Trimtastick!

While continued detail progress has been sporadic, it has also finally come to fruition! Here's what's been going on in the wide world of trim work!

For starters, I took a step back from the house and noticed that I hadn't yet finished all of the trim in the family room. Um, what?! I had no idea that I just whiffed half the room! So, I got busy not only putting in the rest of the baseboards and crown moldings but also filling the gaps between the ceiling and crown molding:

The filler is peeking out from the crown molding on the left.

This wall needed more filling than the other.
The paper is there to catch the filler crumbs.

After letting that dry and painting it, it looks great!

My key to success? THIS:

I know I said the previous product I used was okay, but those days are over. It was really difficult to work with, but this stuff is the stuff! It dries fast but not too fast which is the problem with the other. Anyway, easy-easy and great outcome!

Once I believed I finished the first floor, I moved on to the second! I forgot about painting doors, so I put up the molding I could by working around the doors taped in:

I borrowed the French doors in the dining room to fit the molding
for the master bath opening. That same door is in the mail as we
speak so I can finish up that room! Oh, and the bathtub in the
kitchen is not going to be a thing.

The door needed a lot of taping to make
sure it didn't move. It fits the opening
*just so*.

Then, I finally made myself sit down and get busy painting the doors:

Who else thinks I just block this out of my
brain as something to do because it's not
the most fun thing to do?!

In no time, the doors could be installed:

There's my super-useful, home made
t-square back in use!

To maintain the height needed to correctly
fit the opening, a stack of paint cards did
the trick!

One of the features of this house is that many walls are repositionable. But, that also means they may be a little wibble-wobbly. So, I created a little masking tape wedge to go between the wall and the ceiling on the divider between the bedroom and hallway:

If you look really carefully in the house, you
can see a little, bitty piece of masking tape
peeking out at the ceiling. So, don't look.

That tape wedge was the perfect solution to let me go forth! Baseboards and crown moldings, here I come!!

My enthusiasm was doused just a little pretty quickly. Dousing number one (not my fault): I realized I didn't have enough baseboard to complete this level. But, upon returning to Hobby Lobby to purchase it, I find out they are out-out-out of this baseboard! As in, it's not being restocked, nor is it available online. DRAT! Fortunately, I found trim I really like that is the same size vertically as the rest in the house. That was a trick because their stock has moved into taller, more make-a-statement baseboard which I don't like. The trim I found is labeled for windows and doors, but it looked great for floors to me.

The other dousing (completely my fault): I had exactly the number of pieces of crown molding that I needed to finish the master bedroom, kid room and hallway. The only thing I needed to do was to cut each piece correctly. And, you can already guess the end of the story is that I didn't. In fact, I blew it on the first cut. And, in need of just a single piece, I wasn't going to purchase the four-pack. Fast-forward to the happy ending when I report that the bedrooms are molded, the hallway is not, and I am very happy with the outcome!

The kid room needed the same TLC wood filler needed in the family room. The wall warping that Christened the beginning of this build came back to bite me in that the molding didn't really sit flat against the wall like it's supposed to.

I'm just saying if you find the right adhesive that's really strong and really fast-drying, you can accomplish the seemingly impossible.

It's fun - typical - that I had the paint out to touch up the filler in
the kid room and completely forgot to touch up the corners in
the master.

And, just for fun, I thought I would point this out:

Ignore the video arrow. It wasn't
even a video, so I have no words.

That lighter line at the bottom of the stairs comes from the light under the master bedroom door. I loved realizing this because the doors in our house have enough of a gap under them to let light come under them, too. It just works for me.

Third floor trim work is on the agenda! I don't promise staying focused on just that project especially because I have yet another baseboard supply issue going on. I'm pretty determined to resolve that in some fashion by the weekend, though, so I'm hopeful for a third-floor update on the immediate horizon!

Through the Looking Glasses

I previously mentioned that I had a brainstorm to make it so the windows in this house are removable. By doing so, I can create different looks for the window panes themselves. The funny-not-really-funny thing is that since the beginning of the build, I've hardly had the "real" window panes in place much less have taken time to create fun ones! But, this past week, we are among those hit with a lot of snow:

Right out the back door!

