Kate's Cat's Miniatures

Transformers are Attached

2012-01-18T15:07:00.000-08:00

It has taken forever to get to this place. I have attached three huge transformers to the dollhouse with heavy duty Velcro. And the icing on the cake is that ALL of the transformers are working.

I have been a little down prior to the attaching of the transformers--it has been so tedious. Now I am going to finish the rooms and the addition. I am taking pictures of everything for insurance purposes.

I was going to put a conservatory on the right side of the dh---then I wasn't---now maybe I will. I am NOT in the mood for building a conservatory, and it is listed on EBAY. If it sells--no conservatory. If it

does not sell, I guess it will be a conservatory.
Kate >^..^<

Almost Finished Putting the Front Together

2011-11-04T01:44:00.000-07:00

This shows the wall paper at the two dormers pulled to the front to help it glue along the opening edges.

This shows the wallpaper flaps cut off. Where the green tap is, is where the wallpaper came unstuck. I glued it to the dormers with Grrrip-love it.

The three pictures to left are pictures of the big walk-out dormer glued to the roof. After it dried I was not sure it was going to stay--though it did not budge. So I took 2" bias seam tape and glued it with wood glue (the thin Elmers wood glue) to the valleys of the dormer. There are pictures of this............I really made a super dumb mistake-I used the really good wood glue (which I only have a little of and they are not making it any more) and glued the bottom of the dormer front (blue) to the base of the walk-out. When I realized what I had done, I pryed the pieces apart and put release foil between the two piece. Now I just sand the pieces every chance I get to smooth the edges. Egads!!

See the foil!!

The next two pictures are the two dormers being glued with my favorite wood glue that is never-more.

This is the picture of the bias tape glued down. The dormer is going NO WHERE NOW!!

This is the right dormer-before bias tape. And the picture below is of both dormers with bias tape and ready for the valley shingles. The pencil lines are where the shingle tops are suppose to be glued.

To mark the valley shingles I put the shingle in the miter box diagonally and made a saw mark, then cut in the saw mark with an Exacto knife. You know how many to cut because you put shingle lines in pencil and can count the spaces.

Here the valley shingles are in place and match up with the shingle lines. I have a few rows of shingles on between the two dormers and it looks pretty good-forgot to take a picture. I don't think I will get the roof finished by Thanksgiving. I wanted to put the Thanksgiving dinner out I had made by Mo Tipton by Thanksgiving---now I guess it will be Christmas. I won't post again till Chateau Chanticleer is back on it's stand.
Happy Holidays to Everyone,
Kate >^..^<

The Front is All Together---Yea!!!

2011-09-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

This is the finishing of the bay. I put the base or floor on the bottom of the bay and mark where the exposed area is so I will know where to put the black paint.

I also marked the top or the ceiling of the bay.

This is the top and bottom on the bay-not painted or glued yet.

The base came in three pieces and this is them being glued together and clamped.

I only primed the areas that were not being glued.

Painting black only where I primed. I buy the best paint on the market and it still take eternity to dry.

This is the bay and it's top and bottom all glued in place-HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!!!

This is the roof screwed in place. My hubby put a dab of glue on the screw before he screwed it in. The white triangles are the back of the brick/plaster wallpaper I got from itsy bitsy-they have COOL wallpaper. I am going to bring the dollhouse (after the glue drys two days) into my library to trim up the wallpaper and put on the shingles. I am hoping my daughter, Michelle, can come over after the shingles are on and help hook up the transformers (2). Then the house goes in place permanently and the rooms get their lights and furniture. Yea-can't wait!
Thanks for reading my blog.
Kate >^..^<

The Doors Are On

2011-09-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

RGT gave excellent instruction on how to attach the two front doors to the hinges. I have discovered that to build a no tab dh kit, you reall need some experience in construction. First you put wide tape under the hinge.

More, under the hinge.

This is the completed "tape-under-the-hinge" step. Then I put the two doors on top of the dh and reached my hand inside to push the tape, with the hinge sanwiched between the tape and the door, on to the door on each side. Then we drilled holes and screwed in the screws. Thank goodness we only put on screw on the top left and two screws on the bottom left, cause the fronts parted at the bottom.

I marked the drill bid with the depth of the front door.

This shows the 1/8" separation at the bottom of the left front door. Hubby took the bottom two left screws out, put a piece of wood glued toothpick in the screw holes, waited 30 mins for the glue to set up -then redrilled and rescrewed the screw. Then, the top was too tight-I have figured how to fix that.

Ta Da-the front is on. It only took three of us. Now we have to put the roof on and the dormers and the shingles. Hubby and I are going to bring the dh into the library to work on the dormers and the shingles. There is no other empty spaces in our house. Oh, I forgot the bay that covers the big hole in the left front door-that project is next-sorry for the memory lapse-then it is off to the library. I can not wait to start putting the furniture in the dh and getting my family room clean.

Thanks for reading my blog. Kate

Last-Working on the Bay

2011-08-25T01:11:00.000-07:00

The color is lighter in person. The trim is wonderful.
Tomorrow or Friday I will touch up the bay and then Saturday glue it to the front. Thursday and Friday hubby and I are putting on the front doors and roof. I have to add doomers-not sure when. And I have to put on the roof shingles. Daughter, Michelle is coming to help Saturday.
BUSY BUSY

Working on the Bay

2011-07-23T05:40:00.000-07:00

There is a better picture of the bay further down. The bay originally had windows in the middle-TOO MANY WINDOWS. So I asked RGT to send me the cut outs and I glued them back in. I am glueing clapboard on the bay. WORD OF ADVICE: glue the clapboard over part of the window and saw the window space out (((((((((GENTLY))))))))))). I am always learning. I use Loctite wood glue. Great stuff.

