A Merry Chase....

The rug is like new now.  I think that we can stop worrying about it.

The last step was taken this afternoon.  A plumber came and fixed the valve in question and everything is right with the world again...

 Except for Tessie.  She led me on a wild goose chase around the house and yard.

First it was a lot of questions about when I was going to start on her caravan...

Then I found her out in the yard.  She was on the steps of the Forest Fantasy Cottage... She said that she wanted to take it back, now that it is outside.

She wanted to spend the night.  I knew that she would last until it got dark out... Then she would pounding on the window begging me to let her back in the house... Not going to happen...

I have been doing a lot of rearranging in the yard and I put this old greenhouse on one of the tables. 

She lit on it and said, "If you clean this one up and put a couple of pieces of wicker inside, I could spend my  days relaxing out here, drinking tea and reading...

I might just take her up on that one... It would get her out of my hair a few hours at a time... Yup.  I am going to have to think about that one.  It shouldn't take to long to clean up and furnish.

However... I needed to talk her out of sleeping outside tonight...

Then I remembered that I got a grab bag of jewelry at Goodwill on Sunday.

That did it.  I grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and plopped her down in the middle of a tray and poured the jewelry out.

I didn't have to say another word to her.

When I left the workroom, she was trying on the different pieces that she though would look good on her... Our ideas of what works for her in the jewelry department don't mesh.  She wants it all.  Most of it, she couldn't even lift... Let alone wear. I snuck out of the workroom and quietly closed the door.  I am hoping that this will keep her amused until tomorrow morning... I need a good night's sleep.

See you tomorrow.

Happy Campers...

Everyone is happy now... Tessie is officially taking over the antique table in the dining room.

She has BIG plans...

The fairies have a new house in the back yard.  I am sure that they will be happy with a new place to live.

It actually looks pretty good back here.  Now all I need is a couple of fairies to take over care and maintenance of the property.

They can see out, but big people can't see in...

And the best part is the burglar is back in the living room that he has occupied for the past 20 years or so. He's back to eating cheese and crackers... Reading a 20 year old TV guide and waiting for the TV to boot up.

We are still trying to dry the bedroom out.  The floor is still wet in spots. We rented a blower from Home Depot.  This must happen to other people too.

Back to it.

See you tomorrow.

Good Things...

But not Minis...

I bought a new purse for winter at Goodwill this morning... Very strange, but I like it.

The silly thing has two compartments on either end that look like frog mouths.

I brought it home and have been looking at B. Makowsky purses on the net... I never found this particular one, but most of his purses that are of this size and made of glove leather are about $285.00

Not bad for an eight dollar purchase.

It has an adjustable strap so that you can wear it cross body, if need be.

It's made of very soft glove leather.  On one side it has a special little pocket for keys... Mine don't fit. I will have to use it for something else. 

All of the buckles and rivets are brass. 

Can you tell that I am liking this purse a lot?  I am.

At the same Goodwill I got this Chinese jewelry rack.  At least that's what I am going to use it for.

With the little old lady discount that they have on Tuesday and Wednesday, it came into the picture for free.  That is, the discount on the two items paid for the wrack!  Good deal.

When I got home, Tessie and Kota had their heads together... Discussing what they were going to do to rid the table that Tessie wants, of the Forest Fantasy Cottage...

So far, they have not solved the problem. 

I may have to figure out something myself.  Tessie reallllly wants that table for her trailer...

I am beginning to wonder if it would make a good fairy cottage in the back yard...

I'm not quite that desperate yet, but I am starting to lean that way. 

Any suggestions?

Back to work.

See you tomorrow.

Moving Right Along....

I didn't get a lot of mini-ing done today.  I had a follow up doctor's appointment this morning.  Nothing to worry about.  Just checking things.

I found this wheeled cart to put on the back porch yesterday.  It was probably a kitchen cart in a former life. It is now a potting bench.  Perfect size for the space I have.

I did get a lot of crocheting done.  I kept watching the situation in Vegas.  Not a good thing!

Tessie is still fretting about where she is going to put her trailer... No.  She may NOT move Zar's to make room for hers...

Zar gets to stay on that table.  No arguments!

The plans that she has for her trailer is going to need some room to grow...

She keeps looking at the forest fantasy cottage. 

I think that she wants that table and is hoping that she can talk me into putting that outdoors as a Fairy house... The only problem is... There is no place outside for it either.

I am not really attached to this house, so we will figure out a place for it... Somewhere.

