If you have been following my blog while I was still active updating, you may have wondered why nothing has happened for over a year now. Those who have had a look at my other blog, the Florist, will know that my husband has passed away early last year under rather tragic circumstances. The whole year has been one of trauma and every time I tried to take a step forward I went three steps back. Only now my depression, which had followed the incident, is beginning to lift and I have plucked up the courage to start working on my miniatures again. I also did so halfway through last year, but without much success. Seeing that we are a lot further down the track I am a bit more optimistic, but will take small steps and only work when I feel like it.
So, not feeling very creative just yet, I have decided to go back to my Del Prado house, which now has been 15 years in the making... The way I have gone about it, working on a room at the time, without finishing the building and painting all the way through was not very clever, but.... I have always thought of this house as my 'trial' house, which doesn't necessarily follow a certain period, but is put together with stuff that I feel like using at the time and I am learning (yes, still learning after 15 years!) in the process.
Downstairs mostly finished now I have moved to the next floor. The curtains in the living room needed to be finished off with a bit of painted cardboard at the top:
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A cover for the pelmet
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The bedroom is next. Another reason for the delay, besides not having had an interest in miniatures for a while, was that I did not realise I had wallpaper left over. So, I have been searching high and low and every show, in every internet shop, but could not find the same paper. It wasn't until I was cleaning out some stuff that I discovered the rest of the wallpaper in a spot where I had not looked before. I made a minor mistake with the lining up, but I wonder how often it will be apparent...
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| Front wall papered and ready for the curtains |
It took a while to find something decent for flooring, as I don't like the original flooring (paper) that came with the kit, nor do I like ordinary wall-to-wall carpet very much. I now have found some old embroidery linen that I have given a darker hue by soaking it in tea and will lay that in the bedroom. It is supposed to look like
sisal. To intensify the darker colour I have also painted the floor dark brown, so the darker underground will come through. Hopefully it is not going to cause problems with glueing later!
The curtains were next. I kind of like making curtains, but don't like using the pleat mats. I shape them on a board and spray them with starch, although the starch didn't take on the velour, but the fabric draped quite easily.
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| The curtained bedroom window |
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| A looksey from the outside |
I personally prefer windows with windowsills, but there isn't much room for them in this house, so the only room with windowsills is the kitchen.
My next step is hanging the doors. Here again I ran into problems, because the stain I used some 15 years ago has not been available any more since many years. When I complained at the hardware store about the difference in colours and texture I was given a can of varnish for free. I was told to experiment with the new stain I had bought by mixing it with the clear varnish. It works a treat, so I am very happy. No differences any more, which is good, because I still need to do the doors and the rest of the matching furniture...
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| Doors in the making |
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