These are the pieces of molding I used to cover over the space where the clapboard meets. It is hard to tell, but I used two chair rails and a quarter round on top. Looks great. OH LOOK, THERE IS THE GLUE. I glued the chair rails first and taped, when dry then lifted the tape and glued the quarter round, then retaped.

This shows the other joint covered in tape while the glue drys. It is hard to see the molding. If you look bottom left it shows up pretty good.

Note:
Itsy Bitsy Mini has moved to:
6024 Tarry Town Rd
Salisbury, MD 21801
Phone:347 524 9569
Fax: 775 206 0604

They will take orders till July 26th. After that they will reopen Sept. 1. LOVE THE WALLPAPER!!

Have a great weekend,
Kate >^..^<

Inside Roof Amost Finished

2011-05-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

I almost finished papering the inside of the dollhouse roof. I have one 4 in. wide strip to finish tomorrow. Then I cut and glue back the openings for the dormers. I can't believe things are moving along so quickly.
Here are todays photos. I have so much problem with the Blogger's photo program-maybe it is me????

My hubby is taking most of the photos-he is doing a very good job! The above pic is the inside of the roof. There is only a strip at the top to finish.

Kate >^..^<

Dollhouse Roof Interior

2011-05-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of pieces to the roof. There is the main roof (which I did not work on tonight), 3 pieces to each dormer (and there are two dormers). All the out side of the roof is shingled. The inside I decided to wall paper with Itsy Bitsy wallpaper-plaster and lathe. It is sooooo coooool. But I have to stop and think before I cut the excess edges, if indeed they need to be cut. The exposed edges on the under side that show are painted black, but one place the wallpaper needs to be pulled through the front opening and the shingles will cover the excess-I think that is the very front. Well here are all the pictures.

Thanks,

Kate >^..^<

Priming the Dollhouse Front

2011-05-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

There is not much to say about priming. I also put clapboard on the front of the dormer-I had no idea the dormer was so BIG. While I was priming the front, I also primes the next two rooms. I still have to get the sponge brush and prime the corners. I also had to sponge brush the clapboard on the dormers-the roller left too many bubble marks.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kate

I can not get these pictures to line up correctly.

Attic Stair Openning

2011-02-28T18:37:00.000-08:00

I decided to put an opening for a stair from the third floor to the attic. To make sure the stair opening was exactly over the floor opening below, I made a template of the third floor (the wall is not up on the third floor) and transposed it to the attic floor. I will attempt to put up the third floor wall by the stairs tomorrow and I will know if this is all correct. RGT were great about sending me another stair and railing-it did not cost too much. I am waiting for a roof piece from RGT in VT. to get the front finished-then I can put the house in a permanent place, hook up the transformers, install lights and molding-----then, ta da, put in the furniture.

To cut the hole I used this tool from Harbor Freight. It is a oscillating thing that has 5 blades-it was about $30. The noise was terrible-I had to get ear plugs. I have seen this tool other places for $100+++. It is good for dollhouse use.
Kate

Junk, Junk and More Junk

2011-02-17T20:59:00.000-08:00

These are photos of the dollhouse Chateau Chanticlier construction area. The top photo is a photo of the stuff on the side front, the middle photo is the front view of all the stuff and the bottom photo is the dollhouse itself. All this STUFF goes into the doll house-hard to believe. Hopefully after about two weeks, I will begin furnishing, decorating and putting up the lighting and all the STUFF will be GONE.

Kate

Taking Forever

2011-02-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

The bedroom wallpaper is finally finished. Now I have to put the reed ceiling up next. I am a little tired of all the details-but this to shall pass........................................The center stair hall ceiling needs to be reglued. I finally got glue to do the job, so that is next.

This is the baby room. The templates are in place, so I can put up the wallpaper. I have hit a snaffoo for the light fixtures. I love the chandelier, but the wall sconces suck. Gloria Lund did the chandelier and I am trying to talk her into doing sconces. I have to stop and think-my head hurts. The wall to the left popped a little loose and I have got to reglue it---It NEVER ENDS. This is the room with the great carpet I previously posted about.
Take care, Kate

Bedroom Wallpaper/Electrical and Babyroom rug

2011-01-22T22:49:00.000-08:00

I am back working on Chateau Canticlear. The three photos to the left are of the Oriental Bedroom. The tape wiring shows how I soldered wiring onto it. I am putting the wiring through the wallpaper, then through the fireplace-just in case, in the future I might want to put "fire" in the fire place. Soldering is fun. I think I have four different irons.

This photo showes where I put the soldered tape. (in the middle of the picture) Where the tape meets the tape I put tiny nails in matching colors. I made a mistake and put one hole too close to the other colored tape wire. I pulled the tape wire up and I took Scotch tape (the best) and put a little piece over that misplaced hole. Then I repunched the misplaced hole. The scotch tape did not cover the correct placed holes in the other colored tape so I only had to punch one hole.

TA DA!!! The wall paper is on the back wall-FINALLY. I don't think you can see it, but the wire is coming out of the lower center of the wall paper. I will spray the other two sides of wallpaper with matte spray tomorrow and put them up Monday. If I do say so myself, the paper really turned out great.

Baby Room Rug

I am usually disappointed in the rugs I get off line. But, this one blew my socks off. It matches the furniture perfectly (the detail on the furniture is faded in this photo) and is perfect with the wall paper. I will get started on this room next.