And, the snow is still on the dollhouse rooftops. So, what a perfect time to take the idea my friend Cindy gave me to winterize the windows, and run with it!

Finally coupled with inspiration and the time to focus on starting a new project, I gathered my supplies and hunkered down at the kitchen table:

I will highlight the book under the folder in a sec. First thing's first as the windows needed to be kissed by Jack Frost!

I created the inserts with a sheet of acetate:

Poised and ready for the frosting were these:

Cindy used a different "flavor" of Stickles on the sample she made me, but it is nowhere to be found in store or on the internet. Or, I did find it on the internet, and it was super expensive (as compared to getting three bottles in a pack at 40% off of $6 at Hobby Lobby). Either way, I went with Crystal and Star Dust.

After getting all of the pieces cut, I just drew a diagonal line on the pane with the Crystal, and I smushed it around with my finger until it looked how I wanted. Super. Stinkin'. Easy.

After letting them dry overnight, I decided it needed more because it was a little too transparent. So, I added a layer of the Star Dust. And, while wet, I also used just a little white glitter in spots, not all over, to give it a boost.

I'm pretty sure I've had this jar of glitter
since my age was in the single digits.
Not. Kidding.

All together, it is exactly how I want this to look!!

I glitter glued the whole top-front insert to give it a bathroom-window-frosted look. You know. For privacy.

I'm sure I'll keep working on exactly what I want for the bathrooms, but this is an excellent start!

In the meantime, I also got to work on some all-year decoration! Cindy gave me this book for my birthday:

Inside are a BUNCH of designs that you can color and cut or, do what I did, and trace:

I was inspired by this flower-looking design. I'm actually using it upside down because it then looks like a flower. I didn't like it as much right-side up 😊

Cindy also flooded me with about every color of Sharpie you can imagine, so I picked what I wanted to ultimately create this:

It's upstairs in the girl's room! Pretty fantastic, yes?

I love that I didn't even notice I put the
insert in crooked until I took the picture.

And, of course, this window also got the Jack Frost smooch:

There are a LOT of little projects going on inside the house right now! Update coming soon!

The kitty is waiting to jump in the house
for the update.

The Bathroom!

I'm learning more and more through this dollhouse project how important it is to try and stay focused on one project at a time! Forget that I am failing miserably at doing such a thing; I have found it an important part of the process if I want to make progress to the point of completion!

That being said, let's forget my latest endeavors: making things for decoration; YouTube video pursuits for how to make items, and my new-found addiction interest in Etsy. Let's instead focus on the developments in the bathroom!

While I would like to forget the previous attempt at putting flooring in the bathroom, it turns out my cutting mistake turned out to the best thing that could have happened. Remember I originally chose an all-white "tile" ...

... which I just knew would look great with the white trim and blue walls. Right?

I'm not really sure what I was thinking, though, because I also knew I wanted all-white fixtures in there! What was I thinking?! I honestly didn't even realize this design mistake until I stumbled across this gem at Hobby Lobby:

I found it when I went to check and see if they'd gotten any of the white back in stock. And, as soon as I saw it, I just knew I found IT. My daughter was with me, and she confirmed it as the right choice. Not to mention, this sheet is only $3.99 before using a coupon! SCORE!

Back home, I double-triple-quadruple checked the new template I made after the last time especially because this, too, is big enough for only one attempt! After obsessively checking, it was on to drawing and cutting!

A PERFECT FIT!

The floor is self-adhesive and quite reasonably easy to lift back up if misplaced. Perhaps I shouldn't say it's easy as much as that it's durable enough to handle it. Multiple times (ask me how I know ...). I just love love love it!!

After that went in, it was finally time to take on the trim work. I've put it off because I was not interested in doing the crown molding above the windows, after having done it in the kitchen immediately below it, given the particular angles. But, I looked again, and I decided there really doesn't need to be molding up there given the design of the house:

There's already a white border up there
from the construction design of the roof!

I don't think I can articulate the pure joy I felt when I made this discovery! From there, I was totally eager to dig in to the trim pieces and get them up! Of course, I was a little too eager and didn't cut a number of them correctly. But, whatever! It's finished now!

