It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas . . .

Not really, but there is a lot of house trimming going on here.  It seems like I've spent days gluing trim to the manor and cutting new pieces to fit onto the breakfast and bath/dining extensions.  It's been a lot of work, but I've also had a lot of fun and am rather proud of myself.  All of the trim is in place and the next step is to paint it all before the shingles and siding go on.

This is what I started with . . .

I discovered later that some of this is door trim, which I don't need because I bought prehung doors.

There is one piece of trim that has me baffled.  Because of the bath/dining extension, the corner trim piece that is supposed to go on this side of the wall, I put at the far right of the wall.  That left no corner trim where trim was supposed to go.  I cut a new piece to fit, but it doesn't look right.  It throws off the balance and I'd have to move the right window over a few inches to center it on the trim, which means I'd have to move the dining room window over a few inches as well.  Eeegads!  I hope with siding in place it will help to visually connect this space.

No corner trim . . . actually it's center trim!  LOL!

Center trim . . . see how it throws off the balance of the right window?

I'm happy with the trim on the breakfast room.  It carries the same lines as the porch and dining room extension.

The mansard roof trim was difficult to get just right, but I think I nailed it.

Now that the trim is in place I can move on to more exciting things, like installing the screened porch.  Here is my inspiration picture . . .

This is where it's going.  It's a small porch measuring just 5 x 5 inches.  Just enough room for a chair, a side table with some iced tea and a few plants.

I bought the materials today so I'm off to create!  Anyone know where I can buy some miniature screen material?

I've Reached the Tower!

I've made a lot of progress on the manor over the last four days and must thank my dear husband, Brian, for his patience and help.  He's been a constant source of support and encouragement, especially with the additions I made.  If I was a builder/contractor, I'd have been fired by now!  But all is well in the end!

I was able to get the mansard roof on without any difficulty.  It was actually quite a breeze!  The most difficult part was waiting for the glue to dry (insert jeopardy jingle here).  All that's needed now are shingles which will come later.  I've already enlisted the help of my expert puzzle maker, Brian!

I also got the tower (aka the attic) done.  I didn't want this space to go to waste and seeing so many inspirational attics on the internet, I decided to go for it.  It turned out quite nice and I have big plans for this small place.  All that's left is to put on the mansard roof panels which I plan on doing today.

I'm also starting work on the porch today.  I glued together the posts (three in total to make one hefty post) and will paint the pieces today before I put it all together.  I told Brian my plan, he asked if I had the paint yet, I said no, he took me to Menard's where I got the four colors I'm going to be painting the house.  I couldn't decided on the main color, having four to choose from, and on the way we decided on which color it was to be.  I'm really excited to see how it turns out!

I also wanted to share my newest miniature gem.  This pantry cupboard was made by Mollysue Miniatures.  It is so sweet and it arrived on my anniversary!  I haven't decided exactly where it will go, in the kitchen or butler's pantry, but for now it's sitting prettily in the kitchen.  Thank you to my husband of 28 years for such a wonderful present!