The Mini TV....

 

And Rhododendron Details....

I Hope you will forgive me, Dear Readers, for not hurrying back with more details about the fascinating Mini TV set. I really have no excuses except that Time Flies! I had to learn how to charge the little beast, and then I had to learn how to scroll through the menu.... but I am gaining in confidence! The cabinet, as near as I can tell, was a ready made item that was modified by the miniaturist (I have no idea who but the lady who was selling had several models to choose from) to hold the magical inner device which is simply a small MP3 player. They provided an uploaded menu of shows and movies.... all old TV standards... Bugs Bunny in "Rabbit Hood" is the one you see here...

 

Well, first, here is a view of the cabinet with the player inside.

And here you can see the player has been turned on...

but it is easier to scroll the menu with the player pulled out...

 

 Here you can see the cartoon has started... 

I can't take photos fast enough....

I know... it is too dark for you to see the inner shelf

 and foam padding that hold the MP3 player in place...

Yeah... it's that Pesky Rabbit up to his tricks!

(I Love Bugs Bunny!)

So that's the secret of the mini TV, Dear Readers,

 I wish I could tell you more about the maker,

 but the Lady (I didn't even take her name!) I got it from had bought "several"

 at one of the larger shows and was retailing at Sturbridge Fair.

And as for Progress on the Rhododendron blossoms... 

it's a slow process!

I am trying to work out an "assembly line" approach.... 

how many to make in a batch, 

how long does it take for each step and so on.

The really time consuming part is the stamen clusters! 

There needs to be five stamens and one pistil for each cluster

The thread needs to be cut and the tip dipped

 in the right color paint and allowed to dry.

Above you can see the start of ten blossoms.... 

the trimmed petals have been glued

 to a stem and the stamens painted.

Once the glue and paint have dried...

 the stamens are glued into bunches

 and the petals are wrapped around the stem

making a blossom shape and glued again.

Then the blossoms have to be painted on the inside and allowed to dry.

And then painted on the outside and allowed to dry.

The best timing, it turns out, is to get this far

 and let the stamen clusters dry overnight!

If you try to assemble them in the blossoms too soon,

 they are vulnerable and don't hold their shape,

 become mushy and fall apart.

 (This is very frustrating, having already 

put so much into each cluster!)

So the next morning....

All that remains to do is add the dark details inside each blossom...

Add glue to the blossom center and fit the stamen clusters in....

carefully shaping the petals around the stamens....

and let them dry.

And then start the next batch for tomorrow....

And then there is the process of assembling the blossoms into the cluster.....

And making and adding the leaves......

All of which is way behind the blossom assembly line.

I have not figured out a method of gluing

 the blossoms together that I like.

But I am working on it!

And building the bushes themselves.

I have a long way to go, Dear Readers...

But that's what makes it interesting!

Figuring out the Details... 

whether of blossoms or bushes or tiny TV's!