Got Sticks?

One thing I learned back in 2004 when decorating our first house was, you've got to have sticks! Every design magazine I've ever looked at whether modern, contemporary, traditional or retro all have one thing in common - sticks! In my current house, which is very traditionally decorated, I have two wonderful tall jugs/vases with... you guessed it... Sticks! I find that bringing wood elements into any design adds the perfect little touch of natures majesty.

Alki Point needed a little design element in the corner connecting the right wall with the front wall of windows. I made a large Asian looking plant in a resin wicker basket, but it seemed a little too big for the space. After all, we are not trying to block the view of Puget Sound. It needed just a little pop of nature so that when guests gazed out the big wall of windows, they'd have a little perspective. Here in the Northwest, we often combine elements of water with forest.

Luckily, I had some really awesome planters that I designed for Alki Point. The 3D printing process done in White, Strong and Flexible leaves a wonderful pottery type texture that is a perfect organic balance to the modern and sleek elements. I also just so happened to have several harvested, saved and recycled materials to create an interesting stick sculpture.

The ones on the left are pieces that I "borrowed" from an artificial arrangement that is stored away just to be borrowed from. The sticks on the right are "borrowed" from some stocks of autumn leaves I have to decorate the front porch for fall, and the sticks in the middle are actually huckleberry branches harvested from our beautiful Gifford Pinchot National Forest on vacation last summer. I always come home with lots of forest treasures!

I decided on a good length, then cut them down with my nippers. I was able to get two sticks out of some of them.

On the test arrangement, I decided I wanted them to be sticking out of the planter just a little more.

So I filled the planter about 1/3 full with hot glue. I let it cool completely before placing the sticks so that they would not sink in. I added just a little glob to the end of each stick before I placed it in.

The whole project took about 10 minutes, even with stopping to take photos. I love all of the different textures together, and the planter is just what I was hoping for!

Now for the Asian plant that I did not use here (but will use in the future, or maybe outside the structure)...

I picked up a branch of this artificial leaf at Joanne Fabrics a while back. I have no idea what type of plant it's supposed to be, but the leaf color and markings combined with the dark brown stem reminds me of stuff I've seen in the Japanese Garden here in Seattle.

The container I'm using is one of the resin types that I picked up on a HBS/miniatures.com order. I start by just squeezing a bit of the hot glue to hold the first branch in place. I like to get several of them just tacked in place. That lets me arrange and angle them the way I like. Once I am happy. I'll fill the rest of the container about 2/3 full of hot glue. I hold onto the branches until the glue is set, because the hot glue will melt and sort of wilt them. That is a good thing, trust me.

Once the hot glue has cooled, you can further arrange and pose the new plant with floral wire. I just play around with it until I am happy with the pose. Then I wrap the wire around, give it a twist, cut off the excess, add a dot of hot glue to hold it in place, then camouflage the wire as best as possible.

To finish off the planter, I add a layer of white glue. I use a toothpick to cover the entire surface under the plant.

I used rubber "bark" that I have on hand from HBS to cover the glue layer. The glue dries clear. You can use dried coffee grounds or tea leaves as well. Just apply over the glue layer, let dry, then shake off the excess.

Although it turned out to be a littler larger than I was intending it to and was not right for the space, it will work out great someplace else!

Hope you give sticks and plants a try if you haven't yet!

A Bit Of The Boring With A Sprinkle Of Tedium...

I was emailing with an internet friend and telling her that I was working on Alki Point doing really boring stuff and that I probably wasn't going to blog about it. She reminded me that even in the mundane, there are warnings, tricks and lessons for others. So okay - hope someone gets something out of this!

Remember the wall that I made to separate the bedroom and bathroom? You know, the one I purposely left a channel in so that I could run the wires for the Shapeways lamps through it to the outside wall where it would be hidden by the siding and tie into the roof piece containing all of the wiring that will be removable? Whuuuuuuuuuuuaaa (deep breath in). Well, I glued the dang wall in thinking I could fish the wires through to the outside. No problem, right? Optimism is often my downfall...


It was not going to work, so, after gently ripping out the wall and scraping off the glue residue, I used a piece of 20 gauge copper wire with the electrical wire tied to the end and forced it through to the end for both lamps before I had to re-glue the wall in place (now tethered with wires) and get it clamped before it misaligned and left glue in all the wrong places. Whhhhhhuuuuuaaaa (another deep breath in)...


Wires through, taped in place, lamp bulbs checked, lit up nicely, crisis managed, all is well that ends well! Thank goodness!






Now for baseboards... Measured, cut (used this saw I got for my birthday - it's awesome) sanded, painted, sanded, painted, sanded, painted, rubbed with paper lunch bag, installed (all but front wall, more on that later).



Installed "net art" which is a leftover net painted white to represent monotone texture/sculpture kind of thing although I am nearly completely uneducated about what "art" is so I am guessing here that it actually is art or at least in my mini world it can be. Whhhhhhuuuuuaaaa (another deep breath in). Notice the tape holding it in place while drying because it is not flat on the back and there were very few actual points of contact where the glue met the wall.




Bed, nightstands, lamps, baskets glued in place now (still trying to muster "pillow courage"). Baseboards visible...






Glass buoy on coffee table recovered in hemp twine (didn't like the look of the fish net. If it bothers you, get rid of it!). Rug and sofa "permanently" installed. Baseboards visible...




Over the weekend, hope to get plexi and trim installed on the front wall, then affix to structure... Or maybe lie in bed with the hubs and catch all of the NFL playoff games with naps in between. We'll see... It's the weekend - do what you like!

Happy Friday my friends!

You Know Have Miniature Madness If...

The more mini blogs and forum posts I read, the more I realize that those of us that are passionate about miniatures share a multitude of... We'll just call them traits. Some of them may seem a little more crazed than others, unless you have it, too. Then they are perfectly normal. To sort this out, see if you can relate to any of these.

You know that you have miniature madness:

• If you'd rather have a miniature Coach handbag than a real sized one.
• If you plan stops on vacation so that you can visit a shop or anything miniature related.
• If your Home Depot list consists of more things for your miniature projects than you real life sized ones.
• If all of your pajamas have permanently stuck on glue globs and paint the colors of your last 10 projects.
• If you have purchased items already for the next 10 mini ideas in your head.
• If you feel guilty about all of the shipping boxes you accumulate, even though you recycle every one.
• If the majority of your internet Favorites links are miniature related.
• If your mini houses have better furniture than your real life house.
• If you'd rather remodel your mini kitchen than your real life kitchen.
• If you've run out of storage and have to conceal your hoard from the "normal" people.
• If you visit a new blog or miniature supply website and end up in a rabbit hole that traps you for an entire Saturday.
• If you've ever taken a day off work just to finish up a mini project that you are excited about.
• If tools are on your wish lists.
• If you love shopping for your mini projects as much as you love doing them.
• If you've ever purchased the same thing several times because you could not find the original.
• If you've ever tried to explain your brilliance to a non miniaturist and received the deer in headlights look.
• If you've ever emptied out and dug through the vacuum bag grossness because you heard a noise that may have been a miniature.
• If you've ever used a mini clamp to hold back your hair, then realized it at the grocery store.

If you have identified yourself with at least 5 of these, you definitely have it. Less? Don't worry, you are reading this blog so you are on your way. More? At least you're not alone.

There must be a million more that I could not think of in this sitting. List them in the comments if you have a good one! I am just so happy to know that there are others like me that are as consumed with miniatures and the madness it creates, but that still love every moment of it!