Works in Progress: September 2017

I admire the miniaturists who have one project and work only on it until it is complete, and then they start the next project. So organized. So focused. So diligent. I am not one of those miniaturists. And I jump around...a lot. I'd like to think it's the sign of an active mind, but I know it's just my lack of focus (Oh, look! Something shiny!).

So, first up: The Mansion! I decided I wanted windows on the back of the house. And not just any plain rectangle windows. Let's make them a difficult shape!

Then I took apart some Exterior Double Pollinade doors by Majestic Mansions and made the door panels into the windows:

The Mansion has been worked on every single day but for the most part the progress is boring: I've had to sand every single one of the addition's 17 window and door openings. Luckily I did that before decorating the rooms (as opposed to the right side of the house). But since I hate sanding, especially when some needed to be sanded down by as much as 1/8", I would only do one opening a day. And with 17 openings, it took over 2 weeks to do that task.

And I'm still working on the customer's house that had water damage to the front porch roof (Introduction to Customer's House). Customer had informed us that she had no deadline for the house; just wants it done by the end of the year. So I was able to put it aside for a few months and focus on the other 4 customer houses I had in that needed to be done ASAP. But now I have time to finish this one. Since we had removed the damaged porch roof, several original shingles could not be salvaged due to mold, splintering, warping, etc. I spent a few days painting new cedar shingles to match the older, discolored shingles on the house.

Arrow is pointing to old shingles; circle shows real color of cedar shake that I've painted

There are 2 old shingles on my paper plate; all the other shingles I've painted to match using a mixture of the ivory, brown, and gray paints seen in the photo. Then came the fun part of shingling the porch:

BEFORE: Original Picture of house with damaged porch roof in center

BEFORE: Up close photo of water damaged roof

IN PROGRESS: Photo from April of new roof being glued on porch

IN PROGRESS: New shingles on porch roof

IN PROGRESS: New shingles match older shingles quite well!

So now I need to measure, cut, and install the exterior rails and then I move on to the interior!

During these past two weeks I also got distracted, er, I mean, I created a wall gun cabinet for another customer. Had two customers in on the same day looking for gun cabinets. Where upon I realized we did not have any in stock. And the only one I could find from my distributors didn't fit either customers' needs. So I am making them some...

Got various scrap woods and trims, started to stain them all

Since I am a messy gluer I need to stain all my pieces first with at least 1 coat of stain...

All my pieces drying

Made a box for a wall hanging gun case...

Trimmed it out and made sure rifles fit in it; can even fit a third one if she wants.

Cut frame trim to create glass front cabinet doors.

Just need to put hinges on and this wall hanging gun cabinet is done

First customer came back in and saw this and loved it! And then realized her "man cave" room is on the top floor of a dollhouse with a mansard roof so she has no straight walls to hang the cabinet on. So I started over and made her one with a slanted back to hang properly on her walls...

Slanted at back

Still needs trims and doors and to verify it fits in her room

So they are still works in progress (just like this blog and all my projects) but they will be finished up by next week...

And, to end with something pretty (Oh, look! Something shiny!), I did install the Mansion's Lady's bedroom ceiling medallion thing ("thing" is a miniaturist's decorating term for me)...