Big storms yesterday, unbearable humidity, lots of rain. From the level of water in my galvanized bucket, I’d say we got 4 inches over two days. Today? No humidity, a gentle breeze, the sound of the wind chimes. Heaven.
I finished the three exterior walls of the house late yesterday afternoon. Dove Cottage made a little trip outside this morning for a photo shoot.
I am also going to cover the base of the porch in these stones, as well as the base in the rear of the house, so there’s more work to do. But the big job – the cottage – is finished.
After that I’m going to spray the stones with a matte sealer so the color doesn’t run. I’m also going to do a few test stones. I’m experimenting with grout (grout made from spackle with a tiny bit of color added) and I want to see if spraying them with a sealer will keep them safe from the spackle. I know it will be painstaking work, but if I could pull it off, I’d be very pleased. If it turns out otherwise, I leave them as is, but the perfectionist in me will not be happy.
So, a bit more work to do on the exterior then I’ll move on to the interior.
I’m very pleased with the look of the stones. I have to admit, when I first started I wasn’t at all sure this was the way to go. I had serious doubts. But now, I’m really in love with the look.
Just to review, I collected cardboard egg cartons for months. When it was time to start making stones, I cut the textured section of the egg carton, usually the top, into strips. I painted each strip with a base coat of Deco Art Americana acrylic paint in Buttermilk – two coats. Then I used another paint I had on hand in a shade of rusty brown and added touches of it here and there, sometimes rubbing some of it off if it was too much. Then I cut each stone individually, trimming it as necessary. Then I glued each one into place. It was painstaking work, but now – after most of it is done – well worth it.
I’m excited about decorating it. I’ll try to share some of my ideas about the interior this week. Just know that these two pieces will be a big part of the kitchen end of the open concept first floor –
And in the living room, this:
Wallpaper, floors, bedroom, bathroom and much of the downstairs are to be determined. That’s the fun of it.
Stay safe.
Happy Sunday.
wow! the exterior of dove cottage is beautiful … a work of art! and lots of time, effort, attention to detail and maybe a tired back and eyes. great work, claudia!
glad you had lots of rain, followed by a pretty day. we had rain yesterday evening along with small hail. i was hopeful that meant it would stick around and turn into a thunderstorm, but no … it stopped in less than ten minutes. and there’s no more rain in the forecast for the next week.
hope you and don have a nice easy day ahead.
taking it easy here today. will have a socially-distanced lunch with some of my family. because of the rise in covid-19 cases and me being around irresponsible people (at work and in the grocery stores), i stay in my car … parked where i can see them at the front porch and they put a cellphone on speaker … to be extra-safe. bittersweet, but i am still grateful.
have some ironing to do this morning so i can hopefully paint and write this afternoon.
stay safe and cool!
kathy in iowa
Glad you got to see your family, Kathy. That must help ground you for the week ahead. It got a little muggy later in the day, but nothing like it was. (Still had to have the a/c on!)
Stay safe!
thanks, claudia.
you are right; seeing/talking with my family … and God … grounds me. they are true and obvious blessings, rewards after a tough day (and all days are tough right now … for everyone around the world) and they are my very favorites forever. i miss them, am grateful for them.
grateful for air-conditioning, too. makes it easier to get chores done and more likely that i will do them. and easier to fall asleep. plus i am less crabby. :) glad you also have a-c.
hope you’re having a nice night.
kathy in iowa
I am much less crabby with a/c! XO
Wow the cottage looks fantastic! You’ve put so much hard work into it. I can’t wait to see it when it’s finished and completely furnished.
It’s very hot and sunny here in NC but what else is new in the summer in the south? I’m staying inside today in the air conditioning.
I just went out to water the plants. It still got hot out there!
Thanks so much, Carol. Stay safe!
I have to live my doll house fantasies vicariously through you. I cannot even imagine the amount of patience that it takes for that small, intricate work. I would love to be able to do the work that you do, but I’m afraid that I would get so frustrated that I would make everyone around me miserable. So I’ll just have to sit back and enjoy your work. It amazes me.
Thank you for your kind words, Christine! Stay safe!
Claudia, the cottage outside walls are stunning. Hard to believe they started as egg cartons! Excellent work! Looking forward to reading about your adventures with the interiors! I love the stove and sofa.
As my city is preparing for outdoor dining, the County announced a restriction on outdoor dining Friday. Many eateries are upset, as they’ve spent untold thousands in preparing outdoor spaces, developing plans for and purchasing supplies to keep people safe, purchasing food. Many, I’ve read, plan to ignore the restriction.
I’m remaining sheltered for the near future. With the rise in cases that is accompanying opening up, I’m not a gambler. I’m perfectly happy at home with my projects. I’m especially pleased with the dispatch, albeit slow, of many unfinished projects!
Yes, I’ve certainly accomplished more with this dollhouse than I would have their been no stay-at-home order! I’m staying home, too. I am fine here and I’ve got the porch and the gardens.
Thanks for your kind words, Wendy! Stay safe!
The house is coming along beautifully. Is the sofa fabric “Strawberry Thieves”?
