It’s been a whole 3 months since I finished my French Country Windmill and I can’t take it any longer. I have been wandering around the house, pulling out other discarded crafts to occupy my mind, and it’s just not enough. Nothing else offers me the daily creative challenge I need like building a miniature. I have tried needle felting to make my own creatures to populate my houses. Here is Arnold, my French mouse, coming home with a single rose for his soul mate. I just haven’t made her yet, but I will……
He’s not exactly how I wanted him to turn out, but he will do for now. Practice makes cuter mice…..
So, my new project is The Baslow Ranch from Greenleaf. This will be another structure I can customize and keep casual. It will mimic a hunting & fishing getaway in the Great NW. My grown son, Greg, will be collaborating with me on this remotely from Ohio. Right now I’ve punched everything out and sanded. I’m still in my design stage of making diagrams of alternative layouts so I can make any adjustments at this stage before I start gluing walls together. I also make initial materials decisions at this time to make sure I get the look I’m going for.
So, this should occupy me for awhile. I’ll be posting my progress as I go along. Until next time…..
The completed cottage……AFTER
The original kit – BEFORE.
The original dimensions of the actual kit (without roof projections) is 13″ wide, 16″tall, and 8″ deep. My structure is 15″ wide (21″ with patio), 16 1/2″ tall (thatched roof) and 16 1/2″ deep (17 1/2″ with landscaping). I doubled the depth of the kit to make it large enough for a cottage, plus I added 2″ to the width to give more room for a kitchen and dining room, as well as two inches to the height on the left side for the bedroom loft, and higher ceiling in the kitchen. Adding height visually gave the structure more “eye” room inside.
So the whole exterior is covered in stucco and aged with color wash. The vines are Baby’s Breath Garland from Hobby Lobby. I redesigned the original blades on the windmill to reflect a more realistic French look. All the windows in the house are painted “Sage” with chalk paint by Plaid.
Because of the 2″ width extension, the front door became recessed, creating a nice entryway. The large window looks in on the kitchen and gives the house that “French” look. The flowers on the outside sill were made from kits by My Miniature Garden on Etsy, who no longer has listings. Because I raised the roof over the kitchen, I then faced the dilemma of two competing roof lines. I was originally going to just fill in with a piece of wood, when inspiration struck. What the house needed was more light, so I made a window to fit between the roofs. After all, this is a converted windmill, and structural changes are part of the charm (and I can do anything I want, lol).
I am so happy with the thatched roof. I used the coconut fiber wire basket liners for flowers (from Lowe’s Hardware), as Caroline at cinderellamoments.com mentioned in one of her posts. I just cut it to shape, and glued it on. Total expense – $10!
Above is the right side. Once again I had two different heights of walls – the extra space was for headroom in the loft bedroom, so I just extended the curved roofline all the way to the back of the house. I just cut the thatching to the correct height after I glued it on the foam core dome. This home needed an outdoor space, and I desperately wanted French Doors. I had some flagstone leftover from my previous project, and I had just enough for the front entry as well. Made the pergola out of Basswood strips from Dick Blick art supplies. I ordered the garden bench from miniatures.com. I’m still working on topiaries for the patio. A departure from the window color for the french doors – I painted them to match the kitchen and dining room in “Bavarian” chalk paint. Still waiting on another set of door handles.
The inside, with all the lights. I used all individual battery operated lights on this build because I wanted this style of lights (I don’t do electrical lighting). So here it is, total open concept – you can see the whole house from here! See how much height the extra 2 inches added to the kitchen and loft? And the window where the shed roofs meet will have baskets hanging from there (they’re coming from Russia). The loft is the actual height of the second floor which was originally in the front of the house. Let me show you around….
The dining room and kitchen all have wooden ceilings painted white. The three rugs in the cottage are from Tiny Home Goods on Etsy. She makes the most beautiful rugs I’ve seen anywhere! This one is a rooster theme to go with the French theme, as well as the white washed furniture. Here’s a better look.
My favorite room, the kitchen. I wanted the high ceiling so I could hang a pot rack, and have the lights higher as well as beams running from the dome. The big window is perfect in here, as well as the angled ceiling window to add more light. I built open shelving beyond the kitchen as a pantry to store sacks of food stuff and plates, etc., since I didn’t want upper cabinets. It’s all about the “look”. The lavender hanging in the pot rack is from my garden.
The ice box is on the right – it was originally two upper cabinets built from a kit, but since I wasn’t going to use them for that purpose, I glued them together to create an ice box. It was the only room left to put one, and it was a perfect fit.
Detail of the work table and kitchen area. On to the living room!
