I finally have all the supplies I need to make the parlor floor a reality.  The marquetry border I am using is from eBay seller great-instruments and was advertized as being for guitar making.  It is thicker than the flooring sheets, so I will need to build up the floor sheets to use with the marquetry strips.

Bristol paper is 1/64" thick and should do the trick as an underlayer for the wood sheets.  I'll work on that portion later.

This is will allow for a completely flush surface for the floor.

I usually finish my flooring before installation, so I decided to do that in this case as well even though I will be piecing it all together afterward.  I just wanted to make sure I could get the coloration I was looking for before spending the time putting it all together.  I also worried about getting glue on the wood surfaces which would make it harder to stain once in place.

Here are the three materials in their original states.  I bought the herringbone sheets from Green Gables Dollhouse and the walnut flooring at a local mini show.  These are pretty common and can be readily found from online resources.

I started with the herringbone pieces first since that makes up the largest area and will set the overall tone of the room.  I sanded the sheets thoroughly and then applied Minwax oil based stain in English Chestnut.

Wow, is this ever a lovely color!

I think it is going to look fabulous with the furnishings, though I'll need to recheck it after letting it dry completely just in case the color changes as it dries.

The Allwood covered wagon kit I am transforming into a 1:12 scale farm wagon has an ingenious method for constructing the wagon wheels.  They supply dowels you cut into spokes and the shaped inner hubs.

The wheels are made from two layers of diecut plywood glued together and sanded.

The ingenious part comes in the form of the jig used to line up the spokes.  It is made from two layers of plywood lined up in the middle and glued together.

The wheel assembly fits snugly onto the jig and the hub is placed in the middle.  The jig has grooves in it serving as a guide for the spokes.

Of course, nothing is ever that simple - the hubs were sticking up just a bit making for a bowed hub.

So, I taped two dowel lengths under the jig to get the hub to sit correctly.  Let's not confuse matters and say the jig makes it easy to put the wheels together, but it helps enormously.  :D

The instructions tell you to cut a whole bunch of dowel lengths to certain measurements, but I didn't do it that way.  Instead, I measured only the first one to the kit specified length and then measured the rest of the dowel lengths to fit.  There was no way the standard measurements given with the kit instructions were going to work for all the spokes - some would be too long and others too short.  That's the nature of imprecise diecut parts.

Once the glue has dried, the wagon wheel pops off from the jig.  :D

Today I went to the craft store for glue and wood but came out with a bunch of other goodies.  Isn't that always the case?  Well, it turned out to be a productive trip since I was able to create these beautiful birdfeeders which I've listed on esty.

First, I made one in aged copper with sand substituting for seeds.  :D

The bird I bought at a mini show some time ago and isn't included with the birdfeeder for sale on etsy.

Above I've staked it into a potted plant, but it would fit perfectly in a dollhouse miniature scene.  Here it is with the Haunted Heritage.

I then made one in pewter, also listed in my etsy shop.

I think I'll have to make one of these bird feeders to keep for the Heritage.  ;]

The wonderful thing about the world of miniatures is being able to make stuff up that wouldn't likely happen in real life.  :D

I love the Arts & Crafts style when it comes to interior design, but the exterior elements of that style don't appeal to me as much.  For instance, I love, love, LOVE this whole room, especially the fireplace.  Look at all that color!  My mind is working overtime with ideas on how to make the things in this room.

image from Old House Online

Then, I stumble upon a beautiful Victorian, and I am also in love...but an all Victorian interior wouldn't appeal to me at all.

image from Old House Online

SO.....it appears I now have my inspirations in place for my next build: The Brownstone.  I'm thinking about a red brick Victorian like the one above with a warm and colorful Arts & Crafts interior.  Now, the Craftsman interior was originally meant for the Glencroft, but there's no earthly reason I can't do that one in the same style!  ;]  I'm sure to have more ideas than will fit in the Brownstone build.

I would take the Golden Gate View kit and add that gorgeous porch and a small addition on the side as in the inspiration photo.  This would also solve some space issues since the kit is a two-room building, and I am a stickler about having bathrooms and full staircases in my miniature builds!

Golden Gate View kit photo

Of course, the Heritage is telling me to focus and stop getting distracted.  ;]

I'm now starting to see how the colors will work together as a whole, and I love the greenish cast of the middle background color.  It's exactly what I had hoped it would look like.

This is 70 hours of stitching time.  :]