Thanks,
Kate

Bedroom Fireplace-Part 4

2010-09-08T17:22:00.000-07:00

The oval on the left is what I am going to put on the board on top of the fireplace. I had to cut down the original oval on the right to fit the space. I used the saw on the right to make cuts so I can break the pieces apart.
The oval on the left is attached to scotch tape so I don't lose any of the parts. I plan to glue the parts together and fill in the void spots with caulk.
The two little wallshelves on the far left will be put in the top and bottom area of the oval. I have mud men to put on them. The shelves are too tall for the space, so I am cutting off the bottom of the shelf. It is REALLY hard. If I use a bigger saw the resin will pop appart in the wrong place.
Next process is paint the resin and gule to fireplace backing. Then I will put up the electric tape, wallpaper and lastly the backing and fireplace. It seems it never ends.
Bye,
Kate

Bedroom Fireplace-Part3

2010-09-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

Today I mixed the paints to match the fire place. I am really good at matching colors. It helped to have the back of the fireplace to test colors on.

Here is the fireplace back painted to match the fireplace. I found two pieces of molding to put on either side of the back and painted them to match. Now if I could quit being SOOOO LAZY, I could get this room almost finished. I think the next thing I am going to do is put the rattan mat on the ceiling-that is going to be difficult.

Kate

Bedroom Fireplace-Part 2

2010-08-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

Today I took the fireplace backboard and belt sanded the edges-with my husbands help. I brought the piece in the house and fine sanded the rough edges-I am using balsa wood. Balsa has become my favorite wood-it is very light weight and easy to work with. Next, I Kilz the backboard and Friday hope to mix paint to match the fire place and then paint the backboard. Then for the SURPRISE!!!

Bedroom Fireplace

2010-08-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I am finally back at work: this time on the bedroom fireplace. I needed a back bumpout behind the fireplace for a special project. There are many more post to come on this fireplace. Here are some photos:

This is how I glued the six boards together. An angel was watch over me as I had the exact width of boards to do this project. Julia Child would have been proud.

The board will be in the center of the back wall with the fireplace in front of it. I can't wait for you all to see how I finish it-secret!!!

Thanks,
Kate

Back at Work

2010-06-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

This floor is from a ratan mat. Excuse the French, but it was a bitch to cut. It took me 4 hours. It fell apart on the edges and I had to glue the pieces together on both front and back edges. That left a 1 inch shiney line on both edges, so I sprayed the whole thing with Patricia Nimocks matte spray. The End. Now all I have to do is glue it down when it drys. All I have to do is decide which glue. I have an old bottle of Grrrip I should use-it is not cheap. So I will whip out my credit card and spread the glue-works great.

This is the second floor center hall. This also took 4 hours. I don't know why I had so much trouble. It is going to be stained walnut. I would use contact cement to glue it down, but I have a hard time getting things in the right place the first time. (See the old post about the living room floor)

FYI: the papers with the blue painters tape are my templates for electrical and wallpaper. Work great.

Moving Things Around

2010-05-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

One night, a couple of weeks back, I was sick and up all night. While I was sitting on the couch, watching Martha Stewart, this huge-I MEAN HUGE-idea came to me. I have an odd layout in my faimly room, and the Chateau Chanticleer being on the only window wall did not help. The photos don't show it very well-use your imagination. AND I know I look like a hoarder, but all that stuff goes in the dollhouse. All I have to do is put on the doors and roof and the Chateau will be ready to finish (it should take 6 to 12 more months). Any way, these are the BEFORE pictures.

The terra cotta leather chairs use to be on the right.

I am so excited we did this. I can not believe there is sooooo much stuff in building a mini house. Anyway, you can certainly see how crowded it was. The base the house sets on is 3 ft X 6 ft. So below are the after pictures. I love it.

Now the doll-house is in the useless corner and the chairs fill out the seating area. Now all I have to do is get the doll house finished. I really can not believe we did this. And I really can not believe I did not think of it sooner. Before I had a swing arm wall lamp between the chairs. I don't need that now, so I think I am going to put the lamp to the right of the dollhouse so that corner is not so dark. There is going to be a conservatory on the right side of the house and it will need to be illuminated.

Thanks,

Kate

http://www.katescats.com/

Making Plans

2010-05-11T23:46:00.000-07:00

Sorry, no pics today, just ideas. I have been sick for two weeks and have done NOTHING. I am very aggravated about that. But, while sitting on the couch last night, suffering, I had a whopper of an idea. I was watching Sarah's House and saw a living room she did-the light bulb came on. I am going to move every thing around in the family room, esp. Chateau Chanticleer. I have an odd shaped family room, and after everything is moved around, my new mini house (which is still in the box) and the adobe will all have a place to live. And there will be more seating for real people. It is probably going to take 4 to 6 months to do-I will send pictures when it is done.
Another road block is I am waiting for sconces and lights to arrive. I could be sick as a dog, and still work on the Chateau if I had all the parts.
Going to the Dallas Mini Show this weekend-if you see me, stop and say HI!

Kate
www.katescats.com

My Dollhouse is in Idle Mode

2010-04-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

I have been whining about the bedroom wall paper for ages-and I am at a dead stand still. I think I have found the perfect paper. I hope it does not take long to get here, as I would like to get on with it.

After Mother's Day, my hubby and I are going to lay the house on it's back on the kitchen table and put the doors on the house. After that we will put the house in it's permanent place on the platform. There is a conservatory (not yet made) on the right side and a two story add-on on the left side. I saw a way to really jazz up the conservatory in a Mini Mag (forgive me, I forgot which one) and the add on is a kitchen (chicken/rooster theme) and 2nd floor bathroom. At this point, I would like to SING the praises of Real Good Toys (the birthplace of my dollhouse). They have always been there to help.

