Folly Snow....

 

Late Christmas...

I know it is Dark, Dear Readers, but here is a glimpse of the snow on the Folly Lilac! We had a very very small amount of snow over here just in time for Christmas Eve in the Real World.... and Lo and Behold, suddenly there was snowfall on the Folly too! It became very cold so nothing melted for days and we had an officially "snowy" Christmas. I know some of you were worried about the storms in the News... but that was all West of where I live. But yes, it snowed for Christmas!

Here it is in the light of Christmas Morning...

Nobody is thinking about shoveling anything!

And an even better Gift, Dear Readers,

was a Day after Christmas visit with my Sister!

She was visiting her grandchildren not too far away

 and I was able to borrow her for a night.

You know we played with the dollhouses....

 

I had been lucky enough to get one of 

Doll maker Sandra Morris's 12 Days of Christmas kits....

 

A box filled with twelve neatly packaged and numbered tiny kits!.... 

well, there Were Twelve.... 

but it is several days into Christmas now

 and I am striving to keep up!

I had help from my Sister!

The colored pencils are just for adding special effects...

She got a kit to make two boxes filled with vintage 

Fairy Tale and Alice in Wonderland cards!

I got a game board with little Jumeau Dolls for player pieces....

Here they are being glued to their magnetic bases.

Everything comes in the kits... 

including a gluing jig (shown above!)

Here they are on the "Eiffel Tower" game board....

 they are French dolls, after all.

And there is even a die for rolling!

The game is being tested by the Ladies in the Castle...

Meanwhile, my sister only got one box of cards made...

That's a lot of cards to cut out.... for each box!

These are the Fairy Tale ones... 

you can play "Snap" with them.

The antique illustrations are gorgeous... 

I wish I had had time to look closer at all of them.

But we had to pack up and take her back to her grandchildren... 

the cards all went with her!

So that was Christmas here, Dear Readers, 

a Little Late with a touch of Folly Snow...

And a Wonderful Sister Visit!

I hope you all have a Wonderful Happy New Year!

 

(Yes, I am still working on the Christmas Card.... 

delayed but not forgotten!)

The Nativity....

 

Take Two....

I Hope you will be glad to know, Dear Readers, that Pollyanna remembered to set up the Nativity in the Lovely Old Dollhouse before the last possible minute! Every year the same figures are arranged on the sideboard in the Living Room, but there is often a problem with remembering just where each figure belongs. Pollyanna has placed the Shepherd with his sheep to one side of the Holy Family, and the Three Kings with their camel on the other side. But she is not at all sure she likes this arrangement! "I think it looks too empty over here..." she says to Arthur, pointing to the Shepherd and his sheep.

 

"Well, I do think the camel belongs with the Kings" said Arthur diplomatically.

"But I think they are too crowded over there," replied Pollyanna.

"You can hardly see them!" she added.

"Maybe I should just move the Kings to this end

 and let the Shepherd be on the other side" she said. 

"At least we can give it a try and see how it looks..."

"There, like that !" she said as she rearranged all the figures.

"Don't you think that looks better?" she asked.

"Or does it look wrong with the Kings in the front....?"

"I think it looks just fine, Honey," said Charles.

"As long as the camel is with the Kings, 

I think it looks right" he added.

"I think it looks perfect!" declared Arthur agreeably, 

clearly not wanting to disturb the Peace!

"Then we'll keep it this way!" said Pollyanna, giving him a big smile.

"Now we're ready for Christmas!" declared Helen optimistically.

"Unless you still have shopping to do?" she added.

Well, Dear Readers, I hope you agree,

 that no matter how many takes are needed,

 The Nativity will always be Perfect in the end!

 

And I hope, whatever you Celebrate,

that you All have a Wonderful Holiday!

A Wild Idea...

 

Off And Running...

I Hope you will understand, Dear Readers, that a few weeks ago as I was diligently working on the Ravenwood windows, and pondering the impending Holiday Season, I had one of those ideas that wouldn't leave me alone. Really, I had been thinking about it for longer than just those weeks, but suddenly I had an idea that might be a "breakthrough" in methodology for this long-standing idea! What idea is that you are Wondering? Well, the need to add a Santa Sleigh with eight tiny Reindeer to the Secret Christmas House which is still not completed after several years of waiting! I am sure you recall this is a 144th scale Robin Betterley kit that I built throughout 2017, (before I got sidetracked by the Lilacs Project). Of course, I had to make a start on a "prototype reindeer" right away, just to see if this was possible and worth pursuing. Above you can see the only photo I took of the beginning, and it is a bit blurry.... but I was just testing the idea and not thinking about the pictures. The critter begins much like the Hounds I made for the Secret Christmas House, and the Cat... "Mittens" too.... (please visit the side-bar to find reference to those old posts if you desire to see them). It is just fine paper-covered floral wire twisted together to form a basic armature. The secret ingredient is "the glue trick" which relies on the bulk of the dried glue to form the body shape. You start by adding glue where the legs join the spine and let it dry completely.

