How can he be Comfortable like This?

The little guy didn't quite make it to bath time tonight. He finished his dinner, climbed onto the sofa to watch telly, and literally five minutes later was passed out like this. I'm amazed that he actually chose to lie like this - Can you imagine how stiff his neck would have been on waking? I moved him after taking this pic, I promise ;-)

And because the Arthur is changing daily, I can't not add a photo of it's progress, now can I? I've glued all the exterior window frames on, and wood-filled the gaps between the arch and vertical pieces, as well as the inside edge, so that the layers of the house and siding aren't visible. I need to sand them down and give them another coat of paint, and decide on the shutters. I'm not sure I want to use the supplied shutters - they're decorative, and not an accurate fit. I might try making my own French Country charm ones, with little heart cut-outs? We'll see.

And a close up, just for fun!

I Got Mini Mail!

I got a parcel from the wonderful Mercedes this morning! Hooray! Just look, all those incredible decorating books, and cupcake books - I want those titles in 1:1 scale too! Seriously, I'm actually going to have a look for those titles, they look like they'd be full of wonderful inspiration.
She also attached one of her darling little birdhouse decorations - it is so tiny, and perfect, and I can't wait to find a spot for it in the house when it's done!
But look what the background is...some of her gorgeous gorgeous wallpaper!!! Oh, it is so pretty, it's even lovelier in real life than in photos, and already I can see how perfect it's going to be for my little house!
My step ladder is the one I made following Susanna's pattern and advice, she even sent some of the stickers for the sides.


And I've given the porch floor it's first coat of varnish - deep mahogany gloss varnish. I'm really happy with the colour, and there's nothing nicer than a shiny floor!

Thanks Mercedes, it's so much fun belonging to the world of miniatures!

The Decorator's Have Started...

I got the last sample pot of Cuprinol Antique Stone! We have a Homebase nearby, which is part of a big retail park, and on the other end of the retail park is B&Q. This comes in very handy, when one store doesn't have what you're looking for, you can just pop across to the other, and nine times out of ten you'll find what you need. Such was the case today when Homebase didn't have my colour, and B&Q, although the shelf spot for it was empty, was in fact hiding one last little pot amongst the sage green samples!

Being an outdoor paint, it goes on really nicely. It's thin, and soaks into the wood, thereby revealing the grain and texture, yet still giving a nice plastic-y waterproof feel. I made sure to apply the first coat really thinly, as I knew the siding would warp (it did) but with a few spots of glue and a hairdryer to speed up the drying, it settled back nice and flat.


I bought a water based satin enamel for the trim and woodwork, which is not very forgiving at all when it comes to blemishes and wood grain. So, after painting a first coat, I had to sand it all down again to smooth it out. Now, here's where I need your help... Do you like it with the weathered look, or, being house trim, should it all be pristine white and in need of a second coat?

Building Work Continues...

The clapboard siding is all done! Hooray! Once again huge thanks to the lovely Farrah for organising it's transport across the ocean ;-) I only used two of the four bags though, so I'll have enough left to do a garden shed and then some.

Putting the porch roof on was pretty tricky, these tab and slot houses are not 100% accurate. But, I managed to get it on straight, and any gaps will be covered with the shingles or wood filler. Next step is to attach the porch railings, then the windows and shutters, and then the fun really starts - the exterior design! I think I've chosen my colour scheme...when visiting my in-laws this weekend I decided the paint they've used for their outdoor furniture is beautiful, in texture and colour. It's by Cuprinol and is in the heritage colours range, called Natural Stone. Coupled with pure white window and door trims, a slate coloured roof and a nice shiny black door...Mmmm, I think it will look very pretty. Of course, I may still change my mind, but we'll see!

And We have a Winner!

Here are all the names, just before I folded them to put in the teacup....



And here is my little guy, drawing one little tag out the teacup....



And here he is, showing the winner's name!!

So congratulations Sarah, Miss Tilly will be spending Christmas at your house, but she'll arrive in time for Halloween ;-) I'll be in touch to confirm your address.

Thanks for playing, once I have a production line up and going I'll be making Elves to sell...watch this space!

Last Chance to Win!

Did you see my 100th Post? I decided to celebrate with a little give-away, and while it's happening a little (okay, a lot) later than I planned, Tilly is ready to pack her suitcase and go travelling.

She's made from air-drying clay, and while pretty robust she is still delicate, so I would stress that she's an ornament, not a toy. She's painted in acrylics and varnished in an acrylic sealant.

How do you enter to win her? Simple, leave me a comment. I don't mind if you're a regular visitor or not, if you usually leave comments or usually lurk, so long as you really want to win her because you like her, I'd love to make her yours ;-)

So far, we have Mom of Three, Caroline, Liberty Biberty, Sarah, Sharon, Becca and Karen in with a chance. To join them, leave a comment before Monday 12pm, and I'll do the draw on Monday afternoon.

A Quote that could have been written for me.

“There is no such thing as a hard decision. When we think we have a hard decision to make it’s because we’ve already made the decision and don’t want to deal with (or don’t know how to handle) the consequences of that decision.” - Jon Baker

I can't tell you how much this quote speaks to me. A Facebook friend just posted it on his status report. It's so true.

