Can't you just see this happening inside the Garfield? This is a song from Charulata (1964): a Satyajit Ray film based on a story by Rabindranath Tagore "Nastoneer"... sung by Kishore Kumar, and starred by Soumitra Chatterjee and Madhabi Mukherjee.

... I definitely need a piano in the Garfield!

Roof Shingles

I absolutely LOVE the roof! Yes, it has been a long and arduous process, but it was well worth it. And the best part, I didn't need to spend a single penny on shingles! I had been saving left over shingles from all my previous dollhouse projects ... and I was over the moon when I finished my roofing project with about 50 or so pieces left!

Remember the half pack of skinny sticks that was left after I finished the interior moldings? I used the remaining sticks to refine the corners where the roof edges meet. See what difference it makes? A few sticks, a bit of glue and some masking tape ... and limitless patience of course!

There is still a bit more work to do before the roof is completed. I need to add the gingerbread trims and the railings on top, and paint the roof in a dark tone as in my inspiration photo.

Kitchen

I have decided to use this kitchen set in my Garfield. This photo was taken inside a different dollhouse. Each unit is separate, five pieces in all. I have not finalized the arrangement of the pieces. I think the cream and dark wood will go perfectly with the current color scheme, and the retro look is perfect!

The Garfield Dollhouse Kit Assembly Instructions & Schematics

** CLICK on images for LARGE versions **

These are the assembly instructions and schematics for the Garfield Kit. Every now and then, I get requests from viewers to send them the instructions. So, I thought I might as well post them to the blog ...

Another one of my favorite songs from the movie Parineeta. Funny how I keep finding the Garfield in all these Hindi movies ... noticed the Palladian windows with stained glass details? Or the table lamp with the tulip shade? I've always wanted a music room in my dollhouse, and this would be an excellent inspiration room. By the way, that happens to be Vidya Balan singing in this clip ~ the same actress that was dancing in the clip from Bhool Bhulaiyaa.

The Porch Roof

I glued on the porch roof last night. I have decided to keep the railings detachable. That way, I can remove the railings when I am moving the dollhouse, lowering the chance of breaking those delicate gingerbread trims during the move.

A scary thing happened while I was gluing on the roof pieces. I seem to have lost one of the roof panels. Fortunately, this piece was identical to the piece next to it, and I just cut out the piece from scrap hardboard. If you look at the photo below, it's the piece in the middle ...



See the roof shingles in progress?

Moldings

This is all you need to create the floor/ceiling moldings ...


... well, maybe a paintbrush too!

I bought two packs of skinny sticks from Hobby Lobby, and I still have half a pack left after creating most of the moldings in my Garfield. At under $10 for both packs, the skinny sticks were considerably cheaper than using dollhouse molding pieces. I painted them with dark brown craft paint, and coated them with high gloss varnish for added durability. I loved the fact that I could cut them at neat angles with regular pliers, and didn't have to bother with the miter saw.

A Word on Paper Clay

If you are thinking of using paper clay for an upcoming project, you might be interested in reading the review by Nikki Rowe of Witch and Wizard Miniatures. This article was of special interest to me because I really want to use paper clay for the exterior of the Garfield.

Here is the link: http://nikkinikkinikki72.blogspot.com/2009/08/working-with-paperclay-and-makes-of.html

The Stained Glass Window

As the late afternoon sunlight streamed in through the second floor bay window, I remarked on how forlorn the Garfield Manor looked in her quiet corner of my work room. I have started working on her again, adding a few things here and there ...

The electrical work is complete. I don't think I will be adding any exterior lights. I have paper-taped over all the crazy wires on the exterior: they look much neater now. I have started putting up the roof shingles. They are taking forever, but I am enjoying the slow and steady progress.

I got a fabulous camera lens on my birthday from my dear hubby, and a set of close-up filters from my friend. Thought I'd share photos of the stained glass window.

This is a song from Bhool Bhulaiyaa, one of my favorite movies. I love the old haveli (mansion) the movie was filmed in. Don't you think the wallpaper shown in the very beginning is a perfect match to my Garfield? I really like the railings ... thinking of adding similar railings to the second and third floor.

