Update on the Italian project

It's been awhile since I had some progress to show you on the Italian project. I think it was back in August :')
In the months after we did some other things at the meetings of the miniature club (making dolls, well body parts at least ^^, and nutcrackers) but at the next one - in two weeks - we'll start working on our projects again.
With that in mind this week I did some work on the outside of the trattoria, because that's kind of hard to do somewhere else. I can't take the mountain with me ;)

First though, I thought I'd show you some photos, I hadn't before apparently (from before August);

I'd added some green paint to the mountain.

Working on a wooden balustrade

Starting on the staircase. Had seen a tutorial
 about airdryed clay covering wooden steps, so
I dismantled one of the earlier cottage stair-
cases and used a glue gun to make the base. 

Covered in air dried clay.

The balustrade got a walnut stain.

And then, this what it looked like when I blogged about it in August:

So back to this week :)

Instead of using paper shutters I've started
again and used an old (cottage) door :)

I cut the door in half and the right length
and resized and printed a picture of
shutter hinges.

The window frames have been painted, the hinges
cut out and painted with black lamp acrylic.

 

The hinges and shutters are just glued in place. Since the front
of the frattoria is supposed to be the background for the project
 (don't laugh :P) I didn't want to bother making movable
shutters (a) Behide the window is the Chianti fiasco
Kim made me.

Although the inside of the bistro will
stay empty, I've decided it still needed
same painting because of the glimpse
you get through the window and door. 

 

So after painting the walls and adding a paper floor, I glued the
 door in place and added an 'Aperto/Chiuso' (open/closed) sign :)
I've also added some off white chalk paint to the
staircase to highlight the cracks.

Next step; if I am absolutely certain that I
don't need to be on the inside again, I can
glue the front wall in place and finish the
 balustrade. 

I'd like to make a flower box just below the window and maybe a awning above the door or window, so that will be something I can work on at the next meeting with the miniature club ;)