Bits and Pieces In Progress...

Today I am playing at being a mad scientest.  It's working pretty good so far....

Meet my assistant Widget.  He has to see if any of it is for eating... Sorry Widge...No bites.

These are the little stamps that I got at Dollar Tree yesterday.

Taking things apart can be fun.  The first was a two ended stamp.  The two pink domes have possibilities as bottles of some kind.  Not necessarily for this project. It also yielded the two frosted pieces next to them...Maybe jars or glasses of some kind. 
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The middle ones are called paddle stamps.  They were a bit difficult to cut apart.  I finally got out my side cutters for wire.  Those worked to get most of it off.  Then I finished the job with an Exacto knife.The blue, yellow and orange lidded jars were the result.  I also experimented with using a piece of clear plastic,  cut round as a lid.  They would have to be glued shut. These are a bit larger than the next ones.

These were rings.  They were the easiest.  I just cut off the ring part and cut the leftovers off with the Exacto.  All were pretty easy and will make interesting containers in the cottage.

Next, I started playing around with an idea for a corner box.  This one is by no means finished, but I had to see if it would work.

It did.  I used a 1" square Woodsie for the top and bottom base.  Then I used walnut veneer to cover the top and bottom. The walnut veneer also makes up the sides.

The plastic box that you see beside it is what I used for the glass. Easy, no bending.  I just cut out the piece I needed.

When I get it to something I am satisfied with, I will give you directions and measurments.  Meanwhile, be looking for products that come in these boxes.

I finished the large shelf unit.  As you can see, the little boxes will work great in there. 

Zar is with me on using the window unit for another workspace.  It helps when there are two against one in the voting. 

Speaking of voting.  We were ahead for a while yesterday...Then back to a tie.  I just went and looked.  We are ahead by 1%.  Tessie is doing her happy dance! Keep it up!

Night before last, I started designing a rug for the cottage....This is how it looks so far...

I have to finish the design, so that I will have something to work on in the evenings.

I need to get that blue one that I finished last week on here, but I have to go through a few steps to get it from the laptop to this computer before I can do that.

Anyway, don't forget to go up and poke the About.com badge to vote.

See you tomorrow.

"Hold On Tight! Hold on Tighter!!!"

I finished laying the floor shortly after I wrote yesterday.  Then I sanded it.  First with 150 and then with 220.  It will get sanded again, between coats of varnish. The third time with 400.

I made a little shelf unit under the small bay and extended the top for another work space...Tessie wants it to be a window seat, where she can cuddle up and read a good book...Not happening...Remember?  This is my bay window.  Lots of light for working.

This morning I stopped at the Dollar Tree to scrounge around. 

I found all of the beads that you see in front, thumbtacks and the Disney rings that you see on Tessie's wrist...I may have to go back and get another package or two of those.  Big plans for them and the clear beads, both.

That will have to wait until tomorrow.  Wednesday is for Witches, you know.

I did get a coat of satin, water based varnish on the bay unit and the floor...I didn't do the tall shelf unit yet.  It isn't glued together yet.  I need to make some decisions on how high the shelves will be.

It was a bit difficult working around Tessie.  She hung there with Zar holding her feet the whole time I was working and she kept yelling, "Hold on tight!  Hold on tighter!!!". 

As usual, Spike was the only one with common sense...He sat in the doorway and watched the Terrible Two and snickered a lot.

I have to go get ready for the meeting now.

Don't forget to go back up to the top and poke the About. com badge.  Then vote.The place to vote is about half way down the page.  It is a tie right now.  Another 20 days to go.  Vote for Tessie!  She is hanging on by her toes!

See you tomorrow.

The Fantastic Four....

Number one...Well not quite fantastic...

I painted this darned thing twice last night.

First I tried Dolphin Gray Ceramcoat...It didn't look anything like a dolphin, nor did it look gray.  It was dusty blue.  The thing looked like a New England beach house.  I was just sitting there waiting for the storm...

I looked through my paints again and reminded myself that this one's for me.  

Back to my favorite go to color.  Trail Tan Ceramcoat wins again.  Now it is something that I can spend time in. 

This morning, I put a second coat of Trail Tan on the outside and then decided to see what the shingles were going to look like with it.

They are dry and curled just enough to match the Iron/vinegar ageing stain.

I have been debating about the floors...Something that would withstand wear and tear and still look good.

