Painting Tent

I was truly gifted when June gave me this wonderful painting tent. And if you look at it closely, you should be able to make one for yourself.....

But you can also make this work for you....

Put a box in your bathtub...

 Cover that box with a a big sheet of painters' plastic drop cloth....

Put another box on top of the first box (just to give height to what you want to paint) Then wrap the plastic around the top box to give you an area to paint.

One advantage of this is that you can turn the bathroom fan on to get rid of some of the smell.

Music Room

Sorry I haven't posted...RL has taken over  the week big time!

Back in July, I bought a started room box at Bonnie's estate sale. At that time I had decided to turn it into a Music Room and I posted later with some ideas as to what I might do with it.

Last weekend, I decided it was time to start work on it!

On Monday, I went to Quiltessentials, the incredible little shop just down the street. I had been there before when I found the fabric to cover the outside of the Quilt Shop and knew I had seen some great fabric with musical designs. Almost immediately found this incredible piece in black and red on a white background that I knew was exactly what I wanted for the outside of the roombox!

Because the box was painted brown, I took a small piece of the fabric and glued it to the bottom of the box to see if the brown would show through.

Picture is bad but result was good!

It didn't so I used Yes glue to cover the outside of the box with the fabric.

On Tuesday night, our regular MEE club meeting was postponed to next Tuesday due to the weather. (Our bylaws allow for meetings to be cancelled/postponed if the weather with windchill falls below -25C.) But we had to get our mini-fix in so Joanne, Lorry and I went to Sunni D.'s for a small workshop that I'll show you later.

I took some of my ideas for the roombox with me and got wonderful input from those ladies on how I could use the striped and solid pieces of scrapbooking paper I had to decorate the room.

My first step was to wallpaper the left hand wall with a very fine black and white striped scrapbooking paper.

Then I did the back wall in a red scrapbooking paper  that is a wonderful match to the upholstered furniture I'll be using in the room.

Then because the ceiling was also painted in the dark brown, I covered it with a piece of white matboard. (Giggle, I have a great selection of books that I use to hold things in place while glue is drying!)

Ceiling is now white!

 

A piece of black carpet and the room is starting to take shape!

The window in the right side wall is good but the window mullions are a sort of grey/green to match Bonnie's wallpaper so I had to spray paint them white to match the rest of the new decor.

Fellow miniaturist, June K., gave me this wonderful "No-Mess Tent" that allows me to spray paint without a mess. It's particularly great when I can use it in warm weather so I can spray on the balcony but it's also wonderful in bad weather if I'm just doing a small spray. There's no chance of overspray and I can use it in a separate room and let any smell dissipate.

Now that the mullions were re-painted, I covered that wall with the black/white striped scrapbooking paper. Needed to piece two pieces here so I cut a strip and wrapped in around them corner. When that had set,

 I glued another piece of the paper across the front of the wall...butt joint. You can see where the paper can be cut out for the window.

Here the wallpaper has been cut out from over the window and that side wall has been temporarily put in place.

(I have a garden scene to go outside that window so this is definitely just a temporary placement.

Oh, my, here we go!

I think this is a case of the usual WAY to much to go into a room!

This came out of the Victorian Parlour!

Possibilities: Alto saxophone (for Sean), bust (?), record albums (with records peeking out) . treble clefs, and more record albums, flute. clarinet
Bottom row: guitar, light fixture, record turntable and Penny Spence accordion

 As I was collecting all these things from my 'music' bulletin board, I was looking for a 'boombox' that Leanne bought for me when we went to Montana. When I couldn't find that, I found the accordion and that reminded me of the Penny Spence stereo that I bought years ago!

Cabinet with sliding 'glass' doors (gift from Samm and Gerry Brockhurst) and the Penny Spence stereo.

