Project: The Tailor's Shop (Pt.4)

Well things haven't progressed very fast since I was distracted with my recent doll arrival. However, I did draft a list of what's needed.

I can tick two items which I purchased from Fairy Meadow Miniatures for the inside of the Tailor's Shop.

The dresser will be used to store bolts of fabric, the little hangers will eventually have clothes made to hang on them, the table will act as a cutting table and when I finally find the right size sewing machine (the one I purchased is a little small) the chair will sit at it. You may also notice the little clipboard on the table, that's for the Tailor to take down his client's details.

I haven't decided what colour to paint the furniture yet, so any suggestions you may have, will be noted and taken into consideration. :) And finally there is the sign to hang outside the shop . . . I thought this one was perfect.

Once I have finished painting these pieces, the fifth stage of my Tailor's Shop project will begin. The next step is very messy and I will need to wear gloves (which I must purchase today). I have this thing about sticky fingers, it's almost a phobia and besides who in their right mind wants to get PVA glue stuck to a very pretty nail job? :)

Well I have a busy weekend ahead of me, so until next time, have a wonderful weekend!

Willowmenia Needs a Name

I took a few photos of Willowmenia today and although she has my full attention at present, she still hasn't revealed her personality. I really don't want to keep the name given to her by Liz (it's a bit of a mouthful), but this darling doll is not opening up to me in any way. How do you find a name for a doll who keeps secrets?

When I have more time, I will have to do something about her eyelashes (at least the ones on her left eye or right when you look at her) as they became detached when I was inserting her very stubborn eyes. I did try putting them back on, but without a great deal of success . . . they are on, but they are not sitting as they should.

I thought yellow would be a complimentary colour for her beautiful chocolate resin and when I found a pair of MimiWoo yellow and white shoes amongst my stash which fitted her to perfection, I assumed I was on the right track.

Her outfit was designed by me, made without a pattern and stitched completely by hand. The eight piece outfit is comprised of a 100% Cotton (quilting weight) dress & matching hair band, Cotton Tana Lawn bloomers and over skirt, Supersoft Cotton Interlock arm and leg warmers.

Willowmenia is wearing an Off Black Monique Gold Geneva wig and has brown glass eyes.

My Garden . . . That Hubby Attends To

Thought I'd lighten the mood and share some photos of my garden. First are the photos I promised Alasse . . . my herb garden.

From the front: Flat Leaf Parsley, Sage, Oregano.

From the Front: Sage, Oregano and Basil.

We have been picking the herbs and using them, but I do wish the Basil would grow a little quicker, it's my favourit herb. I also have a Rosemary bush in my front garden.

Parsley, Cos Lettuce (2 types) and Snow Peas.

Leeks

I don't know why, but the Snow Peas are just not doing very well, neither are my Tom Thumb Tomatoes. In previous years we have had great crops from both of these. I think all the crazy weather is to blame.

We also planted Rocket, but that bolted and just went to seed in a week!

Now to my beautiful roses, these are called Double Delight. They also have the most beautiful fragrance, hence their name . . . they really do delight me in two ways!

As you can see they begin opening as a deep pink and eventually you see their cream centre, every rose is different, it's like they have been hand painted. They have lovely long stems which makes them perfect for cutting. I don't know how many vases I have filled this year, they have been blooming for weeks. As one vase full of roses fades, another set of roses are ready to come inside.

An update on Willowmenia . . . she has arrived and I am sewing her outfit at present, so photos coming soon. :)

Plans Gone Awry

I had been planning to share photos of Willowmenia (my Liz Frost doll) this week, but unfortunately her shipping has been delayed due to the fires throughout the north east coast of Australia. There are fires burning from The Sunshine Coast through to Canberra. You can see the extent of them here.

PHOTO: Brittany Daly

These fires are horrendous and so many people have lost their homes (577 in the last two weeks) and all their belongings. The homes can always be rebuilt and furniture can be replaced. However, you cannot replace photographs or personal items that have special memories attached to them.

Over a million hectares (2.5 million acres) have now been razed across New South Wales since the start of this year's unprecedented bushfire season. People have been killed and there has been so much destruction on the state's mid-north coast and northwest where bushfires ravaged regional towns. The rail between Brisbane and Sydney has been shut down, as the the lines have been warped by the fire.

Liz is right in the thick of this, at present she's okay, but it must be scary to have these fires so close to home. Being right on the coast, I think Liz should remain safe, however, the highway is closed and not knowing which way the fire will head next, my doll will remain with her until Liz knows it's safe to send her.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those in the fire zone as things have been predicted to worsen. With forecasts of a heatwave later this week and temperatures expected to climb past 40 degrees Celsius in some areas, I am really dreading the outcome.

PHOTO: ABC

Sydney has been covered in smoke haze, South Australia has also had fires with 111 schools closed due to temperatures of 42C. Now fires are out of control in Western Australia.  What makes me really sick to my stomach is that some of these fires have been deliberately lit by teenagers . . . I don't know what goes on in those people's heads.

Meanwhile, the northern part of Victoria faces scorching days as northerly winds will leave temperatures well over 40C both today and tomorrow, which has prompted the CFA to declare a total fire ban for the Mallee region.

Melbourne was expected to heat up today before hitting one of its hottest November days ever, as temperatures are forecast to hit 39C tomorrow, so I'm going to take my doggy for his walk now before it gets too hot and I'll be back in a few days, hopefully with something more positive to talk about.

