The Haunted Heritage - Grandma's dusty old attic

by brae  

The final room in The Haunted Heritage is the third floor attic space.  This was a lot of fun to put together, and I am sure to add a few more things to it over the years.

In my world, grandma is able to navigate those pull down attic stairs easily, walk about the attic without hitting her head and sit comfortably for hours in a space that doesn't appear to have any airflow for the warmer months or heating for the colder ones.  :D  To that end, the attic is a collection of fine (or not so fine) antiques set into vignettes where grandma can get away from it all.

Structurally, this area is pretty much right out of the kit.  I did replace the attic floor plywood since I made so many modifications to the lower floors.  Most of the wiring for the second floor runs through the attic boards.  Look at this craziness!

The two lights are from The Lighting Bug.  Love these bare bulb fixtures!

These are the perfect lights for the attic.

I aged the hanging bulb with dabs of brown acrylic paint.

I love this fixture!!!  :D

I finished the walls with faux slats and rafters and painted them to look like old, dusty wood.

The floor was done in the same manner.  The floor appears dustier than the walls, which is the look I was aiming for.  I love the atmosphere of this space.

I installed faux attic stairs as I had done for Baslow Ranch based on the Greenleaf tutorial.  I altered the upper portion a little, making the door taller than the sides.

Part of the chimney shows inside the attic.  They line up so well, but once the extra roof wall was put in place you were no longer able to see it.  :\  At least I have the photo to prove it!

The attic has a lot of minis, so here are some shots in roughly left to right order.  :D

L Delaney made this lovely book - Sinking of the Titanic, Thrilling Stories Told by Survivors.

I was the lucky winner of Andrea's giveaway on her new blog, and I chose her Farm Animals Funny Cubes in miniature for grandma's attic...so vintage, so cute!!!  :D  Aw, look at the cute Piggie!  Each cube measures 1/4" and each side has part of one of six animals, the others being Kitty, Doggie, Fox, Cow, and Bunny.

Stacks of vintage suitcases are all over the design blogs and Pinterest.  They combine nostalgia and beauty.  I knew I wanted a set for grandma's attic, and there is no better artisan to turn to than Fran at FranMadeMinis.  I sent her some of my favorite pictures of vintage suitcases, and she knocked it out of the park once again!

This lovely painting is a miniature reproduction of one created by Lyssa.  She sent it to me, because she is a dear friend.  I added a purchased frame.  This is here in the attic only for holding.  It will be proudly displayed in a future house.

The wood and brass toy train was in a miniatures lot I bought on craigslist.  It's very well made, and the wheels turn.  It actually rolls around along the uneven attic floor.

With my work bonus, I spoiled myself a little and bought this 1908 Miniature Underwood Typewriter by Ken Byers of Shaker Works West.  The horse is from Anna.

It fits wonderfully in grandma's attic, though I foresee this piece making the rounds in my various builds just as Mary's afghans tend to do.

The sewing machine box is from Four Little Walls.  It's sitting on a crate with some random books I made in front.

There's a vintage race car in red, suitably aged and well loved.

This insanely tiny piece was made by Andrea Thieck, and yes, the wheels turn!

The dress drawings with fabric swatches are also from L Delaney.

I'd love to find this tulip dress pattern in real life size and make one for myself.

The red vintage sofa is one of my favorite pieces, but I couldn't imagine making a whole room around it.  It fits perfectly in the attic.  Lyssa sent me the Summer Sisters book, a miniature of the one she lent me to read.  Marion sent me the most adorable plush sea otter that she made!!!  :D  He's so well made and soft, standing at 2 7/8" tall.  He's poseable, too!

Here he is admiring his snazzy tie in the mirror.  He makes me smile.  He was meant for the Heritage attic, but he might have to get his own abode some day.  :D

Glenda sold a few of her fine artisan miniatures that she didn't end up using in her projects, and I offered a new home to an adorable little mouse made by Kristy of Mini Menagerie.  Kristy stopped making mini animals, and I was sad that I might never be able to have one of her creations for my own.  Thanks to Glenda, I was able to add this one to my collection along with the lovely green rug Glenda sent along with him.  Here he is holding a spinning top from CW Lubin, though he came with a strawberry.

The vintage kitty doll is from my childhood dollhouse.

The little fuzzy lamb pull toy is from barblip.

The Lincoln chest is from miniatures.com, the hat boxes are from Gypsy Boudoir Miniatures, and the green shoes are from Spencer's Nook.

I want these in real life size!  :D

I entered a competition hosted by Minimum World, and each contestant was sent a prize for participating.  My gift was a lovely set of granny boots, a fancy hat with stand and a parasol by Katy Sue Designs.  They are lovely and the perfect addition for grandma's attic!

