Skirting boards and lights

When I bought the biggest dolls house I could find, I thought it would take me ages, but I'm really enjoying decorating it, so suspect it may be finished soon. Then I will have to furnish it. Then, I'll probably start again and redecorate. Or maybe I'll just get another one....

So, this weekend it's all been about skirting boards and lighting. Last time I posted a picture of the dining room which I'd almost finished. but now I've added some nice mahogany skirting board, and I think it looks so much better.

So impressed, I added some to the Living Room  - it finishes the room off nicely I think. Getting quite a dab hand at the mitering now as well.

I've also connected many of the lights up, including as you can see the little orange ones in the fireplaces. It is a very fiddly job, lots of very tiny wires and plugs.  I've bought some reading glasses especially to help.

Finally, I've decorated the kitchen - had huge problems with the floor, but the finished result  doesn't look too bad:

Am loving how the house looks at night all lit up. Only top two floors to go now.

And, finally, one of the lessons I said I'd learned was not to kneel down too much. Well, I've spent the last couple of weeks with a very painful knee, and this morning it was so bad I went to the doctor. Turns out its either a torn ligament or bursitis - and I've got to take anti-inflammatory tablets for a few weeks. So, the house is now on a table, and I sit on a stool!

More Dolls House decorating

Time for the latest Dolls House update. Just realised that although I've shown you what the house looks like from the outside, I've not included a picture of the whole house with all of the doors open. So, here it is taken a few minutes ago:

It's getting there, a couple more rooms decorated, and even some furniture.  But, I'm still learning loads, mainly through making mistakes. So, what have I learned recently?

• Don't stick the stairs to the hall walls until after you've decorated. Wallpapering or even painting round them is going to be great fun now they're all fixed with superglue!
• Don't try and do anything in varifocal glasses. No matter what angle you're at, it's the wrong one
• Only stick the carpets down when you're absolutely certain you don't need to get under them again - like to hide wires, or install skirting boards for example.
• Put the house on a table, and sit on a stool, don't kneel down  - you hurt your knees!
• Don't try and saw through anything whilst resting it on your knee....

So, what have I done recently. Well, I've decorated the living room:

And I've installed coving to the ceiling. Now, you might think this is no big deal, but I had to mitre the corners. For that I had to buy a very small mitre box and work out which way to cut the strips. Nor easy with my lack of spatial awareness. Only did one the wrong way round. Next thing is to take the carpet up and put some skirting boards in. Then re-trim the carpet because it will be the wrong size. Flooring definitely has to go in last.

I've also started decorating the Music Room with some very nice trompe l'oeil wallper and marble flooring (which isn't stuck down yet)

Last time I posted I'd done the Dining Room, and now I've added some furniture and extra lights:

This is only temporary. I've had to unstick the carpet which needs to be removed to install the lights in the room below, and I think I'm going to put either a dado rail or skirting boards in, or maybe both. Given the amount of movement whilst you're doing the house, getting to the back of it to plug the lights in for example, I'm not sure any furniture will go in until the decorating is finished.

Really enjoying it - I'm learning new skills (I didn't know what mitring was for example until the weekend...), and I'm acquiring my own set of miniature tools. Here's this week's purchases, complete with inquisitive cat!

Strange cat drinking habits

I've blogged before about my stupid cat Rocco, who refuses to drink out of a bowl and prefers taps. He has a drink every morning from this bathroom tap when I get up, but looked a bit indignant when he saw me photographing him.

 Well, now he's got a new trick. Sometimes when I get up and go downstairs to the kitchen he's asleep in the sink. When I turn the tap on he lazily stands and lets the water hit him on the head, run down his nose into the sink where he laps it up.

When he's had enough he has a bit of a shake, and finds somewhere a bit drier to sleep.

Well, he keeps me amused!

Dolls House continued

Dolls House update. Spent part of the train journey to London on Friday working out which rooms would go where. This is the latest plan:

As for the period, well I think its going to be a mixture of Victorian, Georgian and modern! The sort of house I'd like to live in. Today I decided to decorate one of the main rooms, with wallpaper I'd bought from a little shop in York last week. But, it's quite complicated. I had to paint the ceiling, stain the door and door frame, install a light fitting, put the paper on including cutting it round the door, and lay a carpet. Here's what it looked like when I'd finished.

Not too bad. I'm learning lots as I go, the main thing today being that my very sharp paper knife will not cut though the wallpaper when it has paste on.

 I'm not a particularly tidy person, and here's the mess I made doing this one room:

Diary of an Easter Weekend in London

Friday.
Get up, slightly later than normal :-) Tram to station. First class train to London (advance tickets, very cheap). Walk to hotel, via a lovely little sandwich shop called Chive - I had chicken, smoky bacon and leek, very nice.
Check in at hotel, and get warm chocolate cookie each, yummy.
Tube to Pimlico, and short walk to Tate Britain. Not been here for ages, but loved it, especially the pre-raphaelite stuff. I had Ophelia and the Lady of Shallott on every student room I ever lived in.

Walk back down Thames via Westminster, Big Ben etc, and back to hotel.

Quick G and T, relax, and back out again for walk to Covent Garden.
Dinner in Dishoom, a Mumbay cafe style restaurant. sort of Indian Tapas. We had about 6 dishes - lamb biriyani, chicken curry, black dhaal, spiced fish fingers, minced lamb on hot toast and garlic naan. and beer - of course.

Cambridge Theater for Matilda the Musical. Bit of a shock when charged £32 for 4 glasses of white wine. But, show fantastic. Can't find enough superlatives. The music (by the wonderful Tim Minchin), the set, the songs, the children and the choreography, are to die for. Can't help but smile all the way through.

Back to hotel for  nightcap and a film.think it was Minority Report but I nodded off...

Saturday
Nice breakfast - lots of fruit, yoghurt etc
Tube to South Kensington and off to V and A where we'd booked tickets for the special exhibition, Great British design from 1948 to now. Excellent stuff. Lots of great things.

Ecxited to see Keith's spoon in Silver gallery.

Coffee in the garden, then  Camden market.
Never been before. couldn't believe how big it was. Great designs on shops on Camden High Street.

Lunch in Camden Lock market sitting on chairs made from scooters. Think we could have just walked round trying free stuff.

Underground market in horse tunnel very impressive.

Back to hotel. Bath to relax aching legs. Quick drink and out again for tea. Couldn't get in Cabana, the Brazilian restaurant we wanted to eat in, so had nice meal in Zizzis instead.
Rock of Ages. Fantastic. Plastic lighters to wave. Great rock songs. Lots of clapping, standing up, singing, fireworks, gold glitter bombs, tinsel bombs. Real feel good night.

Sunday
Realised it was Easter Saturday, so couldn't do shopping day we'd intended, but walked to Covent Garden anyway.Craft stalls open, and lots of eggs around.

 Walked to Trafalgar Square via Leicester Square and went in National Gallery so Stu could see Madonna of the Rocks.
Then to National Portrait Gallery. Contemporary portraits,  Portraits of unknown people.

Back to hotel. Pack. Walk to St Pancras,. Lunch in Betjenman Arms.
I had a Sunday Roast sandwich,
Ace idea!

Train back, nap, angry birds, and back to Sheffield in time for curry in Saffron Club. Closing in a couple of days so our last night with Naz, Nash and the lads. very sad, but great end to great weekend.