Here We Go, Round Again!

OK.  I thought that the colors were a good choice... That must be why I have a peyote stitch bracelet about 2/3 finished in almost the same colors... GRRRR... I may have to finish the peyote stitch one and take apart the new one... Or finish them both and wear them together.

Whilst I was sitting in the workroom, my eyes lit upon the half inch house that Judy and Susan gave me a few months ago... Of course I had to stop and see what had to be done to that one. 

Bad idea!  I have lots of half inch furniture.  I was saving it for the unfinished Fairfield that I have up on the top shelf.

There is more than enough furniture to finish both.  Another GRRRR... moment.  What to do next.

There are way to many unfinished projects.  The solution?  Go back to working in the bedroom!  Working in the workroom makes me see all of the unfinished stuff that is in there.

This bin is the leftovers from all of the things that I have in the half inch house photo. 

Way more than enough half inch furniture.  I am going to sort through it and give some of it to Judy and Susan for their house.  Yes.  They have one exactly like this one.  They, being sisters, did not want to fight over doing two of the same house.  Smart!

It's all their fault.  I am going to go now and sort the remains of the bin.  Then I am going to give it to them Wednesday when they come over.  Hmmmm.... Maybe they will need an extra house to put it all in... Problem solved?  Maybe...

See you tomorrow.

Just a Little More....

OK.  I left out a few...

As I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon, I will use this time to confess the rest of the hidden secrets...

I have big plans for turning this cabinet into a half inch scale display case for furniture... A soon as I refurbish the furniture...

 I thought that this one would make a cool hanging shelf for more of the half inch stuff... However, it is being occupied by odds and ends right at this moment... Maybe I should put all of the items where they really belong... No.  Then I wouldn't have an excuse.

 The Christmas house needs to be re done into something else.  I haven't used it as a Christmas house for a couple of years and it sits up there empty...

The wire shelf is one of two that I bought a couple of years ago, thinking that they would also be good for half inch display... I don't have THAT much half inch furniture... And besides, what I do have can go in the Fairfield, if I ever finish it.  At present, it looks very 80's in color and style... Maybe I should be thinking a whole make over...

I went so far as to hide some things in the garage.  Very high up so that they wouldn't be noticed by passersby...

Birdcage.  Meant to house a boudoir or dressing room.

Wine box... Any ideas?

Again on a high shelf... Sewing basket... Someday it will be a sewing room... Oops.  I already have one of those.. or two... However, I do still have more Chrysnbon sewing machine kits.  I got a deal on those!

In the far corner of the next shelf down, a Chinese chest... Yup... Chinese room box.

I also forgot the stuff up on the plant shelf in the bedroom.  The round hatbox is one that I used to take to shows, filled with shelves of hats.  The box next to it, with the French lady and gentleman standing on top was one that Walter's father gave me... I still can't figure out what to put in it.

Then we have the latest addition to the collection of unfinished...

At least I am working on this one and have every intention of finishing it.  SOON!

Now that I confessed all, I feel much better.  I don't think that I forgot anything... If I did, it wasn't on purpose and I will let you know. Maybe...

Meanwhile, I have to go get ready to go to my appointment. So far, everything is going great!

See you tomorrow.

Time-Share Observatory...

Well.  It's settled and I have put the first coat on the stonework..;

The Observatory will be co-owned by Zar and Daisy Eulalia.

Zar decided that it would be better to keep it on the ground, rather than on the roof of the Bazaar.

The deal is in writing... Since Daisy isn't around much with all of her time travel, it would be best to have an arrangement where they each keep a set of keys and Zar is the caretaker of said Steampunk Observatory.  The usage will be arranged so that, when Daisy is in town, she gets first pick of times. 

 When she's not here, Zar house sits, in exchange for the full use of the Observatory... She even threw in a paragraph stating that, "If I have no plans in the span of two weeks to use my time machine, Zar may borrow it... I have a feeling that clause was a waste of paper.  There will always be plans for her to use it.  There will be NO two week spans...

