Word Travels Fast!!!

We Moved Daisy's cottage yesterday.  She was here long enough for photos.  Then she disappeared in the time machine.

Amazingly enough, she was back early this morning.

Even more amazing, she remembered to land in the right room.  On her own time travel platform!

I got there just in time to photograph her set down.

 I stood back and took a second photo of the landing.  Perfect.

It's just a good thing that she got in touch with Tessie before coming... I have a feeling that Tessie got in touch with her... 

I am not sure how they communicate, but sometimes I wish they wouldn't.

I haven't done much on the kitchen yet.

I know that Tessie told her about moving into the cottage when she was here for the housewarming.  Maybe that was when she got the idea that moving in would make me work faster.

At any rate, she came in.  Plonked the suitcases in the bedroom just like Tessie and announced that she is here to stay until I finish up!

She then pulled food out of a take out bag and settled in with every dog she could find. 

Yes.  The elephant is still in the bathtub.  He seldom gets out unless someone else wants to take a bath.

After inspecting the premises, Daisy grabbed Tessie's yo yo and tried to entice Mic, the Jaguar, off of the couch.  He keeps watch out the window and is doing a fine job of keeping intruders out. Let's see. The dog count is up to five now.  She seems to be collecting... None of them are watch dogs.  They are all intimidated by Mic.

As for me, I am rounding up tools, supplies and paint as fast as I can.  I really don't want to get on her bad side.  I might end up in prehistoric times with the dinosaurs.  She has been known to make people disappear...

I have to run now and get started on the kitchen.

See you tomorrow.

So Much for the Loft....

OK.  I finished the windows/doors in the loft.  Too bad that they don't easily photograph....But they ARE done.

The dogs aren't too happy.  No more looking out upstairs windows.  Oh well.  They have food and water and shoes to chew...They will just have to go downstairs to see out. It is too hot in the summer and cold in the winter to leave them open.

Another project for downstairs.  So far I don't have any thread or yarn down there.

What I do have is a LOT of pony beads, left over from the paint jar project.

This is a fast and easy way to do crochet cotton balls.

For this one, I used stranded embroidery floss.  It is faster if you do it with the whole six strands....If you want to be more authentic, you can do it with a single strand.  It takes almost a yard of the six strand stuff, so I imagine that you would have to start with a lot more to do it single stranded.

I cut off a yard of floss and threaded it on a big needle.  Then, holding the tail in my left hand, I started going round and round the bead, through the center hole.  I was careful not to over lap the strands.  I made them lay side by side.

When it was fully covered with one layer, I stuck the needle under several of the vertical strands and started winding it around the middle.

 I did that about three times.  Then, with the needle, I tucked the thread under the wrap and cut it off. 

If you aren't sure that it will hold, you can put a tiny dab of glue under the end where you cut it off.  A toothpick is handy for that.

Also put a dab of glue on the first end and cut that close to the hole.

Here it is, in all it's glory.  Now all I have to do is another dozen or so in different colors.

I am almost done with the workroom!!!!

See you tomorrow.

So Many Pieces. So Little Time.....

This morning I had to make a trip to Ace Hardware for more wood and a new iron. My 20 year old iron gave up the ghost this morning. I am amazed that it lasted this long.

I was doing fine until I got to the cash register....Then I ended up adopting two puppies...How could I resist? At 99 cents each, I had to get one for both Tessie and Zar.

Zar has already dubbed his Spike Junior...Just Junior for short. Tessie just keeps calling hers the cute, fuzzy little thing...Fuzzy for short. I thought that new pets might keep them out of my hair while I worked on the new Tudor Steampunk project.

I am making progress! Zar has decided that he isn't going to do much traveling in this trailer for the time being. For now, he is going to set it on a stone foundation and make it a Half Timbered Steampunk. Usually Steampunk is thought of as Victorian, but since the Victorians loved their Tudor Revival style, why not Tudor Steampunk?
He can always move it off of the foundation later if he decides to take a trip.

If you poke the photo, you may be able to see faint lines of where the half timbers are going.

I have the outer shell finished, except for the roof. It seems, even though the directions don't mention it, that the roof is supposed to be open. I guess that is so that you can view the inside better....Zar refuses to live in a "topless trailer", as he puts it. In fact, he has already mentioned a small roof garden in passing.....Does he really expect me to do that too, in just a week?


