Snow and icicles made with Woodland Scenics' soft flake snow and water effects.

Fishbowl by Miyuki Kobayashi. 

Granny square crochet throughout build by Tiffsniffer.

Leather coat by FIGLot, pink knitted scarf and hat, purple pillows, and multicolored afghan by Fabulously Flawed Minis, yellow and blue kid's sweaters by Sharon's mini knits, purple sweater and yellow hat/scarf/mittens on radiator by MinniesMiniatures.

Wall art by Nancy Enge, Vincent VanGogh, and myself.

Most cutting boards by Miniatures in Theory.  Kitchen cart made from a kit by ELF miniatures.  Coffee mugs by April Wright.  Echeveria and basket by Nancy Enge.

Basket from a kit by Nancy Enge.  Cat pillow by Brae Oktober.

Teddy bear by LugartPetit.            

I'm afraid I'm not feeling particularly garrulous today.  Any questions?  Please ask.

After much to and fro questioning my photographic decisions, I selected four photos and submitted my entry, the Winter Cottage.

For my second attempt at a dishrack for the contest build I constructed the frame to interlock and angled the feet to sit well, favoring stability over accuracy.

I used the smallest stripwood I had on hand for the slats.  I contemplated splitting the pieces lengthwise to make them skinnier, but was afraid I couldn't do it cleanly, as the grain of the wood usually directs the split.

It was SO FIDDLY to glue together.

It's too large.  Sigh.  Not by much, but by enough.  I won't use it.

I used the last of my tiny stripwood, so can't make another attempt until I restock.  Restocking allows me to buy the size I wanted to work with to begin with, so you'll see this project again, improved.

After I moaned about the dishrack for a bit I played with the conservatory.  I think I've got the layout determined.  There is little square footage, so the more delicate and diminutive the contents the more spacious the interior will appear.

I hung posters  yesterday, it makes the loft look fuller, so I'm satisfied.

I got the build done enough to take to work last Wednesday.  I need to put some wall art in the loft, fix the broken ladder, and make gas and electric meters to finish the exterior.

I'm still contemplating a shelf above the toys, it looks awfully bare.  How would I get one in there straight, though?  Hopefully wall art will fix it.

We're going to get the house done this weekend.

I'm stocking the inside....I've been on a frenzied push to finish this year's contest build early, because I always bring my builds into the office when I'm done, and my last day at work is October 31st.

The loft is extremely difficult to work in.

The exterior this year...winter!

I cleaned my studio a bit every weeknight last week, thus progress this weekend was faster, as I worked more efficiently.  This weekend I made the effort to put things back where they belong when I'm done with them instead of pushing them to the back of  my worktable.  Not only do I have clear spaces to work, but it's easier to lay my hands on a tool when I need it, instead of having to rummage through a mess on the table looking for it.  Discipline, Keli, discipline.

I finished painting the windows, built up and painted the porch post, and prepped floorboards for the porch....

The trim under the eaves is in place.  I opted not to attempt to smooth out where the roof pieces don't come together cleanly; I figured if I tried to screw with it I'd make it more of a mess.  I whittled down that end of the trim piece instead.

The corner trim I ordered arrived on Friday, so I got that cut, painted, and installed.  Cutting was very fiddly.

I used matte gel medium to fix the paper at the top of the wall, under the removable roof piece...

...got the porch post and floor glued in place...

...and painted and installed the skylight.  Sheila saved my bacon with the skylight; I lost mine, so she sent me hers.

You'll notice that I chose to use a wood strip on the ceiling to help hold the removable roof piece in place, instead of the clumsy wood block that came with the kit.  I repeated that strip on the other side of the room as well, so it looks like purposeful trim.  Since the strip needs to offer support I glued and screwed it in place so it would be more secure.

The windows that came with this kit are different than any I've seen before.  Instead of an exterior trimmed window with loose interior trim this is a two window sandwich.  There are two trimmed window pieces, one installed inside, the other from outside, with a piece of acrylic sandwiched between them.  I like them.   However, because I chose to install the exterior window on top of the siding it widened the gap the acrylic sits in.  I contemplated putting the siding on around the windows instead, but decided I wanted the window trim to be able to cover any edges of the siding that weren't cut perfectly .

