Hope everyone's Monday is off to a good start. Today I'm showing you the front door of the Mini-House. One's front door says a lot about the people who live in the house - it's sort of the welcoming committee to anyone approaching, so the front door has to make a statement.I decided I wanted a solid, traditional door with a touch of elegance. Naturally, the door that went with the doll house kit just wasn't right, so I set about doing my own door. Ignorance is bliss.
I settled on a door with a curved top and a stained glass window. What was I thinking?!!! I cut out a square door to fit the doorway opening, and then cut the curve out of that. Before I left this step, I cut a window into the door. To make the frame for the door, I had to do the side pieces and the curved top pieces to fit the door. I used a light wood to do this - the sort of stuff you find in hobby shops. It's not at all decent wood, but at this stage, it is what I am comfortable working with. It took several tries to get it right, and about the time I was ready to scream and abandon the project, I got something I felt I could use.
Next, I cut and glued "boards" to one side of the door to make it look more substantial and to give it an older look. It was hard getting the wooden pieces I used to fit to the curve at the top, but eventually it more or less came together.
The window was next. I cut a tiny piece of clear plastic (saved from packaging) to fit the window frame, then painted daffodils down the middle (on the back of the plastic) for the stained glass effect. It was glued along the edged to the front of the window so that you see the painted daffs through the plastic. I glued a matching piece of clear plastic to the back of the window, and then framed both sides.
The door was given a bit of carving - not one of my strong points, at least so far, and then painted to resemble mahogany. The last steps were to make a "brass" door handle out of a bit of twist tie painted gold and to glue a foot plate - a bit of shiny gold ribbon, at the bottom. Then I attached the door to the frame with paper hinges.
The surround was made from built up wood painted grey and the bas-relief over the door, stating the year the house was built (1575), the Tudor roses, the initial of the knight (T for Thorn) and his crest - a wolf's head, was done in clay, then baked, painted, and glued in place. The doorstep is a piece of tile that I bought at the DIY store.
No part of this little house is perfect. I've seen perfect miniatures, and I marvel at them. I am going to do things as best I can at this stage and enjoy the creativity rather than aim for perfecting one item at a time. I could spend years attempting that, and look at the fun I'd miss!
