Another Antique House

[CheckMouse]

I don't know if they still make siding like that.  I'm waffling between two options - to leave it as it is (it's been that way for 100 years), or paint it white to match the sides at least in color.  If I paint it, I should add window framing.  I kind of like that idea.  I'm afraid that if I add proper scale miniature siding, it will accentuate the out-of-scale siding it already has.

 

As to what my heart tells me - I sometimes feel like M'Lady (the original builder) is guiding me! I'm sure that's not possible, but it does get eerie sometimes! I was looking at the fabric carpet piece that was in the parlor, and realized that the color on the folded-under part of it had not faded. So I thought I would try to incorporate that into a rug, or a bedspread, even though it is out of scale. I measured, made notes, made plans, and went on my way. Just a short time later I got the distinct impression that I really shouldn't do that. Studying the fabric again I realized a few things I had overlooked - 1] this was rather sloppily added to the house, just folded over to (sort of) fit the space  2] the curtains, the only other fabric in the house, had been meticulously measured, stitched, and hung with care  3] the carpet had no stitching, and was not even cut to size. No care or skill involved.

 So I came to the conclusion that the fabric was added later, somewhere along the line, and M'Lady had nothing to do with it. So it is not going back in.

  I am working at three out-of-town Home & Garden Shows this month, which is really eating into my mini-time!

[CheckMouse]

UPDATE:  Finally!

I brought the little house to the back porch today and got serious with my SoniCrafter power tool. DH helped me some, since I haven't used many power tools. (I felt like a toddler - "Let me do it")  I got the stairwell cut in the upstairs floor, and enlarged the doorway. I now know why Papa didn't make taller doorways - too much work!  The inside walls (now only one) are 1"  - as in ONE INCH - thick, and that is some of the hardest wood I have ever worked with! No wonder he quit at 4" high for the doorways.

I then proceeded to clean it up thoroughly.  I've been noticing, when I stay out in my craft cottage for hours at night, that before long I start to cough, and after a while my eyes are burning. So I guess it is sharing some yucky stuff with me. And when I started cutting into the wood with the power tool, there was an unmistakable odor of cat-pee.  

 I Googled - cleaning up old wood - and found several very informational sites. I was already thinking that taking it out to the yard and hosing it down was not really a good idea. My research confirmed that.  Air pressure was recommended, and brushing, and a soft rag with a vinegar/water mixture. So I did all three, using DH's shopvac to blow into the crevices of the siding, and a copper-bristled brush on all the unpainted surfaces. Then blow it all out again to pick up more residue. Last step was to wash it all down with a soft rag. Then I brought into the house to dry out overnight. 

Doesn't she look nice after her bath?

 

[CheckMouse]

PS:  do you see the pencil marks by the windows?  Those are Papa's original markings that he made for window placement. Isn't that cool?  I don't know how he did such a good job on the windows - eight of them!  Those crosspieces are not add-ons - he carved out the top part, then carved out the bottom part of each window.  It was all covered up by the wallpaper; which also covered up some paint runs and some bent-over nails. 

[Debra from Olde Cape Cod]

So glad you got her all cleaned up!  What a great project!

[havanaholly]

What lovely bones this house has!  I betcha Pop used lighter pine to build it; that stuff gets hard as rock with age

[CheckMouse]

What lovely bones this house has!  I betcha Pop used lighter pine to build it; that stuff gets hard as rock with age

Doesn't it, though?  It helps to get all the "stuff" off and get it cleaned up.   I didn't know that about pine - I hope it was softer when he built it! DH tried to cut one section with a small saw and got nowhere!

[CheckMouse]

I actually had most of two days to work on my little Appleby! 

I have patched up the outside of the lower right window, which will be blocked by the stairway. I just used basswood, added some wood-filler, sanded that all down, and painted it. Unless you know what you're looking for, it's pretty unnoticeable.  The inside of the window will be covered by the wallpaper. I'll get to Hobby Lobby on Thursday, on my way to my next out-of-town gig, so I'll get some acid-free cardstock to put behind the wallpaper. 

 

I also worked on the upstairs doorway - what a job!  The original 4" of it is hand-hewn wood, and upper 3" is saw-cut wood. I finally settled on using Paperclay to fill it all in, and with a flat blade I roughed it up a bit. It doesn't match the lower part exactly but it's pretty close. Haven't painted it yet - want to make sure it is thoroughly dry first (and doesn't shrink).  I repainted the original door frames to put up when all is ready. 

 

I had a jolly old time working on the opposite side of the door frame!    I can't get in front of it to see it!  Had to take a big metal file to it to smooth it out, and when I painted it I used a dentist's mirror with an extension bar. Wish I had had one more hand to hold a camera! But it was after midnight and I didn't think anyone wanted to come out just to take a picture.  Fortunately, it's not visible to anyone else either, without looking through the small window in the back of the house. Hopefully there will be enough other things to catch the attention.  

Can hardly wait to get to Hobby Lobby!  Want to look for some miniature apples, also. 

[MiniCrazy]

It is coming along so nicely! The red roof is perfect for this little lady.

[CheckMouse]

Haven't got much time, have to leave town tomorrow morning for another weekend home show, but this last week I've been able to make some measurable progress.  I got a kick out of the "new" paint I bought, a fresh mix, a new name, fancy formula, called Almond Sugar. It is so close to the 100-year-old paint on the house that if I stopped painting, I could hardly tell where to start in again!  

