A friend of mine has recently been pushing me to finally get out all the fimo I bought last year, and finally sculpt for Tilly, my baker, and Nettle, who is not specifically food oriented but will definitely need plants, and the occasional Tudor meal.

I will crumble as soon as I find the time. And of course Nettle is in need of that Glencroft.. or rather is in need of it not being in a flat box...

Consider this a warning.

I started right after dinner on Friday evening. By the end of the evening I was feeling high and mighty, certain I could finish the room box with Saturday afternoon to spare.

Sunday afternoon I was still going! LOL, isn't that always the way?

It worked out very well that it was extremely warm here in New England over the weekend. My husband and I, who normally cloister in the bedroom, performed our respective activities downstairs, sharing the dining room table (plus 1 leaf). MUCH more room to work than I usually end up with, and the bedroom stayed cool without the video game systems, laptop and occasional sewing machine running, too!

So Friday, I:

Cut the exterior wallpaper and glue it in place, cut the flooring and glued it in place, printed a photo to put behind the window glass, ran the tapewire, glued in the lamp and built the structure for the brick interior chimney.

I also removed half the depth of the window unit (since I didn't want it to be a real portal to the exterior of the room box), at which point my little saw claimed a victim:



The chimney piece:



On Saturday:

I finished hooking up the electrics. As you can see, the junction splice's screw and prongs were a bit long for the thickness of the wall! I had planned to put the window towards the left wall, but moved it in the end to cover the breakthrough.

As you can see, I also got more work done on the chimney bricks. I actually finished this up before the evening was through, but it was too dark to photograph by then.

I also experimented with the exterior trim paint (intended to simulate concrete).



Sunday we started with a supply run for glitter to add texture and possible some sparkles to the concrete, sandpaper for the roof of the 'high rise' and felt for simulating my friend's little plushies.

Once back at work, I started by gluing in the chimney, which had dried overnight. Not shown til the final photos below is the trim, which drove me mad! The floor molding was made from birch siding strips glue double-thick and then cut lengthwise in half.

I also repainted the desktop in shades of gray (which helped to hide how AWFUL the carving is on this thing. No space bar? Really?), printed posters for two of my friend's favorite movies, cut the plushies from felt and painted eyes on, glued the molding and window in place, painted the exterior trim and then, finally, glued the sandpaper 'roofing' in place.











All that's left is to print out some computer screen displays on glossy for the laptop and desktop. If there's time tonight (I need to mail this tomorrow!), I also want to add a shade to the window. I have a sheer white fabric that I was using last week that I *really* hope I didn't toss the scraps from, as it would be perfect for letting the view come through!

So there! Almost start-to-finish in one weekend! Not too shabby!

My husband also agreed that hot days this summer would be spent the same way, so I'll have *plenty* of room for the Glencroft he got me for my birthday!

Due to sickness, injury and company, I have not yet begun to construct my friend's roombox.

... Which means I'll be very busy this weekend!

I'll charge the camera batteries so I'm sure to take snapshots as I wait for glue to dry!

Step one: cut the back wall for the window (or find photo for placing behind plexi).

A month ago, nearly, I posted my plans for my friend's Manhattan room box. Unfortunately I've been sick or injured for most of 2009 so far, and haven't gotten anywhere. I have other projects I owe people, and we had company two weeks ago, more company coming this weekend.. it's just been hard to get to the room box!

I hope to get started on it this weekend. My husband ordered me the Glencroft for my birthday, and I had him toss in a magazine rack table with the order because I forgot about work space for my friend's plush making. So I'd love to make the room box in time to be ready for that to arrive.

I don't know how I'll attach everything for display. I think of Room Boxes as pretty static, so maybe just dots of hot glue? Will museum wax survive the mailing?

Tilly's bakery finally has its name! I admit to Google searching for inspiration (since she probably won't be in direct competition with anyone, LOL).

"Cake & Crumb"

I'm so content with it! Reminds me of the "Fife & Drum" restaurant in a nearby village.

