Organizing the Craft Room

Truth be told, I've been avoiding the craft room because it is so cluttered and disorganized. Adding the purchases from the Atlanta mini show was the last straw. It is a small bedroom, but has lovely bright light from a window as well as overhead and task lighting. My sister came over to brainstorm with me and pointed out that there is a nice wall just begging for some shelving. Here are some before photos.

This photo shows the doorway to the hall, the blank wall, and the doorway to the closet.

The worktable (an old desk) is in the foreground. There is a drafting table under the wall-mounted tv, with a couple of kit boxes on it. Not sure what is in the boxes under the table. 

Moving counterclockwise around the room, this shows more clutter. Actually, this picture makes it look nearly organized. It doesn't reflect the cluttered feel of standing there in real life. 

Inside the closet. Lots of nice drawers for storage, some of them labeled but not necessarily containing what its label promises, some empty. This will be a challenge in itself. Some items, like the beginning stash of egg cartons on the shelf and some large tools, can go out to the garage as soon as I get the last two sets of shelves assembled out there.

The first order of business was going to Home Depot for the components for the new shelves -- two wall brackets, four 4-foot shelves, eight shelf brackets, and some toggle bolts. Came home, moved the table and boxes away from the wall. Grabbed the wall brackets to check placement of the holes and realized I'd accidentally picked up two different brands, one Rubbermaid, one Closetmaid. Same length, different configuration. I blame the general messiness of Home Depot's bins. Anyway, back to the store to exchange one. 

Back home, measured the wall for placement of the top toggle bolt, and went out to the garage to get the power drill. After in intense search, the drill was not to be found. I have a feeling I know where it went. In preparing for the move last summer, I donated several tool boxes filled with art supplies to a local school. I think the tool box with the drill in it was inadvertently included. I ordered a hand drill and assorted bits from Amazon, but then borrowed a cordless power drill from my sister, who reminded me that I can shop their well supplied garage any time I need a tool.

Without a level, I relied on the Laws of Gravity to help hang the wall brackets. I fastened the top hole with a toggle bolt but did not pull it up snug. I let it hang down, perfectly vertical, and marked the other holes. Voila! The wall brackets were in place. The rest of the project went quickly. The shelves don't need to be very far apart, so I could add a fifth one at the bottom. The two mini drawer units are for tiny accessories, one for the Beacon Hill and one for the Pierce. That's landscaping items on the second shelf. They may be moved to the top shelf, as there is quite a long way to go before either of those buildings needs landscaping.

The goal for the shelves is display of furniture and accessories for houses in progress. If they are easily seen, I won't be as likely to buy duplicates. Walmart has some roughly shoebox sized storage containers made of clear plastic, which will be a good way to organize by room while mitigating dust. The organizing continues!

Bishop Atlanta Miniature Show ~ March 3, 2018

This has been a delightful weekend! On Saturday I met up with two members of the Greenleaf Dollhouse forum at the Atlanta Miniature Show in Tucker, Georgia. After we were shopped out, we had a Show and Tell and talked and talked. My sister Helen, who is a quilter, not a miniaturist, came with me. She later said that she couldn't keep up with the conversation as it was peppered with house names unfamiliar to her, but she did get caught up in our enthusiasm and was a great second pair of eyes for spotting gems among all of the wonderful items displayed by 40-some talented vendors.

Click on a picture to see a larger version.

I promised myself to use some restraint, and, in fact, saw some great items on the very first table in the entry hallway but kept on walking. Once inside the exhibit hall, however, my wallet broke open. An unidentified lady was selling rolls of wallpaper, all you wanted for $1. Really! Some of them were really quite lovely. I ended up with these four, all for $1. 😊 I think they are destined for the Beacon Hill. The bottom one, with the scallop design, may go into the entry hall. The plain and flowed blue rolls may go into the master bedroom, and the lovely ivory with a subtle stripe and sheen may go into the bathroom. [During the show and tell, we discovered that all three of us bought paper from her, and two of us bought the same two blue sheets. Great minds, eh?]

