iseecerulean

fortuitousness

I gave the inside of the pumpkin another coat of paint and was sitting there looking at it, thinking about how much of a pain it was going to be to cut a piece of wood to fit in the circular space in the bottom of the pumpkin...when I saw, on the shelf above it, a dollhouse table I bought at the dollar store last week...which is the same exact size as the space in the pumpkin...how cool is that! 

I was going to put a nail up through the bottom of the piece of wood I was going to cut, to sit the tree on...I just used a table leg instead, and broke off the ones I don't need.  I'll have to go back to the dollar store today to get another table for the second pumpkin.

And...wiring the crows onto the trees isn't as hard as I thought it was going to be.

Now I just have to figure out how to make teeny tombstones.  I haven't even started pondering the how-to yet, so if you've got ideas, shout them out.

free day

I've got the day off today...it's play time all day!  Yay!

I took Kate up to the high school to take care of some paperwork, then dropped her off at the college for her classes...paid her next semester's tuition while I was there.

I went to the fabric store...which is out of business...so drove to the next one...which is gone...so drove on to the next one, a quilting store, which is still in business, thank goodness.  It amazing how many empty storefronts there are throughout town...our economy is really breaking independent shop owners.  It's so sad.  I noticed when I went to Target last weekend that there were a lot of empty shops at the mall too.

I bought some green fabric that's the same shade of green as the paint sample for my walls...until I brought it home, where it's much brighter than the walls.  It looks the same in the picture though, so maybe it will work...I'll have to think about it.  They only had six yards left on the bolt, so I hope that's enough...though the lady at the store said they can get more if I need it.  I bought a piece of burgundy colored wool felt too, thinking I can use it to upholster a reading chair for the library in the dollhouse.  They've got a lot of needle felting supplies there, I'll have to remember to go back again for a more thorough look.

I stopped at the Salvation Army thrift store on my way back home...bought this trinket box, thinking that I could take the top off, put on a countertop and drop a sink into it to make a bathroom vanity.  My eye was really off...it's almost bigger than the whole bathroom.  Maybe it would work for 1:12 scale...perhaps I'll make it into a bathroom vanity to sell on Etsy.  I probably shouldn't buy anything that I don't know is for sure to scale until I've actually made some furniture and have a better handle on exactly how small the scale I'm working in is.

surfing...

Look at this Victorian birdcage...how cool is that!  Unfortunately, it's too big for my dollhouse.  The cuckoo clock from the same store is awesome too...but has no dimensions listed...maybe I'll email them to ask.

I like this teeny house too...wouldn't it look neat sitting on the worktable in my 1:12 studio roombox...which I really should finish one of these days.

This Quarter Inch Scale Cake Shop is cute...man that had to be hard, that's half the scale of the dollhouse I'm working on...it's made out of a CD holder.  She (I assume a she) made a bakers rack out of plastic canvas, which is a really neat idea I'll have to remember.

Take a look at the chandelier in the dollhouse this blogger is working on...it's similar to the one I made for mine, and gives me ideas.

Halloweenish

I'm feeling Halloweenish today...I think I'm going to put the dollhouse away and work on the pumpkin dioramas I started last spring.

Johanna Parker Design

King of Mice

Joyce Stahl

Chicken Lips

Vergie LIghtfoot

Retro Rudolph's

Bone Head Studios

William Bezek

primdolly

Laurie Hardin

Melissa the Holiday Queen

Rucus Studio

Edgar and Edgar

Designs by CK

Adeles Spooky Art

the Cart Before the Horse

Nancy Malay

Acorn Cottage

Chasbatte Studio

The Whimsical Whittler

regress

All the rain we've had is wonderful for my gardens...look at how tall my lilies are this year...don't look at my hair though, I didn't realize it was so messy when Matt was taking pictures.

Work on the dollhouse did not go well this weekend...I screwed up the beaded ceiling lamp for the kitchen, so had to tear it apart to start over.  I'm going to have to tear the dining room chandelier apart too, I can't pass thread through the beads again enough times to work in new ones for the spot that broke.  Ah well, such is life...it's not like I'm on a timetable or anything.

I'm still hating the lamp I made for the bedroom, so was thinking about making a different one, when it occurred to me that I don't know if I'm going to have enough room for a bedside table or not.  I want a curved metal bed, which is something I can't make myself cheaper and easier than I can buy, so I did a little online shopping...I've got a bed on the way now, along with a few other odds and ends.  Once the bed gets here and I can see how much space I've got left around it, I'll know what to make for a light fixture in that room.

I ordered glowing fireplace embers for the living room...I'm going to have two sconces in the foyer behind the living room, so I don't really need a light source in the living room, but on the other hand it would look funny and unfinished to have lights in all the rooms but one...a lit fireplace should do the trick, I think.

