A new project

Here's my next project, Daffodil Cottage.  This photo is from the PP website, isn't it cute?   It is part of Memory Lane,  which is made up of six properties and which I hope to complete this year. 

Yesterday was all about the prep work, which is boring but necessary.   I was also choosing wallpaper, and flooring.  I really must have a go at making my own,  in quarter scale that is. I did make a lot of backgrounds for cards and scrapbooking at one point, it was easy,  get a pattern, then copy and paste.  At the moment I'm looking for a ridge pattern, for the roof of the cottage,  I've found a few already, next task is to size it properly.  I have never been good at maths,  I loathed it at school, none of it ever made sense, as for algebra, what do I care what 'x' is! 

Back to more sensible things.   Here are the two floors and the front and back walls.  You can't really see the upper ground floor wallpaper, but trust me, it is a pretty paper.   I chose a tile pattern for the upper floor, and floorboards for the ground floor.  Still need to print out the rug.  At this point I still needed to cut out the windows and doors in the front wall, was waiting for the paper to dry completely.    I gave both floors the usual two coats of glossy mod podge, and remembered not to take the flooring all the way to the edge, cos if I had then that sticky out bit wouldn't have fitted in the slot!

The two sides and the front wall, now with the windows and door apertures cut out.   They look very neat and tidy,  I do sometimes rush things,  which I'm trying not to do.  It was the same when I was making cards, I'd get impatient and of course I'd end up making mistakes.   So I'm determined to take my time and get things right. 

And finally, windows and doors, all different colours.  A bit confusing, but the small windows are the outside windows, and green wouldn't have suited the wallpaper so I tried to choose colours that would.  Same applies to the two doors,  which is in fact just the front door, the green door will be on the outside.  Once they're dry they will have the 'glass' fixed into place.

  Oops, this is the 'and finally', the front exterior wall of the cottage, now with brick work.   I've since completed all the brick work.   Those straggly  bits will get chopped off and it will all look nice and tidy.   Then I just have to decide what colour to paint the bricks. I've used chapel stone for the mortar.   I am going to get some of the fancy brick masks,  then I can make the windows look a bit nicer.  Not that such things would be done to such a small cottage. 

The houses, shops and the pub, will have different finishes, so my creative skills are about to be tested.  I also want to try out some of the stuff suggested in Bea's book on exterior finishes (on the PP website). 



Not sure about this weather, the calendar assures me that it is April, but it feels more like January.  I stayed tucked up inside today, just didn't feel like budging.   I had a nagging voice telling me that I should go out, but I ignored it,  I'm learning not to put myself under pressure.  That nagging voice comes from my past,  when I'd be told that I should be outside enjoying myself!     I agree with that poem by Philip Larkin,  They F**k you up, your mum and dad, they don't mean to...  it is so true.   Even as I got older my family would nag me to 'go out',  yet I was perfectly happy where I was.  Same at parties, they'd tell me to enjoy myself,  what they meant was that I should get up and make an idiot of myself, yet again I was happy and content to sit and watch, or chat,  if I wanted to dance then I would.  In fact I enjoyed dancing, did a lot of it when I was in the army, loved our Thursday night disco's,  I even managed to master some Northern Soul moves.    I've been watching that series 'Army Girls' on C4,  it kind of brings back some memories.  I was in the army, but back then the women had their own corps: WRAC,  and we were not required to be trained in combat.  However, we still had to march, do drill and endless ironing, oh and endless cleaning!  I swear someone used to come round and plant dust just before inspection.   My favourite task was bulling my shoes,  or if you like, polishing them, but to that high, and very glossy shine that you see on army boots.  It was very relaxing, though every now and then you had to burn off all the polish from the shoes and start over.  Something else that came easy was tying my tie in a Windsor knot,  which was the only knot the army (then) would allow, my dad had already taught me how.  We had horrible knitted ties,  eventually someone gave me a lovely green silk tie,   and we had very smart caps! 

I'm off to write up my diary, and do some actual writing.  Hope to be back over the weekend with more news of Daffodil Cottage.