The Miracle....

 

 

 Of Modern Mail....

Some of you Will understand, Dear Readers, the steady dwindling of hope that a certain package sent from over seas a Long Time Ago would ever reach these shores, let alone my personal porch. Yes, I was losing Faith. In fact, I will confess, that on Wednesday the 24th of February at 10:30 AM I looked out on my porch where no package was to be seen and finally admitted that it was getting a little Too late to still be hoping, and maybe the box was really truly lost. (If this is giving up... I gave up...). And so you will understand my Utter Amazement when I looked out at 2PM the same day.... to collect the mail that had been left in my box.... and there was that package leaning up against the wall beside the door....!!! What???? Really??? REALLY???? (Can you tell how amazed I was?) It only took 103 days to cross the ocean and reach my door.... which given the hardships of this past year is probably not remarkable at all. And yet again, I am amazed to think that we take the mail system for granted and think nothing of the Daily Miracle that it is. The very idea that you can put a bunch of carefully wrapped Treasures into a paper box with a few words scribbled (or typed) on it and hand it over to a complete stranger and a few days or weeks later (or months in hard times) it is hand delivered to another very specific door half way around the world... This is truly a miracle of faith and cooperation on a huge scale! Well!... and we take it for granted that it works.... which it usually does!

I was so shocked... it took me a little while before I was ready to open it!

And in case you don't know the sender of these Treasures...

Birgit is the most amazingly creative mini-maker 

and sends awesome Christmas packages!

(Yes, this was intended to be a Christmas Package!)

These little guys are so Wonderful....

But I don't blame them for looking a bit confused...!

It takes a while to open all the little parcels...

There are so many treasures!

Thank you Birgit!!!!!

And in another topic altogether, Dear Readers,

 I spent part of my weekend repairing the doors to the Dollmaker's Studio.

You may or may not have noticed that when I painted the frames,

 I had removed the opening doors. 

The hinges were hand made and quite small

 and a couple of them were not aligned properly in the frame.

When I went to put the doors back in,

 I added some tiny shims to the hinges on the left side.

The notches had been cut a tiny bit too deep

 and it stressed the hinges when they were closed.

Here both doors have been reattached.

They fit perfectly and hinge smoothly.

This is the interior side.... 

you can see the hand-made hardware.

Sorry for the dark picture...

Here I have fitted it back into the opening... 

still not glued in because the outside

 of the structure will need to be painted.

And because I am trying to get to the outside of the structure...

 there are a few details that need to be done on the inside first.

Like adding the curtain rods for the curtains....

Here I am adding lace to the bottom hem.

Testing the fit....

Both of them are done.

And then knowing that these doors will be drafty

They will need "portieres".....

Here I am testing the cloth.... 

still a long way from done...

But I do love velvet curtains!

And I needed to attach the overhead ceiling beams....

You know how it goes, they are never exactly the right length....

(Hand cutting is not reliable...!)

So you get three in place

 and the fourth one is a hair too long

 and causes the rest to fall!

I ended up gluing and shimming one at a time...

and waiting a good while in between each one!

And then I needed to test the ceiling paper I want to use....

It's a sparkly glittery textured scrapbook paper...

I want to pretend it is pressed tin ceiling tiles....

But I do love the shiny look... 

and any reflected light we can get

 in here will be a good thing!

And because I have my lace scraps out

 and am adding window hardware....

I find a scrap of beautiful old lace

 that is crying out to be used in this room...

I added a bottom hem of lace too.

Here it is in place.

I will make matching ones for

 the two little windows on the opening wall doors.

And trying to see how it will work

 with the sconce light I want to put on this wall...

Bit by bit I am starting to see this room come together...

Although it is such a small room... 

I am sure I will not be able to fit everything I want to in.

And that's all I accomplished last weekend, Dear Readers,

But it leaves me feeling optimistic!

With this progress

 and the Delivery of the Mail...

My faith is restored!

'Tis The Season....

Visitors and Gifts....

A Wonderfully familiar looking package arrived on my front porch last week, Dear Readers, this time in a very timely manner! It only took five days to cross the Oceans and travel to this little Town! (Last year it took more like five weeks to arrive on these shores!) It only took me a few more minutes to open the box to see what Birgit had sent! As anybody who has ever received one of Birgit's boxes knows, they are filled with wonderful seasonal treats! And this year's box is no exception!

Here is a beautiful Made-by-Birgit card......

With a Lovely picture inside of the Blog-Bearies Fluby and Rosey

 standing with Birgit's Christmas Cupboard

 that she made last year!

 Now I have my own picture of this Enchanting Mini-mini project!

There was also an envelope filled with tiny Christmas treasures....

all of them showing the trade-mark Birgit magic details!

The (still wrapped!) package is going under the Christmas Tree

 to be opened on Christmas morning....

but the Marzipan which was visible in the second picture

 has already been put to good use!

Thank you Birgit for your Generous Gifts!

And even more, Thank you for your friendship!

 

And because we are on the subject of gifts...

I also had the gift of a Visit from my Sister, Dear Readers,

 and while it was brief, it was Wonderful!

And look who came along with her.... 

Marmalade and Buttercup!

Riding on their own North Pole Christmas Express Train!

It was already quite late when they finally made it to the Cloud Palace....

 They were so eager to visit with their Fairy Beary cousins!

But they wanted to surprise them.....

"Surprise....!!!" said Buttercup as she jumped into the Palace....

"We're Here....!" said Marmalade as she followed Buttercup.

"And we brought you a gift..." said Buttercup

 as a Silver Mist Pine Tree appeared beside her.