I love doll houses and would love to do one, but I must continue with the one I have under way which is to piece and hand quilt a quilt for each of my children and grandchildren. Only eight more to go! Halfway there.
Yes, although I think it’s Strawberry Thief, singular. I may be wrong about that. Isn’t it lovely?
Bless you for making quilts for your grandchildren. My grandmother did that, as well. We all grew up with a quilt from Grandma on our beds.
Stay safe!
Spectacular! I am so enchanted and really appreciate your telling us how they came to be.
The pieces of furniture are exquisite — I’d love that stove for my very own big-girl stove. It will be marvelous!
They are real beauties and they heat the room as well. Perfect for an English cottage!
Thanks for your kind words, Jeanie. Stay safe!
The house is stunning. It really does look like stonework. And, as a long time subscriber to The English Home magazine, I love that you have such a cute Aga.
We have cool and no humidity also. I just had to come inside and get a sweater. So good to be able to be outside for long periods again.
Take care.
Kay
I have an Aga in my other dollhouse as well, it’s a cream color.
We did get a little humidity later in the day but all in all, much better weather out there!
Stay safe, Kay.
Claudia, you have done a wonderful job with the exterior of the house. You are so creative! I am so looking forward to seeing how the grout comes out. Your ideas for the interior are lovely. The color of the Aga is beautiful. The hutch and settee have so much detail.
About 10 years ago I was in San Diego shopping in a wonderful variety of thrift stores I happened upon in Poway. One of the things I found was the same dollhouse that you have. Mine looks like it was made for a child. It is painted aqua with white trim and roof. I took out the staircase to create more room in the bottom floor. It has a white interior but I removed the carpet and linoleum scraps that were the flooring. Of course I have big ideas on how I would like to change it, but all I have ever done is decorate the dollhouse for Christmas! I keep saying I am going to get a dremel and get to work on it. I would like to paint it white and redo the shingles in a stained wood finish. I have a mish mash of furnishings. The only things I have purchased intentionally for this house are a farmhouse sink, stove, a fireplace, dining table and a few accessories. I would love to paint the table and fireplace and make a chair and settee from floral fabric. I envision a 40’s style/English cottage. One day.
Thank you for sharing your progress!!
xo, Christy
The original design for this dollhouse is very much geared toward a child. Trim that is out-of-scale, and lots of gingerbread.
I removed my staircase as well. It took up way too much room. You were smart to do that, Christy. My vision for Dove Cottage is an English cottage as well. Hopefully, in the best possible way – I love a traditional English cottage, with lots of pattern and comfy furniture.
Stay safe!
The dollhouse looks fantastic! I can’t wait to see it when it’s all finished!!
Thank you so much, Jenny! Stay safe!
Another masterpiece, Dove Cottage. And that sofa; my gosh, it is just exquisite (the fabric, the style, the ‘pillows’; what a fab piece with such detailed, fine workmanship [speaking of the crafting of a thing, it was very interested to have you give us a recap of how you did the stones; wow, did it turn out to be a perfect exterior for the little house!]).
I’m glad you’re having a good day out there today; loved to hear how you describe it with no humidity and a nice breeze. I love it when rain comes in and washes away all the muck for a little while. We’re hot as blazes out here in the West.
Tell me again how you got this cottage; I’ve drawn a blank; you found it in an antique store? It’s not the one you found at the recycler waiting to be smashed up, right? (It’s blue.)
Well, I was too curious so I did a search with your search-line and this IS indeed the cottage you found at the dump. The before & after was fun to see just now. It was cute before but now it’s got a look of authenticity, less ‘toy’-like and I enjoyed seeing the former photos of the interior, view from the rear; gonna be SO much fun to see how you decorate it room by room!
(Now I have to go read about what an ‘aga’ is; I’m clueless about these stoves although I shouldn’t admit my ignorance!)
Okay, I read about them but I’m still confused as to how they work. Wow, glancing while googling, the new ones today cost like $10,000! But they seem to last ‘forever’.
Copied this off of someone’s facebook page:
“In difficult times, you move forward in small steps.
Do what you have to do, but little by little.
Don’t think about the future, or what may happen tomorrow.
Wash the dishes.
Remove the dust.
Write a letter.
Make a soup.
You see?
You are advancing step by step.
Take a step and stop.
Rest a little.
Praise yourself.
Take another step.
Then another.
You won’t notice, but your steps will grow more and more.
And the time will come when you can think about the future without crying.”
– Elena Mikhalkova
Beautiful.
I had my own meltdown today so this was good to read, Vicki. Thank you.
The meltdown club; one in which we’d rather not be a member (but the membership is growing).
It is indeed!
Most Agas have been in houses for decades! I’m sure they were much less inexpensive then. xo
In my brief research, I read of one which had been in the same family for over 70 years. Just remarkable.
xo
It as too cute, too child-oriented. I like a bit of sophistication in my dollhouses. xo
Well, you’ve got lots of sophistication now with the genius egg-carton siding.
xo
The sofa makes my heart sing.
