Obelia medusa ([info]obeliamedusa) wrote in [info]little_world,

The inside of my dollhouse is finished at last!

EDIT: I took some new pictures to replace the most blurry ones, and added a few more hobbit-eye views. ;) 

'Tis time to go on a virtual tour of Tiny Bag End!  I should warn you, there are about 30 pictures behind this cut.  But, come on, how else am I going to celebrate the (near) completion of the interior of my dollhouse?  :P

(If you came upon this post at random and have no idea what's going on, you can find out the backstory here.)

We begin by approaching from the outside, with Tiny Frodo.  Actually, all the Tiny Hobbits and Friends graciously agreed to remain outside for this little photo session; the sad truth is, they're the least realistic looking things in the place. 


You're not too good to peer in through the windows, are you?  Here is a peek at the kitchen and pantry, respectively.




Alrighty, enough skulking in the bushes.  We open the round green door and walk into... the foyer!  Here you can see what I've been working on the last few weeks.  Vertical beams, built-in shelves, and big white wrinkly lumps meant to simulate the inside of a hill.  You know, tree roots and stuff.  Things of note in this room: many action figure accessories hung on the hooks, and Gandalf's hat on the chair.  The umbrella-holding thing was given to me by my dear friend Moosefluff, who I hope doesn't mind seeing it used this way... 




Through the door in the foyer is Frodo's room.  Not much new in here, except those shelves above the fireplace, which I took care to fill with tiny books in as cluttered a way as possible.  Oh, and there's a little wooden toy horsie on wheels sitting on the floor, but you can't see it from this angle.  I thought it was cute and I wanted it.  And surely Frodo kept a few childhood toys lying around...




This is the view of the foyer from Frodo's door (that's the back of the front door we're looking at).  Another reason I had to kick out the Tiny Hobbits for this is I would surely have knocked them over, trying to get these Hobbit-eye camera angles.  The pattern on the back of the door is not metal, by the way. There are black hinges about an inch long holding up the door, but the rest of the pattern I made using the liquid "lead" stuff they sell at craft stores for stained glass projects. I bought it to make the black lines on the windows, but I figured you can use such things for more than one purpose. I did copy the pattern on the door from Peter Jackson's movies; I just love the look of Bag End in FOTR.



Glance to the right and you will see the doorway leading to the dining room.  There are a disproportionate number of dining room photos, for which I apologize.  I can't help that the dining room is especially photogenic.  *shrug*






You may notice that many of my nifty new shelves above the doorways have nothing on them.  Who'd have thought I'd run out of tiny knicknacks before I ran out of shelf space?  Oh, how sad, I guess I'll have to make and/or search for some more.  ;)  If anyone has any ideas for what a Hobbit might display on a little shelf, I'd love to hear them.  In the kitchen it's a different story, though; no trouble at all finding things to put on shelves.  And that's where we're going next:



Here be the kitchen, one of my favourite rooms, mostly because I love making tiny food. I used to make fridge magnets of tiny food when I got bored, but this is so much more satisfying. Filling all those tiny jars with spices and other likely-looking substances was also oddly satisfying. The best looking food was not made by me, however (the dinner platters, the cutting board with cheese and crackers...); those I bought from a miniatures store.



I'm very proud of my little cooking fireplace.  It's hard to see in the big pictures, but here's a good view from an older picture (before I put on the oven handles):


All the fireplaces except the one in Frodo's room started as unfinished wood or plaster, actually, because finished things are so darn expensive. But the kitchen fireplace is my pride and joy because for the longest time I couldn't figure out how to make it. Once I decided that hobbits probably wouldn't have any kind of regular stove, I tried to find a cooking fireplace to buy. I did eventually find some online, but they were both too large for the kitchen, and, being handmade, too expensive (I can't afford to spend $40 on a single item, geez!). So I got an unfinished wood fireplace, the same kind that's in the dining room, and finished it with some pieces of rubber textured to look like brick, and some little ovens of basswood that I made and fitted in there. There are four oven doors with handles, low enough to set a pan or kettle on top, and a space in the middle behind a grate, for the fire. I don't know if this is exactly how a cooking fireplace is supposed to work, but it was the best I could do, never having seen one. Oh, and may I just say, iron paint is awesome! I found that at the craft store; it actually has ground-up iron in it. I used that to make parts of the fireplace look like iron, as well as most of the light fixtures (I didn't like the look of all that shiny brass).



