tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39443557559533339712024-03-14T05:02:06.814+02:00Megan's Tiny TreasuresWhere I blog about my life. You will read about personal stuff as well as my experiences as a writer and toymaker.Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.comBlogger342125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-16445866781854775202021-06-29T17:27:00.002+02:002022-03-02T14:57:09.460+02:00Just a Little Thank You<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zkyZcbuTaUBjgkO-OKNUWyacdnLM_NA8xMvHrgO1i1EZ73i6tnLiOI2l36DhHaQsjZ4ozl0b2KcExDWeYm0PRA2OsjTBltBJICa-Zg7y2bucXPyrHhAfTcDE5j0nz5nSxAcb3zJDtJ4/s1920/arrow-5443973_1920.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1920" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zkyZcbuTaUBjgkO-OKNUWyacdnLM_NA8xMvHrgO1i1EZ73i6tnLiOI2l36DhHaQsjZ4ozl0b2KcExDWeYm0PRA2OsjTBltBJICa-Zg7y2bucXPyrHhAfTcDE5j0nz5nSxAcb3zJDtJ4/w400-h400/arrow-5443973_1920.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Blogger in their wisdom have decided to put Feedburner in maintenance mode on 1 July. This has caused me (and thousands of other bloggers) a huge headache. In a nutshell, it means that we are losing blog readers who follow us by email. <br /></p><p>After extensive research, I decided that <a href="http://Follow.it">Follow.it</a> is the best solution to the problem. Lots of work go into the back end of a blog or website to make it work, and as a result, moving my mailing list was not quick or easy. Just when I wanted to cover my face with my hands and cry, the helpfull support staff at Follow.it stepped in and helped me over the last few hurdles. Thanks to them, you will continue receiving your blog emails without an interruption. </p><p>If there are any other bloggers out there still wondering what to do, I can recommend <a href="http://Follow.it">Follow.it</a>.</p><p>Secondly, I want to say thank you to all my readers... so many followers by email... never mind all the other ways in which people keep track of this blog. I'm humbled and honoured. <br /></p><p>THANK YOU!</p><p><br /></p>Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-49370139231117866302021-06-28T21:43:00.004+02:002021-06-28T21:53:17.332+02:00Three Small Things<p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuX6lj-6X7d8lxr4ERAS5GuNHCu1BEaYr1jX4EZ1rGv1PVQ64VtzFYZN6K9_95VRS88RLoxzPaIJqtGN1CUx3iEWGXMyhpaeRVhyphenhyphendUhvHTx3nMf1L8GmEHRTyqM0uh6ESHzfev3oFRvsc/s800/IMG_1946b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuX6lj-6X7d8lxr4ERAS5GuNHCu1BEaYr1jX4EZ1rGv1PVQ64VtzFYZN6K9_95VRS88RLoxzPaIJqtGN1CUx3iEWGXMyhpaeRVhyphenhyphendUhvHTx3nMf1L8GmEHRTyqM0uh6ESHzfev3oFRvsc/w400-h400/IMG_1946b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Do you remember when I told you about the <a href="http://www.blog.creativeme.co.za/2021/03/i-woke-up-with-start-at-half-past.html" target="_blank"><i>The Tray</i></a> in March? This weekend I closed my eyes, put out my hand, and grabbed something to finish. As luck would have it, the something had a brother so I figured it might as well be two.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPKvRoYgk1kAxspfGkFbR8thjUqack4KT9DwzpyXcqy-49kkN9_Vfoe7sgZFk45yRiyJkdQ0QnEdWdYzqjzswxbVESt17is2u6E_auKcIjc3OrmRnHcddmiWpdQypFQ712LlUTx6u3bM/s800/IMG_1870a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="800" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPKvRoYgk1kAxspfGkFbR8thjUqack4KT9DwzpyXcqy-49kkN9_Vfoe7sgZFk45yRiyJkdQ0QnEdWdYzqjzswxbVESt17is2u6E_auKcIjc3OrmRnHcddmiWpdQypFQ712LlUTx6u3bM/w400-h309/IMG_1870a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>These little critters are called Ouch! and Carol Casey of CAZ bears designed them. Way back in 2006, as it turns out. She taught a workshop to make them here in the studio. The students had the option to accessorize their lizard/bird/bear hybrid animals with porcupine quills and Guinea fowl feathers to make a uniquely African creation. You can see from the templates that the original animal was significantly larger. Since I prefer miniatures, I reduced the pattern. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFL5vObk4G_9KuDwbGkAq_iHi1cMV14CmcJs0Jetk_BOx3QQ9BfITIiuI29CO7RrFdh3zkgTGhb9Si9-E8-PG9xbzLvOH10rczOekaSX5_cnq2HTy7398cBJIB3H-DcJy_lndg0WXP6Mc/s800/IMG_1865a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="800" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFL5vObk4G_9KuDwbGkAq_iHi1cMV14CmcJs0Jetk_BOx3QQ9BfITIiuI29CO7RrFdh3zkgTGhb9Si9-E8-PG9xbzLvOH10rczOekaSX5_cnq2HTy7398cBJIB3H-DcJy_lndg0WXP6Mc/w400-h308/IMG_1865a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>At the time, I tested the pattern and started making two little animals so that I could advise students if they needed help with their pre-sewing for the class. My Achilles heel is that once I have figured something out, I often lose interest and move on to the next thing without finishing it. I think here it might rather have been a lack of time. I know I was always very busy serving refreshments and assisting the teacher when there was a workshop on. Having a look at my mini-Ouchies, I decided that only three things were needed to finish them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_K3ZhLe3Dp4JaJe__OB3309XmSzKxouq6NUGC0ewtO3KE37FbCtM4Hv6r8QDAc2uzPTeZPUi38FLIwQ6zFI8p8XkeqZ_rFo_KHqxsO3t3xLl8pm0SZMy7WAClScKMVDV1lOLNmvyMxU/s800/IMG_1869a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="800" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_K3ZhLe3Dp4JaJe__OB3309XmSzKxouq6NUGC0ewtO3KE37FbCtM4Hv6r8QDAc2uzPTeZPUi38FLIwQ6zFI8p8XkeqZ_rFo_KHqxsO3t3xLl8pm0SZMy7WAClScKMVDV1lOLNmvyMxU/w400-h343/IMG_1869a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>How can one breathe fire without a nose?</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2Jd-bvuJpdlRaddvAETaqhcV3IGvT5UGv0_rX0Chf7nhkw2x60Bh7i1bQdWA0Qw2w2JX5O8Bk1QfK8twAWaOrUoLXtG0S4qaBcxtEqncS7zJS1G_zDj4dTex0QF27f3UtH3lu0O3UFM/s800/IMG_1873a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="800" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2Jd-bvuJpdlRaddvAETaqhcV3IGvT5UGv0_rX0Chf7nhkw2x60Bh7i1bQdWA0Qw2w2JX5O8Bk1QfK8twAWaOrUoLXtG0S4qaBcxtEqncS7zJS1G_zDj4dTex0QF27f3UtH3lu0O3UFM/w400-h385/IMG_1873a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Unlike teddy bears, bunnies and dragons, as well as many other soft sculpture animals often look good with just an outline for a nose. Adding those few simple stitches gave these two a mischievous look and pranksters should not be flying around without fair warning.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOdBEvp_dZYv2wY5gMg39VZUMnPHR573dWJDCm8nGuv2yziwSEe9YU3gzR9L5WjKUrg1bQO4PdyAYVR_bWkp_9xrmgfmCju6d-Q6pArZkNG30u1TzXg-QbRGj_dTK03PZ8bAdq7Sr6IA/s800/IMG_1884a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="800" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOdBEvp_dZYv2wY5gMg39VZUMnPHR573dWJDCm8nGuv2yziwSEe9YU3gzR9L5WjKUrg1bQO4PdyAYVR_bWkp_9xrmgfmCju6d-Q6pArZkNG30u1TzXg-QbRGj_dTK03PZ8bAdq7Sr6IA/w400-h398/IMG_1884a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>I gave them each a collar with a bell. </p><p>The third, and final, thing that remained to be done was to use coloured
ink to add some shadows and definition to nose, toes, belly, and wings. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibe4I72bdrDCq6fBCfATF3h7y5GfW1PO72Gw7Ez26JXrYoQQ6Nd6oHXuoItxQ1YMYww8n2-SgFhxKvumw451ypGtl4MMhW4CrNrXHiXV81ToZH_8729J11u7za6nkcpVqG71Nelmrg1Mw/s800/IMG_1894a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="800" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibe4I72bdrDCq6fBCfATF3h7y5GfW1PO72Gw7Ez26JXrYoQQ6Nd6oHXuoItxQ1YMYww8n2-SgFhxKvumw451ypGtl4MMhW4CrNrXHiXV81ToZH_8729J11u7za6nkcpVqG71Nelmrg1Mw/w400-h395/IMG_1894a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Aren't they two distinguished looking fellows? </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hjl_jiSX13j4kqMAaUHINdcZHSWW3rfgZolFS_IUCgyz-DY0LFLjtM6LviRYd_hj2QNoPS9Hxr_2RzSj1FQ9j0yqAwb_d5Ewwn2MXtz_2i0ZWOfoEENIkAR920mK2kgkt2Fjfprbt64/s800/IMG_1903a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="800" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hjl_jiSX13j4kqMAaUHINdcZHSWW3rfgZolFS_IUCgyz-DY0LFLjtM6LviRYd_hj2QNoPS9Hxr_2RzSj1FQ9j0yqAwb_d5Ewwn2MXtz_2i0ZWOfoEENIkAR920mK2kgkt2Fjfprbt64/w400-h335/IMG_1903a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>The Ouchies are <a href="https://www.creativeme.co.za/product-category/adopt-dolls-and-teddies/" target="_blank">available for adoption</a> on my website.</p><p>Wishing you all a wonderful week!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /> </p><p></p><p> </p><p><br /></p>Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-81769473467398930392021-06-20T19:59:00.000+02:002021-06-20T19:59:07.547+02:00Colour Makes Me Happy<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqSP__wl_8zyDFqQaB8R2TMnlZLf7B2IAw8u-VN0t9yKhnhRhPsCpx5LRd2mstFoa5Z5LZzde1C6R2DrZsiI5EIeV9fQaXalq3g2Nmgx_gE8FHORMc9gcomnyf_EDj1glwM80Akup5Bc/s800/IMG_1781a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="800" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDqSP__wl_8zyDFqQaB8R2TMnlZLf7B2IAw8u-VN0t9yKhnhRhPsCpx5LRd2mstFoa5Z5LZzde1C6R2DrZsiI5EIeV9fQaXalq3g2Nmgx_gE8FHORMc9gcomnyf_EDj1glwM80Akup5Bc/w400-h284/IMG_1781a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>I cleared away the detritus of a few completed craft projects this week. I always seem to end up with some spare beads and one shiny-bob thingy that defies classification and easy storage in my stash.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUp4xZPhgv5RCr-aDE9FAlIEdiFxV5MWn4rmGqLMDn9hKeApnV0tb-wRC5ue8HhWBzDzIWqAUVo58m5iHcaRCObR4DuGgC4da-QHL41Eb9mocJx8WdzGU4oCG4WKCGE7OPWrVdq1TRt8/s800/IMG_1774a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUp4xZPhgv5RCr-aDE9FAlIEdiFxV5MWn4rmGqLMDn9hKeApnV0tb-wRC5ue8HhWBzDzIWqAUVo58m5iHcaRCObR4DuGgC4da-QHL41Eb9mocJx8WdzGU4oCG4WKCGE7OPWrVdq1TRt8/w400-h400/IMG_1774a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Years ago, I read on a bead artist's blog that she makes 'bead soup' with her leftover beads. She said that by throwing random beads together in a bowl, ideas for new combinations will often insinuate themselves into your mind. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNV1VdfCWf8wZSCwxtw-TM4V4XwuMIB6s3QaEdxX0ZpIRQi1RzDSQfa7AhbND21iG3jNZDBNlA6W0WYkPzvLjRjMpRCI3_6g-m_3HjtZe3uwdj4aT8U8p_94ZeJmGD5kc6NJBJWgnX70Y/s800/IMG_1779a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNV1VdfCWf8wZSCwxtw-TM4V4XwuMIB6s3QaEdxX0ZpIRQi1RzDSQfa7AhbND21iG3jNZDBNlA6W0WYkPzvLjRjMpRCI3_6g-m_3HjtZe3uwdj4aT8U8p_94ZeJmGD5kc6NJBJWgnX70Y/w400-h400/IMG_1779a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>For a long time, I had a jar in my studio for odds and ends. Flinging random beads and findings into the jar was a quick way to tidy up my workspace but my obsessive personality never really approved of the chaos jar and eventually, it became so full that it was impossible to search for something anyway. </p><p>One day, I bit the bullet and started sorting the contents of the jar. Instead of trying to separate beads from other 'small stuff' and try to find a place for everything, I catalogued the whole lot according to colour.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mIrIo6ErdO4yqrvv0oTvxOOUfinOKILbfuH8XCVUIbNc5ojiE-CWI4DydKTmddqf9AW8fHWfvO4IHO165v3lXBFZhvAauCA-53Od1BKkRGH8p8yNGxA8Ut6GqzwE0PNrNO-xTHVEKYU/s800/IMG_1786a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mIrIo6ErdO4yqrvv0oTvxOOUfinOKILbfuH8XCVUIbNc5ojiE-CWI4DydKTmddqf9AW8fHWfvO4IHO165v3lXBFZhvAauCA-53Od1BKkRGH8p8yNGxA8Ut6GqzwE0PNrNO-xTHVEKYU/w400-h400/IMG_1786a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>You can now find expensive cloisonné next to a plastic teddy bear, and if you need anything from a crystal chandelier dangle to an ivory dice, you only need to know what colour you want, and you can easily find it. Bits of broken jewelry with butterfly wing, sea shells, a rhinestone, a fossil, leftover beads of every shape and size, it's all there.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTfvZ1Eihchz4sEwdzXu1UIVul9b_kQ49jno4CH7hLYr5G7N-vcopR7sV2SyVxoPUgtJB5-XkPkh_VKbOhWsGz3hJrDBN9H0M8qhWrYI3XTMkKuPVIwlP46Ft3BJloy1aFaiunQbZxuM/s800/IMG_1783a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTfvZ1Eihchz4sEwdzXu1UIVul9b_kQ49jno4CH7hLYr5G7N-vcopR7sV2SyVxoPUgtJB5-XkPkh_VKbOhWsGz3hJrDBN9H0M8qhWrYI3XTMkKuPVIwlP46Ft3BJloy1aFaiunQbZxuM/w400-h400/IMG_1783a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Like a good wine, this kind of cumulation takes years to develop and mature. If well organized, such a collection is precious. It has become a mainstay in my creative process and many a miniature project has been sparked when I came across a random doodad in my stash. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWZ24rXnTJMjtLR9kVRRbgU9B2NlTqvW3wbRpKU6kXjTD3iZEz5en8YGQ6jHYJuv9bWtd8i9SqN-ACzlxQ8tSlnEaTvir-qp58r1aHEeq5yeVHZwo8Bs4k6N23O-KH9E1bFkmOhAML_4/s800/IMG_1782a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWZ24rXnTJMjtLR9kVRRbgU9B2NlTqvW3wbRpKU6kXjTD3iZEz5en8YGQ6jHYJuv9bWtd8i9SqN-ACzlxQ8tSlnEaTvir-qp58r1aHEeq5yeVHZwo8Bs4k6N23O-KH9E1bFkmOhAML_4/w400-h400/IMG_1782a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>How do <i>you </i>organize your creative supplies?</p><p>There isn't really any news here. For the last few weeks, I've been sorting and tidying away things that piled up in my studio over time. With Henning well on the mend after his surgeries, we have started exercising outdoors more often. It is mid-winter here now but the days are sunny and nighttime temperatures haven't dipped below freezing more than a few times. </p><p>As you might have surmised from my silence, I'm in a bit of a creative slump but rather than letting it get me down, I'm using the time for housekeeping and planning ahead.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-21787982093881063742021-05-19T20:45:00.002+02:002021-05-19T20:45:24.359+02:00B is for her BOX<p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ota2WGDRDbX0QtqWvvdDaikZFcGMIRLECrO6sQ0fWtpbgDUa_kPKFHmP4ICSXAyLomRzwQW8fM8hitEXTWZW542uX5OQ9rH3Yzvevt7eB-9VxCkf9nPW2yJwEM0_o9GhdMKPbLMDGT4/s900/B-is-for-her-Box.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="900" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Ota2WGDRDbX0QtqWvvdDaikZFcGMIRLECrO6sQ0fWtpbgDUa_kPKFHmP4ICSXAyLomRzwQW8fM8hitEXTWZW542uX5OQ9rH3Yzvevt7eB-9VxCkf9nPW2yJwEM0_o9GhdMKPbLMDGT4/w640-h229/B-is-for-her-Box.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">At the end of April I introduced you to Annabelle. The three essential ingredients for this project are the book which I've had for a long time, the doll (which I don't have yet), and a box. Since B is for Box and that is the container for everything else, I decided that it was the first thing I should make.</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">This is an outrageously long post but I wanted to get B for Box done in one go. You can just scroll through and look at the pictures if you like.