Not Much At All....

What We Can See....

Once Again, Dear Readers, the RL Renovation project consumed almost all of my Time and even more of my energy this past weekend, leaving me with very little to show you! But I did manage to accomplish two very small things in my mini worlds, so here I will show you a great many pictures about not much at all! The first thing I did was to test a "lampshade" of sorts for the candle light sconces in the parlor of Hardwick Hall. I cut the end off of a metal filigree jewelry part and placed it over the bulb to see if it would mute the glaring light from the bare bulbs, but still cast enough light. You can see it above in the branches of the tree by the windows. I think it succeeds in muting the light, and casts more wonderful shadows on the ceiling, but the question remains about whether it leaves us with enough light in this room! This is a Dark room, and all the trees are supposed to be spooky and minimally lit... and I have always felt that the bare bulbs need a shade of some kind.

In this picture you can see the sconces over the mantel are also on, but without any shades, they are a bit more glaring and make it hard to see the other features of the room. (One of the difficult features of this room is that the fireplace wall is angled away from the open side of the room, making a direct view of the fireplace impossible except through the windows on the side wall.)

And here is that view from outside, at night, with the sconces on.... 

the light is dim but at the same time too bright to see past the glaring light bulbs!

And another view of the mantel from the open side of the house....

this is as much of it as can be seen from this side!

I think I am going to try the "lampshades" on all the sconces and see how it looks....

but I only had the time to make the one shade so far!

I do like the effect of the one "lampshade" 

and I guess I will just have to wait and see 

whether we can still see enough when they all have "shades"!

The other thing I accomplished last weekend, Dear Readers,

was to glue a couple of additional boards onto the bed frames 

for the Cloud Palace Bear-Racks!

This is how it looked at the start of the weekend.....

And this is how it looked by the end of the weekend!

I think it makes the beds look much cozier!

This is a close-up of the lower bunk..... 

there is a shelf for bearsonal items....

And here is the upper bunk.... there is a shelf here too,

but the picture is a bit too dark....!

Hamish Harry has come to inspect the bunks!

He has even found a temporary pad to give it a try!

(There will, of course, be proper mattresses and bedding soon...!)

I think Hamish Harry looks Happy with the accommodations!

But I still need to build the bed for the loft ....

Where Brother Beorn will have his own Bearsonal Working space...

He is very patient!

 

So, Dear Readers, between the Bear Racks and the sconces,

I think you can see 

That there is not much to see at all!

Picky Picky!

Little Details.....

I had a couple of days of Holiday Time left, Dear Readers, after I had finished painting the Christmas Card (see previous post for a picture!), and had hoped to get a Great many things done on All my mini projects! But, as often happens, every little thing takes longer than you could imagine to complete.... and the Indecisive part of my Imagination prevented me from Choosing the best projects for the moment.... so I did not get very much done at all. But I did get a few Little Things done.... even ones I had almost forgotten about! I hope you can recognize, or even Remember The Folly Bed Nook in the above picture (It is so dark at this time of year it is difficult to get a good photo!) Long ago I had started to sew a pair of bolsters for either end of the bed, but I was not at all satisfied with the way the first one was turning out, so I put them aside and forgot about them! Well, for some reason, I decided it was time to finally finish them!

I had sewn one of them but did not have the right material to stuff them. I wanted to try sand or beads so they would look heavy and sag in the middle. They are sewn the old fashioned way by hand, and at first I thought they would be too large and bulky for the bed nook. But then I decided to over-stitch the ends, making a welt around the end seams, which gave more shape and definition to the pillow. I had bought some bird gravel and used it to stuff and I really liked the way it came out after all! Then I tried to make the second one to be just like the first one, and even though I had cut the pieces at the same time, the second one did not turn out right at all! I had to pick it apart and re-stitch it more than three times! (This never happens to me!) Eventually I got it close enough to the first one....

When they are in place on the bed they are almost impossible to see.... 

(Maybe the next time there is a sunny morning.....)

But I know they are there!

And because one is at each end of the bed.... 

you don't notice any difference in size at all!

Another Tiny little detail that I worked on was the Curtain rods in the Willowcrest.

It bothered me that it was impossible to remove the curtains from the rod once the walls were all in place! This is because the rods are made to slide out the ends of the eye-screws that hold them to the walls.... but you need enough length of the wall on either side of the window for this to work!  Which just isn't there in these small rooms! I decided I would need to open up one of the eyes on each set of curtain rods.... so that it was a hook instead....

This way you could lift one end of the rod out of the holder 

and slide the curtain off the end!

So while I had taken the Willowcrest mostly apart.....

I fixed all the curtain rods!

And while I was at it I worked on those pesky window sills....

remember the problem with the muntins abutting the window sill on the exterior?

When I fixed the exterior side.... it left an unfinished strip visible from the inside!

Here you can see I have covered three out of four of the panes... 

that little white stripe at the bottom on the right 

is the exterior frame showing on the inside.

(Sorry about all the reflections!)

