I worked on the side and front trim of the dollhouse, carefully positioning the fascia pieces to ensure proper alignment. The thin fascia is placed on the top interior side of the thick fascia, which helps determine its positioning. I made sure to leave a small gap on the back edges of the side fascias to allow the back fascia trim to fit flush.
For the decorative elements, I used stencils and spackle to create raised designs on the wood. I positioned the stencil and secured it with masking tape, ensuring it wouldn't move during application. Using a putty knife, I applied spackle over the stencil, with the thickness determining the height of the raised design. After carefully removing the stencil, I was left with a design that resembled a carved wood applique. To maintain the stencil's quality, I rinsed it in water between uses to prevent spackle from clogging the design. If I made any mistakes, I could easily scrape off the wet spackle. For added detail, I used a toothpick to create subtle swirls or lines while the spackle was slightly firm.
After the spackle dried, I touched up the design with white paint. To enhance the decoration, I added two cameo buttons, painting them to match the dollhouse and securing them with tacky glue. The spackle dries quickly but takes 24 hours to fully cure, becoming extremely hard once completely dry.