The trailer seems quite roomy inside....If you don't include a bathroom....Another problem to solve.

I did fill in the cut out portion of the front end, where Tessie and Zar are sitting and relaxing, while I do all of the hard labor.

Tessie lent him a couple of chairs. I am sure that this was only because she didn't want to stand up and watch.

I found one of my bed bases and it fits nicely in the other end. I am planning to put a bookcase at the head of the bed, against the far wall.

I found an extra kitchen table that will work. I drew up plans for the kitchen and marked the wood for cutting last night.

Tessie keeps pacing up and down the edge of the boards and taunting me with...."So many pieces. So little time....Do you really think that you can do it in a week?"

I keep debating...Should I work on the trailer or lock Tessie in a box somewhere far away? So far, the box idea is winning....

See you tomorrow. Hopefully, with a finished kitchen or some half timber done. It's a coin toss....

Animals and More Animals....

I was digging through some of the mini drawers a little bit ago and I found some more pets for Tessie to add to her menagerie.

See the cute little basket full of furry little animals that Tessie is so entranced with? I first saw these at least 25 years ago. I can't tell you who thought them up, but whoever it was, I am happy that they did. They are pussy willows! I have one that has lasted all that time.

The one that I have was made like this. It is simply the top of an acorn with the pussy willow glued inside. If you look at the end of the pussy willow straight on, you will see two dark spots that look like eyes. Some of them are dark enough that you don't have to ink them in. In this case, I used a fine line Sharpie to enhance the eyes. The nose is the bud end that breaks off of the plant.

The one that I bought was advertised as a "kitten". Somehow, I see them more as baby hedgehogs.Whatever they are, they make cute pets.

The other one that I found is a dog that I made about 20 years ago for a class that I was teaching on fancy clothespin dolls. He is a sawed off clothespin with leather scraps for ears. The rest of him is drawn and painted on with a Pigma pen and acrylics. He has a leather collar and a fancy tag similar to the one that Spike wears. Spike is getting jealous.

I don't have any of the dolls left. I do have clothespins.....Hmmmm. Off on another tangent. I am going now to look for clothespins.

See you tomorrow.

So Much For Suitcases......

It has been decided. The new clothes aren't all going to Scottsdale.....This morning Tessie waltzed in wearing the old(medium old) vest and apron over the new dress. I threw out the old dress, so she couldn't retrieve that. It was so threadbare that it just wasn't wearable anymore. She does, however have her old bloomers and, yes, she washed them.

When she came in, she had an arm load of her old stuff. She proceeded to plonk them down on a small plate and then she went to the cupboard. This development is worrisome.....She knows where the kitchen matches are kept.

We had a battle over the match. She was going to burn the clothes that she didn't like. I finally talked her into giving them to a charity shop instead. Burning clothes on top of a raw wooden stool could be dangerous! Of course she never thought of that.

I was in the bedroom packing when she dragged in a plastic school box and announced that the teeny tiny suitcases were for the birds. "I am using this. It is much more practical for carrying lots of material. Oh! And by the way, Spike is coming with us. Don't forget to pack dogie biscuits." She didn't ask. She just assumed. I was tempted to shove her into one of the teeny tiny suitcases and lock it....

As you can see, she has enough fabrics and notions for an army in the box. That's not all......

This is now the official "sewing suitcase". I made it a couple of years ago just for fun. Every stitch is by hand. If you look carefully at the top where the zipper is, you can see that it was even put in by hand. I should have put the lining over it, but I decided that it would be fun to show that everything was hand stitched. There was no help from one of those infernal machines. I love hand sewing. I think that I am a throwback to the early 19th century, before sewing machines were invented.

Anyway, Tessie has decided that she and Spike will ride in the outside pocket. It is well padded and if I put it by a window, she will be able to see outside on the way.

The fabric that she has her hand on is what she thinks would make a good invisibility cloak. If you hold it up to the light is very see through and airy, with lots of iridescence.....Her theory is that the shimmer will make it so that people can't see her. Hey! If it worked for Harry Potter, it should work for Tessie.

She is very excited and refuses to come out of the pocket. If she had her way, we would be leaving in a matter of minutes. Since she doesn't get her way this time, I will see you tomorrow.

