The Guild Show 2021...

 

 

 I Found Some Lovely Little Things...

The International Guild of Miniature Artisans once again held their Show last weekend and I was able to attend for the first time in several years. Last year, due to Covid, it was cancelled, but this year it was back at its usual venue not too far from where I live. Everybody was asked to wear masks and to keep a distance from others when possible. I hope you can imagine, Dear Readers, that I was excited to be able to attend! Above you can see a beautiful ceramic pitcher from "Creations by Lynette", a new exhibitor at the Show. Her ceramics are all hand thrown on a wheel and individually glazed. And some of her pieces are impossibly Tiny! She had a whole range of scales, even some for 144th scale!

I had to get more than one...

And a little vase....

Or two!

Most of the International Artisans were not able to attend

 due to travel restrictions, 

but I did find a beautiful box made by

Geoffry Wonnacutt, a British artisan of great skill.

Several years ago I was able to attend a class taught by him

 at that years Guild Show, 

making a George III Serving Tray with

 marquetry inlay and a standing rim.

I seem to be starting a collection!

And I must confess, Dear Readers, I succumbed to temptation...

And splurged on a Footed Silver Salver by Pete Aquisto....

And a Stunning Chocolate Pot to go with it...!

(Well, it has been a long time since I went to a Fair...)

I bought a few small kits as well...

A cushion in 48 count petit-point!

 

And a carpet kit by Phyllis Stafford, also in 48 count!

(I will have to work at this as the chart is in "symbols" not colors .)

And some furniture kits as well.

As always, there were many many items I had to pass by.... 

and ones I will dream of someday affording.

But I am so glad I was able to attend

 the Guild Show this year, Dear Readers,

and to bring home some

truly Lovely Little Things!

Traveling In The Time of Covid....

 

It's A Long Long Way To Go.....

I Took a Trip, Dear Readers, to visit my family in the Southwest of the USA. It takes four airports, three different planes, two car rides and fifteen hours give or take a few, over two time zones, to travel the 2,412 miles from my corner of the country to theirs! Sure beats a covered wagon train, but boy, it isn't a hop and a skip! And in the difficult times of the Pandemic, you need to get tested first and keep your mask on at all times except for brief moments to eat or sip a beverage. And then, when you get there.... stay outdoors and keep a distance from your loved ones! They rented a house for me to stay in and we ate meals on the porch! Lots of porches. But Oh boy it was Wonderful to see them all in person!

The view from my Mom's back yard dining terrace...

they had just finished their Monsoon Season

 and had abundant water this year.

It was as green as it gets out there.

This is the desert southwest, after all!

The early mornings are brisk....

we are waiting for breakfast,

prepared faithfully by my brother

 so I didn't have to go in their house.

Sorry Mom, I had to include a picture of you!

A few years ago when I visited, 

we painted her kitchen cabinets a lovely turquoise blue.

(This reminds me of a certain miniature kitchen...!)

By mid-day it is too hot on everybody's porch to enjoy a meal outdoors...

That's when I got to enjoy my solo lunch at the rental....

Yes, that is my apple....

(I avoid cooking whenever possible!)

There were some crackers and cheese to go with it.

I did not starve!

This is the porch at the rental house.

We all had a pizza lunch out here one day....

A vigorous dust devil nearly spoiled the meal

 as it went right over us blowing dust everywhere!

And another morning we had a pancake breakfast out here

 cooked by my other brother who also came down for a visit.

And up at my Dad's house, high up in the hills...

(they are on the continental divide above 6000 feet elevation here)

Afternoon tea in the shade...

Where lizards come to call....

yes, that is a living specimen!

 

 And yours truly touring the garden of a friend of a friend of my Mom's....

It was an amazing place for a desert!

They had a good monsoon season and the plants were sky high!

 

Yes, Dear Readers, it's a Long Long way to go,

 and over far too soon...

And it's four airports, three airplanes, two car rides

 and maybe only a dozen hours...

Because I am heading east over two time zones 

and we lose a couple hours...

Looking down from above the clouds!