While I cut some pieces wrong, I was smart enough to figure out where to leave gaps. The top picture shows where a stand-up shower is going, and the bottom picture shows a gap by the door to allow for trim. At least my brain was on for these moves!

Did someone mention stand-up shower?!

My vision for this bathroom definitely included a stand-up shower just in case I wanted more floor space available in there. Little did I know I would not only find the perfect piece, but I also found a fabulous bathtub, toilet and sink!!

LOOK!

The. toilet. seat. works.!!

The tub is of the porcelain variety and just lovely! The stand-up shower and toilet are both homemade from wood and just awesome! The shower came with a curtain, but it was really old. Really. Old. So, that's getting replaced. The cool thing is it was easy to get the curtain rod out! The sink is actually from a different Etsy shop because I knew what came with the other bundle wasn't what I wanted. (Shout-out to the shop owner for photographing the little sink, warts and all, so I could find something else I wanted. 😊) The sink is higher than the window, but I plan to frost those windows anyway. It's a bathroom after all! And, I'm sure that sink will eventually be white, but I'm in no hurry to fix that up.

I love this little set!

Of all rooms, I can't say I expected to complete the bathroom with its furnishings first. But, I knew what I had in mind, and I pounced when I saw it!

The trim is in progress in the rest of the rooms! Stay tuned, and I'll try to stay focused!

Many Steps At a Time! Literally.

As completely lovely as I found the Christmas decorations for the house, I promptly took them down so as to get back to business!

Aaron wisely told Santa that I needed some new organizers
for the home goods!

I knew I needed to approach the stair constructions, but I delayed that by one more day as I decided the family room and dining (conservatory) floors needed some sprucing up. Minwax to the rescue!

Can you see the new, subtle-yet-lovely
sheen?!?!

The more I read about different dollhouse projects, the more I was compelled to give a little shine to the floors I love so much! This is just a clear satin finish. It went on way easier than I anticipated (due to my own fears of never having used the product), and I definitely wished I'd just done this from the get-go before constructing the walls. Lesson learned!

STAIRS. Day 1:

So, yesterday, we moved on to the stairs. This process was trickier than I thought it would be, and it definitely made Aaron and I each want to poke out one of our eyes at different stages of the dry runs. Each piece ultimately depends on the other, but it's not possible, that I know of, to have everything in place without actually adhering it. So, pieces fall and move and make me want to say bad words when all I'm trying to do is learn how to do the project right! Grr! Breathe in ... breathe out ...

Once I had my fill of the practice (read: I was just done), I called that part of the process quits so I could actually get the pieces ready to put them in for real:

I have spent months debating what color to make both sets of stairs. I had a level of concern that I'd pick the wrong color and make everything look just tacky and weird. It finally occurred to me to stain them the same color as the floor in the family room because (a) there's some continuity instead of fear of clashing or competing, and (b) I already like the color, so, why fix what ain't broke? I plan on rugs and stair runners anyway, so this is just a support color that's there-but-not. Once decided, I spent hours at the kitchen table staining each little rung, rail and groove, but it was totally worth it. I'm definitely pleased with the outcome!

Then, it was on to more practice-placing:

One of the trouble-shoot situations was how to work with the second floor "hallway/landing" space. I have faux hardwood I'm putting in there, but the floor is weird around the stairwell opening. I have confidence that I can cut the pieces reasonably well, but, they need to be perfect to cover the light plywood flooring. Or, do they ...

Let's pass on aiming for perfection, and cover the problem before it exists!

At 11 p.m., I had a brilliant idea and broke out the stain! The first intention here was to stain just the spaces in the "hallway/landing" section that could possibly expose glimpses of light plywood below the flooring I will place.* I had literally swiped about three brushes of stain when I thought, "Why don't I just stain the entire hallway space?" The room dividers were still in, so I whipped out the masking tape, taped off the bottoms of the walls, and I took another two swipes. THEN I thought, "Um, why don't I just stain the entire level so I don't have to worry about the floor until I want to worry about the floor?" And, just like that, I pulled the dividers out, taped up all of the walls except for the piece right under the single window because I didn't even see that I didn't (true story; something about it being close to midnight ...), and slapped that stain on the floor as fast as I could to hopefully blend in what sat and dried while I kept changing directions! Keep in mind this wood is raw and soaks in stain like a sponge, so having to move fast was actually necessary!

