Progress and building inspection

It seems I am getting stuck into it again.  I just needed a bit of help to get on the way, I think.  Hubby helped me further with the spiral stairs.  He seems to know what he's doing.  I still lack that kind of insight. :-)

Anyway, while he was working on the stairs I went to look for something that I could use for the banisters.  I didn't have any spindles, but I remembered I had disgarded the stairs of my Del Prado house.  I went in search and yes, there they were, in a box full of junk.  The parts that is.  I decided that I could use the parts for the spiral stairs. So I set out to cut the parts that would replace the spindles (see picture).

Hubby routered the slots for them to be glued in and I finished it off:

I found a length of electric wire which will do for the top of the banisters, so when the glue is dry tomorrow I will try and finish the stairs properly.  They can be set into place, because the preparations have been done:

Slot in the floor

Receiving hole in the ground floor

As you can see, I have already started on the floor boards.  It's going to be a fairly old building, so a timber floor will do.  So much nicer.  I love wood.  A tiled floor would be rather 'cold' in a flower shop I reckon.

Just as well I was concentrating on doing a good job, because the building inspector arrived unexpectedly:

So far the work has been approved. She's cute, isn't she, this building inspector?  I wish they were all like that. :-)

I haven't planned far ahead, but I have this vague idea of an old building, so I might try and work with paperclay, inside and out.  Therefore I have started painting the door and windows, although I haven't decided on the colour yet.  I will probably look into that tomorrow.  So, this is what I have done so far:

The door already has glass in it, so I am painstakingly painting around the edges. I have a fairly steady hand, so hopefully I can pull that off.  With the door and window frames I haven't been so careful, since the areas around them are going to be covered anyway.

Well, that's all for today.  See you tomorrow for another episode....

Building again

One can't always make plants and flowers.  One needs a building to house them!  So, I have taken up working on my florist again.  My hubby has helped me this morning with electrifying.  Boy, that's the best part of building: seeing everything lit up!  I know the basics of electricity, but hubby, having been an electrician by trade, always has some handy hints, so I am learning as I go.  He instructs, I do the work.  Best way to remember what to do next time when I am trying to do this.

This time I have two downlights in the bay window of the shop and one light in the dormer upstairs.  Since I am using MDF it's very simple, just drill a few holes and with the router create a channel where needed.

Remember these?

They now have the lights in them:

And the dormer:

I don't know what kind of lamp I will have in this little room upstairs, but at least there's light!  Initially I wanted a kind of fluro, but can't get it here, and since I am impatient I am not going to wait till I can get one. ;-)

Downstairs I will make a kind of cupboard in the back of the shop which will house the plug for the lights.  At the moment I have created a temporary connection:

And this is what it looks like from the outside.  I should have probably waited till night time, but will take another picture later on.

My hubby is working on the spiral stairs.  He's started them some 10 years ago, just for fun, but promised he would finish them now so I can use them in the shop.  This is where they were at when I discovered them in my box full of 'junk':

It's not much to look at, but while I am writing this I can hear a lot of noice (scroll saw, sanding disk) from the garage, so I guess I will have something more to show next time...

Okay, dinner time!!!  See you around....

Spring is in the air

Yes, in the southern hemisphere spring is in the air, albeit a bit wet which is quite unusual for this time of the year.  However, more time for me to spend indoors and I have finally finished the parrot tulips I had started in June.  Remember I forgot to bring my paint?  Well, they're finished now and I have also managed to squeeze in a planter with white geraniums.  One can never have enough geraniums I reckon.

I still have a stack of flower kits, so these are still from Variaatjes.  I  hope I won't reach the bottom of the stack too soon.  I love the vase that came with the tulip flower kit.  Don't you?  And the planter for the white geraniums is just cardboard, but I happened to have some terracotta paint for a full scale outdoor job and tried in on the card.  Looks pretty enough to me.  The white geraniums have replaced the pink ones outside Scrooge's residence, because the pink ones will probably look prettier on the florist's wall. 

Well that's it for today.  Running out of time.  I have noticed quite a number of new followers.  Hello to you all. I have visited your blogs, insofar you have one, and will come back to welcome you all properly.  For now, I am going to do some much needed housework. :-)

See you all
Marion

My heart wasn't in it...

Look at the picture.  Can you tell my heart wasn't in it?

It also was a kit and an obviously much cheaper one than I have made up before.  I bought it at a show and for the money there's really nothing wrong with it, but I should have realised it was meant for a complete novice.  Without bragging I would say that over time I have graduated to a higher lever. ;-)  Well, they might find a place somewhere in my florist's, at the back......

This really made me decide that I need to get some good punches and experiment myself.  Paper is no problem, as I have already obtained some good quality rice paper, but the lack of punches is the main problem.  Once I have a few I can try and experiment.  Plenty of examples in the garden. :-) 

That reminds me.  I saw some really beautiful life size, that is 'real' peonies on someone's blog this morning.  Unfortunately I have forgotten who's blog, but I am sure I will come across it again some time.  Anyway, I was going to use the pictures to make my own and then realised that I had made them already from a kit, but haven't shown them to you yet:

Now, this one may take pride of place, somewhere at the front?  I love the vase too.  Those kits from VaRIAatjes always come with an appropriate beautiful vase or container.   No, I won't go on about the VaRIAatjes kits, I promise.  (I don't have shares either LOL)  It's just that I have so many of the kits and still lots to go, so you might hear me mention it again now and then....

Off to my next job.  I have started on a doll's pram for a change. When that's finished I will show it in my general blog.  Have a nice day!

Did I mention tulips?

This is how far I got:

I managed to colour the petals and make the cuts for the fine fringe and discovered....... that I had forgotten to bring my paint.  Silly.  But, I thought I show you that my intentions were good. ;-)

Well, there's always another kit.  And no, this time I am not going to say or promise anything.  I'll just see how I go first and show you the finished product.  Don't hold your breath though, it won't be tonight. LOL

Growing some more plants...

I've finally managed to add another plant to my collection: a standard hibiscus. Since I am not at home at the moment, my hobbying is limited to what I can take with me.  VaRIAatjes Workshopboxes are my favorite, because not only do I still need lots of plants for the shop, the kits contain everything I need and list on the back exactly what tools I need, so I can easily work away from home.  So, here's a picture of the finished product:

I am quite happy with the result, and also with the planter that was included in the kit! Now I am going to start on a kit with Parrot Tulips.  I've made lots of tulips before, but these are different and I reckon, more beautiful.  Wish me luck. ;-)

I wanted to welcome a lot more followers to this blog, but since I have problems with the wireless connection where I am (this posting took a lot of repeated log-ins) I'd better wait till I am back home again.  Be assured that I appreciate all you new friends out there and I am already following all of your blogs too, to my knowledge.  It's so great, this wonderful world of bloggers from far away in most cases.  Thank you all for sharing.  As for the tulips: watch this space. :-)

My new blog

It doesn't look like it here, but I have been working hard. I have started another blog for my miniature hobby in general. Go and have a look at Marion's Miniatures. Enjoy.