Thursday, October 31, 2013

Happy Halloween from Pugsley: My attic update!

Hello All and Happy Halloween from the Addams Family Mini Mansion! 

My goal for October was to finish the space seen below to completion.  Well.... I didn't get everything done BUT I do have photos of what I did get done as promised!!!

Here was the room before this month:
Here is it after some aging, finishing the ceiling and adding a few elements:

As you can see I added a door to Wednesday and Pugsley's room and ANOtHER door leading out onto the roof.  This will be nessecary for Uncle Fester to get to his room.... when it gets built.... Also there is a firemans pole!!!  In the original tv show the characters could go up and down this pole as they please.  So as of right now there are no stairs to the third floor, just this pole!  Here is how it lines up below...
You may also see someone new hanging out in the picture above!  It's Pugsley!

He was a headache to make but I learned a lot you can read my last post to hear my woes with making this doll!!  But I learned a lot!  I also had to make a custom piece of furniture for him (which isn't completely finished!)

It's supposed to be an electric chair.  I got the wood parts finished but my work room is such in a mess that I cannot find all the metal pieces I need to finish the "electric" parts.  As you can see I custom fit Pugsley to this chair.  This where be will he sits most of the time.  I will possibly make him an antique tv to watch!!


And here is the final pic of what I got done with Morticia included.  Awww... loving Mother and son!  No wonder I felt lead to create Pugsley seeing as I found out we're having a boy! lol.


And that's it!!  Whenever I get some more knick knacks put around and the electric chair finished I will post another update picture.  I just wanted to show some progress and say Happy Halloween!! 

-Ara




Sunday, October 13, 2013

A post with no pictures :( Update!

I HATE putting up a post without pictures but I have to wait til Halloween to show you what I have been up to!  This is going to be hard because I have been having so much fun creating!!

1.  I have finished the room (aging the walls, inserting doors, painting...etc)
2.  I have made one piece of essential furniture (not saying what it is!)
3.  AND I have finished my second doll I have ever made.

Here is what this doll-making trial has taught me:
- I am SO not good at smoothing clay.  I think its good until I bake it and then it looks like the surface of the moon!  Bumpy!
-Sewing small clothes are hard... esp when your sewing skills are such that it takes you 30 mins just to thread the machine.
-Human proportions are hard.
-If you force a piece of clothing over a doll head hard enough IT WILL BREAK OFF!

So this doll may not be a permanent part of my collection but I am proud of the end result all the same.  Especially for doll #2.  I know I will never be a professional doll maker but I would love to be able to make them for myself in a pinch!

So that's your mid-month update.  Not sure how much longer I can wait to post photos but I am taking several along the way!  Hope you are all having a wonderful fall!  hugs, Ara

Sunday, October 6, 2013

A Halloween Goal

Well its the Addamses favorite time of year and I just can't stand by and let the mansion sit in the corner unworked on.  SO I am putting forth a goal I have.  I will be completely finishing this space in the mansion:
This is the empty attic space next to Wednesday and Pugsleys room on the 3rd floor.  I have several things I need to do in there and I want to even get as far as creating a NEW DOLL!  I won't say who but someone will be permanently hanging out in this room.  I have a long way before I am ready to sculpt however!

My goal is to get this space finished and ready to show off on Halloween night!!  Stayed tuned to a spooky space and another member of the family being born!  Whoo hoo!  (If you look closely through the door you can see Morticia has passed out from excitement... or she had a little too much arsenic in her last drink... who knows.)

Happy October! - Ara and the Addamses

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

A quick update...

Hello All!

I am sorry I haven't written in a while.  We are currently shuffling the house around in order to make room for another child.  In this process my Mini-Mansion has gotten backed into a very full corner!  I should be able to dig it out in another couple months!  I know Bella can get to it because every now and then she brings me a miniature book and says "Momma, you read it?" haha.

Well the big news is WE'RE HAVING A BOY!  I have no idea what to do with boys so it will be a whole new adventure... I grew up with sisters!  I have big plans for a fun nursery.  I will share when I get pics of it!