She wants the table so that she can spread out all of the extras that she wants for her caravan...
The way she is going with the planning, I am not even sure if this table will be big enough... I told her no when she suggested the dinning room table. and I am sticking with that! Once in a while we need a place to eat... Anyway, everything is up in the air right now.  Wish me luck.

See you tomorrow.

The Cat Comes First...

Whenever we get a new camera, the cats get the first photo. Kota got the first one this time.  On my new comforter... Yup. He took that over as soon as it went on the bed.

My other camera was taking a lot of fuzzy photos.  Most irritating when you are trying to photograph minis.

Anyway, this one works. Not a fuzzy one in the bunch. 

The only thing that is puzzling me is the photos load onto the computer in the opposite order from the order the photos were taken.

I loaded them one at a time to get them in the right place.

I spent several hours redoing Walter's favorite bracelet.

He never takes it off.  This time, I did it with eight pound test Fireline.  It is a fishing line that a lot of people use for strength in beading... The only thing that will get it off of his wrist is a fish that is over eight pounds, tugging on it.

I looked for Tessie a while ago.  She was in the tree house with the burglar... She wants her coffee table, from the townhouse back.

He is not caring for it to her satisfaction. It hasn't been polished since she let him have it.

I think that the real problem is... She wants it back for a new project and he is resisting the offers that she has made. Actually, it is hers.. she just lent it to him... If worse comes to worst, she can just zap it away... I don't think that he thought of that.

I have been looking at fairy houses for the garden on Pinterest... I am thinking that the two square red boxes on these shelves would make a good start to fairy houses... One even has the roof done already...

I have to get the two boxes that I just started finished. Then I can go on to these.

I have to go work on floors now.  Back to work.

See you tomorrow.

Oh! The Excitement!

Everything is working out fantastic!

Tessie got Sir Reggie to agree to take over the burglar's living room.  All she had to do was tell him that she will keep him in reading material and TV.

That was easy.

She then helped Melvin carry all of his ill gotten gains to the Forest Fantasy Cottage and got him settled in...

I have yet to make the fluffy towels. That shouldn't take long.

Tessie is happy because there are lots of cookies in the cottage.  Melvin will be happy as soon as he can get Tessie out of his hair.  He wants a shower in the worst way!  He's been sitting in that living room for a number of years just thinking about it.

Until she leaves he is sitting there counting all of his money and goods... I do hope that the cops don't find the cottage, or he could be in trouble!

Walter is playing golf as a guest at Tucson Country Club today... After he left, I went over to Walmart.  I don't usually go in the middle of the day.  I don't really like the crowds. I was bored.

This time I am glad that I went.  They have started putting out school supplies. It seems like it's a little early...

I am not complaining! I think that I am the only grown up that gets excited about school supplies.

I found Quad Rule notebooks 100 sheets for $1.97.  And the usual 24 pack of mechanical pencils... I see a lot of furniture designing this year. 

For the past few years the quad rule paper has been scarce.  Walmart went to 5 to the inch.  That was not good for anybody that wants to design 1/12 scale furniture.  At last it's back and I'm a happy camper! 

I have to go now.  I want to try out the new pencils and paper!

See you tomorrow.

Lost and Found... Melvin...

I got up this morning with the intention of doing a few things to the castle.

I wanted to extend the branches of the tree, growing up the side of the castle.  The third floor on the right side looked bare.

I went out and took some bare branches from the rosemary bushes.  I may still do a bit more. 

I glued them to the wall, as an extension of the tree that was already there.

We did take a break to go see the new "Pirates" movie.

That wall always bothered me.  Too plain. I may go up a bit more with the tree, but I have a good start and may stop and think about it for a while.

I found out about Melvin... All I had to do was put a bug in Tessie's ear and then follow where she led me...

I don't think that I ever knew his name, but now some things make sense.

I never knew the night thief's name.  He was always just the burglar.

I told Tessie that I was wondering who Melvin was.  She did the shrug the shoulders and leave thing again... So... I followed her.  On tiptoes. 

I found her in the living room that the burglar lives in... I over heard her say..."OK Melvin. You are going to have to be a bit more careful.  Casey is on to you using other people's bathrooms and kitchens.   I realize that you don't have a kitchen or bath, but you are going to have to be more careful about leaving personal belongings behind.  I can't have her finding your dirty clothes in my bathroom after you use it. And no more dirty dishes in MY sink!  Maybe we could talk her into building you a hideout.  A room of your own, with bathroom and kitchen...Or... Maybe we could talk Sir Reggie into moving in here and you could take the forest fantasy cottage.  That would be a perfect hideout for you. It's nearly invisible.  I will talk to her about it.  Sir Reggie just sits and reads all the time... He doesn't even really need a bathroom. He hardly moves at all.  That's what you need.  A base of operations."

