Beacon Hill Redux

 

Yes, redux! Back again! The Beacon Hill has been in and out of the workshop for more than 10 years. I've lost track of when it was started. Tweaks and bashes have been happening along the way. 

• The copper-clad tower roof underwent a series of aging experiments. 
• The staircase the runs up the middle of the house got a total makeover to the point that it is removable; its handrails and spindles are all new.
• The dining room is finished. One window was closed in to make a solid wall for furniture placement, and wainscoting was installed. 
• The ground floor foyer has a parquet floor. 
• The electrifying has begun and is progressing one room at a time. 

Each of these changes has been time consuming and often required periods of thought, research, reflections, and experimentation before moving on to the next step. Do a search in this blog for "Beacon Hill" if you are interested in how all of this happened.

This morning the BH was released from confinement in the storage cage down the hall. It holds the place of honor on the worktable and will move forward again, as soon as all of its bits and pieces emerge from a rather full closet full of tubs and boxes, some of which are carefully labeled.

The challenge of moving a partially built house from storage to the apartment was easily solved. When I moved here, I bought this lovely worktable/desk on wheels. It rolled smoothly through the hallway and into the storage room. The Beacon Hill looked rather queen-like on her ride back to the apartment. 

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 18

 

Decalcomania! 

The flower sprigs were printed on a special decal paper and coated with three or four light applications of a clear spray sealant. A pair of scissors, a bowl of water, and we are ready to go.

The flower sprigs are cut out close to the printed area and dropped into the water. After roughly 60-90 seconds, the clear decal lifts away from the backing paper. The tweezers partly seen on the right are useful for working with such small pieces. 

The designs were such that they could be separated into a larger and smaller segment. The larger bit worked well on the back of the chair and the smaller bit worked well on the wing.

All the decals are in place. When dry, they will be stuck tight. Decals work best on a smooth surface. This paint has a matte finish, so the adherence was not perfect. Once dried, a teeny bit of Aileen's Tacky Glue on the end of a toothpick took care of a couple of edges that began to pull away.

This is the suggested finish for this kit. It is the photo from the kit box. It is a sweet little Sugarplum Cottage. 

This is how it transformed into the Monarch Cottage.

Butterflies everywhere! The sod roof tastes just like the milkweed that Monarchs love to eat.

 A handful of tiny pink flowers have sprouted in the luscious sod.

(Click on the photo to see a larger size.)

The interior is plain, as befitting a little cottage. The chairs could use some cushioning, and the bed needs a nice, fluffy comforter. It is ready to be finished when an inhabitant turns up. 

Meanwhile, we will let the Monarchs enjoy the cottage. They prefer the roof and rarely go inside. 

If you are interested in the process, how the cottage was constructed, click on the Older Post link below. There are 18 individual posts in this series.

Stay tuned for a very different project to come.

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 17

 

The Monarchs have arrived! 

The Monarchs are enjoying the fresh spring growth on the sod roof. The pink flowers are blooming. (Click the photo to see an enlarged version.)

A few of them landed on the backside of the cottage.

The question of what to use for the baseboards has been answered. Half-inch strips from the cereal box were covered with Contact paper. 

One of the boards is turned over to show the back, which will take glue very nicely. The Contact paper is stuck to the printed side. Now all of the exposed wood in the cottage will match. The plain wooden boards fit the nature of the cottage much better than the milled skirting boards from the stash. Rustic rules. 

The floors needed to be touched up. When the paint is dry, the baseboards will be glued in place. 

The niche on the upper floor is an awkward detail. Cover it? Maybe put the bed in that corner to block it?  

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 16

 

The finishing touches are getting ticked off of the to-do list. Waiting for the glue to dry is taking up most of the time.

The interior window frames, which were not included in the kit, were cut from cereal box cardboard. The printed side of the cardboard was covered with the wood-grained Contact paper, the same technique as used on the timbers. The acetate windowpanes, which were included in the kit, were glued onto the back of the frames using dots of Aileen's Tacky Glue applied with the tip of a toothpick.

When the glue dried, the frames were glued to the interior of the window openings. I thought about trim for the door but did not feel like fiddling with the curves. This left gaps in the baseboards but ... 

... the more I look at the flowery skirting boards, the less I like them. They are printed on removable sticky-backed paper, so they can be gone in seconds. Will I dig out the stash of wooden skirting boards or create some from the rest of the cereal box? Or think of Option 3? Hmmm.

There was some lycopodium in the tub of landscaping materials and some pink flower stems that I think came from the wedding shower décor section of Hobby Lobby many moons ago. They both could be reduced to usable bits with a few snips of the scissors.  