Meanwhile.... since the mansion is buried I have been working on an RGT build-a-long which is way past due (but I AM DETERMINED TO FINISH IT) and I have been listing some miniatures I have made.  I have also lowered a few prices in my Etsy shop to clear some shelves (and some room) so go take a look if you dare!!

Here are some of my new items:



Thanks for reading through this update!!  Here's hoping I will have some more Addamsy stuff for you in the near future!!!  hugs, Ara

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Semi-Completed Hallway and some NEWS!

Hello all!  First I want to show you my hallways I created on the first and second floor!  Last post I just showed you the hallway panels that were not installed yet.

Here they are installed!  The first floor:
it has a little window seat at the end of the hallway.  The window is yet to be installed.  Here is a closer view of the bench:

Here is the hallway on the second floor.  Instead of a window I wanted an inset place where I could hang a family portrait.  The shelves below will hold some more books and family momentos.


The door you see off to the right leads to Gomez and Morticia's bedroom.  Because of the renovations I did to the addition they now have a lot more space!

Wanna see???

Here is the Master bedroom, all ready for me to create bedroom furniture for the 3RD TIME!!  I just didn't get it quite right the first two times.... and the room was too small for anything.  I think my favorite is the greenish carpet which is made from an old chair arm cover!  Morticia is very happy about having more space (and I am too!)

Thanks for looking!  And now for the news:  Bella is going to be a BIG SISTER!!  That's right we are now expecting baby #2!  Praying that I am not as sick as I was with Bella and can continue working even if its at a slower pace!  I want to get a lot done before I have two kids and no mini-time at all! lol!!

As always, thanks for reading along my blogging buddies!  Hugs, Ara

Friday, April 12, 2013

The Hallway Continued....


 Hello All!!  Just wanted to show you all how I have continued working on my hallway addition...

I have gone ahead and attached the far left wall of the hallway.  It will make things harder to reach but I think it will be easier to piece things together in the end.  And you can now see the completed carpeting in Gomez and Morticia's bedroom.  It used to be an arm cover from an old velvety chair!
 I decided I wanted to do wood paneling in the hallway so here I am dry fitting and penciling out where I want the paneling to go.  I want to leave space for several ooky family portraits!
And lastly here are the panels all carved, painted, glued and ready to be inserted into the hallway!  I have put them in but I want to wait to do the back walls also before I show you a picture!  So far I am loving it!

Sorry for the short post but I am just excited!  Hopefully I will have a new post for you soon!  -Ara


Tuesday, March 19, 2013

I have built my hallway!!

Hi All,

As usual I am crawling back to blogger after a several months break!  The Christmas season got crazy this year!  I guess I am not as great of a planner as I thought lol.

Anyway, back in this post, I drew out my plan to add a long dark hallway to the mini-mansion.  It was just missing in the original design!  All old mansions need long dark hallways with paintings that seem to follow you with their eyes!

So here it is.  I had already extended the upstairs bedroom wall paper before remembering to take a pic but you can see where the floor board stops on the original kit.  The walls and floors are made out of all different types of wood (plywood, mdf, etc..) anything that was the thickness to match up with the existing RGT kit and the main house.


 Here is where I started extending out the floor boards.  The white floor shows where the original kit ended.  I basically added 4 to 5 inches all the way around in an "L" shape.  This will give me a hallway AND a few more inches in the down stairs dining room and the upstairs bedroom.


Here you can see the upper hallway and the downstairs hallway and dining room floor being extended.  The upstairs carpet will be next!


Here is a closer look at the pattern on the lower level!  I need to get a couple windows to insert and find some matching wall paper to cover up the plywood!  It will get done somehow!  But for now I am over the moon excited about how it came out!


I don't have current pictures but I have also been working hard on the main house.... the bottom floor and the second floor are COMPLETELY FINISHED on the inside!!!  Sometimes you just never think that will happen!!  I am now focusing on the top floor which contains Wednesday and Pugsleys Room and the attic!  I will post another all over tour when I get that done!  I can't wait to show you!  -Ara