* When researching how to stain and apply the roof shingles, which has yet to happen, one of the YouTube videos recommended swiping the shingle stain on the roof in case of imperfect placement that would allow tiny exposures. A tiny exposure of light-through-dark looks huge, so I found this suggestion to be brilliant. And, as it turns out, it was also transferable!

I went ahead and put stain on the inside of the stairwell opening as well as on the outside, raw edges of walls just to give those a little finish. (I think I have trim for those, but I'm just not there in the process yet.) Also, I made an active decision to leave the top floor light as it just needs to be different from the others. I have other plans developing in my mind's eye there ...

After a successful floor staining venture, I decided a little after midnight (perfect timing, right?!) that the stairs needed the Minwax treatment, too! I opted for the treads and the hand rails to just give it a little somethin'. And, the timing? Well, I was bound and determined to make sure everything was ready to go for morning!

Stairs. Day 2:

Side note: I was recently reading on a dollhouse blog where the blogger revamped her dollhouse so that a piece of furniture completely covered the stairwell hole because she "doesn't see the point" of stairs in a dollhouse. I spent a short minute pondering her wisdom during this process ...

The first thing we did today was another dry run before gluing anything. So, the main stair pieces were placed:

Before adhering the curved stairs, I put markers down so I knew exactly how it sat:

And, then, it got a smidge of glue on bottom and at the top. A few hours later:

The second-floor set had me a little nervous because the railings had to be constructed while the main piece was in place. This is the only way to determine exactly where the hand rail is placed as it both hits the ceiling and has to stop exactly where the post at the bottom needs to be. And, that post placement has to be exact so the rest of the rails connect to the circular staircase. And, there's no way to really dry-run it because the spindles just fall out (Fun! NOT fun.)

I was nervous about making everything straight and ultimately look good so much so that I sat in front of the house looking for just about anything else to do. That's how I found these tiny pieces of masking tape on the dollhouse table to throw away ...

Yeah. Those two, teeny, tiny pieces. Because that's what was
important at that time ...

Acknowledging to myself I was stalling, I asked my girl to put on an episode of "Gilmore Girls" to listen to in the background while I went to work. A full episode of said show plus two times telling myself to not bother crying out of frustration, and I got that sucker up!

The first two spindles butt up against the ceiling. They went
in first with about 50 times of checking to make sure they
were straight. Checking method? Sticking my phone in the
house, taking pictures, then studying the picture. Adjust. Picture.
Study. Adjust. Picture. Repeat.

I checked one side with my phone while sticking my head in
to see what I could see on the other side through the doorway.
The picture showed the crooked one which was not visible
without the picture!

I held my breath every time I had to adjust
one! They're as close to perfect as I
could get!

Oh, my, that was a bear! But, it just looks so darned cool! The next step was to assemble the railings ...

... and, then, put it in!

All of the railing pieces here did not fit together this way during any of the many dry runs. Period. We were convinced that there'd have to be a little creative cutting to make it fit. But, I actually am wise in some ways and said it needed to hold off until we were SURE-SURE about it, and not just SURE. (It's when there's no turning back from the decision that I wait until the very, last, possible minute!) There was, admittedly, some jimmying of this set-up to make it look right, but, here we are with it looking very right!!

I rewarded myself for accomplishing the tedious work by putting together the last of the railings. This was a cake walk comparatively speaking!

Easy to assemble, and no one falls down the stairwell hole.

Here are a few more views:

View from the front porch.

Through the doorway. I took the door down
to be able to reach in and adjust as needed.

Through the second-story hall window.

And, of course, the proud home owner needed to check it all out:

He seems pleased.

So, WOW. That's finished!! I have some molding and baseboard work to do for sure. I suppose that should be on the immediate docket because rumor has it that there are some furniture pieces and extended family headed this direction! I also need-need-need to tend to the windows! Good stuff is coming!