Yes, it's a Long long way to go, Dear Readers,

Masked and distant and just not the same...

But I'm so glad I went

And saw my family again!

Backtracking.....

 

 Re-visiting the Stitching...

I have neglected to show you, Dear Readers, my current mini stitching project, partly because I have not found as much time to be stitching on it, and partly because I have been so focused on showing you the Castle painting process. But rest assured, that my passion for petit-point stitching has not waned! Before I had even completed the Aubusson style carpet, I had begun to stitch a series of chair seat kits also designed by Janet Granger. This pattern is known as "Strawberry Thief" and is loosely based on the pattern of that name designed by William Morris in the late 19th Century. The kits come with everything you need as well as the wooden chair kits, which I have not begun to work on yet. So far I have only been making the seat covers. Above, you can see my beginnings. I know... it doesn't show you much, but one has to start somewhere!

Here you can see most of the decorative pattern completed already... 

I was forgetting to take pictures too!

Here the pattern is finished and only the background needs to be stitched.

Here the background has been completed. 

One down, three to go!

Here's the second one under way.

And as sometimes happens when we are

 making something for the second time,

 and we think we know what we are doing, 

so we don't pay close attention... 

we make mistakes!

Can you spot the "ooops"?

 

Well, I caught it before I had gone too far to unstitch the mistake...

and restitch it with the correct color blue!

 

The wings are the darker blue,

as are those blossoms in the corners!

 

Here the pattern is done and the background begun...

And that's all I have to show so far, Dear Readers,

Just a little back tracking... and 

a good amount of stitching!

 

The Boring Part....

 

 But it's Progress...!

It was a busy Weekend, Dear Readers, with too many tasks and not much mini time, so I don't have much to show that you haven't seen before. Yes, it is the boring stuff, carving the channels for the wires across the back of the Lord's Tower and starting to glue them in place. You will remember that I was about to work on painting the back of this Tower weeks and weeks ago when I realized that all the wires still needed to be buried in the walls, while they had already been finished on the back of The Great Hall portion of the Castle. And that led me to work first on painting the back of the Great Hall and then on The Chapel Tower (fewer wires to bury!) and now, finally I am facing the Lord's Tower wiring. Maybe because I had practiced on The Chapel Tower, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be carving all those channels on The Lord's Tower! Jodi of "My Miniature Madness" blog had suggested I try a chisel to carve these channels, but years ago I actually broke a very good wood carving gouge on this plywood. So I am just sticking with the exacto knives which have a replaceable blade. It is slow going, but they are sharp! Because the "plug box" will go on the side of the Tower where it is accessible (also still needs to be built) all the wires from the back needed to go through the corner onto the side of the Tower. I drilled all those wire holes through the corner. You can see in the above picture that in order to work on the back, I had to turn the Tower around. The entrance door on the side wall is now facing out. You hardly ever get to see a view of this side of the Tower! (I also still need to attach the stairs that go up to the Main door...)

I know that it is difficult to see, 

but in this picture most of the wires have been 

brought through the holes on the corner of the Tower.

From here they will run down to the plug box 

in yet to be carved channels.

And here you can (almost) see the

 wires are being glued into the channel...

(It was a very gloomy rainy day...

 and I am sure you don't really want to watch the glue drying....)

This is the back of The Lord's Chamber where

 the wires from the fireplace mantle come through.

And since the goal is to get the paint on the back side of the Castle... 

I painted the primer as soon as I was done carving all those channels.

I even carved the one for the room at the top which I have not built yet.

This will carry at least the fireplace wires when that gets built.

There will need to be more channels carved on the side wall

 to get all the wires to the plug box.... 

but we will work on that later... much later!

And then the first coat of the gray paint... 

I know, it is such a dark day, this looks way too dark!

And some of the wires are not ready to be glued in yet...

 I have to make sure their lights

 are just the way I want them first.

 But at least now the channels are ready!

And that's all I have to show, Dear Readers,

You've seen it all before...

The boring part of the back side of The Tower.

But it is Progress!