Summer Hiatus

I can't believe it's August already, and I haven't worked on the house since April!  Being on a farm it's to be expected.  There's so much to do outside and then there's the three to four hours it takes once or twice a week to cut grass.  Ugh!  I'm not complaining much though.  It's certainly better than shoveling snow and wading out to the chicken coop in snow up to the knees.

At any rate, I'll be back in the fall with updates.  For now I'm off to order siding . . .

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Roof Shingles

I have to send a shout out to my wonderful husband who's taken many hours of his weekend to finish shingling the manor.  Today he finished the left side of the mansard roof and is currently working on the little space nestled between the house and the roof.  Not any easy task . . . it's a good thing he has the patience of a saint!

I finished off the trim on the dormer window as well, so this side is a done deal!

Tom Bishop Miniature Show

It's been quite a while since I worked on my dollhouse or played with my miniatures, but I'm back at it with inspiration from the Tom Bishop Miniature Show I attended in Chicago this past week taking a few classes and enjoying the vendors at the show on Friday.

The first class I took was with Paula Gilhooley making a large floral arrangement.  I learned how to make several different flowers, and while I still have to insert several flowers into the arrangement, so far it looks pretty nice.  It looks awesome on the table in the parlor.

The next class I took was with Marcia Mclain making drapes for the parlor.  I really enjoyed this class and Marcia made it so easy to make some really nice drapes.  And to my surprise and delight, they fit perfectly!

I plan on making blinds for the windows themselves and bought some lovely fabric and trim for that.  On Friday, with my list in hand, I shopped the preview show and found everything I was looking for . . . and then some!  First on my list was a little girl doll which I found from doll maker Lillian of  "Lillie's Littles".  How perfect is she?!

Then I found this wonderful doll to act as maid of the manor.  Her red hair is wonderful!

I found a wonderful dog by Karl Blindheim as Mr. Pennethorne's constant companion.  He looks right at home in front of the fireplace in the study.

And I found this amazing table absolutely loaded with goodies by Ivani Grande for the wine/food cellar.

And no house is complete without lots and lots of plants!

Orchids

Peace Lily

Wandering Jew

Wandering Jew

Wandering Jew

Lily of the Valley

Brian is busy in the other room finishing the shingles on the roof and then it's time for siding.  The work continues . . .

Ivy Leaves and Pillows

I haven't worked on the manor since the middle-end of February, rather spending my time getting my big house in order.  Spring fever has hit, although the temperatures still leave a lot to be desired.  I'm trying to organize, paint and spring clean before warm weather hits so I can spend my time outside.  I plan on spending a lot of it outside this year soaking up some much needed Vitamin D from the sun.  I also have a few projects planned that I'm looking forward to.

The manor is never far off my mind and I did spend some time shopping for the perfect chandelier for the conservatory.  Yes, I decided it needed to have a chandelier and I found just the one from JGetzan Miniatures.  It's the Rosette Chandelier in gold. Their stuff is so gorgeous it's really hard to decide, but in the end I opted for this ivy leaved chandelier.  I think it will tie in beautifully with the feel I want for the room, which is made cozy with lots of plants.

I also ordered more pillows from Mondina Dollhouse on Etsy.  I can't get enough of her exquisite designs.

For the Parlor

For the Breakfast Room

For the Little Girl's Room

I have tomorrow set aside for working on the manor so I hope I'll have more for you soon.  Have a beautiful Friday!

The Conservatory at Pennethorne Manor

Ha!  How do you like that title?  Rather presumptuous and aristocratic isn't it?  Perfect!

I was able to get the conservatory mostly finished today.  I'm still deciding on how to attach it to the house and then finish the roof with acrylic which is on order.  My back and neck are aching from all the different positions I had to put myself in trying to fit the wallpaper.  It took most of the afternoon (with breaks), but I got it done and it turned out well . . . at least to my liking.  For the floor I decided to use walnut flooring for the step from the breakfast room to the conservatory, and used a vinyl tile from Menard's for the conservatory flooring.  It kind of looks like marble and with the rug, it's hardly noticeable.

And with that done . . . you just know I had to play!

The wicker furniture was made by a beautiful lady named Wendy (wenlaine) who I was privileged to meet on the Greenleaf forum years ago.  She also made the cross stitched rug.  Thank you Wendy!