The top floor is decorated

... well, there is wallpaper on the walls at least. I've decided that the smaller portion of this top floor is going to be a bathroom so have chosen some pale blue tiled paper for the walls in there.

I have a darker blue version of the same paper which I'm planning to put on the floor. The roof slopes down towards the front to accommodate the dormer windows so the doorway is quite close to the back wall but there is plenty of space to fit a bathroom suite in here. I already made a chest of drawers which I don't think will be staying in that back corner.

The larger portion of this level is going to be the children's room - bedroom and playroom combined. The paper on the back wall is the same blue with little birds printed on it and the side walls have a striped paper - just to break up the blue a little as I'm intending to have a baby boy and a somewhat older girl.

I made a cot from a kit bought from Petite Properties and a bookcase (you can see a few books strewn on the floor already. I've also made railings to go around the stairwell to prevent the children from having a major accident. The stain is drying on these at the moment, which is why they're propped up like that.

I also made a desk for the study ...

... this is awaiting a coat of varnish and some drawer handles.


Meanwhile, I've also been making progress on the little Halloween scene.

There is a basket of toadstools ...

... a pile of pumpkins, a broomstick ...

... a spell preparation table (not quite finished yet as the cauldron needs to have something brewing and the table needs more ingredients) ...

... and a dresser filled with books, potions, scrolls and a carved pumpkin.

We're not there yet but it is starting to come together.

Progress is slow ...

... but it is progress. The windows in my real life house are in, Willow is home from the cattery where I sent him last Wednesday when I realised that I really couldn't keep him safe at home after all. For once I think he actually agreed with me as he went quietly and it was only for three days.

Now here's the progress - the manor house is built up to the top floor.

 

 I also painted the outside front walls - goodness this took hours to do!! so tricky around the windows. If I'd had my choice the walls would have been painted before the windows were put in place but they were already fixed when I bought the kit.

I also painted the chimney pots and the porch base and roof. The quoins on the side of the front wall are going to be painted white.

Each year, the miniature group I'm a member of has a winter competition, and this year the title is 'an annual event'. We were given a wooden board which measures 8" x 6" on which to make our scene. The board is actually the back of the picture frames which framed last year's competition box - hence the holes in the centre.

I don't normally 'do' Halloween but I just felt like doing a witchy scene for a change so I built two walls and covered them with a mix of filler, pva glue and grey paint, which I applied quite roughly.

The floor is cereal carton cut up into squares and rectangles measuring a mixture of 1" and 1/2" wide and then glued down.

I made a table, which I painted with red acrylic, varnished it with clear nail varnish and then used that black crackle nail varnish on top. I think it looks suitably spooky.

The dresser is made of mount board and is just very roughly painted with a dark olive green and then smeared and crackled with black over the top. 

What a nightmare!

There will be no minis this week at all as I'm having new windows fitted and the workmen seem to have taken over the entire house. Willow is hiding under the settee and won't come out for anything. I've tried enticing him with toys and treats and I can't reach him so there he will have to stay. He's a house cat so I'm scared that he will jump out through one of the holes in the wall in his panic and I'll lose him. I did think of putting him in the cattery but he hates that too so we'll just have to tough it out together.

In the meantime I'm getting on with some stitching so have photos of more needle lace to show you. The finished butterfly ...

... and a leaf. This is going to be a part of an autumn leaves embroidery in needle lace and goldwork eventually. All in good time. A second leaf is almost finished.

More needle lace

I just returned from a three day workshop in mid-Wales. We stayed here in Llanidloes ...

It's a really quaint old town with lots of Tudor buildings

This one is the old market hall - sadly no longer still used 

I spotted this in a shop window and couldn't resist taking a photo of it ...

This is what I was making - a two piece butterfly.

Not quite finished but not bad going for three days' work I don't think. I'll show you the finished article in due course. I'm totally hooked on making needlelace now - just can't stop!


I've got back to the minis again today but no photos - just gluing moulding in place and ceiling paper on those third floor rooms in the manor house.

Translation gadget

I've managed to do it!! I've been away for a few days and obviously come back refreshed and renewed as today I managed to work out how to get the translation gadget to attach itself to my blog. Thanks for your tips though - much appreciated.

I really just got home from another lace making workshop in mid-Wales and haven't had time to take photos of the work I did there. I'll try to get them loaded tomorrow to show you.

Google translate gadget

I've been trying for what seems like ages now to add a translate gadget to my blog but Blogger just tells me that the Google translate gadget is broken - as are all the other translation options that it supposedly offers. Can any of you more experienced bloggers please tell me how to get around this and make it possible for my overseas followers to read my posts in their own language?

Thank you