</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Most people who make doll chests choose a flowery style and a pastel color scheme. I'm not a roses and ribbons kind of person and right from the start I knew my box would be a rebel. I'm making it from reclaimed materials and whatever I can find in my stash. </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">This is a tea box. It was intended to hold various flavors of tea bags and someone had stained it a violent green colour.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwiA7mDzVj3f65W7T2OXD9U4llaEM-l98UdcLCSi1NlNrnOh1CsrJikN18a_WVkk8-w868K8yT5BVJgdGt3BWaNMuMm3Z9R9NqvyqNnkCXasTAhdeBnZgy6K0K97cZGawJnbIS03Hw8w/s800/IMG_0560a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="800" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwiA7mDzVj3f65W7T2OXD9U4llaEM-l98UdcLCSi1NlNrnOh1CsrJikN18a_WVkk8-w868K8yT5BVJgdGt3BWaNMuMm3Z9R9NqvyqNnkCXasTAhdeBnZgy6K0K97cZGawJnbIS03Hw8w/w400-h335/IMG_0560a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I wanted a varnished wooden box (not painted) so the first thing I did was to try to sand the exterior. </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyn1serv56GpqMVVdpcwS7I_CmOHCxJAlWKHkrxR6znWAG6encmYMib5XffiKrva-TbBHTJ40SLshtlYDEj0m9Ks3cIYGK8ZLMbkcCXNL6KyjBlOLLByECwgqlPYP2LEyl9JrRKsjBiY/s973/IMG_0745a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="973" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyn1serv56GpqMVVdpcwS7I_CmOHCxJAlWKHkrxR6znWAG6encmYMib5XffiKrva-TbBHTJ40SLshtlYDEj0m9Ks3cIYGK8ZLMbkcCXNL6KyjBlOLLByECwgqlPYP2LEyl9JrRKsjBiY/w329-h400/IMG_0745a.jpg" width="329" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The color was tenacious and after removing as much of the stain as I could, I used dark wood stain over the remaining green. It turned out much better than I expected. </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjip72kPaazPnGNerwujxc37L2FKQ0Pa45si5UXNMbBZVy-C7MY66tW2uLwLPo9j2Iy2heB4gtnafPK_59grfYQs7dtq9ncntshiLyLs05hEhr2UZ9qc8fFS1lS2PjA483pirsC2IJCImk/s848/IMG_0751a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="848" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjip72kPaazPnGNerwujxc37L2FKQ0Pa45si5UXNMbBZVy-C7MY66tW2uLwLPo9j2Iy2heB4gtnafPK_59grfYQs7dtq9ncntshiLyLs05hEhr2UZ9qc8fFS1lS2PjA483pirsC2IJCImk/w378-h400/IMG_0751a.jpg" width="378" /></a></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <br /></span></div><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Next, I broke out the dividers inside and made a new layout for the box. The book will fit into the lid, and there needs to be a compartment for the doll. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wlUrxcw1RtNGEaSZUleTpYZxAdU-8CgJ-xNaWlWfp3aZieJB6pdjdpyW76pf_JV1xAMPeoerzeDwclrUQe-pT5dgqen9NsYfC6uzCXoGyhxqxU4vtvIz3otsnS0TKXhf29iAyXLyVhs/s1195/IMG_0568a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wlUrxcw1RtNGEaSZUleTpYZxAdU-8CgJ-xNaWlWfp3aZieJB6pdjdpyW76pf_JV1xAMPeoerzeDwclrUQe-pT5dgqen9NsYfC6uzCXoGyhxqxU4vtvIz3otsnS0TKXhf29iAyXLyVhs/w268-h400/IMG_0568a.jpg" width="268" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Alice Nexdor (yay, I named her!) made sure that the doll space was the right size and I realized that I could utilize the left-over gap in the lid, so I cut wood strips for three more compartments.</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg963kV4Ym5TMKN0tSZnAph0krTowbuv0gu43Q5k-LBxau4rLyf2X2MsRE2dIW6aJ3Qd887PLli5GwROpCJMIBT8YHrjWOtkqSOlkgmbglhBX7uWJKTvNgM9TEW5g-rS8OG7avNkkjL8b8/s1165/IMG_0818a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1165" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg963kV4Ym5TMKN0tSZnAph0krTowbuv0gu43Q5k-LBxau4rLyf2X2MsRE2dIW6aJ3Qd887PLli5GwROpCJMIBT8YHrjWOtkqSOlkgmbglhBX7uWJKTvNgM9TEW5g-rS8OG7avNkkjL8b8/w275-h400/IMG_0818a.jpg" width="275" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">At some point, I had the thought that the box needed tarnished metal trim to round it off. This line of thinking led me to a hugely satisfying day of snipping and hammering.</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I made a paper template for a box label with a window in it, and a template for corners for the outside of the box. Then I rummaged in the recycling trash and cut up an old coffee can with my fantastic left-handed tin snips.</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNk_sBQEflhEFNCgmdegcDLCo_jPsZmpXGXT7NU8AkLPz8cHqhAHngGijnuCOcUYWbwHlOZQ1-7lMg6QbLPJ9Sx_PtorwnMgnGwTT8QAhtm93tyYxW2I_zu8F8eN9KqqSS3OrWMaTbB0U/s866/IMG_0753a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="866" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNk_sBQEflhEFNCgmdegcDLCo_jPsZmpXGXT7NU8AkLPz8cHqhAHngGijnuCOcUYWbwHlOZQ1-7lMg6QbLPJ9Sx_PtorwnMgnGwTT8QAhtm93tyYxW2I_zu8F8eN9KqqSS3OrWMaTbB0U/w370-h400/IMG_0753a.jpg" width="370" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPfQQXXuPXcXNY4LyvnGenFLMPVezAINBsUtUbBPYh-yvtzDSm9SjfuEr6Qu35zr4bCK47uyBrEHOJag4teGb_N5cW6VTZJwKD3-GkwANyQiK-jnYqDJEz6qBhBbHfGWV0TugbG5DHWQ/s1082/IMG_0755a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1082" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPfQQXXuPXcXNY4LyvnGenFLMPVezAINBsUtUbBPYh-yvtzDSm9SjfuEr6Qu35zr4bCK47uyBrEHOJag4teGb_N5cW6VTZJwKD3-GkwANyQiK-jnYqDJEz6qBhBbHfGWV0TugbG5DHWQ/w296-h400/IMG_0755a.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuQ_PFJcs8PU57qex9KblQzRn1mFnl301GsLK7aXaqDHuQwWu3Q_FAg8HsSD99aAnMUP5Lkvpj2me6GjuXa7oYYj9Tgfj0jxk2inK2-AtnEKH2xb0B3h0NXl5ZmYEIFvpJ_NcsuvBwE0/s919/IMG_0763a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="919" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuQ_PFJcs8PU57qex9KblQzRn1mFnl301GsLK7aXaqDHuQwWu3Q_FAg8HsSD99aAnMUP5Lkvpj2me6GjuXa7oYYj9Tgfj0jxk2inK2-AtnEKH2xb0B3h0NXl5ZmYEIFvpJ_NcsuvBwE0/w349-h400/IMG_0763a.jpg" width="349" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">It was so much fun that I decided to make metal corners for the dividers inside the box as well. </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9vWLOzCh3FtNaJifK6tHjxeKtogMfJcCwqL9d7DTrgbJCTWBhDqvjQ4bwGo_GA07YvCUesuCAZ99nB2NWt8Tmfz_oxY1O3VFDc7PirR3aGSlISPR-eVuOgOMrvdSvIpWMKU68w3vaeg/s800/IMG_0803a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="800" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9vWLOzCh3FtNaJifK6tHjxeKtogMfJcCwqL9d7DTrgbJCTWBhDqvjQ4bwGo_GA07YvCUesuCAZ99nB2NWt8Tmfz_oxY1O3VFDc7PirR3aGSlISPR-eVuOgOMrvdSvIpWMKU68w3vaeg/w400-h348/IMG_0803a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The only thing bothering me was that the metal looked too new and shiny. You can wait for time to tarnish it, or you can don a mask, gloves, and apron and dunk the metal in hydrochloric acid. Yeah, I'm the kind of person who keeps a handy supply of extremely hazardous chemicals under the kitchen sink. </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvzuFe_B5G7D6Nr8xSHRt8EtzwlV97vPmCqqDB8-7y1KadtIsjt24qVbNu0qyqz_lQ9nRkOls7XT3uFB1YJhLQSRapwJ2E_Zg_mn6qlLBfwn0lFboC69nBrI-kXFxQr_FxjttQPt6eJI/s800/IMG_0758a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvzuFe_B5G7D6Nr8xSHRt8EtzwlV97vPmCqqDB8-7y1KadtIsjt24qVbNu0qyqz_lQ9nRkOls7XT3uFB1YJhLQSRapwJ2E_Zg_mn6qlLBfwn0lFboC69nBrI-kXFxQr_FxjttQPt6eJI/w400-h300/IMG_0758a.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEn9BEDftn0WveD2y9zpRUrvyff0zERuYKXye0hlqJKE4fxAPoT0A6-Y7hEBA9p2F7T5yPjc_rcZ6BvbTjCXDPkIPceYgVzdFNwFQ7HLK2KFTgVSeNjtPxvmUtoFYroyzm2Mq2uQN9vuI/s800/IMG_0769a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEn9BEDftn0WveD2y9zpRUrvyff0zERuYKXye0hlqJKE4fxAPoT0A6-Y7hEBA9p2F7T5yPjc_rcZ6BvbTjCXDPkIPceYgVzdFNwFQ7HLK2KFTgVSeNjtPxvmUtoFYroyzm2Mq2uQN9vuI/w400-h300/IMG_0769a.jpg" width="400" /></a></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <br /></span></div><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I did this outside, with the garden hose at the ready in case of a spill. At this point the stunt man usually says, 'Don't try this at home'. </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">By using extreme caution, there were no accidents while I was playing mad sientist. It only took a few moments for the acid to eat the shine off the metal, then I rinsed it with lots of water and dried it and I was in love with the grungy result.</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VZ449nVF-2aNTLh18x223s59k3MhTxpdXuDO8bW_m50pzV3qhl3PY-m66E3Lt5ZPXF0LXiAkjunmV9aZvpuKPh2FMprQeL0zC36sBMSDiUsQ6v8Xf2VUAkVirGUjpMYF2kKZCGuh7FY/s927/IMG_0773a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VZ449nVF-2aNTLh18x223s59k3MhTxpdXuDO8bW_m50pzV3qhl3PY-m66E3Lt5ZPXF0LXiAkjunmV9aZvpuKPh2FMprQeL0zC36sBMSDiUsQ6v8Xf2VUAkVirGUjpMYF2kKZCGuh7FY/w345-h400/IMG_0773a.jpg" width="345" /></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></div><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">For the label, I scanned and printed a smaller version of the book cover and put it behind a sheet of plastic. </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5PwvEP_fnPZTC-pveIeNxrzUwzDO92ozD2vA5LAZubOcApD9UiTNwTLLeMfWpYVc-vbsI4Fh0llkkJW3Q_kJGEj7Ly2VNI9Gc4AzgNVJtVOMk-s2tWpZ0xM3zLtJ5C-GaawO-uYIPPk/s1067/IMG_0770a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5PwvEP_fnPZTC-pveIeNxrzUwzDO92ozD2vA5LAZubOcApD9UiTNwTLLeMfWpYVc-vbsI4Fh0llkkJW3Q_kJGEj7Ly2VNI9Gc4AzgNVJtVOMk-s2tWpZ0xM3zLtJ5C-GaawO-uYIPPk/w300-h400/IMG_0770a.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I nipped the edges of the metal with a pair of pliers to make sure there were no sharp edges, then hammered everything onto the box with tiny nails. </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCPDg9i_a-ZlM60ndWHyzMLpkh6iaYfFqnsHdM0rE1m3jmTihpqf0wsbhLGRAutIziUGstTneG9ZYSZRWCoUVh2YSo4mHlN9nonbdauEebuXzKFg2maMKfjyBx_wUXEPPIRht5SppcNU/s1007/IMG_0783a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1007" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCPDg9i_a-ZlM60ndWHyzMLpkh6iaYfFqnsHdM0rE1m3jmTihpqf0wsbhLGRAutIziUGstTneG9ZYSZRWCoUVh2YSo4mHlN9nonbdauEebuXzKFg2maMKfjyBx_wUXEPPIRht5SppcNU/w318-h400/IMG_0783a.jpg" width="318" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">When it came to the interior of the box, my color scheme was going to revolve around an old piece of linen that was a curtain lining in its previous life. I found cream paint to match, and some pewter-colored paint to compliment the metal parts. I also needed wide and narrow ribbons. Does anyone have any idea why and when I bought 300 meters of 5mm cream satin ribbon? I certainly don't and I ended up not using it in this project.<br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The most difficult ingredient to find was going to be matching paper. Faded and floral was probably the best I could hope for. Imagine my surprise when I came across two sheets of scrapbook paper that look like vintage newsprint. I have no idea where that came from but I couldn't have asked for anything more perfect! </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRDLZ6JyEliI0g7Zuce7Ml_BW0lBBMkbe_i_dVeDdEuluIIDrHZjaV17KYNoJ8XnaWN62BFaJ1OukCpvuYLHNf3SGtCyWG-V5FVjlORXSeEs0hEahAZm7HBbRKXULm9dS2T0tRJ-dlbg/s1067/IMG_0894a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyRDLZ6JyEliI0g7Zuce7Ml_BW0lBBMkbe_i_dVeDdEuluIIDrHZjaV17KYNoJ8XnaWN62BFaJ1OukCpvuYLHNf3SGtCyWG-V5FVjlORXSeEs0hEahAZm7HBbRKXULm9dS2T0tRJ-dlbg/w300-h400/IMG_0894a.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">(Here I want to pause for a moment and stick out my tongue at Marie Kondo. I bet she and all her cronies were going out of their minds with boredom in their empty apartments during the lockdown. It is a sensible apocalyptic survival strategy to have a stash of random crap stuffed in every available cupboard and drawer in your home).</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To help to protect the book, I cut two strips of 12mm foam. They will be covered in linen and a ribbon will help to keep the book in place.</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Al9gvIDKhvj9pRRE36haTcAc6fChE7rm8cL4I29tzhqOFEjSvj8A9gxfxEGtceKpkuNl6c78QMYapNLdj0G7WpVMTJEUGCzhGD_ofYcCYalzhNPnxJi5_mCaP0aAcA8-GtGHkBrpn94/s830/IMG_0898a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Al9gvIDKhvj9pRRE36haTcAc6fChE7rm8cL4I29tzhqOFEjSvj8A9gxfxEGtceKpkuNl6c78QMYapNLdj0G7WpVMTJEUGCzhGD_ofYcCYalzhNPnxJi5_mCaP0aAcA8-GtGHkBrpn94/w385-h400/IMG_0898a.jpg" width="385" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I used the paper to cover the bottom and inside of the lid of the box. The side walls are painted cream and the rims of the box and the lid are painted a pewter colour. </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AkBgivair3eQt6t717iH41FR2CHk80YSeEtPF9Yplq7PCXPT7j_ToT0BkCP9urUMDS0c8aEOaHxMqt-cxN2fCDhRCrEzwbyX-hZbAFNYDxkgMt21IcMT-4oEQIkiyATwQJ6q9JAr5Go/s1067/IMG_0924a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AkBgivair3eQt6t717iH41FR2CHk80YSeEtPF9Yplq7PCXPT7j_ToT0BkCP9urUMDS0c8aEOaHxMqt-cxN2fCDhRCrEzwbyX-hZbAFNYDxkgMt21IcMT-4oEQIkiyATwQJ6q9JAr5Go/w300-h400/IMG_0924a.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The dividers are covered in authentic, stained and faded linen. </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYrUALSXD5we1jfS1sFdEDx_xjayVFnpglLHoQLAuMxDQAtIan6rx718R9nACvw852XkF126PbU4D-Zo1lGPp0IQ6nWDsEbG_-mKNOjT6vTX5VB6QQgoM7DnFuTxhxm58FiHo7-lDxo8/s800/IMG_0919a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="800" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUYrUALSXD5we1jfS1sFdEDx_xjayVFnpglLHoQLAuMxDQAtIan6rx718R9nACvw852XkF126PbU4D-Zo1lGPp0IQ6nWDsEbG_-mKNOjT6vTX5VB6QQgoM7DnFuTxhxm58FiHo7-lDxo8/w400-h391/IMG_0919a.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">People always complain about their cats interfering with their work but nothing beats a sudden, wet, dog nose bonking you under the elbow when your fingers are covered in glue.</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakUBHuBLovPz2F8JmGGbjkG1achbQM8XeHVRJTIR_E6fzxQqrNJWttoZ0q54gedCNtzNPJzWl5w16EDKY8v9PIf3dCJTYA0sNIAphS5io0cgfczWwGZk30oB_2x4GJhc5InD1VHO5cO8/s800/IMG_0921a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="800" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakUBHuBLovPz2F8JmGGbjkG1achbQM8XeHVRJTIR_E6fzxQqrNJWttoZ0q54gedCNtzNPJzWl5w16EDKY8v9PIf3dCJTYA0sNIAphS5io0cgfczWwGZk30oB_2x4GJhc5InD1VHO5cO8/w400-h321/IMG_0921a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdNs6NH1FgWiG90juNUJ8WEmWIpPdHCLZ-qG939jUuZyTO-_7Evx8q_N8ExiSGBr7B0lpxu-Q2aO1xiv-ziqrcFfq4bUfW9SeGGApD3BQfV4lbWFoCG36BidjomO-Xdo9Uv7QN1K35OM/s800/IMG_0923a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="661" data-original-width="800" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdNs6NH1FgWiG90juNUJ8WEmWIpPdHCLZ-qG939jUuZyTO-_7Evx8q_N8ExiSGBr7B0lpxu-Q2aO1xiv-ziqrcFfq4bUfW9SeGGApD3BQfV4lbWFoCG36BidjomO-Xdo9Uv7QN1K35OM/w400-h330/IMG_0923a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Test fit. Now you can see where the metal corners fit inside the box. </span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirz7WlGNck-7XQaLkK3nEX1vvuOvfRU3_hC9RntTAZwm_Jm34Aj-N6SL-avhwzel6Id2LrPqiP-nbqEkFb5u4i1J2Qy5WKpjPTbyFmWrGswUW25A965DGkHc9Ku3Cqt_4DcDcEuC6NWYk/s1010/IMG_0937a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirz7WlGNck-7XQaLkK3nEX1vvuOvfRU3_hC9RntTAZwm_Jm34Aj-N6SL-avhwzel6Id2LrPqiP-nbqEkFb5u4i1J2Qy5WKpjPTbyFmWrGswUW25A965DGkHc9Ku3Cqt_4DcDcEuC6NWYk/w316-h400/IMG_0937a.jpg" width="316" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I attached the ribbon to the box lid. Now the book fits snug and secure. </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHKjI-QPLCOF2hmXAr16I2UDge3nqpndvb9QlOJwoNgqDsiwiKxd8NULTLrfoQDl-vFv5AzGXoAHLmOc6lMtQgxGP5lIc_GQ5FKdVmJNmuqhsqnCzmhZpG_eDlkUGtZcfDpibHDeDy70/s800/IMG_1070b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHKjI-QPLCOF2hmXAr16I2UDge3nqpndvb9QlOJwoNgqDsiwiKxd8NULTLrfoQDl-vFv5AzGXoAHLmOc6lMtQgxGP5lIc_GQ5FKdVmJNmuqhsqnCzmhZpG_eDlkUGtZcfDpibHDeDy70/w400-h266/IMG_1070b.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Anything
