Midnight Ramblings....

We had some chicken noodle soup and corn muffins for supper and my stomach started complaining soon after. So here I am up late waiting for my long suffering tummy to settle down. May as well do some more stonework! I was sitting there quietly tearing up an egg carton when I had the feeling I was being watched. You know, when the hair on your neck starts to prickle and you have this fight or flight sensation starting up. I looked around and found the culprits.

They all waved and hollered hello and said how they really want me to do up this castle for them. "What?!" I said. "I just built you guys a whole village..." Turns out they've been watching videos of castles online and now want a vacation spot. I just know they are going to want egg carton stonework on that whole thing.....I don't even want to think about it! I just shook my head and went to work on the other side of the church. Now I'm going to have nightmares of egg cartons chasing me...Got the side done with the first coat of glue and set it aside to dry.

I'm finding out that the pastor is a night owl like I have been lately and he came by with a question. He explained that he has fallen several times from the podium and was wondering if I would glue his feet down so we wouldn't have that problem. I said it could be done, but how would he get around that way. (I know he is a fan of those banana donuts over at Buns & Roses) He said, "Simple! I'll just take my shoes off!" Sounds like a plan! So here he is all glued on.

The old tummy was still complaining so I figured I'd finish typing up my journal for Twice Across America . I wanted to be able to copy and paste sections of the old journal into the new one when we start in less than 2 1/2 weeks! I only had a few pages left; when I was done, the glue was dry on the church so added another coat. That dried overnight and we only have the front left to do!

Then I have to decide what color to paint the front doors....any ideas?

Whew! These stones are heavy!

Sleepless nights are good for something! Was too wound to sleep right away so decided to go to my shop. The minions were sound asleep, so I had to be very quiet so I wouldn't wake them. You really don't want to deal with minions who have been startled awake. The fart guns come out, they have slingshots and there is general pandemonium! Bill needs his rest and sure didn't need to wake up to all that nonsense! So I quietly tore up more egg carton and started on one side of the church. My stonework is getting a little better, so I have saved the front for last. The pastor was still up studying, so came over to encourage me in my efforts. A little encouragement goes a long way! I started glueing the "stone" on and trimmed a few to fit.

Then it was on to the first coat of glue!

While that was drying, I took another look at the inside of the egg carton. Hmmm, that divider has bark texture on it...I bet if I cut out the centers, those would make great windows for the fairy village.

The glue was slow to dry, so I quit for the night and went to bed. In the morning, I put a second coat of glue on and this is what it looks like now.

The minions were tickled that I managed to get another wall done while they were sleeping. They even brought me some banana donuts to go with my coffee! Yum! Take care out there today and rejoice that it's spring!

Disappointment and a Little Progress...

It has been a whirlwind week around here! Dental appointments, truck maintenance, and doctor appointments all to make sure everything is in working order before our trip this summer..including me! ;) I received the 40% off coupon from Hobby Builders Supply a week or so ago and thought I might be able to do better on Ebay. Found another Greenleaf Village for only 19.99. I jumped on it without thinking because it said new old stock. When it arrived, it was a box full of empty frames; not one little house in the lot.

So did the usual and asked for a refund and the seller was prompt and courteous. He had bought it at an estate sale and was told it was complete....he didn't check either. So when you are tempted to buy on Ebay, always, always insist on pictures of the contents and how many sheets there are. My common sense went out the window and I ended up empty handed. But...I got my money back. In other news, I did make a little progress on the church. I finished the stonework and applied the glue. I didn't dampen my finger and rub over the stones this time...I thought, "How much difference can that make?" Quite a bit actually. The first section I did had more dimension and a bit of shine; this second section had a matte look and less dimension. So I ended up putting another layer over the whole thing and this is how it looks now.

I think I'm going to try one more coat and rub it with my finger this time and see how it goes. With all the glue that is on this, it certainly won't fall apart! LOL! While I was shopping the other day, I came across this container in Harbor Freight.

