One Hour Late....Sorry about that!

OK, I will put you all out of your misery....I wish I could do a set for everybody that follows me and humors my delusions....

It took longer to write all of the names than I thought it would.

After I wrote and folded, The Terrible Two took over.  I watched them carefully to make sure that they didn't play favorites.  I remixed the names just before they pulled one.

It was quite a job.  Zar tied one end of a ribbon to Tessie and one to the dragon's nose.  Then the dragon perched above the bowl and let Tessie swing and sway over it.  As she passed back and forth, on the third try, she managed to grab one of the names.....And the winner is....

KATHIE B.!!!! Kathie, contact me by e mail(the Address is on the blog). We will discuss color preferences.  At that time, I will need your ground address and all that sort of thing.

Congratulations, Kathie B of Kathie B's Minis!!!!!! http://kathiebminis.blogspot.com/

See you all tomorrow.

The Last Chance......

This is it!!!

Today I had the mini meeting here.  A good time was had by all.

I went to clean up and this is what I found.

Tessie was on top of the cake carrier, weeping and moaning that she couldn't get to the lemon cake.  Shortly after she started making the racket, Zar and Spike showed up with a hand saw.

I didn't tell them that it was just a  matter of lifting the top off.  Let them figure it out.

I have other things to do....I have to start making little slips of paper with names on them.  Tomorrow, the winner will be announced for the wicker.  Lots of work before then.

Sorry. No minis today.  I will try to make it before noon tomorrow.

See you then!

Today Is The Day!!!!

This is how I get the braid for the wicker. I pin six strands of waxed cord to a pillow an turn Tessie loose.  I have to untangle her every once in a while, but as a rule, it works pretty well.

As soon as we finished all the work, Zar reappeared and helped test sit.

So did Spike.  His table manners aren't too good though.

As you can see, all of the pieces are woven and ready for upholstering.

I will wait until the winner's name is drawn to do that.  That way the fabric will go with the taste of the new owner.

Here's the rules.  There are 1010 followers as of this writing.  Those are the eligible people.  No more.

The comments will be on this entry of the blog. 

You must be one of those 1010 followers. One entry per person.

I am curious about how long people have been following and it would help me to find you on the list if you don't have a profile.  People with profiles are really helpful, because I can check your list of blogs you follow.  One way or the other, it would be fun to know how long you have been around, so please put that in your comment.

You will have until Wednesday August 15th, midnight, my time to comment on this entry only. 

Bright and early, Thursday morning, Tessie will be drawing a name...It may take a while if all 1010 people comment....I am not sure how Blogger would handle that one.  I am pretty sure that isn't going to happen though...

Good luck to you.  The winner gets all four pieces.  Chair, table, settee and footstool, with fabric of choice.  I will contact the winner Thursday.

See you tomorrow.

Two Six Year Olds, Together....

Tessie and I are two of a kind....Usually. Hopping from one project to another one is normal for us.

This morning, as I was eating breakfast, I realized that today is the 28th and I haven't even started copying names down from the comments for the drawing. Procrastination is sometimes my middle name. So.....I went to work. I kept getting off track, looking at your blogs.

I have many more entries than I thought I would have. I realized that, if I want to do this right, it is going to take more time than I thought it would.

Tessie kept herself busy for the first hour with the tatting that she started yesterday. She decided to get serious and work on something that would go with her hair....Orange naturally, I mean the thread not her hair.

When she tired of that, she came in and tried to distract me for a while. When that didn't work, she glared at me and said, "You are NO kind of fun at all! Lots of emphasis on the NO part. She stomped away and Went and found the bargello pillow that we started a couple of days ago. She did about a half a row of lighter pink.

That took up another hour and seven minutes. Then she came back and tried the whinging and whining routine...."I'm bored...There's nothing to do...."

I replied with, "Tessie, I am very busy. See all of these nice comments? I have to read them all and make a list for you to draw from."

She watched from her place atop the dictionary.