Despite the dollhouse regression I had a nice weekend. 

I bought new blinds for my studio...the quote from the blind guy for the sample I picked out came back at $200 per window.  Yikes.  I bought these jute ones at Target for $30 per window.  Undoubtedly, what I could have bought from him are much better blinds, but I'm not willing to spend that much money.

Once we unpacked them we realized they're not the same blind...same packaging, same jute material, but different header configuration, different brackets, and different pulls...it looks like they switched manufacturers.  Had I been hanging them on two windows right next to each other I'd have taken them back to Target, but since the windows are on different walls I decided it would be okay.

I was thinking that I'd put up just blinds, but know that they're installed I think it looks funny without curtains too. 

I'm going to have to go back to the paint store to pick up sample cards of the colors I put on the walls (I can't find the ones I got before I painted, I think I threw them away), then take the sample cards to JoAnne's to pick out fabric, then find somebody to bribe to sew me new curtains.

There was a Doctor Who episode on this weekend too...I love Doctor Who, and they're only making four special episodes this year. It wasn't one of their better shows, but The Doctor always makes it a good weekend.

Let's see, what else...I went to an art fair...way too many people, I hate crowds...and bought a gorgeous little watercolor by area artist Cyndy Callog.  I would have loved one of her big pieces, but I've only got 15" of wall between the door and the closet. 

I've got an antique oval 'bubble glass' picture frame that I'm going to hang on that little bit of wall too, as soon as I figure out what to put in the frame...I'm thinking some kind of bugs, to take advantage of the space behind the curved glass.  The idea comes from a museum exhibit I saw of a display by artist Jennifer Angus. 

Watch this video about her work, it's really cool.

assorted stuff

I've been watching the Torchwood miniseries in the evenings instead of working on my dollhouse, so I haven't got much done.  I did finish beading the ceiling light for the kitchen, but I'll wait until after I hang it up before I take a picture.

As I sit at my table then look up at my shelves I can see the unfinished bottom edge of the bird boxes...I've got to paint them, it's driving me crazy.  I'm still messing around with stuff in the studio...my nit-picky anal-retentive perfectionist compulsions...I've moved a few things around...here, there, and back again...I think I've got everything the way I want it.  Matt got the last piece of apron (the angled piece) on the worktable yesterday...I installed my new keyboard...all the keys work now, yay!  I'm still waiting for price quotes for the blinds...it took him a week to get me samples, which I looked at a week ago...I don't understand what's taking so long.  If he doesn't get his lazy ass in gear he's going to be out of luck, because I'll go buy them somewhere else.

Speaking of my nit-picky anal-retentive perfectionist compulsions...last week I was in the drugstore buying thumbtacks for my bulletin board...because thumbtacks have a shorter tack than pushpins do, so the zillion pushpins I already have just won't do...why can't the cork people make bulletin boards thick enough to work with pushpins?  Or the pushpin people make pushpins short enough to work with cork?  Probably the same reason the hot dog people and  the bun people can't get their acts together...anyway...there were silver tacks in a 40 pack for $1.29 and gold pushpins in a 200 pack for $1.89...I wanted the silver ones, but the gold ones were cheaper, but silver would look better, but the closet door knobs are gold, but the silver ones are smooth and the gold ones have a dimple thingy in the middle, but maybe I should go somewhere else to get white ones to match the half dozen I've already got, but white is too bright, they would be distracting, maybe I should get black, but I kind of like the silver, but the gold are cheaper...OH FOR PETE'S SAKE, KELI, THEY'RE JUST THUMBTACKS.  I can't believe I was standing there debating what color thumbtacks to buy...like the wrong color thumbtacks is going to ruin the whole remodel...geez!  I ended up buying the gold ones...because I'm cheap.

I've got a few things up on the bulletin board, stuff I knew I really wanted up there...I'm not sure if I want to go through my stash of stuff to find more things, or just let it "grow" organically over time.  Going through my huge stash would be overwhelming I think...I'd end up with more stuff I want up there than would fit, then I'd have to sort it out...on the other hand seeing the seams in the cork is driving me a bit fruity...I don't know what I'm going to do yet.

Speaking of cheap...I finally got brave enough to open up a statement from my investment account...the stock market was very, very good to me last quarter...yahoo!  I love it when my money makes money.  Maybe I'll splurge on something from my Etsy favorites list...nah, then I'd have to figure out where to put it...I am just plumb out of space for anything new.

Speaking of new things....boy, I'm jumping around this morning...too much coffee already.  I didn't show you pictures of the new dollhouse rugs I got and the goodies Susan sent me...because both packages arrived the week of the remodel when I was crazy busy. 

I now have twice as many rugs as I have rooms to put them in, but I couldn't decide what color and shape would work best, and they weren't that expensive.

