The Freedom To Choose!

It’s been two weeks since my last post and you’d think I’d have made a ton of progress on the bakery to share with you. Especially,  since time has practically stopped! But alas, there is little here to show on the bakery for my time...

I did manage to get the ceiling papered, stucco'd and painted, the ceiling decorations attached and the lights installed. And I did attach the roof, fill gaps, install trim and touch up paint. Hey - I guess when I type it all out, it sounds like a lot, huh?

With what I'm about to share now, I know I might risk losing your confidence that I’ll ever finish a project. In my defense, I’ll remind you that after abandoning the New Orleans for a year and a half, only the landscaping remains to be finished. It took a while for inspiration to take hold again, but eventually, thankfully, it did.

I must also confess that it has been a little over a year since I ceased progress on the Storybook Cottage. It really is a shame that I can’t muster the inspiration to finish it, because I love it so much and it is ever so close! Only the bedroom and living room furniture and decor to go!

But working in the monochromatic bakery was beginning to become mundane. And there was nothing to keep me occupied while glue and paint were drying! There is still so much to do before I get to the fun parts - all of it more black and white and gray. It is fun to think of what I might do on the exterior, but...

With all of the worries in and for the world lately, I needed something more colorful to lift my spirits. I looked at my stash and thought "If the world might really end soon, I just have to see one more mini project come alive!" ;O)

And I know that there is not one miniaturist who is willing to die until every one of our mini dreams is realized. And God forbid we go with any unassembled kits remaining in our stash!

So I pulled down the Street Of Shops Two Window Shop kit.

I bought the whole SOS set back in 2013, and some of you may remember that I used the Bay Window Shop to house  Starbucks. You won't be surprised to know that it's not finished. I had plans to brick the exterior of all of the SOS shops and was waiting until they were all finished to do so. It's funny how my plans have changed over the years, and what used to be exciting plans for a wine shop has totally lost my interest. Here's how the poor Starbucks sits now, forever waiting to be completed. Look at all that dust!

And while I had no clear idea what I wanted the two window shop to be now, I  went through the wallpaper drawer, selected a piece of flooring and began to take measurements and sketch ideas on the instructions.

I found some lights and power in the stash...

And began to make some built in shelving with the Cricut...

And found a direction to go in...

Drawer Fronts with Dresden Embellishments and
Sparkly Drawer Pulls

 

Cut, installed and waxed the wood flooring...

Mirrored these cabinets and installed some lights...

And now, with no clearer idea what this shop will become, I'll start on trims. While glue and paint are drying, I'll switch back to the bakery. Or the New Orleans landscaping. Or the Storybook Cottage's furniture. Or start another new project... It's so nice to have choices, and the freedom to choose between them!

I pray that all of you are well, have all that you need, and that you have things to keep you happy, dreaming, and looking forward in spite of all that is out of control around us. God Bless, and keep on keepin' on!

xo xo,
Jodi

A Place To Lay Her Head...

A few weeks ago we had a stretch of warm and sunny weather so I took the opportunity to prime a group of furniture pieces for the New Orleans. I had a mix of furniture with different stains and finishes for the bedroom, so painting them was necessary to create a unifying theme. The primer is dark gray but really gave me a nice foundation to paint on. In the top center of the photo is the original piece I had planned to use as the kitchen island. It turned out to be too big and so it has been put back into inventory.

While I had the sewing machine out, I decided to make a reversible bedspread using teal and gold silk fabric. My first try was just a little too short, but the second try was perfect. I was going to insert a piece of aluminum foil in between the fabrics so that I could make the fabric fall nicely, but on the test fit I decided it laid perfectly and did not need it. I left an opening in the bottom of the bedspread in case I ever change my mind and want to make a messy bed. You can't see the opening, as that part tucks behind the footboard. If you look closely at the bedspread, you can see that I used gold thread in the bobbin and teal thread on top to match the fabrics. I was tickled with myself, lol!
I also later made a set of light teal top and bottom sheets for the bed, but the pillows are all no sew.

I used the lighter teal wall color mixed with white chalk paint to make a light blue base coat on the furniture, then used glazing liquid and the darker teal color to apply a glaze coat over the top. Then I highlighted the raised detail with gold gilders paste. In the first photo below you can see the difference in the nightstand after applying the glaze.