For the dining room I found Pinky and Blue Boy. They will look great. I bought them on Ebay from velveetasuzee. I have bought tons of pictures from them, and love them all.

In one stair hall, I am going to have oriental black paper. I think I have found 4 cat pictures from velveetasuzee in black to hang in the hallway. I saw a wall with ton of pictures on it and loved it. I think it was Harry Potter.

Well, that's all for now.
Kate
www.katescats.com

On To The Bed Room

2010-04-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

This is the dining room which is basically finished. I have not done anything so suttle before-can't wait to get the furniture in.

This is the furniture for the bedroom with Bespaq Bird and Mountain Design. It is an old design and I love it.

This is the paper I am going to use after I white wash it. I am working on a Hub on http://www.hubpages.com/ on how to white wash the wall paper, but it is not finished yet. I saw it done in Magnificent Miniatures and loved it. Can't wait to see how it turns out.
Kate
http://www.katescats.com/

Dining Room Papered and Wired

2010-03-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

My dear husband, Doug, is roto

zipping a small slit in the top floor of the Chateau so I can run the tape wiring into the attic. Believe it or not, I have finished wiring and papering the dining room. In my last post I was fretting over the wallpaper. Well, I got the first wall up and was thrilled with the results. Next is the ceiling, then the carpet on the floor. I know carpet is out of style, but I have it, so I might as well use it. The carpet really looks great. The room is very fun and happy. Will post again when the carpet and ceiling are in.

Kate

www.katescats.com

In a Dither

2010-03-13T00:18:00.000-08:00

I am going to start on the dining room in the Chateau. If I make a typing mistake, forgive me, 'cause I'm typing w/o my glasses. After using the wallpaper from Spain, I really don't want to use the thin wallpaper I have-but I have to be practical about this. The paper and the carpet match the furniture exactly.....and I like the soft palette. I bought this adorable chandelier and 2 wall sconce with pink tulip shades to go in the room-I really want to use them. So, after alot of deliberation, I am forging on with what I have. I am going to get some rad moulding-which should help. I am hoping to start on the room later today.
Hi to all my followers and I'm sorry there were no pictures-just thoughts.
Kate

www.Katescats.com

Library Basics Finished

2010-03-11T23:31:00.000-08:00

I was like a woman possessed tonight-I had to finish the basics of the library. The orange dots (there are three down the center and two across the back) are for hanging lights and the electricity to all of them works-pat on the back. I did not notice they were out of line-it does not look like that in person. The ceiling is more cream. The book cases need to be detailed and filled with books, then glue to the walls-after the front doors are in place (see the hinge on the right) on the dollhouse. I also have to put up molding-later. Next, I am starting on the dining room.

I was going through a box I keep all the lights, wallpaper, accessories, etc in, and to my shock I found two more book cases and a ton of books. I do not think I will have to worry about filling the shelves with books any more. I also found this toile wall paper that is not usable. The design is hugh. I might could cut out some of the scenes and put molding around it. I hate it and don't think I will use it. I have some small print toile some where-I will look tomorrow.

Thanks, Kate

http://www.katescat.com/

PS: I went and looked at the orange dots and they were out of line-I fixed them. All is well in the Chateau.

Beginning to Wallpaper the Library

2010-03-06T15:35:00.001-08:00

First of all, I want to make the naming of the Big House official-it is now Chateau Chanticleer. I would like to thank all my mini friends for the suggestions. I would have NEVER come up with such a great name.

Now to the library-the photo on the left is the wiring. The tape is coming of the main tape on the right wall-and it works-YEA! The photo in the middle is the Spanish paper going up-georgeous. The photo on the right is the Wooten desk in front of the wall paper. The wall paper came from http://www.leschinoiseries.com/ They have new papers under the Museum section that are to die for. I am getting Turia Silk for the baby's room. It is a heavy paper and GREAT to work with-best I've ever used. Hopefully I will put the other two sides up and put up the ceiling paper tomorrow. I am SO excited it is going so well.

Kate

http://www.katescats.com/

Next Stage of Library in Big Dollhouse

2010-02-26T21:29:00.000-08:00

On the left, I am Kilzing the library. I forgot to Kilz the living room. I hope nothing falls of the wall in that room. The middle picture is the finished floor. (actually I have one more coat of clear varnish to put on the floor) I used clear varnish because if I used light oak it would yellow the painted part of the floor. The floor is going to yellow some anyway.

On the right is the anaglipta ceiling paper. The holes are where the hanging lights are going to be. I am going to paint the ceiling off white (more like very pale beige). Before I hang the ceiling paper I have to wire. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow.

I am really excited about the flowers I got from Ebay today. They are great. I can't wait till I start landscaping the out side-long way off.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kate

www.katescats.com

More Library Floor

2010-02-09T20:34:00.001-08:00

The floor painting is finished. The photo is bad-there are little diamonds in all the corner. I will get a better picture later. Now all I have to do is put contact cement on the bottom of the floor and the top of the doll house floor and stickem together. Next I will put up the tape wiring, put on the ceiling paper, lastly my beautiful paper from Spain. I will have three book cases on each side of the room-I have figured out a design to put on them. The three book cases will be attach to each other and then attached to opposite sides of the front of the room's walls. At the very back of the library will be my Wooten desk and matching chair-THE FOCAL POINT of the room.

The picture to the right infuriates me. This is the living room floor with a BIG crack in it. It took two pieces of floor to cover the whole floor. I was very careful to make sure both pieces of the floor fit together. As life happens, it didn't happen. For some reason the floor was unlevel (earlier post). Me being the resourceful mini person I am, I just filled the crack with wood filler.

