More Work

I learned something yesterday while priming the garage. I brushed the primer on the interior walls but I spray primed the windows and exterior walls. Bad idea.

What I ended up with, using the spray primer, was FUZZ! The spray lifted the fibers in the MDF and made a real mess. I'm going to have to do a lot of careful sanding to correct this problem before I can paint the exterior.

I did go to the paint store yesterday. I got two custom color samples for the downstairs walls. I also picked up this handy little paint roller and tray. Cute, cute and very helpful!

I started out with light gray walls. The textured ceiling will be the same color.


I let that dry overnight. This morning I used painter's tape to make a line for navy blue at the bottom. This is going to be a Navy man's garage, you know. :D

I've never tried painting stripes before. I hope the tape comes off nicely?

I still like the speckled floor I made, but I don't like the cardboard I used. I'm planning to re-do that today.

I also started laying out wood for the attic floor. I really just wanted to see if I had enough skinny sticks. I do. I sure wish my Easy Cutter wasn't all in pieces! I still can't seem to get the new blade installed. So frustrating!

I am considering putting LED lights in the garage. I've been chatting with Evans Designs about what kind of lights and how many I'll need. They are SO helpful! They will even custom make the wires to the length you need.

I may try to make my own light fixtures? I'm sure that will add another month to this project!

Thanks for following along on my first build! I really appreciate your comments and suggestions!

Real Houseworks

I set up a table outside this morning with my real saw horses. I actually removed a door from its hinges to make the table. Don't tell my landlady!

I'm priming some of the pieces of the garage. These are just the walls and windows.



I'm using a spray primer for the windows. The walls are painted with a brush.


While these pieces are drying, I thought I would run in and do a quick post. I need to go back out and sand everything again.

I found a can of red paint for the exterior in my storage room. :D I had used it to paint the front door of the house I used to live in. Now I don't even have to go to the store today!

Better get back to work. Hope you have a good day!

A Whole Lotta Thinking Going On

I've been up all night thinking. Well, most of the night anyway. Thinking about the garage. Trying to decide what color to paint the outside?

My first inclination was to paint it to match the beach house. Then I realized I don't have a table large enough to display them together. So it won't really matter what color the garage is.

Last night I did my usual web search for ideas. I found this adorable birdhouse at The Songbird. It reminds me of my garage. :D

Photo from The Songbird

When I saw this house on Picasa, I knew I had found my colors!

Even the rusty shed out in my backyard seems to agree with me this morning?


Now I just need to go get some paint. But first, I have to drag myself to work and try to stay awake all day!

Hats and Overalls

I finished Grandpa's overalls. Sorry for the dark photos. It was really early when I took these photos this morning!


I decided that Grandpa should have a hat to wear. I pulled some white fabric over a marble that was the size of Grandpa's head. Then I sprayed it with hairspray and let it dry. I made the brim out of white seam binding glued over a strip of cardstock.

Grandpa even tried it on for size. He is such a good sport!

Now Grandpa has a Navy hat to wear. :D

I need to make him a new shirt. This is the one he was wearing when I got him. I'll use it as a pattern for the new one.

Grandma will soon have a new hat too! Kat the Hat lady is making a very special hat for her! I am so excited to get one of Kat's gorgeous hats! Can't wait to show it to you!

Hope you have a happy St. Patrick's Day! I'll be wearing the green, will you?

Grandma's Sewing Room

I finally decided what to do with the attic in the garage. The downstairs will be Grandpa's space and the attic will be Grandma's new sewing room. :D

This wallpaper is the inspiration for this space. I found it at Itsy Bitsy Minis. I love the red hats and shoes! I ordered the tiny print as my background paper and may use a red bamboo placemat as wainscoting?

Itsy Bitsy Minis

I already have a sewing machine and sewing cabinet. I love red and so does Grandma. Here is another inspiration photo found at the Trendy Tree House blog.

Won't this look cute in miniature?! I love the table and shelves. I can't wait to get started!

Hope you have a beautiful day filled with inspiration!

Cutting Holes

I've started hacking away at the garage to make the window openings. MDF is really hard to cut! I used my jig saw but had trouble doing the corners. The dormer does fit and with some interior trim I think it will look okay?

The first window looks alright. The second one is a real mess. That's all I could do with my jig saw and hand saw.

I need to go get a diamond cutting wheel for my dremel to finish this. Karin Corbin used one in her tutorial for cutting window openings. She makes this look easy, but it's NOT!

I guess priming everything will be the next step? I'm also looking for some wallpaper for the attic. I want to finish the interior walls before I do the outside.

I may try to make concrete block walls for inside of the garage? I sprayed some cardstock with textured paint but it's not the right color. Once I get that figured out, I'll cut the blocks and start gluing them on like tiles.

Photo found on Flicker

I love daylight savings time. More light in the evenings for minis!

Garage Plans in Progress

Here is the garage with the new dormer I built this morning. Thank you Sabitha for the tutorial! I found the cute little cupola online. I think it needs a weather vane.

Here is another view showing one of the windows I'll be adding to the attic. I'll need to be sure that the windows and dormer are level with each other.


This is the other side. I plan to add mullions to the little windows to match the others.

I like how it looks taped together. Now the REAL work begins. I'm really nervous about cutting the holes for the new windows.