you put in the three compartments below the book will fall out when
you close the lid. For this reason, I padded the cells with thin foam and made them pretty with beads and sequins. This was made in a smiliar way to the <a href="http://www.blog.creativeme.co.za/2021/01/sweet-dreams-are-made-of-this.html">mattress tutorial</a> I wrote in January. I
will put small items that can be pinned down in these compartments.</span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzue7yVcp_QFXMtSh21X0a-3yLH0h1M5T4yXCuXJK_Sd9HvcMEY-apsTFQtC2F78YjgMqoMBzfCxRZasb6hAYcx-k8NVDYnQYvQt2dD4lFRtQ-zlrvaK6zjVAPfUD00Je5LEuWhdBzmSs/s800/IMG_1085a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzue7yVcp_QFXMtSh21X0a-3yLH0h1M5T4yXCuXJK_Sd9HvcMEY-apsTFQtC2F78YjgMqoMBzfCxRZasb6hAYcx-k8NVDYnQYvQt2dD4lFRtQ-zlrvaK6zjVAPfUD00Je5LEuWhdBzmSs/w400-h300/IMG_1085a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_8fNXqAGC_wY8CWYNByuTBWMPhpTpUYC4dWlbEQO_X7cwFUQO11wXHo-LIRA-AmRh3qXtMij1gDauHBHFVwESNiXs5nn9WcCuQGPO4rzZu5X_MVc1rwomeT2OCiEWirhdspi8M0QhDw/s800/IMG_1088a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="800" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_8fNXqAGC_wY8CWYNByuTBWMPhpTpUYC4dWlbEQO_X7cwFUQO11wXHo-LIRA-AmRh3qXtMij1gDauHBHFVwESNiXs5nn9WcCuQGPO4rzZu5X_MVc1rwomeT2OCiEWirhdspi8M0QhDw/w400-h313/IMG_1088a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I was going to put a removable tray only in the center large compartment but after thinking about all the things I want to put in the box and how best </span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">to </span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">display them, I realised that every compartment needs a tray. This caused heaps of extra work. First, I made suports for the trays with cardstock and glued them in place. </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5I6VMrJpV8rmVzFD9wm10EhAhp0XqesqVuGwqtfOOhk7imvIQAg96Y4r-riMjovupcYnnCeku0fFwaJakYe7TyOSs_w6PjTrlmfX-CvSMb4Ia9xwyWxkdpFJz0360Sa6u4DFmn56puFk/s800/IMG_1065a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="800" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5I6VMrJpV8rmVzFD9wm10EhAhp0XqesqVuGwqtfOOhk7imvIQAg96Y4r-riMjovupcYnnCeku0fFwaJakYe7TyOSs_w6PjTrlmfX-CvSMb4Ia9xwyWxkdpFJz0360Sa6u4DFmn56puFk/w400-h339/IMG_1065a.jpg" width="400" /></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <br /></span></div><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Then I constructed the trays using mat board. I agonised for days over making some kind of handle to lift the trays out. I didn't want beads, and a traditional ribbon pull didn't appeal to me either. Then I came upon the idea of just adding an extra strip of card on two sides inside the tray. </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">All you need is a little ledge for your fingers to grip the tray and lift it out. Genius! I loved it and turned it into a feature by painting the lifting strips with the pewter-coloured paint.</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp46AM4uQjcr7lfXPyE9HrdnTYJQx9XjYo_l9HEjjMX78dRLR75T9kwXJw503G1TCmw68QGjgl_s1hlm0gUl0riHsoMncFWShiHACd2RykhNNamBl1MB52EiCbHPrR7MD-zwVA1r1iC8s/s800/IMG_1077a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp46AM4uQjcr7lfXPyE9HrdnTYJQx9XjYo_l9HEjjMX78dRLR75T9kwXJw503G1TCmw68QGjgl_s1hlm0gUl0riHsoMncFWShiHACd2RykhNNamBl1MB52EiCbHPrR7MD-zwVA1r1iC8s/w400-h300/IMG_1077a.jpg" width="400" /></a></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <br /></span></div><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">But now the remaining sides of the tray needed something more...</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I found some narrow cotton lace in my stash that was perfect for the job. I know it is sacrilege to use vintage lace for a craft project but I have strong objections to yellow fabric. That colour only looks good on flowers. Out came the pewter paint and the result pleased me no end.</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCECPOre3H5XaliCSCGCmw6HQ6-B68E3GtbBf86n9SpPexYIVhXxG6tUn3R1JA_9yH0eLbieQFlDupEZ8kVJ-dD-KqRVkCHhO18AP_ZSJG89skE9AZNVWkXWTXNpXrATPUxeUrPtmWMU/s834/IMG_1076a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCECPOre3H5XaliCSCGCmw6HQ6-B68E3GtbBf86n9SpPexYIVhXxG6tUn3R1JA_9yH0eLbieQFlDupEZ8kVJ-dD-KqRVkCHhO18AP_ZSJG89skE9AZNVWkXWTXNpXrATPUxeUrPtmWMU/w384-h400/IMG_1076a.jpg" width="384" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZVUCzSC_Cmu_2qaQH7MvbeXtE6japqgTrcC6ZxAFeThBCbEqXrf9yBGNCPkkTNOx4hQRl0JJ7oOA4E_kdnOB6PQbFDvUyhgE-9M38Jm4DjhLRN6yy6h-8NBqFnj_mZqkZSlrtZy2MvE/s800/IMG_1080b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="800" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZVUCzSC_Cmu_2qaQH7MvbeXtE6japqgTrcC6ZxAFeThBCbEqXrf9yBGNCPkkTNOx4hQRl0JJ7oOA4E_kdnOB6PQbFDvUyhgE-9M38Jm4DjhLRN6yy6h-8NBqFnj_mZqkZSlrtZy2MvE/w400-h318/IMG_1080b.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Here are some views of the finished box with all the trays. I even covered the bottom of the trays with scraps of the newspring scrapbook paper I had left over. I'm so happy with the way Annabelle's box turned out!</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGzwEt2uyxyR7ym8Mw_pAOmw6N67nWsiZd2GzM5NF-MaV3c7PEh2H4nlM5d_80oy0NgeBtv5MnonWsAQEgez6NsD2v2D_nw5eKnvGeL1JsE_h3bISSVmB26Lb492vs4T5KXhSNA-NicM/s800/IMG_0786a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGzwEt2uyxyR7ym8Mw_pAOmw6N67nWsiZd2GzM5NF-MaV3c7PEh2H4nlM5d_80oy0NgeBtv5MnonWsAQEgez6NsD2v2D_nw5eKnvGeL1JsE_h3bISSVmB26Lb492vs4T5KXhSNA-NicM/s320/IMG_0786a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFaW-r-st9JjtYEt3hwEyrPFvGu97_G4d6ECfZs_HDhyphenhyphenXMzBs06ZQD6rUTmTY_GjpZCGKka26pqGihlEaikuAn9F6Kc2iqp-h1FppaN3ehOGTCp8c7hamIe648YD5IOOx_yvZ2-o3FZ-I/s1067/IMG_0784a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFaW-r-st9JjtYEt3hwEyrPFvGu97_G4d6ECfZs_HDhyphenhyphenXMzBs06ZQD6rUTmTY_GjpZCGKka26pqGihlEaikuAn9F6Kc2iqp-h1FppaN3ehOGTCp8c7hamIe648YD5IOOx_yvZ2-o3FZ-I/w300-h400/IMG_0784a.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4V_Io5FEYaXswwIJP9RiH8LITBML04aWn4Z5a7_1vVcIPcLwZuRn0Hz4PowU1Zjw9BcfB7wyAVIzib71Mc9ueIwGnYQjnqWW_ycQWzc33fzBEOYaGxYggaeyzXv1vZ5SFiFy3SGtJiM/s1135/IMG_1109a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1135" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA4V_Io5FEYaXswwIJP9RiH8LITBML04aWn4Z5a7_1vVcIPcLwZuRn0Hz4PowU1Zjw9BcfB7wyAVIzib71Mc9ueIwGnYQjnqWW_ycQWzc33fzBEOYaGxYggaeyzXv1vZ5SFiFy3SGtJiM/w283-h400/IMG_1109a.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYA6VsDoX4tvG5gXTnHvF4ssNPn-odgIs7y2lRDEm3P3xaSj28pCBe0Oivtx0JfroqxAnBa8G6pzs05SddeCqn9vUnfz78vLAs45wbQVA7Sl2g4WomEycchfBKxt12RQTbJ7RHRqwl84M/s1112/IMG_1093a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1112" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYA6VsDoX4tvG5gXTnHvF4ssNPn-odgIs7y2lRDEm3P3xaSj28pCBe0Oivtx0JfroqxAnBa8G6pzs05SddeCqn9vUnfz78vLAs45wbQVA7Sl2g4WomEycchfBKxt12RQTbJ7RHRqwl84M/w288-h400/IMG_1093a.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtCb7czLjNWYN40DNCHDo2WtiNqaWYGqMKdn7zCSxJgmPc8F70zL14ZHeP1lYxlOlXiei0AY6ds3QSz7dbT1nja2wa2uLWQ8T71Rk2L302aWYOMS5jk7pGs7aKMt4Dj5tIs3gov2qIGY/s972/IMG_1095a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBtCb7czLjNWYN40DNCHDo2WtiNqaWYGqMKdn7zCSxJgmPc8F70zL14ZHeP1lYxlOlXiei0AY6ds3QSz7dbT1nja2wa2uLWQ8T71Rk2L302aWYOMS5jk7pGs7aKMt4Dj5tIs3gov2qIGY/w329-h400/IMG_1095a.jpg" width="329" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4G3d7JU4rdANTx2-tNWkEvwbf9CqWu9vPD0SVJcqU9Vbjb42q_ZTKvhWuZjL5YbdmdfcWJyosVlIoDkYMSvp8GtfB9snvWWF5Zjsm6bVznuikqRPEnedRe5r9XJ6otSmn1ex5ya_mW0/s800/IMG_1098a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4G3d7JU4rdANTx2-tNWkEvwbf9CqWu9vPD0SVJcqU9Vbjb42q_ZTKvhWuZjL5YbdmdfcWJyosVlIoDkYMSvp8GtfB9snvWWF5Zjsm6bVznuikqRPEnedRe5r9XJ6otSmn1ex5ya_mW0/w400-h300/IMG_1098a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">But wait, we're not finished... What is in the top left corner?</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmv87Rfnbsd8WiUZRucodgvgVXW4ISa0PuVr4sNM7TlalR-f5Mi0WiJaoycdvRkxa66N5HZ1n9CFgmznFj2Wh1YwVXmJDnqVa8LiZkfVPsUvAlIn982sQrvfMzZKwiaES4xO45CYS146o/s845/IMG_1100a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmv87Rfnbsd8WiUZRucodgvgVXW4ISa0PuVr4sNM7TlalR-f5Mi0WiJaoycdvRkxa66N5HZ1n9CFgmznFj2Wh1YwVXmJDnqVa8LiZkfVPsUvAlIn982sQrvfMzZKwiaES4xO45CYS146o/w379-h400/IMG_1100a.jpg" width="379" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Ta-da de dum, it's a music box! The tune is '</span><i style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Love Makes the World go Around</span></i><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">'. <br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I glued the movement to the inside of the box before covering it with paper. <br /></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyRuxGo1b5oYVmbTU-vzJpJwh7jo_7uAlU6l96xXQGYzXwmHnFK8HTDgr2zVYH_JTaxesu7YTQKRuzyMQRr1g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I drilled a hole for the key through the side of the box and moments later realised that it would interfere with the hinge of the lid. Yaargh! This was just one of many mistakes I made. Instead of trying to cover the hole, I decided to just leave it there. Future generations can wonder about its purpose.</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHjaV3Px65OD5bRd8ekdBYsU_aQXAma1T9eBcnF6Kh-hTtizXAc2t82hC0fa698oA4YMxkQWIMn4CpGFTT8jgTCTWrDLv617aX_q_RRX7V98ZSycVBY_oIsF-iS5Badrn46KJ4EXdFlU/s800/IMG_1059a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="800" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRHjaV3Px65OD5bRd8ekdBYsU_aQXAma1T9eBcnF6Kh-hTtizXAc2t82hC0fa698oA4YMxkQWIMn4CpGFTT8jgTCTWrDLv617aX_q_RRX7V98ZSycVBY_oIsF-iS5Badrn46KJ4EXdFlU/w400-h315/IMG_1059a.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I tidied up the edges of the holes with metal brads from my button box. I think they are parts of a press stud. The key is not pretty and it doesn't suit the style of the box. I might do something about that in future.</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2CA-Qrfxh0qgvLz3a8MgTuoAETr341aSZi8hq0PV0znVVGmlw23dPrvB3zMCBr2VWtyIEXm3AXdLAOz7JwNO9KrZkbDtsv89XKO6quW1e8s2AeigpCczonZIgSL7nG3iCVMtrnc371s/s800/IMG_1101a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="800" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS2CA-Qrfxh0qgvLz3a8MgTuoAETr341aSZi8hq0PV0znVVGmlw23dPrvB3zMCBr2VWtyIEXm3AXdLAOz7JwNO9KrZkbDtsv89XKO6quW1e8s2AeigpCczonZIgSL7nG3iCVMtrnc371s/w400-h286/IMG_1101a.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Making Annabelle's box was the most fun I had in a long while. It was marvelous to feel so inspired that I didn't want to stop working until it was finished. Now I have the vessel for her treasures, I can start making Annabelle and her accessories. I'm in no hurry though, other projects are also calling. I've created a post label, especially for Annabelle. Simply click on </span><i style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">A is for Annabelle</span></i><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> at the bottom of the post or in the sidebar at any time in the future to see all posts relating to Annabelle and the contents of her box.</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Congratulations, you made it to the end of a very long post. As a reward, here are more pictures of Bonnie occupying the entire kitchen floor. She's the sweetest eight year old puppy around.</span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhKU5TOT22KSYIaI9xr6j1cBlHbuTl35aVLB9o3NFa8Na5zUEnsLnv_k3V8xevX5Z4oZ4yQpxCMYlfNB28AZH_BOEdw3dmUo0MincIXquv0OS5EKUsK_PnHOmLzfFezVS3SwLFby6mbw/s1067/IMG_0916a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhKU5TOT22KSYIaI9xr6j1cBlHbuTl35aVLB9o3NFa8Na5zUEnsLnv_k3V8xevX5Z4oZ4yQpxCMYlfNB28AZH_BOEdw3dmUo0MincIXquv0OS5EKUsK_PnHOmLzfFezVS3SwLFby6mbw/s320/IMG_0916a.jpg" /></a></div><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOjwMiBkubxA-7691qMvAoIMNUOOPtiyWDJg3zJqzqhyBvNe1wecNArdcLXqitNB0H8Voy58IRN-Ps6c61A5yPVf3QQB7-Xp8Mbj5bFG7eoXCHbHEw-GaIhQuAzT1-ieYwb_6-YosqOk/s1067/IMG_0909a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOjwMiBkubxA-7691qMvAoIMNUOOPtiyWDJg3zJqzqhyBvNe1wecNArdcLXqitNB0H8Voy58IRN-Ps6c61A5yPVf3QQB7-Xp8Mbj5bFG7eoXCHbHEw-GaIhQuAzT1-ieYwb_6-YosqOk/s320/IMG_0909a.jpg" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHB0uAKbStYGjlJMyBBpGPVykEbaPbpjwTxWhFGM3ifXTkX-KsTDVgER8vNPqzS2VUBws0rTnY-KCT0Aj5DeeT_KjVpboI06YqEQEr00Qrcpq9Ve7M1ljVO090oHdaNYTgrCXLfUEsbEI/s1067/IMG_0906a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHB0uAKbStYGjlJMyBBpGPVykEbaPbpjwTxWhFGM3ifXTkX-KsTDVgER8vNPqzS2VUBws0rTnY-KCT0Aj5DeeT_KjVpboI06YqEQEr00Qrcpq9Ve7M1ljVO090oHdaNYTgrCXLfUEsbEI/s320/IMG_0906a.jpg" /></a> </div></div><p></p><p style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><br />Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-51741865445485279182021-05-09T21:48:00.001+02:002021-05-09T21:58:24.361+02:00All or Nothing<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bXzw7JkBBjafbQDlxCCuVzsySmkBpfgNrMkrs2CYgtMZKi1BL3kmmKdEA6_IpdK7aCFvaV5GEjX6T1Zf3woOSecLOmpLy773MM2pk3aWL4x0qDvA6OUi-qE4fgRKJukDYqpcJXXSdJ0/s846/IMG_0991a.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="846" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1bXzw7JkBBjafbQDlxCCuVzsySmkBpfgNrMkrs2CYgtMZKi1BL3kmmKdEA6_IpdK7aCFvaV5GEjX6T1Zf3woOSecLOmpLy773MM2pk3aWL4x0qDvA6OUi-qE4fgRKJukDYqpcJXXSdJ0/w400-h345/IMG_0991a.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>Mark Rothko said that there is more power in telling little than telling all. Last week, I started a post to show you how I made Annabelle's box. It tells all, and it is such a long story that I didn't manage to finish it on Sunday. I thought that I would type out the last paragraphs during the week but then the neighbour's cat went missing.</p><p>Our neighbour being the Rietvlei Nature Reserve and the cat, a cheetah. Ha, I bet you don't have that kind of excitement in your life.</p><p>She crawled under an electric fence where a porcupine had dug a hole. For several days, game rangers and volunteers trudged through the area looking for her. This morning, she surprised everyone by turning up back in the nature
