Twice Upon a Time.....

Get it? Second day, twice......Oh never mind. Here we go again.

The year that I built the castle was a very good one. It won best of show at TMS. Sybil Harp, the then editor of Nutshell News, came to my house for coffee and had a look at it. Photos were taken and it was a feature article in Nutshell News.

At the show the best of all things happened. A group of kids from the Tucson School for the Deaf and Blind came through the show and looked at displays. The kids were really special and got to touch some of the things that they couldn't see. The comments from them were the best. There was one little girl that was deaf. Someone had to tell her in sign language what the rooms were. When they got to the Little Red Riding Hood scene, she identified it and signed excitedly that she knew what it was. From then on she really got into it and figured out what a lot of them were. It was really neat that the kids all saw, each in their own way, and enjoyed all of the displays.

I think that I am going to use this tour as a teaser until I can take better photos with my feet flat on the ground.

The next room that we are looking at is Beauty and the Beast. The table behind the post is set for a dinner for two, complete with prime rib roast, mashed potatoes, green beans and rolls. The champagne is open and Beastie is offering his guest a glass. He is wearing a red smoking jacket and of course he has a lit cigarette in his other hand. It even has smoke! These days I would probably be grabbing a fire extinguisher and spraying him. Back then I didn't mind the smoke so much. The floor in the scene is parquet. There is a carved fireplace behind him. She is sitting on a blue velvet tufted sofa and he has a blue leather wing chair in the opposite corner. I made all of these and the chandelier above his head from scratch.

In taking these photos, I am seeing what needs touching up in all of the rooms. The candles are kind of lopsided these days. They just need a bit of bending. The more I look, the more I feel the need to get it down and do some repairs.

Here's the frog prince. He's not as nice as you thought he was. Maybe there is a reason that the witch turned him. He is waiting for the princess to get out of the tub! I made the princess but not the frog. He is one reason for the castle. I loved the leering expression on his face. She looks a bit indignant. Wouldn't you be too if there was a frog sitting on the end of your tub just waiting..........And she's going to kiss him??? Silly girl!

You can't see it too well in this photo but the sink is a real sea shell. I designed and hand carved the stool. I made the curtains with the pin and ceiling tile method that I used in the bed tutorial. All of the gold that you see on the tub surround and the valance above are German scrap copied from 19th century paper made for scrapbooks.

Last but not least for today. Here are a couple of close ups of Rapunzel and the prince.

In this one you can see wicked stepmother behind Rapunzel. Rapunzel is about to get a short bob. No more having her hair pulled out by the roots from some guy climbing up it.

Here's the prince that is causing all of the trouble.

Notice that I was kind to Rapunzel. There is a hook attached to the side of the tower that she can wrap her hair over so that she won't lose so much when the prince starts to shimmy up the braid.

Honestly, would you let some guy climb up your braid without knowing just what his intentions were?

Lesson for the day......Never trust a leering frog that says "Honest lady, I'm really a prince. Kiss me." or a prince of a guy saying "Come on! Let your hair down and live a little!" These two phrases can only mean trouble!

I'll be back tomorrow. See you then.