Carving the Downstairs...

First, I had to work on the area around where the door would go. Just traced my door onto the wall, and paperclayed around it.


Had to double check and make sure it would fit....



Then I began working on the wall the separates the 2 rooms...Mind you, I haven't glued the floor or the side wall into place yet.


Next I started working on the other side of the front wall.......(this will be under the window in that storage room I discussed in my my last blog)


Once I had all my walls carved out, and crumb-coated......It was time to scratch. I took my paperclay, rolled it out as thin as I could get it, dipped the piece of paperclay into some water, and then draped it over the area I wanted to work on. I pressed the paper clay down, to make sure it was attached all over, and then I began to run my needle through the clay....Kinda like scratching it in one direction.....over and over and over again. On the left side of the next picture is the before, and on the right is the after.....



Now can you see where I'm going with this?? (Just remember I plan on doing this scratchy thing all over the Whole house! LOL)


...Just a little closer view...

And now things are starting to come together....

Just have to fill in all the cracks....

'Yes, I think I'm going to like this!'

Then the wall got a 'carved' coat of paperclay.

And so did the other back wall for the storage room...

.....next comes the paint........

i think

stay tuned.....

Crumb-Coating My Styrofoam

I think Styrofoam has become my new best friend. I love how easily it carves......and it is soooo easily covered with Paperclay!! Here's a pic of one of the walls. I wanted the inside of this house to look like it was in the middle of a tree....so every wall has to have bark. The bark will come later, but for now we have holes to make. I just drove the cookie cutter down into the Styrofoam, and scooped out the insides......this way I have cubbies I can fill later....


Just a closer look at what I'm talking about...


Once everything was carved out......I began to 'crumb coat' everything. This is where I use a thin layer of paperclay to cover the Styrofoam, so later when I add a second layer, it's not messy. Makes it easier to carve into. Oh, and btw, I used circle and square cookie cutters....Here's the beginning of what the walls will look like. I got smart this time, and decided to do this house from the inside out.


The wall in the back hasn't been crumb-coated yet, but the wall in front has.

This little tiny room will become a storage room.

While waiting for the 'crumb-coat' to dry....I made the window frames and the front and back of the front door. Yes one door is bigger, you'll see one day when it's all said and done.

Also painted the fireplace. And gave it a brick background. Of course the bricks have been painted gray, and everything recently got a coat of that brown chalk.....

I think the hardest part of this whole project has been waiting for things to dry! However, I have been using that time to really think of how I wanted to do things. I'm taking my time, as usual, lol.....and day dreaming a lot. Stay tuned for more of the house, and if you've missed the last couple of blogs, you should check them out. I'm trying to break down what I've already done so far, to make it more interesting for you to read. Hope it helps.....and as always feel free to ask me anything I might of skipped over.......

until next time......

The idea that started it all.....

You gotta love the library! It's full of inspiration.

So, a few months ago I went looking for books about mice in the children's section...and came across one called The Mother's Day Mice.....and inside it's front cover was the most amazing mouse house. I loved everything from the carved acorn above the front door to the grass covered roof.

And I had this house that I bought at Michael's awhile back that has been begging to become something.....but I couldn't see it....until I saw that house in that book. Do you see the resemblance?

....so I began sketching......

...and planning. Here is the beginning of my fireplace.

Can't say the idea was all mine. The idea for the fireplace came out of a book called Craftman Style. I used foamboard to make the base, and covered that with paperclay.....have I mentioned how much I love this paperclay stuff!!

....and here's a tease of what's to come.....

And the winner is....

LOL....Your gonna have to keep reading to find out......

So...Here's the floor to the mouse house. Each stone was made from paperclay, then glued into place using tacky glue. You can see on the right I haven't started gluing the rocks down yet....but I wanted you to see that it's ok to draw out what you want first, because in the end your just going to paint over it anyways, right?!


Speaking of paint.....First I painted the whole thing gray, then I went back with water-colors, and played around until I got what I wanted. This looked so pretty at this point -loved how blue it looked.......blow this pic up and check it out, I can wait........lol


Then came the railroad ballast.....that was easy enough...put glue where you want the ballast and add the ballast. It is called ballast right?!



But of course the bf came in and told me it was "Too Pretty"........So with a little thought I went back and added some darker watercolor paint over the ballast. And it still looked to clean.......

And after A quick post to ya'll....someone suggested chalk!