Then she asked, "Can't I just close my eyes and pick from the names on the screen?"

"No Tessie. There are well over 100 comments and you can't see them all on the screen at one time."

With that, she disappeared again. After the next hour, I took a break and ate lunch, then I went to see what she was doing.

At least she is consistent....Meaning that every time I saw her she was being her typical six year old self.

This time she found one of the baskets that I "lost" somewhere when I was preparing for the talk on baskets at the museum.....Hmmmmm....Maybe she will finish it. I am still out of basket mode for the present.

As for me, I am not being a six year old, but I don't think that this is going to get finished today. I don't know what I was thinking when I said I would close the drawing one day and have the results the next. It just isn't going to happen.

I thought about extending the deadline for entries, but that wouldn't be fair. I am, however going to give myself a little more time. I just can't have it done by tomorrow.

The results will be up on Thursday morning bright and early. That's a promise. Stay tunedI have to go pull Tessie out of the workroom now. She is looking for something else to do and making a royal mess of it.

Then I am going back to putting names on little slips of paper, between time out for housework, laundry and other mundane happenings. I think that tonight's deadline should stay where it is, but I need more time to finish.

See you tomorrow.

It Was A Dark and Stormy Night......

It really was, but it cleared up by midnight and the drawing closed as planned. There were 78 people in the drawing. There were 79 letters but two were from the same person.

Now, just for fun, I am going to keep you in suspense for a few minutes...I know that you are going to cheat and go down to the bottom of the entry to see who won. Come back here! No peeking!

First I have to tell you that I went to the Tucson Miniature Society mini show this morning.

The first table that I hit was the garage sale table that the club puts out. I had a wonderful time there and got all sorts of goodies. These are the ones that Tessie is picking over in the first photo....She would pick up a piece and carefully put it in a pile with, "I can use this in the cottage. Or she would toss something in the other direction saying, "Why'd you buy this? Useless." Her pile was much larger than the useless pile."

As soon as I make something useful with the useless stuff, she will transfer it to her pile anyway.

My friend Anne, one of the Wednesday Witches, and I wandered through the show looking at all sorts of wonderful things. She pulled me over to one table that stood out because it had lots of artisan furniture from earlier times.

I don't know how many of you are familiar with Warren Dick, but he was a fine furniture builder in mini in the 80s and 90s. He passed away years ago, so we were both somewhat surprised to see a lot of his pieces on this table. By the time we got finished, there were five less pieces of his furniture on the table.....Maybe I should say four pieces of furniture and one loom. Anne took care of the furniture part. I got the loom after much deliberation.

I used my last dollars to buy it and it was a real bargain at 75% less than the price of the last one that I had seen a couple of years ago.

This one was made in 1983 and is still going strong.

As soon as Tessie saw it, she sat right down and, to my surprise, she went to work. She tells me that, years ago, she earned her living as a weaver. This could be the start of a whole new career for her or I guess I should say the revival of an old career.

OK. You have been very patient....Those of you that stuck with me through the mini show anyway. I won't keep you in suspense any longer.

Tessie has taken over the wicker again, but this time she is cooperating. She knows that the pieces have to go to a new home, so she posed with the winner's name after she drew it. And the winner is......Drum roll please...........Katie of Katie's Clay Corner .

http://katiesclaycorner.blogspot.com/

Katie, If you will contact me, we will discuss the fabric that you want. Tessie tells me that she still has plenty of the apron fabric hidden away if you would like that or you are welcome to something else if that isn't what you want. I did notice that you were very confident and said that if you won you might choose that one. It isn't carved in stone yet though.

I am just sorry that I couldn't do a set for everybody. Well there is always next time......Thanks for all of the great comments. I hope that you will keep coming back. Party on!!!

See you tomorrow.

Until Midnight, My Time....

This is the last day that you can put a comment on Monday's blog to enter the drawing. Good luck to all.
I thought that I would show you some of the possibilities of the fans that I bought.