I may take a break and go pull weeds for a while. It's such a beautiful day and I want to plant some flowers too. Maybe I'll dig up some confidence while I'm out there?

The End of the Day

It is evening of the day. As I look back upon the hours just passed, I'm wondering where the day went?

I had big plans for today. Not much was accomplished. A few things were started. Many more just moved around or set aside. I tried to nap, but couldn't sleep. I started to sew but didn't finish. I began sweeping but still have little piles of dust and debris sitting here and there.

I thought about working on the garage and even cleared off the dining room table. I was going to take measurements for windows that need to be cut. I didn't take those measurements. I didn't cut the holes.

I think about the people of Japan and I am so very sad. I wonder about the chaos in this world and I pray. I am reminded of the brevity of life and how precious each and every moment is.

I see some lights now at the bottom of the hill behind me. If I look farther toward the horizon I can see cars moving along the interstate highway in the distance. I wonder where those people are going? Who lives in the houses down the hill?

Today was a quiet day of reflection and contemplation for me. I hope you had a good day too.

Patience

It's a good thing that Grandpa is a very patient person. Today he is enduring yet another fitting. We have a lot of priming and painting to do this weekend so I'm trying to make him some painter's overalls.


I'm sure that he is happy that I'm going to work now. I don't know how much more of this his little arms and legs can take?



Hope you have a good day!

Old Navy

Grandpa really wants something to wear. He almost lost his head (literally) trying to squeeze into his old Navy t-shirt.

I do like how the front turned out. I cut the letters out of an iron-on patch and then just ironed them on. As for the rest of it? It's back to the sewing machine. At least the pants fit!

It's not easy making these little clothes! Hopefully, Grandpa will have at least one new outfit soon?

Hope you have a lovely day!

Panda Food

Okay now. The pandas will be fed.

Now I'll stop making baby things and get my gifts in the mail to Kathleen. :D I really had a good time helping with this project. I pray that baby Brianna will be okay. Also that her Grandma will be able to hold her, give her our kisses and tell her all about the roombox soon.

I will be back to work on the garage next. That is, if it ever stops raining and gets warm enough to work in my daughter's REAL garage.

Did you vote today?

Today is the last day, I think. Perhaps congratulations will be in order? Tessie should be VERY happy!

Sweet Dreams!

Bamboozled

I'm going to be late to work.

Again.

Bamboozled: Definition. I think I tricked myself into thinking there was MUCH more time for minis!

A Second Look

Did you ever make something, take a good close look at it, and then start over? Well, that's what I did with some things I made for Kat's room box.

I went over to visit Kat. I saw what she was stitching for her nursery room box and realized the diaper stacker I was making was all wrong.

Thankfully, I had an old pillow case that turned out to be the perfect shade of green. I didn't like the black knobs on the bench so I changed them. The panda looked too mean so I made him happy.


NOW I'm finished. If you don't count the half dozen more diapers I need to make. Oh, and the little sticks of bamboo for the pandas to eat. Can't have hungry pandas!

It's really cold again here this morning! Will spring EVER come?

More Baby Things

I'm trying to make a diaper stacker this morning. I made the frame out of one piece of wire. Now I'm trying to figure out how to make the cover. I think this one might work?


If you look closely at the photo below, you can see one of the teeny diaper pins I made. I made the diapers out of white seam binding. I cut it 1 1/2" long and then just folded it into thirds. Makes nice little 1/2" diapers.

Hopefully, I'll have this project finished today? Not sure why I keep thinking of more baby things to make? :D

Oh, BTW. Look what I saw on Ebay last night for $12.98.


My idea, copied. I really don't care, but $12.98? Gimme a break.

Hope you have a good day,

Baby Gifts

Here are the things I've made for Kat's nursery roombox. I'll be sending them to Kathleen soon, along with my prayers for sweet baby Brianna and her family.

This is a little hooded bath towel. It's just folded, not glued, so Kat can hang it somewhere if she'd like. The pair of Japanese sandals are just like an American Girl Doll would wear. That's where I got the idea. They don't make dollhouse doll clothes but I wish they did!

The diaper cake is waiting for a little panda bear on top. Yes the diapers are cloth, and yes they were made one at a time!

The cake needs a panda bear on top. I'm not good with clay so I'm leaving that up to Kat or Katie? :D

The lucky bamboo plant is made with wire and hand cut leaves. It is planted in a real bamboo planter.

If you haven't read Kat's post about the roombox she is making, please go see. There are lots of people participating in this project. I can't wait to see the finished nursery!

NOW you know why I haven't been posting this week.

One Wall Two Ideas

I've been playing around with some ideas for the back wall of the garage. The sink cabinet and fridge are two more pieces of furniture that came with my Craig's List dollhouse.

The washer and dryer were purchased. The shelf above them is part of a Michael's hutch. I want to build more cabinets for storage and display. Then I'll need to make some laundry products, mops and brooms etc....

This is just an idea. I'm not sure it will work because there are supposed to be stairs or a ladder on this wall going up to the attic. I may flip the ceiling so I can put the stairs toward the front of the garage?

Or maybe I could put the workshop on the back wall and move the laundry area to the side?

I've never built a kit before but it sure is fun!

Hope you have a great day! Don't forget to vote for your favorite blog today!