Hello April!

What are you doing here again already?

My big plan is to make a parade of shops (ending with the Pub shown in my last post) but I keep running into seemingly intractable logistical issues.

The first shop in the row has ‘Lilly’s’ – an Apothecary and Florist – on the ground floor and a Dressmakers/Haberdashery upstairs and I have made some progress. I wanted to have the Apothecary at the back and the flowers at the front of the shop and I was very taken with the idea of having an arch to to create a partial division. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done and it took me the longest time. After a lot of fails I realised I could use this flexible ruler and it’s finally within striking of the effect I was hoping for. Then I realised I’d have to do the cornice and picture rail behind the wall with the arch first…

I had the weekend ahead of me and my optimism that I might actually live long enough to see this project finished returned, momentarily. But then I went to Chester.

I went with Mr RH because we were trading in his car and we decided to stay for a couple of nights (because it’s a long way from us) and, although I had been torn away from the Makery with some reluctance, I must say it was incredible. I’ve never seen such buildings! Beams, decorative wood and plaster work, carving, stained glass, ornate brick work and wrought iron…This slideshow captures a modest sampling of the glories:

I was sorry to leave but, as soon as I got home, I was determined to finish ‘Lilly’s’ without further delay. In the first picture below (taken from Dolls House Direct, where I bought the kit), you can see what it’s meant to look like. I bought it because I love the windows and I had, coincidently, already painted the outside white and the windows and door black but I really didn’t like the way the door was stuck onto the front so I had decided to set it a little further back.

A general logistical issue I had was that the front wall is shorter than the sides (photos 2 and 3). I realised this after the rest was stuck together and I planned to get around it by raising the bottom so when I found the way I had hacked the door made it marginally too high for the opening I was unperturbed and thought I would just cut out the little strip under the hole for the doorway. Then I realised that would make the windows different heights. They are going to have to be different heights upstairs or downstairs but I think the downstairs ones really need to be level.

Having been enthused by the grandeur and more-is-more style of those buildings in Chester, I think I’m going to commandeer the pillars from the amazing bargain dolls house and go for a grand entrance. I will have to raise the pillars and make a canopy but the photos below give an impression of what I have in mind. In order to fit on the pillars, I’ve had to add a strip to the side and an equal sized strip will have to be cut from the next door shop’s wall but I will beg someone more skilled with a saw to do that for me!

In the final logistical issue for the moment, the window openings are smaller than the windows so I will have to delay sticking the windows on until I’ve sorted out the door…

I feel my life was so much easier when I stuck to sewing and knitting.

Nevertheless, I think I should have a room ready to show by the weekend.

I hope all your projects are running more smoothly than mine :)

Janine @ Rainbow Hare