reserve. </p><p>How's that for telling little? I summarised days of anxiety and blistered feet in one paragraph. If you want to know all the details, you can Google <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=njozi+rietvlei+nature+reserve" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Njozi Rietvlei Nature Reserve</a>, she was in the news headlines every day.<br /></p><p>Excitement at an end and back to making Anabelle's box.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLEC97uUH0ik-VkNvDuM3YvInbZUemxWgbDvZWEj_rXm0PspC1ubUIb1yohXjw0pdcBLq6H5J-8VCnsXhT3tzbRHPeSvNrOr6FGf-xh4mrzKH-6r_1jlBBNEvuP4zLbSCLxGNSZU9l08/s500/cheetah.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="500" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLEC97uUH0ik-VkNvDuM3YvInbZUemxWgbDvZWEj_rXm0PspC1ubUIb1yohXjw0pdcBLq6H5J-8VCnsXhT3tzbRHPeSvNrOr6FGf-xh4mrzKH-6r_1jlBBNEvuP4zLbSCLxGNSZU9l08/w400-h297/cheetah.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p> </p>Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-36109301630775622652021-04-25T18:21:00.004+02:002021-04-26T09:16:07.146+02:00This is not Annabelle<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OSd3msD3XrtR5uVaswJgV890KIc_Xw5XXuX3cvpm7whA8blir1pSMlTNJGaZ-_kzMp2lnvBLVxxeZJQYTZGO-Wkehq6ssrU-BfsQgSWmkMwVXRaFryibGkn6qCeeaRrBiHwFph0DoIY/s800/IMG_0736a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OSd3msD3XrtR5uVaswJgV890KIc_Xw5XXuX3cvpm7whA8blir1pSMlTNJGaZ-_kzMp2lnvBLVxxeZJQYTZGO-Wkehq6ssrU-BfsQgSWmkMwVXRaFryibGkn6qCeeaRrBiHwFph0DoIY/w400-h400/IMG_0736a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This is not Anabelle. She's not Alice either, although I'm thinking of naming her that. Remember the song from 1977? Smokie crooning '<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16oY8fYTisA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">24 years living next dooooor to Alice...</a>' ha ha, I might have just given you an earworm.<br /></p><p>The naked lady in the box is a 1/12th scale crash-test dummy of the dollhouse world. I use her whenever I need to check the scale of a project. Here, she is a placeholder for Annabelle who hasn't been created yet.<br /></p><p>Who is Annabelle? Tasha Tudor introduced us to this sweet doll in a book she wrote in 1954. The purpose of <i>A is for Annabelle</i> was to teach Tasha's granddaughters the alphabet by naming Annabelle's clothing and accessories from A to Z. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorG2OWrsBwlj7fnzrd44kqpekP6NxrwU8obPo1P1g_poP7-CDptOImIC5PdaDS8XGhgy-QGIOkTwDpF_nc7-9BNi495F_rujq-7DcVtZpqbMZZe5c0SpbderTKUN5beatxltn9zOTfic/s800/IMG_0787a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="800" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorG2OWrsBwlj7fnzrd44kqpekP6NxrwU8obPo1P1g_poP7-CDptOImIC5PdaDS8XGhgy-QGIOkTwDpF_nc7-9BNi495F_rujq-7DcVtZpqbMZZe5c0SpbderTKUN5beatxltn9zOTfic/w400-h333/IMG_0787a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>I fell in love with the beautiful illustrations the first time I set eyes on this vintage book and for the longest time, I have yearned to create my own Annabelle with all her pretty things. She has a Locket, a Posy, an Umbrella, and twentythree other beautiful things. Earlier this year, I mentioned the idea in <a href="https://towerhousedolls.co.uk/" target="_blank">Sandra's</a> group for mignonette dolls and it caught fire. Soon, everyone was scouring the internet for their own copy of the book (it is in reprint and very affordable if you want your own). Now that I have some buddies who are doing it too, I've started putting ideas together. </p><p>Everyone will be doing their own thing, at their own pace. I will show you what I'm making here. So if you would like to do it too, just go ahead! You will need the book, a suitable doll, and a box to put her in. The scale is up to you. Then you just follow the alphabet from A to Z and add items to the box. You can make them or buy them.</p><p>Next week I will show you how I made my box. Here's a teaser:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUa2xyBkOW114yPdbAyVmi5V61eM63Hces9cOJeci7BycmvgvE_GzJ63m-hoYAi9q62lexlIawY2MYxkT5qLroQnDXsABoZv9TmYJ3BF2_wTG1fKFWWn42qdyyy82Vw_Qw4bNGLx5Ii0/s1067/IMG_0795a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUa2xyBkOW114yPdbAyVmi5V61eM63Hces9cOJeci7BycmvgvE_GzJ63m-hoYAi9q62lexlIawY2MYxkT5qLroQnDXsABoZv9TmYJ3BF2_wTG1fKFWWn42qdyyy82Vw_Qw4bNGLx5Ii0/w480-h640/IMG_0795a.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>In other news, the patient is much better, although he is already becoming very bored with bed rest. Thank heavens for Youtube videos and Mr Musk launching rockets to Mars and the moon. And when there are no rockets left to launch, there is always Tesla. Things that go bang and things with wheels, what is it with men?<br /></p><p>Here's my thought for the week: <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.northdixiedesigns.com/2021/04/setting-creative-micro-goals.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFun0Jk-BeBbW13Rsg_6AQbrolnIPksxkjLsSBcAsB91GVFH2tx1QuBUi4qns5Ei8lJm7lxJu7nAHs5cckUoZDLoBLdtt-8wBlwurj9_JHC-LEaWGbU2SPAA2bTbu0vHmnjM6VXeQVao/w400-h400/Dixie.png" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>I asked myself why I'm starting yet another project when I already have so many things on the go. Then I read <a href="http://www.northdixiedesigns.com/2021/04/setting-creative-micro-goals.html" target="_blank">Northdixie's Blog</a>. A creative project consisting of many bite-sized parts suddenly made perfect sense. I think most of us feel overwhelmed by the state of the world. Setting micro-goals can help you to to feel grounded and give you a sense of achievement. Dixie creates the poignant image of making a bouquet by picking one flower at a time.</p><p>My wish for you is that your week will become a bouquet of beautiful flowers. </p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p>Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-6339950722953749282021-04-18T19:44:00.001+02:002021-04-18T19:45:56.876+02:00Slow and Steady<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6jLtobtbpB9Hj578YPPtj8juZhPZfxtw-uJK3cEO17rcaxeRf412xL2f4E8gEXWJbCiB90ZnVYQDGMCyYThcwUaximDew1l5byr5_vzm-dALgkX5CVWVTwA6VQ59FdybsHUMyjEzIM4/s1000/IMG_0552a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="1000" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6jLtobtbpB9Hj578YPPtj8juZhPZfxtw-uJK3cEO17rcaxeRf412xL2f4E8gEXWJbCiB90ZnVYQDGMCyYThcwUaximDew1l5byr5_vzm-dALgkX5CVWVTwA6VQ59FdybsHUMyjEzIM4/w400-h340/IMG_0552a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>A tall stack of crochet squares. At this rate, I will have a blanket before winter sets in. This project is exactly what I needed during a weird week.<p></p><p>In a non-pandemic world, Henning would have stayed in hospital for three days but things being as they are, I brought him home ninety minutes after he woke up from a four-hour anaesthesia. Our compassionate surgeon prescribed morphine and oh boy, did the patient need it! A bone graft is the kind of torturous operation that should only be performed in the seventh circle of hell.</p><p>In a bizarre twist, the drug that makes you drowsy had the opposite effect on Henning. Although it definitely made him forget the pain, he was awake for 48 hours straight and was babbling an endless stream of uproarious blather. For a man whose daily quota of words usually runs out by 9am, this is quite a record. I'm exhausted. <br /></p><p>Now we face two weeks of recovery, followed by six weeks of rehab. I think life will slowly start returning to normal. This coming week, I hope to have snatches of time to get back to work on miniatures and teddy bears. In my next post, I should have something to show.</p><p>Wishing you a sunny, creative week.</p><p>P.S. Are any of you who use Blogger researching alternatives to Feedburner? <br /></p>Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-39136398524910835362021-04-11T19:36:00.002+02:002021-04-12T09:04:55.925+02:00Not My Cup of Tea<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmX-OW6GX0uwFBOyYig6tu3pmLpqIbzHBpmqN3cHiQk6Hc3zxTiYM9uNnsnbwgKowx-Do1zqtgnuKJUjdYob-gdnha-Q7ZOEbz2LJHdueVhZxHt0GtwY9IgSHSngTZQ0exEZf0pxFhZA/s1500/IMG_040c.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmX-OW6GX0uwFBOyYig6tu3pmLpqIbzHBpmqN3cHiQk6Hc3zxTiYM9uNnsnbwgKowx-Do1zqtgnuKJUjdYob-gdnha-Q7ZOEbz2LJHdueVhZxHt0GtwY9IgSHSngTZQ0exEZf0pxFhZA/w400-h400/IMG_040c.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a blanket I made ten years ago, when I first learned to crochet. It was a block-a-week series that you could subscribe to via the stationery shop. </div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7700RvztlWx0WOfYs0kaCYatH-DqbtWxeX04NAKB-xoEm9BKVTK75sEDPv4zVBSnYfGwUDLLPIAkG-bP3NQsxclIMwT4vshxBesLVImvuNbWILcGjXZYTttxg0mOGwLwnWoFDKUMPXAs/s1500/IMG_0414a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7700RvztlWx0WOfYs0kaCYatH-DqbtWxeX04NAKB-xoEm9BKVTK75sEDPv4zVBSnYfGwUDLLPIAkG-bP3NQsxclIMwT4vshxBesLVImvuNbWILcGjXZYTttxg0mOGwLwnWoFDKUMPXAs/w400-h400/IMG_0414a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Of course, like many subscription traps, when you add up the total cost, you could have bought yarn for several blankets by the time you paid for all 100 issues. But for once I feel that it was good value for money. If you followed the lessons every week you received a very thorough instruction in the art of crochet and they were generous with the yarn. So generous that I started a second blanket with the leftovers.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPknTy7YunPIGVqDfRTcYvNXGS1ihQ83-LXMuBTS_9GGo6MymJtUAhN5Paty12TuUv4-GIk19_KqMwba_1e2PAJ9fd96HTSceBzi89t3S-Sg_RDHWgmnWSnHTw8QyiflUxwr262Dztk6w/s1500/IMG_0409b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1500" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPknTy7YunPIGVqDfRTcYvNXGS1ihQ83-LXMuBTS_9GGo6MymJtUAhN5Paty12TuUv4-GIk19_KqMwba_1e2PAJ9fd96HTSceBzi89t3S-Sg_RDHWgmnWSnHTw8QyiflUxwr262Dztk6w/w400-h270/IMG_0409b.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is where I am. There won't be enough yarn to complete the blanket so I'm adding colours from the project I frogged a few weeks ago. It's the ideal activity to keep my hands busy while other things are happening.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Henning's next (and hopefully final) surgery is scheduled for this coming Thursday. It involves a bone transplant so I think it will be quite uncomfortable. There are still many squares needed to complete this throw so he can rest and take his time with recovery once he is home.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In other news, there's a kettle ghost loose in my kitchen. First, my trusty blue enamel kettle was posessed and it started switching off as soon as the water was lukewarm. Once off, nothing could convince it to turn on again for an hour, by which time I had forgotten that I wanted a cup of tea. After several days of this, I admitted defeat and swapped the kettle for an old stainless steel one from the junk room. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Unfortunately, it had a plastic spout and it was immediately apparent why it had been banished. It was leaking quite badly from the seam. In an attempt to salvage the kettle and stop scalding water from running down my arm every time I tilted it, I disassembled the kettle and fetched the superglue. In short order I managed to glue two fingers to the kettle and the kettle to the table but no way would the spout stick to the kettle. Into the dustbin with a clang.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next, I unearthed an old plastic kettle that I used in the studio in the past when I needed hot water for mixing art materials. This one boils the water, but it makes tea that taste of plastic. Like a shark can smell blood, I can detect foreign substances in my tea when it's one part per billion. I'll admit that I'm a bit fussy.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've done an online search and saw a ghost-proof kettle that I like. Now all I need is to find a shop that has it in stock. <br /></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p><br /></p>Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-46752149976752281692021-03-31T16:15:00.001+02:002021-03-31T16:16:03.827+02:00An Arm and a Leg<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDxAvPBVeznCvN4KhGbOnrV2FuuUMQJOw3eApYsUl0djpFRNIUG7PW3KizJYaF7ctqli0k1C85UzRd7Czl1zhWQEVWRMzHnNUE0H3BmVDtOFfV8_axnQuwhcnq0WPHDIL49SQiVJRgeA/s2048/IMG_0105a.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1921" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDxAvPBVeznCvN4KhGbOnrV2FuuUMQJOw3eApYsUl0djpFRNIUG7PW3KizJYaF7ctqli0k1C85UzRd7Czl1zhWQEVWRMzHnNUE0H3BmVDtOFfV8_axnQuwhcnq0WPHDIL49SQiVJRgeA/s400/IMG_0105a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>
I have a bit of a fetish for miniature dolls. Even just parts will do. I recently sorted and consolidated all the bits and pieces which were stashed in various boxes and drawers. Instead of putting them away again, I decided to display my collection where I can enjoy it. What better way to exhibit body parts than in specimen jars?! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUs9Fg1cgtVNCsb1WBztJZewsiSCVDYtMBz0QCSS45wquwJzP3q-i8cc8qkVrurkc2W8lFdPfbJrA2qTc6ljSVi4-bcGXOrhdWwxzOh6Xwr9jkHIQim0EP5hhZpMJMmQ5GgA47FvH8mck/s2048/IMG_0072a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUs9Fg1cgtVNCsb1WBztJZewsiSCVDYtMBz0QCSS45wquwJzP3q-i8cc8qkVrurkc2W8lFdPfbJrA2qTc6ljSVi4-bcGXOrhdWwxzOh6Xwr9jkHIQim0EP5hhZpMJMmQ5GgA47FvH8mck/w424-h640/IMG_0072a.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><p>So far, I've received a few eye rolls and a 'no comment'. I guess not everyone has their head screwed on the same way, ha ha.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3kv7AiLDQQKzRvRN03IB9z9T2PJ8FfXMO64lDU6jZYnPiQoD7b7GI-sa-sALCNuqPZy_m9HrQcXsWuNAZnx3ghTc1WZlLxZwdRoZzyEviZidUpfGMxvDv__K1lX8yeM4SnT4pZvNRRU/s2048/IMG_0111a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1439" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3kv7AiLDQQKzRvRN03IB9z9T2PJ8FfXMO64lDU6jZYnPiQoD7b7GI-sa-sALCNuqPZy_m9HrQcXsWuNAZnx3ghTc1WZlLxZwdRoZzyEviZidUpfGMxvDv__K1lX8yeM4SnT4pZvNRRU/w281-h400/IMG_0111a.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><br /><p>Wishing you a peaceful Easter weekend. If it's spring in your part of the world, enjoy the sunshine. If it's autumn, pick up a few colourful leaves. <br /></p><p> <br /></p>Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-79113806636691148042021-03-29T09:11:00.001+02:002021-03-29T09:13:15.444+02:00Hello Everyone
Just a quickie to let you know that Henning is home and all is well. Now we're trying to get his third, and hopefully last, surgery scheduled ASAP, before the next wave of Corona infections cause the hospitals to close their operating theatres again.
I'm abusing the situation here by alternating betweeen napping and sitting on the bed next to him working on a crochet blanket. Not much real work going on and nothing to tell unless you want to know about the boring routine of a nurse/cook/ laundry attendant.
Thank you for your kind thoughts and wishing you a wonderful week!
Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-45263417412249054632021-03-23T22:05:00.001+02:002021-03-23T22:06:43.601+02:00Before and After<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gM0MT3ZEQnAme9NLJ0PXlTmY1giKUpIlmzkkXWmWvqp9PllGdD72SaF-iB7BBzYgU6jAE6qfmyRpnagJoF-ingUyQ6R7RsiodFt11B8eXxEdSlJFKg1qiPVGx0F2FG2Jo2biPcnxJEg/s2000/IMG_9939a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gM0MT3ZEQnAme9NLJ0PXlTmY1giKUpIlmzkkXWmWvqp9PllGdD72SaF-iB7BBzYgU6jAE6qfmyRpnagJoF-ingUyQ6R7RsiodFt11B8eXxEdSlJFKg1qiPVGx0F2FG2Jo2biPcnxJEg/w400-h400/IMG_9939a.jpg" title="Before" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr></tbody></table>Several years ago, I started making a crochet blanket while sitting next to a hospital bed. It was a really unhappy time in my life. Sadness was woven into the blanket together with the yarn. Also, the colours were much too busy for the design and being a beginner at crochet, I made many, many mistakes while trying to count the rows and figure out the complicated stitches. Whenever I worked at this blanket it felt wrong but being stubborn, I continued with it off and on between other projects.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEMPGBGf7V3Pbl7UkA8CSbdwCixBI6_QwWWBKTwHKdRz-Pv9d0K4D-LW9PA4mAOxJMp1hybvneNpGgwwtNV-4tP4vEVAzj_09Jk6PxWecYq6RQLdDcGjhOvXjn5PYrxfufDjuIPMjByk/s2000/IMG_9984a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEMPGBGf7V3Pbl7UkA8CSbdwCixBI6_QwWWBKTwHKdRz-Pv9d0K4D-LW9PA4mAOxJMp1hybvneNpGgwwtNV-4tP4vEVAzj_09Jk6PxWecYq6RQLdDcGjhOvXjn5PYrxfufDjuIPMjByk/w400-h400/IMG_9984a.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr></tbody></table>No, I don't have the captions the wrong way around. Over the last few weeks, I've been slowly frogging the entire thing and this is what remains. A project that won't end up as a UFO. I have a basket of yarn neatly wound into balls. Plus, I am making a different blanket that uses some of the same colours so the yarn will go directly there.</p><p>Rather than feeling guilt at my destructiveness, ripping out the stitches was therapeutic and just what I needed as I once again go through a time of extreme stress and hospital visits. I'm very concerned about Henning and what lies ahead for us this week. All I can do is believe in a positive outcome, and try not to worry about things that might never happen.</p><p>We had a lovely bike ride to the river this afternoon, probably our last for a long while. The harvest is in and wildflowers have taken over the edges of the fields. And yeah, we kept one eye on the sky all the way ;-)<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtm15WrZ33eE7zJ0tJUSpJJrDFKrxTSODo_UJ6gdwo_tQ7x2zo-299NJGy6LUdyXaQAABx8C9jskiSMtX3Y6F7vm_ePWBm5yd9ZdD67Fgj5tf3lVNOM3OYjYJyoOFrcvUDakbGx2-Rig/s1978/IMG_0002a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1590" data-original-width="1978" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtm15WrZ33eE7zJ0tJUSpJJrDFKrxTSODo_UJ6gdwo_tQ7x2zo-299NJGy6LUdyXaQAABx8C9jskiSMtX3Y6F7vm_ePWBm5yd9ZdD67Fgj5tf3lVNOM3OYjYJyoOFrcvUDakbGx2-Rig/w400-h321/IMG_0002a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIZSRUI7-3mlhQLUYqdbsZ8gsVgHBINR_967XkdUEm1S-tt959dpXTV04fQVNttGbuwd_EGA3mg2ZpxeSJfJYBCpwF96m0hTErsJwHg-pF4oyOATBPQ1n3irVW-otzLJ0ZM6H7iYp-6w/s1600/a32505d7-e03c-4864-a948-3685e982f88b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIZSRUI7-3mlhQLUYqdbsZ8gsVgHBINR_967XkdUEm1S-tt959dpXTV04fQVNttGbuwd_EGA3mg2ZpxeSJfJYBCpwF96m0hTErsJwHg-pF4oyOATBPQ1n3irVW-otzLJ0ZM6H7iYp-6w/w400-h225/a32505d7-e03c-4864-a948-3685e982f88b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><br /><br />Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-46813212840229695702021-03-14T21:11:00.005+02:002021-03-15T07:46:28.251+02:00Never Pee Against a Witch's Door<p>Today I have a naughty treat for you. Remember when I was <a href="http://www.blog.creativeme.co.za/2020/03/board-games-and-survival.html" target="_blank">complaining at the start of lockdown</a> exactly a year ago that I didn't have the right bits and pieces to make a birdbath? Well, while I was confined to the house, I had lots of time to mutter to myself and scratch around until I was able to make something that fit my mood.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIG0iIkeKnBUZ3tKGYgbzSr4b8yfLMPfPZ9EZc4M03yHLVcMY-auPjk6bfY6DpBAOmypdl-B_eKcMPVEClrRZ2I1KyCohbsa11XcQkUx_1y8k6jDAdqVOR_N66pnNMTKwsIB3wgGBD4N0/s2000/IMG_9833b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIG0iIkeKnBUZ3tKGYgbzSr4b8yfLMPfPZ9EZc4M03yHLVcMY-auPjk6bfY6DpBAOmypdl-B_eKcMPVEClrRZ2I1KyCohbsa11XcQkUx_1y8k6jDAdqVOR_N66pnNMTKwsIB3wgGBD4N0/w400-h400/IMG_9833b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvua_t3Sr0_ayFtgEJHuBQx6-1tkC4KVAhn3zED7I-HBtN3zOA25R3gwoQFeJI7wYr87rEnb2o3TLNIf-3uLOGFMLh7sPN2RwqRp56bVdGp4ZtUtH2seBcj46wg5hP1-n1poL_yO6c2us/s1000/IMG_9843a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvua_t3Sr0_ayFtgEJHuBQx6-1tkC4KVAhn3zED7I-HBtN3zOA25R3gwoQFeJI7wYr87rEnb2o3TLNIf-3uLOGFMLh7sPN2RwqRp56bVdGp4ZtUtH2seBcj46wg5hP1-n1poL_yO6c2us/w400-h400/IMG_9843a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>My personal version of <a href="https://www.brussels.be/manneken-pis" target="_blank">Mannekin Pis</a>. The original lives in Brussels and has been making a statement since the 15th century. Legend has it that a little boy had a pee against a witch's door and when she caught him in the act, the furious crone froze him in place forever. Totally sounds like something I would do...<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoxtAU-ZtajgpjzuBFs1etKaeYCNcfm9zTbbk0rmaQhoGjBpIk612BYaX-sqg8xbsD2hCSRCensu70AkVvTaY2LSu0I28qXEAFLz4-cham0dFPMOjurRrCNgvKR8F2Ou9lLAonsnXEjc/s1000/IMG_9826a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoxtAU-ZtajgpjzuBFs1etKaeYCNcfm9zTbbk0rmaQhoGjBpIk612BYaX-sqg8xbsD2hCSRCensu70AkVvTaY2LSu0I28qXEAFLz4-cham0dFPMOjurRrCNgvKR8F2Ou9lLAonsnXEjc/w400-h400/IMG_9826a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>My Mannekin had humble beginnings. A plastic charm, a metal bead cap, and a pie crust from Barbie play food, here already painted grey. Assembling the birdbath was a simple matter of glue and paint. The water however, made me scratch my head for quite a while.</p><p>After watching some Youtube videos, I decided that the best course of action would be to use nylon thread to guide the flow of resin 'water'. I drilled a small hole in the strategic spot and glued several strands of filament in place.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNdf3z85QASkLxoQEmcIx9PJfSW3yc2lE5l37-kTV4E1EglRNGucKMBQSqIREQoAIXyRzdb864ib-H6SV2JRInvPmbw4lcadv3ZHOVoHmu_zEdouOM3visc-XFHnEGkD7Bz4Iu15rY4Q/s1000/IMG_9815a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSNdf3z85QASkLxoQEmcIx9PJfSW3yc2lE5l37-kTV4E1EglRNGucKMBQSqIREQoAIXyRzdb864ib-H6SV2JRInvPmbw4lcadv3ZHOVoHmu_zEdouOM3visc-XFHnEGkD7Bz4Iu15rY4Q/w400-h400/IMG_9815a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Initially, he overshot the mark by quite a bit but after adjusting for flow pressure and wind force, I managed to glue the strands down where I wanted them. I mixed up a batch of clear resin, let become sticky in the measuring cup, then sculpted it into place over the thread and into the basin. </p><p>At the same time, I worked on a birdbath that my friend Cheryl printed for me using a 3D printer. This being in the middle of lockdown, friends were not allowed to visit one another at home and the police could stop you on the road and ask your business. We arranged a clandestine meeting at a petrol station, fully masked and gloved. I walked past her car and threw some homemade fudge through the window. She walked past mine and tossed my printed goodies in the back seat. We never made eye contact and drove off in different directions like spies, mission accomplished.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEKfP_veY-5w3DpiWJPYyv7h8mlPf4YFHS4RQFLEiTE6gJ9n-wr6XhtjLwfKf5nmw3j1a2YPWeGb2mNPupQJlruEnd8t3xwOS2TccrqO7-gvsgSjJAZwy6AR3IPITZmohGqLLgjcGqfU/s2000/IMG_9853a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpEKfP_veY-5w3DpiWJPYyv7h8mlPf4YFHS4RQFLEiTE6gJ9n-wr6XhtjLwfKf5nmw3j1a2YPWeGb2mNPupQJlruEnd8t3xwOS2TccrqO7-gvsgSjJAZwy6AR3IPITZmohGqLLgjcGqfU/w400-h400/IMG_9853a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>My Cheryl-printed birdbath, also mounted on a bead cap. And below are some more views. Resin printers allow for minute detail. How I wish I had one too.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgak08n0r6bX2wWfIqXTeX1_c0ztLeo3vO3ACDOMH-NTniRigeir9v9ge6Axc2KvcwLINtDYIznSk9CLs-IR7_09wZ_2poW3LLqdc77MhDy9fB_nFW5FMQWJDp3vZEXtYcvXKXYOBW3zZg/s1000/IMG_9860a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgak08n0r6bX2wWfIqXTeX1_c0ztLeo3vO3ACDOMH-NTniRigeir9v9ge6Axc2KvcwLINtDYIznSk9CLs-IR7_09wZ_2poW3LLqdc77MhDy9fB_nFW5FMQWJDp3vZEXtYcvXKXYOBW3zZg/w400-h400/IMG_9860a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbS4XbsDa7_3B1Bx6LGr7_B321WMPxssxkw_Zd820mBAqfz_GufUUf_oSwEU2u9Tdh7QiB6S-KLOEDAGubKG4NCBI4lSGjcKjA3Kx6ZHFcPOpAZ-2sm35xjwqSkT5FhuQBMquPNDtPTo/s1000/IMG_9861a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbS4XbsDa7_3B1Bx6LGr7_B321WMPxssxkw_Zd820mBAqfz_GufUUf_oSwEU2u9Tdh7QiB6S-KLOEDAGubKG4NCBI4lSGjcKjA3Kx6ZHFcPOpAZ-2sm35xjwqSkT5FhuQBMquPNDtPTo/w400-h400/IMG_9861a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVRYn4qWRCXfJjr-4hqS_pvkejrDtHYjqCr5M2VORmOcVBICebZjx2CZspoEg56VTXHlPgQaz8UocLMjmi_W9ZnGxk6h7okDmr8VueC-dyf1c22JEsryYg-lXdizxJIDTTbi3i_iHWVQ/s1000/IMG_9866a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVRYn4qWRCXfJjr-4hqS_pvkejrDtHYjqCr5M2VORmOcVBICebZjx2CZspoEg56VTXHlPgQaz8UocLMjmi_W9ZnGxk6h7okDmr8VueC-dyf1c22JEsryYg-lXdizxJIDTTbi3i_iHWVQ/w400-h400/IMG_9866a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>We are in this for a year already and some days it's hard to find a ray of light. Wishing you a blessed week my friends. And whatever you do, remember the consequences when you pee against a door!</p><p><br /></p>Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-79167658730262151882021-03-07T20:15:00.001+02:002021-03-08T09:12:39.256+02:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hqCKKEgXkFGGQJzwAo5vY6gegb2Du_qZ6O_-DO4MNwc1k4pyxiNBKN45Onfhyphenhyphen_-tLCkvpCCz7ZjHBZRt8jR24qPOcHaALp5nb4QQrLxeOty4zsHoRG5_8t1vrk85Wkn6g7ITKtQT4tE/s2000/IMG_9517a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8hqCKKEgXkFGGQJzwAo5vY6gegb2Du_qZ6O_-DO4MNwc1k4pyxiNBKN45Onfhyphenhyphen_-tLCkvpCCz7ZjHBZRt8jR24qPOcHaALp5nb4QQrLxeOty4zsHoRG5_8t1vrk85Wkn6g7ITKtQT4tE/w400-h400/IMG_9517a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Sometimes life is just the same old, same old. Nothing to report here. I did finish painting a battalion of tiny (23mm, 1 inch) teddy bears. Wishing you a great week!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2XjG29kiaT8Y46vIUmzPksNGkXJgTwgI03D-y1sHYWklJowe1-Cus0d86NST8lBka9pLdxRfOGc0zyBCr9D-EX0_3qXJBrQcqk5cSdSaMYqBvXCmqmm8xs96wR4ErA0VGzqjJDd-K08/s1734/IMG_9532a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1734" data-original-width="1734" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2XjG29kiaT8Y46vIUmzPksNGkXJgTwgI03D-y1sHYWklJowe1-Cus0d86NST8lBka9pLdxRfOGc0zyBCr9D-EX0_3qXJBrQcqk5cSdSaMYqBvXCmqmm8xs96wR4ErA0VGzqjJDd-K08/w400-h400/IMG_9532a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDI1THIMQAVPhZdEiMb0daHqM5F4ACUEBJMqxAf7fK2ecBHHhJWBfKghKYxfJGMd-0-DPBqXwh7W_s0hKZMgK6Aq2CNbo8xieI2mw9fMo_cVw2YETYOSEUlF64Ihv2dGitATKpF79ntI/s1734/IMG_9534a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1734" data-original-width="1734" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDI1THIMQAVPhZdEiMb0daHqM5F4ACUEBJMqxAf7fK2ecBHHhJWBfKghKYxfJGMd-0-DPBqXwh7W_s0hKZMgK6Aq2CNbo8xieI2mw9fMo_cVw2YETYOSEUlF64Ihv2dGitATKpF79ntI/w400-h400/IMG_9534a.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br /><p>P.S. <a href="https://somanyminis.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Sherrill</a> just drew my attention to the battalion of bears currently invading Paris. You can read about their antics daily on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nounours.gobelins.paris/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.<br /></p>Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-37778098651090784722021-03-01T07:58:00.005+02:002021-06-28T15:52:54.819+02:00The Tray<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnqtAITou1sGNBINZVyjrF6FUHYIp0cp68DB9aCzS4ZC3a1QyYznMkTaDoflx7PeiW2276o_uxdmDowR381gq2q7Pjx98LQimFRviAacu_0l5eXZ7K1wP70JHK8DZbtD4wkNH9QE4Lz8/s2000/WIPBox2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1110" data-original-width="2000" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnqtAITou1sGNBINZVyjrF6FUHYIp0cp68DB9aCzS4ZC3a1QyYznMkTaDoflx7PeiW2276o_uxdmDowR381gq2q7Pjx98LQimFRviAacu_0l5eXZ7K1wP70JHK8DZbtD4wkNH9QE4Lz8/w400-h223/WIPBox2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I woke up with a start at half past midnight and thought, Kuki. Not as in cookies and milk for a midnight snack. And I knew just where to find it.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGCD-r1NbZxK0a5zkA7IPmpe90skfkxoOmozIXdul4qeb6rgSS_l8dOJPczcgiLHWt3Vo3DFJs46NY7ZYAdNjYy2uugw4rs7_IDyDmQXuHmBHqiSVid5jVSEqGShEPj-cvJ97mKaNNbI/s2000/WIPBox.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1109" data-original-width="2000" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGCD-r1NbZxK0a5zkA7IPmpe90skfkxoOmozIXdul4qeb6rgSS_l8dOJPczcgiLHWt3Vo3DFJs46NY7ZYAdNjYy2uugw4rs7_IDyDmQXuHmBHqiSVid5jVSEqGShEPj-cvJ97mKaNNbI/w400-h221/WIPBox.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Seven years ago, I put down a tray of unfinished teddy bears for a few minutes. Where did the time go? I must not have had it back then either, because the teddies in the tray need only small things still to be finished. When I woke up in the night with thoughts of Kuki, I immediately realized that I must find that tray. Not that I could have told you about one thing that was in there. When I unpacked it, I rediscovered many teddies that I would never have recalled if they didn't whisper to my subconscious mind while I slept. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkVKHP0xi5S35k9oKzBtdW9oPtxVQ5FNqpgYc1A-C0KG_tEM1TPQVZCAKcdjYufzmDKj03XIJwYPSme72IngO2iQNhBgqq9QRBzEaDWO238ZIntketNJOJMwSRuvbNA6WJcQLdo3M5B8/s2048/KukiCoverNew2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1713" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSkVKHP0xi5S35k9oKzBtdW9oPtxVQ5FNqpgYc1A-C0KG_tEM1TPQVZCAKcdjYufzmDKj03XIJwYPSme72IngO2iQNhBgqq9QRBzEaDWO238ZIntketNJOJMwSRuvbNA6WJcQLdo3M5B8/w335-h400/KukiCoverNew2.jpg" width="335" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I designed the Kuki Needle Keeper teddy bear in 2007 in honour of a bear
maker and quilter, Kitty, who is a friend. At a time when I needed an extra pair of hands, she was a
tremendous help in my studio. Kitty
is practical and organized, serene and funny, and I think Kuki portrays
those qualities beautifully.</p>
<p>During the next three years, I used the Kuki pattern to teach teddy bear making at a craft
fair and over 600 students became the proud
owners of their own teddy needle keepers. Kuki was so popular that I
decided to publish the pattern so that bear makers all over the world
