On A Fruition High

It is such a great feeling when you get on a creative roll! Motivation rages as you see the fruition of ideas coming to life, and more and more inspiration begins teaming through your mind! This feeling is why we spend countless hours, and why so many miniaturists become hopelessly addicted.

Today, there was no Seahawks game to watch (they are on Monday Night Football this week), so I delved into the barn's To Do List. Next item: Wall sculpture.

This is the empty living room wall that I needed to fill up. I do like the modern and minimal look in miniatures, but my current home, and what I imagine our retirement barn will be like, is much different. Maybe it is because I need to get rid of some stuff, or maybe I am just very sentimental (hoarder). Either way, I like my home to have elements that make you feel as though you've just received a big, warm hug. As soon as you walk through the doorway.

It is pretty difficult to reach into the back of the space, and my eyesight isn't as good as it used to be. They are no good for measuring at a distance, so I made a template of the wall. It's very, hmmm... Rustic! That's it! But it will do...

These are the items I've been collecting to use as wall decor in the barn. I didn't really have a solid plan as to what would go where. There are some plastic frames from HBS as well as some unfinished metal frames that I purchased from Minis And More on eBay. A couple of the metal frames are from Russ' aunt Lu. She gets free stuff at the casino and likes to give it to us. Love you aunt Lu!

I measured and drew ley lines on the template (my version - remind me to pick up some drafting paper) so that I could lay out and trace around the final design. This way, after I got everything painted and assembled, I'd remember where everything was supposed to go. 

Here is the layout that I finally settled on. 

I have a mixture of all kinds of metals in the barn, because that's what I have in my 1:1 scale home. I'm kind of disorganized eclectic in the way I accumulate things to decorate with.

 I decided to paint the frames in flat black, then spray a light coat of aged bronze over the top. Here they are before spraying them.

I wanted to print photos of Russ and I on our forest adventures together, because wherever we are together, that is home. I resized and cropped them to the frame sizes in Publisher. Then I printed them in black and white on glossy photo paper. Here are the photos with the finished frames.

After I cut them out with my Xacto knife, I glued them into the frames. Then I drilled a pilot hole for the coat hooks and affixed them to a piece of trim board. I made the plate rack and plates in July when I delved into learning how to solder. I'd love someday to get involved in a mini swap and make them for my new kindred friends.

Now it was time to transfer everything to the actual wall. That's the hard part! I concluded after much thought that the chances for success would be greatly improved with the assistance and employment of gravity (although it's not doing my boobs any favors). I carefully removed any items that were not glued down so that I could put it on it's side on the floor. That way, I'd be gluing on a flat surface, and would maybe have a better chance of getting everything even and straight.

That reminds me. I've been really curious... How many of you permanently attach everything in your projects? I usually do, but I am not the proud owner of any expensive art pieces from artisans at this point. Pros? Cons?

I just have a few more details to add on the entry/living room before I can move on. The next project will be the garage, and I'm really looking forward to getting my grease on!