Intermediate Work - Purchases

April - May - June 2012

Well, I have been busy with work (life work, not dollhouse work) and have somewhat abandoned the build for a bit.  I have been learning how to make miniature paper flowers tho but I will post about my results later for that.

Over the last few months in my internet travels, I have accumulated quite a few contacts and made some purchases that can now begin to be put into the dollhouse.  So, I figured I’d attempt to show some of them here and link over to some of the shops.

On a side note, I came across an insert in Wikipedia which explained the term ryokan which I had come across previously in another post.  There, they had a detailed explanation of what it is and it matched exactly with dollhouse I am working on.  Basically, most of these ryokan are pretty nice luxury / spa hotels where you sleep on a tatami mat and eat all in the same room.  During the day, the futon is rolled up and put aside so you can pull out tables and chairs and eat or relax in the room.  The bathroom and spa are communal.  The entrance hall actually has two functions.  One it for “check in” for the guests and the other is a gathering place for the guests to sit and watch TV or read or socialize.  So, I decided to make my entrance hall this way.  It says they furnish you with kimonos for the spa and little geta sandals too.  So knowing all this, I’ve decided to make my ryokan not so run down or trashy but still a place for young people to come to and be entertained and enjoy the indoor spa !  Love to actually visit a real one.

The Spa really doesn’t have anything that I purchased in it. The stools and buckets were part of the kit as were the geta.  The changing area cabinet (with the kimonos I made) along with the scale and sink came with the kit.  The only purchases were the little laundry basket and the medicine cabinet over the sink.  I bought quite a few little objects from Doll House Emporium and they have great service and quick delivery.  The cabinet is a bit big (as DHE has mostly 1/12 scale) but I’m thinking I’m going to pull it down and weather it a bit.  Plus I want to fill it with medicine cabinet essentials.  But that’ll have to be later.  I'm also thinking of adding a little shower head to the right mostly because technically you are supposed to be clean before you enter into the spa pool.  It's not a bathtub - so I pretty much need a shower area in here.

I'm contemplating adding a shower head to the right.

Spa changing area

You can see the medicine cabinet above the sink.

View thru the spa window

The entrance hall has quite a few pieces which were part of the kit and needed construction.

Cabinet, desk, TV and the bonsai on the right.

View up thru to the first floor.

Cards for guests and little Evil Eye Charm

The large cupboard in the back, the front desk, the chairs, the TV and the screen were all part of the kit.  The clock on top of the cupboard was a DHE freebie with a purchase so I stuck it there.  The bonsai was also a special purchase from DHE.  They are issuing replicas from Queen Mary’s Dollshouse and they started with the Queen’s bedroom.  The bonsai was a 1/12 scale but I think it looks fine in the entrance.  I had to add some moss and greens to the vase as it was a bit ugly and unfinished but it looks great now.  The cards on the desk were a freebie from Japanese Miniatures off of Ebay. I bought many little kitchen items from her site all of which we can see in the kitchen.  The little black and white kitty on the desk is actually a pocket charm to ward off evil.  I found it in a shop in Florence that sells Japanese objects of all kinds.  I also found fabrics which I used to make the futon bedding and chair pillows and origami papers there too.  (I’d like to got back and buy some washi tape to use in my doll constructions - but that’s for later...)  The little paper lamp comes from Jim's printables page.

The kitchen is full of stuff that was from the kit (back and right side cupboards, wooden shelving, sink and stove) but many things I ended up making myself.

Coal and burnt ember container for cleaning

Lots of fun stuff in the kitchen. Mr Sparkle too!

The butcher’s block and knives, the ice box, the aluminum top table and stool I fashioned on my own.  The fruit and veg were purchased from Superminiatures who also had great quick service.  The bowls and bento box as well as the sushi board on the table were from Japanese Miniatures and the fish and knives came from Superminiatures.  The wok, pots and pans and wall mounted cups all came from I Love Miniatures who also gave me some free 1/20 scale Japanese 50’s style posters and calanders as their freebie.  Everyone is very nice about giving extra little things to add to the details of your project.  The mirror, coal collector (which is actually a slop bucket!), milk bottles and carrier were all purchased from DHE.  The food stuffs, boxes and cartons of juice and milk were made from the printies pages (either Jim’s or Jen’s or the Japanese Rainy pages) or I created them myself (see Mr Sparkle from The Simpsons). 