Daisy gets the best of the deal.  I noticed that Doctor Who is still lurking about...

For the time being, Daisy is staying in the background. I am sure that she will pop out when she is ready.

Meanwhile, a warning... Always check the bottom of your bag for dragons!  

I found these three in my purse after the trip to the time machine.  They are going to live in the Tudor quarter inch.

I purchased the alligator last year, with the idea that he could go in a mote somewhere... There is no mote.  Thus the alligator is not much help with protection.. The dragons will be better.

I also got a perfect 1/2 scale white cat this time.  These little animals are 59 cents each.  Just think.  Three dragons and a cat for about two dollars when you throw in my membership discount... Not a bad deal.

I fear that Mini Tessie is going to have to keep an eye on this one.  There were four rings of sausage on that string above the window... That cat is very quick and agile...

Back to work.

See you tomorrow.

One Thing Leads to Another... And Another....

OK... I am finished rearranging things.  At least until I get my workroom cleaned up once again...

I found all of the smaller scale things that I wanted to put in here. Notice I didn't end the sentence with all of the smaller scale things...

There are still two 1/2" houses that aren't finished.  Don't ask...

So soon we forget.  I almost forgot the little wall house that is hanging center bottom.  I just finished that a few months ago and stuck it in a corner, above the wood box.

It's out now and the Terrible Two have taken possession..

When I moved the 1/4" Tudor wall house, that left an empty wall. 

So I filled said wall with a few of my favorite things.

The centerpiece is Italian gold leaf sconce.  I found it in a thrift shop for just a few dollars... The left side tail of the top bow is missing.  I keep meaning to repair it, but somehow it never happens... I kind of like it that way.

I collect antique scissors... Who am I kidding?  I am a scissor addict.  If it cuts with two blades, I collect it.  I represented that with the long bladed library scissors at the left.  It used to be that all of the pages were not necessarily cut when you bought a book.  You needed these scissors handy so that a page could be separated from it's neighbor.

Evidently I am a plate collector and didn't even know it.  These are just three of quite a few that I have around the house.  The two gold ones are antique Japanese and the blue rimmed one is a hand painted lake scene from turn of the last Century England.  It is signed by the painter on the back.

I also collect antique purse frames.  Nope.  Not purses.  Just frames.  A lot of the time, they are much prettier than the purse.  That part wears out.  I like what's left.  Sometimes I will put a new body on a frame.

News Flash!  The Terrible Two just announced that the quarter inch section of the wall is theirs. 

They are calling it their very own "Mini, Mini Museum. 

I can see that this is going to lead to trouble.  They are already rearranging things and are demanding that I refurbish some of the pieces. 

I have to admit that, for one, the Neiman-Marcus Cheese Shop is looking a bit bedraggled.  Maybe I will humor them for a couple of days. 

If "their" museum is in good repair, maybe they will spend some time there and keep out of my hair.

I have to go see about a cheese shop... Back to work.

See you tomorrow.

A Bad Case of Unfinished-itis....

I have to find a cure!...

I went through the house this morning, looking at all of the things that I have done...And haven't done...

I found that I have a bad case of unfinished-itis. Any of you that follow me regularly, know this. 

Usually, I don't worry about it.  When December hits, I start.

We are in charge of having the family, Christmas day.  And I start wanting everything to look nice.  Especially the things that sit at eye level.

The craft cottage is the easiest of the bunch.  It just needs a bit of straightening and the finishing of the rug... No problem-o.

Then there is Tessie's Townhouse.  It looks like a tornado hit it a while back... That was when I moved it from one side of the room to the other.  I had it facing the wall for a while... Now it is facing out and will be seen by one and all...

Tessie is not happy.  No wonder she is trying to take over Daisy's cottage...

This will take a bit more time.  I have never finished the lighting in this one... Oops!

