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22 hours ago, Sable said:

I must say, applying wood veneer to a roombox was not fun. The application and staining part is done. Tomorrow I have to get tack cloths  before applying a poly, wait 24 hours, sand, wipe with a tack cloth, poly a second coat, wait another 24 hours then smooth out the finish with the reverse side of a piece of sandpaper. Thank you YouTube.

First coat of poly applied. Now we wait.

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I painted up the brick for a kitchen wainscoting today...what a mess. Was going to paint the whole thing, grout lines and all, then as I'm watching the paint, dry, decided I didn't like it, so scrubbed off all of the paint. Painted again with a foam roller, leaving the grout exposed. Looked great, until I set it in the house. I think it's too much pattern with all of the grout lines and the tile floor. Husband looked at it and agreed, then rolled his eyes and said "brick in a kitchen is weird anyway" So...back to the drawing board. I might do a beadboard  for the lower part of the wall.  

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20 minutes ago, stickyfingers said:

Looked great, until I set it in the house.

Sometimes what you see in your mind's eye just doesn't translate into real life. I like that you're already considering Plan B. 

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Sable, that looks wonderful!. That was the original plan, a tall bead board, with paint that coordinates with the tile on top. Last night I was looking though one of my decorating books, and noticed 1)many kitchens with floor to ceiling bead board, and 2)they were all white. The kitchen doesn't have any windows, so all white might open it up, or look too stark. I also started second guessing my furniture choices for the kitchen, so it looks like I'm back to square on. That's Ok, there's 8 other rooms that have a plan, so I have plenty else to do.

 

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Karin that is so neat, I am so excited for you. 

I've been working on short less-than-a-week projects lately. Which is great for quick satisfaction, but then every few days a new project has to be planned. A couple times I've gotten out a more involved project (1:144 Beacon Hill, and 1:48 Karen Carey Japanese house), but then get overwhelmed and put it away. I'll be glad when I'm ready to commit to a big project again, and especially when I get back to 1:12. I have so many things I want to do!

Last week during break I got 2 small projects done, a little no scale 2 room cutesy house, that I covered with scrapbook paper, lace, and paper flowers. Then the little tiny bathroom box. This weekend is a little "toolbox" of sorts, which is covered in paper, pearls, flowers, and maybe some lace. I had started it thinking it might be a gift for someone, but I'm not so sure now I want to give it up. :)

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I have the parts of John's shoes cut out and started Lionel's clothes.  Dressing Lionel & Portia will be interesting, as the directions for their clothes say to glue everything, and I'm a seamstress like my maternal great-grandmother (and paternal grandmother), so I'm cutting linings.

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I have been cutting the bead and board for my caravan which went well, I am glad for that as I stripped the first lots of paint I had used on it when I wasn't going to B&B it and that was not fun but I am moving forward again. My stuff from Laser stuff  us at the border pick up office finally  and the wall paper from the UK is there also so moving right along again.

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8 hours ago, WyckedWood said:

New beauties on the way and another batch still firing in the kiln. I was telling my friends, this is the only type of cooking I've ever enjoyed :) 

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They look great. Can't wait to see what else you cook up for them!

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4 hours ago, havanaholly said:

I have the parts of John's shoes cut out and started Lionel's clothes.  Dressing Lionel & Portia will be interesting, as the directions for their clothes say to glue everything, and I'm a seamstress like my maternal great-grandmother (and paternal grandmother), so I'm cutting linings.

Sewing sounds so much better than gluing. You must have a lot of patience, though. 

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I've been working on the outside of the Hansel & Gretel Buttercup - just the expanded bay so far, trying to incorporate the paperclay springerle I made without losing all the fancy trim. (There will be room for more in other places.) The springerle aren't cooperating very well - they're all different sizes, partly from the springerle pin having inconsistent molds, and also because they shrink differently depending on their thickness, and I can't seem to get them uniform. It's not looking at all the way I pictured it, but I guess it knows how it wants to be. I spent hours trying to make candy-cane posts and when I finally got some that weren't too bad, I didn't love the way they looked on the house. So here it is with them and without. Any suggestions?