The dark spots on the roof are the lycopodium bits planted here and there in the sod. (Click on the photo to enlarge it.) When the glue is dry, the pink flower bits will be glued in place. The butterfly that was on the chimney has fluttered down to munch on the roof, which in this land of fantasy tastes remarkably like milkweed. The sounds of many butterfly wings can be heard in the distance.

While waiting for glue to dry, I printed the flower decals that will decorate some of the furniture. I neglected to take photos of the spray booth, but it functioned pretty well. I taped the sheet of printed decal paper to the bottom of a small packing box to keep it from moving during the spraying process. The box went on top of the stove, under the microwave's exhaust fan. A window was opened just a sliver, enough to create air movement.  The clear sealant was sprayed on in three light applications and allowed to dry between sprays. I left the apartment right after each spray to avoid any toxicity. This primitive setup worked quite well. There are no lingering odors of toxic spray in the apartment. 

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 15

 

The roof is evolving!

The gable roof turned out to be the same felt/sod of the main roof. Sometimes I overthink the challenges. Using a different type of roofing would, I think, have messed up the overall look. 

I carefully painted the edges of the roof to match the green of the sod. In a few places the paint got onto the felt. It was the same color, just a bit darker. That set me to thinking. A few minutes later, the roof had some shading.

What do I see on the chimney? Can it be the first of the Monarchs?

Thinking: I am not sure about the color of the benches. I am pondering what color to wash them with to age them.

The shaded sod looks good on the roof of the bay window. This angle shows the gable roof. Continuing the felt on those surfaces worked out well. 

There will likely be some tiny flowers popping up here and there on the roof, interspersed between the butterflies yet to come. I need to check the Landscaping tub for possibilities.

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 14

 

Life got in the way of building this week, but some progress has been made.

The furniture has all been painted ivory. It is a nice, soft color, perfect for the cottage. I considered painting some embellishments, like flowers or stripes, but then I found some watercolor flowers in a free clipart site. 

The photo shows them printed them out on plain white paper and taped in place as a test; they passed. I have some decal paper to print them on, so the background will be clear. It will appear that the decoration is painted on. The process requires spraying with a clear sealer, which had to be ordered, so this is as far as this step has gone.

The sod roof is now glued, except for the gable over the front door. I'm afraid that the felt will look too bulky in this small area. I painted some of the shingles green and stuck them on to see if the gable can be shingled. I'm not in love with the effect.

(Click on the picture to enlarge it for details)

The layered look worked out fine on the small bay window roof.

The wooden edges of the roof should have been painted green before gluing the felt, but once again I got ahead of myself. 

It is hard to see in this photo, but the door now has wood-patterned Contact paper on both sides and the window is installed. It will be glued in place once the interior is finished. 

The felt roofing worked well on the open back. The boards that reach from the roof to ground on either side have been stained. They blend well with the Contact paper wood pattern.

The easiest way to stain small pieces is a stain-filled felt pen, available wherever stain is sold. When it runs out, the felt tip can be extracted and the pen refilled.

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 13

 

The roof!

 The sage green felt worked better than I had hoped. Stretching it flat was pretty boring but layering really put some oomph in the exterior. The strips are taped in place and the slopes over the front door are not yet covered. 

The green of the porch benches now clashes with the green of the sod roof.  They need to be a warmer color, maybe pick up some of the burnt orange from the Monarch butterfly wings. Since the benches are not removable, repainting is going to be tricky; time to hunt up the Frog Tape. 

The furniture has been painted with gesso. It was painted ivory after this photo was taken. Tomorrow some decoration will be added before it makes its final appearance here. There is a lacey handkerchief in the stash that may serve as a sheet and pillow cases for the bed. Will need to dig into the fabric box for some suitable bedspread material. 

Since the "windowpanes" will be glued on the inside of the windows, the edges of each window needed to be painted to cover the gray edges of the cardboard timbers, the wooden edges of the walls, and some gesso that slopped over from painting the interior walls. The outside corners, where two bits of the timbering met, also needed to be touched up. A jar of brown paint and a very tiny brush took care of all that. The interior window frames need to be made.

So many details at this stage but it is fun to be able to hop from one thing to another. It will all come together in the end.

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 12

 

The furniture is assembled.

The bench, hutch, and settee. 

The skirting boards are strips of flowers being auditioned. If they get the part, they will be printed on full-sheet, sticky-backed label paper and stuck to the walls on the ground floor. The upper floor walls slope, so they will need a different approach.

The second settee and the bed on the upper floor.

The table on the ground floor.