All the Bearys were very excited to have Visitors.....

 and in almost no time, Buttercup and Marmalade

 were drinking Tea with Blue and Lady Lavender and Sweet Pea.

While Brother Beorn came to have a better look 

at this Silver Mist Pine Tree....

"It is clearly a different variety than the Silver Tinsel Tree..."

 he said as Sweet Pea Joined him.

"It looks like a very young specimen..." she said.

"We might need to shelter it.... 

especially since it comes from the South..." she added.

And while the other Bearys were occupied inside.... 

Hamish Harry and sir Orion had wandered over to the Guard Tower....

Where the North Pole Christmas Express was

 pulled up beside the Enchanted Cloud Cycle.....

They had to admit.... neither one

 had ever seen Anything Quite like it!

"I wonder how this thing goes..." said Hamish Harry as he climbed aboard....

Sir Orion jumped on behind him.... 

"I bet they hid the keys...." he said.

"Ach... I'm sure it'll never out-run my Cloud Cycle......" said Hamish Harry.

"And I'm sure it would never turn as quickly as Thunder can...." replied Sir Orion.

"But it sure has great wheels...." he added.

"Aye, and it can hold a mighty great cargo too!" said Hamish Harry.

And while they were all getting caught up over tea and cake,

 Dear Readers, I did manage to sneak in a few minutes

 to work on Blossom number Thirty-six!

Alas, my Sister's visit was short but Sweet...

and they were long gone by the time the blossom was finished.

Here you can see it in the box with the rest.

 

But as you can see Dear Readers,

I didn't get much done in my mini worlds last week...

Because 'tis the Season for Visitors and Gifts...

And I hope you all receive plenty of both!

Christmas In July.....

Are You Kidding Me...?

Imagine my Surprise, Dear Readers, when a little over a week ago as I was returning from work on a hot July evening, I spied a package at my door that had a mysteriously familiar look about it... it was just like the packages that often arrive at Christmas Time from Birgit. (I am sure some of you are familiar with these wonderful packages!) What? thought I..... a package sent so soon...?... perhaps to guarantee it's arrival in time for Christmas this year... ?! (Because last year's took an unusually long time to get here!) Well, I had to open it in as short a time as I could manage... which actually took quite a while because each wonderful treasure had to be carefully unwrapped and examined! And there were lots of them!

The first to emerge from the bubble-wrap was this adorable baby goat... 

with a message saying he was in search of a Gypsy Wagon to call home!

And very soon after was this wonderful cat...

Flocked and whiskered by Birgit!

His message says his name is "Mephisto" 

and he's looking for a new home 

and will work for mice and milk.... 

any magical or gypsy home would be welcome!

I reassured him there were several options...

 but first I needed to see what else was in the box....!

A Beautiful magical mirror was next....

Followed by a whole assortment of magical potions 

and a family of charmed pumpkins!

And a couple of ghoulish skulls and a flying black horse....

And that was not all... not by a long shot!

More magical potions...

And parchments and wands and even a frog!

Here, you must have a closer look... 

I am sure the frog is enchanted!!!

And look... a Magic Lamp too!

(I begin to suspect that Birgit wanted to be sure they would be here

 in Time for Halloween rather than Christmas!)

And there were even more treasures... materials for making things...

 green moss for aging gardens... a whole bunch of odd jewelry findings....

Not to forget the beautiful card with Rosey smiling

 from her pink hydrangea blossom!

Well, you can see Dear Readers, how I might be excused 

for thinking Christmas had already arrived!!!

Thank you Birgit for this wonderful package!

It has been a few weeks since I showed you the Gypsy Wagons,

and I have only added a few tiny details

 in all that time.

 I'm trying to get the decorative trim pattern worked out... 

which is complicated because most of the wagon exterior is still not done...!

But I am sure you can imagine how quick

 our little Kid was to find her new home...

See how perfectly she fits?

And of course, if there is a Kid... there must be a Nanny...

 (I better hurry up and finish this "barn"!)

Meanwhile, Dear Readers,  I continued to work

 on the large castle doors project....

I painted and attached the doors to the Castle Guard Room.

Believe me, it is going to take some getting used to

 the new look of the front of the Castle!

And I continued with the doors for the upper rooms...

Some of which as I mentioned,

 hadn't even had their "prosceniums" cut yet!

I decided where the windows needed to go....

and pulled out my big saw....

And cut the windows!

I am trying to be true to the designs of the older Castles....

 they were designed to be fortresses... 

and they had very few windows.

 Windows were a weakness in the walls

 so they tended to be high up... 

just to let in some light and have a view of the exterior.

Here you can see the Great Hall doors... it is a two story tall hall... 

and at one point the gallery might have gone all around the hall.

There are windows at the gallery level and on the main level.... 

but I am wondering whether I should make

 the ones on the gallery level be four across.

Often there were more windows on the interior walls 

that overlooked a courtyard or the inner bailey.

I will have to ponder this some more.

But I did decide that the Great Hall doors needed to be double panel doors...

 otherwise they would be too large and awkward when open.

Here I have cut them into the panels.... 

but they are not painted or hinged yet.

Here you can see just the two side panels in place (held with tape!)

showing that once they are attached, 

I will be able to have a partly closed position, 

with the middle panels folded back to allow a narrow opening.

And with all the doors closed....

Gosh, it's almost starting to look like a Castle!

And oh, heavens, it got late

 and I almost didn't finish blossom number nineteen!

But there it is!

Proof in the box!

and as for Mephisto, Dear Readers, 

he is inspecting the Castle....

I think he likes what he sees!

Something tells me he will be taking over the Castle!

So you can see, Dear Readers, I wasn't kidding!

I think it was Christmas in July!

Thanks to the generosity of Birgit!