I brought the sofa out to photograph, as it’s really difficult to shoot the living room as the only access is a 3″ wide front door. I made this from the kit “French Country Sofa #010” by Kris at 1inchminisbykris.blogspot.com. She provides kits now of her upholstered chairs and sofas at Hobby Builders Supply. This rug is also from Tiny Home Goods on Etsy. Lovin’ the grapes, and the yellow brings in the color from the kitchen.
These two shots are from the front door. I used a narrow staircase and painted it “Bavarian” and the stair treads “Sage”. That is a secretary desk under the staircase, and there is a potted plant there, too, which is easier seen in another upcoming photo. The wallpaper here and on the short pantry wall is Tulips. The fireplace is stucco, with an arched opening. It is non-working. The arched mirror over the mantel was purchased as just an empty Palladian arch, and I added mirrored film to the back. The drapes on the two front windows are made from the same fabric as the pillow and the trim on the sofa. Lighting was an issue because of the domed ceiling, so I opted for two candle sconces going up the stair wall. It adds plenty of light.
The secretary desk under the stairs spoke to me because I love cubbies and the fold out writing surface. That’s a newspaper where someone is working on the crossword puzzle. The chair is from a kit from melissasminiwereld on Etsy – from the Netherlands! I upholstered it with the drapery fabric to create cohesiveness. The tiny table in the loft is also from one of her laser cut kits. The Eiffel Tower pillow is from SarahsLilEssentials, also from Etsy.
The view from the loft bedroom looking down into the living room. All the stones on the walls are made from cardboard egg cartons, torn and cut to shape.
Here, then, is a better view of the front wall of the dome. I purchased some tools by Tom Thumb to decorate that wall. There is a scythe and a hay knife, as well as an antique pulley from eBay. 
I made the headboard from a laser cut accessory and those are Tim Holtz roses on the footboard. I sewed the comforter and sheets, and the lavender sprig is from my garden. The rug is “Sunflower” from Tiny Home Goods.
And that’s it. The next few months will not be productive. I’m going to take a break from this for awhile because it’s not an inexpensive hobby. I’ve been spending way too much money on this, so I’m backing off so I can pay down my credit card bill! I have other activities I miss doing, so I’m going to fall back on them for the next few months. I don’t have thoughts on another build nagging me just now, although I’m sure it won’t be long until miniatures start invading my sleep. A la prochaine!
Inside the unfinished French Country Windmill Cottage. To give it a sense of mystery, I didn’t light all the lights. Still needs details, details.
Yes, I rebuilt the blades of the windmill for a French look, color washed the outside stucco and added some vegetation. Hope this piques your interest until the final reveal…..
I first made a cardboard pattern of the roof line and then traced it onto the foam core. I then measured every 3/16″ and scored it with a small craft knife. It was perfect because it cut all the way thru with one pass except for the paper backing. You can see what a great curve I’ve got. In the following shots, you can see that since I finally had the roof figured out, I could go ahead and stucco the outside. I used a whole quart of stucco on just the outside walls and the fireplace! Just enough.
I know the stucco looks rough, but I even went over it with a wet putty knife. It doesn’t look so bad in person. That piece of wood hanging off the side of the roof will be replaced by foam core. I need to extend that part to connect with the angle in the front wall so the shed roof can come off of it. I’m working on replacing the 2nd floor corner posts with square ones to attach the arches that support the shape of the roof. And the inside of the roof will be papered with scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby in a cream crackle – I think it looks like old, cracked mortar, similar to the picture I posted last time.
This is what I’m trying to mimic. But I will be putting up rafters, too. And last but not least, this is the coconut basket liner I mentioned that 
Next time I post, the roof will be on and all the inside construction details completed. Then I’m going to remake the actual windmill like they really look. The one I made looks like a pinwheel, for Pete’s sake!
All I had to do was look on Google to realize this is way, way off base. I will fix it.
Hmm…I like the Dutch one, too, but I should go French.
Okay, tata ’til next time!
The roof sure did darken up the space – I’ll have to paint the insides of the roofs white to lighten everything up. What do you think of the corrugation on the outside? I was thinking it would modernize the structure a little bit by having a metal roof instead of a thatched one. Let’s see what the corrugation look like on the inside instead……
I know it’s hard to see, but I cut a piece of cardboard for the back shed roof as well as turning the cardboard inside out, extending the roof from higher up on the dome because of the higher side wall. I placed a piece of cardboard behind it to close up that roofline, and shortened the dome so that the loft will now be open to the kitchen below. I think that will work except I have to cut the shed roofs from wood and place a vertical support post at the roofline change where the railing post is now.