So now I'm working on signs for it, haven't quite hit on the perfect graphic to go above the name. This is the fifth draft but I think it may be a bit busy (plus it's not the same kind of stove as is inside).

I've decided to start posting about a project I'm working on for a friend's birthday. As far as I can tell she doesn't read this blog so I think I'm safe. She's busy enough she probably won't trip over it.

My friend is a writer who currently lives in Florida, but has always intended to move someday to Manhattan. Recently she was lamenting about the area she lives in, so I decided as a combined Holiday/Birthday gift, I'd build a roombox to be her Manhattan apartment until a time when she can move into a 1:1 scale version.

I picked a relatively small roombox, since the apartments are so small. I'll be doing just the 'living room' area, figuring she'll have her writing computer set up there.

I imagine the space as a low-rent walk-up. Old, painted radiator under a single narrow window - with paint sealing the panes shut, of course! I'm trying to find a photo online of some view of a bridge between other high rise units. There'll be partial-brick wall from original construction, plus wood floors, plaster ceiling and white walls. I'll cover the outside in brick paper and seal it well (to cover the electronics and to make it look more realistic from the outside). Probably put a dark sandpaper on top for roofing tar.

I thought I might be able to recycle some furniture from a full bedroom set I had that I only used the bed and nightstand from, but the room box is pretty small so even those bits don't look as good in there as I'd thought.

I bought that built-in computer desk set, but it looks even worse in person than in photos. I think I can fancy it up, but there may not be any doubt they're poorly-sculpted blocks of wood. But like all people these days, that desktop model will be the backup for a laptop, which should be shipping today. I also ordered a pretty little Victorian chair that looks like it could be both a hand-me-down and comfy. May sand the cushions a bit to make them look worn and a little threadbare.

My friend also sells small plush figures on etsy, so I got a sewing kit and will make little felt versions of her products and pile them in a corner.

I want to put a poster on the wall over the computer but can't decide what to get. I know the movies she likes but I also think she's the type that, if she finally had her NY Apartment, she would get nicer things for the wall. Actual framed art, I think. I know she likes black and white photography, so maybe I'll go find some of the photos she took of Manhattan on a trip a few years back, and put those in frames.

I have some lighting that will work.. a ceiling piece and another lamp. I have everything I need, I think, for the tapewiring. That will go on the outside, though, under the paper, since I want to leave the walls white. Because of the lighting I'm tempted to make the window a nighttime scene. But maybe I can rig it so that she can swap it out or remove the scene entirely and peek through the back. (I was going to cut the window in half and just glue it to the interior wall, but of course typing all this out has made my brain grind.)

I have a bit of molding from Tilly's bakery that I think should cover the ceiling, and I'll use a strip of clapboard siding for the kickboard. I think I'll probably want to put down a little rug or something once I see it. But that's mostly it!

Looks like the window and lighting will be the toughest part, so I could probably knock the whole thing out in a weekend, with drying time. Her birthday is May Day so I have some time, but I do want to start early in case I hit snags or decide I need to order something else (I wish I had a minis shop around here!).

So that's post one, I'll hopefully post again soon with photos!

I'm really surprised at myself! It took me four days to place an order from HBS once my mini buying ban was lifted!

I was just worried that I'd forget something important, like I usually do, and was keeping a list. It was only because that 25% coupon expired last night that I finally ordered!

The bakery is in a bit of a quagmire. There are little things I can do, but I've slumped into vacation mode so I only seem able to tackle items that fill a day (such as the shingling which I finished Sunday), and the little things (cushion for the window seat and stones for the veranda) are being ignored.

I took down Tilly's Christmas decorations and now I'm bummed out. Not because I miss the holiday passed, but because it made her shop so warm and cozy and now it feels empty. At the same time I hesitate to fill it back up because of the little projects that still remain.

So here's a list and maybe at the end I'll have decided what I want to do next! Items with an asterisk are waiting on my HBS order.

