Help! Fire!

Here's my surprise project -
but I haven't forgotten the POM

And I will show what I have done for it once I post the photos on Miniature Haven later in the month.
But I haven't stopped quarter scale either.  Sunday night I decided I was going to finally make a start on: ta-da - Pickett Hill!!  I haven’t forgotten about Carrington Villa, it will still be done as the POM, and maybe I will squeeze in a second POM for the quarter scale kits that need the same items done too.

But  I had the kit, materials and space to start on PH on Sunday night and since our daughters and grandchildren left to go home that afternoon I felt I needed something to spoil myself. 

 

However the gloss finish I need for the first step of Pickett Hill was around at the caravan, and Peter had gone off to do a night duty shift so I pulled out the furniture kits and started on the Artist’s Storage Unit.  I realised that I had glued the wrong sides together and popped it into  the microwave as I so often do, to soften the glue and take it apart again when – whoosh! Flames, smoke and fire!!  It was such a shock.  It took me about three goes to press the ‘open’ button properly to remove the little cabinet.  Result: charred edges on one of the backs. 

So some remedial surgery had to take place.  I painted the whole unit with its first coat of ivory paint, and put paper over the exterior back to cover the gaps, then filled any spaces at the edges inside with glue.  It looks okay now it's had another coat of paint on it.  I will show a photo when I have added the artwork.

And that’s what comes from insisting on going ahead and mini-ing when you are far too tired!
 
On Monday I started on the house itself, doing the arched windows, moveable doors and the ceilings and each day I have done a bit more on different parts. Here is what is done now (Friday).

Now for some more detail.  Here below are some of the windows and moveable doors.  They either need to be painted or need their last coat of paint:

And here are some of the features that I fell in love with when I first saw Pickett Hill: the portico, the front porch, the bow window and again the arched windows.  I should have included the oval window in this shot because it was another feature I loved, as were the French Doors to the portico.  You will see that I have already done a couple of coats of paint on the walls.  That wasn't in the instructions - they say to put the wallpaper on to the bare wood inside, but I just simply cannot bring myself to put wallpaper on without sealing wood first. 

 Of course you do the house first, before you add the trim, right?  Not me!  I couldn't resist going ahead and doing all of the portico!  The instructions tell you to paint the floor white, I have painted mine almost the same as I did the flooring in the house.  I haven't glued the structure to the floor yet, so it will be easy to change if I don't like the look when I put the house together. Again, the portico needs another coat of paint.

 And a side view of the portico just because I love it so much!

 And I love the front porch too!

 Here's another view of the walls, the porch and the bow window.  More painting needed of course.

So there it is - Pickett Hill in progress at long last!  It's quite different from the Petite Properties cottages I have been doing, and I love each of them in their own way.  I wouldn't like to do all my projects  the sweet and sugary type like PH but love this one to bits.  I wonder whether it will be done for the Sydney Fair?  I'm not even going to set that as a goal - I have too many other things I want to finish off for that.  But I will keep pottering along with it.  Keep in touch!