Studio slowly getting there.....

Hello friends!  I figured it was time to let you know how things have been going on the studio, fondly called 'the cubby' by us all now.  Well they have been moving on, but very slowly.  I've promised people photos several times now but there's not really much to show yet.  By next weekend however there will be, I promise!  No, it won't be finished but it will be usable, sort of.

My darling hubby has been sick with the same bug I've had, then working quite a few night duties so progress did slow for a while but he has started working on the upper shelving on the rear wall.  My brother was here a couple of weekends ago and started the paved area beside the cubby, where we will have our outdoor furniture and bbq, and Peter and our nephew Mark (who lives with us) have continued on it since.  Mark got most of the paving finished today.

My brother terry was back today (Sunday) and we were all at the hardware store by 7am and bought a whole pile of things for the the lower shelves across the back wall.  They will be the height and depth of a normal kitchen bench.  Terry then worked on them today and will be hopefully finishing them one day  this week while Peter finishes the upper shelves.  I cleaned one of the old desks that I am re-using; it has a laminate surface and I want it to be white to freshen it up.  So I did it with a spray that you use on all sorts of surfaces so they will take paint and started to give it it's first coat of white.  It looks much better than the dark brown now and we'll add a timber top to match the benchtop.

Tomorrow I hope to finish that coat and do a second one.  Maybe I'll be able to start the second desk too.

There is still a lot of painting to do on the cubby itself, both interior and exterior but I have been out of action for so long with this second lot of bronchitis and laryngitis that we have pushed ahead anyway because I want to have a family bbq here on Father's Day which is next Sunday.  It is to celebrate Peter's birthday which is this Wednesday, my brother's birthday which is on 10th September and Father's Day which is this coming Sunday.  My mother will be coming and that means we've hired a wheelchair taxi to bring her here.  So the date is firm and the paved area must be finished for the furniture and bbq to go on.  And it also means that I need to have all my boxes and containers out of the dining and lounge room that have been sitting here all packed up ready to go into the studio because we can't move around properly here, let alone have extra people here especially when Mum is in a wheelchair.

I was more than a bit devious in putting on this bbq because I knew it would be the spur needed to keep everyone working to get things done, and it worked :)  Hopefully the shelving in the cubby will be finished enough that I can stack things in there reasonably well and not just have to shove boxes in there and re-pack/unpack them all later!   Peter is working 2 nights this week, so we have to make a big effort on the three days we have available, to get everything ready for Sunday.

I'm having mini withdrawal symptoms!

I know it's going to be wonderful having a studio to work in (except of course that it will be far to small to fit all of my miniatures in) but having my lounge and dining rooms half full of boxes ready to move into the studio is not only depressing me with the mess but it means that I can't get to my minis to work on them in the house in the meantime.

So the arrival last week of two parcels was great for salving my mini withdrawal symptoms a little bit.  One of them contained three Jane Harrop kits and I just had to make them up there and then, that evening. 

The settle will go into Dandelion Cottage and the cradle probably will also.  The lavender basket might too but it also might go into the Fairfield or some other cottage.  Jane Harrop kits are always a delight to put together, and these were no exception.

The day prior to that parcel another one arrived with 10 halfscale kits from Petite Properties and of course I had to make them up that evening too.  These are also simple and quick to assemble and the results are very pleasing as well. While watching an episode of 'Homes under the hammer' and then one of 'Midsomer Murders' that we had recorded on our DVR, all 10 were made up and the glue was dry.  

As you can see I haven't painted them yet because I am not sure where they will be used at the moment.  The wheelbarrow will probably go in Dandelion cottage as will the cold frame and wood store and probably one or two of the others including the dry sink but I will wait until I get the furniture from Herdwick before I go adding shelves or anything to the kitchen area.

And so the withdrawal symptoms were soothed temporarily but only just temporarily :-)  My fabrics are packed away but I might just take some time to stitch a cushion or two for the settle because I have a feeling that the hedgehogs would appreciate a bit of softness even with their spikes.  The little cradle needs some distressing and some pretty bedclothes, which will be fun to do.  I have been looking again at the work of Jain Squires (The Giddy Kipper) who has agreed to make the hedgehog family towards the end of the year and her work is delightful.  It will be exciting to have the little figures to put into this house and bring it to life.

A Belated welcome!

Huge apologies that I have been so tardy in welcoming some new followers!

Elizabeth I spent ages looking through your wonderful blog (http://studioe.blogspot.com.au).  I really like the way you have achieved different levels of brightness with your lighting - the room looks fantastic.  The littlle knitting bag is wonderfully done and adds a great little touch as do all the details on the desk, they are certainly highlighted to perfection with the desk lamp.  I haven't ever tried the metal strip lighting, I was advised right at the beginning to use hard wiring for my lighting but I still empathise with your lighting difficulties and admire you patience.

Hannelore - your lavender shop will be so well stocked.  You are making so many lovely items for it and the detail in each one is just beautiful.  Even looking at photos on your blog I can almost smell the sweet lavender perfumes (http://hannelore-meinminiwelt.blogspot.com)

Yolanda (http://arteyolandamoranminiaturas.blogspot.com.es) I am impressed with your upholstery skills and also love the way you fill your cupboards with little details.  Even if the doors and drawers are closed it is special to know that when you open them there are little surprises inside.  Your house is looking great.

Caroline, Sandi and Sandra don't have a blog listed.  Caroline, are you the same Caroline from whom I bought my gorgeous Dandelion Cottage?

Welcome to you all - thank you for joining our little community.  I really hope that you enjoyed visiting and that you will come back often and spend time here.  And leave comment too please - I really appreciate those, and it motivates me very much to keep posting and sharing.  Without feedback there's no point in writing anything - I'm just writing to myself.

So sit back, relax with a cup of whatever your favourite things is, and feel free to browse and comment