I thought it would work for carrying all the little things I want to use on the Fairy Village I hope to build this summer. Oops! I think I just let the cat out of the bag! Wouldn't it be fun if I could use natural materials I find along the way? I'll either stick them in the freezer to kill any creepy crawlies or toast them in the oven. Another project today was to clear a spot on my workbench and bring the small drill press in from Dear Hubby's shop. It was quite a bit heavier than I remembered and I bet I looked pretty funny heaving this thing across the back yard. If someone could follow me around and make YouTube videos of me doing this sort of thing, I'd be rich....So here it is in place, now I need something to drill holes in...:)

Take care everyone and have a great day!

Becoming a Stonemason....

It's bright and early here in Tennessee. Soft April rain is falling, the birds are singing and everything is turning that amazing spring green. I have been busy unloading our camper and washing towels, sheets, and rugs but am taking a breather to try my hand at a little stonework. Yes, I said it....the church wants to be made of stone. Just because I'm bigger than them, the minions think hauling rocks is easy for me. Whew! And mixing all that cement....for a whole building! ;) I started out by painting a second coat of grey on the church.

It looks blue in some of the pictures, but it's really more like this picture. I have one of those daylight bulbs in my work lamp and it tends to make things look bluish. After tearing up some egg carton,

I started glueing on the pieces.

I decided to start on the back wall to get more of a feel for this.

After doing a section, I decided to add the glue to show you how this works. Normally, I would wait until I did the whole side, but I couldn't wait that long! LOL! Squirt a generous amount of white glue on the stone section and spread it around with your fingers.

Then I wet one of my fingers and run it over the stones a couple of times.

If any small bubbles form, just pop them with a toothpick. I did this last night and this is what it looks like this morning.

So this is going to be a little stone church out in the country. The minions love it already and have been sitting on their bleachers eating popcorn while I work on this. They were discussing how sweaty I get hauling all that rock and how funny my hair looks when the humidity gets to it. I threatened to put them back in the toolbag and they quieted right down! LOL! So enjoy your spring day and even if you have snow where you are, know that that will help all the lovely spring plants to grow as it melts. Have a great day!

Still more Digging...

Woke up this morning thinking that the greenhouse setting needed a tree. I was thinking it through and had a plan in mind. Unfortunately, I still tend to think in 1/12 scale and the tree I had in mind would have been huge! LOL! Okay, lets scale it down a little. I have ziploc bags full of silk and plastic plants and flowers that I brought from Cape Cod. Christmas Tree Shoppes and Jo-Ann Fabrics were always well supplied with artificial flower sprays and quite a few had come home with me. When we moved, I cut them all apart and put them into storage bags for future use.....the future is now! LOL! I found a few pieces I thought would work and glued them together with E6000.

I have to find my floral tape to finish this, so set it aside to work on the remaining gardens. I was going to keep the back simple, but Larry and Louie insisted we go all out in order to display all they can do. What a couple of slave drivers! When I started to get sunburned, we moved the whole operation indoors. I think this should qualify as a work related injury, don't you? ;)

So here is what the back looks like right now.

I have to admit, these guys really know their stuff. Then Goliath hauled in all the stone for the walkways and I set to work. I read about how to do egg carton stonework online and started glueing down the pieces. Once they were all in place, I brushed on a thick coat of white glue, then moistened my finger tips and smoothed it into place. I used a blow dryer on it to partially dry the surface and pressed down any stones that were sticking up. I have never done this before and this was really fun! All this time, I hesitated because I didn't want to mess it up....just go for it! :) Here is how it looks all dry, no shading or painting, the glue just seems to enhance the stone all on its own. After the walkways were done, the greenhouse was glued in place too.

I really like it. I see a stone building in our future! There is one problem with landscaping indoors...it trashes your shop! LOL!

Here are Larry and Louie at their outdoor showroom with Goliath standing at the ready to open up the greenhouse. Pierre is there from the flower shop at Buns and Roses (yes, he has named himself too) to arrange for regular deliveries of fresh flowers. The only thing that needs finishing is the tree.

So after that gets some work, it will be time for a cleanup and then on to the next building! Have a great day!