What is To the Moon?
It’s an adventure game.
What else?
It’s a love story.
What else?
It’s… it’s beautiful. I don’t know how else to describe it. (But I tried.)
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After painting my Fairfield’s fireplaces, I decided they should both be the same blue color rather than one blue and one green, so I went to the dollhouse store to pick up another blank one. I wasn’t positive that the ones in the store were exactly the same as the ones I had, so I ended up buying two — which was a good thing, because when I got them home I found that the new fireplaces are slightly smaller than the originals. (Different brand? New mold? Dunno.) Of course, since they’re back to back against the same chimney, the height difference would have been noticeable. I wanted them to match, so I started over.
While I was at it, I figured I’d take some better pictures and do a quickie tutorial for anyone who wants to try painting one of these yourself. I started by painting small areas of the fireplace, then “sponging” off the paint with a paper towel. I did small batches rather than paint it all at once so the paint wouldn’t dry before I got a chance to sponge it off. This picture was taken after three or four paint/sponge cycles.
For years, the Fairfield has had unpainted resin fireplace fronts propped up against the chimney. I got in the mood to decorate the house for Christmas and decided the unfinished fireplaces would never do!
I started by making hearths out of a polystyrene brick sheet leftover from when I built the house (I used it for the inside of the fireplaces and the chimney). These bricks are really tough to cut and have a smooth, not very brick-like texture, and I have since learned better ways to make realistic bricks (egg cartons!), but I figured I’d be consistent. I cut a piece to fit into the fireplace hole, added grout, and added basswood (painted brick color) around the edges to form a border.
The hearth slides into the fireplace hole. It doesn’t quite meet at the back and sides, but with the fireplace in you won’t be able to tell. Eventually I’ll glue it down to the floor, but haven’t yet.
Initially I planned to keep the fireplace mostly white, with some dark green accents and gold embellishments. But staying inside the lines proved too challenging so I ended up painting the whole thing green, then “sponging” off the wet paint with a paper towel for a marbled look. I used black paint, also sponged, around the opening. I “painted” the flowers gold with a toothpick.
Here’s the finished fireplace next to an unpainted one.
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.
