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Saturday, March 9, 2019

Sunday brick wall

Hi all. It has been a pretty busy and tiresome couple of months for me. The weather has been up and down. We have had lots of fires around our half of the state and my husband has been away a lot. I get tired of hearing my own thoughts after a bit. Also my mum's farms were under threat from one fire, so plenty of worry there for a few weeks. Fortunately she and the other landowners around her dodged bullets and very little damage was done.

Also, my ability to comment is still sporadic, so if I don't comment, don't be offended! I have been trying to go back to your posts when I can comment, but sometimes I might miss one.

I have done about 90% of the roof and most of the lights for the Coxwolds. I have made a start on the last two lights, both for the bedroom. When they are installed, I can finish off the roof. Speaking of which, I found some sheets of milled MDF roof tile in my stash, so with a few undercoats and sanding and a top coat of grey chalk paint, I am pretty happy. When I finish the lights and enclose the roof, I will go over the whole roof with another coat of the grey. Here is the exterior as it is:


This is the cafe:

I am not sure what to do with this. Not sure I like the pale blue rustic-ish walls. I want rustic walls, but these are just not quite right. Perhaps I will just cover them with shelves and pictures so they can't be seen! I like the lights. I like the fireplace and the chairs, as they bring out the darker colours in the wallpaper. Not sure I love the colour of the built-in cabinet but it will have to stay. Not sure what colour to do the counters. I think darker, but a darker timber? I won't be able to match the chairs. Or a dark grey? I can use the same paint as I used on the roof. I can't find the fourth chair FYI, nor the two tables. I seem to have spent 3/4 of the last 3 weeks looking for stuff I've misplaced. 

The living room:



The wicker table is painted with the grey that's on the roof. It's OK. Maybe needs a little highlighting? Not sure what colour to use on the sofa. And the coffee table colour??? The rug will get a dye bath to tone it down. I can't seem to move forward on anything today....

Here is the light I gussied up a bit:


I used a silk cotton to cover the plain white shades, some matching bunka on the top and bottom edges and bunka roses. The light is painted with the Swellegant metal paints.

Here is the bedroom:


You can see the ceiling light on the floor in the photos. I used a normal light with frosted glass tulip shades and added air dry clay petals to make rose shades:




This is the clay I used. It dries transparent:


The wardrobe is the wrong colour, as are the pillows. I made the bed cover from an old hankie. It had a gorgeous embroidered scalloped edge but it was very frayed and I couldn't salvage it. I stitched on a lace instead to cover the edge then stitched the needle lace edging from an old doily around the whole thing. I bought the hottie at a miniature show a few years ago. So cute!



Janine from Minworks asked what I ended up doing to the bath. I just sanded it back, painted it white (a few coats) and used a gloss varnish over the top. The surface is a little rough, but you can't really tell. It will need some sort of screen or curtain now.


The kitchen:




I like the kitchen. It's small, but I think I can make it work OK. I will get a fridge at some point for the right wall and maybe a table and chair. I have since painted the light chain to match the rest of the fitting!

And that is about all I have to show you with the Coxwolds for now. I am just a bit stumped for direction now. And I have some annoying things to finish off before I can do much else. Anyway, any little bits of advice or guidance or opinion would be gratefully received! Hope you all are having a lovely weekend! XX

32 comments:

  1. Your work on your Coxwold cottage is looking Splendid Shannon! I love the facade and the lovely side entry leading to the living quarters.
    I LOVE your remedy for the tub and the look of your bedroom and the little fireplace with the green fan atop, is really lovely!
    I agree that the wardrobe is the wrong colour but it appears to be the right size to balance your four poster bed.
    Your overhead lights are ALL WONDERFUL and I think it was a Brilliant idea to turn the ordinary shades into roses using the translucent clay- Bravo!!!

    elizabeth
    p.s. Glad to learn that all is well with your family members too!

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    1. Thanks for your kind words Elizabeth! I need to knuckle down and finish the bedroom light now so I can install it and then finish painting the xterior. I am putting it off as I can’t be bothered! This weekend I WILL do it! Then I will need to figure put what to do with the wardrobe. Have a great weekend! X

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  2. Great project - I like all of the details. Great job on the flooring too!