The box of Christmas items was made by M Carmen; the snowman bead was purchased.  The primitive snowman statue is from barblipCaterina sent me the Christmas Carol book.

Now, the primitive snowman has an interesting story to tell.  I once noticed he was facing backwards.  I thought this was odd of me to do, but I just shrugged and turned him around.  About a week later I went to set up an attic scene, and he was facing backwards again!!!!  :O  Haunted attic indeed!  I was seriously disturbed by this because I knew I had turned him around days earlier.  Later that day, I was using the scroll saw and something fell out of the Heritage (the saw is attached to the same table).  After picking up the wayward mini, I checked the attic and sure enough, that snowman had walked forward!  Mystery solved...or was it?  Hmm....

Lyssa attempted to scare the bejesus out of me by sending a clown in the mail.  But, I am fearless!!!  So there....  Yeah, kinda creepy.  Ok, moving on....

The ornaments were made by Jane of MiniFanaticus.

The catacombs case clock is the debut miniature from Tony at Miniature Treasures.

It's just so gorgeous, so well made.  I tell you - it even smells awesome!!!!  :D  It smells of wood and parchment and leather.  The scent reminds me of 'new car smell' most of all.

Tony used a skull carved from genuine bone, genuine 18th century vellum, optical glass from a pair of broken Victorian spectacles, a hand carved rutile quartz skull, and items from broken watches and clocks.

The tiny mouse is from Sussex Crafts.

Here is the third dress sketch along with another book from L Delaney.

The magazines were won in a giveaway from Dolly's Gallery.  Gail sent me two lovely Saturday Evening Post magazines.

When it comes to vintage magazines, the ads on the back are just as interesting as the covers.

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For The Haunted Heritage pictorial recap post, please click here.  Click here for a full list of Heritage posts, including how I made things and the materials used.

11 comments

Comment from: Veronique [Visitor]
Oh, such treasures! It reminds me of my childhood, playing in my grandmother's attic, looking for clothes in the suitcases to play dress-up. I love the light fixtures, especially the hanging one. Absolutely brilliant!
08/16/13 @ 15:52
Comment from: Blondie [Visitor]
Yep. The clown still kinda scares me. LOL.
08/16/13 @ 15:53
Comment from: Jane S [Visitor]
Everything is so perfect under your fantastic lighting. You certainly have put those lovely things in a great space. The clock is a amazing piece &#59;)
08/16/13 @ 18:26
Comment from: Fran [Visitor]
Thank you so much for sharing the finished project. Seeing what you envisioned as you collected your treasures shows everything is in its exact right place -- individual elements joined into a perfect whole. I'm thrilled to have contributed.
08/16/13 @ 20:24
Comment from: 12Create [Visitor]
What a fabulous attic. I'd love to spend time up there myself to look at all those wonderful little treasures. I love the atmosphere of the attic and the lights.
08/17/13 @ 00:01
Comment from: April [Visitor]
The space captures the feeling of an attic full of cherished memories, each piece bringing the owner down memory lane.
08/17/13 @ 05:12
Comment from: Irene [Visitor]
I love the atmosphere you've created here and there is so much to see. Favourites just have to be the shoes and the typewriter.
08/17/13 @ 07:22
Comment from: Andrea [Visitor]
Oh Brae, your attic really looks wonderful! It's so great, that you got a mouse from Kristy! I love her little creatures. It's a pity, that she doesn't make them any more. I always wanted to have one of her criminal racoons. And thanks a lot for the "well loved" over my little car:)))) Hugs Andrea
08/17/13 @ 14:07
Comment from: Sandra Campbell [Visitor]
Your attic is so atmospheric. Love the little mouse by Kristie - by the time I was ready to start on a mouse house I too was too late to get any of her little meeces, she had stopped making animals :(. Love the little typewriter and the lamb. And also the tiny mouse by Sussex Crafts - every attic should have a mouse. And the vintage patterns are just great too. Hugs Sandie
08/17/13 @ 21:14
Comment from: elizabeth s [Visitor]
Well Brae, what a finale! I think that this attic is so evocative of just what an attic is and what they usually contain. All of the contents though, are real treasures and the typewriter, and the suitcases are to die for! Having them in the attic really showcases them as well as all of the additional little treats that are interspersed throughout! The bare bulb lighting is wonderful and add that extra 'brae signature touch' that sets your work apart! Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful! elizabeth
08/18/13 @ 19:46
Comment from: brae [Member]
Thank you all so much! :>>
08/19/13 @ 09:45


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