Work on the Newport will slow down for the next two months as I build a Greenleaf kit for their annual Spring Fling contest.  I have a couple of ideas, though I can't share them just yet.  You'll have to wait. But, I can share the first of the dry buil… more »

I've been mainly working on finishing touches of trim for the first floor in preparation for attaching the ceiling, so there isn't much new to post.   I have been making some progress on the garage, though.  I cut grooves for the front lighting and p… more »

I had previously installed range hood lighting... click image to enlarge ...and made pendant lamps for the kitchen. I bought a black chandelier for the dining area, but since the room is so deep it remained dark  even with all the lamps lit.  He… more »

While buying supplies from a shop in the UK, I added a plant stand by McQueenie Miniatures to my order.  It's a beautiful kit made from mahogany that was very easy to put together.  I sealed with satin varnish to bring out the grain of the wood. The hy… more »

I stitched another pattern from Exquisite Miniatures in Cross Stitch and Other Counted Thread Techniques by Brenda Keyes, the same book where I got the pattern for the orange tree tapestry.  Unlike the first project, I didn't change the material or stitc… more »

I like to make a lot of my own artwork and design elements such as rugs for the Newport since it is so easy.  Printing on fabric is also something I've tried with good results overall.  I bought some specialty papers from The Craft PC to try, and they en… more »

I needed a modern coffee table to finish off the sitting area of the living room, but nothing on the market really seemed to work.  So, I built my own table from an acrylic oval, a carved wood bead and various Woodsies shapes. I first glued four sma… more »

I cut the window and door openings in the new plywood walls of the conservatory.  It was quite a workout since I didn't have power tools on hand to use.   After stitching the Mackintosh chair cushions, I got the bug.  :D  I checked out a bunch of boo… more »

The conservatory sits above the garage and is accessible from the master bedroom.  The double French doors came from the Foxhall Conservatory kit used to create the garage. Before cutting the French door and window openings, I did a little planning… more »

While I had the second floor up during the dry build, I worked a bit on the layout of the rooms.  The rooms will be from left to right: the guest bedroom (in the two story addition), the stairway, the master bath (which is technically shared with the gue… more »

Since I am getting further along on the first floor, I decided to do a fresh dry build to see if there was anything I needed to address before attaching the second floor.  I am still far from that part, but I figured it was better to know ahead of time.… more »