I decided on random width walnut.  I had a lot of 1/32", 3 x 24" sheets.  I proceeded to rip them with my micro mark saw into 1/4', 3/8" and 1/2" strips.  There is a secret about the Greenleaf kits....Most of the floors are measured in full and half inches. If you do it right, you don't have any little slivers to cut to fit.

I will have to either oil it or varnish it when I finish.  The foundation stones will cover the front edge after that. 

As I went back to work on the floor, I noticed that the crew was no longer there to help....I waited...and waited....

When they didn't come back, I went to investigate...I found the three of them on Walter's chest of drawers.

They are numbers 2 thru 4 of the Fantastic Four, according to them...

Tessie couldn't find her campaign sign and decided it was time for new ones...She got the guys to help...They did...They helped themselves.

You will have to blow them up to see what they say.  Tessie is way ahead with three signs....The first one read, "Please Vote for Tessie for Best Miniature Blog".  Fairly sane and normal...for Tessie.  Then she really got into it...  The second was "Tessie for President!!! Get out and Vote!".  The third was most interesting....It reads Tippy Canoe and Tessie too!  Rock the boat and Vote!"...

Of course man and dog couldn't be left out.  Zar is running with a sign that reads, "Balthazar for Tsar or Czar! I can't decide...Take your pick!

Spike is the most sensible....Spike for Food Inspector.  Vote for Spike...Pretty much says it all...He would rather eat than run... 

 Anyway, do keep us in the race.  We were a point or two ahead yesterday.  Today we are down again.  Get out and Vote!!! Please...

Back to the boards.  See you tomorrow.

Post #2 for Today...I am a Scanner!

I am not going to do this every day, but I had something important to show you all.  It will come after the progress report...If you haven't read this morning's post, it follows this one.

I dug up the bug juice that I made several months ago and stained the shingles that came with the house.

The ones in the back have been painted on both sides and I will want to let them get good an dry before I use them.  They will be flatter when they dry.The ones in front are about to get the second side coated.  You have to do both sides for them to flatten back out.  And no, the stain will not look blotchy where the stuff seeped through to the second side.  It will be all the same color once they dry.

All it took was a bottle of white vinegar and a clump of steel wool from a bag of 6 or 8 from the Dollar Tree.  If you don't already know, you put the steel wool in the bottle with the vinegar and let it set for a few days and you have almost free stain for wood.

I finished the weaving on the bottom section of the chair.  It still needs trim, but that will be put on after the top is done too.

Tessie volunteered to pose.  I think it was to try to make you believe that she did all of the work....Sure she did.

The only true blue friend that stuck by me all day was Spike.  For some reason he is fascinated with painting...

I decided on Light Ivory Ceramcoat for the interior.  It's one of my favorites.  Not white and still neutral enough to go with everything.

It still needs a second coat, but I am getting there...

Now for the part that I really wanted to tell you. 

My friend Jo, the basket maker/ miniaturist/crocheter, sent me this article.  I just found out that according to this, I am a Scanner.

No.  Not the computer kind.  The psychology kind.  After I read this, I said, this is me.  Thank goodness.  Now I have a description, other than "attention span of a six year old" for how I do things.

Please read this and let me know if you are a scanner too.  Thank goodness, I am not a Serial Scanner!  I'm the good kind.  Another amazing bit of knowledge that I probably would have never run across without a computer....

ARE YOU A SCANNER?


Have you ever been in a group that was talking about all the interests and ideas they all have.  Then how we move from one project to the next without finishing the first.  The word "scanner" was mentioned. Go here http://www.career-pioneers.com/what-scanner-personality-type/

This basically says that scanners are people who have so many interests they find it impossible to decide on just one and fear about making the wrong choice. Scanners like many different things, love learning and seldom finish things before interest is lost and move on to the next project. This website tells about some of the typical personality traits such as always having creative ideas and loving to study new things and get ideas before moving on to other things.

There are two scanner types - Cyclical and Serial.  It turns out there are two types: Cyclical Scanners and Serial Scanners. Go to http://www.rosinecaplot.com/2008/10/are-you-a-scanner/ Cyclical scanners "Cyclical Scanners have many but stable interests and passions (from 2 to 20+), and they oscillate periodically between all of those." Today I'm in a needlework mood but tomorrow I might feel like putting gesso on the new cottage. Tonight I  feel like weaving OR I might hear about some other new thing and try it before finishing or working on anything else.

