I'm M-e-l-t-i-n-g . . .

I feel like the wicked witch of the west - melting not from water, but from heat and humidity!  There is supposed to be a break in the weather starting tonight with thunder storms and it can't come soon enough.  All I can say is, I'm grateful for air conditioning!

So while I'm beating the heat by staying indoors, and since I'm waiting yet again for supplies, I decided to go ahead and build the one dresser kit I had on hand (still waiting on the third and final one), three night stands - one for each of the servant's rooms - and some roses I got from Moonflower Miniatures.

Everything went together beautifully and other than the last dresser, the servant's rooms are furnished.  I would like to add at least one chair and perhaps some other do-dads once I spend some time figuring out each of their personalities.

Built and waiting for staining . . .

All turned out beautifully.

Reginauld's room.

Isn't this night stand the cutest thing?

Flower kit from Moonflower Miniatures on Etsy.

I used super glue to mimic water and hold the roses in place.

Rosemary's vanity arrived and as it happens I had to move furniture around to make the room make sense and give enough room for Rosemary to move around.

Wish I had thought to remove that middle/end wall . . . ughhhh!

Since I had not one, but two, wire fires from the light for the butler's pantry, I ordered a different fixture altogether and am awaiting its arrival.  I did manage to get some of the wallpapering done and the flooring done for the butler's pantry, but until I can get that light installed, I'm at somewhat of a standstill.

The floor here is dark walnut wood flooring which I varnished.  I also had to add on 6 inches because these rooms are 24 inches deep.  It was not easy wallpapering way, way, way back there!

And with some of the furniture I've ordered for this room.  Brian gave me a generous budget and I used it all!  LOL!  I was going to build some cabinets, but I wanted something very particular and I wanted the doors and drawers to open to display silverware, napkins, candles and the like.  So far, two of the mahogany china cabinets have arrived.  I need to take a picture of the fronts . . .

I also got the scullery all wallpapered since I was able to cover the wires from all the lights from the sub-basement that lead down this side of the basements.  I've ordered a mangle (creepy name isn't it?) from Phoenix Model Developments and am looking forward to building it and adding it to the scullery.  I'll be building cabinets in here the same as the kitchen cabinets with the exception of a couple of sinks.  This room is going to be fun since I'm going to make it look very "worked" in.  LOL!

Look how tidy these poor girls look doing this hard work!

Brian cut and routered a board for me this morning that will sit between the basements and the manor.  It will also give me eight extra inches for landscaping!  For now, the extra spandrel I needed for the turret roof came on Friday, so I think I'll go play with that . . .

So Happy Together

Do you remember that song by the Turtles circa 1967?  Yeah, it's stuck in my brain . . .

This past Friday all the lights arrived for the sub-basement and I was able to get them all installed.  A friend of mine came for the weekend and as we were sitting and admiring the manor, all of a sudden I smelled something burning and saw smoke coming from one of the wires!  I quickly unplugged everything and was able to minimize the damage.  Is there such a thing as a miniature fire department?  LOL!  Anyway, I'm not really sure what happened but a portion of the wire to the light in the butler's pantry burned up.  I was able to replace it and after a good deal of time monitoring it, I deemed everything safe.

Once we were safely in the clear, Brian helped me put the manor on top of the basements and WOW the effect was incredibly exciting!  It is impressive to behold (if I do say so myself).

I spent Saturday afternoon building the widow's walk.  I couldn't believe how long it took to build this little decorative addition and that's after spending an entire movie painting it beforehand.  At any rate, it's done and I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

I ran out of trim and had to order one more piece to finish the turret.  I knew I should have trusted my instincts and ordered that one extra piece the first time around!

Now that the lighting is complete, I can turn my attention to finishing the wallpapering, crown molding and baseboards in the servants bedrooms.  I have a simple white bathroom suite on order and am still waiting for the staircase that will finish the sub-basement stairwell.  I'm looking forward to this bit as I'm going to modify it to have a right hand turn that goes up into the dining room.