Problem number three, for those that are keeping track... The half inch Fairfield sits on top of a bookcase, in the workroom.  Not so much of a problem... But... I started it in the 80s and the wallpaper inside is horrible now.

It can slide down the list a ways, because I can always blanket it. 

I had a friend that used to say... People are coming.  Get out the blankets!  Then she would simply cover the unfinished items...

Then there is the Clockwork Cottage.  Also on a top shelf... To blanket or not to blanket... That is the question... It is probably the most unfinished of all of them.

The $9.00 Mystery House is probably in the best shape, but I keep borrowing things from there to put in other rooms...

No wonder the owner never comes home... She has been over at Eskiaga's Southwestern Room for a number of years now...

I think that I am going to have to go around and collect the things that other people borrowed from her house.  Then it will be in pretty good shape.

These two are not last or least, but they do need to be finished.  The one on the left is April's Russian Cottage. 

I am not to worried about that one because April doesn't have any room for it at her house yet...  One of these days...

Again, these two cottages sit on top of bookshelves.  Not at eye level.  The weaver's cottage doesn't need a lot of work.  Inside framing and a few pieces of furniture.  This will probably be the first one of the high houses that gets finished. 

Anyway, I am going to stop working on other things for a while... I will keep working on Daisy's Cottage.  That one is down low. 

I need to get the rest of these to look good for the holidays.  Somebody stand beside me and poke me with a pointy stick when I stop working.  I have a lot to finish this month... Wish me luck!  I'm going to need it.

See you tomorrow.

Beaming...

I put the half timbers on the front of  1/2" Tessie's house this morning.

I started with the longest strips first It was the four horizontal ones across the front.  I used the 1/4" by 3/32" strips for the main beams.

Then I went back in and put 3/16" by 3/32" beams between those. 

It's a bit difficult to see the difference, but I know they are there.

I am sitting here looking at the house and thinking that anybody in the top floor is going to have to have a flashlight.  No windows? 

I am not even close to finishing the front.  It needs more texture and depth to the finish.  Maybe some brick work somewhere?

I have pretty much decided not to fuss over the sides.  If I sit this on the shelf between the big books, the sides will never be seen... If I decide to move it later, I can think about changing them then.

I want to get the outside done and go to the inside, where the interesting stuff will happen. 

I am going to go see what kind of stone or brick I can work into the front now. I think it needs a lot of aging. It's blah right now.

Back to work.

See you tomorrow.

While the Stain Dries...

This is one boring entry... This morning, I went to stain the wood for the half timbers and for some silly reason, decided that the 1/2" house needed a place to be, when I wasn't working on it.

It can't stay on the table in the middle of the room all of the time... Sometimes I need that table for other things. Like a place to pile things that need to be put away...

I realized that the center shelf of one of the bookcases would be ideal... But it was too short... Duh!  The shelves are after all, adjustable...

Half an hour and a load of books on the floor, I was ready to move it... Other than losing one of the pegs that hold the shelves up, it went pretty smoothly... I never did find the peg, but cutting off the handle of a paintbrush in just the right place did the job...

The way it sits now, I can slide it forward just a bit and the door comes right out.  I happened to have three books that are exactly the same size as the house.  I am not going to bother with a base for the time being.

I now have it sitting on the shelf and somehow got the books to fit around it.  I still need to straighten the shelf next to it... And the rest of the room. 

I do believe that Tessie and Zar have been in here again! Poor skeleton George is barely hanging on to his place and I am sure that I didn't do that to him.  I always treat him kindly.  He is just a little scary...

Anyway, I am very pleased with having a home for Tessie's 1/2" cottage... Yes.  I gave in.  She can have it if it will keep her out of my hair for a while. 

I know that the  day that I finish it, she will be wanting something new.  That's just how she operates.

Anyway, I am going to go watch the stain dry and do some more cleaning now.

