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The Orchid - off to a decent start!!


PepperJoAz

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The cutting is officially DONE (well, except for the roof - my father in law wants to make one long roof piece instead of two, so I have to assemble the rest of the structure for that to happen... ).   Now for another dry fit and a bunch of decoration planning.  

 

Could this be ACTUAL progress????  I hope so!! 

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So excited!!!  

 

The bash is coming along.  I had everything in dry fit for a few days and found a few flaws...those are all getting fixed up now. 

 

I also realized that since my father-in-law just used Primrose pieces as templates, I still have a complete Primrose kit that I can make a second house!!!!  

 

It's totally a 3 bears cottage:  Downstairs in two sections:  A little pot bellied stove and dining table with bowls on one side, three chairs (one broken!!) around a rug and fireplace on the other, and upstairs 3 beds, one with a little blonde girl.  And felted bears (I'm just learning how to do that...).  

 

How do these things just pop into your head, fully formed???? 

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Oh yeah, it sure is. I'm just waiting for one of these little 6" crazy people to ask for a steampunk toilet.....

Uhum, inspiraion perhaps?!? Or is that motivation or twisting ypur arm-ation... :giggle: <blame it onthe fever...>

http://boofredlay.blogspot.se/2011/09/steampunk-toilet.html

Hugs

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Today I chose material for the bedroom and the living room.  Planning to make my own couch and chairs.  I also picked up some paper to use for the dining room and some card stock rounds to make into a small round table for the dining room.  Progress, I think...maybe.  Fun times, progress or not!!! 

 

I really need a blog to chronicle all of this... 

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Keeping track of progress: 

 

 - "tile" floor installed in bathroom (plastic floor from Houseworks) 

 - "hardwood" floor installed in kitchen (again, floor from Houseworks) 

 - hardwood floor created for dressing room upstairs 

 - paint chose / purchased for dressing room 

 - wallpaper on both sides of downstairs divider 

 - exterior paint on all exterior pieces - but I think it needs a third coat, maybe... 

 - attached window to second dormer 

 - created window design for third (bashed) dormer

 - planned to create a "cover" the exposed edge of the staircase - I don't like the look of the edge of the treads, and can't think of another way to cover them.  Now if I could just decide if the stairs will be stained or painted white.... 

 - can't decide what color the front door should be.  House is bright yellow.  Exterior window trim is light yellow.  Accents on windows including pediment are dark gray.  Porch rails and gingerbread (if I use it) will be white.  I'm thinking light yellow for the background part and dark gray for the main frame, with light yellow trim.  It would even work with my interior colors to have the inside of the front door be light yellow.  

 

On the not directly related to the house front, I bought varnish for the kitchen and dressing room floors, and clamps for holding the layers of the door together (and hoping to make a table or 2, maybe... and a couch, and chairs....) 

 

Can't wait to start gluing!!!!  I want to see this all together so badly!!!!!  

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another update!! 

 

Today, I was able to paint a few walls - not much, but it's something!!  I really feel the glue coming soon.... 

 

I also experimented a bit.  A few months ago I picked up some small sticks which turned out to be tapered.  I think I'm going to try alternating them (wide part / skinny part / wide part / skinny part...)  and use it as a sort of bead board in the bathroom.  I'll put a rail on top as trim, and baseboards to match the rest of the house.  The trim and bead board will both be white.  I'm picturing a 3 "layer" treatment in the bathroom ...bead board (bottom) paper (middle) paint (top).  IF it works, I think it will be awesome... I'm going to see how it looks before I make anything permanent, of course!! 

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So much painting tonight!!!  I think all of the main pieces are painted now.  I primed the bay window pieces and the front door.  Two of the three wood floors are stained and have 2 (3?) coats of varnish.  I forgot to do nail holes... oops.  Maybe next time!!!   I also glued the stairs together and decided colors for trim, stairs, and the front door.  

 

I am fairly certain I will be able to begin gluing the main structure together this weekend.  I don't have clamps...I think that needs to happen first... 

 

Once glued, the structure will make the trip back to the in-law's house to have a roof built. (Since I'm combining a primrose and an orchid, FIL thought it made sense to make one continuous roof piece rather than use the original roof pieces, especially since we changed the pitch of the primrose roof to match the orchid).  

 

Again, feels like real progress.  I'm excited to be able to start on finishing touches soon.  I have so many ideas already... I just not sure if the right plan is to go room by room or process by process (e.g. all the trim, then all the doors, then all the flooring... although trim clearly has to go last!!!)

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Sable, I tried painter's tape during dry fit, and found that it fell off, or was very loose, or some combination of the two.  Is there a trick I don't know about to make it hold well enough / tight enough to really act as a clamp?  

 

I am fully aware that I may have been doing it all wrong!!!! 

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Tape sticks best when stuck to itself so use bigger pieces and go with long wraps instead of shorter ones.I do use clamps for some things and make shift jigs with jars, cans, books, etc as well.

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... I forgot to do nail holes... I don't have clamps...I think that needs to happen first...... I just not sure if the right plan is to go room by room or process by process (e.g. all the trim, then all the doors, then all the flooring... although trim clearly has to go last!!!)

The modern flooring doesn't seem to have nail holes (I notice these things because in addition to scribing my floorboards I go back with a wee awl and poke nail holes into the ends of each "board").

Harbor Freight puts their nice long bar clamps on sale from time to time; masking tape sticks faster than painters' tape, but has removed paint when I take it off; painters' tape sticks to itself, as noted. 

I tend to go room by room, floor by floor, but some houses it's easier to go process by process, and most builds are a combination (for me).

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Thanks, ladies!! Painter's tape sticking to itself makes sense once I think about it, but I never really thought of it before... lol

The vision I had last night, when I was supposed to be falling asleep, was to glue in other positions than upright, to help support and maintain right angles, etc. Maybe that would work...maybe I'd be causing myself more headaches!!

Still excited, either way....can't wait to put some glue on this house!!!

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I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures of your seemless roof line.

 

And I emptied my pantry of canned goods and set them up inside and outside the house walls (in addition to the taping) to keep the walls tight and upright during the gluing process. I found limited tools and hands call for using alternative items:-))

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I put glue on 2 pieces today!!!!   :eek:

 

Now I think I'm kind of stuck.  The next upright piece I would attach needs doors made.  Seems easiest to make the doors when I can dry fit them in the wall, with the wall laying down.  But I want to glue more.  It's a delimna....

 

Also, a question for the wise ones.... Why does the foam brush catch repeatedly while I'm painting on a piece that I've sanded smooth? I can't feel any "snags" before I paint...then the brush catches over and over again.  It's so frustrating!!  Is it just the brush?  Am I just crazy??? 

 

So, I guess I'm off to attempt doors.... 

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