Here you can see the "prototype reindeer" several steps further along. 

The "breakthrough" idea was to use very fine wire

 to form the antlers' armatures.

Here you can see them twisted through the head wire

 and sort of spread out to look like antlers.

These will get shaped and trimmed more precisely

 once the bodies are more stable,

 ie more layers of glue applied and dried.

And because this idea looked so promising....

I needed to start the others too....

before I lost my courage....

Seven more bodies begun... 

shaped wires with glue on the joins

 to solidify the structure.

And then wait while they dry thoroughly!

The glue shrinks... and becomes translucent....

You can see the skeleton...

The "prototype" is testing his legs....

Here he has had several layers of glue added to his body...

 but none so far to the neck or head.

Here I have started to add glue to the head and neck area.

Once this is added, the neck position can't be changed...

Maybe I should have "positioned" some of them artfully... 

but oh well... I was more concerned with being sure

 the glue was in the right places as it dried!

And adding the wires to all the rest of the bodies.....

The wires will be shaped and trimmed later. 

Here they just need to be securely attached to the head

 before the glue is added.

I have been using some fairly old and quite viscous Aileen's Quick Dry glue.

When first applied it globs and sags a little bit.

Here I am adding it to the head neck and upper legs.

Here is the "prototype reindeer" on the clip with the glue dried.

You can see the armature skeleton.

And testing the legs for balanced position....

He stands quite well!

The tails will be trimmed last

 after they serve as the "handle" while being worked on!

There is still such a long way to go, Dear Readers,

 with these Tiny Reindeer,

But I do believe this Wild Idea

 is Off and Running!

'Tis The Season...

 

To Procrastinate....

As Some of you might be aware, Dear Readers, there is a Large Task looming in my RL that always consumes a great deal of my focus at this time of year. I am referring to the Annual Christmas Card Drawing which I have managed to make every year for... um... this will be the fortieth year! And being fond of little things with lots of detail... I make an elaborate drawing that summarizes some of the high points of the year. It takes hours and hours over days and weeks... but I LOVE to draw and once it gets going it consumes all my creative focus. I like nothing better than to be able to sit at my drawing table hour after hour adding tiny details...... But, it is not always easy to get the current year organized into a workable idea.... and therefore... procrastination sets in while I dither about possibilities...! And while procrastinating last weekend, I decided to get into the Spirit by putting up all my Christmas Trees! So you can see the Tree has been put up in The Lovely Old Dollhouse, even earlier than usual! Charles is quite pleased with the Tree and Helen agrees that it must be the most beautiful one ever!

 Yes, it is the same tree as always, with nothing new added...!

And over in The Castle, the big tree has been brought in

 and all the candles are lit even though it is not yet night.

 

And because I am also putting up my RL Trees,

 I need to move some of the dollhouses to the Holiday Locations.

The Cloud Palace is once again sitting at my elbow

 while I am stitching my embroidery projects... 

and Blue has even decided that the Christmas Tree Skirt

 I stitched a couple of years ago belongs in the Cloud Palace!

(Well, of Course! )

 

With the Silver Tinsel Tree and the Wishing Stars...

Here you can see a closeup.... 

(I still have to add the "cloud-puff" edging to the skirt!)

And Sally May has the "Same Old Tree" in the same old spot....

So many new things she wanted to try this year...

 but there just hasn't been time!

Her in-laws, Ernie and Blanche 

seem to have gotten used to this tree...

 (it is not at all their idea of a "proper" New England Tree!)

Even Hardwick Hall has a small tree... 

although the lights have not been added, 

and the Hall has been moved to the inaccessible spot for the Holidays...

 to make room for the RL Tree to be put up in my Livingroom.

 

And because I am Procrastinating, Dear Readers,

 there is even a New Little Tree on the block!

 

The idea has been brewing since the beginning of this Project... 

but the particulars are turning out to be whatever I had in my stash....

A Sparkling green bottlebrush Tree in medium size 

With a string of clear mini lights wound around and around.... 

it is impossible to get a good spacing of the lights this way....

 but I am going to call that part of the Charm of this little tree!

So where does it belong....???

In the Dollmaker's Studio... 

also known as Sugarplum Studio!

Can you even see in there.....?

(Halleluliah, the plug outlet works!)

Here, I have turned on some of the other lights...