Wonderful pieces from the Bowmanville Show:

The loveseat and chair  (last year) and the tables (from Liz West this year).:

The music stand from Bonnie's estate sale (think it's Chrysnbon) and a table and instruments from Gilbert Funk -  I'll use just the instruments.

 I want a really dramatic BIG 'painting' on the back wall of the music room!

This is a photo of a portion of the fabric that covers the outside of the roombox that I think would be perfect.

This is a piece of wallpaper that I had originally thought to use in the room. Maybe it could be (straightened out) framed in black as the piece of art on the back wall.

Lot of things going here....

Taking tools to workshops

Well, if you go to a class, you might want your whole toolbox but if you're going to a workshop, you might want to take just a few tools that are applicable to that particular item.

You can find these pencil cases at Dollar Tree:

I love these 9 1/2" x 8"' pencil cases'. Fill them with any supplies you need and connect them together with binder rings

Use (?) of them to carry the tools for whatever workshop you're attending.

This is a pencil case I bought at Target.  Love it for pencils, X-Acto knives, blades, erasers, other small things.

Another great storage idea is toothbrush holders for your paintbrushes/X-Acto knives.... at Dollarama/Dollar Tree

Just a few thoughts...

Actually made some minis!

Tuesday night at the condo craft club get-together, I started work on the kit I bought from Liz West at the Bowmanville Show and Sale.

This style comes in several kits - the set of two end tables that I bought - a coffee table and a shelving unit.

The two end tables: I stained them black with a black marker then put them together.

Here they have two coats of J.W. etc. water base clear gloss varnish. Still have to sand them down with brown paper then give them another coat of  varnish. They're shown here with the arm chair from Janet Harvie (Maggie Melinda Miniatures)

My Ontario Trip

The past few years, I've been going to Ontario for a week the end of October so I can  go "Trick or Treating" with the grandchildren, Jonah and Holly. (Holly was a mermaid and Jonah was Harry Potter in his Quidditch robe. Leanne had forgotten to pack a costume but found a really neat pair of sock monkey pajamas and wore those as her costume.)

Side Note: Before Leanne and I left for Ontario, she gave me these miniature pieces she had bought for me on her last trip to Las Vegas:

 This year was even better as DD Leanne went with me so all of us spent four days together (that hasn't happened for a LONG time!) In addition to Hallowe'en, we got to spend time at Holly's ballet class and Jonah's hockey practice...and just spend time together - mostly putting together the Lego kits that Leanne and I gave the grandchildren for their birthdays.

As proud as I am of my grandchildren, I choose not to show pictures of them on my blog.

Leanne drove back to Toronto on Sunday to catch her flight home and dropped me off in Bowmanville for the Miniature Show and Sale there. I love this opportunity to visit with friends from the Yahoo group Canada Minis and Camp Mini Ha Ha.

I wasn't even in the building when Carolyn R. from Canada Minis came up and introduced herself! Got into the sales room and immediately saw Dale B. from Petite Images (a CMHH alumnus) who told me that Liz from Grandpa's Dollhouse was sick and unable to attend (a disappointment). Then spotted Samm Brockhurst and visited with her and Patricia S. (both from  CMHH ). Did a bit of catching up with them then headed around to see what was available.

Next I saw Janet H. (CM and CMHH), Maggie Melinda Miniatures. I bought a wonderful loveseat and chair from her last year. She makes incredible upholstered furniture and draperies. Highly recommend her work.

On to Greg Matusovsky's table....This is where I stand and drool! Greg is a master silversmith and one of the nicest young men I have met. He always makes time to talk to you even when you admit that you won't be buying from him. His premiere display piece was The Empress Maria Feodorovna Dressing Table Set - I hope this link works as this piece is absolutely breathtaking!

Still just working/looking my way around the room as I'm not really looking to buy anything for myself. Have some money from my friend Barb who asked me to pick up any bargains I can find for her so I know from previous shows that D. E. Miniatures from Woodstock, ON, will have a good selection of things for her.

