Farmhouse Living and a Poll for a Tutorial

Happy St. Patrick's Day Friends!
I'm still plugging away in the Farmhouse.
Built some furnishings from a wonderful, vintage kit. This is the first time I've built anything from one of these kits and I can say that the quality is really good and they are fairly easy to put together. This particular kit was the Realife series American Country Collection. I would love to find the bedroom from this collection, if there is one?

Need to sand the top again on this table...
I see some rough specks in the photo.

I think the sea chest and the side table are my favorite pieces.


 The side table was a bit fiddly, with the little strips that go between the four legs...those were a bit of a pain.
I definitely feel more confident about building things from scratch now, as I've learned from this kit that the pieces are simple shape put together in clever ways.



Love this chest and sofa.

There are also a Settle Bench and Candlestick table included.

Again, the candlestick table was fiddly as all get out :) I wound up carving little grooves in the spindle for the legs...there just wasn't enough surface area for the glue to adhere.





The Living Room

I really didn't like the staircase, it just sort of 'hung' there....I added the wall with built in shelving and really like it now. Still needs railings (ahem, yes, I know, should have done all that before putting together but I'm still learning...it's a process :D

Still quite a bit of work to do, touch ups on the walls and trim and need to paint the dividing wall (yes, I decided to put it back in). Window treatment, and stair rail among other things. I'm very happy with the way this is turning out. My dream home, or one of them, anyway ;)

Some mini accessories I made this week:

1. Apothecary, Spice Drawers
2. Antique Sifter (my fav)
3. Coffee Grinder
4. Enamel Can with Lid
5. Wall Box with Utensils
6. Kitchen Scale
7. Little Wooden Canister Box (top)

All made from scratch except the wire whisk.

I would like to do a tutorial for one of these pieces for you!  Please enter your vote in the poll in the sidebar.

XO

Ooops...Did it Again

I couldn't help myself. I really want to finish the farmhouse and it was just not doing it for me. The cottage chic look was cute but just not right. Sooooo....

Need to brush some aluminum paint on that faucet...way too shiny...

 I ripped everything out, including the dividing wall on the ground floor and started from scratch. Still working on the other half of the open floor plan.

 I still have quite a bit of trim to do and am thinking of washing the yellow to tone it down a bit. What do you think? Is it too bright? Nothing is glued or fixed permanently...thank goodness for museum wax! But, I learned NOT to leave the house sitting in the sun too long..*snicker and a few choice words*

 Much better...wish this was my kitchen!

 Ahhh, yes, and I made some canned goods! Oh my, am I ever hooked on that. :) So much fun. I tried a couple of different methods and really like the glass jars the best...wish I could find some a little bit smaller.
The tiny jars are clear resin poured in molds or pencil erasers...thanks to a tutorial found here...brilliant!
*TIP - I cut up the stems from tiny plastic plants found at the craft store (never, ever throw anything away!) for some of the green beans...they look amazingly like the real thing. Will take some better close up shots of the jars later.

 Not sure about the white shelf above the window...does it look wonky? Should I custom make one to go straight across at the same level as the top of the cabinet and window?

 The corner cabinet is scratch built, not sure if I like it here either...oh, no...there I go again....

 I made the sink...err...well part of the sink. I had the little cabinet but needed a sink!

Here are the pieces, but if you notice, I decided to extend the counter top and put the little curtain beneath it so I had to cut another top and make a 'leg' for it. The top is balsa wood and the sink is made from plastic packaging (from who knows what?  I have no idea but again, don't throw that away!!) ;) I've found that Apple Barrel brand GLOSS paint will stick to plastic really well and is perfect for faux porcelain and enamel. Dries really fast too. I haven't tried to sand it though. I do light coats so as to minimize brush marks.
Hmmmm...now to clean up the messes I've made....

Happy Day!