About Me

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West Virginia
When I started my retirement travels in 2009, I wanted a way to share it with family and friends as it was happening. Hence, "My Travel Journal". However I realized I wouldn't always be on a trip and wondered what to do with the blog in between times. My daughter pointed out, wisely, that travels can also include trips to the kitchen to try a new recipe, trips to visit family, trips to my neighborhood Starbucks, or a fun day trip with a friend. You're welcome to join me on any of these journeys! I've set up individual pages for each of my major trips (see tabs above).

Also, I have an Etsy shop where my current needlework resides. The last pieces I posted here were in 2013! So if you'd like to see what I have accomplished recently, go to (and I apologize for having to copy and paste):

www.etsy.com/shop/thedollhouseneedle

I recently added an "Italian Word a Day" thingie which shows up at the bottom of every page. You see the word and can click to hear it pronounced. I've been enjoying it and I think my accent is improving as time goes by.

December 13, 2009

Instead of "Lights, Camera, Action"...

I've had way too much action, finally lights, and now, camera!



This is just to prove I finally managed to get the darned thing electrified.  I didn't want to put in all the little bits and pieces I have for it until it's really, really finished and ready for official viewing so it's pretty bare.

Never in my miniature "career" do I think I've ever encountered such problems with lighting.  And that's for a total of three lights!  One would think I was electrifying an 8-room house...But I've discovered (I think) that when you're doing sort of a "make-it-up-as-you-go-along project", that's when you're probably going to encounter the most problems and I sure did.  And I've cut my hands in a couple of places and gone through quite a few band-aids, I've broken fingernails, and I've turned the air blue periodically.  But, for the time being, my three lights are working and long may they shine is all I have to say.

I really need to not work on this anymore and get going on getting ready for my trip east to spend Christmas with my kiddies and grandkiddies.  Presents to wrap, hopefully some baking to do, etc., etc.  Plus, I have to wait now to get a 30's style refrigerator kit I ordered to put in this little scene so I couldn't get it finished now if I did take the time to work more on it.  And I have baseboard and ceiling molding to paint and fit and who knows how much more "jerry-rigging" to do.  I'm trying to decide if I want to do something else to the walls.  I didn't have any patterned wallpaper that was small enough print so I just used a cream crackle-look scrapbook paper.  Oh, and I've got to repaint all the furniture too which I dread, but it's just too strange for all of it to be blue and the stove is green and cream.   Trying to decide between brick red and black leaving the natural wood natural.  All of which I've already said, just still thinking out loud.

So that's all the news from West Virginia.  Going to watch DaVinci's Inquest now - a strange but fairly addictive show.  I can't figure it out...

5 comments:

Bill said...

Your 1/2" kitchen is looking great, Mary Lynne. I like the scallop edging and the patterned floor. When you receive the refrigerator, you will probably fly along with finishing. I look forward to seeing the finished product! Marlene from Petitpointers.

January said...

Always leave natural wood natural! Especially for such a sweet little farm kitchen (that's how I see it, anyway). I guess if the choices for paints are brick red or black, I'd go with brick red...but I'm sure you'll make it look nice whatever you decide.
Can't wait to see you for Christmas!
xox

Christopher said...

That's quite a bit of work since the last photos... You see a little square(ish) room box and you think, what could be the challenge in running wire---clearly, looks can be deceiving! Glad you finally figured out the situation, despite the hassles.
See ya soon!

Mary Lynne said...

Thanks Marlene! And January you said "if the choices are..." are you thinking some other color?

And, I know, Chris - it was insane how bogged down I got. But in addition to being half blind (I can hardly see the thin wires after I strip the covering off) and having my shaky old hands, I was trying to make a hanging fixture for over the table, was going to use canister lights as my hidden lighting only to find that I didn't like them when I did my first trial with them, so switched to a fluorescent style which meant that the way I had been going to do my dropped ceiling would no longer work, got both fluorescents installed only to have one quit working, and on and on. So really, it's kind of a Christmas miracle, I guess, that it's done at all!!

Sure am looking forward to next week. :)

Sandra said...

It's looking really good Mary Lynne. Don't know about brick red for the painting, but I would definitely leave the bare wood bare. Glad the lighting eventually worked for you!

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