See you tomorrow.

Turning Corners...

 Please excuse the fingerprints... I stained the corners and then forgot to wash my hands... It's nothing that another coat of paint won't fix.

I wanted to show you how to make people think that the whole house is enclosed, without hinges.

I took two pieces of thin wood and cut strips to fit the side and the front. I first glued the side piece to the side of the front panel.  Then I put the other piece down the front, covering the edge of the side strip. 

Since the front panel slides up under the front trim, I looks as though the whole house is one piece.

I finished the front walkway.  You can't really call it a porch.  I am not going to put a roof over it.

I did my usual cut and fit way of doing things.  One piece at a time, I put it together like a jigsaw puzzle. I had a pencil at hand to guestimate where the next cuts should go.

 Then I scored all of the edges with a knitting needle.  I use whatever is at hand.  Crochet hook, knitting needle of ball stylus all work.

In the last photo, you can see where the rolled edge of the slate comes from.

The piece that I am holding beneath the finished slate is the top of an egg carton. 

See how the edge has a lip that folds out?  That is the part that you see on the edge of the walkway.  I use that part and make sure that there is a real bend in that edge at the depth that I want the finished stone to be. 

The last step is to go back and score the cracks again while the paint is still moist.  That gives the slate a nice rolled and aged looking edge. 

Now about those fingerprints.  Where's my brush?

See you tomorrow.

If It Isn't One Tessie, It's Another...

 Onwards and upwards, with the half inch house.  I am on a roll.  And besides, I think I need a short break from Daisy's Cottage.

I went and dragged out my notebook of half inch wallpaper this morning...What I have left is VERY boring. All one color Joe Hermes paper... Except for one.  And that one is leopard skin... Not suited for this house.

I guess that I am leaning towards painting it this time.  I usually like wallpaper in half inch houses.  Adds more detail.

I kept going and got the outside painted.  I used Bamboo by Ceramcoat.  It will go well with the half timbers.  Here we go again...

I painted the front walk with Hippo Gray, also Ceramcoat.

I put some trim on the roof line.  I have to go stock up on lumber for the half timbers.

Meanwhile, I started cutting egg cartons for the front.  I have to remind myself that it is half scale.  I keep cutting them as I usually would for one inch. 

Tessie is watching, so I had better pay attention to what I am doing.

I can't seem to get away from her, in one form or another. 

I finished this scarf last night.  She approved... Then asked for a blanket for herself.  As if I don't have enough to do...

I am going back now and finish laying the front walkway.

See you tomorrow.

Hanging Around...

The pest that is Tessie is hanging around now...

I can't seem to distract her... Even with cookies.

So... I started stippling this morning.

Oh... But first I stained the shingles.  I used Minwax English Chestnut.  I tried for uneven and got it.

Anyway, back to the stippling.  I used gesso and a small foam stencil brush.  It is round, so does not leave any straight lines in the finish. 

The gesso had been left open a couple of days to get it thicker.  It was perfect.

Now the outer walls are ready to paint.  I am thinking half timber... It seems like half timber and stone are my two favorite outer walls.

Whatever I do, that will have to be done before I make the windows.

This isn't really a great candidate for half timber.  The windows are too regularly spaced, but I am going to do it anyway.  The only other houses that I can think of that are regularly done with the windows and doors on the end of the gables are the Amsterdam canal houses and the South African Dutch houses.  Neither of those quite fit the bill.  Those don't necessarily have the balanced doors and windows either. 

I just put a cap on the roof line.  After I took the photo, I put blue painters' tape over it to hold it down until it dries.  It is made from corrugated scrap booking paper. 

In case you were wondering.  I am still going to work on Daisy's Cottage... First I have to get the lady holding the platter of Turkey to go away.

That may be tough.  Mini Tessie keeps asking, "Will it be finished by Thanksgiving?  I want to have some friends over."