About that time I opened the front of Melvin's box and confronted them both.  That was a big mistake.  Now they have their heads together, planning what I will have to do to make the cottage livable for him. #1. Lots of fluffy bath towels. #2. Lots of snack food. #3. Move it next door to Tessie's Townhouse... On and on...

Tessie was not to crazy about having him for a neighbor. She pulled me aside and whispered... "I don't trust him! Not at all!". Oh the trials and tribulations of the little people around here. Then she hissed, "You do know that he's a burglar! Right?"

I have to go talk to Sir Reggie now.  I will try to talk him into moving yet again. Wish me luck!

See you tomorrow.

Do Not Disturb!

Kota has made it official.  He now owns our closet.  He found an old cat bed in there, stored with a blanket inside... He has been there for the past two days. That's only when he doesn't want to be disturbed... He comes out when HE wants to. 

Me?  I have the first wall finished... Three to go.  Maybe another one this afternoon.

We also moved Daisy's cottage into the family room.  There is barely room on the table for the observatory, so Daisy opted to leave it in the living room.

Reggie is taking it over.  It doesn't go with the Forest Fantasy Cottage, but he is borrowing it for the time being...

Daisy doesn't care.  She is away, more than she is here.  She drops by for supplies. Right after I took the above photo, she grabbed some cookies from the kitchen and took off.  I have no idea where she was going or when she will be back. 

It will probably be when the cookies run out.

As for Tessie?  She's in the basket maker's cottage pouting.  No crown yet...

I am holding off as long as I can...It is going to be miserable around her when she comes to power...

See you tomorrow.

More Minis... Mostly...

OK. So this isn't mini, but I am waiting for the glue to dry. 

I have been seeing garden totems all over the net and decided to try my hand.  I got the glass at Goodwill and my own cupboard, so it cost me next to nothing.

The black plate at the bottom is for stability.  It will be covered with plants, dirt and rocks when it is in place.

I have enough different glass to do a couple more.  I have to see how this one works out first.

We finished the moving process yesterday and Reggie seems to be happy with the move.

He has a better view of everything that is going on in the house.

As for Cordelia... She is never home, so she doesn't care where the house is.

She spends most of her time elsewhere...

Tessie took over the space where the Forest Fantasy Cottage was before.  It looks like the kitchen is twice as big without it... And...I can actually get around this cottage to clean the counter.

Now if I could just get Tessie to go somewhere that is not here, I would be happy.

She is doing her "director of  operations" thing. Clean the kitchen.  Wash the dishes.  Make me some cookies!....

Maybe I will go finish cleaning the work room.  Nope.  I'm not that desperate yet.  Not quite.

I think that I will bake some chocolate chip cookies and toss a plate of them into the workroom... She will follow them in and I can slam the door and lock it!  Where's my cookie recipe? That should work...

See you tomorrow.

Moving...

I have the moving fever this morning.  I was tired of seeing Zar's den every morning when I woke up and needed something different to look at.  I moved it to the front hallway... Then Tessie started to look for him, to tell him what I did. 

Of course, the first place she looked was in his den... I do believe that I would have seen him if he were in there. Not at home.  We went looking for him and still don't know where he is.

Who knows?  Maybe he went somewhere with Daisy in the time machine... If he did, who knows when we will see him again... He rather fancies the late 16th century.

If you would like to see the interior more clearly, go to the right and look under Bloomingdale's Room Box.

Tessie gave up and went to thank Reggie for his help in the remodel of her townhouse... Or should I say  the scheme to get me to remodel her townhouse?

He still hasn't gotten used to the furniture in the bathroom... He gets dizzy every time he looks in the mirror... I do hope he doesn't want it changed!

Anyway, Tessie showed up with a plate of assorted cookies as thanks.  She knows Sir Reginald's sweet tooth is never satisfied. 

That's how she got him to help with the scam in the first place.

What she doesn't know is, I bribed him myself... Please notice the new tree stump table and the Chinese rug.  

I had to do that to keep him from throwing out the animals that live there.  Now all are happy.  Snake is still living in a hole by the fireplace.  He has promised not to go in the bathroom.  That would be just too much to pile on top of the weird furniture in there. 

