My New House

Our mini group, MECO, had a garage sale/swap this past weekend and one of our members unloads a Pierce kit. My oh my. Given all my yearning to put together a kit - I spent alot of time standing in front of it, considering. I have been dreaming about how I would bash several houses available in kit form the last few months; including this one. And strangely enough, I recently saw this house without a porch and how different it looked...like a french chateau - and that's the direction I was headed in the imaginings of my own doll house - lots of stone, but almost castle-like, Victorian-Gothic. I'm so excited. Good thing I have lots of paperclay!

I plan on adding timber framing...and well, changing most everything. I'm going to thicken the walls, knock down interior walls, add an entire new floor on the bottom, add several new chimneys and fireplaces, replace the windows with houseworks ones (I also mean to cast 'stone' window casings)...I'm thinking how to add to the back of the kit - but that's still coming together. I'm also still considering its name. I hope the process of building this house is the step I need to confidently work with traditional construction methods.
It was such a good deal - and my mini group friend had been storing the kit between 20 and 30 years she thinks...she's excited to see what I do with it too!
Up until now, everything I’ve built has been with the ultimate intention of letting it go. This is the first time I’ve built for just myself – something I really needed to do at this point, and I’m so excited about it – it gets more fanciful and splendid in my imaginings every day! To actually begin construction I have to clear the space in my studio by finishing my mosaic window…but I really wanted to finish it this summer and thanks to google I was informed that Fall is upon us!
Anyways, this is my big news! :D

2008 ATM MAKE

Now that she's received it, I may post the MAKE I made for Charena at http://www.allthingsmini.com/.

A MAKE is a wonderful gift exchange - you take your knowledge of the person and craft them something within the chosen theme of the MAKE - the theme this time was 'Summer Fun' . Here's mine for Charena - and AnneMari's wonderful picnic of gorgeous handmade food items for me!

Muddy End - A Swamp Witch House

Somewhere in the depths of a most soggy swamp...Muddy End is now for sale at our Etsy shop.

Muddy End is completely sculpted and fashioned by hand; a one of a kind creation hatched in my swampy dreams. Made mostly from builder’s foam and Paperclay it is remarkably light for its size. Other construction materials are the wooden base and resin water that cradle the house. Inhabitants lurk in unsuspected places and each crack and surface is blossoming with mildew and decay. Vines imbed themselves in the crumbling wall. It’s a lovely little home for any discerning swamp witch.

Muddy End also placed 3rd at the West Coast Dollhouse and Miniatures show when it was exhibited June 2008.

The shelves shown are the only built-in furniture – the other items can be included if you desire them – including the witch herself.

Photo Gallery of Muddy End here: http://www.soletluna.com/miniatures/muddyend/muddyphotos/index.html

Butler

This was the most complicated sewing for a gentleman doll that I'd done so far - I do love his coat with tails though! He will be holding a serving tray of some sort I think...but for now, here's his face. (badly photographed by myself - it's pretty safe to say that if the photograph is good, it's David's, if it's poor, it's mine!)

Labour Day Bike Ride

Well Saturday we decided to final do what we have always thought would be a good idea..........ride the Kettle Valley Railroad grade and check out the trestles. These trestles burned up in the 2003 forrest fire but thanks to the federal, provincial governments and donations they were rebuilt. This route was just offically reopenned this past summer.

It was a great day and here's a picture of one of the trestles and a the second tunnel on the grade. Notice Cate is standing at the start of the trestle