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    1. Thanks Troy! The floor probably needs a little touching up after the lighting fiasco from a few blog posts back, but that is easy to do. Have a great weekend!

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  3. Cowwolds is so charming Shannon. I love your rose cups for the chandeliers, much better than the usual tulip shapes that are so popular. The cooler weather will soon be upon you, and I hope you find your missing items quickly!

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    1. Well Carrie, my looking for stuff problem has continued this week but has been less I am pleased to say! I will work some more on the light this weekend and hopefully have it installed. I am not much into cooler weather to be honest, but it is nice that the really hot days that destroy the garden are over and the fires have generally calmed down now. Have a lovely weekend.

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  4. It looks wonderful so far. I think the bathroom is my favorite room so far.

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    1. Thanks Sheila. It has character so that is nice. I will need to finish the vanity but it needs a little tweaking. Enjoy your weekend.

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  5. Loneliness while our hubby's are away is no joke! Staying too busy is the only way for me to get through it but that's so difficult when I have no mini direction to go in. I am glad you've found yours in the lighting, roofing and room details for Coxwolds!

    I love the rooms as each one has your charming touch and will only get more beautiful as you complete them! For the cafe, the blue sort of fades away for me and doesn't really "go" with the room. I wonder how bringing over some of the pink from the wallpaper would coalesce and warm up the space? I love the black chairs, and would be tempted to do all the chairs and counters in black to ground the space, leaving the display space, tabletops and walls as the focal point. Maybe painting up some card to get an idea would be helpful?

    I've already rambled on too long so I'll end with... I'm so glad you and your family were not in worse shape from the fires and I hope autumn brings you relief from the heat, a clear direction for Coxwolds and a hubby who has to be gone less often!

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    1. Hi Jodi. Yes, keeping busy helps with husbands being away. I have visited my mum a lot - she has a farm so have spent quite a few nights there and helped her out a bit too. I am not committing to changing the wall colour in the cafe just uet, but when you said pink, I went and looked at the room and thought, yes, it needs to be warmer. It would look good with the fireplace brick and the wood. I will use some card as you have suggested. I have also since painted the counters darker to get closer to the chairs, but they need one more coat. They do look better already I think. They will need solid tops, rather than the plastic they come with I think. But I will decide that later. Thanks for your lovely comments Jodi and helpful suggestions. They will give me some direction this weekend. And hubby still away! Hopefully this is the last tour for him. X

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    2. Shannon, I love the architecture of your house. I think the tea room will be a standout when it is finished and I can't wait.

      I was thinking about your concerns about the built-in unit and wondered if you could take Jodi's pink suggestion and solve 2 problems at once. If you painted the back of the built-in pink, it would tie in the flowers and warm up the room without having to cover the wallpaper entirely.

      You might also be able to carry the pink into the casing by add shelf paper or linens onto the shelves under the food displays.

      I also wanted to commend you on your lighting solutions. I'm quite obsessed with lighting and love to see "regular" dollhouse lighting enhanced. Great job.

      Dee (designinminiature.blogspot.com)

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    3. Hi Dee. Thanks for the suggestion. I think I like it. I have been stewing over Jodi’s suggestion for pink walls and I have some watercolour paper I will paint and temporarily attach to the walls to see what I think. I will also try the pink in the built in cabinets as you suggest. Maybe adding some dark accessories to the shelves would help. I was intending putting a chalkboard menu in the centre, which will reduce the amount of cream there. Sometimes it’s the sum of the parts and it can be hard to tell what a finished scene will look like until the furniture and accessories are all in place. And glad to hear you like the lights! I have the bedroom light sitting on my coffee table, waiting to be finished. I have been a ibt slack on that... Anyway, hope your week is going well. X

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  6. The bathroom and the kitchen are my favorites. That's a small kitchen, but you are definitely going to be able to make it work. Love the stove and it's location. I personally like the color of the built-in unit in the shop; it matches the trim. I do tend to prefer lighter colors, but not light wood for this. The dark gray for the cabinets might work. That would be the same color that's on the wicker table, correct? (And I lose things all the time, too, so I have great empathy for how annoying all that search time can be.) Love the rose chandeliers (both of them) and the bunny slippers! The coverlet is very sweet. Old hankies make some of the loveliest bed linens, IMO. Yes, the wardrobe is a bit dark, but sometimes older homes have an eclectic mix of furniture colors and styles.

