Finishing school... !

It has been an eventful few days in the 'house',  there was a 'disaster'!  Yep,  the paint was patchy and I couldn't work out why.  The wood that has been used for the house isn't the best quality it has to be said.   I wracked my brain for solutions, and finally came up with one - gesso!  So I gave the entire exterior of the house a good sanding, then applied a couple of coats of gesso,  then went over the area where the lugs had been showing through with some filler.  Finally I had a smooth and white surface...   I left the thing overnight to dry thoroughly, then gave it two coats of emulsion, and at last I had a nice finish.   I also popped to my local DIY store, I was looking for wood stain, for the furniture, and some sandpaper, and stumbled across this can of pain, never seen it before, but decided to take a chance.   Oh boy has this little can of paint made a difference to the window frames, verandah etc,  at last I've got a half decent finish on them.  

I've also been doing some DIY,  as in making a front step.   I picked up a pack of balsa wood from Hobbycraft,  and from it I made this little step.    Just the right size for outside the front door.   I used the Multi surface paint on all the window frames,  oh boy do they now look better. A couple of coats was all it took to make them look smart.  Had the frames not been stuck on I'd have taken my time painting them,  but I had to make do with what I had, and that was badly stuck on and painted frames.  They'd not even thought of using acetate for the windows!

The edging is also lousy,  so I needed to tidy it up round the gables.  More balsa,  you can see here what a difference it makes, from tatty to tidy.   Just needs a coat of paint now.  The window frame has also had a couple of coats of the new paint,  now it looks really dandy.   It is all fiddly stuff at present,  tidying up all the edges, frames etc.   I had the same dilemma with the window ledges...  both were naff, plus they had holes for the very big hinges.  So had to use a combo of balsa and filler to try to make them look better.

Now they are starting to look the business.  I used the original window ledge as a template to make another layer out of balsa.   I needed to use a bit of whittling to get the two layers to match, and lots of careful sanding.  But you can see that the work was worth it,  now they just need painting,  a few coats mind you.   The balas soaks up the paint,  two coats gives me a 'surface', after that I can focus on getting a good finish. 

The verandah has also had a lot of work.  The top was awful,  again down to the poor quality of the wood.  I painted them, then cut two tops,  glued them into place and left them over night.  Today I added some thin strips round the front to neaten the edges,  and a little bit of filler.  Now it just needs another coat of paint.  It all fits neatly,  plus I've made some window ledges for the two bottom windows,  though they may get flipped over to become window boxes! 

And I'm getting adventurous!  I am attempting to make a sofa.  I've cut out the seat and back, plus one side, I've got some foam and material.  This was as far as I got today, after a very long day I should add.   I've got an armchair, so used that for some of the measurements, then played with a paper template until I was happy.   I've been checking out Youtube for ideas, and other blogs.  I've seen how I can make curtains and save a fortune,  and then there is the food...  have I got that much patience?    Not sure, but I'll have a go. 

Oh there was a slight mishap in the DIY shop...  it happened while I was looking for the wood stain.  I had decided on light oak, but couldn't find any.  So as I was trying to check what was at the back of the shelf a can of wood stain toppled off the shelf and burst open,  oops!   There was a chap next to me who did not bat an eyelid, in fact he stood there like a lemon, there's me on me crutch!   Anyway I found a member of staff and told them what had happened, she was worried as to how to clear it up until I said the stain was water-based.   Which was lucky, for me that is,  as it has splashed onto my trousers.  I managed to remove the stain with some oxi powder,  phew,  didn't fancy having to buy a new pair of trousers.  

So tomorrow there is more painting, that is after I figure out what cat food Harvey will eat.  He's been impossible,  he starved himself yesterday,  so much so that he was looking very sorry for himself today.   I've never met a cat like him,  my old cat, Miss Mufti, could be fussy,   but compared to Harvey, she was a breeze.   I found a can of tuna in the cupboard and gave him that, which he devoured in a few minutes, so it is purely down to his stubbornness.  Well I am not giving in,  he has to learn to eat what is on offer, which is Felix, not cheap stuff.  If not his tummy is going to be rumbling.  His girlfriend couldn't care less what is in his dish, she is happy to scoff the lot.   I am blaming his previous owners,  they clearly never got him into an eating routine.   I've managed that bit, but now need to get him to realise that he can't be too picky.  Oh he does get fresh chicken as a treat, and fish...  so he is not deprived. 

My bed is calling...  thanks for stopping by,  take care.