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 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.