Mrs Puddifoot's gets its kitchen fire surround, and work commences on terrace of shops in Diagon Alley and more!

Well I have been busy, and mostly not doing mini work!  Time has been taken up for other things and for the cabin to get its final decorative touches. I just need to purchase the fabric for the display tables curtains and it's just about finished. A few things need tweaking (my little what-not on the wall needs a proper re-dressing), but at last I can have an idea of my display space.  

Firstly though my truly wonderful fire surround that I had made is here, I had to wait a while, but it was well worth it!!! I couldn't decide what type of stove to have...so many of the Harry Potter kitchen's have old fashioned black ranges that I really didn't think this project suited it. So it will be a choice between the very earliest AGA available in the UK in cream (which fits this surround as it's made by the same makers) or the quirky stove kit by Chrysnbon which I have loved for years. So I've bought the latter to see what it looks like and if it doesn't suit the project I have lots of other projects it will suit. ;o)

I chose the larger one as it gives me more options with the type of stove. I will most likely go with the old fashioned cream AGA. I was going to have it on the back wall where I think it would look better, but because the fireplace downstairs is on this wall, that means the chimney breast has to be on this side...I have to be authentic! lol

It's not small, but as it's gonna be a key piece in the room, I didn't mind. The other one in the same style is only slightly smaller.

I've also completed the wallpapering for this wall, and I had to join it. I prefer proper dolls house sheets or scrap booking pages where you get much bigger sheets. I glued on with YES! Paste, the best thing since sliced bread in my opinion! It's extremely low in water content thus does not damage the paper in any way and you can slide it around to ensure it's in the correct position.    

I also trimmed the interior window frames that I made so they fit better and I've repainted where I've trimmed them. I've also cut the acetate, no it isn't blue! lol That's just the protective film to stop it getting scratched! :o)  I will glue  into place using Glue 'n' Glaze and then I will apply some 'steamy windows' effects. ;o) 

I've also made interior window frames for the door. These are still very raw. They've had their first coat of homemade primer (white emulsion paint and PVA (white glue), I make mine up 50/50, quite strong. I will apply 2 or 3 coats, sanding inbetween coats to I get a smooth and even edge. Once painted they are as strong as a thin piece of plywood. 

This is my latest kit to being built, my terrace of 3 shops for Diagon alley, as you can see it has three floors. I'm in the middle of priming and that will take a while! lol  I used homemade primer for the interior, but a bought one for the outside. If you are just going to wallpaper and paint, then priming a kit isn't so important, but if you are going to use bricks with mortar, or clay then it's essential that you do. Also, the larger the front panel and kit, the more prone it is to warp and warp it will....MDF is known for it! Priming also alleviates a lot of the fluffy bits and once sanded is a lot smoother to work with.     

I have a way to go yet! I do a bit of priming and let that piece dry and then go and do something else on the tea shop! lol 

A rough idea how I might have the walls, though with the downstairs shop ones  you don't have a choice about the shop walls, the windows and doors positions dictate that.  

The shop on the left will be Scrivenshaft's Quill shop. As you can see I will be adding false doors. :o) 

Where the door will go, I was going to have it on the back wall, but it doesn't fit in with that unit there. ;o)

The Magic Neep, the magical grocers. These aren't the stairs supplied, just an example to show you the planned layout. I will dress and adorn the stairs with goods for the shop I think! lol

 Twilfit and Taffings clothes shop, again with a false door.

Twilfit and Taffings work room, I will add a false door on the back wall. I don't want a huge room for this. 

The remainder of the project? Well, it's likely to be Brews & Stews B&B. I have no idea what it's like, but it won't be too salubrious! lol  This room will be the kitchen I think.

The living room..a busy room? 

 Overall look...

I'm going to change the window and make them Georgian.

To something like this, I will use the proper sized piece of wood though! lol

Most of my time has been taken up with decoration of the cabin! The last thing to do is buy the fabric for the curtain under the table's, I think my Mum is going to get it tomorrow. This is not the final look of my Diagon Alley layout, not all the shops are down from the top shelf and I want to play with ideas. ;o)   

 The joke shop will stay in that corner though as it's big.

I may have some shops jutting out and some on turntables. I don't like the idea that you can only pose the corner shops one way (so you can access them inside), if they are on a turntable they can face one way in the alley and to open them, turn them around. ;o) 

 I will have minis scenes along the alley. There are many stalls and stands.

I plan to add stairs here...to incorporate my layout with my real life furniture! lol

My Hogwarts will go on the back chest of drawers, I plan to make my own. The Hogshead Tavern will become The Three Broomsticks...as it will be the first project to the alley (like in the films), so I will remove the beams and paperclay on that side and add aged and distressed bricks instead.   

I don't plan to have this shop jutting out here, but further up the other end near my Centenary House.  

My cabin has been decorated with items I bought ages ago! I will have the balloon dressed. :o) 

My Mum has made the curtains/blinds...all in one day. The blinds don't work, just there to soften the look.