 

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I am so impressed with the way those springerle molds look! I think the canes look really neat. 

Holly, I prefer sewing as much as I can too. I’m nervous to make men’s clothes, from what I’ve heard they’re the most challenging. My pattern books say that a tailors ham is very useful for sewing men’s clothes, when it comes to the pressing.  

Jeannine glad to hear you’re moving along again! Nothing more frustrating than being in limbo. 

 

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I do an awful lot of basting, especially I baste the seams open before I press them.  I don't use knots; when I sew a straight seam I start in the middle and sew a tiny  running stitch to one end, then stitch back (going under the top thread and over the bottom thread on my way back) and sew to the other end; then I repeat the trip back to the middle and clip.  Sometimes I use a backstitch.  With men's clothes I fit and then refit as I go.  I have been very pleased with Catriona Hall's The Miniature Costumier, which I used to dress my farmer:

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Andrea, I love the springerle AND the candy canes; nibble, nibble, little mouse, who is nibbling on my house?

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Karin and Holly, thanks. I really like the springerle too; and actually there's nothing that I don't like, but I'm realizing that together it's all looking too lighthearted for what I had in mind. The thing about Hansel and Gretel that intrigues me is the darkness of it. It really is a horror story. I can't believe we read it to children, although I do. Anyway, I'm definitely keeping the springerle, but I'm going to try to darken the mood of the place. Thanks for letting me know what you think. I really value your ideas.

Holly, I would never have the patience to do that kind of sewing, but I see that it makes wonderful garments. Your farmer's outfit fits him to a T. And I love that room!

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The story is absolutely gruesome, but the witch's house was supposed to attract little children, and I could just imagine Gretel licking one of those candy canes while Hansel is picking off bits of springerle and stuffing them into his mouth whilst the witch is peeking out of a window at them.

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10 hours ago, abloom said:

So here it is with them and without. Any suggestions?

The springerle molds are perfect. I like the candy canes. I would keep them, but if you're trying to darken the overall look, then they are perhaps a bit too light-hearted.  With all of your creative experimentation, I'm sure that eventually you will strike the right note. 

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Linda, I'm definitely using cinnamon sticks somewhere. I hadn't thought about them for posts. Interesting! I'll see if I can find some long ones.

Holly, I think that's my challenge ... to make it enticing to hungry little children but still show its dark character.

Kathie, thanks for the encouragement. When I posted the pictures yesterday I had that sinking feeling like, all this work, and I don't love it. So nice to have this forum at times like that. Now that I know what was bothering me about it, I feel like working on it again. :)

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I think the sweetness is a big part of the illusion, it’s only when you see the cage that reality sets in, everything else is storybook perfect. My problem would be trying to keep it from looking too Christmasy.  If you’re planning on landscaping it that might help to keep it looking fantastical rather than Christmasy, if the setting is summer. 

I think maybe these stories were invented to keep children from wandering off in the forest, beware of strangers, things are not always what they seem...if it’s too good to be true....lots of good life lessons, but yeah, very grim. 

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The outside would have had to attract children; once they got to the door the witch had them, and the inside would have been terrifying, with bits & pieces of partly eaten children lying here & there.  Sort of like the scene in "Quest for Fire" when Ron Perlman's character figures out they're in a cannibal village.

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7 hours ago, WyckedWood said:

 

I don't know what I'm doing wrong with these quotes and comments. Anyway, yes, that was part of what I didn't like - the red candy with the green costumes made it look like Christmas. I'm going to try a more monochromatic way, with sweetness but no bright colored candy. The springerle can be a little less pure white, slightly golden, and there might be gingerbread and cinnamon and chocolate, and maybe a little more of the sugary glitter. I might give the stick candy another try, but in chocolate with a cream colored stripe. One hazard in this project is I'm constantly craving cookies. :|

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