The tortoise and the hare...

Okay - there is no hare - just a tortoise and that's me!!! Once again I got very little done this week but I will show you the very little bit that I did do.

I did cut the last side wall in half so I could permanently attach the wall for the front, customer service end of the building. I then built a wooden wall for the back portion so I could attach a 1 inch strip of wood the the MDF back wall and still be able to hinge the rest of the wall (I knew screwing hinges into MDF would not work in the long run, hence the wood). I painted the portion of the wall that will be in the bathroom area and wallpapered the portion in the work area.

So - what else?? Hmmm.... Well, I did start making toilet paper for the shelves in the bathroom:

Then, of course, I knew I would need labels for the packages of toilet paper so, rather than waste a whole sheet of clear label plastic, I put some time in lining up a variety of labels for cleaning products, paper towel and toilet paper. Now I just have to make the little shapes to stick the labels on. I figure I now have enough labels to last me until my miniature-making days are over!!

I also had an idea for a set of shelves I wanted for over the table in the work area/lunch room area. I used 3/16" x 3/4" wood for the shelves and some very small strip wood for the sides. I still have to paint it white, in keeping with everything else, although I quite like it in the plain wood, I must admit.

So - that's all I managed to get done this week. Oh - I also had a broken wire in one of my wiring set ups so had to replace the light.

Here is the hinged wall (not yet applied to the building) the table for the lunch room area with the 3" wide set of shelves on top, one package of toilet paper I made up and ... oh yeah, I also made four long, candy cane striped door handles - two for the front door (inside and out) and two for the door leading into the back room. I will make the brackets to hold them and get them glued on to the doors this week.

I do hope I have more progress to show you next week as I know how boring these short little posts must be. However - I do want to leave you with one little thing: I finally managed to convince my good friend, Louise, that she needed to start a blog so she could show some of her amazing projects and hand made furniture. You can find her at Flaminis (https://miniflamobsession.blogspot.com/) She asks for us to be gentle with her as she's just beginning to explore the world of blogging but then - what else would we be?? We all love a new blogger!

Until next Tuesday - big hugs to everybody! TTFN!! - Marilyn D.

Last Call

This is a very short post this week as I have been busy with a lot of rel-life things - mostly working on database entries for the Irish Association as we are in the middle of developing a new web site. As a result - I have not had much time for minis this week *insert large sad face here!*

Since I wasn't able to work on the North Pole Post Office this week, I thought I would post some pictures of the hydrangea tree from Dorothy's Corner. YES!! I have actually finished it and "planted" it in place.

Here is a picture of a real Pink Diamond hydrangea:

Here is my final version in place:

Suffice to say - I am so glad I had only 29 branches and buds to apply florets and leaves to instead of the number of branches on a real tree! I couldn't possibly live long enough to complete that!

I planted the tree behind the fence so that it can hang over the garden on the other side. Also, the pink of the flower heads is almost exactly the same colour as the pink of the bird house on the wall above it.

If you look closely enough you can see the little blue tit perched on the top rail of the fence, under the tree. Also, Dorothy has been a little remiss in her gardening as she has missed a few dandelions growing at the base of the tree. I guess it's a matter of "out of sight, out of mind". I can understand that!

Sorry for the brevity of this week's post but the good news is - you won't have to see any more entries about Dorothy's Corner!! I do hope I will have some time to spend on the Post Office this week coming up so I can share some updated pictures of its progress next Tuesday. Until then, I hope you all have a great week working on your own minis and are keeping safe and healthy.. Big hugs! TTFN!!! - Marilyn D.

A Cautionary Tale

... That's basically what I call my whole journey into miniatures...a cautionary tale for everyone out there who would like to know the proper way to do things. Following my example would not be the way to go!!

I know, and have always known, that planning in advance is so important and can save so much time and anguish on your project. However, that is just not the way I roll! As a result - I once more find myself at a crossroads where I have to take a step backwards in order to move forward.

My original intent was to have the walls of the North Pole Postal Service permanently in place with a clear dome for the top so the interior can be viewed from above. However, every time I set the last wall up against the building, I felt like it would be difficult to view a lot of the planned (yes - I did say "planned") details. After much agonizing, I decided I needed to have that last wall hinge open in some way. Well, the building is made from 1/4" MDF and we all know that screwing hinges into MDF does not often have good results. If you are going to install hinges, you really are better off screwing them into wood. So - I could do that by using wood glue to attach a one-inch strip of solid wood to the existing back wall and the floor in that area. Then I would also need a piece of the connecting wall to be wood as well in order to secure the hinges. Well, as we all know by now - I have that 22" long wall already finished with wainscoting for the front room portion, wallpaper in the back room area and a painted wall in the bathroom area, not to mention that the light sconces are already attached and wired onto the wall in the front portion.

