Provence house patio with tree

The last project was the garden - and that is now blooming with lavender and has a large plane tree. It turned out just the way I wanted it to :-)

After straightening this branch of wood for a couple of months in the vice, the stem is much straighter now. Glueing some 2500 leaves on the tree was actually very rewarding. Nothing one could really do wrong. I don't think I ever 'heard' so much TV in a long time...

Just spray painting the paper for the leaves had its suprise: one of the cans left lots of dust, which creeped in everywhere in the room! It took me some time to clean up my hobby room and every shelf...Lesson learned: only spray outside!!

'Tree planting' was not about getting the shovel out! The tree needed to be removable. Drilling straight into the stem and getting this alu rod straight was very interesting... 

A bit of lawn in front of the pottery studio - could not find pebbles the right size...

I bought the garden furniture at the Paris fair earlier this year. After a little work on it (it was an awful blueish green and the table top was not in proportion with the bench) I am happy with it. For a moment I fancied the furniture from Catherine Ferouelle but it would have been a bit too shabby-chic for this freshly renovated house ;-)

Basically, this house is now complete!
Video summary to follow...

Marion

Lounge, Pots, Plants, roof tile test

About the lounge, dining area and kitchen...

A big moment when I could install the modern 'metal' doors I made a few months back already.

They open an close because I fed a steel wire through the hollow frame (brass) on the side, inserted 1mm of the wire into the frame of the upper part window and the wood strip at the bottom.

This lower part outside wall was supposed to be fixed so that I could attach lights outside. But alas - plans change as one goes along... no working lights outside ;-) but able to have a full view of the ground floor.

short description: making of

About the roof....
Thanks for everybody's input and ideas. Spent time on researching hoping I could find ready made terracotta barrel-type roof tiles. No such luck up to now...
So - rainy weekend was perfect for testing different materials to make them myself.
Here my findings


About the garden....
Was busy making flowers from Pascale Garnier. The hortensia was the toughest, the lavender like a walk in the park...

I realized that I needed more pots for the garden though and found old coffee capsules in my box (Tschibo or Chicco d'oro - they are identical and the right size).

I primed them and gave them a first coat with terracotta clay slick mixed with white chalk paint. But the color was not intensive enough. So I did a 2nd and 3rd coat with terracotta clay slick mixed with a little white glue.

the square one is made from foamboard

I added a ribbon to the rim on this one

I did not want them to look too new and I dry painted them with a little mossy green and chalk white.
Very carefully... because you cannot sand them (without ruining everything) !


About recognition....
And to top it all: my container home model made it onto the front page of U.K. Dolls' House Magazine :-)

PLEASE NOTE: I do not expect praise for each new blog from you.
I am just happy to share my diary with you...  :-)

Marion

Sun Umbrella

One of the last things I needed in my miniature log cabin was a decent sun umbrella. 

I bought one from Bodo Henning (Germany, dollhouse manufacturer) so that I did not have to construct the mechanical parts in 1:12. 

I took it apart because the foot and stand were more for a child's dollhouse.  The new stand is made from foam board covered with metallic self-stick paper, the holder is a bit of metal ... and the rest was easy.

Now waiting impatiently for a few last details like garden hose, lemonade jug, etc. that I found on Etsy.