And now I'm going shopping for furniture for the butler's pantry . . . I'm looking forward to this part!

Stay well and stay safe!

Somewhere in Time

I just love this movie!  Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour made the perfect couple . . . until he found that darn penny in his pocket!

I don't remember exactly, but I think it may have been this movie that spawned my love for all things Victorian.  The beauty, gentleness and decorum of the era tugs at my heart strings.  Not to mention the romance spelled out in a single bouquet of flowers and the ornate buildings and decorating schemes.

Ah to go back . . . somewhere in time . . .

"The man of my dreams has almost faded now.  The one I have created in my mind.
The sort of man each woman dreams of in the deepest and most secret reaches of her heart.  I can almost see him now before me.  What would I say to him, if he were really here?

Forgive me, I have never known this feeling . . . I've lived without it all my life.  Is it any wonder then, that I failed to recognize you?  You, who brought it to me for the first time?  Is there any way I can tell you how my life has changed?  Any way at all to let you know what sweetness you have given me? 

There is so much to say . . . I cannot find the words.  Except for these . . . I love you.  Such would I say to him . . . if he were really here."

Doesn't your heart just break for her when he is torn from her life?  Ah, such is a good romance movie . . .

The Ovens

I am well pleased . . . the ovens turned out better than I imagined.  Brian used his jig-saw to remove the burners and I had to laugh when he came in the house rather sheepishly saying he had ruined my ovens.  They did look rather ominous, but I reassured him that he did exactly what I wanted.  Who knew the inside of a resin oven was hollow?  Interesting . . .

Anyway, I glued all the ovens together, cut out matte board for the tops of the long oven and the top oven and gave them a good three coats of flat black spray paint.

And with that, the kitchen is pretty well finished for all the big jobs.  Yahoo!

I have to give credit here to Mary at Mary & Martha Tours blog for the inspiration and know-how to create these ovens.  Thanks Mary!

It's Furniture Time!

Great, now I'm going to be singing "Hammertime" all night!  Ughhh . . .

Anyway, this kit came in the mail yesterday, so I took some time out from the manor to build it.  It is the Chippendale 3 Drawer Chest (Kit#40011) from The House of Miniatures.  It went together so easily and in a matter of a few hours it was done from start to varnish.

This is one of three I'll be building.  They are destined for the servant's rooms.  This one went into cook's room . . .

In the Kitchen

Well, the major work in the kitchen is done!  I just have one small wall to wallpaper once the sconce I ordered comes in.  All the major pieces are also in and it's just a matter of filling the kitchen with groceries and all the pieces that make up a good working kitchen.  I'm still waiting on Brian to bash up the ovens.  He said he'd do it today . . . fingers crossed!  I'll be hanging some shelving above the bottom cupboards and am looking forward to filling them with copper pots and pans and jelly molds.

If you haven't guessed it by now, I've been using the Downton Abbey kitchen as my inspiration.  I was going to put in those big, beautiful windows, but it was just too much finagling because I have a six inch storage area (for keeping all my dollhouse supplies) behind and trying to get in there to cut out windows would have used up my last straw!  I could have put in a false wall, but that would have eaten up too much kitchen space.  So, I just have to pretend that they're there, but on the other side of the kitchen . . . ; -]

In consultation with Brian (ha ha) he suggested I build a broom closet.  Not exactly what I had in mind when I asked him, but I had about three inches left to fill in and this seemed like a good idea.  Every kitchen needs a broom closet right?  So I built one using my new found skills from Kris's 1 inch minis and set to work.

I'm not happy with the crown molding and will likely replace it.

It didn't turn out too badly, but I'm not happy with my aging on this piece and will likely repaint it and try again.  It came out just a little too dark (see the difference from the cabinet beside it?).

Here is what the finished (almost) kitchen looks like . . .

Next up is cabinetry for the scullery . . .

