A little bit of something else and a big hurrah!

Hip hip …

Starting with the cheery bit; the PayPal link to Dolls Houses Past & Present fund-raising page appears to be now fully restored – am keeping my fingers crossed.

Under the other heading, I’ve been experimenting with possibilities for the scene down the length of this very long gable end/next door.

Started building the remains of a high, boarded up and floating fireplace
Will add more when dry

Chose the tiles for another high up fireplace

Had a look at what greenery high up would look like

All a bit disparate but at least started

Definitely a ‘high up’ theme going there.  I’ve continued to make the ex-room spaces speak a little of what was there, although first thoughts were to only do a very little of that.  The gable end feels so big that it’s crying out for something less bland than large and unadorned areas of brick work or more rough cast.

Then

I’ve bought fibreglass cladding tiles but feel the roof may need something a bit more solid. Had a go at trying out colouring for these strips of grey card roof tile and when they are dry I’ll compare the two materials

And finally

While everything was sitting around drying I turned to something completely different and nothing to do with the 1930s house or the 1950s.

Art of Mini 1:24 wooden bench kit, now also sitting and drying

I bought it to go in this box for a room scene – just painted up the hinges and hoping they will stay painted and bendable when dry

The original intention on buying this box was to do an Elizabethan/Jacobean room to go with the amazing exterior

but I now find myself preparing a 20th century sitting room.  I really don’t know what happened there but it was the bench/chair’s fault.  It ‘told’ me that it could become more of an easy chair if I just added some padding which I’ll try out when the piece is dry – must be the influence of the 30s house sitting there. It will be a bit of an unusual easy chair as it has two large box drawers under the seat, and what a fiddle they were to put together may I say.

I’ll let you know how that all goes and if we stay in the 20th century or revert, more suitably to earlier times.

Bricks, bricks and yet more bricks

I’ve run out of bricks.  Such a very little left to do in brick and I’ve run out.  I’m using textured cladding sheets that are impressed in/on a fine fibreglass matting.  I find I need to wear mask and gloves while working with the sheets as there’s dust when cutting (and it ruins every blade you use) and fine bits do tend to stick in the skin.  More bricks on the way but will work on something else till supplies arrive.

The leaning bit

In this imaginary world of 1959, the remaining piece of frontage (which surely they should have taken down(?)) is causing problems with the imaginary render near the join:

I’ve stuck a knife in it here and there to create hairline cracks running away from the join and added a little discolouration to indicate damp penetrating. In the bedroom behind in the main house any damp would be hidden behind the curtain so I don’t have to go in their and fiddle around with paint, thank goodness.

Down the long side and the join

Thought about this a lot, considering what bits to make rendered and what brick.  Made a decision but was left with another one.  The movable part of the house overlaps the main block of the building at the join to make it look neater.  It does leave an area stepped quite a way back from the larger front/left when viewing down the side.  Does the recessed bit need bringing forward to match or can it be left stepped back?  Compromised and have built out the chimney there to the same depth as the front/left stack.

Built it out with wood bits and foamboard in the hope of achieving something sturdy. Here it looks like a small block of residences – was so tempted to hide something in there but resisted 🙂
Now looks like a bit of industrial ventilation but so it goes.

Those bricks

Getting there – bits on the right and fireplaces in that monstrous chimney to go, along with edge trimmings here and there.

The first pic is with the side closed and here we have it opened up a little. We can just see the edges of dining room, kid’s bedroom and water tank attic space peeping out in the dark.

Hope that the yet to be added plaster sticking to certain areas and general dirtying up will bring interest and perhaps disguise some of that wrinkled looking brickwork.  Strange what the photos show up as it feels and looks to the naked eye to be perfectly flat.  Harrumph.

As there’s a need for supplies in our real life-sized house I must away to the shops!

Hiding a reveal

Concealed finish 1

Because of my dodgy building technique I’m cheating on the join between the slice of house and the remainder by having a sizable overlap on the moving part.
Just filled it in yesterday and added fibreglass brickwork sheeting to finish. It’s not really that pink in colour, morning light, giving it a bit of a flush.
Piece of white paper on the bedroom wall there next to the water colour painting is a drawing by one of the children who sleep there 😉

A ‘concealed finish 2’ does or will exist, it being the area this lip of walling overlaps.  Half way through prepping that at the moment.

Work on next door

Lots of painting and general splodging of thickened colouring gone on for the base of the earthen areas around and about along with a little decor for the inner face of the ruined frontage and beginnings of work on the fireplaces.

What I’m reliably informed is called a raking shore in place here to support the remaining piece of facade, though why they haven’t taken it down for safety after all this time I really don’t know.

There’s even a small piece of glass still in one corner of the bay after what must be at least 14 years. Unless, of course it could have been a more recently discovered UXB which went undiscovered till more recently(?)

Side view and a look at the beginnings of a little of the garden wall.

Current overview

Have mixed in ‘real’ bricks from Richard Stacey, which I’ve had lying around since I began mini-ing and never used.  I’d decided to add some broken ones to the general ‘bomb’ site but have now shoved the odd piece here and there having poked some into the fibreglass covered broken brick wall edge near ground level.  Touched them up with a bit of colour and dirt but not sure whether they’re really blended in. Will add a better photo next time.

Getting there, though where that is, is anybody’s guess. Lots of work to go on the long side there, a couple of chimney stacks and the front street scene to dress. Onward!

— ~ —

 

The Dolls Houses Past & Present appeal is still running and we would all appreciate any support you feel you can give to preserve its databases and archive.  The appeal page can be found at: https://fundrazr.com/c1NSU4?ref=ab_5N7D8IN Many thanks

 

 

A smidgen more

Started on the rendering higher up and squeezed just a little more out for the still decorated area.

Not got round to the rest of the fireplace remains

but did put in the smashed ceiling floor beams

and to give me an over view and a bit of a push to move the area on, I added in the facade piece which will need decorating and a prop putting up against its inner face