Now what to do??? I haven't had a lot of time to work of minis this week as real life has gotten in the way - which is why I am posting late on this Tuesday, but I have spent a lot of time thinking about that darn wall.

In the meantime, I have taken advantage of the few pockets of time I have had to get just a couple of little things done. I used my Cricut maker to cut out the letters and images for the signs for the building. Here is a picture of the sheet of cardstock before I finished punching out all of the negative spaces.

Then, I glued and stacked three of each letter and sleigh image to provide a thicker profile. I arranged them on white Bristol board until I was happy with the spacing, glued this onto a 1/16" thick piece of sheet wood and framed all of it with a red trim piece of basswood. I have installed the sign on one of the side walls and, as soon as I finish the other wall, there will be a sign there as well. I will have to cut that one to match wherever I cut the wall to allow it to hinge open.

I also managed to finish making the electric meter to hide the wires and battery for the front room and bathroom lights. I first painted it with a couple of shades of grey, dry brushed with silver and again with white to make it look more like galvanized metal. I didn't like it at all so I repainted with a light grey, leaving just a bit of the old paint job showing. Then I hid the wires in the two upright pipes and the battery and on/off switch in the main box. I cut a hole in the side for the switch to be accessible, and I wedged a piece of wood inside to make sure the switch didn't get pushed back into the meter box. It's all glued in place and the wires are now hidden. Whew - finally, one problem solved!

As for my dilemma with the wall?? Well, Bruce cut a partial wall for me from 1/4" plywood, cut that into a 1" wide piece to attach to the back wall and drilled holes in the two pieces to accommodate the hinges.

Now I will have to test fit to determine where to cut the original wall to meet up with this new piece, and start painting and wallpapering all over again. Wish me luck!!

Channeling Bob Ross

Do any of you remember Bob Ross, the gentle, soft-spoken artist who taught painting on a PBS television show called The Joy of Painting? I used to watch him regularly. He always fascinated me with how simple he made everything seem and, in no time at all, ended up at the end of each 30 minute show with a completed painting. One thing he used to say frequently was that there were no mistakes in painting - just happy little accidents.

Well, today's short post is about my latest "happy little accident".

Moving along with the North Pole Postal Service, I wanted to get started on the outside wall finish so I could permanently attach the lanterns outside the front door. Since I had already run the wiring, the lights were hanging loose until I could get the wall finished behind them. I wanted the post office to look like it was made from large blocks of snow and ice so I proceeded to cut lots and lots of 1"x2" rectangles of thin white foam from a pack of styrofoam plates I got at Dollarama. I figured that once I was done I could then use a combination of paint and fine white glitter to make them look more realistic. Before I started gluing on the foam pieces, I painted the walls white in case any of the wall ended up showing through the cracks between blocks.

I started gluing the blocks on the walls using my go-to glue: Quick Grip. After I had a few rows done, I looked back and was horrified to see that the glue was melting the foam pieces! I should have known that was going to happen! So, then I was left with a dilemma. Should I try to rip them all off before I got too far along and the glue was truly dry? Or, should I continue and try to fix things later. You know me - I decided to carry on and see what I could do to repair things later. The "happy little accident" showed up when I had completed a large portion of the first wall. I thought it looked like actual ice blocks!!

I continued along, finishing off that wall, the back wall and the front wall. I was liking it better all the time. And, yes, once the blocks were applied, I then permanently installed the lanterns by the front door.

Here's a little closer look:

So, now I have three walls done and am looking down the length of the side wall. What I am left with is the wires and battery back for the interior lights that I will need to find some way to hide while still having access to change the battery.

So - how will I hide these? Well, I took a look at the electric meter box at the back of our own house (and yes, when taking the picture I realized it was time to get a can of spray paint and refresh this too!). It looked like something that could work.

That's just a downspout to the left of it so I didn't need to be concerned with that. I took measurements of the box, gathered some bristol board (poster board?) and a paper straw and started to see what I could do.

So far, so good. I will make a top for it that will hinge, paint it up and show you the results on next Tuesday's post. Please keep your fingers crossed for me because, to be honest, the battery holder just BARELY fits into this little box. Also, I need to find something to use for the clear glass dome in front where the numbers from the electric meter can be read. Hmm - I do have an idea there - I will let you know if it works. I'm off now to see if Netflix still carries Joy of Painting shows. I think I need a little of the soothing voice of Bob Ross. Until next week, keep safe! TTFN!! - Marilyn D.