The next stop was at Marie's Mini Shoppe (Lake Worth, FL) for two pieces of lace, one white, one ecru. They are a very nice scale for curtains and may end up in the Beacon Hill and/or Miss Marple's Cottage (the Glencroft). They also had a very nice basket of bell peppers, which are destined for the kitchen of the 1890s Pierce/Bohemian Inn,

The next stop was at Magic-N-Miniature (Dayton, OH). I found some nice things for the Bohemian Inn -- a liquor barrel on a stand for the bar and a large wooden bowl, meat cleaver and large knife for the kitchen. 

While I was waiting to pay, I spotted a stove that looks as if it belongs in the Bohemian Inn kitchen. It turned out to be a lot less expensive than I anticipated, so that went into the bag as well. From even a short distance, it looks like it is made of metal, yet it is wooden, beautifully aged.

 Iklectic Kollectibles (Haupauge, NY) had a cabinet the will go into the Bohemian Inn kitchen and a faux pressed tin ceiling, also for the kitchen.

The cabinet will not remain this color. It will be painted to resemble this cupboard, which is in a summer cottage owned by my cousins in the Czech Republic. One of them refinished the cabinet and hand painted the designs.

Jane Graber (Frankfort, MI) had a wonderful selection of her hand thrown pottery. I limited myself to one plate, which will go into Miss Marple's house.

I've got a pretty wide selection of beer and liquor bottles for the Bohemian Inn's bar, but at Wilson Santiago's Dollhouse Linens and More (Winder, GA), I spotted two Reutter Porzellan Blue Onion design beer steins for a very good price. I'm not sure if they will sit on the bar or hang above it, but that is definitely their destination.

That ended the sweep of the exhibit hall, so we headed back out to the tables in the entrance, the ones I'd passed up on the way in but kept in mind. At Rosamonde's Cottage (Lansing, IL), is scooped up the wonderful garden shelf and a tea tray for Miss Marple's cottage . The sack of flour with a scoop and the prep tray with a pot of potatoes will go into the Bohemian Inn's kitchen. The brass spittoon will likely go into the inn's bar area.

Another table I'd passed up was Karen Aird's Dollhouse Shop (Basking Ridge, NJ). There I found some beautiful flower planters that will probably end up at Miss Marple's Cottage. The copper sauce pans and bowl of eggs will go in to the Inn's kitchen, and the poppy dish will go into the Inn as well. Poppies are very Czech.

By this time, Helen and I were ready for a sit-down. Sparklepuppies joined us, and I went back into the exhibit hall to find WestPaces. We stopped at Miniature Designs (Lawrenceville, GA) so she could make a purchase. While I was waiting for her, I of course perused the table, where I spotted a fantastic little weight-driven cuckoo clock, perfect for the Bohemian Inn! It is hand carved by Fred Cobb, a well-known local artisan, and reminds me of a real life cuckoo clock that our grandfather brought over from the old country in the late 1890s. I apologize for the quality of the photo, but if you click to enlarge, I think you can see the cuckoo poking his head out.

Finally finished with shopping, we found a quiet table and held our Show and Tell. What a grand day! From the left, WestPaces, sparklepuppies, and KathieB -- our forum nicknames.

It is such a treat to be able to enjoy the artistry and craftsmanship of the dedicated artists from around the country, and pure delight to be able to share the experience.

Glencroft Chimney Wall Detail

I purchased an already-built Greenleaf Glencroft several weeks ago. It is well built but needs some work on the electrical system and needs to be decorated and furnished. I'm thinking this will be Miss Marple's home, but the house hasn't agreed with any enthusiasm.

I'll post more photos as I get around to working on it, but for now I'm posting just two details in an attempt to help a fellow Greenleaf forum member visualize how the chimney and wall fit together. There is about a quarter inch offset, with the wall piece extending slightly beyond the chimney.

Here's an amusing tidbit: the house I have was built in reverse. When looking into the back, the stairs and chimney are on the left instead of the right side. I flipped the photos so as not to confuse Rachael, who is trying to build her house according to the directions.