The above shot shows the converging roof lines from above. Not too bad. I think it can work. The dome right in front of us here will be shortened a bit, too, to make a nicer transition. Wha’da think? I think I’ve got a start on it. Caroline Dupuis from cinderellamoments.com started using the basket liners for wire plant hanging baskets for her thatch instead of gluing everything on in batches and trimming like mad. You just lay it on top of your roof and glue it on. I’ll have to look into that. Maybe the shed rooftops could be shingled since they will be made of wood unless that would look too patchy.
I can see now where the extended curved roof will essentially create a wall on the right side of the loft. Maybe I should take off that railing and just enclose the loft on that one side…..more later.
I purchased the railing since it was so much more professional than making it myself, and just cut it to size, glued on stair posts, then painted it in Plaid chalk paint in Bavarian. Which prompts me to make an error correction from my last post. I wrongly stated this light yellow color as “buff”, but in reality it is “Bavarian” – like a Bavarian creme. I made support posts from 3/16″ x 3/16″ x 24″ basswood I order from Dick Blick art materials, at 
The dining room light is battery operated. I usually use lighting supplies from Evans Designs ordered thru 
So here I am at the next hurdle I have to trip over. As you can see in the pic below of the original model structure I purchased, the roof curves so I need to build rafter supports the whole length of the cottage (16″), which should still provide a 7″ ceiling in the loft. This is one an artist constructed from the basic kit from Greenleaf.
The inside should look something like this pic I found on Pinterest….., except the dome is made from stone, and there aren’t any supports. I want a wooden ceiling but I’m afraid all that glue would warp the roof, since I plan on using corrugated cardboard.
Maybe I should rethink this. I could thatch the roof, and maybe use the cardboard for the inside, which would then be the domed ceiling. That way I wouldn’t have to spend a week gluing popsicle sticks on only to find it won’t bend properly (also a necessary consideration). The kit came with this one support for the roof – I would need to make one more so I have one in the middle – where the roof line is going to change (another obstacle) and I’d need one on the very back. It will help keep the shape of the roof.
Considering I don’t have a scroll saw, I could purchase another kit (it’s cheap), and I’d have my extra support that way. It’s cheaper than investing in a scroll saw, although there are times I could use one. Like a model sized one from Micro-Mark. I had ordered one of their tiny machines one time, but returned it because at 4″, plus a transformer and the outrageous price, I just couldn’t see where it would be useful for very long.
Geez, when I look at it in a pic, it looks impossible. Let me work on some mock ups in the meantime and I’ll publish them here. It’s easier for me to study it visually than just in my mind. The sink is just set in there for size comparisons. I have an Aga stove, and and island as well. That’s later. Need to do all the trim on the walls, a hearth, the door hardware, etc. Here’s one more pic looking straight on…..
By the way, the loft turned out absolutely level (see the micro level on the loft floor?), the house wasn’t sitting on a flat part of my craft table for this shot. Okay, I’m done here. Hoping to hear thoughts from some of you…thanks in advance! (The curtains on my sunroom windows perfectly match the cottage color scheme!). Just realized that maybe I should finish the outside before I put on a roof! But, in the event the shed roof size changes prove difficult, I’m leaving open the option of making the whole shed roof the same height, which would necessitate adding more height to the front elevation as well as some of the right side. Ok, now I’m really done..
So, the stairs will go as shown (approximately). The small bedroom floor will fit right above the french door casing. You can see it in the 1st pic under the french doors to give you an idea of how it will look – only one flight up. I had originally planned on having the 2nd floor extend all along that one side to the top of the left Palladian window, just cutting out an opening for the stairwell. I was going to make a tiny bathroom there in the front part over the stairs, but changed my mind. It would make the bottom floor too dark and hide the strikingly charming front wall. So, the bedroom loft will be supported by two rustic square columns at the outside corners, and some kind of railing around it. Here are pics from different angles.
As you can see in the first pic in this series, the right wall will be the kitchen, with the sink and stove under the large window. I think I might have room for a small island, and then the dining table will be under the 2nd floor by the french doors. The sitting room is by the fireplace – I will be making a small French sofa and then see what else I have room for. I’ve kept the color scheme the same thruout the small space to keep it cohesive. The light yellow color is actually “Buff” in chalk paint from Plaid, as is the “Sage” on the windows. The kitchen components are in a pale yellow as well. My next decision will be how to manage a roof. I want to keep the half-circle concept of the front wall going all the way to the back, and the rest of the ceiling to the right will be angled with rafters. I also want the whole ceiling to be made of wood planks inside and wide corrugated cardboard outside. The whole of the outside walls will be covered in stucco, (which is what I tried out on the fireplace), with some exposed stone work like the inside. The dimensions are 15″ wide and tall, except the front is 12 1/2″ from the recessed front door to the stairway wall, and 16″ deep. It would be a square if the roof wasn’t round!