Make my way around the room to Liz West's (another CM) table. Liz sells beautiful laser-cut kits (mostly in 1:48 but some 1:12). Picked up a little shelving unit in 1:48 for Joanne.

So now that I've gone around the room and met up with all my friends, it's time to start buying!

In no particular order:

From D. E. Miniatures: this incredible wheelchair for only $10 for Vern's attic. I'll need to do some repainting but it is SO right!

Don't recall who I bought these bricks from but they were only $1 a bag so they may work for a fireplace or whatever.

Oh, my, I spotted this wonderful battery operated light fixtures at Petite Miniatures. It will be perfect with the red furniture I bought from Janet H. last year (and Janet agreed).

My friend and neighbour, Barb R., condo-sits for me when I'm away and I like to find something for her while I'm away.

I had picked up these bowls and plates a few years ago when the daughter of a former club member held a garage sale of her mother's things.

To my joy, Dale of Petite Images had the matching serving pieces (bottom 5 pieces) so I was able to give Barb a nice set of dinnerware.

From Liz West, I bought a kit for two end tables in 1:12 and a 1:48 shelving unit for Joanne.

On the left is a better pictures of the kit for Joanne, the middle is a piece of wonderful fine pleated fabric for me and a small iridescent glass Christmas tree for my Christmas shop (bought where I bought the packages of bricks).

For this corner cabinet set from D. E. Miniatures for $8.00! Don't know what I'll do with it yet but it's lovely and the price was right. LOL!

Grab bag from D. E. Miniatures for $2.00. The fireplace is for Barb R. and I'll keep the rest.

Glasses, scissors, watering can, kettle, towel holder, cream and sugar from D. E. Miniatures for Barb R.

More things for Barb R.

And more for Barb R.

Barb gave me a list and $20 to spend (with the proviso if I found anything more, go for it!) but I came in within budget!

Oops! Forgot about this great 11" fir tree I bought from Dale for my Secret Garden.

Much of my time, actually, was spent visiting with friends, especially Samm, Liz W., Dale and Janet.

Samm was selling several of the prototypes she and her Dad had built over the years for Ontario Gatherings. She had two prototypes of SW rooms she and her Dad had built some years ago. Patricia had bought one before I arrived at the sale and she had the earlier one left. My dear friend Joanne has been collecting for a SW room for years and I was debating about buying the one from Samm as a Christmas gift for her when Samm gifted her with it through me. Unfortunately, I gave it to Joanne this morning before I took a picture of it (was sure I had a picture).

Lest We Forget!

 My great-grandfather, Jim Mould. served about 20 years in the British Army. He saw service in India, was in the Boer War and the First World War. (He was 44 years old and had 9 children when he volunteered in 1914. Unfortunately I can't find the picture I have of him in his cavalry uniform.

Of his and Great-Grandmother, Nellie's, children, Elsie (Women's Army Corps - WWI), Charlie (my grand-father - Canadian Army both WWI and WWII), and Art (Royal Navy WWI, Canadian Army WWII) served as did some of the sons-in-law.

Grandpa Charlie joined the Canadian Army in 1915 (age 16) and served in France.

During WWII, Grandpa, Uncles Allen, Charlie and Jim, my Dad Milton and my mother Grace served as did Uncle Les Connery.

Dad later joined the R.C.A.F. as a reservist and was Commanding Officer of the Fairview Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron for several years.

Son Sean was a member of RCAC Sabre Squadron throughout junior and senior high school and taught at the Penhold Music Camp for several years (met Julie there). He also taught at the Naval Cadet camp in Esquimalt when they lived on Vancouver Island. While an Air Cadet, he earned his Gold Duke of Edinburgh medal.

Sean (second from left) speaking with Prince Edward at the reception after receiving his Gold Duke.

Between my trip to Ontario, computer troubles and sheer laziness, it's been two weeks since I've posted. Hope to get back on a regular schedule soon.