Something to keep me amused.

Thank you for your lovely comments on my previous post.   I think I'm almost "stared out"!

As you know, I've been putting off placing orders for supplies in view of the long awaited trip to Miniatura this weekend with the result I can't crack on with anything of any great consequence but I still wanted to mini so I did a bit of research and came across a good photo (complete with measurements) of a Post Box for the Netherton Hallway.   I've always fancied having one of these in RL just for decorative purposes so until I find one, I'm happy with the mini version.

 

It's constructed from card, painted then varnished and the detail is embroidery thread.

 

 

The little table was put together using balsa and spindles and lives in the Dining Room.

 

 

On another note - I don't think I've given any background to this property, which helps me when I come to dress the rooms, especially as I don't put in any "people".

 

So, in "Irene-land" Netherton is the Town House of a big wig who sits in the House of Lords.   Think more Upstairs Downstairs than Downton.    He has his country pile elsewhere!   I struggled for a while over this given the size of it but having the pavement settled that question and I know a Town House wouldn't have had a Dairy, especially one situated under the "area" but it was such a good idea (I thought) that I just had to put one in - especially as I had the space and all the necessary bits.

 

It dates from 1901 until pre-World War I.   I'm still a bit woolly on that, it'll all depend on what minis I find and I'm not sure yet if he has any offspring but there's plenty of time for me to make a decision  on that one.

At last, some progress.

It has been some time now since any progress was posted here and I had to read through what I'd mentioned last time to bring myself up to date.   Things have been slow with this property in my bid to finish the Tenement but that's all behind me now and I'm cracking on with Netherton.   I have so many ideas there are scraps of paper and post-its everywhere with notes on and I'm spending a ridiculous amount of time trying to get more out of the spaces I have.   As this house was custom built there are no removable walls (other than the two created in the design) so making rooms bigger or turning walls around to get doorways to the front or back is nigh on impossible.

 

I know I said last time that I would be updating you all with new pics of the Dining Room but I'm not!  I still have some accessories to add and I'm holding off until after my trip to Miniatura at the beginning of next month before showing you all the completed room.  It's maddening really as it's only two weeks away and I'm desperate for supplies but can't bring myself to do anything about that in view of the imminent trip.

 

So, while I'm marking time for the major spree I know I'm going to have, I thought I'd whet your appetites with progress in the Hall.

 

 

The Hall covers four floors and has a grand central staircase on the lower two floors.   The third floor has a much plainer staircase but not as basic as that used by the Servants in the Still Room.   This is due to the fact that the owners of this property will have to look at it as they access two of their own private rooms and the bathroom on the third floor but it will primarily be used by the servants.

 

So far I've papered and painted the central hallway and up to the third floor.   The fourth floor has also been papered but will be decorated in a plain basic manner.   If you look closely at the photo below you can see wooden "stops" on either side of the room and two just at the stair well.    There is a wall that fits in here and the space forward of this will be devoted to "something else"!   Also, and because I'm a bit anal about all this, I've decorated the corridor side of the wall, all in keeping with the rest of the space (well, you have to, don't you!).   That goes for the other side of the Bathroom wall too.

 

 

 

There is a similar arrangement on the floor below which shows the wooden "stops", the stair well and my cardboard template for the flooring (on the list for Miniatura).    This is a narrower space than the one above and will become the family Bathroom.

 

 

The whole Hallway is quite tricky to do and will, I can see, be very time consuming as all lighting has to be taken into consideration as well and I'm having to really think about the order of jobs before diving in.

I had a look at the lighting arrangement today and it took some sorting out, I can tell you.   The issue lies with the two removable back walls because once they're in, I wont be able to access anything behind them (and like the issue with the Dining Room wall, I'll be fixing it as I doubt I'll want to remove it at any time providing of course that the bulbs in the fittings on the very back of the upper Hall keep working!)    My solution to that little problem will be to remove the fitting and pull them through whichever doorway is nearest and change the bulb that way - I think!

A lot of staring is needed with this one.

 

A bit of this and a bit of that.

