Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Stayed up way too late watching Nathan Chen win the Gold Medal for Men’s Figure Skating but it was worth it!

I did a lot of grouting and aging work on the English Cottage yesterday – also known as Dove Cottage, but I never seem to call it by that name. I had come to the conclusion that the stones looked too pristine, like a new house that is trying to echo the past, but looks like an imposter. So, I got the grout and some water and some rags, as well as various tools to apply said grout – including a toothpick and a popsicle stick functioning as a spatula. It’s messy work. I had to vacuum the area around the dollhouse, as well as the floor.

I’m pleased with the results. The front of the house and one of the side walls are finished. Just one more wall to go. It’s tedious, but it pays off. When this is done, I can deal with the porch and window boxes.

It always helps to see a before and after progression:

The exterior of the house on the day I rescued it from the town dump. This is the Arthur, a Greenleaf dollhouse, and it was meant to have a porch and railings – they were missing when I adopted it. I could have recreated it, but I didn’t want that look.

The interior:

The interior on the day I brought it home. I eventually removed the interior wall and stairs. As you can see, both of those elements limited what I could do with the house. Let’s not even talk about my efforts to remove that green carpet, if you can call it that, and the tile in the kitchen. Remember the hours I spent with a hair dryer softening the badly applied glue?

Taken after priming and making the decision to cover the exterior with ‘stones.’

That little process took forever.

I primed the inside as well.

The interior now (still needs more work done.)

Wallpaper added, as well as ceiling beams, wood floors in every room, new acrylic inserts for the windows, new trim (from the backup Arthur kit that Barbara graciously sent me.) New door (from the same backup kit.) The wood beam trim in the studio was added because I screwed up the wallpaper application. I made the desk. I made the painter’s box. I refinished an unfinished armoire, as well as the island in the kitchen.

And the exterior, after grouting and aging.

I’m very happy with the results. I’m going to age the roof a bit, too. Eventually. Who knows, I may do it right away as I seem to be on a roll.

(Maybe I’m avoiding the massive amount of work that needs to be done on the Beacon Hill.)

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.