Serial Scanners on the other hand don't go back to a project once they have moved on. They do everything once and never look back. Think of a miniaturist who starts working on a needlepoint rug for their dollhouse and doesn't work on anything else until it's done. They quit and never do another one. Then try something else.

There's a book out there called "Refuse to Choose” by Barbara Sher (http://books.google.com/books/about/Refuse_to_Choose.html?id=UsxJPgAACAAJ)


So, are YOU a scanner?
See you tomorrow.

Just Enough Gesso!

Hang in there.  This is going to be a long one...I am having too much fun!

This is what the house looked like at noon yesterday.

That top floor is very difficult to install....A lot of twisting and turning involved....Me and the board, both. It looks like a simple house, but I wouldn't recommend it for a starter house.  There are a couple places like that...You have to install a piece and then force another piece in around it.  Oh well...It's done now.

I finished installing the roof yesterday.  Then I stopped.  I had to make a few decisions before advancing further.

At the same time, I didn't want to loose momentum, so I started some wicker...Which you will see later.

This morning I got up bright and early, only to find that the gesso was almost empty.

I went ahead and used the patching plaster on all of the little slits, nooks and crannies that had to be covered...

Then I jumped in and took a chance.  Gesso time.

I installed the window and door frames.  I wanted them to be stuccoed too.  I am kind of going for the Victorian Territorial look.  There are still some around here and over in New Mexico.  They kind of mixed Victorian and adobe to get the look.  Not enough timber for a full Victorian.  Lots of mud and straw for adobe.  Some of the walls in these places are at least a foot thick and in some they are more like two feet thick with seats at every window.  The thicker the adobe, the cooler the house in the summertime.  The warmer in winter.

April and Seth lived in a small one when they were still in college.  It's not just a theory.  The thickness does work.

I decided that the upstairs attic is going to be for storing all of my unfinished projects and some supplies.  It really should be bigger!

The reason that Tessie is leaning dangerously over the edge is this.  She took one look and asked..."I know how I would get down from here. Zap.  How are you going to manage???"

She is hoping that I won't be able to function in the place.  Theory being, she will inherit it when I am finished with it.

Tessie.  I have two words for you....Rope Ladder!

Anyway, I had about a tablespoon of gesso left when I finished painting the main floor. 

I am thinking bare rafters and newsprint for the attic. 

Now I have to decide what colors I am going to use, inside and out.

Meanwhile, yesterday afternoon, I baked cookies and wicker-ed.

My Dremel needs a new drill bit for small holes, so I did 66 holes in the desk by hand...Ick.

Fortunately the holes were already in the chair seat.  

I am using # 30 thread on these pieces.  It will take twice as long as the #20 thread that I usually use.

Tessie is already asking why her furniture isn't all this fine.  She has a couple of chairs that are.  There are a couple in other houses around here....Please don't tell her.  She will start tearing things apart to get at them.

I am one of those strange people that doesn't like white wicker in my own rooms.  They are perfectly nice in others, but they show dirt and especially when the pieces are going to be used in a workshop. 

Right now I am typing with gesso coated fingers.  Don't nag. I will go soak it off in a minute.

OK.  I am going to do the obligatory "Go Vote!" thing now.  Tessie is here pulling at my sleeve.  The blog has been tied for first place a couple of times this week for a little while.  I have to admit that I would love to win for a third year in a row.  I work hard at this.  Writing, designing, and thinking up tutorials takes up a lot of time.  I do it because I love miniatures.  I also enjoy all of you that I know are out there reading what I wander on about each day.  Thanks for your support.  Not just during this voting period.  I have learned a lot of new stuff and made a lot of new friends in the past five years.  Thank you!

Off my soapbox now...Go poke the badge at the top and "Vote for Tessie"....She made me say that!

  It is going to be hard to cram all of this into one entry a day...

See you tomorrow or maybe later today, if I get more done.

Bored Now.....

I was working on new rug designs last night.  As I did, I kept looking at the Clockwork Cottage.  Since Zar moved back to the caravan, why am I working on that big monster...?  It's so boring.....

Then I started thinking about what my friend Anne  said last Wenesday.

We got on the subject of new projects.  She said, "You have never built anything for yourself in mini."  Maybe those weren't the exact words, but the idea came back to me when I was looking at the cottage.

If Zar isn't that interested in it....Neither am I!

