Two Birds; One Stone

 Last night I accomplished TWO tasks - cleaned out a corner of the garage AND spiced up the exteriors of our house and shed!  The shutters match the ones I hung in front of the house earlier  We found them trashed on the roadside.  Here they frame the garage window.

Below, a window on the shed.

Now we have a "unified" look, and I have 4 less items in the garage!

The Monet House

Our friend who made our house sign is traveling in France.  Yesterday she posted a picture of Monet's home in Giverny.  

Who knew this was the picture we already had in our heads for our newest doll house? Since we are committed to using what we have on the shelves as much as possible, the shade of green we'll use for accents is darker (and our roof is already brown) but we're pleased to be in such great company as the painter, Claude Monet!  We'll definitely refer to it as the Monet House from now on.

Another Dollhouse Comes Home

I'd already begun painting the window trim and roof when this picture was taken.  My wife returned from Chicago with this gem.  It had been painted pink all over (a very poor paint job).  I sanded the pink down to remove paint drips, etc.  Rebecca is interested in retaining the "shabby-pink" look.

She found it for 1/2 off its $2.99 price at a Salvation Army store.  We found it on the internet listed for $149 new (a Melissa and Doug creation).  The inside shows NO wear whatsoever.

Rescued and Restored

Found beside a trash can; cleaned; applied Restore-A-Finish; hung.

Keeping It Up

"Yard Art" repaired and repositioned.  

Driveway redefined.

Chime Time

After purchasing three bolts yesterday, I was able to attach this bell to a corner of our back porch.  We brought the bell back from North Carolina.  Our brother and sister-in-law had purchased it years ago in northwest Indiana but didn't think it fit with their lawn decor.  We were happy to bring it home!  It has a beautifully deep (and loud) ring tone!  Looks like I need to clean one of the porch posts....

Kitchen/Dining Room Floor Progress

Under the sub-floor, linoleum.  Under the linoleum, wood floors.  We hope to keep them.  

About 1/4 of total area is stripped and scrubbed. 

STAY-CATION PROJECTS

Yesterday, inspired partially by all the beautiful shutters we saw on historic homes in Charleston and partially motivated to get corners of the garage cleaned up, I constructed these shutters from pieces we'd found discarded curbside at least a year ago!  Both of us are pleased with the result.

Today I'm taking the plunge to remove carpet and pad (and probably at least a section of sub-flooring to see if there are wood floors underneath).  The ultimate goal is to replace the carpet (dining area) and linoleum (kitchen) with wood floors.  Stay tuned!

North Carolina Projects

In addition to cleaning out and organizing his shed, I constructed this shelf unit to add storage to my brother-in-law's garage.  The top two shelves were specifically sized to accommodate the respective containers.

Before and After

BEFORE and...

AFTER!

"Dolly's" Almost Done!

 The wife got a little eager to show the brown and pink exterior (I had just touched-up the brown paint, as the photo shows).

The "dolly" is really starting to take shape!  You may see that I have put trim around the floors of the room (painted white).  The very top of the chimney will be painted pink to match the other exterior trim.

Painting "Dolly"

After painting the interior white, I applied wallpaper to the attic ceiling (closer look below) and the back wall of the room on the lower floor of the original house.

We went shopping for paint for the house's exterior.  We had a difficult time finding dark brown in a small amount (pint or quart).
 
Finally, at Meijer, while looking at "paint mistakes" we found a gallon of paint that will work!  We paid about 1/2 of what a quart would cost and just a little more than a pint!

Watch for the pink trim to accent the brown exterior!

The "Dolly"

This is how I will add two rooms to the original two. Note the attic area, now open since the roof covering it was removed.

Me, too.

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"I like to work a lot with wood.  I make furniture that falls apart.  I also sew."  Tim Conway

Remodeling the "Dolly" -- K.I.S.S.

This doll house has been sitting in our sunroom holding magazines on its "floors".  We are currently dreaming about remodeling it to give to a granddaughter for her birthday.  Shhhhhhhhh.  The goal is to add a couple of rooms and to Keep It Simple and Sturdy for young hands to enjoy.

I've already discovered an attic room accessible by removing the front part of the existing roof.  I think I can use the section I removed to cover the addition.  Stay tuned!

Our House Sign

I made the frame and fastened the tiles inside.  Once the weather gets warm enough, we'll figure out where to hang it!  One of Rebecca's friends from college did the painting and lettering.

Vanity, Vanity. All is Vanity.

After deciding to paint over the stock oak finish of one of our bathroom vanities, I removed the door and drawers and hardware.  The high gloss paint I first applied produced an odd effect - the grain of the original finish seemed to show through, producing an uneven appearance  So after a couple of coats (and one of primer), I covered it all with semi-gloss black.  The end result is much preferable.

(This picture is actually of the high gloss, but it gives the effect.  The mirror above the vanity is also painted.)

Front View of the Completed Dollhouse

The house is finished, and here is the front view.  The lighting doesn't allow the true colors - the window trim and porch posts are a light tan color; the porch floor is glossy white.

Here is a closer look at the door.  The door knob is actually a small brass screw.  We will be looking for some hinges on a thrifted item in the coming days.  (I didn't want to spend as much on new hinges as we paid for the dollhouse itself.)

Come back in a day or so for "Moving Day"!

Dollhouse Stairway Surround

I carved the posts out of 3/8" square pieces like the one on the left (a prototype).  The "surround" will fit into the posts as illustrated in the picture on the right.

This is the gist of the stairway enclosure.  I will glue it together,  stain it,  and then install it in place.  A similar construction will be made to fit the staircase on the lower level.

Adventures in Miniature Land - Baseboard Trim

Snowed in!  So I'm working on the baseboard trim.  It's painted in some rooms...will be stained in others.

  Here is the door in that same room trimmed out.

My next challenge is figuring out railing at the top of staircases.  I have some ideas to try out.