The play date!

Yesterday I still wasn't too sure what Megan and Carter were going to do today. Jeanne and Orest dug out two great shadow boxes for us to use today. Still no ideas came!

But this morning, a couple hours before they arrived, the AHA moment! We would do a Christmas scene and use up some of the supplies left from the Christmas shop!

Before they arrived, I got the frames and started on adding the floors. First I put a piece of foamcore against the front glass.

Then I started to prepare the floor. I cut a flap along one edge of the foamcore and glued it on to the foam so there was no rough edge exposed.

This turned out to be moot as we ended up gluing some very thin green velour to both sides of the floor so it wouldn't warp.

While I was working on that they were covering a cut-off styrofoam cup with fabric for their tables.

I covered the back pieces with green and red wallpaper then we went up to Jeanne and Orest's for lunch.

 These are Carter's choices for his room.

Megan decorated this tree for her room.

 And filled this basket with candy canes and suckers.

After lunch the glue had dried so everything could be assembled. (The back is just held in place temporarily.)

 I found two little teddie bears and the children put them in their chairs. Then Carter found a pair of mini glasses that he put on  his bear.

Here is Carter's finished scene.

 And Megan's almost finished scene.

 I could not get a picture of either scene without my reflection but I'm hoping Megan's pictures turned out better and that she'll send them to me.

These two  young people are SO nice and so artistic and enthusiastic that my time spent with them is such a joy!

I'm really hoping that they'll be able to come to our Show and Sale on September 21!

Quilt shop accessories

I found a website that had pictures of some of the accessories (mostly for the pegboard). I copied them into a word file then printed them (top) on card stock, (centre) on a transparency, (bottom) on plain paper:

Tentative positioning on the pegboard. The scissors are from my stash.

The "pins" are covered with Inkssentials Glossy accents to give them dimension. All but the blade on the rotary cutters is covered with yellow nail polish. (Now that's a hurry up and wait job LOL!)

The cutting mats are printed on cardstock and the edges are painted a matching green with a marker.

I've started attaching things to the pegboard with wire.

Rotary cutters are just about finished. One more coat.

The back of the pegboard.

Tomorrow I'll add the rotary cutters and put the pegboard in place, and hopefully make bags of batting.

Megan and Carter will be here tomorrow for our play date so don't expect I'll get much more done than that. Their aunt and uncle came up with a great round frame for whatever project we come up with - don't know what we'll be doing yet!?!

Fabric display table

As mentioned in my last post, the original plan was to put the Christmas fabric bolts upright on a round table. Then I realized that would be quite tall and would block the sight line to the back of the room. So I decided to lay the fabric bolts horizontally rather than vertically.

For the table legs, I have four Houseworks balusters #7025. I've cut a 4 1/4" x 2" base of 1/16" basswood; two sides 4 1/4" x 7/8" and two end pieces 2" x 7/8" (also 1/16" basswood).

Stained all the pieces. (Even remembered to wear a glove on my left hand LOL.)

Using wood glue (and my wonderful Brockhurst gluing jig), I attached the legs to both ends of the side pieces.

I wanted the table base about mid-point to keep the bolts in place. To make sure the base goes in evenly, I'm using Lego blocks.

Here, with the legs upside down, the base and the end panels are glued in place.

When that glue has dried, the second side panel and legs can be added.

Turned right side up:

With the fabric bolts added:

In place in the shop itself!

Quilt Shop, Play Date

While I ponder lighting the Music Room, I'm hoping to finish the quilt shop that I'm making for DS Carol.

I didn't have it finished for our Show and Sale last year so I added some packing boxes and put up a Grand Opening sign (LOL).

I plan on making a round table to hold the Christmas fabric bolts below and boxes to hold the trims and spools of thread.

Haven't decided if I'll find a spot for this.

Lots of scissors and a couple rotary cutters to go on  the back wall peg board. Still have to make cutting templates and so on for that also.

Also, next week, my young friends, Meghan and Carter are coming for a day of mini-ing. Haven't quite decided what we'll work on yet. So I think I'll check out Kids' Korner from Miniature Collector for some ideas.

Royal Alberta Museum

Joanne, Sunni and I went to the Royal Alberta Museum today to check out two exhibits: Western Threads: Contemporary Fibre Art and Worn to be Wild (an exhibit of leather motorcycle jackets.

Of particular interest to us were these dolls by our friend and co-miniaturist, Carol K. Pretty impressive!

Took these pictures of some of the other exhibits:

This picture is the most incredible piece of art done in fabric!

Didn't take any pictures in the Worn to be Wild (not even Elvis's Harley Davidson) but did take this picture of Sunni in the Harley Davidson jacket.

 At lunch, we talked about our displays for the Show and Sale. Sunni has a clock case she thinks she'll fill with clocks so I collected my clocks that she might be able to use.

Work light, Art Gallery

I'm on Lee Valley's mailing list and today they announced a LED worklight that I think has great mini possibilities.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,43349&p=72058

Maybe not quite as aesthetically pleasing as an Ott light but for $39.50, I think it has definite possibilities.

* * * 

When I was sorting and bagging all the "stuff" I've accumulated over the past year or so, I came across four pieces that I thought might work in the Art Gallery.

These are all pieces that were ear-rings that I got from Cheryl.

A whale cresting on sea glass; a Haida (?) design; Three Churches at Mahone Bay, NS, on sea glass; an interesting piece of glass

Here's the Art Gallery.  No lighting as it has a plexiglass ceiling.

These two pieces will go in the Art Gallery:

Although they had to go into the Art Gallery, I had to think a lot about where to put them. Finally I decided they could go in the bottom of the clear display pieces. Once I had decided that, I realized that I had to build up the base inside. Fortunately, I found some black styrofoam that I cut to fit so the pieces were visible.

So this is what the 'new' Art Gallery looks like.