This is a tricky post to write as Bob the cat is walking over the keyboard!   He also likes to watch progress  from the roof of Netherton.

Right - between decorating the RL lounge and gardening (although the gardening is sporadic given the not so good weather we've been having), I've been doing some bits and pieces to Netherton.   In fact I've been on a bit of a roll and items are popping up here and there.

Firstly, this is the Dining Room as it is now.    I'm hoping you will note that the oval ceiling rose mirrors the design on the rug and I've taken it a bit further by having an oval dining table.  I have the rest of the furniture and most of the accessories but I'm leaving all that for my next post.

 

Pictures/ancestors have been added and what a difference they make to a plain room.   All of a sudden it comes to life.

 

There are still little areas to be touched up and finished off (namely the not so good angles on the cornice) but I ran out of wood filler!

 



 

The cupboard I created on the back wall has contents but because there are still more bits to be added, I'll show you all of that next time round.   The door to the front right of the picture is the door into the Hall.   It's not fixed in yet (nor is the over door decoration).   That'll get done once I've started working on the Hall.

 

 

 



 

The picture below shows the "fourth wall".   What a palaver that turned out to be as there wasn't enough space allowed to clear the floor (I thought I had, and I was convinced I had taken it into account when measuring but it all had to be taken apart, trimmed and put back together - lesson learned!)   I'm thinking about putting cushions on the window seats to add a bit more colour but I'm not sure if cushions would have been included.   I'll have to think about that one.   Another major debate going on in my head is whether to have a tablecloth or not?   Perhaps I need to get out more.

Moving on, there have also been a few additions made to the Still Room.    I haven't, as yet, shown the fully fitted out Still Room and that is because it's not finished yet.    The Kitchen isn't completed yet either but I can show you little areas.   I jumped ahead to the Dining Room because I had a "good idea".   Working on this property is so different from the others that I've done.  Previously I've worked at a room until the whole thing is decorated and kitted out with all it's accessories.   This time round, things are happening where and when the mood strikes.

 

The servant's bells were purchased from Miniatura some time ago and the Servant's Rules are there just to remind them all to toe the line!

 

They are placed at the end of the Servant's corridor to the left of the Still Room.

A view from the Kitchen looking toward the Still Room.   Most of the furniture is in place but lots of accessories are still required to give it some life.

 

 

Another view from the Kitchen, this time showing the Servant's staircase/access to Dining Room above.

 

 

Looking from the Still Room into the Kitchen - a bit of an atmospheric shot.

and finally, with the lights on and a laden dresser.

 

Kensington Fair, London

I arrived back from my trip to London yesterday.   What a great time we had.    The trip was a present from my sister and included all the usual sightseeing trips, a night at the theatre to see Les Miserables and a visit to the Kensington Dolls House Fair.

This was a first for me and it was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.   Lots of lovely exhibitors with lots of lovely minis to view.

Firstly, the big stuff:  flooring - Susan Bembridge;   ceiling rose - Jennifers of Walsall;    dumb waiter - Masters Miniatures;   skirting - Wood Supplies;   cherry pie preparation and screen (sorry, can't remember the sellers of those two items)

Secondly, the wee stuff (and I've named the seller where possible):  naïve prints and chamber pot;  store cupboard essentials;  Thomas Crapper toilet rolls - Valerie Claire Miniatures;   newspapers - Aidan Campbell;   wine carafe - Gerd Felka;  wine glasses and soda syphon - Glasscraft;   half a dozen eggs, sliced bread with knife;   servant's bell pulls - Jennifers of Walsall;   lady's tortoiseshell dressing table set and light bulb - Truly Scrumptious.

 

This last item was a gift from my sister and they are destined for another property.   Two pigeons - David Ward.

 

 

There were one or two items from the list that I didn't manage to get but as I didn't spend all the budget I can now have an online spree!



Another Dining Room update

I can't believe almost a quarter of the year has passed since my last update!

Firstly, thank you to all who took the time to think about and offer suggestions on what I could do with my back wall - to fix or not to fix, that was the question.  