I compensated for the gap by cutting strips of square stripwood, painting them the same color as the exterior window pieces, and gluing them to the edges of the inside windows.  This was the first need I've had to utilize the white glue/superglue combo I've read about on other miniaturist's blogs; it works great.

I then inserted the acrylic and glued the exterior piece in place.  This left a deeper windowsill on the inside I can set things on.

Coffee mug by April Wright, succulent by Nancy Enge.

My daughter suggested I repeat the front door's leaded glass pattern in the upper window at the other end of the house.  It was a good idea.

The kit came with a rectangular vent for the top dormer.  Early on, when I was reconfiguring the roof, I made a triangular one.

I like the house better without it, so I'm not going to use it.

The second skylight I made in the loft roof has to be built up, because the roof pieces are thinner than the wall pieces and the window sandwich was too thick.  I could have used only one of the window pieces and cut trim instead, but I like the idea of it sitting up a bit.  I wish I hadn't glued the big skylight in already, that would look better bumped up too.

Saturday, as I was cutting the final piece of siding for the back wall of the house, when I was measuring around the roof support beam, I thought ‘huh, I don’t remember doing this on the front side’.  

So, obviously, that wasn’t my final piece of siding.  

I got the siding for the front dormers cut, painted, and glued in place yesterday, so I am, now, officially done siding.  Whew.

My goal last week was to get the siding and trim done.  I may have pulled it off if I hadn’t taken Tuesday off, but probably not.  The dry time for glue and paint is always longer than I anticipate.  I say that every year, you’d think I would have realistic expectations by now, but no.

While paint on the two dormer siding pieces was drying I tackled the front window I did a poor job of siding around.

I filled in the gaps with bits of toothpicks.  Then because this window came with no trim, I cut four pieces to bring the window up to the level of the siding, and four more to be the exterior trim.

Once that's painted I'll glue it in place.

When I purchased the kit I also got two sizes of stripwood for trim, one square and one rectangular, so I could make my own, thicker, corner trim, that would be the same depth as the window trim.  Once held up against the actual structure it looked very odd.

At that point I began to second guess everything.  The window trim color, would it clash with the landscape...the siding, is it too bright...should I change seasons?  That was when I walked out of my studio and closed the door behind me.

After distracting myself with more episodes of The Great British Baking Show (which husband has now become involved in too), and catching up on housework, I used the last of my Beach House winnings to order some corner trim from HBS.  Now I wait again, this time for the postman.

While I'm waiting I have to decide what to do about this...

I  spent most of yesterday at my daughter's house.  She needed help reassembling a metal storage rack I gave her that came out of my office.  She is in the midst of more renovations,  a stonemason has been working on the exterior of her house for about  a month, on and off; mostly off, due to all of the rain we’ve been experiencing.  This summer has been much like I imagine living in England is.

A  before picture of a section of the stone wall...

after...

Once the exterior stonework is done I think it’s on to the new roof, but I’m not sure if there is enough time left before winter.

She has also engaged the new contractors to finish the attic/loft, and re-do the remodel of the shower because the first builders didn’t do it correctly and it’s falling apart.  She has been living at her house but showering at mine for the last year.  (There is a longer story there, but it’s not for the public.)

The bathroom in her house is comically small, so this time she’s stealing some space from one bedroom to set the shower further away from the toilet, so one can pee without setting one’s feet in the shower.  That is something her mother suggested during the first remodel, but mothers don’t know anything.  ;)

I was tired and in need of a nap when I came home from my daughter's house. Instead of napping I decided to finish the siding on the front of the house. I did a shit job of it. It’s nothing that can’t be hidden with trim, but I will have to glue in shims so that I have something to glue the window trim to.  I’m unhappy with it, but it will be okay in the end. 

I have been watching TV during drying times. I should be making books and accessories for the inside of the build, but that would entail cleaning off a work surface, and I’ve recently discovered The Great British Baking Show on Netflix.

I did did get the third side sided and painted today, correctly.  On to the fourth side, tomorrow.