could make their own.</p><p>As you can imagine, my original pattern sample soon started looking a bit worse for wear with all the passing from hand to hand in workshops. I started making a new one but like most things, once the novelty of figuring out the process is over, I become bored with it and I'm ready to move on to a new challenge. Kuki was consigned to 'The Tray' in this condition.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfEx2EmwfY6A4S47VND8kbp0LFrqE6rnclytApe1nAFvmdr55_3jBmQ5HChAemRR-aNJuKfIo791AGhdsWjBmK4b9k9D8OXicMMMBxjClpJdsm3qNsFFzK5uu3qVOLvq2T4x1o962tS0/s2000/KukiWIP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1340" data-original-width="2000" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfEx2EmwfY6A4S47VND8kbp0LFrqE6rnclytApe1nAFvmdr55_3jBmQ5HChAemRR-aNJuKfIo791AGhdsWjBmK4b9k9D8OXicMMMBxjClpJdsm3qNsFFzK5uu3qVOLvq2T4x1o962tS0/w400-h268/KukiWIP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>She only needed a pair of eyes and her insides. Once I dusted her off and took out my pattern templates to cut the missing pieces, I felt inspired to create and I made her a collar, not part of the original design.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMNACpKwfGSnzm_rIK9j2s9D7fCxoxzDd0YGBiEdHZ9rQBd2RODRbMqf4qvCqxKunRmVMmUq4BGyjml2-xxLlUVvR6DHqzoUpNkReRfEeG2jYcGrGA-GIJfP5ZOgf5wD8p1o3-2Bh6zY/s2048/KukiPublishedNew3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1648" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMNACpKwfGSnzm_rIK9j2s9D7fCxoxzDd0YGBiEdHZ9rQBd2RODRbMqf4qvCqxKunRmVMmUq4BGyjml2-xxLlUVvR6DHqzoUpNkReRfEeG2jYcGrGA-GIJfP5ZOgf5wD8p1o3-2Bh6zY/w323-h400/KukiPublishedNew3.jpg" width="323" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UCZnG2DT0sMqb4D_WxVrnRDA8VkI80PhUOTDiN7x7EW9Gtc1wxiCzzIa7_wgZDTDIh3AnpnSMDywWzRoRpkiNfbvwhyphenhyphenjV_pWisywhP4vhMyPwiW21MP47DE_QqGAEALTqiaGLjVS31w/s783/KukiCollar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVALy6DmLGilK9fl8-xUDeXOfcepyVlCi-X4iZptwIH5_CVejZjkQKC1X9dMmyEnIAu23iCCSRE2kxyedtd2rJHlI42X_lVSsSzNPWoo3-tca5a5HIJVH7LgMDWvfYQu2OdoepqTilhk4/s783/KukiCollar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="783" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVALy6DmLGilK9fl8-xUDeXOfcepyVlCi-X4iZptwIH5_CVejZjkQKC1X9dMmyEnIAu23iCCSRE2kxyedtd2rJHlI42X_lVSsSzNPWoo3-tca5a5HIJVH7LgMDWvfYQu2OdoepqTilhk4/w400-h170/KukiCollar.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Soon she was assembled and ready to lead a long, useful life.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAflxcMtx-y-cqpTiOHLJigXjjUi8D9wdHNj769J8XvWRo27QIyVnYwRVoczbns_cyH6FKvBRhSwY4kc1NqYItjHOF58eyRuEbZnp_2i0MDUa70gD-Z61ddaht70KROzvJWpFiXKWJw8g/s2048/KukiPublishedNew2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1557" data-original-width="2048" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAflxcMtx-y-cqpTiOHLJigXjjUi8D9wdHNj769J8XvWRo27QIyVnYwRVoczbns_cyH6FKvBRhSwY4kc1NqYItjHOF58eyRuEbZnp_2i0MDUa70gD-Z61ddaht70KROzvJWpFiXKWJw8g/w400-h304/KukiPublishedNew2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Magnets in her hands can hold your scissors, and keep the needle book closed when not in use.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMV_IsXGmQn6rsGu7yTJ-av_OKaEfHfJY8lAhErRZh-mmgaDTb87D0zvsaGTP5RJ1wPnzo0eOM1kFiCnMdUW0e4sjdAzBAsbb3JNvvyr3hyeUJkTQ6eLrLhKHoP-NLytFQjKX_DKcIjY/s2048/KukiWeb2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMV_IsXGmQn6rsGu7yTJ-av_OKaEfHfJY8lAhErRZh-mmgaDTb87D0zvsaGTP5RJ1wPnzo0eOM1kFiCnMdUW0e4sjdAzBAsbb3JNvvyr3hyeUJkTQ6eLrLhKHoP-NLytFQjKX_DKcIjY/w400-h400/KukiWeb2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>She opens up to reveal that at heart, she's a sharp cookie, ha ha.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX94ujgg7ZOeTZ51wA59uNrZMCqWno0hFYRi3QfvRwkpy6gmDymzljDKH69o-r0A0gzy-Jj-KLS6W7iN56NV7-FB68ZLtsfAxdxGAlyxKwDD9ZhsQcnHhmtlGE2FtLef4Iej51-mINU5Q/s2004/KukiWeb4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2004" data-original-width="2004" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX94ujgg7ZOeTZ51wA59uNrZMCqWno0hFYRi3QfvRwkpy6gmDymzljDKH69o-r0A0gzy-Jj-KLS6W7iN56NV7-FB68ZLtsfAxdxGAlyxKwDD9ZhsQcnHhmtlGE2FtLef4Iej51-mINU5Q/w400-h400/KukiWeb4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Here's the new Kuki, together with the original.<p></p><p>While I was at it, I revamped the pattern sheets, rewrote the instructions, and added some fresh images. The pattern is available to download in my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/969649327/needle-keeper-teddy-bear-kuki-pdf" target="_blank">Etsy store</a>, and on my <a href="https://www.creativeme.co.za/shop/doll-teddy-bear-patterns/all-patterns-a-z/kuki-18cm-needle-keeper-pattern/" target="_blank">new website</a>.</p><p>Now that I've rediscovered The Tray, I might dive in there and finish a few more teddies. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-11948623818904050522021-02-14T21:55:00.006+02:002021-02-15T09:41:16.926+02:00My Valentine Adventure<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--><span lang="EN-ZA" style="line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;">If you celebrate Valentine’s Day, I hope that you were
showered with attention and gifts. In our household, I am in the <a href="https://www.janelaverick.com/?p=2076" target="_blank">Jane Laverick</a>
camp and Henning is of the opinion that he’s my Valentine every day, so he
doesn’t need to make a special effort on someone else’s say-so. None the less,
we had a peaceful and mutual be-kind-to-each-other day. Mostly because we were exhausted
after our adventure yesterday. But first today:</span></span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_qdwL7l7RXmUAxqCbUNOn9XwaeqUnQt_MNFhw2CPqR2cOyEOPlgEqXlUwBBkxQ0NbeVe_cN3z5c2xsz4MtHrwNuTY1RjICaDUJcRHVTTmVQcpA4WA5lfp7d7kHMB3G9GiTWNxYfIC1A/s800/IMG_9258a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_qdwL7l7RXmUAxqCbUNOn9XwaeqUnQt_MNFhw2CPqR2cOyEOPlgEqXlUwBBkxQ0NbeVe_cN3z5c2xsz4MtHrwNuTY1RjICaDUJcRHVTTmVQcpA4WA5lfp7d7kHMB3G9GiTWNxYfIC1A/w400-h400/IMG_9258a.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;">I glued together a batch of gorgeous little 1/12 scale
boxes for storing miniature treasures. It is the perfect project if you need to
sit quietly and not move too many muscles. They are made from a printy by
Sandra Morris from Tower House Dolls. She has just published a book, <a href="https://www.towerhousedolls.co.uk/store/p_2016095/new-book-making-miniature-mignonette-toy-dolls" target="_blank">Making Miniature Mignonette Toy Dolls</a>. If you buy the book, you will be invited to the
Facebook Mignonette Doll Club where we have hilarious fun. If you are into tiny
dolls, I highly recommend it. </span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;">So, what happened yesterday? Henning said, won’t you
be my Valentine on a bicycle? Let’s cycle to the river. It will be fun, he said.
This is a man who loves anything on wheels and obviously I wanted to be loved on Valentine's day. That is how the adventure started.</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;">The river is about 10km from our home. When we are fit
and healthy, we can do the round trip in our lunch hour and it’s just the right
distance to feel the breeze in your hair. Sadly, Henning has not been well
lately, and we hadn’t cycled in a long while, so I was happy when he suggested
the outing.</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;">We hopped on our mountain bikes at lunchtime and set
off at a leisurely pace. When we reached the river, we had a short break as we always
do, then turned back for home. It was a lovely day. A few clouds high in the
sky and just enough of a breeze to rustle the soybeans in the fields beside the
road. On a whim, Henning said, let’s turn off the road and cycle on the sand track
through the fields. It runs parallel to the main road and it will be an
adventure, he said. So we did.</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;">The soybeans were about knee high and brilliant green
after the recent rains. They were also in glowing health because they’d
recently been fertilized with the stuff that comes out the back end of farm
animals. Soon, we were surrounded by a revolting pong and a black cloud of
flies. We sped up to get rid of the flies and to our relief, the soybean fields
gave way to corn and we left the pesky insects behind. </span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;">This late in summer, the corn is fully grown
and more than two meters tall. By now we had traveled quite a bit further than
we intended and the breeze was picking up but the track through the fields was
level and sandy, ideal for off-road cycling. We knew that we were traveling in
the general direction of home and although we had lost sight of the main road a
while ago, our GPS said that it was just on the other side of the ridge running
parallel to our course. I didn’t want to turn back for a second encounter with
the flies and Henning reckoned that sooner or later the farm track would meet
up with the road again, so we continued through the corn fields. </span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;">After another three kilometres, there was still no
sign of the road, the skies had darkened with clouds, and the breeze had become
a tremendous roar in the corn. I had no idea that corn could be so noisy. We realized that we would have to turn around or risk being on
the road after nightfall.</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;">Just as we turned to go back, the skies opened. We
were caught in a downpour in the middle of an endless cornfield and the rain
was coming down like bullets. Not only did it sting on the way down, but every
drop seemed to ricochet and hit us from beneath with a lukewarm splash. We
were drenched and muddy within moments but not only that, the rain instantly
washed away our tracks in the path. We took a wrong turn, turned around when we
realized our mistake, could not figure out where we had come from, and then we
were properly lost. With corn taller than our heads on all sides and no sun to
guide us we could only keep heading in what we hoped was the right general direction.
It felt like hours later when we finally washed out on to the road like two
drowned rats.</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;">We were back at the river at sunset, bedraggled and
tired, and still had to face a ten-kilometre trek home. It drizzled all the way
and after dark it became quite cold in our wet clothes. I was ever so relieved when
we finally heard the welcoming bark of the dogs at our gate at 8pm. Our
lunchtime jaunt turned into a 50km ordeal and today, we can feel it in every
muscle.</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;">The story does not end here though. Just in case you
are thinking of going on an adventure of your own, let me tell you the
things the explorers do not warn you about.</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;">Fifty million mosquito bites itch like crazy, and I
washed a sand dune out of my ears. But the worst part is this; splashing mud seeps into every crevice. Cycling with sand in your butt crack is
abrasive. It will be a few days before I stop my bandy-legged sailor walk. </span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;">If you are looking for me, I will be sitting quietly
making miniatures.</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-ZA" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA;"> </span></p>
Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-7156221061437987392021-02-07T08:14:00.002+02:002021-02-07T08:20:15.678+02:00A Love Triangle and a Happy Divorce<p>Everything's fine at home, thanks for asking! Ha ha, but now that I have your attention, let me tell you the sordid details of my social media affair. It's a really boring post so I tried to put a fun spin on it. Skip right past if blogging problems and websites are not your thing.<br /></p><p>When I created this blog, it was about products and workshops in my studio. In time, the blog gathered a following of people who have become friends and I started chatting about more personal things. My business is also evolving and I progressed from having a physical shop to trading online. This created a quandary because I don't want to spam you, my friends, with marketing posts. </p><p>At one time, we bloggers noticed that the Blogger platform was staggering around like a drunk with amnesia and I wanted to have a backup blog in case Google pulled the plug on us. So, I started a Wordpress blog and hooked it up with my Blogger account. Not the ideal marriage, but it kept things stable for a while.</p><p>Then I rebuilt my business website and a sexy, new, business blog came on the scene. Uh oh, love triangle. I had a Wordpress blog, Blogger blog, Website blog, and they were all tangled up in the same domain.</p><p>On the 7th of December, I had to request my domain hosting company to perform a divorce between the Blogger blog and the Wordpress blog to eliminate the conflict. Sadly, the result was that they both disappeared off the internet and for a whole month no one could see this blog. Eventually, we figured out that the culprit was something called a 'naked URL'. Oh my gosh, don't ask me to explain that, just look it up on Google.<br /></p><p>With a lot of help from the technical team at the domain hosting company, things are now finally straightened out. The Blogger blog and the Wordpress blog have happily parted company for ever. Blogger will be where I chat with you, my friends, and Wordpress will be the business blog. </p><p>Some of the same posts might appear on both, but look slightly different. <br /></p><p>So, if you only want to receive business-related posts in future, you can unfollow this blog and follow the blog at CreativeMe instead:</p><p><a href="https://www.creativeme.co.za/blog/">https://www.creativeme.co.za/blog/</a></p><p>The Blogger Megan's Tiny Treasures blog (which you are reading here) will have more frequent
posts - the same posts as the business blog minus the marketing plus the personal stuff. </p><p>Unfortunately, as sometimes happens in a divorce, you can't get rid of your ex entirely. Megan's Tiny Treasures (this blog) has to retain its married name for legal reasons. In future, you can follow this blog under two names:</p><p><a href="http://www.blog.creativeme.co.za/">http://www.blog.creativeme.co.za/ </a><br />or<br /><a href="http://www.meganstinytreasures.blogspot.com/">www.meganstinytreasures.blogspot.com/</a></p><p>If you received a notification twice for my last two posts, you might be subscribed to both. Try to unsubscribe from one, it doesn't matter which.</p><p>So that's it my friends. Social media drama over. I tried to explain what's happening in a way that's not too dry. I'm certainly much happier that I now have a personal space where I can be myself without penalty, and a professional space where I can put marketing blogs.</p><p>Thank you to every reader for being a light out there in the darkness. </p><p>The blog is dead, long live the blog!<br /></p>Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-36349049931428905922021-01-31T21:39:00.005+02:002021-02-01T18:11:44.415+02:00Sweet Dreams are Made of This<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBnBPASakkfNMhcj9gbqX3rFtNQaiv6cfs3T_eWjJ1LdRMfWdULNvJHHWMus-Wml8Mi9zx5eP0kRj_X4i3Z2pUJFSgCrAnHsuAmIEah-n3VJhG-65oINgYUORX2in1jhkG04UR1ZuzpY/s1200/BedBuilding1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBnBPASakkfNMhcj9gbqX3rFtNQaiv6cfs3T_eWjJ1LdRMfWdULNvJHHWMus-Wml8Mi9zx5eP0kRj_X4i3Z2pUJFSgCrAnHsuAmIEah-n3VJhG-65oINgYUORX2in1jhkG04UR1ZuzpY/w400-h400/BedBuilding1.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p>If it weren't for the worldwide predicament, I could invite you for a sleepover. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TU1dlEzfql47x_ttjadXj0h9Lda_9fhjRHWE1gzyXMWQ13kne3MYO-MSuBK_Ds3K5pb6oew0gFFRdKvK7drNCXd7ySaUVgFnqZN8BBlqyFg5k-zwRdmEQPEDobTTzeawVj9lEN5pzvQ/s1200/BedsBlankAll1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TU1dlEzfql47x_ttjadXj0h9Lda_9fhjRHWE1gzyXMWQ13kne3MYO-MSuBK_Ds3K5pb6oew0gFFRdKvK7drNCXd7ySaUVgFnqZN8BBlqyFg5k-zwRdmEQPEDobTTzeawVj9lEN5pzvQ/w400-h400/BedsBlankAll1.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p>We certainly have enough beds. Instead, here is a little dollhouse mattress making tutorial.</p><p>My project for January was to construct 1:12 scale dollhouse beds. They are made entirely of scrap materials I had in my stash. I loosely followed the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M8u20bhVbI" target="_blank">YouTube tutorial</a> by Julie Warren. Some of the beds will go to Dawn <a href="https://www.instagram.com/livecreatively365/" target="_blank">@livecreatively365</a> for decorating and dressing, and the rest I will paint and furnish with mattresses so that people can add their own finishing touches.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeBzW07gGrsrepMYjjyqcULihWrR49Te__lCDI963lRWLOqHpdR8NkC7_G45VGjL_dSI2vO063av0IFHH4tvnLq_WcH_uMv83XsygvZk1nsLHgsdDCsabai_PS4cKNq51a_9Od3fQnE4/s1200/BedColours.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1200" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeBzW07gGrsrepMYjjyqcULihWrR49Te__lCDI963lRWLOqHpdR8NkC7_G45VGjL_dSI2vO063av0IFHH4tvnLq_WcH_uMv83XsygvZk1nsLHgsdDCsabai_PS4cKNq51a_9Od3fQnE4/w400-h194/BedColours.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p>These are the colours I have in mind. The beds still need some sanding and several coats of paint, but I couldn't wait to get started with the mattresses so let's jump right to that.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOi0OuH3ohS5nNNJ460aS6VmsMx9vwE4DxzZHcrcCdB0WLmj5h0s6VmdYLn88v_uB-3xcSfLWhxHIGfTamcJ4-s-E6GWJY5C_xvj5GWIivuafCIKbzYkdtP4rkcHqXaW_UQO4l16j4Eqg/s1251/MattressFabric.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1251" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOi0OuH3ohS5nNNJ460aS6VmsMx9vwE4DxzZHcrcCdB0WLmj5h0s6VmdYLn88v_uB-3xcSfLWhxHIGfTamcJ4-s-E6GWJY5C_xvj5GWIivuafCIKbzYkdtP4rkcHqXaW_UQO4l16j4Eqg/w384-h400/MattressFabric.gif" width="384" /></a></div><p>I had a large piece of old stripy curtain in my stash. You can see in the selvage that it was originally blue with a charcoal stipe but now it's a gentle, faded grey. Perfect!</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieusvWhSQheqBIf4EK22Ii0pLmx0KEfkZWN6_3g5Rd5hQxI5GzFsRqk4TZSHb8C6IXVYR2MhTARRnr3VyJdyVrjDCO4zX4znCz1FXWafuSV3TUSYH3ionONcPkQiO3FHtJ3Iblbr4QIK8/s1200/MattressComparison1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="692" data-original-width="1200" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieusvWhSQheqBIf4EK22Ii0pLmx0KEfkZWN6_3g5Rd5hQxI5GzFsRqk4TZSHb8C6IXVYR2MhTARRnr3VyJdyVrjDCO4zX4znCz1FXWafuSV3TUSYH3ionONcPkQiO3FHtJ3Iblbr4QIK8/w400-h231/MattressComparison1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>My first attempt was the mattress on the left, following <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY9DmqdFVm8" target="_blank">Ara's tutorial</a> at Bentley House. Hers is a tutorial for a no-sew mattress using foam core board so if you are averse to sewing, head straight over there. Ara's tutorials are inspirational. I spent hours trying to glue the sides of the mattress neatly. I don't really like using glue on fabric. I believe that if it can be sewn, it should be sewn. Eventually, I gave up and sewed the mattress by hand, but it still didn't look great. Then I invented my own method. Ta da, mattress on the right. I can make three of those in an hour.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8BQ5kXO0n00dMziNCZf52LRIyXBEcbhupaqzXr_asQ5Q9UkpAtLbJm3aog9weTtxWfjsocOSACfy6JY0h0D6O8Whhnk_LYmjfDKRK9AVfLelZjXeutOuUMpzqbnLqr58njXSwQrhivQ/s1200/MattresCore.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8BQ5kXO0n00dMziNCZf52LRIyXBEcbhupaqzXr_asQ5Q9UkpAtLbJm3aog9weTtxWfjsocOSACfy6JY0h0D6O8Whhnk_LYmjfDKRK9AVfLelZjXeutOuUMpzqbnLqr58njXSwQrhivQ/w400-h400/MattresCore.