Dollhouse Project: A Minor Fix and Exterior Work Pt. 1

I was finally able to find time to work on the dollhouse again, and I’ve gotten a little bit done. The last time you saw it, it looked like:

You can clearly see the gap between the walls on the left hand side. I used a technique I saw on one of Ara’s videos. Ara is the creative behind Bentley House MInis, and she is one of the two people who inspired me to try this project!

The technique involves using what she calls a paper “bandage” to cover up the gaps. You basically cut out strips of paper wide enough to cover the gap and attach to the walls on either side. Here’s what it looks like in place:

I used strips cut from the very thin box my cat’s wet food comes in. I measured them to fit, and I folded them in half before gluing them into place. They’ll be covered with wall paper and will never be seen again.

Update : Here is the link Ara kindly sent to me showing the paper “bandage” though she doesn’t actually use that term in this video. I think she does in one of the Fairfield videos :

Now, my attention is turned to the exterior of the house. I wanted to get it done before I put the roof on because of the overhang. I didn’t want to try texturing or painting in what’s going to be a very small space.

I used a technique I saw on Chantal’s channel for this. Chantal is the creative behind Darkest Raven’s Movie Minis(it used to be Darkest Raven’s Designs). This technique allows you to make wood look like stone using watered down glue and tissues or paper towels. I have only done one layer so far because I’m actually experimenting with the technique.

The above is the back of the house. It’s not fully covered and as you can see, there’s some transparency happening. I’ll be doing a second layer, and I will be painting. Second Empire French chateaus had white paint via a lime wash over the stone, and this is what I’m trying to recreate.

Since the house is half scale, the stone texture has to be very small and pretty subtle. I’m hoping this technique will work because ripping tissue into tiny tiny shreds is the only other option – not a fun one either.

I’ll keep you updated on the progress of this experiment as I can. My work schedule is still all over the place so planning time to do anything is nigh on impossible. Still, I’m trying.

I’ll be adding links to the videos showing both techniques as I learned them as soon as I find the videos again. 🙂

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!