Then I went back to thinking about what Anne had said.  She is right.  I have decided to spend the time, while I am waiting to see how the about.com voting goes, to work on something for me. 

Then I remembered the stash, under the bed.  There is a Storybook Cottage that has been hidding under there for a few years...It would make a perfect little garden cottage for doing my minis and other arts and crafts.  I'm not sure that it's big enough for all of them, but I am going to give it a try.

I started this morning....I made one mistake.  I left the box out where the Terrible Two could find it.  I guess it was noticeable.  The Clockwork Cottage had disappeared and this was in it's place.

Not only did Tessie, Zar and Spike notice, even Widget had a go at seeing what I was doing....I think that Tessie called him.

I have all of the pieces punched out and labeled.  The lableing part is VERY important, even though I hate doing it.

The pile that you see on the floor is all waste.  I will save that until I am sure that I don't need any of it for adjustments.

I am very anxious to get going on this. Maybe, if I let them help, Tessie and Zar will approve.  Wish me luck...

Meanwhile, here's the latest rug.  I am still working on it, but I thought that you would like a peek.

I am going back to see which of the pieces fit together. I wonder if I could do it in a month, without getting bored?  It might be fun to try.  Let's see...miniatures, beadwork, knitting, crochet, doll making, basketweaving......It's going to be hard to get everything in there....The mind of the six year old wanders a lot.

"Tessie! Zar!  Spke!  Come in here.  I need help!"

I was scolded yesterday for not putting in a daily reminder to go vote, by a couple of commenters.  Even Tessie was miffed.  If I don't watch it, she will be out on the street carrying her sign again. We don't want that.  She might get lost.

I am going to go glue pieces together now....My favorite motto is, "If all else fails, read the directions.".  Has anybody seen those silly pieces of paper anywhere?  Oh well....

  PS....Oops!  I forgot.  Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of this blog...I haven't missed a day!  That's a lot of blogging!!!

See you tomorrow, with a cottage.

All Is Forgiven....

 This morning, Tessie showed up on Zar's roof carrying his favorite chocolate cake...

She was sick of hearing him wail...She didn't tell him that though.  Instead, she nicely invited him over to her roof top to see how her garden was growing....

OK.  So she really wanted him to do the raking, hoeing and other tasks that she doesn't like doing.

I won't tell him, if you don't.  Frankly, I was getting a bit tired of the blues too.

We are headed out to see the latest "Die Hard" movie....Maybe I will get a chance to add more later....Hang in there...... 

I'm back.  Interesting movie....An uncountable number of car/helicoptor crashes, about 15 minutes of dialog and not a lot of story.  Still fun to watch, but come on.  Hire a writer already.  Not just stunt men.

Anyway, I finished the tweaking of Zar's living room rug design.  You will have to blow it up and choose colors that you prefer.  This one will take you a while.

As always, this is for personal use only.  The pattern/rug is not for resale.  I would love to see it if anybody stitches it.

See you tomorrow.

Poor Basket Shop....

I finished the basket this morning...

I wanted you to see a close up of what you can do if you add an extra twist between each spoke.  See the smaller looking stitches right in the center?  That's all I did to make those look different.

After I finished weaving, I ran a line of white glue around the top and let it dry.  Then I cut off the wires, flush with the top, with side cutters.  I braided three pieces of the same thread together to cover the top, where the wires were and the wooden bottom edge.

About that time Tessie wandered in and, of all things, said, "OK.  Back to business.  I am ready to work.".  Then she grabbed the new basket and ran.

I had a good idea where she was headed.  She considers the basket shop hers  now.  But we were both in for a big surprise!

It has been moved around a bit for Christmas and other occasions...Front out.

Neither of us ever looked inside.  It was a bit of a mess.

I went and got some glue for the shelf that had been jarred right off of the wall, a stiff brush and started to work...

Meanwhile, Tessie did what she does best...

She pulled up a chair and footstool and, holding the new basket(for safekeeping), started barking orders.

I pretty much pulled everything out and started over.

She pretty much staid in the chair....Barking orders...

The shop now looks much more like it should and she settled in to "work".

That consisted of posing for photos in a working position...

She didn't do even one turn of the thread of the Native American coiled basket that she is holding....Afraid she'd break a nail...

That basket is a traditional design from this area and it has a ways to go before it is finished.

After the photo, Tessie dropped the basket like a hot potato and informed me that it felt good to have the basket shop all clean again....