The glue needs to dry overnight before the furniture gets its base coat of gesso.

The furniture will be painted ivory and have some painted decoration.

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 11

 

Lots of fiddly bits are taking some time, but inch by inch we are heading toward the finish line.

Here are the furniture pieces. One of the two settees and the bench are assembled. A bed, table, corner hutch, and a second settee are waiting in the assembly line. The furniture could be stained but I think cottage furniture should be painted. When all of it is assembled, it will get a coat of gesso and then some color. 

When the furniture pieces were removed from the plywood sheets, it became apparent that the kit does not contain interior window trim. It also became apparent that the plastic windowpanes should have been sandwiched between the wall the timber trim. Oh, well.

The interior trim can be made from cereal box cardboard and covered with the same weathered wood Contact paper. The windowpanes can be sandwiched between the new inside trim and the wall. A Greenleaf Miniature Forum member suggested using cereal box cardboard for the skirting, too. 

It made sense not to install the windowpanes too soon as they would probably have gotten scratched or dripped with paint or glue It is also nice to be able to reach through the window opening while working on the interior.

Take note of the scale in this photo. The two benches on the porch are much smaller than the furniture for inside the house. The porch benches look fine with the overall scale of the house, but the inside furniture will be more comfortable for the 1:12 scale inhabitant, whoever she turns out to be. With one set inside and one set outside, the difference in scale will not be noticeable.

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 10

Thunderstorms with bursts of hail today. Working inside!

The inside is painted with two coats of gesso. It has a nice, soft white finish that mimics plaster as well as being a good base for other paint.

There was a jar of paint marked "Lincoln Green" in the paint box. It is a nice gray with a greenish tinge that could pass for slate or regular old gray floor paint. The paint job is a bit sloppy at the edges. It may be necessary to install skirting boards.

The lower fireplace. 

Both fireplaces are a bit rough, but they look fine to a casual observer as they are tucked away to one side, so not viewed head on. 

The kit includes a window box that can be added to the front window, but that may look a bit fussy. Will skip it for now and get on with the sod roof and the furniture.

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 09

 Lots of tiny steps move the project along.

The chimney top is glued and clamped.

The same steps used to make the lower chimney were applied to the chimney top. 

There are two fireplaces in the cottage, one up and one down. This one, the upper fireplace, is smaller and has a rounded shape. I'm not sure how the two rounded front pieces are to be mounted. The instructions are not very detailed. The interior has been painted black. This fireplace will not have a fire in it.

The two straight pieces are the hearth and mantel. 

The lower fireplace is larger and square. I found a photo of a fireplace fire online. I sized it and printed it on glossy photo paper for a bit of a shine. It looks better in real life.

An egg carton chimneybreast could have been applied before assembling the walls, but it would be awkward to do it now. It will be easier to paint the wall with gesso to mimic plastering.

Look who turned up on the porch -- it is Marie Laveau. Her home was sold in an auction, but she remained behind. I am not sure if she is considering living here or if she is checking out the neighborhood for her friend the peddler.  

Click on Marie Laveau and Creole Cottage in the list at the left to see her home. If she decides to move in, this would definitely be downsizing.

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 08

 

This weekend there were some fiddly bits to work on.

The rough spots on the benches were Spackled. 

The paint on the benches has been touched up. A couple of light swipes with the sandpaper smoothed out the Spackle. They still need to be aged/weathered. 

The roof pieces have been glued in place, as has all of the timbering.

The cottage has let me know that it wants a sod roof. Right. Never mind that sod roofs are more likely to be found on Scandinavian homes than an English half-timbered cottage, but this is fantasy, folks, so why not go for sod? The Monarchs will love it!  😊 

Off the top of my head, I can think of a couple of options to make a sod roof. More on that in a future post.

Before any kind of roofing can go on, the chimney needs to be finished. The bits and pieces on the floor are the rest of the chimney. 

One of the chimney pieces was stamped into a particularly dry piece of wood. It delaminated as it was pushed out of the sheet of plywood. A thin layer of tacky glue put it back together. With the clamps to keep the pieces held tightly, it will be dry and ready to go tomorrow stronger than ever.

Now it is time to focus on the interior. No real thought has gone into it so far. There was an urge at one time to give it a coat of gesso and leave it a blank slate, but that has little appeal now that the exterior is getting so detailed. There was also a thought to paint the floor a base color and paint a colorful rug on it. And what about the furniture that came with the kit--to make it not?

At dinner tonight I was reminded of a doll kit that I've had for several years. It is an early 19th century lady peddler. She may like the cottage as her home. In which case, she will want something with a bit more detail. The interior ought to be finished to suit her. Stay tuned!!