The top row, by Tessie's feet is all the one fan from Walmart. The second row, at the bottom of the photo is the one that I have been using. It was from a garage sale, so I doubt if you can find one, unless just by chance.

I think that there are a lot of possible uses for the pieces. First I cut them up into parts. At the far left is the main body of the fan and next to it is a piece of filigree that I trimmed out of the middle. I can see this as maybe some carving on a piece of furniture. Stain the pieces before you stick them together. Remember that stain won't go through glue.

The next part was the very top section of the fan.This one can be trimmed several ways. First you see the untrimmed piece. I can see this as part of a chair back. The same with the second wedge shaped piece. The third one, I found that you could get a pretty good rectangle from it. I wondered about using three or four of them stood on end and glued together as a square or triangular lamp. You could put tissue paper on the inside to make it into a shade. Nice table lamp.

The last one could also be used as furniture carving. The ideas are endless, once you start thinking about them. They would also make good wrought iron if they were painted black and aged a bit. There is a lot of extra wood in the plain part of the fan also.

Now. About the drawing..... Last night I made a plant stand to match the table....

Tessie took one look at it and stated, "It needs ferns!". And then, "It's MINE!"

I told her that she could have those two pieces and more, if she would let me send out the other pieces for the drawing.

I think that it was the plant stand that did the trick. She will be the only one that has that one for a while....Don't tell her that I can make more later.

I guess that I will go make her a fern for the plant holder. Maybe she will stop harping at me if I do that.

Anyway, that's about all until tomorrow.

See you then.

Today's the Day!!!

I found Tessie ensconced in the chair again this morning.... She just sat there and grinned at me. She looked like the cat that swallowed the canary.
"This is MY chair and MY table and MY bookshelf and MY footstool! I saw them first! First dibs!" and then, "Possession is nine points of the law. Squatter's rights. Mine!"

I let her sit there and stew for a while. Then I took matters into my own hands....I simply stated,"Tessie, I am bigger than you! Get out of the chair!"

That didn't work. She doesn't scare easily. I finally took matters into my own hands. Literally.

She hung on for dear life, but I finally got a good grip on her and yanked her out.

I sat her down and gave her a good talking to. I told her that the furniture was going to a good home and that I could make more for her. I would even let her pick out the pieces she wanted....Maybe that part was a mistake, but it did the trick...

She even agreed to pose nicely with the chair so that you could see what is coming.

Today, Oct. 11, is the day for the official start of the follower's drawing.

The rules are simple. You have to be a follower. You have to place one comment on today's entry by Friday of this week. One entry per person.

Tessie will do the drawing and let you all know who the winner is on Saturday the 16th. I will be watching her closely. She may try to put her name in the box. She is not eligible, even though she thinks she should be.

After I find the winner, that person will get to choose what fabric the chair and footstool will be upholstered with.

As soon after that as possible, I will take the chair away from Tessie, upholster it and send it to the winner.

Good Luck to you all!!!

See you tomorrow.

Don't Make Me Call the Pig!

How's that for a threat? That is what Tessie has been threatening me with all morning.....Although she wouldn't have to call very loud. She has taken to carrying Goofy Pig everywhere she goes. She thinks that I am afraid of him now.

I did my stint on the cottage this morning. She is angry because I found a loophole. She told me yesterday that I had to finish at least one side every day...Ha! I remembered that I hadn't put two rows of brick at the base of the side that I had been working on. I finished the brick. It took about fifteen minutes. Done for the day!

She did like the color though. It matches the mad pig. I forgot to show you his curly tail. Poke the photo.

Now I am free for a while to work on the wicker. I decided that the fourth and last piece would be a side table to go by the chair. I have it all wired up and am ready to start weaving. Of course, Tessie and pig will be supervising.

She is still under the impression that she may be able to keep the wicker pieces with a little bit of help from her friends....

I heard her rummaging around in the fabric drawers. She pulled out this pile to consider. You may consider it too. I will have everything done but the cushions by tomorrow night.

