Quarter Scale Coaching Inn

It's been a while! I've been getting some work done but didn't have anything accomplished until I completed the larger stables today (I also have a smaller unit that is mostly done but still has a few details I need to complete before it will be finished). I am using Hobbler's Loft from Petite Properties as a stables on the lower level, and then a scullery and servant's hall in the upper level. Those won't be done for a while though, as I have multiple sets of tables and benches and I need to assemble my stagecoach passengers' dining room in order to decide what tables I'm putting where. Beyond assembling dollhouse style (without backs) on Hobbler's Loft as I have been the other units, this one also required additional kit-bashing based on where it's going to go in the layout, which is partially tucked in the space between the two Berewicks. So I had to move the door by using the door hole as a template to cut it into a different piece, a...

So as I mentioned in my last post, I went on a huge offensive over the weekend to try to finish up the four upstairs bedrooms in Butterwick, and I succeeded! The first thing to mention about the bedrooms is that I split the top of my Butterwicks by adding dividers, which made for four cozy bedrooms up top rather than two giant ones. This felt more right for an inn where people would often just be staying overnight. All of the rooms are fairly masculine -- it wouldn't be as common for women to be traveling by themselves, and I thought these rooms would be more often occupied by men. The first room is meant to be one that might be preferred by someone in trade. Although the rooms are mostly geared for a one-night stopover, this one might be used for longer by someone who had business in the area. It's got a table, bed, chair, writing slope and desk from Petworth Miniatures . The picture frames for all of the rooms are also from Petworth, while all of the fir...

I went on a major offensive this weekend trying to get the bedrooms of my Butterwick Houses done, and I did! But it's going to take some time to write up the details for those and I realized that I still haven't posted on completing the ballroom. It's simpler than many of the other rooms as it needs a lot of space in the middle for dancing. On one end are two Petworth Miniatures chairs, and a plant stand I picked up somewhere along the way, which is serving as a little side table to hold another Mini From Italy fan. The vases are actually lamp bases from SJS Originals on Etsy, with some Stewart Dollhouse roses inside and embroidery thread as the greenery. I'm pretty chuffed with how those turned out as I think it's my best tiny painting to date. The fireplace is from Victoria Miniland and boy those are a pain to paint. I think I tried spray paint first and it just wouldn't get into the detailed bits so I had to use regular paint (somewhere around here I h...

So I had to take a break from mini-ing to use my workspace for another project, and it ended up being longer than I'd thought it was going to be. It's only been in the last week or so that I've gotten back into gear, but I feel like I'm at least making good progress again. I did get the front glued on to the first Butterwick House, and the second is now not far behind. The room that's had the most progress since my last, though, is the dining room, the second floor of that Butterwick House. Not only are the wallpaper ( Mini Minutia ), wainscoting ( Desert Minis ) and the (incredibly difficult) ruched curtains in, but I've also got the table and sideboard dressed, and those were crazy complicated because I wanted to do a proper feast. Strangely, finding plates has been the most difficult bit for all of this, and sadly I can't recall where I got many of them! I could not find the right size for some of them and actually ended up taking the cardboard backin...

I'm making more progress -- slowly -- and am thisclose to having the front ready to glue on to the first Butterwick House. But the last few panels needed some adjustment, so more on that in a future post. Instead I thought I'd give a first look at the coffee room, as I'm making pretty good progress on it. I got the Petworth Miniatures gaming table "dressed," finally, including a sandwich from Medieval Miniatures and a whiskey set from Stewart Dollhouse. The sandwich was invented when the Earl of Sandwich was hungry but didn't want to leave the gaming table and asked that meat between two pieces of bread be brought to him, so it was fun to slip that little anecdote into my scene. The secretary is from Victoria Miniland and it's stocked with books from kenna_gal on eBay. There are more of them in the bookshelves on either side of the fireplace (another from Herdwick Landscapes). Would a coaching inn have had that many books? Possibly not, bu...

I haven't posted in a while because I haven't really completed anything lately. I am still working away on both Butterwick Houses, but I thought I would at least post some pictures of work in progress. One of the tricky things with these houses has been figuring out my plan to build them. The reason for this is that they will eventually be joined in some fashion -- their balconies will connect to form the gallery. The bottom part of them needs to be in a stone finish, and I couldn't put the lower windows in until the stone finish was done around them. But the stone finish couldn't be completed until the upstairs was more complete and I attached the balconies. Add to this a whole lot of wallpaper and details which means I really need to work on the rooms from the bottom up without the upper floor in place for each room, and it became a real conundrum. Ultimately what I decided to do was to do part of the front stone, particularly around the windows. I'll then ha...