Jealousy Abounds!

I got up, ate breakfast, drank coffee and started plastering. I decided that I wanted to see what at least part of the outside of the house was going to look like when I finished. I am using the old tried and true Spackle to cover the sides.

I got about half way down the wall and had the feeling that I was being watched. I looked up and there was Zar, leaning over the corner of the wall. Beau was staring at me through the window opening.

Zar, very politely, asked if he could have a word when I finished the wall. I knew that something was up. I said "Yes." and finished plastering.

When I got down to the bottom, I made some random stonework. I want the Clockwork Cottage to look like a Voisey Arts and Crafts house. I am not putting on the usual half timber that comes with the kit. As I went, I pretty much decided that I like the white. I think that it will look good with the river rock as a foundation and some dark shingling on the roof.

Here you can see some of the rocks. I simply put a heavier coat of Spackle at the base and carved the rock into it before the compound was dry. I used my handy dandy stencil brush for the texture on the rest of the wall.

Anyway, when I finished, I went in to talk to Zar. It seems that he and Beau had a call from Tessie to come and see Spike's new bed. You know it was just to make him jealous. It worked. He is not demanding like Tessie, but knows how to wheedle with the best of them....."Poor Beau doesn't have a place to sleep. He is just as deserving as Spike. You have never made anything for him." Guilty as charged. Then he specified that he didn't want one of those namby pamby doggy beds. "Beau is a manly beast and he should have a masculine dog bed." He wanted leather and plaid. No girly canopies!

I rummaged around and found an oval top to a paper mache craft box. I cut a strip of suede from an old jacket that April gave me that was long enough to fit around and about 3 times the width of the height of the rim. I glued the center of the strip to the outside of the rim. Then I put glue on the inside and folded the piece down over to cover that. With the last third, I cut Vs in the edge and glued them around to the bottom. I covered the bottom with another piece of suede and trimmed it to the edge.

I then took a piece of the checker board pattern and cut it twice as wide as I wanted the finished side lining. I folded it lengthwise with glue inside.

I glued that into the box.

Then I made a pad with a piece of foam core, batting and fabric like the bed from yesterday. I tufted it and glued it in place. Zar also specified "No fancy feet." So I left them off.

Beau and Zar both seem pleased. At least there is one piece of furniture in the secret room now. I am going to go back to the real world now and do grown up stuff. Bah Humbug!

See you tomorrow.

It's a Dog's Life.....

You guessed it. After the trunk incident yesterday, I felt that I had to do something to make Spike feel a little more appreciated. He now has his bed.

I still had lots of paper towel tube left. I dug out an old jewelry gift box. The lid just happened to be just the right size to go with the tube. I cut the tube to the length of the box, covered the box and the tube piece with fabric to match the chase.....Oops! Of course Tessie noticed. Since Spike is her dog, she reasoned that I really had made the chase for her. And since the chase and doggy bed couldn't possibly fit into her teeny, tiny, little, bitty, cottage I would just have to build Spiderwort Manor for her......

I just ignored her and went on building the bed. I cut a piece of foam core that was just slightly smaller than the box, then padded and covered that with some checker board material that seemed to go with the swirly stuff on the outside. The four corner posts are "Tiny Turnings" painted gold and cut to the right height. I trimmed out the box and canopy with some fancy silk ribbon and put a gold finding on either end. Gold filigree beads were stuck to the bottom for feet. It looks kind of lopsided in the photo. I guess it is the angle. It really is straight.

Spike took to it like a duck to water as soon as it was finished. Tessie has been Ooh-ing and Ah-ing over it.....I think that is just to butter me up.

That was yesterday afternoon. This morning I got up and started putting wood paneling in the secret room of Clockwork Cottage. I am getting there, but it is going to take some time to get it where I want it.

Here's the left side. No. The window is not in place yet. I am going to build and frame that separately and then install.

Eventually I will age this room. If he has been working in secret for a while, I am sure that he doesn't let the housekeeper in to clean up after him. The first thing to be brought up in the dumbwaiter was a bowl of dog food for Beauregard.

It's getting pretty bad when Spike has a fancier bed than Tessie and Beau gets his lunch served up to him before Zar gets his. What is this world coming to? I tell you it's going to the dogs!

See you tomorrow.