Arthur Dollhouse Kit Roof Shingles Are On

I finally decided to use the shingles that came with the kit. I was tempted to use paper clay but decided wood would look better on this house. Another BIG thing that made me want to use the kits shingles is the fact that it comes on sheets. What that means is I don't have to add each shingles on one at a time Yeppie!! Notice that I added spackle in between the gaps so that under the roof, the plain color would not show through

 This is louisa at the front door. She will not live here but is a new doll I just got and so she needed a place to stay until I find her a stable home.

I have to paint or stain the shingles next and add some more browns & grays to the stonework. After that, I will be done! (As if we are ever done with a house )This is the inside down stairs

This is the upstairs

It took me another 45 minutes to add the 2 coats of "dirty wash" to the stone and to shingle the roof and patch it in areas.

As you can see, I am mostly finished with this house. I painted the shingles brown and I started off too dark so I had to finish the rest of the roof the same way because I did not want inconsistencies. When it dried, I took sand paper and rubbed some paint off. All I have to do now it go all over the roof with a wash of Dark burnt umber and that will make it more realistic by adding depth.

The only other thing left to do is for me to either paint the back foundation wall or to paperclay it. I finally put the hole in it to feed the power strip wire through so that the house can be lighted. I will add a base to it at a later date because I love flowers and a yard. 

A base also makes moving the houses MUCH easier. For the most part, I found that building this house was very simple and easy to "Bash" (or change if you don't like the dollhouse term Bash). The only real bashing I did was with the front door and adding the chimney. I also added new window inserts by use of transparency film. All of these things only added a few hours to the normal assembly process and it adds a little more character to this beautiful house kit. Don't be afraid to Change your house and make it your dream house! These ARE budget houses which means they are priced so that no matter what your budget is, you CAN own a dollhouse. I used things such as Gator foam for the chimney because it is less expensive than wood and if you are like me (afraid of power tools that bite) this is another alternative.

Don't be afraid to follow the instructions in a way that fits making your dream house a reality. I strayed away from them several times to add or take things away from the original design. Challenge your creative juices and you CAN do it. I am here to help!! Remember, this is your house and it's up to you to make it your Dream house!