Building work has slowed down

I had to take a break from the building work, I've had lots of things happening in my life which I may tell you about later.
Suffice to say though that I've been pretty busy, with things I want to do, things I don't want to do, and having friends pop in often to keep me company - which is great for me but not great for The Arthur!
At least now Liam has started school he's coming home pretty knackered, which gives me time to potter while he's veg'ed out in front of the telly. Yesterday, I finshed the siding on one side of the house, today I cleaned my floors, (they look fabulous!), and tonight, it's a toss up between finishing the painting on my elves (Tilly including) or putting the siding on the other side. What would you do?

First Day of Big School, take two...

So, here we are, one week later, and it's Liam's turn to be in the spotlight! He has been looking forward to today for weeks and weeks, and ever since the days could fit on his fingers he's been counting them down - and was super excited to say he didn't need his pinky anymore when it got down to one hand! He has a wonderful group of classmates, many of whom are the younger siblings of Holly's classmates, and of course, the same fabulous teacher that Holly had in Reception Year.

Here he is with his best friend and their teacher.


And I got the inspiration for this shot from Julie, a fellow Pea who's son started big school last week. Is this the last time his clothes and bookbag will ever look this neat? One for the scrapbook, I'm sure. Remind me to take the 'after' shot at the end of the year, to compare!

Drumroll Please....

Have you got your latest copy of Scrapbook Inspirations yet? Well, what are you waiting for? You do know that if you subscribe you get it earlier? It only hits the shelves on Friday 18 September, but if it wasn't for the postal strike, we'd all have ours already.

Come on, what are you waiting for? SUBSCRIBE!!

So, I hear you ask, what's the fuss, why all the hype all of a sudden? Because, dear readers and blogging friends, it's going to be fabulous! The October issue marks the launch of the new look, new design team, new fabulous features and ideas magazine for scrapbookers...


Did you catch the bit about new design team? That's right folks, a brand new design team, and here we all are...


And while I do question why my face is up there amongst so many talented scrapbookers and crafters (yes, that's me second row far right!!) I feel honoured and excited to know that my personal scrapbooking style is going to take a huge leap forward as I challenge myself to create print-worthy pages and try out new techniques in the hope that I can share my mistakes and successes with everyone.

I can't believe that this has all come out of me entering the Best of British competition that was featured in the September 2008 issue of Scrapbook Inspirations. Timing had been everything - I picked up a copy of the magazine, saw the details, realised I had 6 original pages to submit, took new photos and entered in the closing week. I can still remember the day Rosie called to tell me I was one of the winners, I must have deafened her with my screech! It has been a wonderful year, and I can only imagine how much more exciting the year ahead is going to be.

So, without further ado, let me introduce my fellow team mates, and their blogs.

Laura Buckingham
Julie Kirk
Morag Cutts
Charlotte Poole
Chloe Harp
Andrea Gourley
Karen Cole
Helen Miles
Sam Ball
Jen Naulls
Jane Dean
Anne Parry
Cheryl Johnson
Anita Mundt
Shimelle Laine
Kathy Bridgwater
Mary Anne Walters who is far too busy looking after ukscrappers.co.uk to blog, we're told!

Happy Birthday to You!

If it's your birthday today, then you share it with two of the loveliest people I know. Sharon is my oldest and dearest friend. We met on a Church camp in 1990 and although we weren't in the same schools, our love of ballet and all things girly forged a friendship that has stood the test of time and distance.

It's also Becky's birthday, who is one of my newest friends, and who is so much like me in so many ways. Our kids are in the same class at school and they are firm friends too, so it makes for great playdates for all of us ;-) I'm getting quite confident in my cupcake baking skills so I whipped up a batch this morning - and as Becky exclaimed - they even taste pink!

Happy Birthday Becky and Sharon, I hope you have a lovely day.

Back To School

So, the new school year begins! Holly went off to Year Two this morning, full of the excitement and enthusiasm that a primary school kids still feels on the first day back! Next Monday Liam will be joining his sister at big school, so we'll have another photo then. This week, the Reception Year teachers are doing all the home visits, meeting the children in their own environments so that they can be relaxed when they start. Liam's visit is tomorrow afternoon, and he can't wait!

So cute!

I saw this over on a fellow dollhouse bogger's blog...it's so cute!

The Arthur!

Finally! I have been able to take The Arthur out of it's box, and start building it. Actually, I thought it might be easier to glue the clapboard siding on before I built it, but I soon realsied that it would be impossible to line the sides up with the front unless I built it up to a point. So here it is.
I will put the porch roof on once I've done the siding, as well as all the window and door trims, porch trim etc.
I will put the back roof on when I've done the interior as it's easier to paint and sand and paper without the roof coming down.
I haven't decided on whether or not to put the gingerbread trim on the roof - I guess I will wait and see, and I'm also not 100% sure which colours to use.
But the best part? I have all the time in the world now, no deadline, and no rush. I'm going to take my time and enjoy the process.
And can I tell you a little secret? I already know that this will be Holly's house, as promised, and that I will build myself another house, one day. Maybe one with more rooms ;-)

PS I haven't forgotten about Tilly, she's just waiting on some more colour, and then we'll do a draw and see who she'll be heading off to. Soon, I promise.