So, at this point, the ground floor is pretty much complete.  The kitchen still needs a few items to be attached and I want to make a rice paper globe for the spa ceiling light.  Plus an upcoming chapter has a paper and wood lamp which, if easy enough, I will reproduce for a few more rooms and replace the printie one I have in the entrance right now. 

Ground floor nearly complete.

The lighting is temporary still because I still need to wire the third floor and bring the wires down the back of the house to the ground level.  So, the back of the house is still a mess with missing boards and wires hanging out all over the place.  Not only that, I am still trying to figure out how to make a permanent table to put the house on.  I'd prefer it with wheels so I could move it around if I had to.  I have plans to make an outside garden area and an area right outside the kitchen where garbage and trash is left for pick up as well as an area for pickling vases. So I have plywood to install the house on, just no clear idea yet on where or how to install it.  I am trying to get my wandering mind organised and even purchased a trolley from Ikea for around E39.00 to get all the tools and paints organised.

Loaded Ikea trolley

Now if I could only do it with my mind ! I think I need a dollhouse journal so I can write down all the ideas that flash at me - I'm so afraid of forgetting!

And I’m still not done with my purchases or my own additions outside the kit.  Upcoming projects will be a rolled up futon for the music room on the 1st floor as well as loading up the table there with all the sushi and food stuff I already purchased.  And I have actually commissioned a stain glass room screen for that room which hopefully is being shipped soon.  Two flower boxes are in the works so will post once they are complete. It's all a viscious cycle in the end.  One thing leads to another idea which leads to another.  Now I know what they mean when they say you never really finish building a dollhouse.

Intermediate Work - LEDs, Fire In the Stove, Futon Bed and Bedding, Kitchen Decor

April 16 - 19th 2012

While listening to a Sox game last nite, I was thinking about how I could work on the bedding in the right hand room.  I have an idea of the actual cover and pillows but just laying them on the tatami didn’t seem right to me.  I liked the idea of having an actual futon frame.  So, with some leftover pieces of wood and some coffee stirrers, I managed to make a little futon frame.  Now at least the bedding will look more realistic sitting on top of it.  I made a little mattress from a foam piece left over from our iPad packaging.  While I was navigating, I stumbled across this site which had the most amazing roomboxes I have ever seen.  The most interesting aspect was how he manages to render pillows that drape.  I discovered that he does workshops and mentioned that he uses sand.  So, of course, out I went to get some fine grain sand (not beach sand - I figured that would eventually stain from the oils and dirt in the sand) so garden decorating sand. 

I decided that by using fine sand, I would have to use adhesive tape while making the bedding.  That way, grains would not escape the way they would if I had sewn the actual futon duvet.  I must say that it looks much nicer - it actually lays flat on the futon instead of sticking up on the sides or something.

In the meantime, my LEDs arrived.  First thing I did was drill a hole in the stove piece and install the lights there.  I think they look pretty good. I added a few pieces of painted wood and glued down the lights.  I wanted to be able to see the colors a little more so by covering the lights with wooden kindling I figured it would look a little more interesting.  I managed to install the stove in the kitchen front room and create a little back shelf to hide the wires and cell battery.  I glued the actual on/off switch to the wall as if it were an actual light switch.  It’s not so obvious so more than acceptable for me. 

Still need some knives, utensils and pots...

After printing off a bunch of mini boxes (soap and food stuff) from Jim’s Printable Page and Jen’s printables, I glued in a few items in the kitchen.  It just needs some utensils and we are at a good point!

I also managed to install some of the lighting into the ceilings and run wires along the back of the house.  I should have ordered extra wiring as the gauge wire I used for Gianluca’s trains is a bit big.  I will have to hit another hardware store to see if they carry a finer gauge.  But the lights fit perfectly and installation should be a breeze once I hook them all up. 

Top of the Spa

It seems the further I get along in the house build the more stuff I discover that sets me back.  Still, I don’t have a timetable.....