Since I have already blogged this dollhouse, I am going to focus on more building tips and changes I made to the finishes, rather than the step by step assembly.
A simple, cost effective way to stain your dollhouses windows is to use the acetate windows that came with your kit. Since they are already silk screened, you can follow the silk screened pattern to create your stained glass. The same silk screened pattern can also be used as a grid guide to help create your own designs.
Always place your windows on a smooth, clean surface since the acetate is easily scratched and/or dented.
I am staining with color, the entire Gothic center window and the top, round tower window. The rest of the windows will only be stained at the diamond panes using a "clear" stained glass effect.
Sharpie markers in various colors and clear nail polish is all that's needed to create stained glass. If you use the clear nail polish alone, then you will get a "clear" stained glass effect, almost milky white. The brush strokes create the "crackled" stained glass look.
In order to try out your pattern, you can use the clear envelope that your dollhouse windows came in. Do not try out your patterns and/or designs directly on your windows. Nail polish and Sharpie markers are permanent and can not be removed if you decide you don't like your pattern.
Place the window you want to stain under the clear envelope and then begin trying out different patterns. I chose blue, yellow, brown and silver. The silver will act as the "clear" for now. I will be using just the nail polish instead, once I'm satisfied with the look. The blue looks purple because of the brown background of the table.
I took a small sample of extra acetate, which can be found around your windows, and I tried different combinations of how the application of the clear nail polish looks best colored. It looks best applied to the interior of the window and then colored over with the sharpie marker.
When the window is turned over, you can see how it has a stained glass look.
Color with the marker in round strokes to make the stained glass seem more realistic. Linear, up and down, strokes do not end up looking as nice.
If you do not like the mullions to appear white, you can go over them with a black sharpie marker. I will leave mines white though so they match the rest of the dollhouse windows and since all of my trim is white, I think it will look better.
Working on the interior of the windows also allows for the white mullions to remain nice and even from the exterior view. You want to try and keep the mullions neat because if you make them sloppy with your markers, it will be visible when looking at the window from the interior.
Finger nail art adds a little bit of detail to your windows. I added them to all of the diamond panes.
I have a lot of windows to do so this process will take a while.