Inspiration Photo

Loved this photo. The bay window shape is a perfect match with the Garfield. Might use some of the architectural details if I am feeling ambitious enough!

Curtains Quandary

These are the fabric swatches I am considering for the curtains. Let's go from left to right...

On the very left, the fabric is the one I used as wallpaper. Next to it, the first fabric I had chosen for the window treatment. It is silk shot fabric where the color changes depending on what angle you look at it. But the fabric is a little too stiff and I was not looking forward to pleating it. After all, there are about 25 windows including the bay windows, and with 50 panels of curtain to make, I need a fabric that's easy to work with!

Next came the light sage green fabric. It's soft, and would probably work fine with the pleater. But the color was too neutral. That would be my backup fabric.

Below, you see the fabric of my dreams; it is the softest chiffon that transitions from mossy green to gray-green and has glitters all over. BUT, here is the sad story ... this piece of fabric was bought a long time ago, even before I thought of making the Garfield. Since it was bought to dress a doll, I did not think of buying a lot of it. I did go back months later to buy more, but the store did not carry it anymore. So, now I don't have enough fabric for the curtains. I will use it somewhere or the other ... perhaps to create a canopy for the bed.

NOTE: when you find a fabric that you absolutely love, buy a LOT of it. You never know when you will need it.


The final contender, and probably the winner: I found the above fabric at JoAnn fabric and craft store and bought a yard of it immediately! The fabric comes perfectly pleated like this, so I won't even need to take out the pleater! I think that ends my search for curtain fabrics ...

... but does the search really end, ever?

Color Inspiration: Bourton-on-the-Water

After going through thousands of photos online, I have found the perfect inspiration photo for the exterior of the Garfield. These are photos of the 1/9 scale model villate of Bourton-on-the-Water. Read more about it at: http://www.theoldnewinn.co.uk/village.htm. I love the serene gray color palette, and would really like to capture the aged stone look.

Garfield Manor by Beth

A few years ago, before I started on the Garfield Kit, these photos were sent to me by Beth, In A Miniature Manor. I found these on my Dollhouse blog, and wanted to share them with you.

Hi, Sumaiya

I built the Garfield back in the early 90s. It's a great house with a lot of possibilities. I'm attaching some pictures of mine, taken before I changed the exterior colors to purple with rose trim.

I highly recommend changing some things to better quality miniatures. These include the front door, the french doors, and the porch railings and trim. I wish I had changed out the inside stair railings too. You can get working windows but it's not cheap so I kept the ones that came with it. The only working windows for the Garfield are made by Timberbrook. Check with a shop if you have one near to see if they still make them.

I was unable to change the very narrow side door that goes into the kitchen, but put a Houseworks double door with Palladian window over in the front. I had to adjust the opening, but it was worth it. Houseworks French doors fit pretty well as I remember.

My Garfield is on a landscaped base. I covered the foundation with mortar and stones (aquarium rocks) and built a slate terrace off the living room.

For the porch I bought posts, rails and balusters separately and designed my own. I advise painting before assembling!

Are you planning to wire your house? I did, making slits in the raw floors to run the tapewire between stories. The system starts from the kitchen.

If you have any questions I'll be happy to try to help you.

Good luck, and have fun!

Beth, In A Miniature Manor
www.minimanor.com

Paperclay Bricks

I have been really quiet about the Garfield for the past month, haven't I! Truth be told, I have not done a lot with it since the last time. Added a few electrical outlets, almost finished with the interior trims, and did a LOT of thinking about the exterior wall treatment.

I finally decided to go with paperclay. In general, I like this material. In the photo above, you can see the Orchid dollhouse I built in 2007. I will use wooden shingles on the roof.

The famous Tracy Topps of Minis on the Edge generously directed me to the best source of paperclay: http://www.creativepaperclay.com. They sell at bulk and at wholesale prices.

I bought a brick mold from http://www.malcolmsminiatures.co.uk. For the Orchid above, I had to hand score the bricks, and I am hoping the mold would make my task easier.