Thank you, Susan, for the goodies!  The crow beads will finish our Halloween pumpkin dioramas, the birdhouse will go in the attic of the dollhouse, and all the extra goodness I wasn't expecting will...well, I don't know yet.  I'm curious...where did you get the weird rectangular things?  They're funky, I'll end up using them in some off-the-wall surprise-myself kind of way, I'm sure.

Something funny...yesterday we got an anniversary card in the mail from Matt's sister...he showed it to me and said "I guess our anniversary is coming up."  I said, "oh, I guess it is, it's July twenty-something, I'm pretty sure."  So I went to check to see when it is, then walked back out to the kitchen where Matt was cooking dinner and said "guess what honey...it's today!  Happy tenth anniversary!"  LOL...

Finally...speaking of being out of space for anything new...Melinda, do you know when you're coming up to visit?  The box of stuff I've got for you keeps growing and I don't have a bigger box to transition to...

lights

I saw some neat miniatures at the antique store...Petite Princess dollhouse furniture. I knew they weren't 1" scale, they were too small, but yet they didn't look small enough for 1/2" scale.  I looked them up when I got back home...they're 3/4" scale.  Too bad, it would have been cool to work in a couple vintage pieces...the occasional chair with ottoman has a neat shape.

I've been working on the lights.  I've got a lamp done..I don't like it, I may garbage it.  I've also got two sconces and a beaded ceiling light started.  I'm still trying to decide if I can fix the chandelier or if I have to start over.  I didn't get very much done, but we had a guest this past weekend.

What are you guys working on?

time to relax

I got the rest of the crap on my table taken care of, then got my dollhouse out...now I'm back to having fun.  I'd forgotten how soothing sitting down and fiddling with stuff could be. 

Look at all the room I have now!  It sure beats that card table I was using.

The amount of light I've got now is fantastic, I don't have to use the little LED bendy lights I was using before...and no more leaning forward and squinting. 

Plus...it's gorgeous in here!  I''m giddy :) 

so many choices...

...and I only looked at blind samples from two companies (the picture is of one sample book, I was given two)...and he only showed me samples of natural materials.  I can't imagine trying to wade through all the possible choices.

I picked Floresta, which is the one the corner of the sticky note is hanging over...not that you can tell much by my crappy picture, I should have taken a close up.

Fairfield kit bashing

Pictures scanned (not by me, I found them on the web) from Nutshell News of other's Fairfield kit bashes...

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have you guys seen this yet?

Umi no Ue no Oshiro (A Castle On the Ocean)

days fourteen and fifteen

I'm in!

I'm not all the way unpacked yet...the piles of stuff on the worktable is all junk that has to be sorted through and put away.  I don't have art hung on the wall yet either...and the only things stuck to my bulletin board are things that I found when I was unpacking and didn't know what to do with.

I'm not sure everything is where it's going to stay...things may move around as I start using the space...we'll see what it looks like in a couple of months.

I was planning on putting trim around the top of the two new shelving units we built, but I ended up putting the blue boxes on top of the L-shaped shelves...I simply had nowhere else to go with them at the time.  Now if I want to trim I'm going to have to find someplace else to put those, or just do a simple, small quarter-round trim.  I'll have to think about it.

I bought a new rug to put under the worktable...the floor is pretty slippery, and I didn't want to end up on the other side of the room every time I sneezed...when I'm working on teeny tiny miniature stuff I have to stay still.

I also bought the white table I've got the printer and scanner on...I hid the ugly metal file cabinet in the closet.

The box under the table is full of stuff for Melinda to sort through when she comes upstate next...it's full of odds and ends and all the back issues of Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine.   I've also got the back of my car full of junk to take to Goodwill.  It's amazing the amount of stuff I had in that room.

Here's the before pictures...

Here's the after pictures...

 

day thirteen

The lighting is done.

This picture is just of the workspace lights.  You can't see it in this picture, but the switches for are on the right hand side of the table apron.

All of the workspace lighting was my brilliant husband's idea.  He's pretty awesome.

My five dollar re-store ceiling light is awesome too.

 

days eleven and twelve

The best laid plans...

I've got a nice big 30" deep worktable that's going to be incredible...and which I can't reach over to get to the top two shelves of the L-shaped shelves I put up on the walls behind it.  I told Matt I'd just use a step stool, but he was afraid if I got up on a step stool, then leaned forward to reach something, that the stool might slide backward on the slippery new wood floor and I'd fall.  He put another bracket/brace under the table so it would be strong enough for me to stand on...it probably was already, but he wanted to play safe.

So...that's done now, and he started putting the apron on the table, which looks really nice.