 

Simon - I deliberated long and hard over your suggestion regarding paper and I found some lovely ones that would have been ideal.   (I also remembered you had used the same idea showing panelling in one of your rooms and that image has stayed with me.   It's something I may very well use at a later date, so thank you!)

 

It's taken me this long, with much staring, to finally decide on fixing it.  

 

This is what the back wall looks like before I add the wall with the doors - 

 

 

When I started playing, obvious things presented themselves over and above the cornicing, ie. the skirting boards, the left hand window frame plus the biggest factor - would I ever remove it anyway?   I really can't see me needing to get to the staircase behind the wall and as for the lighting - well, the wires exit the room via the back wall and while I have a light fixture in the right hand cupboard I've hopefully got it positioned so that I can reach in and change the bulb.   (A lot of fiddling went on while I practised that manoeuvre just to see if it was possible).

 

I've also finally decided on what to do with my right hand cupboard - shelve it!

 

 

As you can see I've painted the inside of the cupboard and the shelves with a mustard-y yellow paint and edged them with gold.   I'll be using my upcoming trip to the Kensington Dolls House Fair next weekend to search for suitable dishes (and many other things too!) and this is how it looks now with the wall in place (but not permanently fixed yet).

 

 

Once I was satisfied that it all looked ok, out came the wall again and I had a little play.   I also decided to have a go at creating little over door plaques as the space available at either end of the wall was limited had I wanted to fit in a fancy pediment with matching door surrounds.

 

 

 

 

The lighting isn't completely wired in and the plaques aren't glued in place yet but I'm happy with it so far.   There was also a great debate going on in my head as to whether the detail in the plaque should show the ribbon at the top or the bottom!    By doing it this way, it mirrors the arch of the windows.

 

 

There was also a wee catastrophe to deal with when I attempted to close the main door on this side of the house.   I hadn't allowed enough space for the section with the window seats to clear the floor so it all had to be taken apart, an amount shaved off the bottom and all put back together again.   I also took the opportunity of repainting the "heating grille" as I wasn't happy with the varnished finish.   The curtains were also moved from being fixed to the window itself to appearing as hung under the window arches which also received a frame.   The chairs were also upholstered in a co-ordinating fabric.

 





 

So this is how it all looks at the moment.    Roll on Kensington!

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little Dining Room update

Gosh, it's been a while since this was updated, isn't it?   I do have an excuse though.   I set this one aside in order to finish my Hambleton Hall property.   I'm also in the process of finishing my Tenement project so I've not been idle.

 

I fancied the idea of creating window seats in the Dining Room of Netherton and although I haven't yet completed either the Kitchen or the Still Room, I had to crack on and do some creating while the ideas were still fresh.   Also, after reading both Giac's blog and that of Jean Claude I was keen to have a go with card/foam board.

 

 

This is my attempt which is still in quite a raw state although it has been painted.   The panel along the front is the cabinetry for the central heating.   The window seats have still to be upholstered and the curtains put in place.

 

It's quite an interesting room, the Dining Room, although the floor space is slightly smaller than that of all the other rooms.

 

 

There isn't a wall that doesn't have something on it.   The left hand window will have to be "arched" to match it up with those at the front, the back wall - with it's two doors - can't take a fireplace (it's a good thing they've got central heating) because the Servant's Staircase runs up behind it.   The staff entry door is to the left and the door to the right is a deep cupboard (containing something - yet to be thought of) and the door to the far right is the main entry to the room from the Hallway.

 

I have one issue with this room which is mincing the brain and that is how to place the cornice in such a way that I can remove the back wall to access the staircase - if I need to.   It could be a tricky one OR I could just fix it in permanently and hope for the best.   Still thinking about that.

 

Just a couple of photos today.

There's not been much progress since my last post but I have been doing lots of staring!

 

The only update I have for you is this little pic of my servant's flat cap hanging on the coat rail of what is my "fourth wall".   This was made for me by Margaret, the Mini Milliner.   She also created other little items for me but they will feature in my Tenement at a later date.

 

 

The other item hanging there is a maid's apron and on the shelf, her little headdress (both made by me).

Apologies for the squint pics,   I was stuck for space and it was an awkward angle!