The humidity crept back in late in the day, but as I said to someone else, much, much better out there.
I found this cottage at the dump. I left it there. Then I went back for it. Hey, it was free – what did I have to lose?
The thing about the sofa is that I look at it and, I mean, flawless. The craftsmanship on it is just…flawless. What a find. How can you just not be mesmerized with miniatures of this kind of quality!
And, you know what ‘they’ say, these serendipitous things in life aren’t accidents. This house was meant to have a new life with you.
I have no idea how someone does that. It’s perfect. I fell completely in love with it and obsessed about it for months before I finally ordered it.
xo
All I can think of is that old movie “Honey, I shrunk the kids”. Wouldn’t mind being one of those kids if my home was in one of your lovely cottages.
Aw, thank you, Anne! Stay safe!
Claudia, the brickwork looks amazing! You have so much patience. I love the contrast between the bricks and the dark shingles, looking forward to seeing it finished.
Thank you so much, Janette! Stay safe!
Hi there! Your Dove Cottage is coming along beautifully! And I love it’s story! A friend gave me one for my granddaughter 20 years ago. We put a lot of love into it and gave it to her and her mom didn’t have any appreciation at all for it and it ended up at Goodwill. I hope the next recipient loved it as it deserves to be loved. I have a few regrets about entrusting her with it but it was a gift and I need to forgive and forget. The mom just completed a 2 year prison sentence and I pray she has decided to move her life in a direction that would benefit both herself and her children. I digress…
Take care…
Oh my. I’m sorry that all your loving work was not appreciated. That’s always hard to swallow.
Stay safe, Kelly!
Oh, the work you have done, Claudia!! It is just beautiful. I knew egg cartons were somehow involved, so I am glad you went over that again. You have more patience than have I!! This morning we awoke to a lovely day with temps only to hit 79* and no humidity!! After what seems like at least 2 weeks of it, this was a wonderful gift. Spent quite a bit of the day outside working in the gardens. By mid-week it is supposed to be pushing the 90’s again, but we will take and enjoy these diamonds of July days for sure. Lovely to have windows open and fresh air in the house.
Hope the rest of your Sunday went well and you are enjoying your evening.
We’re still in the 80s and it’s a bit humid. But much better than it was, for sure! Today I’m going to mow a bit. I need some exercise.
Stay safe, Chris!
You’re doing a grand job! I made a ‘stone’ floor from egg cartons not long ago, so I do appreciate all your hard work. I am very interested to hear about your plans for the interior – you have some lovely anchor pieces as a starting point.
Thanks so much, Barbara! Stay safe. (Are you in Instagram? I think you mentioned that. I’d love to follow you.)
I have an Instagram account, but only about four posts! I haven’t yet posted any photos of my dollhouse (The Pink House). I’m at barbaraw_atthepinkhouse and you are so welcome to come and have a look.
Oh wonderful!! Thank you, Barbara!
Wow, the exterior is looking great. It sounds such painstaking work, you have more patience than me, your attention to detail is admirable.
So glad it’s feeling cooler and more comfortable.
Thank you, Fiona! Stay safe.
Wow!! Beautiful exterior and what a lot of work! I would never have the skill or patience, but you can see the love in every individual stone. The stone and roof are a great combo. What a find that perfect color Aga stove is! And the hutch is gorgeous. The couch gives so many options for decor. Somehow I was thinking beach cottage-y or a little more rustic like the little one whose name I don’t remember. This is going to be quite elegant. Thank you for sharing your progress and inspirational photos.
Elegant but timeworn, Nora. I don’t want it to look brand spanking new, either!
Stay safe.
your work is beautiful and amazing.
someday when we’re all long gone and they find it … and they will.
because there are always people like you who are lead to treasures.
they will marvel in it as a tiny glorious masterpiece!
thank you for sharing its every step with us! XO
Such kind words, Tammy! I hope so! Stay safe.
Love Dove Cottage. All your faithful readers know how much love you put into all your dollhouses. I know I can’t wait until the next day to see what you have added to Dove Cottage. Don is a blessed man to have you in his life……
Thank you, Deb. I am blessed by him, too!
Stay safe!
Wonderful detail! Will you be adding window boxes to your doll house?
I have no idea. Too early to know.
Stay safe, Lisa!
You too…stay safe and well.
xo
This is incredible! Creative and beautiful. And those pieces for the interior, again, so perfect! I want to get you an article of furniture, where do you find these? Or Venmo so you can pick it out yourself? It would be a gift to me, if you would allow me.
That’s so sweet of you, Gayle. I have no idea what I’m going to need. I’m touched by your offer, but for now, just continue to cheer me on from the sidelines! Thank you. Stay safe!
I’m catching up on my blog reading to say: that sofa is divine. And also? I have a friend who works backstage and this PUA extension needs to go through for unemployment for everyone who works in the theater biz. Have you thought about teaching? I’m thinking the kids who are theater nerds or your local school district which is hopefully remotely learning could have a Shakespeare day with you and Don…
I taught for years and years. I’m taught-out!
Thanks, Leanne. Stay safe!