Then she had the nerve to add, "We should do this every day.  One shop a day...My shops of course.  Let me see, there is the tea shop, the millinery shop, the....". I tuned her out about there...

It does sound like a good idea, except for the part where she used the word "we".  Oh well...At least she is talking to me again...I wonder how long it will last this time? 

She's still not talking to Zar. And he's still in the roof garden of the Clockwork Caravan singing the blues.

Don't forget to vote.  See you tomorrow. 

Living in Alaska???

This is what our back yard looked like about noon yesterday....It cleared off for a while.  Then this is what it looked like again at five o'clock. 

Yes.  That is snow...It came down in about a half hour time period.  It was snowing hard for Tucson.

It even managed to stop the pro golf tournament up at Dove Mountain. Walter was out there and still didn't get home until five or so.  Someone gave him a pass to the fancy "party tent".  He had a great time.  Even without benefit of golf.

This morning, Tessie got her first taste of snow.  She insisted upon building a snowman....She got as far as the small ball that you see at her feet. 

Then she started shivering and zapped herself out of there.  She was barefoot, after all...  All I heard before she disappeared was, "This is not fit for human beings or witches!!!  I'm out of here!!!".

I came back in and started playing with basket making materials.

Here you see the four steps for starting a twined basket. 

You can do them on strips of poster board like this, or on wire, stuck into the bottom.  The poster board can be stained with wood stain or painted.

I used Woodsies for the base. I cut the poster board, the cheapest I could find.  It's softer than the good stuff and bends easily.  I cut it in about 1/8" strips and glued pieces to the edge of the woodsie.  Then I used my thumb nail to curl a strip to glue around the bottom.

The nice thing about twining is, you can do it over fat strips like the poster board or over wires.  Another advantage is, you don't have to worry about whether there are an odd or even number of spokes to weave on. 

Here I am using embroidery thread(all six strands).  You double it and slip the middle over one of the spokes.  Then you take the thread to the left and bring it to the right, over the other thread and behind the next spoke.  You just keep doing this until the basket is the height that you want it.

I would normally do the basket over the same color spokes.  I started the ones to the left with a contrasting color, so that you could see what I was doing.

If you need to add more thread, you simply pull the threads to the inside and  put a dab of glue on them and cut them off short.  Then you start another thread the same way that you did the first one.

So far, I have three threads, that were about 18" when doubled over.  If I want the top to flair out, I will just bend the wires or poster board the way that I want the weaving to go.

I will have these finished by tomorrow and will be able to show you the finishing....I was waylaid today by April, Amare and their cat.  I had to watch Amare whilst April took Klava to the vet.

Otherwise I would be done by now...

Are you wondering what happened to Tessie?  She zapped herself into the living room of the townhouse.  Then she zapped three afghans to snuggle under and announced that she would be staying there for the rest of the day with her kumihimo wheel.  Hot tea and cookies by her side...And I quote her, "Don't call me the next time that infernal white stuff falls out of the sky!  I am staying in for at least three days, until my toes thaw out.  Now go away and don't bother me anymore!"

I guess  I will go back and finish the baskets...It's not as much fun when Tessie ignores both Zar and me.

Please, don't forget to go back to the top and vote for Tessie!  Maybe she will forgive me for sticking her feet in the snow....Maybe....Probably not...

See you tomorrow.

A (Rubber) Chicken in Every Pot....

Well....It had to happen.  Sooner or later, my working on Zar's cottage was going to annoy Tessie no end.

She came in from the front walk, where she campaigned all afternoon...She took one look at the stats and said, "This walking up and down with a stupid sign is not working!"

Thank goodness.  Now I can get her off of the streets.  She was walking up and down with the sign in one hand and her favorite rubber chicken in the other...shouting, "Vote for Tessie!  A rubber chicken in every pot!"  You have to admit, the slogan is different and will catch your attention...However, I don't think that more than ten people passed by.  Most of them were going to and from the school down the street.  Every time a ten year old would pass, she would run and hide.  Kids that age tend to frighten her. 

I mollified her last night by mending all of her cuts and bruises and making her a new dress.

She immediately started harping on the fact that I had been working on Zar's house again....Not a happy camper.

So this morning, I worked on her townhouse for a bit.  I put stained molding on all of the edges of the walls and floors.  It makes a big difference in the finished look.

She decided that she had had quite enough of watching Zar get all of his wishes fulfilled....No mention that I shelved his cottage to work on her townhouse in the first place. 

