Of all the bedroom sets I've seen I think this was one of the most masculin. I folded a piece of cotton fabric I had left over on the matress. I love the yellow in this room and would like a red fabric bedcover. Late victorians stopped using heavy drapery on the beds because they worried it wasen't hygienic. However, this is my house, so if I decide to hang drapes, so be it!
And here's a look at the empty room. I always think the empty rooms look smaller then they are

And that was progress for this week. Next, the Master Bedroom. I have a VERY busy couple of weeks coming up, so it might be a little while before my next post.

I have to take a moment and thank you all for your wonderful comments. You flatter me with all your kindess and I think it high praise indeed coming  from such talented artists as yourselves. I say it every week but it's the truth, it meas a lot to me and keeps me going. Several times friends have commented that being afraid of failure keeps them from trying. The only reason I have acheived what I haven is because I never shy away from a challenge. If I mess up, big deal! I swear a little, laugh a lot, and move on.

Since my post was rather short, I figured I'd put up some pictures of the last projects I built before starting on Dewell Manor.  When I think of the Foxhall Manor I built, all I think about are my errors: bad crown molding (attached with nails no less), bad paint, oversized tiles and grout lines, crooked construction, rediculous hinging on cabinet doors, bad brick work in the kitchen...

I was happy witht he popsicle stick flooring on the second floor

I loved my design for the kitchen and was happy to scratch build everything...but boy do I wish I had payed more attention to the small details

I must admit, I was really happy with the appliances I made, however, the hinges on the cabinets ruined the effect

World's  largest grout lines

Do not use high gloss paints on  miniature doors and trim

I made this room for my # 1 aunt Lorraine. I used it to test several Whitledge-Burgess Techniques I read about in a magazine article. I was happy enough with the box to take on Dewell Manor

 I knew my work was good, not great, but I hoped I could do better. I did research on miniatures, Victoriana, full size construction, various art mediums, carpentry...I know there are things that just come naturally to me, but that's no reason not to try and improve what I am strugglign with. NEVER shy away from a challenge!

On that note, I wish you all a wonderful week. I will be commenting on your blogs I promise, work has just been taking A LOT out of me the past few weeks and the computer is the last thing I want to look at when I get home.

I wish you all the best my friends
Huge Giac hugs to all,
No Fear!

Giac

Scullery

Hello everyone,
I hope you all had a good week. Things at work are back to normal for the moment. It was really crazy, but I spent my free time working on he scullery to try and forget about the office.

Since Dewell Manor's kitchen is 24 inches by 20 inches,  I decided to take one area and build a proper scullery.

The first Item I put together was the Dish rack.

I started by drilling evenly spaced holes on some leftover pieces of lumber I had lying around. I then cut dowels to the height I wanted the dish rack, in this case enough for 3 levels.

When the dowels were through the supports, I spaced them using a 1 1/4 inch piece of wood and glued them into place

 Next, I put together the top and side of the dish rack box and glued in the dowel pieces when it was dry

I glued on the second side piece. For the back piece, I glued pieces of 1/8 inch x 1/16 inch lumber at the same level as the horizontal supports. Next, I took more dowels and glued them to line  up with the front piece. In the next picture, you see me adding another 1/8 , 1/16 inch piece of lumber to help support the dishes.

While the rack dried, I made the cup rack

This is just another piece of lumber 1/4 wide with holes drilled through. instead of using dowels for the cup pegs, I cut off the tips of cocktail toothpicks that had a nice detail. I made 2 of these, glued them onto 2 supports and added shelves, corbels, and 2 small dowels do look like supports for the top shelf.

Next came the sinks
I have 2 porcelain sinks in the kitchen, so I decided the scullery would have 2 other sinks. The first one is a wood sink victorians used to wash china (porcelain sinks would chip the dishes) and the second is a copper sink used for messy preperation (cleaning fish and washing pots and pans).

Both sinks are simple wood boxes on wood supports.

 I used embossing metal sheets for the copper sink. This is a fairly soft sheet of copper. It is easy enough to cut with a utility knife and very easy to fold. I first made a smaller wood box to fit into the sink. I glued down the bottom piece of metal, and then folded a strip around the sides which went over the top of the smaller box. (see above picture) I cut thin strips of the metal and glued those over the top of the copper sink to cover any wood you could see.

 In the above picture, I dropped the copper sink into the woood piece and covered the gap with 1/4 x1/8 molding strips.

Finaly, I drilled a whole in the bottom of the sink and filled it with a brass grommet (used for dollhouse electrifying) for the drain and I glued a piece of copper dowel underneath. I tried making faucets with , but they looked awful so I'm going to purchase them.

I made a small counter with a drawer that goes under the plate rack. It has a small lip to help guide the water that drips from the dishes into the wood sink. The counter between the 2 sinks is a piece of wainscott sample I had. The grooves are just the right size to send the water back into the sink when pots are drying. I painted everything to look like dark wood.

And once everything was dry, I glued it all into place

I also put together a clothes rack that will hang from the ceiling in front of the kitchen stove

 I'm not going to hang it yet. I want to eventually purchase a wrought iron pot rack and will decide what the best placement for both item is.