The crack is wide in the front and the back and meets in the middle. I am going to take a marker and darken the dried filler up and put the same stain/varnish on the crack. The back crack will fill with the varnish and will eventually be covered by a fireplace. I am crossing my fingers that when I put the stain/varnish on the crack, it won't be noticed. From my lips to God's ears.

Where is the sun???

Kate

www.katescats.com

On To The Library

2009-12-06T19:16:00.000-08:00

The pictures above are the beginning of the library in the Big House. The door is on the back left side, and there will be three book cases on each side at the front. In the very back I am going to put my Wooten desk and chair. I am going to oper the desk and put all sorts of papers in it.

There is a brown detail on the desk, I decide to put spairingly on the floor. I put blue tape to make the lines in a square. First,I put satin varnish stain where the brown line was going to be so the line edges would be sealed under the tape. After it dried, I put down the brown paint. When that was almost dry I pulled off the tapped. It was PERFECT!!! Boy was I happy. Tomorrow I am going to put the detail on the brown line. I am going to put the floor down as soon as I get some contact cement. Then I will paint pine varnish stain over the floor.

I had to put the livingroom floor down in two pieces. The little gold spot on the right side of the left floor is an electric floor plug for a lamp. I put down the second piece of floor to the right and it was lower than the left floor. So the little pieces of Cherrio's box are being used as shims. I ran out of contact cement and could not put the floor down.

I plan to keep working on the house-no interuptions.

Thanks for looking,

Kate

www.katescats.com

Back Working on the BIG House

2009-11-20T14:56:00.000-08:00

With my husbands help, I worked on the Big dollhouse. First I hooked all the electricity up on the back wall. All the wall plugs work, even the floor plug. It took 5 hours to do the electricity on the back wall and glue a large portion of the floor down. I was constantly checking to see if the electricity was working. I put the floor down with contact cement-what a job. I could not get the floor over the plug in the floor-finally it worked and the electricity still worked. I am going to start on the mural for the back wall tonight-thats a weeks worth of work. I am hoping to get the livingrooom done by Christmas.

Oh, Happy Thanksgiving to all my followers and readers.

Kate >^^<

http://www.katescats.com/

Roto Zip Hole Repair

2009-08-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

I needed a hole to put the tape wiring through and I used a roto zip that rippped a BIG hole. Well these are pictures of the repair. The line down the middle is the spacer that is going to make the hole for the tape. There was a problem though. I used wood filler that was old and crumbled when I took out the spacer. I was to impatient to use the good stuff that was reconstituting. So I am going to rerepair the hole. It will look the same, so I won't be sending other pictures.

Kate

The Dollhouse Base is in Place

2009-07-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

Ta Da-the base is finished and in place. To the left of the base are boxes of mini things that go in the dollhouse-they will now be stored in the base. The living room will be clean and the coffee table will be put back in its place. My daughter, Michelle, is coming over tomorrow and we are cleaning up the living room. I am so excited about the prospect of being clean. Something else that is great, is the dollhouse is higher and will be much easier to work in. Something that is also great is that I will be able to sleep late for the first time in six days.
Kate
www.katescats.com

I See The Light At The End of The Tunnel

2009-07-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I am one coat of primer and two coats of paint from finishing the base for the dollhouse. It is extremely hot here in Texas so I have to get up at 6a to paint or the paint dries in midstroke. It does not help that I have had allergies from heck and can bearly function-I try and not think about it, but the inability to breath reminds me. I think I can finish the painting in the next three days and will let the base bake in the heat to cure. Then, TA DA, I can clean up the living room. I will post a picture of the room before I clean it-it is unbelieveable.
Kate

Still Working

2009-06-09T11:39:00.001-07:00

Well, here I am working on the base to the doll house. Slow going. I am using Behr paint and I hate it. What makes matters worse is it is very humid, so I can only paint once a day. But I am staying on schedule. Tomorrow I will put on the second coat and turn it upright Friday and put the last coat on Saturday. I will have to let it dry a few days, then I can bring it in the house. Yea! I will then pick up the BIG house mini stuff and my living room will be clean-finally. Will post again next week.

Kate

www.katescats.com

Screaching Halt

2009-05-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

Well, I haven't worked on the house in a while. I accidently got some beautiful wallpaper I am going to use in the dining room. Sandra Manring is making the centerpiece flower arrangement and is making two arrangements (irises) for another room I have (those arrangements will complete that room) .

I am having a base table made for the Big House-it should be here next week. Of course it is suppose to be raining next week-I want to paint the table base. I will be able to store alot of the boxes in the base table, thus cleaning up the living room some. I will send pictures next week. I am soooo excited about the base.

Kate

www.katescats.com

Great Idea

2009-05-11T22:33:00.000-07:00

Well, no pictures yet, but I have a great idea. The "BIG" house is toooooo low to the floor, so I am going to get some 24" height kitchen cabinets to put the platform on. Not only will the house be at a better height, but I will have a place to put the dollhouse stuff that is all over the living room. We plan to go get them tomorrow-pictures at 11.
Kate

Spagetti Wiring

2009-04-08T21:46:00.000-07:00

After laying awake many nights planning the electrical-I screwed up. There is suppose to be a plug right where the first turn up on the right is. So I will have to put the plug to the right, near the corner, as there is going to be a floor lamp there-which I finally found. The plug outlet has two receptors so I could plug two things in it. I can not stand to make a mistake on my miniature stuff-this will haunt me forever. Tomorrow I am sauteing a wire out over the right door for the conservatory and a wire where the hinge is-I will put a plug in on both ends of the wires so they can plug into outlets-then I can put carriage lights at the front door. I hope to finish the wiring tomorrow, check the electricity flow, lay the floor, paint the last four murals. I am putting in a ceiling fixture and painting cranes flying around it-about 4 cranes. Think I can do all that tomorrow. LOL.