Monday will be the start of the comment collecting. It will be for followers only and only comments on Monday's blog will be eligible. Be considering what you want for cushion material if you win. That part is the choice of the winner.

These are only some of the fabrics that I have on hand. If you win, we will discuss color and print.

I am thinking that the drawing will be on Friday.

At least that is the plan if I can keep Tessie and Goofy Pig occupied with other activities.

Anyway, be thinking about it.

See you tomorrow, with a progress report.

Don't Tell Tessie....

I found Tessie curled up in the new chair, fast asleep this morning. She has a dozen other chairs that I made just for her, but she doesn't want those. You know how she always wants the newest.

I took advantage. I sneaked out and went to the antique mall. I was getting stir crazy and needed a break.

I found this. It is an Ivorex plaque. Made in England in the 20s. They aren't at all expensive, but I like them. They seem plentiful in England. Not so much here.

This is only the second one that I have ever seen. It size is about six by nine. It is semi three dimensional. The plaques are about an inch deep and the figures, as well as all of the other objects stand out from the background.

Essentially, they are instant miniatures with lots of tiny details. This is titled "A Friendly Call".

The only other one that I have seen is the other one that I have. It is "Charles Dickens in his study Gadshill".

I think that I like the new one better. More detail and a cozy subject.

Anyway, I am glad that I went and I am not showing them to Tessie when she wakes up. She will want them.

Speaking of the little witch, I just went in and woke her up myself, after putting away the plaques.

She agreed to pose in the chair as long as I didn't make her stand up. She knows that if she stands, I will rip the chair right out from under her. I am mean that way.

So.....Here's the chair, the footstool without cushion or trim and a third piece that I have decided to throw into the mix. It is actually a hanging wall shelf, but I couldn't hang it on the pillow that I have everything propped against, so you will have to use your imagination.

Now I have to pull the footstool from under her feet so that I can finish it. She is going to be extremely disgruntled.

How am I going to break it to her that she is going to have to let go of the chair? Oh! I know. As soon as I finish the things for the drawing, I am going to have to start a new chair, designed and made just for her.....No..Wait....It seems to me that I have done that a number of times already....Have you ever heard the phrase "vicious circle"????

See you tomorrow.

A Bauble, Beads and an Impartial Picker......

For the second day in a row I got to go out to the gem show and find myself a birthday present.

April and Seth took me out to breakfast and then the three of us went back to the segment of the gem show that is housed at Tucson Electric Park.(baseball stadium) We wandered around looking at goodies for about an hour.

The ring to the left is what I picked out. I am having to fight Tessie off with a big stick for this one. See the little loop at the end of the ring? That's a catch that fits over the little ball to keep the secret compartment closed. It's almost as good as a secret decoder ring. Actually, I like it better.


Tessie also likes it. She seems to think that it would be a good place to hide ingredients for spells.
As usual,(I am finally catching on to the system.)I brought her something to keep her happy. This time she got a Peruvian bunny. She seems to have a thing for bunnies.

It also helped that I replenished my supply of #15 seed beads with some new colors. She has some of them ear marked for bottle netting.

Now to the important business. I promised a drawing today. Walter was out playing golf, so I had to find an impartial substitute to draw the name of a winner of the followers prize.

I turned to the commander of the house. He is the most impartial being around here. He is pretty much impartial to everything but food. That's Mookie.

I wrote the names of all of the people that made a comment on the blog the other day and folded the papers so that he couldn't peek. Then I told him to put his nose on the one that he wanted to pick. He shuffled them well with his paws then laid down on them. Here you see him putting his nose down on the chosen one.....And the winner is.......Kathi of Beautiful Mini Blessings http://beautifulminiblessings.blogspot.com/ !

Kathi, if you will e mail me with your snail mail addy, we will make arrangements to get your surprise to you ASAP.

Mookie says, "Congratulations!"

Tessie says, "But I wanted that!"

Sorry Tessie, Mookie didn't choose you.

Congratulations, Kathi!

See you tomorrow.