I know.... it needs to be decorated..... 

hung with gingerbread and little dollies...

 

And do you even remember the Teeny-Tiny

 little version of  The Secret Christmas House?

 

Well... I hate to admit it... 

but that full-size (144th scale) Secret Christmas House

 still has not been completed...!

There are several unfinished steps and pieces I need to add.

Will I get to them This year....?

 Well, you never know, Dear Readers,

 because it is the Season

 for Procrastination in  my House!

Carpets....

 

 Updates....

It Has been a while, Dear Readers, since I showed you any progress on my carpet stitching. This is something I work on in little bits and pieces here and there, and I often forget to take any pictures of progress. This might be because it always feels like I haven't made any progress, the stitches added are so small and few! But over time it adds up to a lot, and now I am nearing the finish of the central portion of the carpet. It is an elaborate pattern, but once you have stitched a few of the sections, you recognize the pattern which mostly just repeats with a different combination of colors. So you do have to pay attention! I know all those "extra" threads look like a tangle, but they will each be continued in stitching when I get to that part of the pattern. This is just a method of not constantly ending and starting the threads again and again.

 

And you might be forgiven for thinking you might never again see

 the carpet I was working on last spring! 

I did get the fringe added as you can see above.

I was only part way through stitching this carpet,

when I began to wonder if it would fit in the 

Dollmaker's Studio upstairs room. 

Of course, while it is on the needlework frame,

 I could not give it a "test" and had to wait until 

the stitching was completed before I could try it out.

I think it is so perfect I could not have planned a better fit!

And the little "bits" of blue I had added into the centers of some of those ovals

 is a perfect "reflection" of the ceiling above! 

(I had wondered if this would work!)

It is just impossible to simultaneously show you 

the details of the floor and the ceiling above!.

That will have to wait for it's own post!

And my newest carpet, Dear Readers,

 which you have not seen anything of at all, 

surprised even me!

But let me show you....

It has to do with the Ravenwood...

One of the features of this kit that enchanted me right from the start

 is the three floor grand staircase in the Tower section!

It even has cut outs for the stairs in the floors! 

The little people will be able to climb those stairs!

But first you have to add all the interior decorative papers... 

ceilings, floors and walls.

The color palette is a sophisticated selection of 

gray and black and ecru designs in tiny tiny prints. 

(It is very well designed!)

 

 

And here I must apologize for forgetting to take pictures... 

as I rushed ahead with my rash additions...

there are no pictures of the "before" staircase!

But suffice it to say that it was spray painted entirely black

 like the exterior framework... 

and when inserted into the grand hallway... 

it just lost too much of it's striking detail. 

(In my humble opinion) 

I thought it needed a brilliant contrast....

Like a crimson stair runner..... 

winding up that elegant stairway....

Could I manage to make something like that....?

That small....?

Well.... I had to try!

I found a luscious piece of thin raw silk... 

and cut it into a very thin strip....

And one step at a time, glued the carpet to the stair...

waiting for it to dry completely before doing the next step....

And the different stair "blocks" had to be done separately

 because they were not all to be assembled outside the Tower....

The side rail piece is added to the lower block

 and these sections are glued together.

Here are all three sections of the first floor stairs. 

 

 

And both sets of stairs are now "carpeted"!

But you might have noticed the rail sections

 have some etched design in their surface... 

and I thought they needed augmentation!

 

 

 Those newel posts needed to be a little more robust... 

and perhaps even have a three dimensional quality  

to the rounded tops!

Out came the glue...

 

 Those white blobs are the "glue trick"... 

I add a dot of glue and let it dry

 and then layer a few more layers on.. 

creating a three dimensional surface...

When all dry it is painted to match the rest of the surface.

Then came the really hard part, Dear Readers, 

correctly lining up and gluing the stairs into the Tower!

You had to start with the section at the top....

 glue it in place ... 

hoping the top of the next section

 would meet it in the right place...!

Once there was glue involved...

 there was no changing anything!

The bottom section was the most challenging.

The three sections had been assembled outside of the Tower... 

 

And when inserted carefully into the stair opening.... 

you had to hope they would meet the walls and floors just right!

(Mine didn't...!)

 

 

Were the walls a little off? The floor?

There was a sliver of space underneath the stairs

 that didn't touch the floor.... hmmmm...!

I will have to insert a piece to disguise this... 

fortunately, it is so small you don't notice it at first!

And once the glue is in place....

Nothing can be changed!

 

 

But I do think, Dear Readers, 

that the crimson stair carpet adds a

 Brilliant touch to this Grand Staircase!

And if you look very carefully...

You can even see it through the doorway!

I do Love my Carpets....!