Rosy opening a Christmas present, the only way she knows how…
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Two days until Christmas! Gotta get this roombox finished, or it’ll be embarrassing. :o
With the wallpaper and cabinets finished, I glued in the baseboards and crown molding.
This hanging basket is another Hallmark ornament. I had one of these already but had removed the bottom basket to make it more in scale. Since the breadbox has a high ceiling, the whole ornamnet fits, so I bought another one off eBay. Luckily this ornament isn’t as rare as the stove and fridge, so it only set me back about $10.
With the baseboards glued in, Geoff drilled holes for the lid. I could have done it myself but I’m so nervous using power tools on something so close to finished. I’m still waiting for a new knob I ordered for the lid — it probably won’t show up until after Christmas — so I plan to post another blog at some point that shows how we re-attached the lid.
With the holes drilled, I was able glue in the upper cabinet and stove hood, making sure the lid didn’t bump into them when closed. First, I put blue putty on the back of the cabinet and figured out exactly where to put it so it both lined up with the stove, but stayed clear of the lid. I marked the position with tape.
Then I glued in the cabinet with tacky glue. I’m kind of surprised clamping it like this worked, but it did. I left it alone overnight, the clamps didn’t fall off, and the cabinet is positioned just right.
Oh, and the lights still work! Considering my usual experiences with electricity, this is a Christmas miracle.
Less than a week until Christmas — time to finish those kitchen cabinets! I made a countertop from two pieces of basswood.
I used a utility knife to cut a rough hole for the sink.
Then I enlarged this carefully until it was just larger than the sink. A tad too large, actually, but once the countertop is finished those cracks between the sink sides and the edges of the countertop are hardly visible.
Next I glued the two pieces together, but not onto the cabinets yet.
When the glue was dry, I sanded the top (especially the seam where the two pieces meet) and rounded the edges a bit.
I painted it with a base coat of Christmas-y green.
Then I used a dry brush with black and various shades of green for a granite effect. The process is described in more detail here.
Once the paint dried I coated the countertop with gloss varnish, and once that was dry I glued it to the cabinets. Shakespeare comes in handy again!
Next up: a kitchen island. I ordered a gingerbread prep table off Etsy and asked the seller not to glue on the items, just in case the table didn’t work with my layout. It’s a good thing, because the table is way too big.
Emily is a freelance writer, miniaturist, and adventure game enthusiast.
If you have comments about this site or would like to get in touch regarding a freelance opportunity, please write to hello -at- emilymorganti.com.