He's got a light up under the L-shaped shelves, and has to put in the under-table light (for when I drop things on the floor, so I don't have to run out to the kitchen to grab the flashlight), and the swing arm light.  He's trading his swing arm light for mine, since his has a magnifier.  He's going to run the lights back to a junction box under the table, then to switches he's going to mount on the front of the apron.  He's putting an electrical outlet on the front of the apron too, so that I don't have to run cords over the top of what I'm working on when I need use a power tool.  My guy's pretty clever!

I finished my touch up painting, including painting the wire mold around the cord for the under-shelf light.  It's looking really nice in there!

I'm waiting on estimates for new shades for the windows...one of the guys Matt works with also has his own window blinds business.  I told him that I wanted a light colored natural material...rattan or seagrass...no plastic or metal...and to quote for roman blinds and roller blinds.  I can't wait to see what he comes up with.  I think roman blinds would look very nice, and am hoping they're not exorbitantly more than simple roller blinds.

Once the wiring and apron are finished Matt has to terminate the new (additional) network cables to the wall plate, and then I think we're done.  Yippee!  I can't wait to have the computer back in the studio,  it's a pain to have it on my dresser...though that's better than not having it hooked up at all.

Progress has been a lot slower now that we're both back to work, but I should be able to move back in this weekend.

days nine and ten

I finished the closet doors tonight...I've been working on them off and on for three or four days.

I've always wanted a bulletin board in my studio, but don't have wall space to hang one...so I made myself a nice big one on my closet doors. 

I'm not happy with how visible the seams between the cork tiles are, but I figure once I tack stuff up I won't be able to see them. 

I wanted the frame to look old, since everything else in the room looks new, so I painted pieces of moulding with primer, then a coat of chocolate brown, then medium blue, brown again, then cranberry...then I sanded them just enough to give them some character. 

I'm pleased with how it turned out.   

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Other than that, I've been doing lots of fiddly stuff...

A day or two before we put the shelves up I had Matt spray the metal brackets with primer...I have brilliant moments...I painted them purple after the shelves went up and now I can't see them at all.

I got the melamine edge put on the worktable, and quarter round cut and painted to trim the back of the worktable.  I got the paint seams touched up and put 'baseboard' in the closet (bought some trim at the Re-Store for a whole dollar...and got a new light fixture for five). 

Hmmm, what else...I tried to put the last corner of cove moulding up but my nail ran into something and screwed up freaking everything, so Matt's going to fix it for me.  I splotched a bit of white paint on the green wall when I was touching up the nail holes and seams in the cove moulding, and when I tried to wipe it off I wiped clear down to primer...so I had to fix that. 

Matt's got some wiring and lighting work to do tomorrow, then I should be able to start moving in.  Yay!

day eight

Today was the day I was all freaked out and nervous about.  Designing shelving, then measuring and cutting is one thing...but actually putting it up and having it all come out straight and true is quite another.  I was so nervous about screwing it up that I wouldn't touch a tool, I had Matt do it for me...I just measured it all out on the wall and made chalk lines for him.

Matt says that's why we're a good team...what he's nervous about I'm good with, and what I'm nervous about he's good with. 

It turned out fantastic!  Not only is everything straight and level, but it's so structurally sound I could shelve an elephant or two. 

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We're not quite done, we've got a few odds and ends to do before I can move back in, but the hard parts are out of the way.  I am so excited!
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I'm so glad I painted the walls behind the shelves purple...I've even more glad that the "seams" between colors fell behind the shelves, like they were supposed to.  Matt says it's because I'm a whiz with a ruler, square, and level.  I've got one "seam" that needs to be touched up, but only a little, it wasn't off by much.

day seven

We tackled the part Matt was worried about...cutting the melamine for the work surface.  It was too large a piece to put on the table saw, so Matt had to cut it with the jigsaw...he's got steady hands, his cuts were smooth and straight. 
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After that we put the floor down...it's gorgeous!

day six

The walls are done.  Thank goodness!  I am sick and tired of waiting for paint to dry. 

We're going to put down the floor tomorrow.
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It was dryer today, though still a bit chilly...only in the low 60s.  Kate started the closet doors outside, since there was no room inside to do them.  I tried to get a picture of Wakefield's white nose, but he wouldn't sit still long enough.  

day five

More painting...the old bookcase that I'm painting to match the ones I'm building has all these stupid decorative grooves that had to be done by hand before I could use the roller...it took hours and was a major pain in the ass to paint.

All the purple stuff has two coats of paint now, and the baseboard and cove moulding is done in white...tomorrow I start the green on the walls.

I had hoped to have the painting done by now, but it's been chilly and raining all week, so the paint is taking longer to cure than I expected.  It's not chilly enough to turn the furnace on, so I brought the electric heater in from the garage to warm the room...it seems to be speeding things up a bit. 

day four

The start of color! 

Painting is taking forever...I hate the dry time between coats.