We have light!

Got the lights hooked up last night. Hit a few snags along the way but I'm just thrilled. This is actually the first thing I've wired. The few lights  I've had in scenes before have been battery operated.

I must thank Tina MacD from our Edmonton Club whose workshop on electrification about a month ago put me on the right track (for me, at least).

I actually have this type of lighting on my Garage Sale dollhouse but I didn't have a transformer for it until just recently when I finally discovered that the lights in it actually do work. First time I ever saw it and Tina made me realize that the components are available here.

Spent some time online and on the phone with Alex at Miniland in Victoria (wonderful, pleasant man who is SO helpful and knowledgeable) to get what I needed. He also has a tutorial on the Miniland website so I won't bother with the details here.

One thing I love about this method is that all the lights can be controlled from the power bar on the back of the roombox. I can switch each light off/on individually from it or use the master switch to turn everything on or off at once.

Thought I would be 'smart' and put the power bar near the top of the back of the roombox so I could access it without having to move the roombox out. The only problem with that is that the wires from the fireplace insert weren't long enough to reach to the power bar so had to be lengthened. But Alex had already anticipated this happening and has a tutorial on youtube showing how to lengthen the wires.

It was getting late by the time I finished so had to put off furnishing it until today.

As always, there simply wasn't room for some of the things I thought would go into it (like the tea cart and the plant stand that I still haven't found). May still make a few changes and I want to add pictures of my maternal great-grandparents but it's pretty much finished.

The bird ornaments on top are from Heather Collier in Ontario. The pitcher top left is a Titanic replica. It, the Coronation plate and tea pot and the footed bowl are by A Woman's Touch. The vase upper right is by Janice Crawley and the two black vases with silver trim are from John Parker and decorated by me (fingernail decals).

 The stacking tables (far left) were purchased from Shoestring Miniatures at the last Winnipeg Gathering. The tea set on tray is by Janice Crawley. The couch and chair were bought from a former MEE member who was downsizing. There is a brass woodbox by the fireplace both of which were bought at a downsizing sale in Nova Scotia last fall. The fireplace tools and screen are Reutter and were a retirement gift. The piano and stool were from Lynn's Miniatures. There is a bobbin lace making cushion by Cheryl H. on the coffee table along with Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" by Lee Ann Borgia and a beautiful flower arrangement by Connie Stitt. I made the plant stand and the spider plant was purchased at the Edmonton Show and Sale two or three years ago.

It's hard to see but there is a double frame to the left of the fireplace containing pictures of my parents in their WWII uniforms.

My Mom loves this room (especially the wallpaper) and was quite thrilled when she saw her and Dad's pictures. (The frame was the top of a souvenir spoon.)

Now I have to decide which UFO to work on next.......