Interior:
- make window seat cushion
- install knobs on cabinet doors
- install outlet and swap plug for bedside lamp
- make bed linens
- replace chandelier bulb*

Exterior:
- install trim under roof points
- touch up paint
- sculpt and paint stone floor on veranda
- find tiny eye screws
- paint and design shop sign
- install sign
- make greenery for window box
- decorate and install cupola*
- install door knobs*
- install doors*
- install veranda railing*

After that im really looking forward to trying my hand at sculpting miniature food. I bought a bunch of fimo half-priced at JoAnn on Saturday, and DH gave me a magnifying glass for Christmas, so I'm ready as soon as I finish the house! I also ordered a mini book off Amazon since I've had trouble finding tutorials online.

I also have a new project to tackle for late Spring, parts for which are coming in the Ernie order.

The house isn't done, but I figured if I didn't take these photos now, they'd be late, as usual!

5 days til Christmas eve! This week has evaporated out from under me, but I hope to build another counter and stain the table I bought from DH&M, which came last night, along with the upstairs door frame, which I will also stain and then glue in place. I'll wax in place the side which will cover the hinges so I can get back to that later. That way I can block the draft for Tilly upstairs!

I picked up some fabric the other night at JoAnn. I couldn't find any patterns really tiny enough, so I settled on a quilt-like print that I saw last time but hesitated on. I have to go back tonight to pick up a gift card for a friend, but all their holiday stuff has been on the way out in favor of Valentines, so I don't think I'll have any major discoveries tonight.

So just a few more touches before it'll be ready for holiday photos. As for actually finishing the house, I still need to paint the exterior, shingle and add the finishing touches such as hardware.

My counter dried nice and flat. I did take a couple photos but not in the house and then I didn't get a chance to post them, so I'll post new photos of anything I get done tonight along with that. We have company coming this weekend so I may not update again until I'm posting the actual holiday photos!

Last night it took me forever to cut out the cabinet from the Michael's basswood. Then I only had my 2000 sandpaper to smooth the edges. I know I've got a sheet of 600 somewhere, but it was hiding from me.

So I cut the pieces out, dry fit, sanded, dry fit, stained, and then waited impatiently for the stain to dry and gave up waiting for absolute dryness before gluing. Hopefully I won't regret it too much. I do intend to make better ones another day, but I needed a surface for my holiday decorations!

I have house guests coming this weekend, so I have to figure out if I have time to build a cash register counter before Christmas. I probably do, but with the tree and the new counter I'm not sure where it would go! Maybe everything's free as a holiday special.

I'm afraid to turn the lights on without figuring out my transformer imbalance, and unfortunately I get the impression that Oakridge Hobbies no longer exists - they haven't claimed my paypal payment from last Friday! So I probably need to reorder at least new outlet male converters and maybe buy another lamp or something to even out the power feed. So you're stuck with bad lighting in these photos.

(edited to add - Oakridge finally answered the phone! They were sitting on my order because they didn't have everything in stock. Well GOLLY, wouldn't you want to yaknow.. LET ME KNOW? So the order is canceled and I've placed a new order directly from Cir-kit. Sheesh!)

So here is the bakery with the Christmas tree that I finished on Saturday, powered off. I still need to make a skirt, and I was going to wrap the battery pack like a gift but it seems to do just as well tucked behind the tree. You can see the door in place. I originally considered this trim as outdoor features, but I think it works better inside. The outside is more plain, so a fully-pink door doesn't look wrong, where it totally would indoors! Anyway, the door is just wedged in place, as I need to order knobs before I bother attaching the hinges to the wall.



In that one you can almost see my little counter that I made. For being pretty impromptu I'm very happy with it. If the wood warps (I was too impatient to let the stain dry before gluing), I will make an upgrade one someday, but if not I can see this one just being detailed out to make it the upgrade. I like the size, though I wonder if cakes will actually fit on the lower shelf (or if they'll look totally bizarre and cramped there).



I'm going to JoAnn tonight and hope to find quilting fabric for a tree skirt and the windowseat cushion. I didn't find anything in the fat quarters so I may have to browse the bolts. Hopefully it's not as crowded as it has been this season.