Medieval Miniature Dollhouse Castle Created in 2012

I was looking at my blog again today and realized I have so many things Ive created over the past few years but have never blogged about it. One of them is a Medieval Castle Tower I made from scratch for a Client of mine. One day she sent me a message asking me what I was working on. At that moment, I wasn't working on anything and had decided to take time off that year to create only things and ideas that had been stuck in my head for years. The idea of a Castle tower thrilled her.

Her Castle tower was inspired by Rik Pierce's "Norman Castle" class he did at the Tom Bishop show. I saw it the first time I attended the Bishop Miniature show. I was so very excited about it because he told me he had taught it as a class project. The sad part was that I missed out on it but he told me he would do another class the following year.

Well, the next Spring, I took the class "Snape's Dungeon". I was hooked on Creative paper clay form that time forward. The problem was, I couldn't keep the Tower out of my head. I sent an email to Rik about it and he sent me pictures of his tower and sold me the casts from it. He told me he had faith that one day I could create my own version of that Castle. Seven years later, I took out that picture and created my version of it. I called it the "Dragon Castle Tower".

My castle was wider and larger because I wanted more space for my customer to decorate it. I didn't do a Moat or drawbridge. But we were both very pleased with how it turned out. She had a doll artist create several dolls for it and shared pictures of them with me via Facebook last year sometime. Here are the pictures of my Tower. I plan to make another one in the future. There are things I want to change on it.

Anyway, I thought I'd share this because it is a piece of work that I haven't shared here online. I post most things on InstaGram now. You can visit me there by clicking here. MinisOnTheEdge Instagram. I was happy I started on it before I had my car accident later that year.  Had I waited, It probably wouldn't have been built.

Thank you for stopping by to read my blog. Wishing you all a Fabulous day.

Tracy Topps

Dollhouse Display ~ The Garden Courtyard Scene ~2013

Dear followers of my blog. It seems that yet another year has gone by without me blogging as I used to. Its mainly because I haven't been able to work as much on my dollhouse miniatures like I used to. I don't finish one big project per month as I used to but the mini bug is still inside of me :)

last year, I was able to complete two small projects and one large project. This blog is about one small one I finished last year in February.

I was going stir crazy and needed to work on a mini project. My real life bathroom was being revamped and my home was a mess. I also deal with pain in my upper back arms and right hand. So I started with a small corner yard scene because those of you who follow me know the story of how I LOVE doing yards scenes and why. I used Creative paperclay to create the stucco and stones. I created some of the flowers by hand.

I had such a fun time doing it!! It's 1" scale and it has grooves in so that a plexiglass covering could be added to it. Before I had a chance to put it up for sale, it sold after posting pictures of it on Facebook. Here is pictures of that scene.

Thank you for taking the time to read and view my blog! I am still surprise and flattered by amount of "hits" this blog still get and the emails regarding this blog. Thank you all for that! ~ Tracy Topps

Greenleaf Dollhouses Spring Fling 2012

Well, I had hoped to be finished with this cute cottage but I did not get the opportunity to do it. I was rear ended earlier last week and I its been a literal pain in the neck. I was able to get a little bit further since the last blog post because I had started adding some color to this Cottage the morning of the accident and was only able to add a little more paint color to age the first coats of paint after the accident.

I had a different color combo in my mind but for some reason, my creative juices choose to change to these colors instead and I must say, I am loving it and has received nothing but Great replies from people who have already seen pictures of it online. 

I used the upgraded roof and door and of course, I did my own editing of the kit too. I still have more paint colors I would like to add. Also, there is still a lot of landscaping that needs to be done. I haven't been able to work on this but I will share the pictures of it as soon as I do. So here is a little "Eye Candy" for you today!

Thanks for stopping by to view my blog! Wishing you all a Fantastic day!

Tracy   ✿◠‿◠

Greenleaf Dollhouse Miniature Spring Fling 2012

I started on my Spring Fling Dollhouse Kit a few weeks ago and so much has been going on, I still have not completed it. I did want to share this picture of it with you all. I am also building another one but it is not finished yet either.