She arrived on her Italian bicycle and unceremoniously parked it in the front hall,plopped on the couch and settled in.

Did I mention that she stopped on the way back, at the tea shop and loaded in her favorite pumpkin teapot and a plate of cookies...She had a box of chocolates under her arm.  I am not sure where she pilfered that.  The tea shop doesn't carry chocolates.

She set the living room up so that she can eat on the couch and do kumihimo on her wheel, between bites.

Next she went upstairs and inspected the closet and armoire.  "Thank goodness!  Nothing is missing.  I was worried when I threw Cordelia out, that she might borrow a few things."

She didn't.  They're not the same size and Cordelia has decidedly more lady like taste that Tessie.

Last, she wen up to the workshop and checked the still.... She is brewing up something that smells like a combination of dirty socks and a little skunk mixed in.  I suspect that it is a gift for Zar...I had better warn him not to eat or drink anything she gives him in the next few days.

As for Zar, he moved back to the Clockwork Caravan(trailer) and took his keyboard with him.  He couldn't carry the stool for it too, so he grabbed one of the kitchen chairs and sat it on the roof. 

He is now up there rockin'out a lot of blues-y music.  I didn't know he was familiar with Elvis.  He just finished "Heartbreak Hotel".  I don't think that he is as mad at Tessie as she is at him.  I am hoping that this lasts for a few days.  Maybe I can get something accomplished

We shall see.  Stay tuned to see what happens.

Don't forget to go back to the top and press the badge to vote.  Tessie says "Please!".  You don't hear that very often from her!

See you tomorrow.

The Third Time's a Charm!

Here we go again... When I got up this morning, I couldn't find Tessie!  Nowhere in the house.  Then it dawned on me where I would find her.

Yesterday I got an e mail, notifying me that, for the third year in a row, I am nominated for About.com's "Best Miniature Blog of the Year" award.

Yes, with Tessie's help, I have won the past two years.  Don't tell her, but I couldn't have done it without her!

That's how I knew that she would be out campaigning.  I doubt that the campaigning that she is doing will help.  At least not where she is doing it.  Not to many pedestrians walk down our street.

Yup.  She was out on the front sidewalk, with her sign. I grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and brought her inside.  It's a bit cold out there to be walking around in bare feet, without a coat.  She came, kicking and screaming, "How can I campaign, if I don't carry the sign?"

The rules are, one person, one vote every twenty four hours.  This year they have one of those irritating "prove you are a person" thingies to fill out every time you vote. Here's the addy for voting. http://miniatures.about.com/  It's about half way down the page.

 

I came back in the house and started working on the stone work on the back of the house.I heard Tessie mumbling to Zar in the living room whilst I worked, "I have some stiff competition this year, so I am counting on each and every vote." She really does think that this is all about her.  Oh well... Isn't everything?

I made the mistake of standing back to look at the stones...I don't like them shaped like the stairs.  I am going to have to go back and break them up and maybe extend them up on the wall.

Last but not least...I designed this rug pattern last night.  There are still a few areas that I need to work on, but when I get it done, I will post a larger photo so that you can stitch along, if you wish to do so. 

 This is the first design I came up with for Zar's living room. I may try a couple more designs. It's a bit bigger than the one in there now.  The center will not be white.

This one is a take off from one in an old Peerless Rugs catalog....Probably at least 15 years ago...Did I mention that I save everything?  There are other designs in that issue that would also be suitable, but I kind of like this one because it breaks up the severe lines of most of the other stuff in the room.  We shall see.

Anyway, Tessie has gone back out on the sidewalk again.  I have to go get her.  It is going to be windy later today and I wouldn't want her to get carried away...Please go vote, so I don't have to chase her down every day!

See you tomorrow.

Taking Stock Of What's What...

I had to ban the Terrible Two from watching any more Lost Girl episodes.  It was getting way over PG-13 and way worse than Supernatural.  I didn't want them getting any ideas from it.  They are now back to watching reruns of Bewitched.  Much safer.  Tessie is practicing nose twitching....So far, she is unsuccessful.  Thank goodness!

Meanwhile, I spent part of the morning running errands in town and the other part cleaning out the Clockwork Cottage to see what still has to be done.  It was piled to the ceiling with supplies on both floors. 

That makes it kind of hard to work.  Now I have no excuse....Other than, I have to put all of the stuff that was shoved in there in it's proper place.