Project: The Tailor's Shop (Pt.3)

Yesterday, I purchased another couple rolls of alfoil, but only used one, as well as a large of packet of long glue sticks for the glue gun. After adding more alfoil to the sides and some roots at the bottom of the tree, I got stuck into covering the whole thing with masking tape. I used a full 50 meter roll and it took me about three hours to complete . . . this is what it looks like now.

It's almost cave like to look at, but there's still another rather messy stage to complete before I can begin painting.

I added one of these LED lights (above). These are fairly cheap and you can find them in Bunnings and on line. For those in the USA, Home Depot also carry something similar, but it's round. I simply glued it to the ceiling with the hot glue gun, but I did cut a hole so I have access to the battery.

You can see in this photos, just how bright the light is, and there's no wires to worry about. I'll be back when I've completed the next stage.

P.S. 16th Nov. This morning I noticed some of my masking tape had lifted, so I suggest, if you choose to do a similar project, you purchase a good quality masking tape ( Scotch, 3M, Gorilla or Duck) rather than a cheap one like I did from the Reject Shop . . . a lesson learnt today!

Project: The Tailor's Shop (Pt.2)

Last Sunday I had a parcel delivered. The parcel contained my new Parlux hairdryer. Now normally, I would write about or show photos of what was inside, however, that is not what I'm going to share with you today. Instead I'm showing you the box it came in . . .

The box measures 38cm wide x 30.5cm high x 20cm deep (approx. 15x12.5x8 inches), the perfect size for my Tailor's Shop. As you can see above, I have already cut the holes out for the door and window. Don't think for one minute it's going to stay like this though, by the time I'm finished you won't recognise this as ever being a simple cardboard box.

Supplies needed to complete the first stage of the transformation were:
Aluminum foil & lots of it; a hot glue gun with glue sticks; a roll of paper towel; PVA glue
Tools required: Stanley knife or scalpel; scissors; and pegs or something similar

After I marked the position of the doorway and drew around the inner and outer sides, I carefully cut out the entrance, using my Stanley knife. Then did the same with the window.

To make sure I had hade no ragged edges, I used the masking tape to seal them off (as shown above).

Then I used the PVA glue to stick the doorway and the window to the box and held them in place with pegs until it dried.

While it was drying, I began scrunching up my alfoil into strips ready to stick them on the box using my hot glue gun.

The roll of alfoil I purchased was 30 meters (approx. 98.5 feet) long . . .  it took all of it just to cover the front of the box and a little way around the corners.

I wanted the top to extend above the edge of the box, just to ensure any lighting I may add could not be seen.

Then the tree would need a root system of some sort, so I tried to form at least one.

I also wanted some sort of porch cover, so I add a little more alfoil above the door, creating a lip.

As some of you were not sure of the actual size of this door, I asked Mossy (Fairyland Real Puki) and Darjeeling (Fairyland Puki Fee) if they would model for you. :)

Well that's all for today my friends.

Project: The Tailor's Shop (Pt.1)

I've been painting and assembling an Elvin door and window for my tailor's shop diorama. I purchased this as a flat pack from Alchemy Engraving and although I bought it to use with my Real Pukis, it's also a perfect size for my Puki Fees, which I see as a huge bonus.

The door actually opens, though if I had followed the instructions, it would not have done. I also had to make a small mod to the pieces used for the door hinges. They were made from the same MDF as the door itself and weren't very durable, so I used metal nuts which fitted into the hinge slot perfectly.

The door lock came with it, but there was nothing to actually use as a door handle. At first I thought I'd use a wooden bead, but then I found this brass thingamajig that goes inside a tap, amongst other brass bits in my little box of tricks. While looking for a handle, I also came across a bag of assorted keys, which I had completely forgotten I had in my stash, so I made a key ring from a jewellery finding and added three of the of the smaller keys. These will eventually hang on a hook inside the shop.

Next stage will involve making the actual diorama and coating the outside with something to make it look like tree bark, but that's down the track a bit, as I really need to do some sewing for Willowmenia before she arrives this coming week.

The IT dolls are desperate for appropriate 1920's clothing so they don't look out of place in The White Panther Jazz Club, like they do right now. I also need some garments to hang in Fleur & Ruben . . . my Paris boutique.

So many things to do, so little time . . . hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

A Blessing in Disguise

Remember this post? Well I guess owning a red haired Poppy was never meant to be this month. There were none left after the convention, not one, but funnily enough, there are quite a few listed for ridiculous prices on eBay. However, this little chick won't be paying the prices they are asking for them! No matter how much I desire a red haired Poppy, I don't like being ripped off, and it really annoys me that so many convention attendees purchase dolls, when they have absolutely no intention of keeping them.

As I like to put a positive spin on negative outcomes, I looked on the bright side and figured this was a good result for my purse. Now I don't have to stress about a poorly depleted bank balance and will be able to bring home my Fairyland Pukifee earlier than expected and thanks to hubby I've made my final payment on my Liz Frost Willowmenia.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIZ FROST

On the other hand, if I don't manage to find a red haired Poppy through Integrity Toys before my W Club subs run out, I have made up my mind not be join the W Club in 2020. To be honest, those who live outside of the USA are really at a disadvantage. Not only do we have to pay to be a member, we have to deal with exchange rates, cope with the extremely high price of shipping and many collectors on "foreign shores" also have unforgiving customs duties to pay as well.

And what's the positive spin on that? Well it means I'll have more spending money when my daughter and I arrive in Paris next September!!