Cleaning a tattered old house

 We recently purchased another old house.

 Today was cleaning day.

I had quite a job in front of me. The neglected old house had not been lived in for many years..

It was in a derelict state of disrepair.

Poor old house, the paint was chipping, porch railings were missing and window frames were cracked.

Many  of the window pane wood was lying on the ground in pieces, and you could see where they had once been attached to the window glass.

   But the house had many wonderful qualities. A wraparound porch, a little French door, corbels all around the roofs and over 26 windows!

 The windows were just filthy  but most were intact with no cracked glass.

 The interior of the house had been stripped clean..no wallpaper or plaster or floor molding, floorboards; even the staircase was gone and the interior walls!

   Nevertheless, the house had great possibilities, like a blank canvas.

  The porch has an old slat gray paint,  and steps that need a good scrubbing.
James gathered all the cleaning supplies together.
 Okay, time to get to work!
I started on top of the roof..it was quite a steep roof, but I wasn't afraid of the heights.
The roof cleaned up nicely...it was green underneath all the dirt and all the corbels were intact.
 
It only took 5 minutes to sweep the entire floor.

It cleaned up nicely with a dry paintbrush.

 I got a good start on replacing all the window panes...

  After thoroughly cleaning all the 20 windows..which only took an hour.

THIS is why....

Our new "old house" is only 18 inches tall!
.Next month I turn 62 years old, and this olde house is my birthday present.
Isn't it just marvelous??!

 I never had a dollhouse as a child, maybe I am making up for lost time. I have resisted the urge to purchase one because I know that once you start with a dollhouse, you never stop.After all, a house needs wallpaper, rugs, furnishings, stenciling, curtains, pots and pans, dishes, a kitty, brooms and dustpans, bedspreads, quilts, samplers, a Hoosier, a  pie-safe, and on and on; need I say more?
 
 This one is completely empty. It will take very small furnishings, 1:24 is the scale. What fun it will be to fill it up in time.
 Another reason I never had a dollhouse is that I wanted just the right one. It had to be very old. My guess is that this dolly-house is turn of the century. As an antiques "detective", I have deduced this from the crackled paint, building material, wavy window glass and the style of the house. It was painstakingly built by hand, long BEFORE dollhouse kits were available. I like to think it was a replica of the builder's own house, but it is remarkable how similar it is to OUR  house with it's wraparound porch, long windows and steeped hipped roof...and corbels... And a dormer too!

This little house came from Pennsylvania. It included a small box full of tiny parts that had fallen off, such as mini corbels...

   window frames and broken window pane pieces which I am able to replicate with balsa wood.

After a good house cleaning it was ready to be put in a place of honor.

 in the parlor

  I think it is a real treasure.
Wow, can't wait to decorate!

 But that will have to be put on hold because I am on a time schedule to finish a lot of critters for the next 3 shows..

Foxes, Squirrels, Badgers, mice, rats, buns a skunk and  a possum.
So, I am back to the wool and finished with house work and interior decorating for the time being.
Fondly from the Hollow! Jeri

The wonderful walls of Shaker Village and the Making of Mice

We have arrived home from exhibiting at an art show held at wonderful Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Ky.

 Oh, how I love this peaceful place!

 The art show was held along an avenue of trees in remarkably perfect weather. I had posted extensively about the Shaker Village in the past, so, today, I only concentrate on one of the most marvelous structural elements that surround this lovely piece of American History,

  Stone walls

 As a great lover of stone walls, I am always mesmerized by these stalwart and meandering masterpieces 

built between 1805 and 1910, not by the Shakers, but by the Irish.

 These walls continue for miles and miles, surrounding dwellings, ponds and running along roadsides and meadows. Shaker Village sits on 3000 heavenly acres of Kentucky land.

I don't know how many miles the stone walls cover, but I do know that the Irish were paid only $1000 per mile..

.

What I would give to have stone walls like these! Some have been standing firmly for over 200 years.

The Village is home to much heritage stock, as well.

 These horses were HUGE!

They are called English Shire horses and were of such great beauty and strength as to be truly awesome.

.

and now, from very large to very small.....

A study in MICE.

I had the chance, (because of my huntress cat, Claudette), to observe a rat, up close and personal. 

 .

 This big guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time; the barn.

Claudette deposited the "expired" rat on our back step. I donned gloves

and took the opportunity to study his little paws, feet and face. 

 It is surprising how strong those little thighs appear, the better for climbing the barn poles.

Studying his toes really helped me out in properly fashioning my mousie and ratty

feet out of wire and wool.

My materials are sheeps wool, wire,and mohair...the sum of parts in the making of a rat.

And here she is, MY soft and fuzzy rat.

 Claudette the huntress cat, pays her no mind.

Below are footsies from more little mice.

 I've become increasingly fond of making mice and have made more than 20 thus far.

 One of my motives for making the mice, is a new book character, who is part of the 3 piece book set I've been working on. You can see her in the drawing above which I created months ago.

Now, I am ready to get serious and finish those illustrations.

The mice also represent all the little rodents in my previous books as well..

all part and parcel of Hopalong Hollow

So what am I going to do with all these little  

Hopalong Hollowfolk?

They will be living in my shop and selected mice will come to the next 3 shows with me:

The Country Living Fair 

in Columbus, Ohio

  http://www.countryliving.com/fair/a4125/country-living-fair-columbus/

and

Madison Chautauqua, 

in  Madison, Indianna

http://www.madisonchautauqua.com/ 

and

  Saint James Court 

in Louisville, Ky.

http://www.stjamescourtartshow.com/

I must admit, my rodents are a bit more lovable than 

 the rat

 the cat

 brought in.

(But he did get a proper burial. )