A Trip to the Steampunk Emporium....

I went into town for a few needed items this morning. 

Whilst waiting for my breakfast at Brawley's, I browsed through the book to the left.

I have had this one for quite a while, but it is always fun and inspiring to look at.

If you are going to do anything Steampunky, you need to look at this.  There is not a lot of written information in it, but the photos are all in color and as it says....There are a thousand of them!

I wandered from store to store as they opened.  Mind you, I started before five, so I have to plan strategically.  Which store opens when and which ones stay open twenty four hours.

Anyway, I got home about 10:45.  You do the math....

No time to do any minis yet. The last store I hit was Joann's Fabric and Crafts.

They were having a terrific sale on a lot of stuff.  There were jewelry items that were 50% off and these Tim Holtz scrapbooking items were all 40% off.  Then adding to that discount, I had a coupon for an additional 25% off of everything, including sale items and clearance.  What a haul!

The book that Zar and Tessie are setting on is also a Tim Holtz item.  It is a stack of scrapbooking paper that has a very aged look to it.  It has old maps, advertising, some blueprints, and newspapers.  The nice thing about it is some of the paper has been reduced to full pages of  2" squares and the designs have also been reduced.  Thus, I have a lot of stuff that can be used in the cottage.

I probably won't use the key escutcheons and keys for that, but the gears and the swivel hooks will definitely be found somewhere in the cottage.

Last, but not least, I shouldn't have left the book out with the scrap paper bookmarks in photos that interest me...Zar and Tessie found it.

I am begging Zar to keep the sink that he has in the bathroom.  He is standing firm on the idea of a sink like this one! 

It is complete with all the bells and whistles.  There is a temperature dial, a fan for blow drying your hair, a large light...I have only one question of the maker....Where's the mirror?  How is he going to shave without looking at himself?

Maybe that's my out.  "Gee Zar, you don't want that.  It is impractical...You will cut yourself if you can't see what you are doing."

Hey! It could work....Maybe...

Speaking of work.  I have to get back at it. 

See you tomorrow.

The Strangest Headboard Alive.......

It is alive!!!! I finished the pleat part. Last night I glued down the top of them, getting ready for the mattress. I am very pleased with my idea for the box pleats. It worked out rather well. I will loosen some of them up when I get to the rest of the dressing.

I had to go over and feed April and Seth's cats this morning, so I made the most of it. I stopped at Lowe's (home center) on the way home. I found a treasure trove of what kind of looks like cog wheels and other small washers. You can see one by the foot of the bed. I am pretty much out of watch parts now and am having to improvise. They aren't quite as good as the others, but they will work for a few things that I have in mind.

Here's a photo of what I found. I know that some people use these washers for mini stove burners. With what I got, I will never run out. They were dirt cheap and came in plastic bags with a bunch in each one.

Isn't it strange what different things amuse us. I am perfectly happy wandering around in a hardware store/home center for hours. I bought the washers and then found a couple of plants to buy. If one of them works out, I will have my morning coffee right off of the tree......It's an Arabica Coffee plant. Hey! I can kill that just as easy as anything else. It's worth a try. The other one is an aralia. Those I can keep alive longer.

Now about the headboard. When last you saw it, it was in pieces and all shiny and new looking. It rusted overnight. My excuse is that it is raining this morning and all of the dampness got to it.

I still need to do some more to it, but I thought you would like to see it so far. Katie's cogs are working out pretty well. I had to cut a couple more out of cardboard. The two in the back are the hand cut ones.

I took black and copper paint and just mixed them on the brush to get the rust. Looking at the photo, I can see some places that I need to do more pouncing. That's how I got the textured look. I went straight up and down with a dry brush. The silver one on the right needs more. I am not sure I like the shiny copper wire coils and the brass washers. I think that they need to be toned down a bit more.

Tessie announced that she is the official spokes model for the blog now......She seems to think that gives her the right to say anything she wants. She's the one that came up with the title for today's blog......The first thing she did was try to spin the wheels. She was not at all happy when they didn't move. She thinks they should be like Wheel of Fortune and she should get the prize when it lands on her number. She mentioned that there should be a certain Manor House on one of the sections. Not gonna happen, Tessie. Personally, I think that she has been passing a petition around for people to sign if they want her to have the mansion. It seems like there are a lot of people asking about it in her behalf......

I think that I will sit in the rain and rust for the rest of the day now. Tessie won't follow me out to the back patio. Somewhere she got the idea that if she gets wet she will melt......

I'm free at last!

See you tomorrow.