Monday, September 28, 2015

Mansion

 Hi Everyone, I just wanted to share what I have been working on for the past couple of weeks!  This is the Mansion as I am calling it.  I bought it for myself to keep but it sat in the closet for a year.  I wanted to actually keep one house for myself and to have a place for all the miniatures and furniture I have been collecting over the past couple of years from the Denver Miniature Shows and Auctions I go to.  I kept looking at the Mansion thinking its just to plain and Boring on the outside-picture is on the right.  So before I could add the lighting and miniatures I had to give the house a Facelift.  I made little window planter boxes and created flowers for all the boxes, then I decided the front door needed something over it since there was a huge Nothing but wall above it. So I created a Copper Awning out of Balsa wood and wood strips and lots of Copper paint.  Then I added lots of shutters.  Then I Taught Myself how to make Trees and Shrubs in the front of the house to give it more character, there is a close up picture below of the trees.  I am not completely finished with the house, but as usual I am realizing the house is just to big for my house and no good area to display it so I am contemplating putting it up for sale on E-bay.  Just the house not the furniture.  I found some awesome pieces over the years such as Sonya Messer Import-Couch and 2 chairs that I found out are worth a lot, plus the bedroom set is all Bespaq and other Bespaq furniture around the house.  But MY FAVORITE OF THEM ALL is the furniture done by Laura Crain, whom was also selling her furniture at the show--such as in the kitchen of this house the table with the bread and cheeses, and the table and chairs in the kitchen and also lots more of her distressed furniture throughout the mansion.  Laura which is such a nice lady and her friend bought the 2 large Tudor Houses right of the bat from my sales table this year.  Then I was admiring her furniture pieces she created and she Traded me another house I had for the equal value of her Furniture- I was in Miniature Heaven picking out furniture from her table.  I hope you enjoy the pictures.  Happy Fall Everyone and Have a Wonderful October







First Floor Living Room

Second Floor Living Room.


Second Floor Living Room







The Upstairs Hallway

The Entry Way

This is one of the Sonya Messer vintage chairs I think is beautifully crafted.

The couch and chair on the left is also Sonya Messer.  I also found a whole box full more of Sonya Messer furniture I purchased at an auction.

I truly love the little hand painted painting I put on the walls. I keep meaning to look up the artist name on the back of them to see if they might be valuable since I also purchased the artwork at an auction. 

I have been saving the Bespaq bedroom set for years for the right house.  I found the Dress on the mannequin on the left at an auction which still had a price tag of $100.  Someone worked really hard creating it cause up close its nice work.  


Someone hand made the dolls on the bed and chair and up close are very really looking!


The Dinning Room




The Kitchen





My first attempt at making a realistic looking tree for the outside of the house.   Nobody sells them the larger sizes I need and that also look realistic.  I created this from 2 stems of greenery I bought at Hobby Lobby and I cut them apart and wrapped them around the main wire the greenery came with and then individually added each branch and wrapping its wire around the main wire, then I wrapped each branch with brown floral tape and Walla-a tree. I think it looks better then just flocking wires with glue and green fluff. 


The shrubs this time I created out of Large Think Scrubbing Pads I bought at Home Depot, I cut them to the basic shapes and then sprayed with glue and dipped in green landscaping fluff. 


Denvers Miniature Show 2015

This was me second time selling at the Denver Miniature Show and it was a blast.  This is right after I finished setting up the 4 tables and ready to go home to take a nap.  Thanks goodness for my two daughters helping haul the mini houses into the hotel.  I had just had colon surgery about 5 days before the show and wasn't able to lift anything over 10 pounds.  I thought I was going to pass out on the sales days from pain and exhaustion, but miniatures and shopping all the wonderful booths is so addictive it can get anyone through pain.  It was wonderful seeing a lot of the same people this year and new miniature enthusiast.  This year I think my favorite memory I have from the show was that I met a young man and his mom and I'm guessing he was around 12 or 14 years old and he was so full of questions of how I make each house and what I used when building the houses.  He was so intrigued with wanting to make miniature houses and I he would stop by each day at my table showing his newest project and mentioned how he would love to have the money to buy a house.  Well I wanted to inspire him to create a house of his own and since I saw he so truly loved miniatures I gave him a house.  At first I don't think he believed I was giving it to him, but I told him that I just wanted to inspire him.  I actually saw a lot of me in him with wanting to build small houses and different miniatures when I was that age.  But it gives me much happiness to give rather than sell my work.  I do wish I could afford to give all me houses to the wonderful people I meet, but then I would have money to make more houses if I didn't sell them.  Pass it on is what I always try to inspire in other people, Id pretty much give a person the coat off of my back if they needed it, or such as my cooking, I love cooking and creating new dishes and desserts and love to surprise neighbors or the ladies I used to work with, by taking them lots of food to eat!