Kate

www.katescats.com

Setting the Stage in the Living Room

2009-03-24T01:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I laid out the furniture to see where things will go. To my amazement everything fits. I have to get a floor lamp and a table for in back of the sofa. I have all the electrical figured out and am ready to lay the floor. The I will finish the last four murals. Those will be easy because there is so much against the room walls. I will not post again until the room is done-about 3-4 weeks. See you all then.

Kate

Installed

2009-03-22T17:27:00.001-07:00

Off and Running

2009-03-22T02:25:00.000-07:00

As usual I could not go to sleep, so I worked on sorting stuff for my "BIG" doll house. I hope to get the mural attached to the partition and the partition put up in the house tomorrow. I put all the furniture that goes in the living room in the room, so I can see where to paint what on the mural. I am getting ahead of myself. After the partition goes up the floor goes down-then I will make a template of the back wall. I bought these cool lights and I dug one out and plugged it in-looked great. I think I will use those lights through out the doll house. Before I lay the floor, I am going to put a plug in it by the sofa, just in case I want a light. Better safe than sorry. I hope to have the living room finished. Then I can do the dining room next to it. I am so excited-the decorating has started. With the mural fiasco, I think a long time before doing any thing and then when I figure it out I write it down. I wrote for 30 mins. last nite and 15 mins tonight. I certainly don't want to make a big mistake again, if I can help it. Pictures tomorrow.
Kate

Up is the Phoenix from the Ashes

2009-03-20T22:54:00.001-07:00

I can not believe it, but I have redone the left side mural-my husband thinks it is better than the original (I just love him so much). I made compensation for the top and bottom molding-which i did not do in the first mural. Now all I have to do is put the gold leaf on, make the cardboard backing and put the sucker on the dividing wall. I am so happy-I feel the world is off my shoulder. I must stop a moment and say a kind word about Natasha Richardson-a great loss. I think about her all the time and realize, when it is your time, it is your time.
Thanks for looking,
Kate

Tragic Events

2009-03-17T17:36:00.000-07:00

Well, the best laid plans of mice and men, etc. I, for some reason, stopped thinking and used the wrong adhesive. That lack of thought helped me destroy the mural that took me 18 hours to paint. I am repainting the mural-unhappily. It is like going to the dentist every day. I am sure I am not the only one who has screwed up like this-my condolences. The dark area is where the adhesive seeped through. This is all I can say.

LET THE ELECTRICITY BEGIN

2009-02-04T01:50:00.000-08:00

The pictures are backwards-so we will talk about RIGHT to LEFT.

In the house shell, I roto zipped (badly) two holes to run the electric tape through. I have all the center hall stairwell controlled by one switch. I put the wall switch in and the thing worked-I could not believe it (see middle left, beside door way in left photo). I also put a plug in the bottom electric tape to plug in a lamp-it works also. It will be clearer when I get the mural up on this partition. I wanted to finish the other side of the partition, but I decided against it. The wall paper is white and I was afraid it would get dirty if I worked on it too. I got the bottom row of tape upside down. I will have to correct that in other runs. Tomorrow I am glueing the partition in place, then the next day the two big dollhouse doors and the roof door, next the bump out-then I will set it up right and hopefully finish the inside first floor. It has been a year getting to this point-planning, designing, and getting ideas. I can not tell you how often I have changed something. Once it has been exicuted, that will be it-I do not ever change any thing once it has been done.

Well, see you tomorrow.

Kate

Finished the Stair Wall Mural Wall

2009-01-25T22:54:00.000-08:00

Well, after 18 hours the mural is finished.
There is one problem-the gold oxydated
and turned aqua in places. I am going to wait till the morning to see how bad it is. If it does not get any worse, I think I will keep it. It is an interesting finish. I just wonder if I can duplicate it. To the left of the tree branch is where the door will be. There is a diaginal line going up the middle-it is where the stairs are going to be. On the right, there is a big open space-that is where a side board and mirror is going to be. On the far left, I am going to put small Chinese letters-I have to find them first.
Now, I am going to start wiring the Big house and start putting it together. It has been a year and I am ready to start. My living room is full of boxes full of furniture for the house. It will be great to get it electrified and ready to finish.
Kate
www.katescats.com

Time To Begin

2009-01-01T21:10:00.000-08:00

Well, the new year has begun and it is back to the Big House. I have decided to paint a mural on material to put on the walls in the living room-oriental. I want to try using the Cir-kit on/off switch. I am going to do a practice run to see if I can get it to work. The flooring for the living room buckled in places-that does not make me very happy. I will have to fix it before I put it down. Everything has a catch and has to be fixed. I hope to paint the first wall this weekend and I will post it when it is finished.
Kate>^..^<

What a Find

2008-12-12T15:25:00.000-08:00

As posted before, I am working on a BIG miniature dollhouse. What with the holidays coming, I have not been able to work on it. Also, I could not make some decisions about decorating the first room. It is a slow and thoughtful process-you want to do right the first time. Well, my son is coming from Ohio and my husband and I went into the guest bedroom to start cleaning off the bed so my son will have a place to sleep. What to my surprise, I found a box of Bespaq bedroom furniture. Well, I jumped right on that. I had planned to put some other furniture in a bedroom, but when I found this I changed my mind. I think the design is called bird and mountain and I LOVE it. I am so excited to be able to use it. The other furniture that I decided not to use is oriental and beatiful and I am going to make an elaborate room box That will be a sister box to the Black Room.