 My Mum bought me this in our local market town. ;o))

 This area needs attention! The what-not on the wall isn't dressed how I want it or finished!    

 My Sister made all the pictures, some were in my old craft room, ;o) 

 I've had this witch since I was 21. My sister bought her in Whitby, she's an old favourite and graced many walls. 

 The wooden hearts for my blinds. I painted them in the same paint as the window  boxes.

Here they are in situ! ;o)

 My garden today...it's growing... 

All taken today...very cloudy at times as you can see! lol  

I hope you don’t mind my ramblings and madness! :o))

Michelle xxxx

My ‘Drive yourself crazy project’ - Mrs Puddifoot’s tea shop!

Have you ever had a drive yourself crazy project? I haven’t up until now! :oP Overall I’d say I was decisive and know what I want! Well….Mrs Puddifoot’s took the opposite of all that to a new dimension! The irony is, that this shop was supposed to be a little in-fill project whilst my Art Mache matured ready for me to complete the brick work on Sugar Plum’s sweet shop!    

There has been up and until now very little info about the tea shop….Mrs Puddifoot’s love’s pink and her shop is kitsch…yes…tons and tons of worth while info to chew on there huh! NOT! Lol  :oP

So the style was kitsch and there are two types, I decided to go with Cath Kidston style and looking at lots of pretty wall papers, I then decided that perhaps this wouldn’t go with my bistro style chair and tables…and changed to the other style of kitsch! I looked at lots and bought lots….only to find the real shop is in the style of my original choice! Lol Over weeks I’ve changed my mind on the type of lights and where to have them, types and brands of paints, about cornicing, skirting board and tongue and groove…I've over bought and under bought! You name it, I’ve done it! I’ve been undecided on the type of fire surround and stove to have for the upstairs kitchen…do I want more space or less!? To top it all, I finally learn that the outside of the shop is you guessed it…. PINK! What on earth was I thinking with cream and blue? Lol Where did my few active brain cells go on those days…not in my head that’s for certain! Yes, all the things to drive you crazy and barking mad! lol  !   

I did have a plan this year too, and that was to work on the outsides of my projects and get those completed and then start on the insides, well that went to pot and I have absolutely no idea how nor why! So! I am going to purchase the wall paper upstairs for the tea shop, paint the furniture I am waiting to be made (for downstairs) and then make a hasty retreat (without tiling the tea shops roof and this is because I still have work to do on the upstairs kitchen) and resume work on Sugar Plum’s Sweet Shop and my terrace of Diagon Alley shops….the ’outsides only’ if you please, and this will be during when my cabin's interior paintwork gets finished too! Lol ;oP                

So here was I trying to decide between fireplaces...I did originally have 3! The black one is a better size for the room, but the white one is more like the one at Universal Studios. It will be painted....wait and see! 

After a few days of still trying to decide what fireplace to have, I realised I'd have to make a hearth for this one...

This one comes with its own hearth...but I thought I might make a larger one. :o/

I decided to take the bull by the horns and make a hearth! I used an off cut of the tongue and groove and covered it with a thick mix of Richard Stacey's Modelling Dust, etc.  

I finally decided to go for the much smaller fireplace. It really is a bedroom fireplace..but it's the most likeness to the real one. This one though didn't have a back, so I cut a thin piece of card out and covered with air drying clay. You can see the outline of the back of my fireplace here. I didn't actually need to do that, I could have just bricked it and then placed it in situ.  Always wiser after the event I find! lol :oP 

Here it is wonky brick and all! lol It's going to be painted and you won't see it as you can't get  your head around that kind of angle once in situ. ;o)

The hearth is dry and trying for size...

I would prefer to have the top rail on top of the tongue and groove, but it throws the fireplace out, so it will lay on the upper part of the tongue and groove. 

The nightmare wallpaper (cutting and papering around nightmare shaped windows! lol) is in....and trying the 'look'!

The tea shop has 'steamy windows', so it says...hmmmm....this is an experiment. Not sure whether to have it, it does make the window opaque, but you can still see through it.

Hmmmmm.....undecided, so no acetate glued in situ yet!!!!

 The window frames painted their final colour. and trying looks...with (dry)painty hands!

Finally....my What-not (it needs to be dressed!) is on the wall and so is my giant pocket wall clock (which says the wrong time because it has no battery in it yet!). lol Pictures will fill the blank space. ;o) (Psst, I don't have a leaky cabin, that's the sealant showing through and paint just won't cover it...we've tried painting over it on the other side of the cabin with limited success! lol).

I have been working on my terrace of shops for Diagon Alley...that post will be along very shortly! 

I have also put a link at the top of this blog for my other blog. I don't have enough access to pages on this one so they will be shown on there, maybe with tutorials too....more soon! 

I hope you don’t mind my ramblings and madness! :o))

Michelle xxxx