What A Year!

Second Anniversary Review.... and Maybe A Giveaway!

Dear Readers, I can hardly believe another year has gone by, my Second year of this Blog!!! And as with many anniversaries, it prompts one to ask "what has been accomplished this year?" First let me assure you that just to BE in Mini-Blogland, building and sharing with all you other wonderful creative people, is SO MUCH FUN, that I almost hate to even raise the IDEA of Assessing Progress... or even Implying that such measuring of ones Works should occur! But perhaps it is inevitable that the comparison of this year with the previous arises, and sometimes the results of such an examination are revealing, so I will take a look at what I have accomplished this past year in my Mini world!
I will begin with The Lovely Old Dollhouse as it is my First and Most Beloved House......
The top picture shows that the Curtains I made for the window of the Parlor are STILL NOT Finished! The second tie-back is lying on the floor somewhere.....!
And the Lace curtains in the Chinoiserie Bedroom are still just Pinned to the curtain rod.......

(And I have not yet started to build the Bed for this room....)

One of my Very Old Original Paintings now hangs in the Hallway.....

but I am not sure that it will stay there......

The Kitchen cupboards are still not stocked... nor are the dishes washed!!!

And I think there is supposed to be another set of shelves built for the left hand wall....

And the hearth needs some bricks made from egg cartons......

The Front Hall is almost exactly the same as it was a year ago.....

Except that I added the China Jar by the door.....

Here is the Previous Year picture for comparison!

Same with the Bathroom...... Nothing has been done!!!!

The Master bedroom is only a little more lived in.....

But NOTHING has been finished!

There will be Curtains Someday!

And the Window on the Fireplace wall will get some glass.....

and the Fireplace will get some bricks..... For starters!

And When we look at The Folly.... the same is true...

Very Little has been done!
I Did add the plate shelf to the Kitchen wall...
with tiny cup hooks for hanging teacups...

And, of course, I built the shelves in the Book Nook upstairs......

and sewed the cushions......
But I have NOT Made any more Books!!!
Nor Have I added the lighting...... Or Curtains.......

When we come to the Castle Dollhouse there has been a Little bit of Progress!!!

I made a Start on the Lord's Council Chamber...!

I built and painted the Peter Paul Stained Glass Windows for the Chapel......

I Completed painting the Noah's Ark Paintings on the chapel walls.......

And I STARTED the Paintings on the chapel Ceiling........

Still SO Far to go!

And you will be Happy to know I Finished making enough of the painted Tiles for the Great Hall floor! Now all I have to do is glue them down and apply the Grout....

a step that has me rather Nervous.....!

And I did manage to attach all the Electrical wires to the Back of the Castle Great Hall and conceal the outlets in a Chimney buttress! So I guess every little bit of progress Counts!

And of course, if you are a regular reader of this blog you will know that last August I Started in on an Entirely New dollhouse...... the Victorian Brownstone I am building from an old Cupboard (so I call it The Cupboard House...)

Here you can see the beginnings....

a Building I have been planning to build for MANY YEARS!

Inspired in part by these Wonderful Kit windows that I have had Waiting For YEARS.....
I Finally got them out and stained them and assembled them!!
(I love these windows!)

Here is the Front mostly finished....

I added all the external wooden details.....

(Supposed to look like Brownstone...)

And Started the Murals in the Hallway.....

Still SO MUCH DETAIL to do!

And the Trompe l'oeil Painting of the extra room behind the hall......

And we had gotten as far as adding the plate shelves to the Kitchen walls...

and the drying rack...

And building the Fireplace and mirror for the Dining Room......
And painted details on the ceiling......
Before getting DISTRACTED by the Holiday Parties and the Wedding.....!

So all in all, I think I can say that Some Progress was made! While I could wish I had finished more...... I am aware that working on so many projects at one time Does have a tendency to scatter my energies. I am sure that some of you would recommend that I just concentrate on ONE 'til it is Done..... But I know myself well enough to be Certain that Trying to do that would only cause me to start yet Another House......!
For Now... I am sending all the Little People away on Vacations... (and Honeymoon) in the hopes that I will get more Building done for a while! But first I Must show you what my Dear Mother sent me for my Birthday.... an old Embroidered Handkerchief that had been lurking in her Bureau drawer .... that has the Most Amazingly Exquisite Embroidery I have Ever seen!!!
I have draped it over the bed I bought for Charlotte's bedroom in the Cupboard House....

(when we get to that room....)

temporarily set up in the Shabby Sister House......

Oh, Right... I forgot to mention THAT House!

One year ago I bought it as a used house.....

Rather in need of improvements......

But NOTHING has been done!

Here, you Must have a closer look......

And closer.... Isn't it Amazing?

And Don't tell anybody... but just when I was sending all the dolls on Holiday.....
I went to that very dangerous Miniatures Store near my home......

and came home with this addition to my Mini World...

I think her name is Hazel.... and she is a Gardening sort of a Witch......
I know.... I KNOW.... she is going to need her own House...!

But I think she is going to belong with this Kitchen Hearth that I already have....

At least she is very happy to sit here beside my Computer while I get it all figured out.....

And she's already good friends with Great Aunt Agatha....!

So now that we have had the Anniversary Review...

What was that about a Giveaway?
Well, Dear Readers, while I was Dis-assembling the Wedding that took so long to put together.... the only things I could not bear to take apart were the Topiary Table Decorations!
And now I just don't know what to do with them!

They are rather Rough and un-refined....

just being made for Props for the Wedding....

but they are rather Cute too.....

So if any of you out there are interested in having them...

just leave a comment on this blog post!

I think I will give away at least one pair of them....

maybe two pairs if there is a big demand.....
I will do a drawing on May 1....
Notice: I have extended the Deadline to May 4th Midnight!!!!!

What A Year!