Four Sides To Every Story...

The first side...That was the easy part.  Two narrow strips going up the sides of the back...

I am not counting the foundation that I did a week or so ago.

This was the easiest side....

Then I made the mistake of going around on the right side from the back...

That one was the hardest. I had to get around a large bay and a small, oddly shaped window.

If you ever try this technique, be sure to save the curled up edges of the top to go over things like the cornice above the window and the little window at the top.  They work great.

I had to bend the ones for the two columns on the bay and the corners.  I just did it with my fingers.  The cartons are very easy to bend and shape. 

If they don't go where you want them to just dampen them with a wet cloth...Not too damp...They can fall apart if you aren't careful. And the glue doesn't work as well on the really wet egg cartons.

Third side, today...The front has a lot of flat surfaces.  That in itself is a design problem... I didn't want it to look too plain, but also not too busy.  I struck a balance between large and small rocks and tried not to get too many small ones in one place.  They should look like they are fillers for the larger rocks and have been cut to fit.

Speaking of cut to fit.  Every rock had to be cut by hand so that they would fit tightly together with not too many gaps. 

I also snipped off the corners of all of them so that they would look worn down some and not cut by a saw, or a pair of scissors.  Did I mention that my fingers are sore from all of that cutting?  They are.  It was a matter of cut and fit, cut and fit.  Over and over...

The fourth wall will be tomorrow...I will finish the one that I am working on, but it's not easy with the Terrible Two hanging out the windows making rude comments.

If I don't get the rocks that I cut glued in place fast, the two of them start tossing them around the bedroom to see who can throw the farthest.  So far Zar is ahead, but I just saw Tessie throw one and zap it at the same time...I am not sure where that one ended up.  I will probably trip over it in the hallway later.

Oh well.  Two out of three are enjoying the stonework...

Spike left as soon as they started throwing rocks...I haven't seen him for hours.  Smart dog.  I should go find his hiding place and join him for safety's sake.

I hope to start the sculpting part tomorrow.

See you then.