Leaky Cauldron Roof & a Few Bits & Bobs.....

The roof tiles have now been weathered and no longer have that newly laid terracotta look thank goodness. Many, many washes of dirty greys have toned them down nicely and they have retained a weathered texture. The top part of the roof is a simple square of MDF that lifts off for access into the attic and I decided to edge it in lead strips that I already had to hand. 

I am told that the shiny, newness will tone down as the lead ages. I hope so as it is far too shiny at the moment....These strips were very easy to cut and shape but too thick to crumple and distress. I have tried to bash them about a bit but to no real effect. 

I then discovered this stuff, Artemboss, which comes in sheets and looks perfect for this sort of work. Next time!!!

After edging the top roof I filled the area with gravel for railway modellers. I use quite a lot of railway modelling products for scenery as they are normally really good quality and easily obtainable. I mixed the gravel with a watered down PVA mix, poured, levelled it and left to dry. When it was tacky I sprinkled on a fine green moss, railways again, and I will add a couple of darker colours as this first layer dries.

Lead can be seen glinting away here, hmmmm, will have to leave it and see. 

I want to fill the attic with bundles of leftover newspapers, posters and documents that were hurriedly put away on the demise of "He Who Must Not Be Named". So I have spent some time with Google this week and played with my computer to produce a few bundles. They still need to be aged and grubbied up a little, and tied up with string ready to be bundled up in the attic.

I made all the 'parchment' by soaking A4 photo quality paper in a coffee mix and then a quick dry in a heated oven. Normal paper seems to disintegrate when soaked but the photopaper is much stronger. 

I used some pieces to line the walls of the attic plus I have added some single LED lights which will be hidden behind the junk and mess. These lights were really cheap from Ebay and are a bit bulky but they work fine.

A few dingy portraits will be stacked along the walls. A grey wash over the top has aged them but they still need to be sealed.

I now have to search through all my bits and pieces for other items to scatter around the attic floor. A long while ago I read all about layering and painting items to create a dolls house attic. Can I find it now I need it? Of course not.