Even though I don't have one wall glued onto the foundation, I've been planning the landscaping.  :D  A member of the Greenleaf dollhouse forum mentioned Heki grass mats, so I did a bit of sleuthing around the internet.  I found a number of suppliers in… more »

Even with the success I had getting two out of three windows working for the front bay window, the two regular first floor windows are just ... er ... garbage.  The wood is beyond bad and the pieces just don't fit at all.  I'd be better off cutting new… more »

I've painted the stone steps in a mixture of grey and black acrylic paints to take down the shine of the original pavers and painted the purchased pillars to match.  I also cut toppers for the side walls out of balsa wood. I grouted the steps in the… more »

I might end up putting in a flickering unit for the cellar lights and fireplaces, so I needed to plan ahead for an accessible place to hide the circuit board just in case.  :D  I figured a set of working cellar doors that allow access to the unit would… more »

I'm working on a number of different things at the same time, so this will be a short post until I can write updates on those projects. Continuing work on the fireplace, I sprayed it with grey primer.  I wanted a good and even base layer for the final… more »

Look who has come for a visit!!!  It's Jack Skellington is his snowman disguise. I think the haunted Heritage is just the sort of place where he would feel right at home! I hate to tell him that I'm not really ready for snow just yet, though.  Let… more »

I've had this pin for quite a long time.  It's one of my favorite pieces of jewelry.  I haven't worn it in some time, so it needs to be cleaned!  :O When I made the parlor fireplace, I left the two flat panels open for added designs.  I really wanted… more »

I have listed a few autumn items in my etsy shop otterine's miniatures. A copper color metal bench with an orange red patterned cushion and four pale yellow diamond pillows.  Rug by Glenda of Peppercorn Minis. A pair of brown and white patterned pil… more »

I'm guessing there are other ways to do this, but this is the method that works for me.  The die-cut kit parts for the Heritage are mostly good, though a few are just plain awful.  They are both dried up and poorly cut...stamped more than die-cut, actua… more »

The outer bay windows have been finished with white paint crackled over the black base color. I painted the portions of the inner and outer frames that would show on the interior with Vintage White by Folk Art.  I painted the inner window sliding fra… more »

Some time back, Fran of FranMadeMinis and I started an email exchange.  At that time, I discovered that she makes some of the most remarkable miniature umbrellas and luggage.  I just knew I had to have one of these marvelous creations, but it ended up t… more »

The bay window is shaping up nicely, but I still have more changes in mind (of course).  I glued the exterior frames onto the walls and began the painting process to match the rest of the house. I decided to pad the interior walls of the bay and adjace… more »

Now that I have the parlor fireplace mostly built, I can work on creating the replacement wall where the bay window used to be.  I started by lining up the chimney on the outer wall so I could measure where the firebox opening is along that wall.  It's… more »

I've already built and aged the Phoenix parlour hob grate, and now it's time to build the fireplace so I can finish up the new living room wall. My second inspiration fireplace is this beautiful albeit expensive Lawbre fireplace.  :D  Champagne taste,… more »

Busy couple of days!  No time for minis, and that's just plain unacceptable!  :D Evelyne's suggestion from my last stairs update to dry-brush some metallic paint onto the laser cut trims to bring out the detail also brought on another idea...painted ri… more »

When finishing up the layout plans for the first floor, I discovered that I could not use the Heartland Hollow inspired stairs I had wanted to replicate.  So, I had to figure out a way to make a straight, narrow staircase look interesting and perhaps a… more »

During a recent excursion to Hobby Lobby for a specific scrapbook paper, I ran into these two lovely papers. The first is called Black and Cream Diamonds by The Paper Studio.  It measures 12" x 12" and has a black and ivory checkered design.  The oth… more »

The next lights to go up on the Heritage are these Clare Bell Brass Coach Lamps. There's nothing quite like adding light to a dollhouse to bring it to life! They are shiny and new and will need to be weathered, but they have a wonderful old time l… more »

I recently found my way to a blog on some of the most amazing miniatures I've ever seen.  The artist uses old, sometimes ancient, pieces and creates wonderful works with such character. One of these works I instantly loved...his dark but beautiful debu… more »

After painting the cellar windows black on the exterior and interior, I applied some paint washes in Bittersweet Chocolate and Terra Cotta, both by Americana.  This gives the windows the look of rusted wrought iron.  click images to enlarge I added t… more »

If you've followed my blog for any length of time, you know my favorite trash to treasure material is egg carton brick.  :D  I was first introduced to this technique when I did the stone foundation for the Newport. The bricks for my Heritage foundation… more »

As I was applying the bricks up to where the bricks start to build out from the main surface, I discovered that my vertical row was too short for the opening between horizontal bricks.  I removed them, cut a wider opening and applied a new vertical ro… more »

Continuing to work on the lower portion of the chimney, I cut out space for the firebox and any wiring I might end up running through the house.  To do this, I scored lines in the foam core, and then lifted the pieces out with a putty knife.  I waited u… more »

Thanks again to those who took the time to send hugs and well wishes for Baxter.  It means more than you know. __________ Keeping myself occupied with continued work on the Heritage.  Some images can be clicked to enlarge. Here's a refresher on what… more »

In some sad news, my tiny hamster companion Baxter has died.  He was a sweet little guy who was definitely on borrowed time at three years old.  Here he is enjoying a yogurt yummy just a few days ago.  My little old bald friend. He won the lottery in… more »