Back To The Grind...

Hello friends! I'm back home in the northwest, safe and sound, and mom's new place is adorable! Arizona was beautiful and although very hot (108 was the highest temp in Lake Havasu City while I was there), not at all intolerable. Stepping outside from the air conditioning felt like getting into a warm tub and my 48 year old joints felt like they were wrapped in a heating pad! Just one day back in our moist climate has reminded me why lots of people retire to the southwest. Hello again arthritis...

There was lots of moving, lifting, unpacking and shopping for mom's new home. In between and while waiting for the moving truck to arrive, we toured the surrounding areas and got a taste of all the southwest has to offer. I think mom is going to love discovering her new city, and adopting a new routine will be a great adventure for her and my dad.

One of the fun excursions we enjoyed was a trip to the Mesa swap meet. Mom had seen some pottery cut out back-lit scene lamps there last year and knew she had to have them. Can you believe I didn't remember to take a picture? Well, they look something like this, only hers has a saguaro cactus, a jar and a wagon wheel. I have a feeling I may just come home with an empty one on a future visit - imagine the mini scene you could create inside!

Mom also bought her first two pairs of sandals - ever! Yep, she's never owned a pair and now she'll be living in them. Needless to say, we also had pedicures. Her tiny feet and newly painted toes looked stylish and adorable in them! Again, no photo - where was my head?

I got to stop at Auntie Em's in Glendale, and this time we got there early enough so that I could see everything! I made myself right at home, and methodically went through every box and basket of vintage and clearance miniatures. While sitting on the floor in between the pegged lighting displays, another shopper stopped by to ask where the picture frames could be found. She thought I worked there, and oddly enough, I knew right where they were! I found several unique fixtures for the Glencroft kit (third project in line as of this writing)...

And nearly cleaned out a basket of fixtures marked down to $2.50 each. I am thinking these will work well for Brimble's, although starting it is nowhere on the radar at the moment.

I found a mate to the window I picked up there in February - now I have two. I am thinking they will work in the Glencroft's stairwell. There I go cutting walls again! I can't seem to leave well enough alone. The little jug is slated for this build, too.

I found a couple unique doors made by Timberbrook - no idea on their age but I liked that they were unique and marked down. The third door has no makers mark but I loved the shape. If I make a pattern from it I can use it again and again on future builds.

I liked the look of this balcony kit, and although I don't have a dollhouse kit that it will work for, I thought it would make a neat stand alone and space saving little scene backdrop. Sometimes it's nice to have a quick build idea on hand when the big projects become a little mundane.

I found a couple packs of newel posts for the New Orleans stair balcony and a couple carved wall panels that I might use on the upstairs doors. For Brimble's, I found a kit to make a hot dog warmer and condiments.

The next build in the queue is a Christmas cottage. I'll be using the Dura-Craft Columbian kit and I think I've got pretty much everything I need. I was going to build a sink and cabinets, but when I saw these I just couldn't resist them. I want to go totally cutsie with this build, so we'll see where that leads. With less than six months to go until the holidays, I may need to get started on it concurrently with the New Orleans.

And just to prove that I am indeed mad for miniatures and am also an optimistic soul who will apparently be living a long time and be healthy enough to complete several more dollhouse projects before I die, I came home to the kit below which I had purchased using the eBay app on my iPad from Arizona. It was way too easy.

I had been thinking about looking for a Dura-Craft Heritage, but when I've seen them available, I didn't like the asking price or the shipping. $50 for the unopened Linfield was just too good to pass up. And what will I do with it now?

Add it to the pile of future hopes and dreams. :0P

Last but not least, I am woefully behind on my blog reading and commenting. I am going through withdrawal! It is amazing how a 67 year old senior citizen can keep you from sitting longer than 5 minutes at a stretch. Let's just say that it's good to be home with my butt in a chair and so many good blog posts to catch up on!

Back to the grind :0),

Jodi