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p>The core of my dollhouse mattress consists of three layers - a piece of cereal box measured to fit the base of the bed, a layer of 14mm foam, and a layer of blue craft felt. This is what I had in my stash. When I make more mattresses, I will use slightly thicker foam and possibly quilt batting instead of felt but the materials I had on hand actually worked better than I expected. Glue the layers together.<br /></p><p>Mark out a 15mm block grid on the card, then use an awl to poke a hole at each intersection. You can see that I snipped a small triangle off the corners of the card. This is because I want the mattress corners to be rounded.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVblujrMgruXGVmkZ67OrJ_JKy7AeCTTdPUBkhIfc7irwkASCBJOKyn_jgQSlJukyGLadGxfmfn6Uoi90_Ku1iP9-0kyIFRcCcozOtL6sewHAEGgsIuK_oKAsYrHxsOODxZe3PfAH7q8/s1200/MattresCover1.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="1200" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVblujrMgruXGVmkZ67OrJ_JKy7AeCTTdPUBkhIfc7irwkASCBJOKyn_jgQSlJukyGLadGxfmfn6Uoi90_Ku1iP9-0kyIFRcCcozOtL6sewHAEGgsIuK_oKAsYrHxsOODxZe3PfAH7q8/w400-h289/MattresCover1.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p>I used a piece of card the same size as the mattress as a template and added a 10mm seam allowance all around. Cut the fabric with the stripes running lengthwise. Next, I cut a 30mm-wide strip of fabric long enough to go around the mattress. This time the stripes run across. Sew the strip around the mattress cover. Here you can see how it looks on the wrong side and turned right side out.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwhgPdWeK6sP7m8ligeytzZ8xkpCCuJL18Z6sqIP_l5x_bBP1UOcgn24mC4sLSpOcaj32FcJF6wfZ60MYcp01ixwarFh3ih7O8i5h5AM8AUNb7Hg8IoBLphK_fSB2fF9eCy7_9Q84gzs/s1200/MattressFabricIroned.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="1200" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwhgPdWeK6sP7m8ligeytzZ8xkpCCuJL18Z6sqIP_l5x_bBP1UOcgn24mC4sLSpOcaj32FcJF6wfZ60MYcp01ixwarFh3ih7O8i5h5AM8AUNb7Hg8IoBLphK_fSB2fF9eCy7_9Q84gzs/w400-h311/MattressFabricIroned.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>When making miniatures with fabric, ironing the seams is <i>very </i>important. Compare left and right, smooth seams make all the difference. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGam6A1935Lo5hg3sYDS7wCQPiaHEuuu8gQuxoj7SGftwp5uDET6y5-Hog_Hxmje-4smJr5znT9cSTv8p6u4cZ-kmkJL89QjTCCUorSvM7wS5Q-fVcTpac2KxjW9BMoZzfOFSleyNdfs/s1200/MattressIn.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="1200" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGam6A1935Lo5hg3sYDS7wCQPiaHEuuu8gQuxoj7SGftwp5uDET6y5-Hog_Hxmje-4smJr5znT9cSTv8p6u4cZ-kmkJL89QjTCCUorSvM7wS5Q-fVcTpac2KxjW9BMoZzfOFSleyNdfs/w400-h272/MattressIn.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p>The mattresses inside their covers. You can see the wrong side and the right side. It should be a snug fit.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajmbvJTYx2mplWryrGfFsVo1JHMMa39-yjkFihAf9F29NfJnWppg4VeGC-G3BaP3NsCkTqWnuOx_7W2cX669lNcFlAosUuOBReaGk7exsz_vEzCRBk5nG5KvCkVL4Kne80H5WWip7NgU/s1200/MattressGlue1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="748" data-original-width="1200" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajmbvJTYx2mplWryrGfFsVo1JHMMa39-yjkFihAf9F29NfJnWppg4VeGC-G3BaP3NsCkTqWnuOx_7W2cX669lNcFlAosUuOBReaGk7exsz_vEzCRBk5nG5KvCkVL4Kne80H5WWip7NgU/w400-h249/MattressGlue1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Fold the raw edges over the card and glue down. Start with the long sides, then glue the short ends.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_pCGU4C_khCQ5PBu5fmTJ161TjnLArVZVnpH3xW-QzbDKXnlkQBUehN-JXgFi44vOm3KUJi-uijTRvadNChykF4vc9zQ2eKk6VRAZ0jsgGTLAiooWLphKPPygjp209y-BSXTT5si7Lg/s1200/MattressTuft.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1200" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4_pCGU4C_khCQ5PBu5fmTJ161TjnLArVZVnpH3xW-QzbDKXnlkQBUehN-JXgFi44vOm3KUJi-uijTRvadNChykF4vc9zQ2eKk6VRAZ0jsgGTLAiooWLphKPPygjp209y-BSXTT5si7Lg/w400-h333/MattressTuft.gif" width="400" /></a></div>Now comes the fun part. Using a long needle and strong thread, start from the back and sew a little tuft in each of the grid holes you made. It is important to stick the needle straight through the mattress. Make a 2mm stitch on the top side of the mattress, then poke the needle straight through to the back and out the same hole. Move on to the next hole and tuft the entire mattress. You can pull the stitches tight as you go. Because you're using a continuous strand of thread, it's possible to pull on the thread at the back to tighten or release the tufts until they are equal.<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMAcVr38BQRBZTO3GOVZHEw2_usspREEfu21C_O1rLgpDjBHshPMbSJ6v_PgDV1cqtw2Yz9pL_W1Wnb2XgYrX8wsr0pEkIWTggB4rVfElk0LPmp0Hyy7vnv5S7m7ehA_nHcUF6cR4kyg/s1200/MattressTuftFinished.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="1200" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMAcVr38BQRBZTO3GOVZHEw2_usspREEfu21C_O1rLgpDjBHshPMbSJ6v_PgDV1cqtw2Yz9pL_W1Wnb2XgYrX8wsr0pEkIWTggB4rVfElk0LPmp0Hyy7vnv5S7m7ehA_nHcUF6cR4kyg/w400-h264/MattressTuftFinished.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Back and front of the finished mattress.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KBYumHllju2SDwMPqt7jOya4AiDvK7F05tjzeWcFHadqWx4INwfHSy4fZ4ubGRaIelHoZx3iwaX8csnvzR58_JgDkepLG3rhxCk-Hru3PfNJrfsTrleJJwI2gT_57LSUTyTDGWhnJIs/s1200/BedUnderside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KBYumHllju2SDwMPqt7jOya4AiDvK7F05tjzeWcFHadqWx4INwfHSy4fZ4ubGRaIelHoZx3iwaX8csnvzR58_JgDkepLG3rhxCk-Hru3PfNJrfsTrleJJwI2gT_57LSUTyTDGWhnJIs/w400-h400/BedUnderside.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>I tidied up the back by gluing a piece of grey felt over the threads. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVo1xG8A8yuLuN37BN6s55Lfq4mm-SVlT-A4bEiwPqQ1VskxO3RIbte_LBQyIQKJrwVEwbrNCd64cAewVw_dpXAhE4dHM-G65Me3sQK4VIEkGP8y2DfW5TXbiYQpHircfNtvgn7gb7QOM/s1200/BedsFinished.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1027" data-original-width="1200" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVo1xG8A8yuLuN37BN6s55Lfq4mm-SVlT-A4bEiwPqQ1VskxO3RIbte_LBQyIQKJrwVEwbrNCd64cAewVw_dpXAhE4dHM-G65Me3sQK4VIEkGP8y2DfW5TXbiYQpHircfNtvgn7gb7QOM/w400-h343/BedsFinished.gif" width="400" /></a></div><p>I love my dollhouse beds so far.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXRjHrBITQcGgui8lA7cI8wOoxy9lnvcDnPS0Ui3TPYKxQNWIf5F1SS4jJia5DniLqgE0Je70OeZmrHRWFvJWntxLMOhhnhYSSo5AafTQfzJzgpErG_FVeZvMzrIFCKL0b_iOAgI15CM/s800/FinishedBed.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="800" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXRjHrBITQcGgui8lA7cI8wOoxy9lnvcDnPS0Ui3TPYKxQNWIf5F1SS4jJia5DniLqgE0Je70OeZmrHRWFvJWntxLMOhhnhYSSo5AafTQfzJzgpErG_FVeZvMzrIFCKL0b_iOAgI15CM/w400-h338/FinishedBed.gif" width="400" /></a> <br /></div><p>This little bed is mine. I'm ready to crawl under the blankets and read a book.<br /></p>Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-75120229976911845592020-12-31T11:15:00.000+02:002020-12-31T11:15:05.342+02:00So Long, 2020<p>Not many people had a good 2020. For us, it was a year dogged by misfortune and adversity, so much so that I've misplaced my sense of humour and my writing voice. Just about the only thing left hanging by a thread is hope. </p><p>For all of us I wish that in the New Year circumstances take a turn for the better.<br /></p>Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-29898732381062785582020-11-02T08:56:00.005+02:002022-03-01T08:36:39.929+02:00The Future is Open<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9FAGz8Gnc9EQpR2M9sevjZQm4LY4afL1L9WaFA6e6xNHDDOPvWaSX1lxQMzbTzywmtJ90T61nCviCEpD8EpMu3PVNE8YSYohRqoCLIxop1DlK5ogZ55jhy2-JfDE_eB5HL_giAmOjhU/s1150/IMG_7898a.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="958" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9FAGz8Gnc9EQpR2M9sevjZQm4LY4afL1L9WaFA6e6xNHDDOPvWaSX1lxQMzbTzywmtJ90T61nCviCEpD8EpMu3PVNE8YSYohRqoCLIxop1DlK5ogZ55jhy2-JfDE_eB5HL_giAmOjhU/w334-h400/IMG_7898a.JPEG" width="334" /></a></div>This might look empty to you, but it's a harbinger of great things to come in the future. Soon. Like, 2021. I've had enough of living in The Co-Void already.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQStal9avS6496qDl9ijeQJELgwj0rml0BKH8DD25fRILFcJ1mXP94PluMKjBLUqECY4puhWRUWUKb5wa3M7OcS-eTzCY8up2jSbiUBl1-TJWQRNzw9pIGbKmhJqnLIHju5xWgRME5xdY/s2048/IMG_6180a.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1883" data-original-width="2048" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQStal9avS6496qDl9ijeQJELgwj0rml0BKH8DD25fRILFcJ1mXP94PluMKjBLUqECY4puhWRUWUKb5wa3M7OcS-eTzCY8up2jSbiUBl1-TJWQRNzw9pIGbKmhJqnLIHju5xWgRME5xdY/w400-h368/IMG_6180a.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The project started in my imagination when I saw these in a wholesaler's warehouse two years ago. They were hideously expensive but I coveted them from the moment I set eyes on the boxes. In January, the company had a closing down sale and six were left, priced to go. A bit battered but still sturdy and at $2 per box, you can't buy the materials to construct your own.<br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiijjzOZWlV7tNzLMRUroEsjXu9obg6ABULy6waBYFTkIAGfVn4EWOsaOye8V31IihpjGS7Y0ROd7i9qL4d2geDeazbgqYCYkXL1AxFiUX7p4-o4CcRbCOMcH5tWzGiQCuJa7nsUb_i8w/s2048/IMG_6183a.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1503" data-original-width="2048" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiijjzOZWlV7tNzLMRUroEsjXu9obg6ABULy6waBYFTkIAGfVn4EWOsaOye8V31IihpjGS7Y0ROd7i9qL4d2geDeazbgqYCYkXL1AxFiUX7p4-o4CcRbCOMcH5tWzGiQCuJa7nsUb_i8w/w400-h294/IMG_6183a.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p>I feel a cat-like attraction to hollow things. My thinking isn't 'Will my bum fit?' though, it's 'What can I put in there?'. These boxes were screaming miniature display.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68o6CrOwJwT4Um-dCVXPbERwtTY1hGZje21ScGMqraVslvdQfpvIQN6qpL0Qd-wtpo8_KlCgt5jbH0k7dDajhhsnLPX5ZztyM4KewGjZ3mZU_EAtjXyuxXsX7iAp5KpFQII2a9qDNjJk/s2526/3AD03D5F-CBD0-4006-BA78-F217669004B1a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1244" data-original-width="2526" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68o6CrOwJwT4Um-dCVXPbERwtTY1hGZje21ScGMqraVslvdQfpvIQN6qpL0Qd-wtpo8_KlCgt5jbH0k7dDajhhsnLPX5ZztyM4KewGjZ3mZU_EAtjXyuxXsX7iAp5KpFQII2a9qDNjJk/w400-h198/3AD03D5F-CBD0-4006-BA78-F217669004B1a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The first order of the day was getting rid of Michael Jackson.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZs_emLlYuqh5KpReBSU6J51TpLCYW5Q8AbKWA7nm2vKB5FvEQ7T7y0XDxTg6UZsAaKDh6gekJvaJSD41DtVFKReKvNwRZcg2JEF38Ue8RAt1p5x-bD_LIGhO4Qn3CpqjQ6oFa966WG0/s1797/IMG_7721a.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1326" data-original-width="1797" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZs_emLlYuqh5KpReBSU6J51TpLCYW5Q8AbKWA7nm2vKB5FvEQ7T7y0XDxTg6UZsAaKDh6gekJvaJSD41DtVFKReKvNwRZcg2JEF38Ue8RAt1p5x-bD_LIGhO4Qn3CpqjQ6oFa966WG0/w400-h295/IMG_7721a.JPEG" width="400" /></a></div><p>It needed many layers of paint but eventually, I could say, 'Bye-bye Michael'. This happened in June; you can see that we're in the middle of winter and the garden is quite dull. It was also the middle of lockdown here in South Africa and I had nothing to do except to watch paint dry.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5qQLBi_pOdQIdcgbPSCjz88tfkEtMMKYc8QAQ7X7Aia1BuZKh-J3GqM3xZP7oLLtvB39LtvsAmN9yqwWQjJb-2ZfGZ_bV_p1YMop5FARU8c6tQ4jZ3GA-ICHcUXPLE3KUgv-6mhHK4c/s2048/IMG_6185a.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="2048" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5qQLBi_pOdQIdcgbPSCjz88tfkEtMMKYc8QAQ7X7Aia1BuZKh-J3GqM3xZP7oLLtvB39LtvsAmN9yqwWQjJb-2ZfGZ_bV_p1YMop5FARU8c6tQ4jZ3GA-ICHcUXPLE3KUgv-6mhHK4c/w400-h289/IMG_6185a.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p>Next, I made some neat liners for the box and the lid. Being unable to scoot out to the craft shop for inspiration, I found a wallpaper sample on the internet, rescaled and tiled in Word, and printed it on ordinary paper in grayscale. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKF7KOVG9k9PaoI0lUm7ngIWq09AlUygTIYZX8_r3I8QdesnZLLOTTU5BtFSb9RUfpzfu7c7GArQcdBDd09xjoaRa-qwVJFkeG36xk6zmRr1bNdxUAStu0dmmd44NbIQ6ELqtyf22_ins/s2048/IMG_6187a.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1593" data-original-width="2048" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKF7KOVG9k9PaoI0lUm7ngIWq09AlUygTIYZX8_r3I8QdesnZLLOTTU5BtFSb9RUfpzfu7c7GArQcdBDd09xjoaRa-qwVJFkeG36xk6zmRr1bNdxUAStu0dmmd44NbIQ6ELqtyf22_ins/w400-h311/IMG_6187a.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p>I added some little shelves and sealed all the surfaces with matt varnish for durability.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodqk1pdFgODPkq5Q42xPSJ96M4lTCUgOmXJ7mo3XcKkFv0QmFu3zMsOAGSsE-xn_IWWOheCjGnQREeXrye8-5gjk35BVxl76kcCBLbF3Ge8ZjVAz_MYrgfem_vYEqHbkDHRwZ24a60YI/s1162/IMG_7902a.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="987" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodqk1pdFgODPkq5Q42xPSJ96M4lTCUgOmXJ7mo3XcKkFv0QmFu3zMsOAGSsE-xn_IWWOheCjGnQREeXrye8-5gjk35BVxl76kcCBLbF3Ge8ZjVAz_MYrgfem_vYEqHbkDHRwZ24a60YI/w340-h400/IMG_7902a.JPEG" width="340" /></a></div><p>Fast forward a few weeks and back to the exterior of the boxes. I glued Velcro to the spines and outside edges of each box.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-GLh_QcaJAUH3CyAM_IPQ-JrXj3IZBkwVdOmtFQUPKWJIdZfEbRqa-ld7RqHKb7OZ8sYBNjhKQW8ZodaRnMe6TFdJYhF34d_k5HgYqpD2Ntc0c3b5BvDorumA278QDM5THp0mt8ERJpc/s1425/IMG_7901a.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1425" data-original-width="1319" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-GLh_QcaJAUH3CyAM_IPQ-JrXj3IZBkwVdOmtFQUPKWJIdZfEbRqa-ld7RqHKb7OZ8sYBNjhKQW8ZodaRnMe6TFdJYhF34d_k5HgYqpD2Ntc0c3b5BvDorumA278QDM5THp0mt8ERJpc/w370-h400/IMG_7901a.JPEG" width="370" /></a></div><p>This way, many boxes can become one. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7SlDT8kMHocJ3CdoVRkQFo5S1lj2JpDunMnQf4PLFl83affVbkHt1EZkgqT7lPD22HyJHI_fTwIf3S1yjIaOZY3aoZ5GAUfbaH-gla-OBFxOqBVPBG0KwKvr5F2acz6nh8nIKnpma2A/s1802/IMG_7900a.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1802" data-original-width="1509" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7SlDT8kMHocJ3CdoVRkQFo5S1lj2JpDunMnQf4PLFl83affVbkHt1EZkgqT7lPD22HyJHI_fTwIf3S1yjIaOZY3aoZ5GAUfbaH-gla-OBFxOqBVPBG0KwKvr5F2acz6nh8nIKnpma2A/w335-h400/IMG_7900a.JPEG" width="335" /></a></div><p>Stood on its side and opened up, I have 80cm x 90cm of display area with 36 little shelves the perfect size on which to display miniatures.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLskiGYv5X0MxbKcV8xZ9eDp9hZfReVzYr2Ke2hbMySMtkq1qe5K0cf_HGWWAXtxzqyguVkX4VeRQSpSGxqfFtt-Y1esDGjNvo1YKUXqd9H5vZPz559RccT7Xd64H0pAETpUZFy9jxdg/s1068/IMG_7903a.JPEG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLskiGYv5X0MxbKcV8xZ9eDp9hZfReVzYr2Ke2hbMySMtkq1qe5K0cf_HGWWAXtxzqyguVkX4VeRQSpSGxqfFtt-Y1esDGjNvo1YKUXqd9H5vZPz559RccT7Xd64H0pAETpUZFy9jxdg/w374-h400/IMG_7903a.JPEG" width="374" /></a></div><p>It breaks down in less than a minute and stores in a box light-weight and ready to transport to a show. Now all I need is a miniature show. And stock. And customers would be nice.</p><p>I hope that you're doing what you need to do to stay safe and that this year hasn't been terribly unkind to you. My heart goes out to the people I'm in contact with remotely who have suffered everything from misfortune to outright tragedy in the last few months. I carry your sadness with me and I think of you every day.</p><p>Personally, I've never experienced so many awful things crammed into such a short time. My family has been visited by setbacks, sickness, and death and it's been a trial for all of us but I will tell you about it in another post.</p><p>Right now all I can say is that despite the hardship, I'm being extraordinarily creative and productive. I'm studying, experimenting, making things. </p><p>I'm looking forward to a day when life can move forward and I can start growing again instead of lying dormant waiting for this season to pass. I hope that on the day when you see this display bursting with miniatures at a show, you will celebrate with me. Even if we have to wear a mask and hugs are not allowed. The way we do things needs to change but humanity is robust; we can hold on to hope and adapt. We're going to get through this!<br /></p><p></p><p></p>Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-74707424050277819622020-05-17T18:21:00.000+02:002020-05-17T18:23:05.159+02:00Time and a Little DustI've always done my own cleaning so I don't miss the bed-making fairy. What I have never done, is to measure the length of time between cleaning something and the next time I do it. I imagine that for me, it's a mindless process like an animal sets up its burrow in a comfortable way.<br />
With the world in Lockdown, many things seem to have become a count-down. On Friday, we reached day 50 here in South Africa. The regulations are as draconian and ridiculous as ever but I'm still happy in my blanket fort.<br />
What I have noticed, is that little piles of stuff I was going to sort and put away seven weeks ago are still in the same place, with maybe a slightly more substantial sprinkling of dust. Projects I started with gusto are stalled, and they've been joined by many more beginnings of something promising that petered out. Where does the time go?<br />
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All is not doldrums though; I'm working on a new batch of little houses and they're fun.<br />