You can also see I have added the under-painting for some more flowers

 on the wall murals along the bottom edge.

And once all the window frames had been fixed... I added the interior sills.

It makes the windows so much more realistic!

(The kit design does not include any interior window sills!)

Here you can see the window sill added to the interior of the window.

(Sorry it is so dark.... night again!)

And the exterior window sills that had not yet been attached I fitted and glued in place.

It takes quite a bit of picky carving away at the notches in these pre-cut pieces 

to get them to fit flush to the frames and the wall!

These also required the exterior window frames and muntins to be added.....

And I had Almost enough already painted pieces 

of the very fine silver trim I am using....

But not quite enough! 

I will have to cut and paint some more pieces 

in order to complete all the windows.

And yet another small detail I worked on 

was the fireplace for the Willowcrest bedroom...

I had not been happy with the way the paint looked 

the first time around, so I re-painted it!

It is made of wood, but I wanted it to resemble carved stone.

(I also added a thicker wooden base for the hearth.)

And painted the bricks on the hearth interior....

And tested the look with the Regency Fireplace insert....

It looks lovely, but Much too clean!

So I added a lot of "soot".

Which really doesn't show well in this photo... 

the light is too glaring!

Maybe you can see the soot a little better in this view.

I have not attached the plug to the wiring for the fire yet.... 

so we cannot see it lit.

But you can sort of see the additional tiny flowers 

I added at the bottom of the murals....

(Very picky little details!)

Tulips, violets and dandelions....

So hard to imagine at this time of year! 

(And there will also be a baseboard added at the bottom.)

I will have to get some better pictures for you in the daylight!

And Another project I picked away at was the 

Painting of the rocks on the Cloud Palace Tower!

Believe it or not, Dear Readers, this is a part of the project 

that one could never possibly be satisfied with the results!

The rocks are fine.... but they are all different

 from the ones painted on the lowest section of the Tower!

It is like when you buy yarn and you get two different dye lots 

and don't notice until the project is all done and you can see where one color is off!

The paint batches for the rocks will never match the older part!

So I have decided that it is "good enough" and moved on 

to gluing the parts together!

Which means I can construct the beds 

for the Guy Bearys.... in the "Bear Racks"!

(Otherwise know as bunk beds and a loft!)

Once I get the interior structure glued 

I can add all the rest of the "Rocks" 

to the outside of the Tower!

 

And one more thing I want to show you, Dear Readers, 

is not a project at all....

But a Gift I received for Christmas from my Dear Niece!

She sent me this fantastic roll-top desk 

and the beautiful painting and the bouquet of flowers!

Thank you, Hali!

The only way I can be picky with these is Where to put them... 

and I think the roll-top desk might just belong 

here in the attic of the Willowcrest!

So Dear Readers, I hope I have not bored you 

with all these Picky Little Details!

Sometimes you just have to be Very Picky!

Little Pieces of Time

Treasures....

I am Hoping you will understand, Dear Readers, if I take a minute to explain that I have neglected to show you a Wonderful Surprise gift I received earlier this Summer! My excuse is that I was waiting to find the right moment to sneak it into the Story that has been taking over this blog! That moment came last Sunday when the morning sun was shining and Lady Lavender took a moment to do some washing for the Cloud Palace! Do you see the Marvelous folding wire clothes rack that she has used to hang the cloths to dry? It was sent to me as a gift by Remco, who paints wonderful little models and has made these tiny functional folding racks as gifts for several blog friends! He sent me one for being a follower of his blog! It is so delicate and beautifully made! Thank you Remco for sending it to me! It really is a Treasure! As you can see, it will be well used at the Cloud Palace!

And while Lady Lavender has taken a moment to do some washing, 

the Lads have been enjoying the Guard Room of the Cloud Palace Tower....

Although they only seem to be guarding the cakes...!

I also wanted to tell you that I have finally decided 

to "lighten up" the rocks in the Tower.....

I added a few washes of pale gray paint 

to make the rocks more uniform in type and color.

And then I scored lines in the ceiling to resemble boards....

And I glued them in place!!!

This means I can begin the structural work for the next level....

Where the "Bear-racks" and the Loft will be!

You can see that Brother Beorn has come to have a look at the Loft...

This is where his bed and his Herb storage will be.

And once I had made a little more progress

 on the bed frames and the window frames....

Hamish Harry came to see how it was shaping up...

Of course, the picture is a bit dark because the sun is setting so early now...

It is hard to find the Time to take pictures in Daylight!

 

And Meanwhile, I am Sure you are wondering, Dear Readers, 

What has become of all the Little Travelers that we left scattered on the Winds?

Well, you might recall that Buttercup did not realize right away 

that Tiny Bear had fallen from her shoulders when the Dragon dumped them off!

As soon as she realized he had fallen, she went looking for him....

She spotted the building below where they had been flying and thought she should begin looking
there!

She thought she better have a look inside, just to be sure he wasn't in the house......

