Birchwood cabinet is progressing nicely

And it's enchanting….

It’s taken time, moving at a snail’s pace in fact – but the Birchwood Cabinet is now together, painted, varnished and it has the artwork added inside and outside.  I have done quite a bit on the mannequin and on some of the furniture as well but having a migraine for a couple of days has decreased my motivation to do anything too fiddly at the moment.  So when the medication is taking effect and the pain isn’t too bad, I can work on bits that I am comfortable with.  When I have a headache my vision is affected so fine detail isn’t on the agenda.  But everything in these kits is so beautifully made and prepared that even the artwork matches up perfectly.  The timber for the cabinet went together like a dream.  The only hiccup was that the side trims were a little tight.  A gentle sanding and all was fine.

Instructions for the top and some other surfaces say to comb the paint several times with a small comb, to create a grainy effect.  Perhaps my comb was too large or something but I wasn’t happy with the result, so I brushed over it with quite a coarse brush and made a ‘grainy’ effect with the brush strokes.  I like the effect of the ‘dirty varnish’ in the grooves of the paint overall. After the varnish was dry I sanded it in places to give a worn effect on corners and edges and other spots.

I was supposed to add the mannequin next, but the eyes weren’t up to doing the stitching part that I am up to.    I just need a steady hand and clearer focus to stich the covering over the mannequin’s body now and hopefully that might be tomorrow or the day after. I love the tree, it is well on the way to being done.  The trunk is finished ready to paint, the leaves are painted ready to attach.  I am still considering whether to thin the trunk down a bit though, to me it looks a bit sturdy – I think of birches as being very slender trees.

I added the exterior trims except for the lower trim across the bottom of the cabinet but above the drawer.  It is just sitting there for the photo.  And here it is, with the ‘dirty varnish’ applied, the artwork glued inside and outside and the trims around the openings attached.

Next step is the interior trims.  These are beautifully laser-cut.  They are so delicate and fragile but give a wonderful 3D effect to the walls. 

Here is an overview of the cabinet with the interior trim (for this photo I have left off the trim above the drawer).  And yes, I noticed that in the previous photo the centre trim had come loose, and have re-glued it.  Unfortunately it has also moved down slightly and now there is a gap at the top.

At the top  is the bedroom and here are some closeups with the interior trim added

One floor down is the kitchen.  The left wall in the kitchen doesn’t have the trim added yet, to enable the installation of a false wall.  The false wall won’t be inserted until all the furnishings are glued against it. 

Then there is the Boutique

And on the bottom there is the root cellar

Here is the drawer at the bottom of the cabinet (complete with the lavender spring, you will notice.

Keep tuned – I will post photos of the furniture room by room as I complete it.  I think I’ve mentioned that I’ve already done Percy’s Delivery Wagon and started on the bedroom furniture.  I am keen to see what the rest of the furniture is like.  Hope you are too!  This is certainly very different from anything I've done before.