 

I put a lot of work into the doorway, and I think it turned out pretty good. Paperclay, wood putty, sandpaper and paint!

 

As the house takes shape, I'm not as happy with the original figurine. I had thought first that I would just clean it up and set a few things in it, and she fit the scene okay.  But Little Miss Appleby is still chattering - she would like to be a "busy and active" dollhouse, not just a museum piece.  Maybe she sat in the attic too long and wants some action now!  So I pulled out two of my resin dolls, dressed for the period, and tried them out. What do you think?

 

I'd appreciate some feedback on that stove. I'm afraid it's a smidgen over scale. It's 3.5" high at the cooking level, making it RL 3 and a half feet high.  My kitchen range is 3 feet high. And I would be uncomfortable with it if it were 6" higher.  The stove looked good with the taller figurine, but seems to dwarf the lady in the chair. HBS has a Chrysnbon kit for the old-time cookstove - maybe I should just get that and forget the big one. I love that old stove, though. It's cast iron and was given to me about 30 years ago. 

 

Almost forgot - there is a bit of Greenleaf in this house now.    In the gallery I have a picture of the back of it. There is a rather large gap between the two crates, which I didn't notice until I got the wallpaper off, but it was rather glaring so I trimmed a piece of some Greenleaf wood (leftover from a kit) and glued it into the gap. I like the idea that this house is now part Greenleaf.

 

 

[havanaholly]

Your momma and little girl look right at home.  Get thee some foam core and brick paper and make a fireplace surround for that range and it'll look just fine.

[CheckMouse]

Great idea, Holly.  I have some brick paper and some brick rubbery stuff, heavier that paper. Thanks. I do love that old stove!

[nuttiwebgal]

that stove looks good in there.... and I didnt notice maybe it was outa scale till you mentioned it...if you make it busy no one else will notice either

I LOVE that old stove

[chesterfieldzoo]

Your siding is made from old floor trim - which is why it is out of scale. You won't be able to match it as new trim has raised parts on the back now and is no longer flat. You could get stuff that is close though. Try looking at Home Depot or Lowes if you want to pursue it.

I like the idea of just going with flat stock on the back. You can get narrow screen trim (slats) that is flat. It would look more 'finished' than just leaving the plywood.

And sometimes old wood just smells. It's not cat pee (even though it smells like it). I would prime the whole thing inside and out with kilz. They used to use some pretty nasty (toxic) chemicals on wood back in the day.

[Debra from Olde Cape Cod]

If the lady seems too small for the stove, have her sitting in the other room--who wants to live in the kitchen anyway! LOL!

[KathieB]

I'm with Debra on moving the people out of the kitchen. You can use slightly oversize furnishings so long as they aren't adjacent to something of an obviously smaller scale. A slightly larger table would help. Leave something in progress -- baking, salad fixings, etc -- on the table as if the cook has just stepped out briefly to keep the house-is-lived-in atmosphere. 

 

Face it, there are a lot of features out of scale on this house. They can all work if you use the right smoke and mirrors.

[MiniCrazy]

The stove does look a little big but not a deal breaker.

[CheckMouse]

Been out of town for several days, so haven't been able to work on little Miss Appleby - but I did get some supplies at Hobby Lobby. I found an album, and extra pages, with acid-free photo holders in three different sizes. Just about perfect for my Time Capsule idea. It had a plain brown cover so I designed a cover for it, and have brought it up to date on the progress so far. I was able to put a 4"x6" picture with 3"x4" samples of each room's wallpaper and one curtain from that room, all on one page. So there are four pages of those, showing each room as it was originally.  Also picked up some acid-free heavy cardstock so I can start on the wallpaper. 

 

[Selkie]

Great plan.

[CheckMouse]

Finally seeing some measurable progress!  The cook stove brick surround, wallpaper, and ceiling paper are all in place.  The stairway is not installed yet - have to finish papering upstairs before I glue it down. Don't want to accidentally hit it and break something.  I thought about trying to pop off the white half-round trim to get the wallpaper tucked in behind it, but I'm afraid the wood might split, so I didn't try it. I'll play around with some narrow trim and see how it looks.  I've got some red/white checked curtains for the three windows. M'Lady had red/white curtains on 2 windows in the lower right room. 

 

[blueirishmoon]

Looks good so far.

[beyondbaffled]

I came into this topic late, but I am so glad that I found it!  I love how the story of  the house is coming along!  What a treasure <3

[CheckMouse]

Thanks, Jessie. I am really enjoying working on it!

[CheckMouse]

Have to show you one more thing. We watched a movie tonight so I sat in my chair with a lap-table and played around with a printie I had made a few weeks ago. I figured there should be some apple crates somewhere in this house, so I made one, complete with the stenciled logo that is on the attic floor.    I have two more printed that I haven't put together yet. I figure one should be in the kitchen, maybe under the sink, and another could be a toybox in the child's room.

 

[blueirishmoon]

Cute! Where did you find this printie?

[CheckMouse]

I made the printie myself using my Print Shop software, then printed it on heavy presentation paper. The logo on the side is the same one that is on the attic floor of the house - which was once the side of the crate.