If anyone is interested in Victorian kitchens I found a wonderful British series called "Victorian Kitchen":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoJnEJlwCpU&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL66C52B53F7E34468

It's a 9 episode series in which they repair a real victorian kitchen, hire a cook who started off as a scullery maid in the late 1920s and she prepares food in the same way the victorians did. The first episode has a lot of information about how the kitchen  was set up.

I also reccomend a book called "The Victorian House" by Judith Flanders. It talks about everything in the victorian middle class home. It gives a good idea of the work that servants went through on a daily basis.

Next I will tackle the 3 unfinished rooms of the second floor. I've been putting it off bcause I didn't feel like cutting all the floor planks, but now I have to in order to go forward.

I also want to thank Maria from  http://prettythingsireland.blogspot.com/ for giving me a Blog Fantabuloso award! My first award! Thank you so much Maria, I REALLY appreciate it and it means a lot coming from you.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and I wish you all the best,
Hugs,
Giac

Grand Staircase Bay Window, Ladders and scullery

Hello everyone,
I hope you've all been well. I've been putting in way too much overtime at work and not getting enough sleep, but I did manage to get a few small projects done.

Gallery and staircase Bay window

The first project I got done is the staircase window. The window opening is 12 inches high by 6 inches wide. I started by making a simple frame out of basewood. In the next picture, I cut the ends of the angled pieces at 45 degree angles. I glued them with carpenter's glue and gel super glue.

When the angled pieces were set I glued the vertical frame pieces, then the smaller horizontal pieces. In the next picture you see the window structure put together.  

When this was all dry, I glued on 1/4" x 1/8" pieces to create the sashes to hold the window panes. To finish off this window, I cut crown molding into thin strips to create the gothic arches at the top of the window.

I'm going to glue this window in using just a few dots of hot glue. Since this section of the house is 12 inches wide and 34 inches deep, I want the window to be removable in case I need access to the staircase for cleaning or repairs.

The next project I worked on were the ladders for the Library Bookcases.

I simply took 1/8" by 1/4" lumber and drilled holes the same diameter as my dowels 5/8 inches apart.

I glued them together with The Ultimate Glue . I then painted them to match the library wood. I was lucky enought to find necklace clips that were just the right size for the hooks to hold the ladder onto the bar at the top of the bookcases.

I'm currently working on cutting wood strips for flooring, and I'm working on the scullery. Here's a look at the plate rack and the wood sink. The sink looks exactly like the one I saw in old pictures, but it doesn't translate well in miniature...it just looks too bulky so I'm going to start it over.

And that is all I've done. I'm hoping the insanity at work has passed for a while so I can spend a little more time on Dewell Manor. 

I haven't had much free time to comment on your blogs and I apologize, but rest assured I am going through them and as always your work never ceases to amaze me.
I hope you all have a wonderful week, and I will try to have the scullery finished by sunday.
I wish you all the best,
Giac

Miniaturas, Final room count, attic plans, and Loggia furniture!

Hello all!
I hope everyone has been well. First off, I just want to thank everyone who follows my blog. I never dreamt  this many people would take an interest in my work. I hope my blog will keep on inspiring and giving people ideas. Thank you all so much!

Before I start, I just wanted to share some very happy news. "Miniaturas" Magazine is running a series of articles following my work on Dewell Manor. I saw the first article just hours before we left for our trip.  I have to congratulate Pedrete and Madelva for putting together such a beautiful article. Thank you very much my friends! I am honoured!

Jo and I had a wonderful vacation. I was worried about a Caribbean cruise because I'm not a beach person! The inner child in me is still very strong, so I get bored, restless and annoying in very calm situations. However, I did have a lot of fun.

I built a little sand castle , read "The Shining"  and a Hercule Poirot mystery, and of course, I thought of Dewell Manor.

As I sat at the back of the boat, looking at the sea, I made a quick sketch, yet again, of what Dewell Manor would look like from the sunken garden

the vision



the reality

Before I get to exterior work I want all interiors to be complete. The opening panels will be rather large and I'm afraid I might damage them while I work. I always had a 95% clear vision of the entire manor, except for the attic. Happily,  After many weeks of thinking, I commited to a floor plan for the top floor. So here is the finalized list of rooms for Dewell Manor and their measurements in inches:

First Floor
1.Kitchen 20 x 24
2.Loggia 13 x 13
3. Dining Room 16 x 20
4. Game Room 14 x 33
5. Drawing Room 17 x 30
6. Entrance Hall  12 x 34
7. Music room 20 x 36

Second Floor
8. Dressing Room 20 x 24
9. Master bedroom 16 x 20
10. Bedroom Hall 15 x 31
11. Girl's Room 14 x 17
12. Boy's Room 14 x 17
13. Gallery and Landing 12 x 24
14. Library 20 x 36

Attic Floor
15. Morning Room 14 x 24
16. Sewing Room 12 x 16
17.Nursery 15 x 21
18. Attic Hall 10 x 21
19. Bathroom 13 x 13
20. Gentlemans Room 14 x 24
21. Office 12 x 16

There will also be a tower, originally a clock tower, but I'm thinking of making it a room instead. Because I want the plans to be realistic, a tower means another staircase in the attic. Yet again, it will barely be visible, but it will be there!

