Country Church Dollhouse

This is the cover picture

I think this purchase is going to be my first and last purchase internationally through eBay. It is really frustrating when you are mentally ready to start a project and can not. I ordered display cabinets over a month ago and still have not received them and it is passed the delivery date, the seller had excellent reviews but so far I am disappointed. So I have decided to begin work on my next upcoming project, the Country Church Kit by Real Good, that I have had at least ten years. I started it but never finished due to space, this church is huge, it as big as the Mountfield without the bell tower and steeple. I bought some figurines of church people in pews, choir and minister about the same time I started the church. They are similar to the resin dolls.

My husband and I were out of town for the holidays and drove past this church and I knew right away what I wanted to do with mine. He got out and took these pictures. I wish we could have gone inside.

One of the blogs (otterine.com blog) I follow is working on a haunted looking house that is showing its age and I loved the crackle finish she did on the siding. My church already has the siding milled which will be easier. She also did a tin rusted roof technique I am thinking about as well. I really admire her work.

Yesterday my "favorite" aunt gave me a e-certificate for my birthday and Christmas present to hobby builders/miniatures.com and I bought this table and two of these chairs that I plan to use in the church. I might age them a little with paint.

Good Idea Gone Bad ...I Think

While, I am excited about the bakery, I am dreading the idea of doing the bricking of the exterior, and my design "idea" included the inside of one interior wall. I feel that using the stencil and the brick compound is easy and less time consuming than cutting the brick from egg cartons, although I have never tried it.

My Problem: Brick compound is limited in colors and the MDF is heavy

Soooooo, I came up with the great idea of using a wood burner and a brick stencil (I was planning to trace the pattern onto the board) and spraying the whole thing with stone textured paint like I did on the outdoor fireplace and the vinyl brick sheet. 

Then I started to think AFTERWARDS can you do pyrography (wood burning, I just discovered the formal name) on MDF? Many internet searches later no one knows for sure but the general idea is NO, due to the chemicals that bind the sawdust. But some say a mask and working in a well ventilated area (outside for me) and seal it with latex paint. Michaels had the "Creative Versa-Tool" on sale for 19.99 reg. 29.00, it does a lot of cool stuff (hot stamping and craving, wood burning, leather crafting, image transferring, etc.) so it was not a bad buy if I do no use it for this job.

2nd Plan: Use builders' foam from home depot and carve the brick pattern in with the hot knife tip and paint with acrylic.

Still thinking...

My New Business-Scratch Build Bakery Dollhouse

I have always wanted a miniature business, when I was younger I bought the Brimbles Mercantile kit. I still have it in the original box. I saw my notes I wrote on the box my idea was a bridal shop, hmm, I still might one day. But walking downtown this summer I fell in love with this building, I got some pictures off the Internet of the inside and loved the layout. I thought about kit bashing the Brimbles but I felt uncertain. Instead of using the kit I decided to try at designing a copy of the 390 building and another cafe I saw. I really want to make food so born the bakery cafe idea.

 My version is going to be a combination of these two buildings. I am still wanting on some display cabinets I ordered from eBay to arrive, so I am playing around with the layout. I was thinking of using the upstairs as a sitting area sort of like a internet cafe or an office for a small design firm like the real 390 building once had in it.

My very first dollhouse in miniature

I don't remember how old I was or who bought it for me but it was love at first sight, The Fisher Price "Play Family House". I had been thinking about it every since I saw it on one of my favorite blogs. I even went on ebay and thought about buying one last month. Then yesterday while in Kohls I decided to browse the ornaments and there it was with the Hallmark Keepsake ornaments.  I thought how cute it would be to have in my dollhouse the one that started it all.  The doorbell actually works like it did on the real thing. So Kendall doll is getting it for Christmas, but don't tell her it is a secret.:) I took the pictures with my new iphone and I can tell the different between the old phone.

Christmas Time Is Here with Mini Christmas Lights!

I have seen some nice miniature Christmas decorations. I was in Michaels and they had a 50% off sale on the Lemax Christmas Village. I saw some mini lights and at my husband's suggestion decided to decorate my Mountfield Dollhouse for Christmas. Since my mini family is expecting family for Christmas they decided to spruce things up for the holidays.