Pardon my reactions

One of the things about me is when I have to be, shall we say, "rude". The folks at "Budget Dollhouse in New York" have made 2 comments to  use one of my blogging entries as advertisements. I am very unhappy about this and I want my readers to know that has never been my attention. I will be deleting these comments and firing off an "I'm not happy" e-mail to them.

To those of you who dislike their all too bold assumption, by all means tell them. This blog is not intended to sell anyone anything. I apologize for the imposition.

I will be getting back to work on Garfield. I won't leave it hanging.

Thank you all.

It's been way too long since Garfield and I have worked together but I have all intentions to getting back there...I will not leave it hanging.

Pay It Forward/Backward The End

It's been a week or so that I sent out my "Pay It Forward" minis, plus the "Backward" to Jody, Tiffany and Maia. I want to say great things about Ann Vanture's "Cut and Glue" kits which each received pieces, plus I made some plants from fimo. Duh, I didn't take photos. It was fun, Ladies!!!!


Now, I keep saying, I'll go back to work on Garfield. Wait!! It was about this time last year that I stopped to work on Holidays and the house. In all that time, the stuff in this spare room has mounted to the point I need to really clean the room first. Bought 2 boxes at Wally World that are too big to stash this stuff. If I fill them, there's no good place to accommodate the size of the boxes.

Please, someone tell me that I'm not alone when I stand at the doorway to this room, lean up on the wall, and ask themselves what to do with all this "stuff"- lots of other words to call it. I have small bottles that I want to save because I may need them, spare wood, new tools, spackle, shingles, rocks, scrapbooking supplies, 2 other dollhouses, empty space bags, boxes I can use to mail Christmas in, the beginnings of Christmas gifts, decor, cards, blah, blah, blah..................If only someone could know without a doubt what my intentions are and come in here and do it for me. WAIT!! That's me.....get off my butt and do it!!

I will do what everyone says..."you can do anything for 15 minutes". And so, I prepare to begin to start to get to fixing to be ready to work for 15 minutes. Now, where did I stash that timer?

Pay It Forward...Part Two

I am working my l'il fingers on my "Pay It Forward" items. No, I'm not saying what I'm doing, Jodi and Tiffany. You are my only 2 players right now and I can take 3 more, if other bloggers want to play. See my August 1st blog for the instructions. I'm making enough to send to several people. I guess it's my own fault, since I've not been writing much ( or working much. ) Working these things up has me also working on the Garfield too, but it's just siding and nothing to get excited about. I'll take 3 more people until 9/30. After that, I'll split it all between the 2 ladies I have now.

A New Challenge=A Happy Memory

I've come to realize that crafty people are always up to something. Today, it's Tiffany, at http://www.minimischief.blogspot.com/. She's chosen me and some other bloggers to a photo challenge. I'm supposed to take the 4th photo from the 4th file in my computer, show it, say something about, then pass the challenge to four different bloggers. This one is a joy to do.

The photo is an old, old chair...older than I am...60 plus I don't know how many years. The old chair currently sits in my sister's livingroom. This old chair has been recovered a few times but I always see it's original covering...a green vinyl that had seen better days. This old chair first belonged to my parents. As children, my sisters and I rode this as a horse and it went by different horsey names, took us for miles of rides across our imagination, both as a saddlehorse and hitched to a wagon. We used it as a gymnastic horse and jumped our way winning in the Olympics. If it was placed just right with other pieces of furniture, we could jump from furniture to furniture and never touch the floor. I also remember sitting a few timeouts in it, only they weren't called "timeouts", they were "sit there and don't say a word until you think about it"......"it" was any stupid thing I did wrong.

The name of the file that this old chair's photo is "Furniture inspirations". I intend on making a replica of this old chair, just as I did the twin beds my sisters and I slept in and a humidor chest that had been my Granny's.

So, that's the tale of the old chair. Now it is my turn to pass it on and, as usual, I can't seem to manage that...you see, after checking a few blogs to see if they've "been there, done that", I see that they have in one form or another, and hitting them again takes the fun away and it becomes more work, for them and for me. So, Tiffany, I've failed on my challenge but had so many happy thoughts about the old chair.

WHOA! Nellie!

Pay It Forward

Several months ago, I responded to a fun game in Maia Bisson's delightful blog ( http://maiastwinkleminiatures.blogspot.com/ ) called Pay It Forward. The object is to send a mini-something to the first five people who respond to the offer written in their own blogs. Then, those five people make the same offer in their blog and on and on and on.

I think I was the first one to respond to Maia's offer, by a lucky chance. From her, I received a "cross stitch" book mark and a photo album. At present, they are in my Alison Jr., but are intended for the Garfield when I get it completed.It is now my turn to make the offer.