Now for the pantry!  I installed many a tiny shelf in here.  :P  All that tiny food I make has to go somewhere, after all.  See that bowl of corn on the left?  I love that bowl of corn.  :)  I bought it a few weeks ago too.  I wish I could make tiny food that good!  But no, I must stick to simpler things, like apples, tomatoes, carrots, and mushrooms.  And pies, of course.  We'll see some of them in the next picture.



I just had to get a better view of the shelves on the left.  0:-)  Yes, I do have many more tiny pies than are displayed here, as some of you know; I just can't stop wanting to make those cute little things, dagnabit! :P But I decided in the end that three or four pies in the pantry would have to suffice. 


On the way back out through the kitchen, we must glance briefly at the outer wall, which was very hard to photograph without a convenient doorway to poke the camera through. Anyway, there's the door to what will be the vegetable garden, and yet another view of tiny food. 


Now we're back in the dining room (hey, I gave you fair warning about the gratuitous dining room pictures...), and we're going through that doorway on the left to get to... the living room. 




Did you notice the tiny Elvish horn? :P If so, you must have been using extrasensory perception of some kind, because it's barely visible.  It's white and tucked between two vases, but I have it prominently displayed on the shelf above the fireplace, because it's so cool. :P Here's an older picture where you can actually see the wee horn:


It was made for my Tiny Hobbits by the extremely talented Elwen, who also makes beautiful dollhouse curtains and beds (check out her ebay store!).  She also very kindly made the little rug in the bathroom, which you'll see... right now!


Here we can see the tiny bottles of unknown substances, made of beads glued together.  I also made some little piles of towels out of felt to put on that lower shelf.  When I was taking these pictures, I didn't have anything to put on the bathroom shelves, so I had to come up with something to put there...



Now, from the living room...




...we shall peer into Bilbo's room, through that barely visible door on the right!



I don't know why, but I'm very fond of these shots I got by sticking my camera through doorways.  Hee!  Anyway, here's the rest of Bilbo's room.  I think I need more tiny books.  They don't have nearly enough clutter, poor bookwormish Hobbits!





Another through-the-door shot.  I've just turned the camera around so that it's in Bilbo's room, pointing out through the doorway.



Now we have toured the whole smial.  Naturally, we shall exit via the dining room.  0:-)




Thanks for stopping by!  Don't forget to get your tiny plastic cloak off the hooks on your way out.  Come back and visit anytime.  :-D



Oh, I suppose I should include a view from above with the Hill off, so you can see the layout:  




X-posted to my journal

Edit Dec. 13 2007: I've posted pictures of Tiny Bag End all decorated for Christmas.  Come see!  :)

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[info]dameelysia

December 25 2005, 03:21:27 UTC 6 years ago

I've been following your creative process from the start, and I'm amazed at the final product-it's so wonderful, all those little details and all the care and hard work you put into it.

Would you mind if I plugged you with a post in [info]whimwham?

[info]obeliamedusa

December 25 2005, 05:10:12 UTC 6 years ago

Not at all, I'd be thrilled. :)

[info]dameelysia

6 years ago

[info]mellowmcyellow

December 25 2005, 03:41:47 UTC 6 years ago

It's absolutely amazing. Great job.
Do you mind me asking how much it cost you in total?

[info]obeliamedusa

December 25 2005, 05:24:51 UTC 6 years ago

Hmm, now there's something I try not to think about too much. ;) All that wood paneling and flooring alone, unstained, cost like $150! The lights were a big expense, too. I'm not sure how much I've spent in total, since my buying of supplies has been spread out over a year and a half, but I'd estimate around eight hundred dollars, including the exterior stuff as well as interior.

[info]frickinmuck

December 25 2005, 03:57:00 UTC 6 years ago

this is the best mini house ever. I LOVE this house. thanks for posting the work in progress as well as the finished product. so exciting to watch this thing evolve over time! WELL DONE!!

[info]frickinmuck

December 25 2005, 03:59:15 UTC 6 years ago

I just noticed you are from north van. of course someone as cool as you would be from my area! :^)

[info]pinkpuppybelly

December 25 2005, 04:33:52 UTC 6 years ago

A triumph, really.