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I've completed another (hopefully final) batch of cloth face masks. Unless the pandemic continues until they wear out.<br />
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Some things don't stop growing even in winter. On Friday, Henning and I gave each other a haircut at the Doornkloof East Open Air Salon. Note the dustbin bag and clothespin ensemble. We run a classy establishment here.<br />
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I hope you're well and keeping sane in an increasingly disturbing world. Remember that in the game of rock, paper, scissors, a level head tops what the scaremongers and the politicians say, every time.<br />
<br />Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-79615820168210055662020-04-29T11:28:00.002+02:002020-04-29T11:32:20.229+02:00Uh Oh, Blogger is BrokenSince the second week of April, I've had various issues with Blogger. From not being able to log in, to not being able to comment on posts, to images disappearing from posts. My blog statistics have plummeted and I'm feeling exceedingly grumpy.<br />
I'm not the only one; thousands of bloggers are picketing Google and the people at Blogger are dodging us without answering. Here's their latest non-communication:<br />
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If you see a minus sign instead of an image, you can read it <a href="https://support.google.com/blogger/thread/42974745?hl=en&msgid=42974745">HERE</a>.<br />
I love Blogger and I feel sentimental about it because it's the first place where I started seriously writing. However, if the problem persists, I'm going to ask you to move over to the Wordpress blog which I set up as a backup a while ago when I heard disturbing rumours about the future of Blogger.<br />
Let's see what happens in the next few days, I really hope that it will blow over.<br />
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In the meantime, I hope that you're staying safe during the lockdown and adhering to the rules in your country. Here in South Africa, we're still under total lockdown and haven't left the house in more than a month. I'm happy to report that we're healthy, our state of mind is good, and apart from worry about how our future will be affected, we are well.<br />
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I'm maintaining a wholesome routine and working on various projects. All in all, it's a good time for self-care and reflection. <br />
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<br />Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-73974699666695776262020-04-06T14:52:00.000+02:002020-04-06T14:57:49.976+02:00Soft Landing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've met many people who start a project and work on it exclusively until it's finished. They build a puzzle, crochet a blanket, make jam, whatever. But they won't start with the next thing until they finished the one before. All I can say is that their homes must stay very tidy during this pandemic and I envy them.<br />
Even at the end of the world as we know it, my habits remain unchanged. I'm sculpting, sewing, painting, writing, casting silicone all at once and all over the place. And when I'm not busy with that, I'm gardening, spring cleaning, working with tarantulas, doing ballet with a kitchen chair for a barre.<br />
The upside of this is that I'm never bored. In fact, I have so many projects on the go that I often find things that I left half-finished and feel excited to rediscover them and carry on.<br />
The downside is that it can sometimes be a long while before I finally see the fruits of my labour and I tend to lose track of time. There are people out there who are writing a lockdown count-down so that they can tell their grandchildren all about what they were doing when the big bad virus threatened the world. Someone reminded me that today is day eleven of the South African stay-at-home order and that we're halfway through it already. My reaction was, 'Whaaaaat, I haven't even started with half the things I had planned'! So, if time is dragging for you, my recommendation is that you take your mind off it by starting a few more projects.<br />
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For me, one thing often leads to another. I made a whole lot of cloth face masks (yes, western countries are finally starting to adopt the idea that we will be wearing them in public spaces for the foreseeable future) and I ended up with a pile of postage-stamp-sized fabric offcuts. Many had pretty pictures or interesting patterns on them and I was wondering what I could make with such small pieces? Dollhouse cushions, of course! So, the ironing board and the sewing machine are still standing around and I've made more than 100 cushions so far. It's a bit addictive. Heaven knows what I will do with them all.<br />
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If you want to make some dollhouse cushions of your own, I highly recommend the <a href="https://www.jessicacloe.com/blog/2019/4/diy-dollhouse-pillows" target="_blank">tutorial on Jessica Cloe's blog</a>. Here are pictures of some of my favourites so far. I soldered the wrought-iron day bed a while ago and when I took it out to use as a photo prop, it made me think I should heat up the soldering iron and make a few more...<br />
Wishing you soft landings in the coming week.<br />
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<br />Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-32325654790023711432020-03-22T12:08:00.001+02:002020-03-22T12:11:42.704+02:00Every Breath You Take<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Blueye Bonehead Modeling a Cloth Face Mask</td></tr>
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I haven't finished the birdbath yet, but I'm getting there.<br />
Yesterday, I took time out from crafts to sew reusable cloth face masks for my family. I searched the internet for patterns and after testing a few, decided on the one offered for free at <a href="https://www.craftpassion.com/face-mask-sewing-pattern/" target="_blank">CraftPassion</a>. You only need a small piece of cotton fabric and some elastic and it's all sewn by machine so it's quick to make.<br />
What I love most about it, is that it's fully reversible and comfortable to wear. Whenever I go out on a supply run, I've been using my N95 mask which I usually only put on when spray-painting or sanding resin. Apart from being overkill, it's hot and cumbersome. These funky cloth masks are much more practical and stylish.<br />
I'm not going to preach in this post. All I'm saying is that if you don't wear a barrier mask when you go out during the coming months, you're more stupid than Mr. Bonehead!<br />
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When I asked my husband to choose fabric for his mask, he said the 'camo' pattern looked most practical. Haha, shall we tell him it's actually teddy bears?<br />
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Wishing you all a safe and peaceful week. I'm going back to the birdbath now. <br />
<br />Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-86453726573040555472020-03-16T12:16:00.000+02:002020-03-16T20:17:34.341+02:00Board Games and Venturing Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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About board games and venturing out during a pandemic, I have the same question - is it worthwhile?<br />
When I was a child, the boredom of board games and playing cards would drive me to tears. Hours of tedious following the rules, only to be left with nothing to show at the end of it. I much preferred a quiet corner with colouring pencils and paper, beads and string, building blocks, or my French knitter.<br />
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According to child experts, by not forcing me to play games my mother caused me to lose out on valuable life lessons - team spirit, ambition, competitiveness, perseverance, the ability to complete a task within a structured framework, being a gracious loser. Haha, now we know why I'm such a weird adult.<br />
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If you have children banned from going to school or if you become bored during the Covid-19 lockdown, you could consider board games to pass the time and at the same time improve your social skills and character. <br />
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Right now, I'm desperate for a chess match with Gary Kasparov. As he reaches across the checkered expanse to make his first move, I would lunge forward and snatch away his queen. Why? So I can carry it off into a corner and craft a pedestal for a dollhouse birdbath.<br />
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By far the most serious drawback of not having board games is the lack of dollhouse building materials this affords. A crafter's stash can never be big enough. Which will be a topic about hoarders and hoarding in a future post.<br />
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I considered venturing out to a charity shop to see if I can sniff out a few chess pieces for my project but I nixed the idea immediately. Since last night, South Africa is in the first stages of lockdown. Schools will be closing this week, and people have been advised to stay at home as much as possible. As is typical of governments worldwide, they're closing the stable door after Corona has bolted. What astounds me is that in this age of free circulation of news around the world, 'informed people' are still in denial about the seriousness of our situation. But it's not only that; they seem to have no concept of how much worse it's going to be for South Africa because they aren't factoring in some brutal truths about this country:<br />
<ol>
<li>More than 20% of our adult population is HIV positive. This is the highest number on the entire planet. </li>
<li>TB is rampant in South Africa. Again, we have the highest numbers of any nation. Talk about a population with compromised immunity.</li>
<li>South Africa has one of the most inadequately educated populations. Ignorance becomes deadly when people have no knowledge about health and safety. Most South Africans don't have a basic understanding of hygiene or disease prevention and they live in squalor. This is why Covid-19 will sweep through the nation like a wildfire.</li>
<li>We have crowded living conditions in townships and informal settlements that can rival anything in China. The ideal breeding ground for a virus.</li>
<li>Unlike China, our government doesn't have the resources or control to put the population under full lockdown to prevent the virus from spreading.</li>
<li>Don't be fooled by news reports of our state of the art laboratories, hospitals, famous doctors and epidemiologists. A lot of it is bluster about past glory and what we have left will serve a select few.</li>
<li>Our healthcare system doesn't have the facilities or resources to provide the most basic services to citizens. Many South Africans never see a doctor in their lifetime. We have only a handful of decaying government hospitals and clinics to care for more than 48 million people who have no medical insurance. Many of what the government calls 'health care facilities' are one-room clinics with a nurse and no doctors. Distribute the population evenly and you have a hundred and ten thousand people at the doors of each. Our health services are grossly inadequate when we are healthy, never mind during a pandemic.</li>
<li>The South African economy is bankrupt. We don't have funds in the national coffers which can be diverted to provide medical care to the people or relief to business sectors that will face extreme hardship.</li>
<li>On a good day, South Africa has a food shortfall. Poor people will undoubtedly starve in the coming months; first because of supply-chain disruptions and shortages, then because of unemployment and rising costs as the economy continues to spiral downward. I know that my European and American friends are speaking out against selfish hoarders but in South Africa, the fear of running out of food is not unfounded and for those who can afford it hoarding is already a way of life. </li>
<li>Political rivalry and instability is the order of the day. We are dealing with an uneducated population that is led by corrupt leaders who regularly sweep crowds into a frenzy of murder and looting to achieve their own ends. If you think I exaggerate, look up Julius Malema. Mr. Trump could be the court jester to this dangerous megalomaniac and many ministers in our government are no better. Malema is inciting people to an uprising against the government for its inept handling of the Coronavirus pandemic, at the same time helping the government to stigmatize people who have contracted the virus. Unfortunately, he has the ear of large numbers of the population.</li>
</ol>
If you're thinking of donating a few Euros or Dollars to help us get through the crisis, reconsider. Your country needs it as much as we do right now. Any help that comes to South Africa will be used as a political tool or diverted and misspent. We'll be lucky if a few crumbs fall to the people who need it most.<br />
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What a grim picture I just painted. Sorry, I had to get it off my chest.<br />
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You might wonder where I stand in all of this. Shouldn't I feel very guilty to yearn for a chess piece when a million people in my country are about to die of sickness and starvation? I don't. I feel grateful. Grateful to be one of the few who are not starving and who can stay at home and ride it out. I was born in this country, I am one of its people and it has always been my home. Despite sucking at board games as a child, I try to respond with kindness when my fellow citizens act against me in racism and hate. Like many privileged South Africans, for all of my adult life I have involved myself in the upliftment of the underprivileged and paid taxes so that the government can do their part in repairing the wrongs in this country. Although I'm not a political activist, I speak out for what I believe is in the interest of all of humanity, not any one person or group. I did not create or condone this situation. I'm merely one person doing the best I can. Until all people come to their senses and act for humanity instead of promoting their own interests, we will not turn the tide. The midst of a pandemic is as good a place as any to pause and think about that. I wonder how many politicians will?<br />
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If you're looking for me, I will be rummaging in my stash for something that I can use to build a birdbath.Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3944355755953333971.post-32509407087991361092020-03-13T21:36:00.001+02:002022-03-04T09:41:03.211+02:00Crafting in a Time of CoronaThe map is lighting up with red dots as people in an increasing number of world countries get the coughing sickness and while only a short while ago it seemed like a distant and exaggerated threat, in the
last few days it has become distressingly real.<br />
<span class="mceItemHidden">My international circle of acquaintances is speaking about how the virus affects their lives and suddenly we're chatting with one another much more than usual. Everyone agrees that we're in for several months of minimized contact with other people while the virus burns itself out.
The internet will be our stand-in for </span><span class="mceItemHidden"><span class="hiddenGrammarError">postponed</span></span><span class="mceItemHidden"> shows<span class="hiddenGrammarError"></span>, nixed shopping trips with our friends, </span><span class="mceItemHidden"><span class="hiddenGrammarError">canceled </span></span><span class="mceItemHidden">club meetings and workshops.</span><br />
<span class="mceItemHidden">In
the last week, readers of my retrospective blog posts have increased by a whopping 784%! This flurry of activity has prompted me to come out of hiding and add my few cents worth with some fresh blog content. If I'm going to have a captive audience, I might as well make good use of it,
haha! But seriously, this is not my only motive. If we help to entertain and <span class="hiddenSuggestion">inform</span> one another, we will get through this challenge so <span class="hiddenSuggestion">much better</span>.</span><br />
<span class="mceItemHidden">I might not <span class="hiddenSuggestion">have been blogging</span> for the last few months but <span class="hiddenSuggestion">I've been composing</span> posts in my thoughts continuously and I've actually
been working on some exciting things. Now seems like a good time to
share them and help to cheer everyone up. You can look forward to random
posts about miniatures, my life, teddy bear patterns, tarantulas,
bicycles, and if it becomes necessary, possibly even a tasty recipe for
the last few dry beans and teaspoon of apricot jam left in your cupboard
after the apocalypse.</span><br />
<span class="mceItemHidden">Whichever country you're in, there has never been a better time to stay at home and do crafts. Corona virus is a real and serious threat and every one of our lives is going <span class="hiddenGrammarError">to be</span> affected by it. Even if we are fortunate enough not to get sick, we will suffer economic and social consequences.</span><br />
Let's start by being considerate; avoid gathering in public unless it's necessary, and wash your hands!<br />
<br /><br /><br />Megan Schetschehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267976778350267276noreply@blogger.com22