Update, Now Sold-Dollhouse Miniature Harry Potter Gryffindor Common Room Fireplace completed at last!

Update, this is now sold/on layaway in my store and is no longer available for purchase.

Ok seriously, this was harder than you know what for me!  It's not perfect, There are a few little things I would change if I could.  But it's the first thing I've ever built from scratch, so be kind!  I tried my best and I think although it has a few bumps in certain areas that could have been smoother, it's still pretty darn good for a first try!  And I will say it did get a little heavier than I would have liked due to all the clay I had to use on the structure.  There is wood under there, and it wasn't thin wood either because I wanted it sturdy and not breakable.  You could probably drive a car over this thing and it would be just fine :)  And I'm quite sure that this is truly one of a kind, because who in the hello would be crazy enough to build this thing but me?  Talk about time consuming!  It took me forever!  Every slate tile was hand-snipped, painted and pieced together onto the exterior!  It was hand sculpted all over the place as well, because I found I needed to build out the chimney bottom a bit more.  I hand sculpted the larger grate inside, added in real fireplace ashes that are glued down in place and then coated over the top of them as well.  I hand-burnt the fireplace logs and placed them all as they are with glue.  I hand-sculpted Sirius Black's face and then added bits of wood fiber around him for hair, beard, moustache.  I painted him, sparkled him in fire-orange glitter.  I made flames, very well done as I could get them out of shimmery plastic that I also painted here and there with orange.  A semi-burnt Daily Prophet newspaper hangs out of the fireplace with a front cover of Harry and Hermoine hugging before the Tri-Wizard Tournament as taken by Rita Skeeter.  It looks as though Harry has just tried to dispose of it like garbage to be burnt :)  The top of this fireplace is made of thinner wood and is open on the top for ease of cutting with some type of strong clippers or saw, so it can be cut to the tallness of your room so that it reaches the very top of the room.  I can do this for you should you give me correct measurements or you could do it at home with a small saw like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-Hacksaw-Small-Sharp-Cutting-Junior-Hand-Saw-Tool-/160537150316?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2560c2836c.   I know one thing, I will NOT make another.  This was far too difficult a build for me and took a very long time.  So when it goes, it's gone for

good :(  OOAK!  I think I did a good job, considering it was a totally new thing for me to try.  Here's some very bad inside, night time pictures of the fireplace. I'll have to retake them outside in natural bright light to really show how much better it can look than these show:

Gosh these are so awful!  You can even make out Sirius Black's face in them or the "very clear in person" newspaper :(  I'll try again tomorrow and redo this blog post with new outside pictures.

Available here in my store:  http://www.etsy.com/listing/80699791/dollhouse-miniature-harry-potter

Oh, and I just listed a piece from my own personal collection that has been in storage (sealed safe and clean inside a large plastic container the same as I store my minis I'm selling).  I bought too many when I was starting to collect about a year and a half ago.  This one was made from parts I bought from other sellers (like Erica VanHorn of EV Miniatures) and also some of my own tid bits I made.  I'll be listing pieces as I unwrap them because I just don't have the time to deal with them or set up my witch cottage (or the room for that matter).  I would be too scared kids or pets would ruin them in this crazy house!  So out of storage they will go, and into my store as I can.  There is even a witch's bathroom set :)

I distress painted the very nice hutch cabinet myself to look old and witchy.  This is currently available in my store.  There are several expensive parts on this, like the scroll and hand-blown glass leeches jar, as well as all of the hand-blown glass canning jars.  And the books were professionally made, as well as the tiny pumpkin cake with a slice taken out of it and laid on the side.  Cute!