The Country Cottage

I’m building a dollhouse! Not for one of my granddaughters as most people would expect, but for me. My goal is to create a showpiece as opposed to a child’s toy, something that will display a glimpse of life in a fantasy world. A beautiful country cottage created for an elven inhabitant. As time goes on, other mythical beings may join the elf.

Upon discovery of dollhouse kits some thirty-odd years ago, I knew instantly I wanted to build one. Miniatures have always been a fascination of mine. Not the little plastic toys you get at the store, but the incredibly tiny, detailed works of art that can be found in places like the Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada, The Art Institute of Chicago, U.S.A., and of course dollhouses like Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House in London, England. Something for me to aspire to but for now, I'll work on the little kit I recently purchased.

While still fairly early in construction I have learned two things already. First, 1/8-inch plywood will do everything in its power to thwart one’s efforts. It will happily split, chip and warp at the most inconvenient times. The second is that this is a bigger undertaking than I anticipated. I was not prepared tool-wise and naively believed the package when it said all one had to do was pop out the pre-stamped pieces and push the tabs into the slots, possibly some sanding required. Some pieces need glue, which was not included. While technically correct, there was no warning for a novice such as myself regarding the trials this project could present.

When I opened the kit, I decided immediately I would use my heavy-duty scissors to cut the thin plywood. What could go wrong? Well, I discovered as thin as the plywood was, it would stubbornly thwart the scissor’s attempts, despite already being pre-stamped. This would be the start of many incidents where the plywood would gleefully combat my efforts. I decided to get more serious and dug out one of the wood carving tools to deepen the cuts in the parts that refused to just pop out. Finally, progress was being made. Gamely, I persevered, gently prying out the pieces, carving, sanding, and filing until they fit in the designated slots. Before I knew it, the main structure had been built. To finish it off, wood filler would be needed to fill some gaps where the plywood just couldn’t be tamed with clamps, tape, and glue. The filler could also be used to fill in any chips made in the bits that split. That will come later though.

The next stage was to glue on some of the finer details like the window trim and putting in the little sheets of clear plastic that act as windows. A little sloppy but I managed to clean up most of the excess glue and now had a presentable, albeit a little rough-looking, cottage.

As progress is made, my tool list has gone from glue to borrowing a wood carving set, files, more sandpaper, hinges, and latches (because the door has to work), clamps, masking tape, a Dremel, a Dremel saw, and finally, scissors. That’s it…so far. There is little doubt in my mind more supplies, yet unnamed, will be added to the list.

When not actually working on the cottage I am peering at social media posts of those who are deeply involved in the world of miniatures. I’m still skulking in the shadows, slipping out once in a while to ask questions but nowhere near ready to join the ranks. I’m also riveted to DIY videos, to learn how to both make various adaptations and make items to the appropriate scale.

I’ve already decided on hardwood flooring so popsicle sticks have had their ends neatly trimmed and are prepared to be placed on the plywood base. Once down, the floor will be lightly sanded, stained, and varnished as one would do in a full-sized house.

My son suggested a “working” fireplace. Perhaps building the chimney as an incense burner. The gears in my head have been spinning furiously to create the plans for this. I would hate to have a chimney fire and my cottage burn down! Care will definitely be required.

The fireplace itself will be the main feature. It will be constructed of cardboard and drink tray pieces that will be cut with scissors to create a stone-like effect. An electric tea light will become the “flame” mostly hidden by logs. The trick will be to make the battery accessible as well as the switch without appearing obvious. I’m still figuring out the dynamics. There are many ideas available for inspiration but I’m still very much in the planning stages.

The kit came with some furniture however, it isn’t appropriate for the planned theme. I still put the pieces together as practice though and perhaps they will be of use down the road. My preference is to make rustic furniture using found objects while on my walks. Something a little elven inhabitant would appreciate. I’ll be sewing and stitching rugs and blankets, and even creating works of art for the walls. Perhaps even some curtains.

The décor is still very much in the planning stages and I am looking forward to seeing it develop. So far, I love how the house looks and intend to enjoy every stage of the journey. There have been struggles thus far and I am anticipating many more but my expectation is the struggles will make the success that much more worthwhile. They generally do.