I've been busy since early summer. My top three miniature goals to achieve by Halloween were:
Goal #1. Deal with the base of the mansion. The house sits on two bases my dad constructed for me. They are MDF wood so I couldn't stain them. But paint lacked the elegance factor I was trying for. Plus, the left base was lower than the right base to allow for higher ceiling heights in the ballroom. But now I was finding the two different levels of the bases distracting and uneven.
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| House on its bases (left "addition" side base is lower than right "Main house" side) |
So, I lifted the base, creating a false front foundation to extend the driveway so the whole front of the house would be the same level. Then I wrapped the bases in faux wood shelf paper and reinforced the corners with wood trims I stained to be the same color. Technically this goal is not complete yet as the back side has not been wrapped and the trims have not been stained or cut for the back yet. But I am working on that over these last 3 days of October.
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| I raised the front drive and will add a retaining wall at the corner of the addition. |
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| The bay window hanging out on the ballroom patio belongs on the back of the house, but I haven't glued it on yet since I need to create the spiral staircase that goes in it first |
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| Also added handles to the front to make it easier to pull and push the bases around |
Goal #2: Make a protective cover for the mansion. Don't want accidental breakage from someone brushing up against it during one of our birthday, graduation, or poker parties. And all the nieces and nephews who visit during Thanksgiving and Christmas are under the age of 10 so I need to discourage them from poking and touching (especially the delicate front coach lights that I would never be able to replace). So, one plexiglass sheet I cut to the shape of the opening on the side of the house and glued it into some plexiglass track:
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| Created a frame to put the plexiglass into so side is protected |
Then I bought some more plexiglass, cut it to the necessary sizes, and glued it to corner trims that were stained to match the wood tones going on with the bases, windows, and shingles to create a cover across the front of the dollhouse:
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| Plexiglass covers the front now |
Goal #3: Shingle the mansion. I did not fully accomplish this since the addition side is not shingled, and I doubt I'll get the time to finish that between now and Halloween. But as you can see in the photos above (and below), both of the main house's roofs are shingled.
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| All those angles on the lower roof were not fun to cut! |
Also during all this, my eldest got engaged, I took two long weekend vacations with my husband (one trip to Biltmore in North Carolina - before Ashville flooded in the hurricane; one trip to New Hampshire - unfortunately just a tad too early for the leaves changing color), we are in the process of getting all new floors on the main level of our house (install should happen before Thanksgiving, fingers crossed!), my parents and I participated in a miniature show in Frederick, Maryland, my dog got sprayed by a skunk and contaminated the entire house with the smell for days, I tackled a Halloween painting project (gargoyles from Home Depot that I painted to look like stone), and I plan to attend the Philadelphia show next weekend (as a buyer, not going to be selling anything).
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| Our table at the Frederick, MD show |
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| My Home Depot gargoyles I painted, Gary and Gerry |
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| Gargoyles had lights already but I drilled holes in the skulls and added those red lights. |
With the new flooring being installed, the Philadelphia show, and all the family birthdays the week of Thanksgiving, followed immediately by December, I'm not sure I'll be as productive the next few months. But I hope to play with more of my miniature projects before 2025!