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 07

 Work on the porch and benches continues.

The timbers have been glued in place. The porch with its attached benches is also glued in place. 

I like using Aileen's Tacky Glue for this as the tackiness helps hold the bits in place while permitting some adjustments. Clamps or masking tape hold the pieces together while the glue dries. 

Sometimes it's hard to wait while the glue dries. It helps to remember that good things come to those who wait.

Here is a detail that shows some blemishes that need to be addressed. The slots and the gap where the back and side did not quite come together will be filled with Spackle to fill them. The same will be done on the other bench and anywhere else on the house where the tabs & slots are visible. 

I have the kind of Spackle that goes on pink and turns white when it dries. A flexible palette knife works well for this step. Once the Spackle is dry, a few dabs of matching paint will complete the cover up.

The pieces from this kit are coming out of the sheet with fairly smooth edges. If a piece of wood is dry or has started to delaminate beyond what sanding can accomplish, rubbing Spackled along the edges can make them nice and smooth.

When the touch-up paint dries, the benches will be aged with some brownish-to-dark greenish-to-blackish watercolor overlay. I like the green, but it is too bright, too new looking to blend with the aging cottage.

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 06

 More work on the exterior.

All of the plaster on the front and both sides of the cottage have been painted. 

The front timbers will have to be glued into place before the benches can be built on the front porch. The little benches are very tight-lipped; they have not told me what color they want to be.

The remaining parts of the benches have been undercoated with gesso. They are resting on a few pieces of spaghetti so the air can circulate beneath them and both sides can dry.  The tabs on the two seats and the slots are not painted; they will be glued.

Time to peruse the paint locker for inspiration. Colors needed for the benches and porch. 

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 05

 The chimney is made of stones torn from paper egg cartons. 

 The first step was to paint the chimney with a medium gray craft paint, just a bit darker than the gray of the egg carton. This will serve as grout between the stones.

The "stones" glued on in a random pattern to mimic fieldstones. The "grout" looks more like background than a substance holding the stone in place. A little more magic is needed.

To reach this stage, some of the "grout" gray was brushed over the stones. Not a solid layer, but enough to cover any printing and add some highlights to the stones. 

The next step was to add a darker gray in spots to define some shadows, which enhanced the surface texture.

The last step was to add a third gray color, the darkest gray, which further enhanced the texture of the stones and did a bit of aging.

Click on the photo to see the detail in a larger view.

Notice that the stones stop beneath the slots where the roof pieces will attach. The upper part of the chimney will be finished after the roof is installed and the chimney top is built out. Some of the pieces will have to wrap around the corners of the chimney to mimic real stones.

The timber pieces are taped in place. The chimney needs to be smoothed where a few "stones" stick over the edge. A sharp knife or razor blade will do the job. After that, the timbers can be glued in place.

I found photos of several cottages online that looked like this one, with no bricks at the bottom. I am now thinking that this cottage does not need bricks. By the time the landscaping and butterflies are added, it is going to busy enough.

Time to dig out the instructions and go on to the next step.

 

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 04

 Working on the chimney wall with its timbering and plaster walls and stone chimney. 

(FYI--click on the photo to see a larger picture.)

The chimney wall has been painted with gesso, an acrylic primer that is used to prepare a substrate for painting in oils or acrylics. It dries to a matte finish and helps to seal the wood so the naturally occurring oils will not leach out to stain the surface treatment.

The timber templates have been traced and removed. The areas between the timbers will be painted to resemble the normal discoloration of aging.

Watercolors work well on the gesso base. All of the openings have been aged, although the bottom row may still be rendered in brick instead of plaster. 

The next step will be to dig out the cardboard egg cartons and start creating the field stones for the chimney. 

The timbers are still in dry fit. They can be easily removed to add in the bricks or if it is necessary to touch up the background. 

Sugarplum Cottage to Monarch Cottage 03

 The timbers are looking much better with the covering of contact paper.

They have more substance. 

The white cardboard has a brown backing. This view shows the front timbers stuck to the contact paper, which has a white backing. The utility knife is used to cut away the excess Contact paper.

This view shows all of the timbers plus the front door covered with the weathered wood Contact paper, and the main roof pieces are in place. The timbers are held in place by masking tape, another dry fit step. The instructions say to glue them in place, but they need to be removed so the walls behind them can be decorated.

This is the outer chimney wall. The timbering will be removed so the area behind can be painted with gesso to resemble plaster. The bottom row may be treated with Spackle and etched to resemble bricks. The chimney itself is asking to be fieldstone. Time to dig out the egg cartons!