The tiger has agreed not to eat anything without permission... That includes Reggie's hand that feeds him.  Here's hoping that those two are all he has to worry about. 

I have to go grab Tessie and continue the hunt for Zar.  It's not like him to disappear without telling us.

See you tomorrow.

Anything for a Friend...

I went as far as to put a voice activated recorder in Reggie's new house last night.  I got suspicious when he told me that he had purchased most of Tessie's furnishings. 

The first thing he wanted done was the repair of the floor and ceiling in her workroom...

That was easy enough.  I did that this morning.

Then I went to check on the conversation that they had the night before...

Tessie:  Is it working?
Reggie: I think so.  She is doing the repairs that I requested.

Tessie: That means that as soon as she is finished, I can move back in and you can have the Forest Fantasy Cottage.
Reggie: It shouldn't take more than a few days.  We will have achieved our collective objective.  New homes for us both!...

That's exactly what I thought!  Tessie wanted her house redone, so she put Reggie in place to get it done.

I will go along with the whole scheme for as long as it doesn't require all new anything... Cleaning and repair is all she gets...

Reggie suggested that I start with the roof garden and work down, after I got back from the Gem Show...

Yes.  I went back.  I decided that Zar needed more than one kind of bolt.  He now has enough to last him through the  next year, while I am working on his Steampunk Emporium.

I took everything out of Tessie's cabinet and cleaned it up.

In the process I found some things that I had forgotten that she had... I think that she did too. 

When I got all of the plants back in place on the clean floor, it looked pretty good.  Good enough, in fact that she forgot that it was supposed to be Reggie's roof top garden.  She took over..

It took a while, and the playing of the recording of their conversation, but I got her to admit to the ruse.  I did tell her that I would keep doing her house... If she didn't get to uppity.  The non uppity Tessie should last a couple of days... Then we will have to renegotiate.

Zar was overwhelmed with the bolts.  I also found him some batteries.  The ones draped over his foot...

The stuff on his other foot is all MINE!  He can't have all the fun!

I guess I should go back and work on Tessie's house now. 

She admitted that she really doesn't like the Forest Fantasy Cottage.  Not refined enough for her.  So... Reggie gets that and she gets her house remodeled... Somewhat.

Back to work.

See you tomorrow.

Press Really Hard!!!

OK. This is what the sidewalk looked like when I finished yesterday.

Today, I took a crochet hook to the edges of the stones.

Now they look much more like real stones.  I used both ends of the hook to bend down the edges and put a few extra lines in the stones.

 Then I decided to take control of the kitchen once more.

You can now see the Forest Fantasy Cottage from all three sides and it can be pulled out to see the fourth.  Although that is really the back... A very uninteresting side.  Just wall and trees.

Anyway, now it has room to move.

I have a Christmas Orchid.  This is one that stopped blooming about six months ago... I noticed that it had a really ugly little stem coming out... Yesterday the flowers were half open.  Today I have two orchids and a promise of a third one!  Silly orchid thinks it's summer!

Don't anybody tell it that Christmas is coming! 

I have to go  start painting stones. 

See you tomorrow!

I Still Haven't Found the Tree!

For the past three days, I have been looking for my one and only miniature decorated Christmas Tree... I am going to have to start looking in places where it shouldn't be.  I have looked in all of the places it should be... Not there.  Or there.  Or there...

So, I am on to other things whilst waiting for it to come to me, where I put it...

I moved Daisy's cottage back to the living room.  For the time being, I am not going to try to finish it. I am just going to do a bit of mini Christmas decorating on a few of the buildings and tell the gang that they can have their Christmas party in the cat tree... They like the entertainment there. I am getting very tired of Harry Potter #1 over and over though.  I wonder how they would like a little Alfred Hitchcock?  I have a lot of his old movies on a DVD that I bought years ago... Not really very Christmas like though.

I am doing pretty good with Daisy's library.  It is all furnished now. You can see through to the observatory and the telescope. 

No, I haven't finished the kitchen yet... I promise I will.  Maybe just after Christmas....

This is Walter's golfing Santa.  He's not a mini.  Much larger, but still cute. He comes out for a round or two every year.  Note the hole in the snow in front of him.  He is just like Walter.  He will golf in any kind of weather.

I added some ice trees to Tessie's Hideaway...

They change from red to green to blue.  Over and over.  I think that I need to add a bit of snow here and there on this one too...

I need more tiny trees for here and there.  Those are another thing that is missing.  I have a bunch of those somewhere.  I know that I didn't throw them away! Back to the search!

See you tomorrow.