What Are The Chances...?

International Guild of Miniature Artisans Show....

I wasn't planning on going, Dear Readers, and wasn't even aware that it was happening, but a complicated series of chances at the last possible hour found me signing up to take a class at the Guild Show! Some of you might also be followers of Rosanna's blog La Casa Rossa where earlier in the summer she posted about a beautiful "George III Serving Tray" that she had purchased at the SIMP show in Paris. It was made by Geoffrey Wonnacott, an English artisan, and she included the link to his website in her post. When I saw her tray I had one of those covetous moments we all experience from time to time.... I wanted one for myself! This is partly because I have one just like it in RL size, and mostly just because it is a beautiful design! But as with many things, I didn't have the time to pursue it and left it for one of those "maybe someday" wishes. But a little over a week ago, I noticed her post in my blog roll and had another look, and thought maybe I should check out the website to see if he had some for sale... so I went to his page and found a listing of upcoming shows where he would be teaching classes on his mini furniture. You can imagine my surprise when I saw he would be teaching a class on the George III Serving Tray at the Guild Show.... and that the show was taking place only an hour's drive from my home..... in less than a week's time! And that the class was an evening class that I could fit in after work!!! If I could register in time.... if there were still available slots... if I could reach anyone at the Guild numbers....! Two days before the class I finally got through and YES there was room still in the class! So last Thursday night I found myself sitting around tables with eleven other miniaturists happily making my own tiny George III Serving Tray guided by the very patient and knowledgeable Geoffrey himself!

We laminated the mahogany wood layers and

 engraved and cut the tiny pearwood oval and inlaid it in the center...

 (which you can see in the first picture.)

Then we cut out the oval and sanded it to precise size....

Next we carefully added the "gallery" around the edges...

and sanded the edges carefully...

(lots of sanding!)

The class ran later than the scheduled time, 

and I had to leave before the project was finished.

But we each went home with a booklet of instructions 

and all the pieces needed to finish on our own.

I still needed to add the brass handles, which you can see here...

And then it needed to be varnished....

Here it only has the first coat of spray varnish, 

and you can see it brings out the lovely wood burl...

But it still needs several coats of the varnish before it is finished.

And you can probably imagine, Dear Readers, 

that I simply had to go back to the Show on Saturday...

Where I found a few of those Treasures....

A tulip vase by Henny Staring-Egberts

had to come home with me....

As did this little doll... 

I am certain she is the big sister of Sweetpea and Little Rose...

(but she hasn't yet told me her name)

A spice cabinet with working drawers.... 

by Pam Boorum....

A sword for the Lord of my Castle....

 (when I find him...)

A beautifully stitched purple leather handbag.....

Awesome purple jeweled sandals by Patrizia Santi.....

Her shoes are just incredible!

Beautiful books.... readable... printed on every page.....

"Flora Londinensis" a nineteenth century edition.....

A fifteenth century Boccaccio's "Decameron"...

And a sixteenth century Spenser's "Faerie Queen"...

And I won't bore you with the other little ordinary minis I found.....!

But here I will show you the George III serving Tray in my RL...

Yes, it is a bit beat up and not an antique, but a reproduction....

 

And the mini one with the second coat of varnish...!

Can you believe it, Dear Readers, 

that I almost missed this opportunity entirely?

What are the chances that this very item 

would be taught in a class so very near to my home?

And that I would find out in time?

(I feel insanely lucky!)