I had a Bespaq chair with light pink upholstery for the room. I wanted to try the alcohol ink trick to make it teal. This was an epic fail, but I learned some valuable things. Alcohol ink will dissolve other dry, seemingly permanent alcohol ink. You may think it is a permanent stain on your plastic medicine cup, but the moment another alcohol ink touches it, it dissolves. So my teal ink turned slightly peacock blue. It was really pretty in the cup, so I went ahead and applied it. Big mistake. It may have passed in another setting, but it was just too dark and jarring in this room. I was trying to keep the bedroom fairly monochromatic and serene. Note to self: Clean the medicine cup with isopropyl alcohol or blending solution before using it for another color.

As usual, though, this mistake was an opportunity to have something even better. I carefully deconstructed the upholstery pieces, using heat from my blow dryer to loosen the glue. I used the pieces as patterns to make new pieces from the same gold silk fabric that I used on the bedding. I also carefully sanded the chair's wood structure, then painted and gilded it to match the other bedroom pieces. That was so much better than leaving the walnut stain and the peacock blue. I used twisted cord in teal around the seams to give it some detail. But it still needed a pillow.

I made a couple really simple bolster pillows. I didn't feel like coming back over to my desk to search for the proper way to make one, so I just made something us as I went. Maybe it will inspire or anger you enough to do it a much better way! :O)

I wanted two pillows - one for the bed and one for the chair. I cut two pieces of 3/8" dowel down to 1-1/2". I grabbed some fabric, some batting and some more twisted cord (though later I used tassels instead).

I cut pieces of fabric to cover each of the ends of the dowel. I cut them into circles, glued them on the ends. Once dry, I cut out wedges, then glued the wedges down to the sides.

I cut the batting to 1-1/2" wide x 1-5/8" long. I cut the fabric to 2-3/8" x 2-3/8".

I hemmed 1/4" of one of the long fabric ends with Tacky Glue, then cut off the corners of the top ends.

I centered the batting, then applied a 1/8" bead of glue all around the edges of the fabric, except for the first hemmed bottom edge.

Then I folded the fabric onto the batting, pressed and let dry.

I applied a 1/4" bead of glue to the hemmed bottom, then pressed the dowel into the glue and left it to dry.

I applied a layer of glue onto the rest of the dowel, then rolled it up like a burrito. I had to hold onto the seam for about 45 seconds until the glue had grabbed on it's own. If you roll too tight, the bating will want to squish out the end and you may need to cut it back a bit. If not tight enough, your fabric won't completely cover the dowel. In other words, you may have to play with it a little.

But if you want a quick bolster pillow, it's a great method! I added a gold tassel and some string to make it a little more interesting. And it's a perfect accessory to the chair I almost ruined! I added a couple more tassels to the finials, too.

I printed a rug as large as I could, so about 8" x 10-1/2". I wish I had a printer with a larger capacity for printing rugs, but it is what it is. It's a nice complement to the room's colors, and it was practically free! I also painted some pot metal frames and added art work to them. There's also a mirror above the dresser to catch and toss around the light from the chandelier.

The bedside lamp being an afterthought (facepalm), I just used a battery powered model I had floating in a drawer. No way I was going to try to run a wire through the house at this point! But the lady of the house has all she needs within reach.

If you look closely, behind the closet door, she has an Apple TV to watch. We all love our modern conveniences, even in a home adorned with old things. I think our lady will be thrilled just to finally have a dedicated place to rest her head.

I managed to make and hang some mirrors in the stairway hall. I made a table to hold one of the floral arrangements, too. For now, I am all out of ideas on what else to add to that room, so I'll let it marinate while I contemplate a runner.

I am almost finished, only the back edge trim and the landscape board, plus a few more minor details. Russ and I decided where in the house to display her, and that has spurred another home improvement project for the fall. What it means for me is that I'll get another built in shelf, three more places to display mini projects, and a newly painted living room and entry hall! I am excited about the prospect now, but ask me how I feel about it after I've spent a couple weeks on ladders painting real life walls! :O)

Hope you're all making exciting future plans, as well!

xo xo,
Jodi