miniatures — Page 77

Spying

August 31, 2015 at 9:13 am by Claudia

You may think me a voyeur, but I can’t help it. I’m always curious about Caroline’s activities. She is, after all, living under the same large roof as Don and me. Speaking of roofs, what did I see yesterday?

8-31 dh ottoman

Hmmm….let’s zoom in a bit.

8-31 mini mag

Aha! When the story on her house was published in American Miniaturist, Caroline seemed rather blasé about the whole thing, which made my reaction look over the top. I offered her a copy of the magazine. She declined. No more was said on the subject.

Apparently Caroline is a bit more excited than she let on. This rather well-thumbed copy of the magazine is sitting on the wicker ottoman, right where Caroline spends hours basking in the summer sun.

So: we have new sea shells on the coffee table:

8-31 dh den

And a new magazine. Could Caroline have purchased it while away on her vacation? One wonders.

Not that I’m spying or anything.

Your obligatory flower photo:

8-31 hydrangea

The hydrangea that I planted last year keeps blessing us with vividly colored flowers. I wondered if the original color would be the same after it had been planted in our soil, but it is.

The limelight hydrangea at the front of the house is starting to turn a soft pink. Happens every Autumn.

Don: Read No Further!

I finished the other side of the Top Secret Project yesterday.

8-31 tsp one side

The exterior has been covered with board and batten.

8-31 tsp another side

I added a coat of Matte Varnish by Delta Ceramcoat. I just may add one more coat today. Then it’s on to the inside. There’s some priming that needs to be done.

Happy Monday.

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Computer Screens, Groundhogs, Flowers & Miniatures

August 13, 2015 at 8:53 am by Claudia

Now there’s an interesting post title, don’t you think?

The rain we had on Tuesday was very heavy – I’d use the word torrential. The ground and gardens and trees got a very good soaking, indeed. Now it’s sunny and quite lovely out there.

As you know, lately I’ve been reading first thing in the morning. I’m getting so much more accomplished in terms of my personal reading and the reading I must do for review books. And I feel more centered and calm as I start my day.

I am going to get my eyes examined, however, because lately my eyes feel very strained after working on the computer. Making the adjustment from screen to distance to book to whatever is not so easy as it used to be. So I’ve been limiting my time on the computer even more. And that’s a good thing anyway, isn’t it?

I bet there’s a whole new category of eye strain that is centered around looking at a computer screen for hours.

8-13 henry

Look who I saw the other evening. Henry. Or Henrietta. He spent a long time dining on the grass. I must admit it was good to see him again. I’m sure he’s suffering from Empty Nest Syndrome, since all the youngsters have gone off on their own.

8-13 big zinnia

A particularly lovely and larger zinnia from the chicken wire fence garden.

Don, Stop Here!

I did some more work on the Top Secret Project yesterday afternoon.

8-13 TSP siding

One side of the building has been board and battened (is there such a phrase?) and painted. But I’m out of the basswood strips I’m using for the batten, so that means another trip to Michael’s. I haven’t even touched the inside of the studio yet.

Can I have a life-sized version of this, please?

Happy Thursday.

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Top Secret Project Update

August 10, 2015 at 9:12 am by Claudia

Despite my level of exhaustion yesterday, or maybe because of it, I needed a little creative distraction. So, when Don was away for a few hours, I went upstairs to my little lair and worked on the Top Secret Project.

It goes without saying (but I will): Don, stop reading this post!

I had this vision of a board and batten look on the studio, so I purchased some basswood strips at Michael’s. I thought I had purchased enough for the look I wanted, but when I went back through my photos from Chautauqua, I realized that the battens were about a foot apart on most of the cottages, much closer together than I had originally planned. Since I’m working in 1:12 scale, that means the battens are an inch apart.

So I didn’t buy enough. But no matter, I can get started, right?

8-10 TSP wood pieces

I started with the front of the studio, since the battens here only need to reach the height of the windows and I had enough wood on hand to execute the look. Then I painted. Two coats.

8-10 TSP board&batten 1

I’m really happy with it. I started on this when Don was still here – with strict orders not to come upstairs – and I had to stop myself from asking him to come upstairs and “see what I’ve done!” I usually share the ongoing steps of these projects with him and now I can’t. But I can share them with you.

8-10 TSP board&batten 2

I had to close the sliding door. We do live in the country after all – a little critter might decide to visit.

What do you think?

We watched Strangers on a Train last night, one of my favorite Hitchcock movies. Perfect.

The obligatory flower photo:

8-10 zinnias

Cheery zinnias.

New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page – it’s a review of The Cairo Affair by Olen Steinhauer.

Happy Monday.

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Spying

Computer Screens, Groundhogs, Flowers & Miniatures

Top Secret Project Update

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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