"Halloo... Is anybody home?" she called.

"Tiny Bear.... are you here?"

But there was no reply.

 

She looked in the kitchen, but it was empty.

She even went upstairs to see if he was up in the bedroom.

But it, too, was empty.

She went back outside to have a look on the other side of the house...

She thought surely he must be somewhere nearby!

At the side of the house she noticed a huge old Tree stump....

And she thought she could see lights twinkling at her from inside the Tree!

"Helloooo..." she called.

"Anybody hooome?"

Suddenly a little creature appeared at one of the holes in the Tree Roots....

"Oh, Good evening, Sir" said Buttercup.

"I am looking for a friend of mine, 'Tiny Bear'" she added.

"Have you seen him anywhere around?"

"I am afraid I can't help you..." said Samuel Whiskers nervously.

"I don't know any Bears..." he said.... 

"Yourself excluded" he added, not wanting to offend.

"Er, yes", said Buttercup. "I am 'Buttercup'."

"I am Vegetarian." she added politely.

"Ah!" said Samuel Whiskers, relaxing just a little.

 "I am Samuel Whiskers."

"We don't generally get any Bears in this area..." he added.

"You might try over at the Castle...." he suggested.

"We were just over at the Castle...." said Buttercup.

"But the Dragon dumped us off as were were 

flying over the house and Tiny Bear got lost...." she added with a sigh.

.

Meanwhile, Dear Readers, 

you must be wondering where Marmalade has gone?

Well, she has been looking all over the castle for Buttercup!

The Owls in the Guard Room couldn't tell her anything... 

so she decided to look upstairs.

And you might recall that Lady Athena had gone 

to talk to the Wizard about the Holes in Time...

"We cannot continue with these Trespassers...." she said.

"You must find the Key and close the Gaps!"

"You know as well as I..." replied the Wizard, 

"That I cannot control the Actions of Any..."

 

"I can only Influence the Energy 

that Flows from one Moment to the next...!"

 "Well, then you must 'Influence' more Precisely...!" 

she declared and then turned and swept from the room.

Marmalade did not see her pass through the door even as she entered it...

They were not standing in exactly the Same Time!

And when she poked her head in through the doorway, 

she was almost surprised that the room was Not empty!

"Oh," she cried "You must be the Wizard!" she added excitedly.

"We have been looking for you..." she added... 

"Or rather, we are looking for the Cloud Palace... 

But someone said we would need your help to find it...." she said all in a rush.

"We....?" asked the Wizard.

"Er.... I seem to have become separated 

from my Friends..." said Marmalade apologetically.

"I was looking for them when I found you here..." she added.

"But we all arrived together at the Castle 

so I am sure they are here somewhere!" she declared bravely.

"Ah...!" replied the Wizard thoughtfully.

"I can see that you are very Brave..." he said 

as he looked directly into Marmalade's eyes.

"You have strayed Deep into the Past..." he said.

"Your Friends are no longer in the Castle.... nor are they in this Time."

"I will give you this Timepiece....." he added, 

holding out an ancient watch.

"With it's Guidance you should be able to Find your way Back!"

"But remember this...!" he said sternly, 

"You must Master Time or it Will master you!"

And he handed the Old Timepiece to Marmalade.

"Er... Okay..." said Marmalade, taking the Watch.

"Thank you for you help, Mr. Wizard." she added.

And she turned to leave, 

not entirely sure she understood what he meant!

"I will just go find my Sister...." she thinks to herself.

"I don't know about the 'Past'... 

now is Now" she decides.

"I will just take this Little old 'Piece of Time' and see where it leads me!

And she set off once more.

Soon, she too, was soaring above the chimneys and roof tops....

It seems it was not too difficult to find her Sister......

She arrived to find Buttercup talking to a small creature in a Tree.

"Oh there you are Marmalade!" says Buttercup happily.

"I seem to have lost Tiny Bear..." she added sadly.

"I was just asking Samuel Whiskers if he had seen him about."

"Well, the Wizard gave me this 'Piece of Time'" 

said Marmalade, holding up the watch.

"And with its help I easily found you."

"So maybe it will help us find Tiny Bear" she added.

 

"The Wizard...??" said Buttercup, astonished.

"You saw the Wizard???" she added, forgetting all about Tiny Bear.

"Well, I was looking all over for you..." said Marmalade...

"But the Great Hall was empty... and..."

"The Great Hall was Empty...?" questioned Buttercup.

"I flew all around it... it was full of furniture... and dogs!" she declared.

"Not the Great Hall I was in....!" declared Marmalade....

And so it went Dear Readers, all the way inside and up the stairs....

And before they knew it the two Sister Bearys 

were tucked into the bed in the Folly Bed nook!

And just between you and me, Dear Readers, 

They were so tired, it only took 

A Tiny little piece of Time to fall asleep!

Treasure those Little Pieces of Time!

(But somehow, I don't think they will ever 

agree on what the Castle looked like!)

 

(Ah, yes... to be continued!)