Yesterday, though I didn’t actually plan on it, I ended up hanging the wallpaper in the Beacon Hill kitchen. I didn’t stop to ponder whether it was the right time, I just plunged in. The room has lots of windows and a long shelf, and one of those pesky windows with ornate trim. In other words, every possible problem was in one room.

The troublesome wall: I had to work around the window trim which required some “creative” solutions, also the long shelf which abuts the wall, AND the overhang (for lack of a better word.) I added the strip of wood over the 3 windows. It looked too unfinished there.

After staining the tops to match the stain on the center unit, I painted them. My first idea was to paint the two cupboards on either end a shade of green. The center unit was already yellow. And I did. But I didn’t like that look. The green was too intense, even when I added a second coat of the green mixed with white. Last night, I repainted those cupboards in the same yellow as the main unit.

But every time I attempted photographing them, the yellow was too bright – almost like a taxi cab yellow. I don’t know whether that was because the kitchen is relatively narrow, and I was shooting into a darker space – a problem with all dollhouses – or whether the yellow was just too bright. Later, when I was in bed trying to go to sleep, I started obsessing on that color and I remembered I have a wonderful bottle of ‘buttercream’ paint. A much softer yellow.

Where was I at 6 am this morning? Repainting all three units. (This makes 4 coats of paint on these cupboards.)

I had to turn the dollhouse around so the rooms were facing the windows in the studio to get this shot.

Oooh! I like it much more this way.

I’m “chuffed” as they say in Great Britain. My vision is coming together. Next up, wood floors. (I don’t want tile.) It took 8 hours over the course of 2 days to install that bedroom floor.

I must gird my loins.

I’m not sure, but I may go with a lighter stain on this floor.

On social media, I’m getting a lot of compliments on this wallpaper. It was worth the wait, that’s for sure.

I’m sharing my dream miniature stove wish list from OC Miniatures in England. This man is so darned talented. The detail is incredible.

Obviously, very much like our Stella. They are expensive, but worth every penny. It’s just getting the pennies when I also have to buy other things for the house.

And then THIS option:

Oh. My. Heavens.

But there is also this model, which is less expensive, but still not cheap:

What would you choose? I’ve been fixating on these stoves for at least three years and always imagined one of them in a kind of retro kitchen like the one I’m creating.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

The crown vetch, which disappeared for several years after we lost a limb on our maple tree that provided shade, is back for the third year, and there’s more than ever! I’m glad.

The first day lily opened up yesterday. My trusty Stella Doro.

A ladybug nestled in a thistle.

Beardtongue, a wildflower that pops up near the funky patio.

Yarrow.

It’s pretty gorgeous out there – lots of spring wildflowers are popping up like magic. I love seeing them. They’re so strong and often pop up between the pavers or in the gravel.

I mowed the corral and the back forty yesterday. In a few days, we’ll have another round with the front lawn. And so it goes at this time of year.

I used some paste wax on the bedroom floor in the dollhouse. It looks lovely now. But whenever I use it, I have to close off the room and air it out. It’s got a strong smell. I’m considering using it on the stairways at some point in order to give them a richer look.

I think I’ll start painting the walls in the hallways so they’re prepped for wallpapering. I’m also getting ready to wallpaper the kitchen. Wish me luck!

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

I will avoid AI like the plague.

I worked on the floor in the bedroom and it’s finished. I also screwed up a few things that I have to fix later today. The right side of the house, on floors 2 and 3, was put together incorrectly and I’m coming to terms with the reality of that. I have to work around it and sometimes that is next to impossible. But there’s no way I could have taken that side of the house apart and fixed it. Just as in life, we all have houses with imperfections, and we often don’t have the money or skills to fix them.

Same here.

Anyway, some of the day was frustrating and some of it flowed easily. But ii took another 4+ hours to stain the popsicle sticks and lay the rest of the floor.

I like it.

Taken early this morning. I’ll be getting some sort of wardrobe for the wall on the left, bedside tables, and a table for the area next to the chaise longue. And lamps and rugs and pictures and things, but that will be later.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Spring = lush, lush green. Everywhere.

We’re in the midst of some very hot temperatures, which will last at least a week. Lots of watering outside and on the porch and work on the dollhouse must take place in the morning hours. There is no air conditioning in the studio. That’s what I did yesterday and what I’m doing today.

I’m halfway through laying the floor in the bedroom. This is fiddly, painstaking work and what you see here took 4 hours to complete. I’m happy with it. Today, I will finish it. I will say it’s enormously satisfying to see it all come together!

Wild roses.

Buttercups. Love, love them.

You’ve read about my dear friends, Joe and Jan. We shared a house together for a few years, right before I moved to Philadelphia for graduate school. We lost Jan last year to cancer. Joe was there by her side throughout that battle, taking care of everything for her. Now, he is facing his own battle. He has a cancerous growth on his kidney, as well as a growth on his abdomen. The growth on his abdomen was removed during outpatient surgery a couple of days ago. He will have a partial robotic nephrectomy on the 18th to remove the carcinoma from his right kidney. It looks like it is early stage and that is a good thing. But this is very worrying. After all his constant support and care of our Jan, he’s facing this. Needless to say, I’m thinking of him all the time. Jan and Joe are/were like family to me.

And on that note, I’ll close.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.