This is how it works:
For the first five people who respond to this post, I will make a small gift and send it to you. This will be a 1/12 scale miniature gift which I will attempt to tailor, in some way, to the people who respond.
There are a few limitations:
1. Until it arrives at your doorstep you will not know what it is.
2. They will arrive by the middle of October.
3. I will make something lightweight and not bulky to facilitate packaging and mailing. Where’s the catch? You must make the same offer on your blog."

Simple, yes? The rules were cut and pasted from Maia's offer. The only change is the month. The hardest part is the wait, wondering what it'll be and when will it arrive.

So, folks....want to play?

New Award Plus A Shopping Mania

I have been "Illuminated" by Tiffany at www.minimischief.blogspot.com/ . How sweet, Tiffany!! I thank you so much. I do have some guilt accepting the award, since I haven't done all that much on The Garfield Manor in the last couple of months. My garden continues to scream bloody murder for me to work on it and my husband is literally falling down and needs more attention lately. I will humbly accept the award and will "illuminate" ALL others as I have in the past. I cannot pick just one, or four, or however many it is I should illuminate.....they are ALL my favorites; I find myself reading from one to another in no particular order, enjoying each one in it's own right. I have never been so fascinated with so much talent as I have after discovering blogging. Please, everyone, give yourselves big pats on the backs and sing "This Little Light Of Mine" over and over.

SHOPPING MANIA..............I do hope everyone knows that Hobby Lobby has miniature everything 1/2 off. If you're just now learning, you still have 3 days. Hopefully, you won't have people like me, waiting in the parking lot first thing this past Monday morning, for the doors to open. Since there has been no real sighting here in Grand Junction of other miniaturists, I feel no guilt in the 2 large bags of things. I bought 3 packs of small corner trim, 10 pair louvered shutters, 2 Tiffany table lamps, 3 packs books that I'll add titles to later, 2 3- candle sconces, 4 pairs Victorian doorknobs/keys, 2 tulip chandeliers, 3 tulip ceiling light, 2 tulip wall sconces, 2 round hanging ceiling lamps, more baseboard, plank flooring, and a floor globe. All of that feels like a great BIG, happy bargain at $150 ( normally $300 ). WWWHHHEEEEEE.

PSST! Don't tell my husband!!! I want him to know that Spam and wieners are gourmet foods.

I am going back tomorrow to see if anything is left that I want to bring home or will need sometime in the next few months. I had left some books, more trim, a few chandeliers and lamps, more candles, and an old looking Singer sewing machine that I think I want. Maybe, having all this will be the kick in the butt I need to pay more attention to Garfield. Well, the temps have made it into the 90's now and I won't be going out to sweat in the lily patch as frequently, so I'll have time to build on my dream.

Tiffany, again, thank you. You've sent me smiles and I truly appreciate it.

Dilly Dally

What we have here...is a failure to communicate!!! 'My bad!!!!!!! Every once in a while, I don't write to those I should...people think I've dropped off the surface of the Earth. I don't e-mail, snail mail, send cards, write in my diaries....I have three....personal, garden, and dollhouse.....I don't call people very often either. No reason, just closed mouth....which my family would say "that's a good thing", since I can be a motormouth at times.

So, to the Garfield. My silence has not meant I'm not working on it, but the work is pretty slow. The life size garden has the priority right now and, boy, does it need hands on in there.

Since seeing what Gina ( More Minis. blogspot.com ) did to the 3rd floor gazebo instead of a tower room, I have wanted to do something very different to the house. Since most of the structure is done, I had to find some place to create a new look. I've chosen the porch roof. To be more specific, there will be NO porch roof, at least, the way it was intended. In the Greenleaf directions, the porch roof is slanted. In the photos above, you see a triangular piece of wood slanted down from the side of the front porch. It is to hold the roof in place. Well, I cut it off...flat against the walls. I am not going to have a slanted roof on the porch...it will be flat, with railing all around the perimeter of the porch. It will resemble a "Widow's Walk", though it is too low to be have that purpose.

I have taken the wood pieces to the roof and filled in the tabs with spackle and sanded them flat. I will paint the top of that wood the same brown I am using in the trim pieces and the underside ceiling of the porch a creamy color, yet to be picked out. In fact, all my basic house colors need to be picked out.

I have a "what to do first?" list:

1. Finish the siding

2. Paint the exterior

3. Paint the porch floor, ceiling, roof

4. Prepare the porch trim pieces-sanding, dry fitting, painting

5. Install the 3 doors- the front door, the side door, and the 2nd floor doors

6. Get the exterior windows ready

7. Place the stone on the tower-I'm practicing on a scrap piece of wood and I still need more practice

8. Prepare corner trim pieces and trim to go under the roof of the porch ( like a cornice, but a flat piece )

9. I KNOW I've missed something

I'll try to be more talkative from now on...kick me if I take too long.