Merry Christmas to all,

Kate >^..^<

Molding Porcelain

2008-11-08T01:13:00.000-08:00

Well, I am so excited. I have been making molds. I just made two of the same molds for a tea set. This weekend I am going to make another tea set mold for a tiny tiny set. Today I poured porcelain tiles-when they are dry I am going to glaze them-which will eliminate one step and I can get them finished faster.

As for the BIG house-I laid out the placement of the downstairs wall. I am going to paint an oriental scene on faux yellow-gold silk and put it on all the walls in the downstairs living room. I am going to put a gathered faux yellow-gold silk ceiling. I am going to buy a cheap ceiling light and glue long clear crystals on it to put in the middle of the ceiling material. I don't want a light fixture that hangs down and blocks the view of the room. The next thing to do is stain the floor and install it in the living room. I need to put the two hinged fronts and the hinged roof on. That will take alot of time and my next three weeks are booked-boo hoo. So I guess I will just be painting the fabric walls.

It is so hard for me to go to sleep at night because I am thinking of everything-and now I am following throught and doing those things. I feel really great about myself.

We bought two 3' x 5' windows to put in the front of our house-that is what one week is devoted too. It will take one week to put one window in because we are taking out a door. Maybe God will shine on us and we will be able to get both windows done. Let me tell you-those windows are heavy. I will have some muscles when this is over.

Well, it is off to bed. I will let everyone know when I post my new porcelain stuff to my web site (www.katescats.com) and to Ebay.

Kate

Ground Floor UP!!

2008-10-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I am so excited. My husband and I finished the trim on the board my BIG dollhouse will set on. Now all I have to do is paint it-not sure about the color. And of course we can't start painting it till Thursday, because I have to go to the doctor tomorrow. I will post photos of the finished base after it is painted.
Kate

From the Ashes Rises the Phoenix

2008-10-18T23:19:00.000-07:00

Doll house stairs

I had sad news this week-I was turned down for the IGMA mini college scholarship. I was surprised at how disappointed I was. But....I arose out of the ashes and am starting anew to apply for next years scholarship. I am making and designing a 1/2 scale oriental room-ideas taken from three books on oriental rooms in Japanese. I am also going to make Hagrads house in 1/2 scale too. I am going to design some dishes and make some cool mini pieces. I plan to have 10 new photos to submit that should knock the judges socks off.

I am pouring porcelain again. The mini club I belong to is going to do a SW Room for the SAM birthday party next year. I have a mold that has 8 SW pots in it. I am going to reduce them to 1/12th scale and give them away as bag favors (I have to pour 100 pots). The next pour of these pots I am going to put a SW designs on them. I also found a mold of Santa mugs, pitcher and tray. I am going to reduce that to 1/2 scale and hopefully give them to my friends in my mini club for Christmas.

In my last post, I mentioned starting on my dollhouse stairs. Oh, my, gosh-what a job. The stairs are in solid MDF and it took 5 coats of varnish stain and 5 coats of white paint. I am still working on them. It will take weeks.

It is strange-I was so tired and slept so much, then I got that reject from IGMA and I just came to life. I don't understand myself. I am walking on the treadmill everyday-yea!!!! I ate too much last week and gained 3 lbs. GOT to get that off 'cause I go to the doctor in 2 weeks.

I have watched "The Devil Wears Prada" 10 times and have become obsessed with fashion. So I have bought some new clothes. I even bought some 3 in heel ancle boots. I never go anywhere to were my new stuff-guess that will have to change.

Well, don't forget to vote.

Kate >^..^<

I'm Alive

2008-09-26T00:41:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been two months since I have posted. I had surgery to take out a cancerous uterus. I am so blessed, the cancer had just begun and had not metastasized. No treatment needed and the wonderful surgeon got it all. I still am tired, but I do a little more every day. What makes me very happy is I am back working on my BIG doll house. I bought my house from Real Good Toys-so when I was stumped as to what to do next, I called Gary at RGT and asked for advise. He was so kind and patient and pointed me in the right direction. So, I am starting on the stairs. I have so many ideas-it is going to take a while to get everything done. I am so happy to be back.
Kate

Lean Times

2008-07-28T15:43:00.000-07:00

Well, my life is in a stall. We have been cleaning for, now, three weeks. I have not worked on minis at all. A great loss for me. Hopefully, after this week I can get back in the work room. There is a bright side-my husband has agreed to go to Spring and Katy to mini shops this week. I am going to start looking up-I have so many blessings. I just hate to clean. I pray the people in CA get relief from the fires-I can't imagine.
Everyone have a great week,
Kate >^..^<

New Adventure

2008-07-03T20:42:00.000-07:00

The above pictures are the basic layout of the living room (which is nexted to the stairs on the left), oriental bedroom, music room, and library. I had to get furniture set up for the electrical wiring, which I am doing this week end.

When the wiring (tape) is finished, I am going to put the "Big" house on the base board-which of course needs the trim put on it. After it is put on the board, I can build and attach the two story addition-a kitchen and a bathroom. Then on the right side is going to be a conservatory-that is going to be a bitch to build.

I have a room (in the house I live in) I was going to turn into an elegant dining room. Two of my 4 children are not speaking to me, another lives far away, and only one daughter comes to visit. So, a big, elegant dining room seemed to be a waste-time and money. What we needed was a work room. We thought of building one in the back yard-but that is very expensive. So-ta da-we decided to change the dining room into a work room. We have been cleaning and cleaning-we have already filled up a big garbage can. I am really motivated. I found some really great stuff for my "Big" dollhouse. I found two Department 56 North Pole things to use at Christmas-one is Santa flying in his sled (the scale is not perfect, but it will do) and a hot air balloon. Then I found the most wonderful thing-a large fountain that lights up. I did not check to see if it was batteries or wiring, but I am so excited. On the grounds of the "Big" house I am going to put a chicken house and a garden-if they fit. I was planning on a small fountain and now I have a big one, so space is at a premium. The work room is really coming together. We are having the 4th on Saturday because my daughter has to work. So tomorrow it is back in the work room. We will be putting our current dining table in the work room and buy (yea!!!) a new bigger dining table.