I have a little more done to this one than it shows in this pictures. I have shingles on the cute house . I Love it!

 I love the size and the design of it. I  was so happy that it came with various roof options and different door designs. It makes it so easy to change it up from the basic kit. If you build multiple kits, you can have a different look because you can change the elevation of it by just adding a different upgrade kit to it.

If you still are on the fence about buying this years Spring Fling dollhouse kit, I say get off the fence and buy one today! You have plenty of time to enter the contest also! This year Greenleaf Dollhouses has extended the deadline for submission. 

To Purchase this kit and to see the official rules to enter this years contest, click here:

http://shop.greenleafdollhouses.com/Spring-Fling-2012.html

I'll add more pictures when I am able to work on this again. Thank you for stopping by to read my blog!!

Tracy

Brimbles Dollhouse Kit Village Shoppe 2012

I am just about finished working on a Village Shoppe for a client of mine. I am so excited about it because this was a project that I turned out loving at the end. My customer wanted a sage green house with dark green trim and she wanted dark wood on the insides. She mentioned she wanted the house to have siding and brown stucco and at first, in my minds eye, I could see this house, even before it was built!

I assembled the house pretty quickly. When I moved on to the outsides of it, I found myself stuck and no longer feeling the house. I was a little bit ill this past fall up until about November or so of last year and though I worked on this house slowly, I still could not really get into the house.

I even thought about refunding the down payment because I did not think I'd ever finish this house. I know when I don't "feel" the house, it's all downhill after that. Last month (Actually, the end of January, I was sitting in front of the TV and looking at my work island at this house and saw right away what my problem was! My customer wanted a sage green house. Do you know how many SHADES there are of sage green? I had 7 samples on my island. I finally picked one and found I still was NOT happy with it. I also did not like the dark brown I used for the stucco. That is when I decided it was time for me to mix paint again to create my own blend of paint. Once I did that, I was amazed how changing the shades of paint (even though just a little bit) made this house more pleasing to my eyes and I was able to finish this house more quickly. 

The paint color to the left of the screen is the color this house originally was. The top too dark and the bottom too light. The right side shows the color I changed it to:

The best part was, not only was I happy with the color but my client was too and that made me feel Wonderful inside!

The next time you fall out of LOVE with a project, it may not be the "house" itself. It just may be something as simple as the color of your paint!

Soon as I get the doors (I broke one side accidentally) and add the last 4 pieces of trim, I'll upload more inside shots.

Thank You for stopping by to view my blog!

Brimbles Village Shoppe 2012

Night Time In The Court Yard Dollhouse Box

I am sorry to be behind in sharing things on my blog. Last week, I shared a WIP (work in progress) photo of a 1" scale roombox I was working on and it sold within 2 days. The box is from Olde Mountain Miniatures that I bought several years ago. It's a "Harvey Wallhanger" box and I had this idea for a roombox in my head for a while. I actually started on it this past winter and set it aside to do some other things. the other week, I decided to go ahead and paint it since the clay work had already been done and this is the Magical scene that I was able to create. It has a a lighted carriage light too which is lit by battery.

Even though this was made from a "Harvey Wallhanger" roombox, it is made to sit on a shelf. You can almost smell the Wisteria flowers & almost hear the water fountain.

To see more pictures, click the slide show Below:

Night Time In The Court Yard Dollhouse Room Box

Thank You for taking the time to view my Blog!!

Tracy 

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Lily Dollhouse Building Blog Days 9 - 12

October 23 2006
Posted by Minis On The Edge
Adding The Clay

I finished painting and adding the dormers to the roof. After that, I decided to start painting the base coat on the trim that I added to the house (It will get about 4 washes to make it look like stone). I then started adding the clay to the foundation. I also made little clay embellishments that I want to add to the porch to give the effect and mood that my customer wants for this house.

After I finished that, I painted the porch a very dark brown. Then I started adding clay to bottom of the house. I decided to have the random stone effect. Here are the pictures so far:

I also had to redo the floors upstairs and down because I had not added a finish to them before I put the house in the garage

 

 November 3 2006
Posted by Minis On The Edge
Completing the clay work

I did not realize that I have not added more pictures of the rest of the clay work I have done to this house. It is a large house to add clay too, which means, I am using a lot more clay than I thought I would. It is looking wonderful though.