[info]obeliamedusa

December 28 2005, 12:14:23 UTC 6 years ago

thanks!

[info]buenos_aires

December 25 2005, 05:23:00 UTC 6 years ago

You were on a girls friends page who belongs to a community I belong to

And this was perhaps THE most incredible thing I have seen on livejournal, ever.

Period.

I salute you in your diligent effort and precise rendering of small details.

Its so beautiful.

-Lauren

[info]obeliamedusa

December 28 2005, 12:15:13 UTC 6 years ago

Wow, thank you! I just can't get enough of the small details. :)

[info]_strangegirl_

December 25 2005, 05:23:33 UTC 6 years ago

Oh my gosh that is SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR!

[info]obeliamedusa

December 28 2005, 12:15:27 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you!

[info]sandyhiwet

3 years ago

[info]cloudtrader

December 25 2005, 05:27:54 UTC 6 years ago

That is so so so so so amazingly cool. WOW.

[info]obeliamedusa

December 28 2005, 12:15:42 UTC 6 years ago

Thanks! :)

[info]mmymoon

December 25 2005, 06:53:02 UTC 6 years ago

Eeeeeeee! I still adore you/Bag End. Eee, the cuteness, the tiny, tiny cuteness.

And tiny food just has a siren call -- I have hordes of it and I still want MORE. I'm working on a full 1:6 pastry shop, because I just need to display rows and rows of petite pastries and tiny tarts. I love your pictures. *drools*

[info]obeliamedusa

December 28 2005, 12:16:34 UTC 6 years ago

Oooh, a pastry shop! Now that sounds like a worthy endeavour. :D Mmm, tiny pastries...

[info]mielikkik

December 25 2005, 12:27:25 UTC 6 years ago

Awesome. Just awesome. Can't think anything praising enough to say right now.. I adore that your Bag End. It is just amazingly beautiful!

[info]obeliamedusa

December 28 2005, 12:16:48 UTC 6 years ago

Well thank you! :)

[info]mthespinner

December 25 2005, 15:11:49 UTC 6 years ago

Totally brilliant-and I loved the hobbit bathing room! Would you mind if I linked this into my journal as I have some serious hobbit loving friends?

[info]obeliamedusa

December 28 2005, 12:13:45 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you! And not at all; I love it when people bring their hobbit-loving friends. ;)

[info]avad

December 26 2005, 05:41:58 UTC 6 years ago

simply unbelievably amAZing.
congratulations on a brilliant job. there is so much wonder in this to last for ages.

[info]obeliamedusa

December 28 2005, 12:17:34 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you so much!

Anonymous

6 years ago

[info]moon_on_ice

December 26 2005, 14:05:46 UTC 6 years ago

Oh. My. GOD! INCREDIBLE! The lighting really works well to create ambience. Getting the lighting right has always been tricky for me. When I looked at that first photo, I thought it was a real photo of someone's house, until I saw what was written with it. You have inspired me to work on my minis again!

[info]obeliamedusa

December 28 2005, 12:24:33 UTC 6 years ago

Oh good, no one should give up on their minis! :) Lighting really does make a huge difference. I had to fiddle around a lot to get the rooms bright enough to photograph without the flash on; overly bright light makes everything look so obviously fake. I quickly discovered that in the pictures I took with flash, you could see that all those candle "flames" were really light bulbs! :-\ Figuring out what/how many lights to install wasn't too hard, but it took a lot of trial and error to capture that cozy-looking glow on the camera.

[info]anithradia

December 27 2005, 03:25:31 UTC 6 years ago

It's so pretty! Hats off to you! (Tiny hobbit hats, of course)

[info]obeliamedusa

December 28 2005, 12:25:21 UTC 6 years ago

Tiny hobbit hats, hee! :D

[info]princess_kierra

December 28 2005, 02:31:50 UTC 6 years ago

It's beautiful. I just can't get over how realistic it looks. It really does look like Bag End.

[info]obeliamedusa

December 28 2005, 12:25:56 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you!