Now that's what I call 'dirty'! hehehe.
Just shave off some of your favorite brown chalk, and using an old paint brush, push it into the cracks where you want it. Then I went back and did it a few more times. (I like the layered look, lol) When I was done I sprayed it with a Matte sealer and it worked perfectly!!

And you know I couldn't get a blog in without a kitty pic! So I thought I'd leave you with a pic of Jasper and Fred.....they're so cute when they sleep!

Can't promise I'm back, but hopefully over the next few weeks I can get some pic on here for you to enjoy. I loaded up two hundred and forty something pictures this morning....scary huh!!! LOL

See ya next time:)

I got a question...

Good Morning! How is everyone out there in blog land doing today?? I'm at the library again.....And just wanted to ask this:

So I'm working on the mouse house...got lots of pictures coming oneday.....But my problem is the floor. It's not dirty enough......I did cobblestones out of paperclay, then went back and used railroad ballast to fill in the cracks......And then the bf said 'it wasn't dirty enough'...so I painted it darker and it's still too clean......And suggestions on how to dirty it up??? I thought about grounded coffee beans, but I really don't want to use any kind of food product......Any suggestions would help! OH...And I got the inside of the house done last night. I've used Styrofoam and paperclay to do this house and I must say....I think I like it!!!! It even has a shower:) The next step is making the outside look like it grew into a tree.....I see a lot more Styrofoam and paperclay in my future:)

OMG.....Is it cold in this here library!!! At least I don;t have a smelly lady sitting next to me this time, LOL>


Oh...and for those of you that have been following Lane's story (my neighbor's son)...He finally finished Chemo!!! But when he went in for his bone scan/chest x-ray....the found another tumor in his lung. Poor kid just can't get a break. Last week he was out in the yard chasing my boys around in his walker...and now he gets to start this shit all over again. SO if you don't mind tonight when you say your prayers, please keep Lane in mind! He needs all the luck and prayers he can get right now.

Until Next Time......
Katie

With a new house comes a new Name...

And today I'm blogging from the Library. Wish the lady sitting behind me didn't have so much perfume on, I can actually taste it, Yuck!! LOL.....

So, the mouse house is slowly moving along. I think I sit and store on it more than I work on it. I got smart this time and decided to do the inside first, before assembling the house. Most times I build the shell first then go from there. Lots of paper clay and Styrofoam have gone into it so far....and a little bit of cork, too. I wish the computer at home was working....I'm dying to share pictures, and ask questions. I need ya'lls input here and there. Oh, and Cora and I both agree.....when it's done, we're gonna get ya'll to name it. You guys named Marshmallow Manor, and I think it would be only right to get you All involved again. Who knows, Maybe I'll even do a blog giveaway?? Speaking of giveaways.......

I owe Nikki a BIG apology! I received a blog giveaway from her right before the computer crapped out on me, and I never got the chance to brag about what I got. She sent me a skelli grow prep board, and it was perfect. I've loved Nikki's work since day one, and feel honored to have one of her pieces in my collection now:) Thanks again Nikki:)

And thanks to all the bloggers that are still commenting on my page even though I'm not here all the time. It feels really good to come in here and see all my friends:)

OK...Well my 30 minutes is about up, and now I have a headache from the smelly lady behind me.......LOL...So Until Next Time!!

Calico Critters are finally at Toys-R-Us!!!

Yup!! Ask me how excited I was when I found them....and guess who got the mouse family for her birthday:) So....with a new family, comes a new house. I have another one of those houses we all bought from Michael's a while back, and it finally spoke to me the other day.....LOL, Told me it wants to be a mouse house.....Of course I have no pictures to share with ya'll today.....Still working on those computer issues. BUT, At least I can say, I think I'm getting back into the flow of things. I have been taking pictures as I go along.....so one day, I'll be able to catch ya'll up.

Hope everyone out there is doing good! I had my thyroid biopsy and everything came back negative:) Been feeling good.....Learning not to pet every stray cat that comes along. Got bite last week, and oh boy, was it involved. Had to get a tetanus shot, had to make a report with animal control.......Had to talk to the health department.....had to go on antibiotics cause my hand got infected....and when the doctor asked if I had learnt my lesson, I laughed and said probably not, LOL. Our cats are doing good. Still have all of them, and they keep me busy! There's always one of them that needs a little TLC. But their good companions! So go figure.

OK.......I'm off for my afternoon nap......and then to start this floor.....

Until Next time!