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    1. Hi Deb. Not sure how I missed replying to your comment. The kitchen is small as the original floorplan of this kit has the shop taking up almost all of the downstairs space. I considered adding a little bay off the back for a little more space but didn’t want any more depth. In hindsight, the eaves add a little more depth anyway, so I could’ve added just enough to bring the depth out to match the eaves. Never mind. Maybe oneday I’ll revisit that. I have also painted the shop counters a much darker wood colour and they are pretty close to the chairs now. And the bunny slippers are made by Janis at Tiny Finery on Etsy. She’s awesome! Xx

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  7. This is looking great Shannon!! I'm keen to see what else you will do. Stay safe. Carriexxx

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    1. Thanks Carrie! I am keen to see what I do with it too! Haha! I keep changing my mind with the sitting room. That’s OK. Something will click. Xx

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  8. Your'e making fantastic progress and I love the style of the house. You're going to find the perfect solution for the bits that are still niggling at you and then it will all come together.
    Glad you and your family are OK. Fires are so scary.

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    1. Thanks Megan. Yes fires are scary! Do you get many near you in South Africa? I will keep fiddling with placement and colours of the furniture and eventually it will fall into place. Having the other rooms done too might help with direction. Have a great weekend! Xx

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  9. I love what I have seen. No doubt the finished house will be beautiful and full of character. Love it!

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    1. Thank you Alexandra! I thought I had lots of accessories for this house, but when I went through things, I realised I am well short. But that is OK. I can work towards the accessories after I have the furniture sorted. Enjoy your weekend. X

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  10. Charming and lovely, I love the side door entrance and the bow-front windows.

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    1. Thank you Jenn. I love the side entrance too, and will fill the tiny garden beds with some plants. I don’t know that I love making plants, but I am really looking forward to seeing this landscaped. Have a great weekend! X

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  11. It's a lovely property and so nice to see your pics and hear the ideas that are milling around. It's annoying when you have something you're not sure about but can't decide where to take it next. You'll come up with something, I know you will!

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    1. Hi Irene. Thank you! Yes, it will come. As you know, sometimes you just have to sit back and let the ideas come of their own accord. As I work on other bits, I think it should fall into place. Hope you get some minis done this weekend too! Xx

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  12. Hi Shannon! I really enjoyed this tour of Coxwolds! It is such an elegant house! I know the feeling of not liking the way things are and thinking it needs something... but what remains elusive... it can be frustrating! I think your bedroom looks lovely and the new light is going to be special... thank you for showing the air-dry clay... I hear about it but have no idea what it really is or where to get it! I LOVE those bunny slippers by the way! And your Tea Room just looks a bit empty... I am sure once you have added the accessories you will see what it needs... I do think the counter could be the gray you were talking about. I am glad your family farms are okay... I hope you stay safe! Keep up the good work.... it looks lovely from here! :)

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    1. Thanks Betsy. This house has so much character, it’s hard to go wrong, it’s just finding the right way to add finishing touches. If you were interested, this clay is actually really great to work with. It stays workable for longer than other airdry clays and is easy to work. I bought it from Etsy. Anyway, I have darkened the stain on the counters and much happier with that. And I think when accessories are added, I will have a better idea of what needs to go where. The bunny slippers are made by Janis at Tiny Finery: https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/TinyFinery. She makes beautiful little things.

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  13. What a beautiful house you're making, that floors wow bathroom and bedroom so pretty!
    groetjes van Marijke

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    1. Thank you Marijke! The decorating is a little odd right now, but happy with the direction. Some accessories in the right style and colour will help pull it together.

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  14. I'm loving the walls in the bathroom with the green tub. Very pretty, all of it.

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    1. Thank you Brandy! My friend suggested the green as I had no idea. I think it works without being too much the same as the tiles but still adds a little colour.

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  15. The side view of the hosue is fantastic ! love all the detail and that bathroom wow !

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    1. Thankyou! I started landscaping last week and the little courtyard is looking very cute now, I will have to post some updates.

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