Welcome to my life . . . .

This is a blog about my passion: dollhouses and miniatures. This particular blog was started to follow my miniature dream: to create a Victorian Mansion. But work on my Mansion is slow. Very slow. Sloth slow. Ice Age glacier movement slow. Why? Because I am easily distracted by other personal miniature projects (I have 50+ roomboxes and 15 dollhouses in various stages of incompletion) and because I work for a miniature shop and am often up to my elbows in miniature projects that aren't mine! So, I thought, some artists work in a particular medium (woods, watercolors, clay, oils, etc.), I work in progress . . . .

Sunday, February 3, 2019

Oh, Mother Cluckers!

This project started out as the Raw Chicken Country Kitchen: a little diner that served mostly breakfast foods, such as eggs (raw chicken = eggs? not really, but, whatever, I'll think about that later). This chicken-themed diner (to accompany my whole "street" of animal themed shops) was a small space so I wanted to give the illusion of a kitchen without having to create an entire restaurant kitchen.  I printed a lunch counter scene off of Google and thought it would work framed out on the back wall...
Maid is from mansion, but gives a good height representation for the kitchen scene
I also took out all my chicken themed stuff and had the realization that a lot of it was rooster related.  Thus the Raw Chicken Country Kitchen became the Raw Rooster Country Kitchen.  (Wait, do roosters lay eggs?  Hmmm, no.  So not sure that Raw Rooster is a good name....oh well, I'll think about that later.)  Framed out the kitchen scene to focus strictly on the pass-thru section...
This looks supremely bad
Yuck, no.  It's really small (1" x 3"), which I liked at first because I wanted the viewer's eye to focus on the diner (booths, foods, chicken themed items on the shelves); I don't want people to stare at the kitchen pass-thru.  But I felt like this small view of the kitchen almost invites people to stare at it and wonder why it's so small.  Even if the frame was painted silver (as I feel like most of those are silver) I think it looks like some weird photo the restaurant owner decided to have framed and hung on the wall, and not like a kitchen pass-thru.

Friend suggested I just put a faux door to give the illusion of a doorway to the kitchen.  But that wasn't thrilling me either. Then came the light bulb! It is a small diner: only 2 booths and a lunch counter for 3.  They would have just a small kitchen.  So why don't I create one on the back wall?  Last night I gathered my supplies...
Wood scraps, rulers, and my handy I-drill
Started cutting.  Made basic shape...
Shelves above for plates and food warmer; space below for fryers and grills
Adding some small trims to clean up the edges and dress it up a bit
Still needs work, but almost there....
It still needs sanding and to be spray painted silver, but it's looking decent!  Also, the name (Raw Rooster Country Kitchen) was really bothering me: eggs are not raw chickens nor do they come from roosters; so instead, no matter what name I use, it sounds like the diner serves uncooked meat or something.  Changed it to "Crazy Chickens Country Kitchen" which is surprisingly difficult to say.  Plus the decor has all sorts of poultry themed items: roosters, chickens, hens.  So neither "Rooster" nor "Chicken" Country Kitchen is going to be 100% accurate.  I know, I know: I'm really OCD'ing and overthinking this.  Who knew naming a place could be so involved?  LOL.

Then Friend saved the day with "Cluckers Country Kitchen", or as we have begun to nickname it: "Mother Cluckers".

So counter is in place and filled with some diner type items...
Blue Pepsi crate is a space holder for a soda dispenser I will have to make or find one to purchase.  And I need to get some mustard and ketchup squirt bottles to go next to the napkin holders.

This roombox is a front-opening shop that had a shelf connected to the front window.  I spent one evening during the week removing that shelf so a booth set would fit in the space instead:
Shelf was too low to be a counter so it had to go; made my line and started to cut
Front window glass was glued to it though so I couldn't cut shelf completely out without scratching or breaking the glass
Covered with trim to hide my messy cut
Roombox now has a booth in the front opening window space
View looking in the side window; sorry for the glare/reflection
View thru the front door
View looking in front window
That back corner will get a very narrow counter
There is some dead space behind the booth and next to the cooking counter.  Will put a narrow counter back there with a register and to-go bags (for the diner's booming take-out business).  Waitress/Cook better be skinny to fit between the booth and the counter - s/he will only have about a foot of space (1") to squeeze thru once counter is in place. LOL

So Mother Cluckers still needs a lot of work before she's ready to open for business.  Back counter needs to be painted metallic silver; narrow counter and soda dispenser needs to be purchased/made; walls need to be papered; and top 2" of the walls will get a shelf for chicken/hen/rooster themed stuff to decorate the diner (I believe it is called "flair").
Wallpaper has been chosen but couldn't be installed until I had back counter/kitchen area issue resolved
And, most importantly, I need to address the electrical components: I have to make the chicken/rooster themed chandelier and wire in the LEDs to the back counter to be the food warmers.  So we will visit this diner again later on in the month!  Until then: Thanks for stopping by! Come back again soon!

(P.S. Please note my extreme restraint: there was not one pun made using the word "egg" or egg-related terms (such as "scrambled")!  Aren't you all so proud of me?)

6 comments:

  1. Hello Lori,
    I am so glad you went with that back counter for the open kitchen. I think it adds so much charm to the space. It will be lovely.
    Big hug
    Giac
    N.B. The Raw Rooster sounds more like and adult club's name then a diner to me...sorry, my mind just immediately went there.

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    1. Oh dear, than I am very glad I changed the name! That is a whole different project! LOL

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  2. Hi, Lori - This looks like such a fun project, and I love all your ideas so far. (Even Mother Cluckers!) I think the front counter and stools are wonderful, and the red booths and wallpaper are perfect. The cooking counter already looks realistically functional, and I can't wait to see the "flair" and the narrow counter. I just hope you can find that really skinny wait staff/cook! I'm looking forward to seeing more of Cluckers Country Kitchen!
    Marjorie

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  3. I got quite a chuckle from your Mother Clucker's country kitchen post! Who knew that dining out could be this much fun!? :D

    elizabeth

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  4. I just found your blog and you are hilarious. I can't wait to see it completely finished. The counter and wallpaper are perfect for the setting.

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  5. Thank you, all! It's been a fun project! Glad you all are having as much fun chuckling at it as I am!

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