I originally wanted to have servants quarters on the attic floor, but I've decided they all live in small cottages on the grounds of the estate near the main house.  I had furniture for the Morning Room, Nursery, and the Bathroom, so I got online and ordered a set for the Gentleman's room. This room will be visible only through the office double doors, so I wanted a set that would stick out and be noticed.

The office will have built in bookcases and will be completley paneled in walnut, so I only need a desk, and the sewing room only needs an armoire and sewing machine. With the furniture purchased, I chose my wallpaper. Since I have not worked on the manor, here are pictures of the furniture and the wallpapers to give you an idea what the attic will look like.




Morning Room 



Morning Room



Sewing Room



Nursery

Nursery

Hall

Bathroom

Bathroom Tile





 

Gentleman's Room



Gentleman's Room

One other room I originally had not planned on was the Loggia. 2 days before we left, I received the furniture I ordered from the Little Dollhouse Company.

The loggia will be red brick and stone, but I want marrocan tiles for the floor and a light fixture with colored crystals. I might also add curtains between the columns to block out the sun.

Before I tackle the attic, I have 3 rooms left to finish on the second floor. The Dressing Room, Master Bedroom and the boy's room. The next 2 weeks I will work on the flooring for these 3 rooms...very boring...and then I will finish them one by one.

Well, you are now all up to date and I can't wait to get some work done. I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful week. I only had time to pop into some of your blogs, but I promise I will catch up soon.
All the best my friends, and once again, thank you all!

Giac

Music Room

Hello Everyone.
I hope you all had a wonderful New year! I had a week off for Christmas and New Years, so I wanted to finish the Music Room before I went back to work. I'm glad to say mission accomplished!

The Music Room is right under the Library. I've mentionned that Dewell Manor is on the edge of a cliff in England. These are the 2 rooms that would have views of the ocean on 3 sides, So I made the windows as big as possible.

The fireplace, overmantel and ceiling cornice are from Sue Cook, and the colums from Unique Miniatures

I didn't make the arches in the top sections of the windows. The window treatments will cover them, so I saw no reason to spend time on a detail that would be lost. 

Since the paper was busy, the ceiling moulding ornate, and the fabric for the window treatments is a bright blue silk, I decided to keep the rest of the wall detail fairly simple. The most time consuming projects were the Atlantides and the Marble Columns.

Atlantides are male sculptures that top or replace columns and look as though they are supporting the structure. In a past post I used the term carryatides, but from what I read carryatides are female sculptures. I've only ever sculpted clay once, and that was for the 2 dimensional figures over the Great Room fireplaces, so in true Giac form, I told myself, maybe I'm gifted and just don't know it. Well, 2 days later, I can say my work is good, but not great.

If anyone ever wants to try sculpting, it's actually a lot of fun. I first tried working with regular clay, but the figures and detail were so small they dried out, cracked and chipped every time I touched them. I then tried Super Sculpey and I loved it. It's an oven bake clay and I thought it was easy and fun to work with.

I first twisted metal wire so as to make the figures stronger. Next I covered the wire frame with Sculpey



The matal wire was in the shape of a T. Here it is all covered




I took out some body building magazines and used those as guides to shape the musculature




(Again, sorry I can't get this picture right side up) I only had 2 sculting tools and needles, so fine details like fingers were left out. With more tools I think I could of done better, but I was more interested in the overall shape of the figures and not the details, so the investment didn't seem worth it.




Here are the 3 I made, Buba, Brutus and Adam (he was the first finished for the room). When they were done I baked them for 15 minutes. the slimmer ends, like the "hands" burnt a little, but it didn't bother me because I covered them in 2 coats of Gesso and then faux-marbled them. I'm proud of them, but know they're good, not great...but man did I ever have a good laugh at my first attempt below

This was my very first 3d sculpture ever. Jo asked why I was laughing and I told him I created a steroid loving Drag Queen in a flamenco version of Cabaret! Laughing at yourself is the best therapy in my opinion. Smashing him to start over was also fun!



The faux marble technique was the same I've used in the past. 2 coates of medium gray brushed on, 1 coat of off-white sponged on, 1 coat of pure white sponged on, then medium gray veins applied with toothpicks. The Atlantides were easy enough to paint, the columns were time consuming because of the fluting.



The columns are from Unique Miniatures. I had to heat them with a hair dryer till soft to straighten them. I had to cut out a section of the column to make them shorter. It went well, except after a while the razar saw I used with a mitter box heated the resin column and the saw had a hard time going through.  The columns in the corners of the room without Atlantides will hold busts of great composers.



This room was really long to put together, but I'm very happy with the result. I wanted this room to be very delicate and feminine, and I think it will be perfect once the curtains are up.

On another note, Jo and I are going on Holiday for a week as of this coming Sunday (the next 4 days of work will be murder) so it might be a while before my next post. I hope you all have a wonderful couple of weeks and I will definetely catch up on your blogs when I get back..

I wish you all the best and a great couple of weeks. 

Giac