Kitchen Cabinets

I've been moving along in the kitchen and it won't be long before the cook arrives to start cooking in it!  I've built two of the three cabinets that go along the back wall of the kitchen.  I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.  I was worried at first they'd be some flimsy wanna be's, but they're pretty solid and hefty!

I followed a tutorial by Kris at 1 inch minis.  Her directions and pictures were awesome and it didn't take long at all to build them.  The tutorial looked daunting at first, but I followed it step-by-step and before I knew it I had a cabinet!

The cabinets are made out of matte board and after they were built I gave them two coats of Antique White paint and then washed them with Burnt Umber and water to give them an aged appearance.  I cut two pieces of wood the size of the counter tops and stained them with Minwax Golden Oak and two coats of varnish to finish.  I still have to make the handles and attach them.

I also painted and aged the prep tables.  I had stained and varnished the tops previously.

Fairly confident in my ability to build some decent looking cabinets, I'll be moving into the scullery and building a wall of cabinets with two sinks.  Kris provides a tutorial for the sinks as well, so that will be an interesting foray into the unknown!

I'm off to build that third and final cabinet for the kitchen.  I'm also hoping Brian will "bash" my ovens so I can glue them together and paint them . . .

Ovens and an Alcove

My ovens finally arrived so I spent the day building the alcove they will sit in.  I built it out of foam board and am pleased with how it turned out, however I might have to rip out the under part of the alcove because it's sticking out a little farther than I'd like.  I'm thinking of adding a trim piece to camouflage it but am unsure how to bend it.  Maybe I could make it out of cardboard or foam board?  Hmmm . . .

I still have work to do on the ovens by way of removing the silver covers, gluing the double ovens together and then painting everything black.  I debated on painting them as I like the yellow, but I think it will be more in keeping with a Victorian kitchen if they're black.  I'm still running wiring for lights, so that wall to the right will be wallpapered once all the lighting is in.

Next up in the kitchen is building the lower cabinets.  That should be interesting . . .

The Chapel

I thought I'd share the Chapel at Pennethorne Manor today.  I haven't mentioned it much (if at all) because it's a very personal space, not just for my dolls, but for me.  Let's start with the dolls . . .

Lord Pennethorne follows the Anglican faith, the most common Christian denomination found in Great Britain and he is a member of the Church of England.  Reginauld also follows the Anglican faith.  Lady Pennethorne follows the Baptist faith.  Since living in America, Lord and Lady Pennethorne and Reginauld visit a Baptist church on Sunday mornings.  When they're in England, they attend an Anglican church with old Aunt Adelia.

Aoife, being a good Irish girl, follows the Catholic faith.  She is very devout and visits the chapel daily.  She attends mass at a Catholic church on Sunday mornings.

Forgive me if this isn't your cup of tea, but I just want to speak from my heart and declare my faith and love for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I haven't always been a model Christian, but I try always to do the right thing.  I've strayed off the path so many times and gotten myself into some very precarious situations, but I've always been protected by angels and loved by the Lord . . . and I'm almost positive that I provide a great source of laughter for them up there.

And now a visit to the Chapel . . .

This space still requires curtains and a few pictures that I have in mind.  I'd also like to replace the bench from Dream Small Studio on Etsy with a pew bench.  And more flowers would be nice.

The agate cross was a gift from a friend who visited Ireland.  The "vintage Holy Bible" came from Little Things of Interest on Etsy and the prayer bench is from Arjen Spinhoven on Etsy.  It was a kit that I put together and painted.

The miniature statues of Jesus and Mary came from the gift shop at the Holy Hill Basilica in southeastern Wisconsin.  It's a beautiful and peaceful place to visit with a wonderful cafe' and paths for meandering and contemplating, even if you're not Catholic.

Huh!  I never noticed that lamb at Jesus' feet before!

Aoife entering the Chapel for some prayer time.

I hope you enjoyed your visit to the Chapel today!

If you'd like a little ambiance with this post today . . . here's my favorite hymn.  Click to play.