Well, that is my life to now. Happy 4th to everyone-make sure you vote this year.

Kate

Purging-Good for the Soul

2008-06-26T23:17:00.000-07:00

I am going through all my miniatures and have put the one's I don't want on Ebay. It is very liberating to stop hording and start purging. I have tons of kits-they are going next. I must have 50 kits.

I am working on the "Big" 1/12th scale house. Sometimes it is over whelming. Just when I get one room set up, there is a problem and I have to start all over. From what I've read, that is part of it. I canceled a Bespaq room of furniture-I have sooooo much furniture. I found a room of furniture I already have and can use in the "Big" house, I do not need another bedroom of furniture. I do, however, need a child/baby room of furniture. I have a great idea for the room and can't wait till I get furniture. The pictures are of the "Big" house and the layout of two rooms. The blue room is the music room and the white room is the dining room.

HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY

2008-05-12T00:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I am a happy camper. I am at a point where everything is coming together. I am trying to get my CEU's for my SW licence-I went to this site and the first on line class was a breeze and I passed. So, I will continue on the rest of this week and try to accumulate 30 hours to make my license active.

I have been working daily on the "BIG" house. I hit a bump in the road when I made two windows into one door. I am waiting for all the wood putty and glue to dry. Today, I will spackle the area to make it smooth. I have to carefully drill a hole to put a coach light up. Then, I will start again putting it together. We have to go to Lowe's and get a bigger board for the house to sit on-since I added the two story addition and the conservatory. I can't wait to start on the conservatory-I am going to fill it with flowers. I am going to have flowers all through the house. In real life I can't be around real flowers, but I can in the miniature world.

My birthday was last week and yesterday was Mother's Day. My sweet, sweet daughter brought me a basket of goodies (a big bar of chocolate topped the list). It had the coolest humming bird feeder. I was so motivated I made nector. We will put it out tomorrow. Those humming birds are demanding little fellows-you have to keep the feeders full or they will attack you.

Well I hope everyone has a blessed day.
Kate >^..^<

And So The Mini House Begins!!!!!

2008-05-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I had a wonderful Saturday at the Dallas Mini Show.
Today I cut doors in the left wall of my Big house. So now I am going to start building the house. I am so excited. I have so much stuff to put in the house, I am overwhelmed. You are suppose to paint the outside first-I am going to do it last. The electrical is going to need some heavy thinking. My brain is swirling with all the things that need to be done. I think there is going to be alot of stop and start. The inside stair halls need to be done before being put together-I don't have half the stuff for that. I need flooring, got step rug runners, lights, etc. This is why I am getting started on the house. If I wait any longer my brain will short circut. I will post pictures as I go.
Thanks,
Kate >^..^<

The Big House hits a wall-miniature house

2008-04-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been puttering right along putting together my Big house. I had to stop because I ordered the wrong doors. I also decided to add the Houseworks conservatory-which requires that I switch walls in the conservatory so the doors face to the front-another stop. There is a 3/8th inch differience which will have to be compensated for in the front wall. I may want to put double doors from the right side of the house into the conservatory (the two story addition is on the left side of the house). So.......screach........STOP. I have to wait for the doors and the conservatory to be shipped by HBS. They are having a 20% off all purchases starting tomorrow, so I will order then. Their email is www.miniatures.com. My husband-sweet man-is giving me the conservatory for my birthday and mother's day. I am soooo happy. Well, in two weeks I should have alot to report-even pictures. Kate >^..^<

Miniatures-Finished the Black Box

2008-04-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I finished-almost-the black box. I made quarter round bamboo-looks great. I am so taken with this room-so prestine. Tomorrow I start on my "BIG" house. It should take about 2-3 years to complete and the rooms are going to be elaborate and detailed. I will post as I go. I am reupholstering furniture to put in the house. The material was very expensive and I have made a few mistakes-there is a learning curve. I can fix the mistakes and learn from the experience.

Now for the Black box and the bamboo.

Kate >^..^<

What happened at the SAM workshop

2008-02-26T20:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I got to tell you all this was the best mini time I have had in a long time. I finally finished the 100 cats I was making to donate. The workshop was in Tomball-the drivers there are not very nice. We were making a half scale Christmas room. I was not fond of the fabric provided and found the greatest material today. The scale was a little big, so I shrunk it down and printed it on white material. I am going to spend all day working on it. If anyone is looking for a great hobby-dollhouse miniatures are it. There are several scales to choose from and there is no skill of any kind needed. I know in my last post I had a black box featured-well, it is on hold yet again. I have to make some faux bamboo quarter round-something else to do today. Well, I hope everyone has a great day.
Kate >^..^<

Almost Finished

2008-02-19T19:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I have almost finished my 100 mini cats to be given away at the SAM birthday party. I have 11 to finish. The ones I am giving are not finished, but look just like this. Next week I can get back to my other minis and my life size house. I am about to finish my "Black Box" that features a Bespaq oriental game set. The lighting is fantastic. I want to get started making minis to sell on my web site: Katescats.com. Hopefully I can add some photos to this site.

Happy mini-ing
Kate

Black Box:

Side wall is flat on table. Inside circle are two gow bulbs. I am putting a cut out ear ring over it and let the light shine throw the cut outs. There will be the same lite fixture on the other side wall.