1 March 2021

Dolls House No. 2 The Kitchen


Lighting was the first job I did in the kitchen back in 2016! Four years, and many rooms later I started working on it again. I really didn't know what style or colour I wanted. I had small samples of wallpaper dotted around the room, none of which I particularly liked so eventually I opted for a textured wallpaper painted white.


Note the door in the far right corner. I got to thinking about the family living here, with particular emphasis on the pets and shopping, ie access to and from the garden and garage would probably be better via stairs directly from and to the basement rather than through the hall. I know, I know, I overthink things and make more work for myself, but I liked the idea! And miniaturists are allowed artistic license :-)



I already had a large door in my stash for the basement and I made this one for the kitchen
from card stock. After cutting out the 4 panels I glued some card onto
the back of the door and stuck the smaller panels onto it

gave it a couple of coats of paint and stuck a door knob into the card.
I realised too late that the surround bits aren't equal, I should have made the cupboards wider
and cut a bit off the left side but I couldn't be bothered to re-do it all!


The flooring was a piece of wallpaper from a DIY store.

I wanted to make as much of the furniture as possible, partly to save money
but also for the satisfaction of doing it. I cut all the wood pieces with my dremel.


First piece of furniture was the fridge freezer starting with template pieces made from foamboard. 
I forgot the top and bottom pieces but did remember them for the proper wood build. 


I covered the sides and top in one length of fablon and put a narrow strip along the base leaving the front bare. I cut two rectangles for the doors and covered the fronts and put strips around the edges. 
I then glued the backs of the doors onto the front of the fridge. A logo printed from the web and two handles made from a large paperclip completed the build.  


Making the cupboards was more difficult, I didn't haven't anything to work from, so I took some measurements from online and went from there.

Base units, looking a bit rough


especially the one on the right!


But once the doors, the cooker front and the worktop were on they looked much better.
I bought the cooker panels from a great company called Elf.


I used white fablon for the plinths and worktop and a Heidi Swapp tape for the cupboards.
Next I glued a piece of card stock to the back of the units to make a splashback.


I don't know where these tiny white tiles came from, they have been in my stash for ages, they were ideal for here. I found the splashback online and printed it onto gloss photo paper. There were tiny gaps each side of the tiles and it slotted into them beautifully. I thought yellow and green would add a nice vibrant splash of colour.


The top drawers are rectangles of wood with "front" pieces glued onto them, and the same paperclip handles. Joining them at the top is a small piece of wood. Then I made the extractor hood.


The mesh was made from an old shower scrunchy, glued onto the wood then painted black. Finished off with a covering of silver foil.


Now for the fun bit, the island unit. I just sort of guessed the measurements and made a few templates. When I was happy with one I cut out the bits of wood, glued them together and covered in white fablon.

I cut out a hole for a sink (MacDonalds ketchup tub!), and glued on the taps.
The fruit bowl is a bottle top and is only meant to be temporary. I appreciate the sncaccident poster!
The other poster reads "My dream kitchen has someone else in it cooking and cleaning"


Making the stools was a bit of a challenge, these are the best of three attempts! I cut the best circles I could with my dremel then sanded and tidied them. To stain or not to stain. I did three samples of wood stain and chose the light teak. I glued three legs on each stool and covered the seats with material.


I made the oven glove and microwave, the posters and clock were printed from the web and I kept the radio from Dollshouse no. 1 when I sold it. The fruit bowl is a milk carton lid, I'm going to try making one with papier mache. I made a cat and dog bowls but they're a bit rough so I might buy some.
 

So all I have to do now is make a washing machine and some cupboards for the basement and ........
Number 2 Dollshouse will be FINISHED.

~ Be safe and well ~
Polly x

27 February 2021

Five Weeks

To a pre summer body, not a summer body of my youth, more a slimmer and healthier version of me now!
Five weeks to getting out and about again and wearing clothes with unforgiving  waistbands.
Can I do it, can I lose 8lbs in five weeks? Yes I can, but will I? I'm so used to wearing comfort clothes that don't remind me of my expanding waistline, so used to covering up with a coat for going to the supermarket, and so used to saying "Blow it, I'm not going anywhere and nobody is going to see me" as I tuck into chocolate, another pizza, Indian or MacDonalds, or reach for another biscuit or piece of cake. It's going to be difficult to break the habit of just eating without thinking.
The first thing I need to do is not buy these things. I started on Tuesday when I went shopping. 


Tesco are currently selling these oh so scrumptious eggs at 3 for £1

As a chocoholic I automatically picked up 9 to stock pile. Then I had a word with myself saying "No put them back". I did, and at the same time decided not to eat chocolate until Easter. Now all I have to do is stop eating all the other rubbish.
I'm going to need a lot of willpower.

~ Be safe and well ~
Polly x

22 February 2021

Rufus' Diary

The vet who treated Buster sent this card and a packet of Forget Me Not seeds, 
which we thought was nice. It was hand written by him.
We will never forget dear Busty.

Polly misses him dreadfully. When we go for walks a song that's in her mind is "Just The Two of Us".
There's only one dinner to make, one food bowl to wash, only me to be hosed down when we return from a walk, only me to be brushed.
💖💖💖

What an assortment of weather we have had
Mild sunny blue sky days 

Crisp bright mornings. You can just hear the dripping sounds of the morning frost melting.

Floods

Snow

And lots of wind

Weather never seems to bother the horses

Just before Christmas the farmer had this bonfire to burn the excess branches from trees he had felled earlier in the year. I remember walking past it at a good distance and it felt lovely and warm. 

Polly has given up on the jigsaw, it's back in the box ready to go to a charity shop. 
She has finally finished the dolls house kitchen, I'm sure she will tell you about it soon.

Pretty seasonal blooms.
Daylight is extending by a few seconds each day.
Spring is just around the corner :-) 

~ Be safe and well ~
🐾 Rufus 🐾

16 February 2021

Pisces February 19 - March 20

Miss Clair Voyant's horoscope for Pisces.

Sharing your Pisces birthday with, among a few million others, Sidney Poitier, Emily Blunt, Daniel Craig, Glenn Close and Michael Caine.

A bit about the personality
Gentle romantic Pisces are known for being one of the most empathetic of the zodiac signs, and they'll do whatever they can to make sure the people around them are happy. They're also artistic and use their vivid imaginations to think up ideas many others wouldn't. They are happy being alone, like sleeping and are into anything spiritual. They can be fearful, overly trusting and have a desire to escape reality, and can sometimes adopt the role of martyr in order to catch attention. Don't show off to a Pisces or criticise them, it won't go down well.

Pisces prediction 
The universe is kicking up some dust Pisces. As the moon cruises through energized Aries, this could be the prompt for you to get to work and explore some of your own resources and skill sets. Creativity is strong. You could have a sudden inspiration, perhaps influenced by a distant place. Don't be afraid to take time from your mundane chores to pursue this inspiration. 
Hard on the heels of Valentines Day romantic passion is high, seize the day with lots of intimate ideas.
The Ace of Pentacles is likely to find you enjoying new beginnings. You are likely to be feeling optimistic, upbeat, and hopeful about your future. Things should be going well. You could well be starting something new very soon, this could be in the realm of work or personally, either way, embrace it.

~ Be safe and well ~
Polly x