Mini Gothic House - Nanny McPhee

The turret! 

I've started to glue parts of the house together for my Nanny McPhee project...but this has taken careful thought for laying light wires and decoration, so I'm not putting it together in the order you are supposed to....hmmm....I've had a few restless nights with my brain in overdrive trying to think through and work out what order to build this! lol  

The turret is intended for merely decoration, but I want it as a real room! It's where Nanny McPhee sits and reads her book and drinks her tea. ;o) So I've had to work out how to make this and make it accessible once its built.

 I've pre-stained the base in readiness for its floorboards.

 This turret has 3 windows...and they all need interior decoration before it's constructed. I will also need to add the exterior decoration before the upper bedroom is added too, otherwise it could be tricky to get my hand in the void behind the turret. 

The room has wooden battens, but these are too narrow, I didn't have an image to check at the time of trying, so I will use wider battens. ;o)  They need considerable work, lots of paint applications and even mouldy moss in gaps!     

I've also glue 2 of the 3 sides on. I used resin based blue, it's much stronger than wood glue, it's also water resistant and can be painted etc. The second floor is not glued in, just there to ensure the walls are straight.

 This wall is not glued in...

 This wall is glued in!

 I've left weighted down and in situ overnight to dry, lets hope the floor still comes out! lol

 This is where I want the front steps to go... 

This is the tongue and groove I will be using, it does take some space from the room, however, it's unusual space. I can get only 3 beds in...that's including the cot. Each bed has either a bedside table or chair by the side. The beds should go along this wall.....however, it does make the room look tight for space....

 I will need to close off the void where the tongue and groove will leave a gap.

 I may put the beds a long the back wall instead....I will see. ;o) 

I've also made the interior walls. It has really made a difference. It's all still very raw and all WIP and the additional walls will need to decorated (the hall wall) before its glued in.

I was going to have the door where the bit of the painted extra wall is...but I want the fireplace on that side wall and it would look silly having a door opening onto the fireplace, so I've opted for a false door to go on the other side wall.  

 The l-shaped hallway that I've created.

 The fireplace will now go here....where the upside down chimney stack is! lol

It was going to go here at one point. 

My Dad cut me out a back wall for the house, it will fit snugly on the back, not where it is now!

I'm going to attach via a piano hinge and either or both a tiny round magnet and hook and eye on the upper part of the house. I'm not sure whether to have the hinge on the inside of the house... 

 Or attached to the outside of the house.....

So I can dress the back wall, I'm going to add a ledge like I did for Slug and Jiggers. It will enable me to add a bookcase and a tiny table. I will also have a false door for the end of the hallway to give the impression of more rooms. ;o) I haven't thought about how to dress the upper part of the back wall yet. ;o)

You do have to allow space in the room for it though, it's a bit of a trade off really. I can't dress the back of the house as normal, but having the ledge allows me to have the bookcase etc., I only need to move the furniture into the room a little more. ;o)

I'm unsure what to do with the deep bay window...whether to add a window seat or leave as a deep window with a chair etc there. 

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

Michelle xxxx

All things Gothic...

Just a little impromptu post!I may have been quiet but I have been busy. ;o)

The main builds of Mrs Puddifoot's Teashop, Sugar Plum's Sweet Shop, Flourish & Blotts and Mr Mulpepper's are all but finished bar some small things that need finishing.  I am still busy buying for the fillings of...alas that is an ongoing thing!  I am awaiting commissions to be completed for Mrs Puddifoot's, and Slug & Jiggers. So my attention and time has been diverted to new and existing projects that require starting on and completing!

The new projects are all Gothic architecture, however my current one is probably more of an unusual Victorian building. Its theme started off as something else, but I woke up one morning this week and decided it would make a better small, but Nanny McPhee's house. It's a project that's been on  the back burner for a few years and was going to be in a much larger house, but as you only see a handful of rooms it got downsized to a room box at one point....but it's been upgraded to a one up and one down house instead! lol 

I'm not sure I'll keep all the porch/veranda detailing...I may make it more Nanny McPhee house like. 

 The inside is tiny!I may add a wall or too to make it more interesting...

 However, space is tight! lol

The high apex of the roof makes for a perfect children's bedroom...it's supposed to sleep 7, one being a cot. I'll have to see what I have room for. Again, changes will be made and I will add tongue and groove to create a low inner wall.

The above show all dry build photo's...I have a few American kits, but this is the first one that I've built and they are so different from British ones and having an open back is only one such difference.  This one is built by floor's and I don't think all American kits are. However, I am hopeful I can glue the bottom half segments together so I can decorate easier...as long as I add the upper floor whilst the segments are drying, to keep them in the correct positions, and then remove it once they are secure and dry. Well that's my plan and aim. ;o)

 Painting is still ongoing as I write, but I have glued these pieces together.

I'm not sure I will use all the pretty embellishments for this building, I may use the surplus for another project that I am doing.

Anyone that knows the film and house knows it's rather outlandishly decorated....the word tacky and bright doesn't cover it! lol I'll be doing the garish green study and the children's bedroom. I may add some of the pertinent colours to the outside window frames etc...but I will see, because what works in real life doesn't always work in miniature.

 I may add a stained glass window to this arched window.

 I've stained the floor before I start on any type of flooring to be added. 

The is the front door wall panel and a half way wall that goes inside the house. I may create a hall way here  (where the screwdriver is laying) with a doorway into the study. The hallway is a deep shade of cobalt blue! The entire house is in a rather distressed and rotten state too! lol

Or I may create an l-shaped hallway....and have the stained glass window in it. It all depends on how much space I think I need for the study, but I think it will work though. I am going to add a back wall that opens out which will cover the back of the house. This will help to reduce dust getting into the building and I can add false doors and dress it hopefully too.  

The front and its veranda. The real house has decorated porch posts and steps from the front. This house has steps up from the side....I may change that too. 

I'm going to add aged Victorian red tiles here...alas I am awaiting the seller to come back off holiday so I can purchase some! Arh....the waiting game again! 

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

Michelle xxxx