I fear that Mini Tessie is going to disappear before that happens.  If she does, please don't tell Big Tessie what happened to her...

I am juggling as fast as I can... and having fun doing it!

See you tomorrow.

One Day of Freedom...

Our printer stopped working right about a week ago. 
Yesterday, Walter went out and bought a new HP.  I mostly print on card stock for minis.  So we had to test it. 

Frugally, so as not to waste paper and ink, I volunteered to put together a page of Steampunk stuff that I knew we could use when we start the emporium.  Walter did research. Some of the newer printers get hung up on card stock.  This one didn't.

We will be keeping the printer.  It does it's work well. 

It is Terrible Two approved... The thing at the bottom of the page that Tessie is pointing at is a Victorian paper model of a hot air balloon.  We may just have to put that together and hang it somewhere.  Pretty cool!

Meanwhile, I am still working on the half inch house.

I solved the problem with the front.  I took the two top pieces off of the front and glued them to the roof out from the walls, by the thickness of the front. Thus, taking care of the front panel being to tall.

I should explain... I don't like front opening walls that are hinged.  It seems like the door is always in the way.

This solved the problem.  The front can be put somewhere that isn't in the way. The front panel will not be attached to the house in any way. 

About the time that I finished the front, Mini Tessie showed up. 

The first thing she said was...."OH!  Is this my Christmas present?  Thanks in advance!"

Then she proceeded to hang around whilst I put all of the shingles on one side of the roof. 

She has been through the pile of half inch furniture and picked out a lot of pieces for refurbishing and cleaning.  Notice.  I didn't say that she was going to get right on that job...

It looks like, once again, I will be employed by the Terrible Two minus One... At this rate, I may never tell Tessie that she should have a 1/2" version of Zar to keep her company. 

That way, I would only have a Terrible One to contend with.

So far, she approves of everything I am doing.  The first time she starts getting picky, I am going to send her back to her normal, one inch body and hide her half inch self somewhere scary.

That threat should keep her in line.  Anyway, I am off to do the other half of the roof now.

See you tomorrow.

Permission to Play...

I told myself..."Self, you can play for one more day...Or for the weekend... That's the limit!

I couldn't resist going in and pulling out the box labeled 1/2" Furniture... It hadn't been opened since it did the photo cube, earlier in the year.

Sometimes I am tempted to go through and throw away a lot of odds and ends.  Then at a time like this, I am very happy that I didn't.

This is what the ground floor looked like when I put a few pieces inside... Very flat and not at all interesting. No depth to it at all...

Then I decided that the little people needed a way to get to the second floor.

I built a three sided foam core box and put it in the back of the living room.  Instant added interest.  No longer a boring rectangular room.

Most of the furniture will have to be cleaned up and re done, but this gives me some idea of what I will have to do.

 The table and chairs are some that I made back in the mid 80s.  I had a small half inch house that sat on a turntable and was open on opposite sides. 

Foolish me.  I discarded it when we moved to this house.  I wish I still had it.  I built it from two little house shaped shelves from what was then Pic' n' Save. 

I might have to do another one like that... but it would have to be from scratch... Maybe later.

 This bed, dressing table and the green living room furniture were in a Christmas house that I sold...Badly in need of repair. Also from the mid 80s.

The headboard on the bed was a Christmas ornament, shaped like a photo frame.  I cut it apart and used the sides of the frame like "wings" on the side of the bed.  Hey!  Whatever works!

Here you can see what I am talking about the third floor being above the roof line.  It just looks strange to me.

The bed and table in the background of this photo are kits that I got at one of the NAME nationals, up in Phoenix... I don't remember the name of the kit maker.

The cradle is a Lazar cut kit from another convention.

The baby inside is a 1/2" baby with moving arms and legs.  I think it needs to be restrung... Another thing on the to do list. 

I guess that I should get back to work playing while I can... I wonder if I can finish a house in two days?

See you tomorrow.