Ok, minor setback on the cross stitch rug.  I finished the red border and began filling in the center with DMC 712, which was supposed to be cream.  I barely stitched a full corner when the color went from vanilla cream to flat tan.  Bleh!  I expected the cream and the peach/pink tones to compete a bit, but the 712 flattened out the pale green, too.

This reminded me of my kitchen renovation.  I had chosen a beautiful pale terracotta that didn't end up being the dusky desert sunset I expected but more of a garish Pepto Bismol pink.  Yikes!  I could barely contain myself long enough for it to dry before painting over it with a pale almond color...much better.  :D

I thought I would have to use white since the 712 cream color was about as light as the colors come.  From seeing the design with the white fabric background, it wouldn't look bad stitching with white floss.  When I went through my stash of floss, however, I found it -- DMC 746 -- the bright creamy tone I was looking for to begin with.

Before removing the 712 stitching, I did up the opposite corner with 746 just to make sure.  As expected, the peach faded slightly into the background, but the pale green stayed prominent.

click image to enlarge

Even though I've stitched in some of the bright cream, I am still considering ripping it out and going with white.  I think I need to step back from it a few days and make up my mind once and for all!

I've always admired people who work in 1:144 scale.  The pieces are so tiny and the slightest goof is so magnified.  When I see a truly marvelous work in 1:144 scale, I am just in awe.

Interestingly enough, even though the houses are so small, the kits can be relatively expensive.  I've wanted to give it a try, but it's hard to bring myself to invest in something that might end up in disaster.  Thanks to my recent miniatures.com winnings, I can experiment without monetary investment.  Hooray!  I have two kits on order since I couldn't choose between the two I liked best.  Both are approximately 3" wide by 2" tall.

First is the Hampton House:

photo from miniatures.com website

I love the little conservatory, though I am mindful it is likely to be very delicate and give me fits as I attempt to put it together.  As I've said before to others, "If you aren't swearing at it, then how will you know how much fun you're having?!!!"  :D

The Hampton is a closed back house, so I would be able to concentrate on the exterior without worrying about room decorating.

The second is the Log Farmhouse:

photo from miniatures.com website

I love the rustic look of this structure.  The farmhouse has an open back so I would have the opportunity to decorate the interior.

I found a few helpful websites, including some instructions on making your own 1:144 scale furnishings, and I realize now I've been throwing away scraps of wood large enough to make a whole house of furniture!  Must stop doing that.

Anyway, this experiment may end up being a disaster, but I think the point is trying new things and challenging myself.  I also think working on these tiny houses while plugging away at the Newport is a good way to go.  If I get stuck or need to walk away, then I have the Newport.  If I get in the groove and work start to finish on the tiny houses, they won't take so long as to leave the Newport sitting idle for months on end.  Wish me luck!

I have been painting trims, windows, doors, railings, etc. with white paint for the past few days since I last posted.  It's time consuming work, but it is worth it in the end.  I am awaiting a few supplies as well, so it's also kept me busy.

The other project keeping me busy is the custom Janet Granger rug.  I've finished with the red border!  :D  At 84 hours (29 hours for filling in the red border alone), the rug is really taking shape.  The interior color will take a good deal longer and I imagine working in a very light color will be challenging in its own way.

click image to enlarge

I received word yesterday that Baslow Ranch won top prize in the Miniatures.com Facebook Contest - the piggy-back contest to the Greenleaf Spring Fling.  I don't have a facebook account, but I want to express my gratitude to those who voted for me and left such wonderful comments on my project.  I am thrilled that so many found inspiration in my work.  :D  Thank you!

When I got home yesterday, my prize for the Greenleaf contest had arrived as well.  In addition to a trophy version of the full sized kit, there was a quarter scale version of Baslow Ranch.  :]

It's so tiny!  In the photo, my thumb is resting on the porch floor.  I'm going to hold off on building it for now.  I'd like to try another kit in this scale first since the mini Baslow Ranch is a one-shot deal.  I also have a hard time seeing the kit as anything but the old ghost town ranch I built...and I'm not sure I want to build the same thing in mini, though it would be a fun challenge!

click image to enlarge

I attended the Tom Bishop Show in Chicago last April and picked up two Bonnie Lavish flower kits while there: red dahlias and black-eyed Susans.  I finally took out the kits and gave the flowers a try.

click image to enlarge

The kit makes six dahlias, but I had stop and share the first one I made.  I love it!  It was super easy to put together and ended up looking very realistic.

The instructions called for using a ball stylus on the flower petals, and that worked wonderfully.  One tip I can offer that wasn't in the instructions is to use a flat clay tool to put vein lines in the leaves.

It not only defined the leaves but also "loosened" them up a bit allowing for easier positioning as individual leaves.

I had originally planned to follow the same method that I used for the Baslow Ranch single bed but decided to make the mattress with foam core board as I had done with the box springs.  I tried dressing the mattress I made for Baslow Ranch as a mockup for the guest room, but it didn't look right.  There needed to be more structure under the bed coverings, and foam core board provided that.  It also allowed me to use up some of the scraps I had laying around.

I cut three layers of foam core board slightly smaller than the box springs to allow for fabric coverings.

Using the thin batting I had used to stuff the Baslow Ranch bed, I covered the top and sides of the foam core board to give the mattress a softer appearance.

I pinned a scrap of white cotton sateen over the covered mattress and then sewed the corners to make a fitted sheet.

I turned it right side out, stretched it over the mattress and then glued the excess under the mattress.

Using the same fabric, I made a flat sheet, turning the edge under near the head of the bed.  I didn't sew the corners on this sheet.  Instead, I folded the corners and glued the excess under the mattress.

I made a blanket for the bed using two coordinating cotton prints that came in a set from Joann Fabrics.  I didn't use any batting since the double thickness seemed to have enough weight.  I pressed it into shape on the bed and dabbed a tiny bit of glue where needed to keep the blanket flat on the bed.

click image to enlarge

I made a pillow for the bed using the white sateen, filling it with seed beads.  I then sewed a pillowcase out of the same fabric and squeezed the stuffed pillow into it.  I like the way the pillow is bowed inside the crisp pillowcase; I think it adds a bit of realism.

My first dressed bed!  Hurray!