Wednesday, 7th July 2010

Had a mini day

Two deadlines met.  One was over on Saturday, the other was for a GSOLFOT make and I finished that too.  It was the first time ever that I have made 1:12th scale clothing, and of course being me I had to dive in boots and all and start with fabric that would show every little glue mark!   Considering it was my first attempt and I can't find half my supplies (still) I am rather chuffed with my efforts.  After both those deadlines I had the usual nasty let-up-of-stress migraine, and decided that I deserved a mini day as a reward.  So I went to town making up some quarter scale furniture kits that have been sitting here calling out to me. 

So I did several of the bedroom furniture kits, all by Karen Benson except the mirror which is by Karen Cary, and here they are, still in their unfinished state - I haven't stained them because I don't have a stain pen, so will paint them with a light wash of paint and then go over that with a spray sealer or with Shellac.  The mattresses on the bed are removable, and there is another layer to go on them as well.  I will do the bedding after I know which house they are going into and what the colour scheme is.

There is still a Victorian bed and dresser kit to make up, and some fireside chairs to make up and upholster. 

Now tiny as these pieces are, the Mirror swings, and the drawers on the Cottage dresser and the Victorian nightstand come out!  I had enough spare knobs from the Cottage dresser (the one with the little shelves and the oval mirror) to put three on the nightstand - so I will have to hang something out of the drawer I guess, unless I can find another matching 'knob' vbg.

There was a slight pause here - I knocked my 'photography background' box to the floor, don't ask me how, and it still had all the pieces in it!   So a repair job was needed on two of the pieces.  One of those was the table for the conservatory, among the 'wrought iron' furniture from Karen Cary pictured here.  There are three little wall pot holders at the back, one is difficult to see because it is partly hidden by a chair.  Won't they look great when they are painted white?  We are having rain at the moment so it's not a good time to get out the spray can or I'd do it today.

Back to the house, and this darling little (and I do mean little) grandfather clock will be perfect in Miss Marple's Cottage - now renamed Rose Cottage, remember.  There are lots of tiny pieces in it, believe me.  But the results are worth it.  Very sweet.  And the kind of detail that really makes a difference to a house.  Which reminds me, I have some wall clocks somewhere too.......

Now I love dressers.  For some reason they just hold a charm for me that I can't explain.  I have a few by Pam Junk, as part of furniture sets. So of course I fell in love with this one by Karen Benson too.  Again I am not sure which of the several quarter scale projects I have lined up on my shelves yet to do it will go into, but I can see more of these lovely dressers on the horizon.  And yes, the drawer comes out. So of course it will have to be filled with goodies.

But the garden hasn't been forgotten either.  First there is an arbour with planter boxes on either side.  This of course just lends itself to a flowering vine going up and over it, with other flowers on the inner boxes.  And then there's a twig bench to give some garden that lovely rustic touch.  The illustration for this shows it with a throw draped over the right arm and a hat or book on it - just suggests the perfect sunny afternoon, doesn't it?

There's more for the garden too.  This one is a grand Garden Alcove kit, from Karen Benson.  It is much larger than the arbour, and is meant to have a garden seat in it.  I have used the garden seat for the front garden of Miss Marple's Cottage/Rose Cottage, so will get another one (or several - they are just delicious!).  I see it as part of a far more formal garden setting.  I took the photo at a slight angle, everything is really square and spot on.  This is a lovely structure but as the next photo shows, it really does dwarf the arbour

I think you'd have to be careful where you put them if you were to use them in the same garden, or even which house you used the Garden Alcove in at all.  But I love it.

So there you are - the fruits of my labour lol!  Furnishings for the bedroom, kitchen, conservatory, garden and a grandfather clock for the living room.  So I can go ahead and start furnishing Rose Cottage and have some in readiness for other houses as well.   And I have a lovely lumpy, comfy sofa and chairs from Grace Shaw of the Virtual Dollhouse too, as well as lots of wonderful cats and dogs, kitties and puppies, agas and a fridge.  By the way, do visit her store.  Not only has she such a lot of things but she is just so helpful and will get anything for you.  And I get my order within a week, even here in Australia, from the time I order - her service is unequalled!

Now I just have my mother's new computer that I bought for her to set up and take around to her, and I can start on my next project - Story Book Cottage.  So watch this space, friends!