[info]elwenlj

December 29 2005, 01:36:56 UTC 6 years ago

It looks so perfect. But you do realise that it will never realy be finished, don't you? You are hooked and will keep adding and adjusting for years.

And I'm glad the horn fitted in so well.

[info]obeliamedusa

January 13 2006, 01:49:49 UTC 6 years ago

Ah, but that's the beauty of it! I never want to be totally finished. ;)

[info]lunagypsy

January 5 2006, 23:45:21 UTC 6 years ago

I have no words that are right...this is the most AMAZING, INCREDIBLE piece of work I have ever seen. It is so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes. I cannot wait to show this to my husband. This is just beyond mere words...thank you for sharing this, what a gem! I could look at this for days on end.:)

[info]obeliamedusa

January 13 2006, 02:27:52 UTC 6 years ago

Wow, thank you. That means a lot to me. :)

[info]tidesong

January 9 2006, 17:44:39 UTC 6 years ago

Drive-by-comment:

This has to be one of the most amazing things I've ever seen! What a remarkable job, very nice.

[info]obeliamedusa

January 13 2006, 02:27:18 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you!

[info]pushmearound

January 9 2006, 19:30:57 UTC 6 years ago

Holy cow. That is one of the coolest things I've seen in a LONG time. If you haven't already you should show this off in a community. Some community. I'm sure there's something appropriate. Good job. Sincerely.

[info]obeliamedusa

January 13 2006, 02:28:55 UTC 6 years ago

Thanks. And I would like to to show it somewhere, to someone... But I'll worry about that when it's finished. There's still the exterior, you know. :)

[info]mybestexcuse

January 10 2006, 01:34:20 UTC 6 years ago

I'm here via about 6 coms, so don't mind me.

It's AMAZING.

I'm so impressed and awed.

[info]obeliamedusa

January 13 2006, 02:29:33 UTC 6 years ago

Oh don't worry, I don't know any of these other people either. ;)

And thank you!

[info]sanj

January 10 2006, 03:31:26 UTC 6 years ago

Wow, this is AMAZING. Brilliant work!

[info]obeliamedusa

January 13 2006, 02:30:01 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you!

Anonymous

January 10 2006, 03:51:11 UTC 6 years ago

Never seen anything like this

Your work is amazing! Share the experience...please send this set of photos to galleries! This is beautiful art...how talented you are.

[info]obeliamedusa

January 13 2006, 02:30:15 UTC 6 years ago

Re: Never seen anything like this

Thank you so much.

[info]scott_lynch

January 10 2006, 06:55:49 UTC 6 years ago

The whole thing is a heartbreaking little piece of wonder, and I have never seen its equal.

Hope you don't mind if I strategically drop a few links to this here and there. :)

[info]obeliamedusa

January 13 2006, 02:31:25 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you so much. And sure, the more the merrier. :)

[info]liveavatar

January 10 2006, 08:22:02 UTC 6 years ago

Here via [info]scott_lynch.

Truly excellent work. I'll probably be dropping a few strategic links to this myself.

[info]obeliamedusa

January 13 2006, 02:32:09 UTC 6 years ago

Thanks! And I must say, I love your icon. That is so cool! Hee! :)

[info]ohilya

January 10 2006, 08:32:11 UTC 6 years ago

Here also via the Mighty Scott Lynch.

That is a staggering monument to fan love. It truly is. And how on earth are you lighting the candles in that house?

[info]obeliamedusa

January 13 2006, 02:38:09 UTC 6 years ago

Boy, he sure has a lot of friends! :P Welcome!

As for the candles, you can buy all sorts of little electrical supplies made especially for dollhouses. All those candles have little tiny 12V light bulbs, powered with a transformer that you plug into a wall socket. The dollhouse itself is wired with tapewire, and you attach the wires from the light fixtures to that. I have a picture of the wiring in my earlier post, if you want to see what it looks like:

http://www.livejournal.com/community/little_world/30571.html

[info]level_head

January 10 2006, 08:40:05 UTC 6 years ago

A most excellent work, with your care and love of the subject matter, and the details, shining through every doorway.

Congratulations!

===|==============/ Level Head

[info]obeliamedusa

January 13 2006, 02:38:30 UTC 6 years ago

Thank you so much! :)

Anonymous

1 year ago

[info]cerebulon

5 years ago

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