The Cabinet Of The Clouds....
Once I had Embarked on the Teeny-Tinies, Dear Readers, I was seriously Off the Script! I had thought the simplest thing to do was just make the little items for the front Display window first, and then pick and choose from the rest of the wonders within the Shop before finalizing the exterior. But then I needed to hook up those electric lights to really show off that Fabulous Three Bears Grocery in the front window (practically the last step they have you take If you are following the instructions) and this made me aware that the battery for the lights is supposed to tuck into the base of that Lovely Blue Cabinet on the back wall of the shop.... once it is Glued Securely to the Wall! Well, that changed things! I needed to get that Big Blue Cabinet done and decorated before I glued it in place because reaching in there past all the lights and other stuff would be challenging if I left it for last. You can sort of see it in its place in the back of the shop.
Here is a view of the assembled piece as the kit instructs. The shelves are all glued to the decorated paper backing which you can see has a variety of "background" designs, most of which will be barely visible once the shelves are filled. As I looked at it, preparing to glue it in place, I thought "those designs are not my style..." and decided they needed a makeover! At the very least, they needed to all be the same color and theme.... perhaps a fitting background for little houses...? .... at least maybe a lovely sky blue color to go with the shelves themselves...?
It would have been easier to paint the background
before the shelves went on...
but then I would have lacked the guidance
for placement provided by the designs......
at any rate, the backgrounds needed to be
painted over in white paint....
each little square...
without getting any on the surrounding walls...
yes, finicky work!
Here you can see the top shelf has received
a couple of coats of the white paint.
It is all one shelf, but I had to paint around
the printed "books" which are leaning on the back wall...
And here the lower shelves are getting their white coats.
But you can see the printed pattern
shows through with only one layer...
And all the shelves have had two coats....
but it really isn't enough.
A third coat is needed!
And here they all have had three coats of the white!
And here is my first try for that sky blue.....
but I realized it was going to "read" as too dark
in the back of those shelf cubbies...
I needed to lighten it up a bit.
And I know some of you are going to
think this is too light... but its not!
It will dry a shade darker, and the blue of the shelves
will reflect onto it.... you will see!
But it is night... it won't look right ...
so we'll let it dry overnight.
And first thing in the morning with natural daylight....
There... that's better!
That pale blue hardly looks pale at all!
And all the while that I had been
painting those little cubbies, Dear Readers,
I was thinking about that sky blue
and thinking about the little houses
and vignettes that would sit here
and wondering if there shouldn't be
just a few little fluffy white clouds
in those pieces of sky blue....?
A closer look at the items the instructions said
should be placed on these shelves
showed a row of store fronts on the top shelf,
a Fairy Market in the middle,
a Candy House below that,
a few little vignettes with furniture at the sides
(I might change this!)
and along the top shelf nothing but Trees and landscape!
Well, I don't know about you,
but even if they would not be visible in the end...
I wanted to put some little puffy clouds
in all that lovely sky blue!
Like so!
Doesn't that just look delightful?
As though there is a world just behind those shelves....
with gentle blue skies and puffy white clouds....
The only challenge will be leaving
some glimpses behind the houses!
And I was also assembling some of those tiny houses...
That row of little store fronts for starters,
made me want to "finish" each one completely...
but this is supposed to be a store that has some
"to be finished" stock available.
I left the interiors alone, but I confess,
I added the little walkway out front
and made the front hinge open...
Cobblestones in front of the Traveler Cafe....
With that tiny tricky awning!
I really wanted to add a table and chairs to the walkway....
Here it is in position on the shelf....
Alas... yes, it obscures the clouds....
And the next store front with its brick walkway...
this one is a Teddy Bears Shop...
But the whole time I was thinking about those Clouds,
I was imagining the top shelf as a
little magical landscape up in the clouds....
above the world and far far away....
could I just make that a "Cloudlands".....?
Maybe with some "cloud shaped" lace trim for the shelf edging.....
(this kit uses quite a bit of lace on its display shelves)...
and so I had to give it a try!
Now, I know some of you will think
I totally Ruined the cabinet....
but I am withholding judgement...
I am pretending it is an elaborate
Georgian Fretwork on a Regency Cabinet...
(there are, after all, those tiny little arched fretwork
sections at the top of those little cubbies too!)
and to balance the top...
I added a lacy rim along the
lower protruding display shelf....
Like so.... I know, it has grown late and Dark...
Shall we turn the lights on....?
Because this is where the Candy House will sit....
and in my Experience...
these houses generally sit
in a Cloud of Frosted Snow Icing...!
Well, Dear Readers,
it has been a long time since I did a makeover,
and the Cloud-like trim on the shelves
might be a bit over-the-top,
but I am growing fond of my
Cabinet of The Clouds!
