Jump to content

My Arthur


LisaN

Recommended Posts

Haven't posted in a while, but last night was finishing up a primrose and beginning my Arthur! I'm real excited about this house. I prepped and stained the floors a dark walnut stain, to give it a dark look, since the look I am going for is a country English Tudor style cottage. I might add a few extras like exposed beams, and timbers on the outside, I already have the stripwood.

This house was a little dicey to dry fit together, to mark the places for paper, paint etc. My husband was cleaning out his truck and watching me and said, You're zipping right along on this one! He loves a new build, and gives me all sorts of great suggestions (mainly where is the color stain or paint I'm looking for! :D )

I wanted to prep the stairs today, so they would be dry when I am ready to glue the thing together after the walls are prepped. I wanted to paint the risers white, and stain the steps the same walnut stain. I might paint them a cream, or off white to make it look like a little age is on it. I used to love reading Miss Marple series of Agatha Christie, so can't help but think that Miss Marple would love this little house. I've been surfing the blogs of everyone's arthur builds, and we have some talented people building here! I got alot of ideas, thanks everyone.

Hopefully I will put some pics up in the gallery soon, right now it's in the prep stages, but I will try to get some of the Primrose that is almost done. That one just needs shingles, the steps, and window boxes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's great to be back Tracey! I'm on a roll with this little house. I looked at your blog pics, and Nutti's to get a few ideas rolling, and I love the way you did the electrical part of your arthur. I too had a few problems with the tab slots, I might need to do more than over sand them! Nutti's little kitchen was cute. I'm thinking of having a crumbling plaster effect in the kitchen with an exposed brick. My camera is still taking a vacation...........I was going to take some pics to upload, but will probably will have to wait. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ditto for me too Lisa--can't wait to see pix! You will LOVE this house! I had always "liked" it, but it wasn't really one that I wanted to have for my own. Then I built one! Talk about an easy build! And so easy to wallpaper too! Such a beautiful little house! Then I stupidly--right before the moment that I fell in love with it--told my husband that he could give it to his other aunt ... and so it now resides in New Jersey ...

Keep us posted!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I worked on it last night.......I stained the window trims and the stair treads a dark walnut. I did the kitchen in a crumbling plaster effect with the tissue and the glue water mix. I limed the walls first before beginning.....I intend to paint the 'plaster' after it's dry.....this technique it always looks worse before better.....

I have decided to stucco this little house which will dry quicker than the paperclay.

The weather here in Va. is atrocious, and it goes from chilly to hot and hot to chilly, very damp, and overcast. :D I hate this weather because it takes forever for the paint and stains to dry in the studio.. I painted the Primrose one morning at 7 am! ;) and it was still wet at about three or five pm in the afternoon when Chris checked on it! So am getting all of that prepping and drying out of the way before beginning the assembly. I am starting to take some pics, my camera has taken a rest from her vacation... :D and hopefully will load up some pics of the beginnings of the Arthur and the Primrose I did. Also, some new stuff too--my husband's house of row homes he has been working on. I will check back and tell ya when these pics are loaded up.

Nutti, Linda you are both right. You fall in love with this little house as you're building it--and it wasn't even a house that I really wanted for myself. The only thing that bothers me is the stairs, they are too 'incomplete' so will cut the pieces out because it has stair treads but no risers. And the staircase I really wanted to look old cottage-y. So with wood on hand, will have something else to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Lisa

I used toung depresser sized craft sticks...just the right width for risers....

now thos peoples under the stairs cant grab the little peoples ankles as they use them.

they stained the same color as the steps and all together you cant tell the difference.

could you use a little heater to help the drying process.

cant wait to see the photos!

nutti :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Order here for Nutti's eyecandy! :D

I got the pictures up in mywebshots album.

http://community.webshots.com/user/lisan204

The Arthur' is the newest album, not much there yet.

Look in the Primrose album too--put the new one in there with the updates on the old one that's going to be my Honeyduke's.

Also check out 'from the workbench' for Chris' house, Queen's Row. I am supposed to begin working on the doors, windows, and inside this month. It is meant to resemble the rowhomes and shops in Georgetown, or Fredericksburg Va. He took alot of pictures before deciding on his build design. It's a huge piece! :D but quite beautiful. It takes up my dining room table, folded up, as you can see from the two photos.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lisa, here is a tidbit maybe you can use. You can you a hair dryer to help quicken the drying process of the paper clay. It is not fully dry till it feels room temperature. Even when it looks dry, if it feels cold, it's not dry.

I am going to look at your pictures now.

;D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MIni thanks for the new eye candy, Lisa. DS#2's girlfriend has requested mine so week after next we are taking it & a carful of housewarming gifts up to Burke, VA. Thanks for the heads up about the weather, sounds just like here in N FL!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tracey, thanks so much for the tip on the paperclay. It is so damp & humid here, I might have to resort to the hair dryer when I begin working with it. Inside the house isn't too much of a problem, as I put shingles on a Santa Christmas cart kit that I put together. (it was actually meant to be a flower cart, but Santa needs money so he's selling miniature trees! :D ) I think it must be the studio's heating, and so it is damp out there, which doesn't allow paint or paperclay to dry quickly. I'm used to working with it quickly here in VA because it would dry so quick and absorb so much water...... ;)

The weather is nasty up here, Holly. I live about 100 miles or so from Burke, Va, (my grandparents used to stop at the little truckstop there to eat breakfast on the way to Carolina--I love to also, so I'd say that little truckstop diner has been in business for about over forty years that I know of--) and it probably isn't much better. It had rained and started pour ing this morning.

If anyone has any suggestions on a good kind of paper for the Queen's Row--I'm all ears. I'm thinking of being a little selective since the person who will eventually buy it may want to use it for shops, or apartments, or both, with living quarters upstairs. So I'm eager to begin decorating it--so I can have my dining room table back! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did some more work on the house, finishing up the 'plaster' in the kitchen. Turned out nice, especially with the stained wood trim for the windows.

I looked through a couple of old issues of Nutshell News, and found Miss Marple's cottage that was featured by Sarah Salisbury and made by Pam Throop. That is exactly the look I wish for this little house, only one or two rooms in the cottage that Pam created had wallpaper in it...so i imagine I will paper the bathroom and plaster the bedroom upstairs. It looks like she used a caulk, or dental plaster for her plaster inside, with stained beams. So looks like there will be alot of work going into this little house....... :D

Found the perfect paper for the little bathroom........but will need more of it. Right now am working on 'leading' the windows. This little house is going to be simply adorable. In love with it already!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, pictures on the arthur's beginnings are uploaded in the album here on the greenleaf forum. I have glued the first floor walls together, along with the base. Door trims and windows are installed, I used architect tape for 'leading' the windows.

Right now I am having a problem or two with that 2nd floor. Today I glued the aged beams ont he first floor ceilings, they are stained walnut like the rest of the house & door trim. I didn't have to cut some of the other tab slots, but will probably have to on the 2nd floor.

I intend to totally redo the staircase. I tried putting what I had prepped together, and it isn't going to look good enough for all the prep that has gone into the rooms. The staircase will be the focal point of the house, so I may recut it and re do it altogether. The staircase form doesn't really fit the treads, it reminds me of our basement stairwell from the house that I grew up in. :) hated that staircase.

I posted the pics in here so everyone wouldn't have to go to webshots.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...