It looks like I am in pretty good shape on furnishings, with the exception of the dining room...Does Zar really need a dining room?  The only kind of parties he throws are the Hard Rock Hotel kind.  Loud music all night long.  But....Since the Clockwork Cottage is in our bedroom, maybe he does need a place for sit down, formal dinners....

The floor in that room is the brown version of the slate paper.

I finally found the rug for the kitchen.  It was in a shelf in the family room.  I won't have to replace it with anything else, in order to use it in the kitchen.  I do have to do something about the living room rug though. It is definitely too small.

Change of subject.  I found this book at the dollar tree....Yes. For a dollar.

My first thought was to use some of the illustrations for paintings in dollhouses...

After looking through it, I am fascinated with the structure of it and probably won't tear it apart. 

It is supposed to be letters between two people and all of the writing is in the form of correspondence between them. 

The great part is how it is illustrated.  In general the left hand page is for the writing and the right is for illustrations.

Some of the left hand ones have actual fancy envelopes with several pages of the letters. 

All in all, the book is outstanding, as far as layout and illustrations.

I haven't sat down to read it yet.  When I do, maybe I will change my mind about using the illustrations... I kind of doubt it though. 

I am trying to figure out if this is part of a series.  If it is, I will probably start looking for the rest.  I love the illustrations.  I have never heard of Nick Bantock, but after paying a dollar for the book, I am now a big fan!

Off to work and read....Not necessarily in that order....

See you tomorrow.

Bookcase? What Bookcase?

It has been decided.  No more bookcase in the wall... I got up this morning and laid the back of the slip in bookcase on a piece of ply.  Drew a line around it and cut it out on the jigsaw.It fit exactly.  All I had to do was get it in flat to the surface of the wall...

Easy trick.  I took big fat pieces of regular masking tape and laid them across the surface.

Then I eased it into the hole, making sure not to recess it.  I took it out and put white glue on all four sides.  Then I put it back in, getting the surface as exact as I could.



After it dried, I covered the cracks with spackle and smoothed it with my fingers and then finally, I had Zar and Tessie go over the edges with my poly clay blades to get the surface as smooth as possible.  It will take very little sanding if you do this. 



I took a photo before the paint was dry so that you could still see where the hole was.  After it dries, it will be virtually invisible.  Then I can sit the Clockwork bookcase in front of it.  More towards the edge of the stairs.

Now all I have to do is get the two of them out of there, so I can continue to work.  It shouldn't be too hard.  I got them hooked on "Lost Girl", the SyFy series yesterday.  If I turn that on the big screen, I won't see them for the rest of the day.  It's full of all kinds of supernatural beings.  Their kind of people.

Back to work.

See you tomorrow.



Who Knew???

Martha Stuart makes Army Green paint...I didn't.  I ran out of the other green I was using in the living room, so I decided to try this.  It has some fancy name...

As soon as Zar saw it, he turned to me and said, "Thanks!  Finally a manly color...Army Green."

So I guess we will be calling it Army Green and liking it.  He does.

I think that the patch turned out pretty good.  The paint is still wet in the photo, but I can't really see where I patched it.

As soon as the paint dried, I put the floor in for size and would you believe that I had to shave the edges?  Yup.  All those coats of paint and gesso did make a difference.  Besides, I had to cut notches where the new door frames stuck out.

After I finish here, I am going to go stick it down And add baseboards.  I will have to throw the Terrible Two out on their ears. 

Every time I turn my back, they move in.  Lock, stock and Barrel.

In case you are wondering what they are staring at, it's the blank wall above the fireplace.  They voted to put a big screen TV there.

I am voting against that.  No small TVs work in the houses anymore.  I have one, but the only service in Tucson is either satellite or cable...No antennas anymore.  They are in for a big disappointment!

Zar doesn't know it yet, but I am going to have to brighten up the room with some draperies on the front window.  It is very boring, with the exception of the Steampunk recliner and keyboard.

I keep looking at the built in bookcase.  It is bothering me.  Too close to the fireplace and it takes a lot of space that could be used for furniture...I wonder if it is worth having a hiding place behind it.  I am doubting that Zar will ever put anything in there.  He has a whole hidden room upstairs.  I am getting good at filling in holes...We shall see. 

Anyway, I never did get any clothes made yesterday and Zar is blushing every time he bends over to pick up a hammer.  I had best get back to work...

See you tomorrow.