The outside is all done.

 Finished Roof Shingles

 November 7 2006
Posted by Minis On The Edge
Completing the clay work

I have completed the entire outside of the Lily!!!


I will start painting it tomorrow

 November 10 2006
Posted by Minis On The Edge
Painting The Lily

 I have begun to paint the outside stone & shingles of the Lily and it's beginning to look like an old dreary home (which is the effect my customer wants).

I have added the extra sculpted elements at the bottom of the house around the base. I will add the doors and porch rails. The pictures show only the first color added to the house. More pictures to come soon!!

These pictures almost make the house look like the stones are gray but they are actually a dark brown color.

Thank you For Stopping By to View My Blog!

Thought Of The Day ~ "One man has enthusiasm for 30 minutes, another for 30 days, but it is the man  who has it for 30 years who makes a success of his life" ~ Edward B. Butler 


Tracy

Building The Un Haunted Dollhouse Kit Days 2 - 5

08 September 2005

Posted by Minis On The Edge

Day two Paperclay Work

Today, I started adding the paper clay on all the side walls and on the base. If you have read my previous blogs, you know how I do this. I will clay the entire house before I even start painting it. I am also waiting for lights before I finish the insides. So far, I have only added the floor to the insides

 

 

I decided to add "crazy" brick to the porch floor. This is brick laid with no rhyme or reason but creates a nice uniform pattern anyway.

also started adding the roof shingles (Clay again cause I love the effect it gives)

 

 

The cave will have a fireplace and a side stone shelf. I made the shell of it by using foam board again. I have not made the fireplace yet.

14 September 2005 

Posted by Minis On The Edge

Day Three 

I started looking at my cave and wondering what I could do to add something different. The corner looked so bare and I decided to make a shelf there.

 

 

Here is the shelf before the clay was added

I did not want to sculpt stones down in the cave so I decided to add more pieces left over from the cup holders randomly on the walls so that when I add the clay there will be parts sticking out.

I know where I want the candle lights to go and I decided to add a fireplace which will have a flickering light and it also makes the other lights in the house flicker a little. I just cut it out of foam board (1' thick) and it looked like this

I decided I liked it here better:

I added paper clay to the cave

I then started adding clay to the roof

More to come soon!!! Thank you For stopping by to view my blog!!

19 September 2005 

Posted by Minis On The Edge

Day 4 Shadow Cliff House 

Well, I have finally decided to name my House Shadow Cliff House. I have added the lights and did a dirty wash on the house outside. Take a look

The fireplace flickers too! More to come soon! Maybe, later on today!

20 September 2005 

Posted by Minis On The Edge

Day 5 Shadow Cliff House 

I have added the chimney stack and some stone around the windows. It is now beginning to look like home 

I will started painting this house and as I have said in the past, the paint is what makes the house comes to life. Here is a picture with more colors being added

I was going to do a how too regarding the stain glass windows because I used real lead but I deleted the pictures by mistake. Sorry This is not the finished house though I am really close to being finished now. I know, it looks like it can be a creepy house but you have not seen the flowers yet. I don't picture this house as a haunted house at all. The story I created for this house is as follows (It may seem  like a weird thing to some, but everyone of my creations has a story that I form as I build):

This cottage is owned by single artist/writer. He has been living here for a while and he love the cliffs because they inspire him. He played here as a kid during school breaks because his grandparents lived nearby and one day, he got lost in the cave below. His grandpa found him hours later. Because he knew how adventurous his grand son could be, he knew just where to look. 

As years went by, that cave became the favorite hideout. He would write and sometimes, his grandpa would come down and they would talk about the days activities or anything important that was on his mind.  Years later, when his grandfather died, he found that his grandfather had purchased the above house and even left him money to repair it to make it livable.  He decided that this was where he wanted to  live so that he could help take care of his aging grandma.

Anyway, that is just a short part of the story but it's been a fun build so far. Hope you are having a Wonderful evening!

Tracy ~ MinisOnTheEdge.com