Gifts from Ewa!

A lovely surprise arrived in the mail today!! My friend Ewa at The Sunny Hours sent me a delightful parcel with Christmas decorations and minis!!
The Christmas decorations will be hung on our tree - we have tree ornaments to remind us of past times, family and friends, and these from Ewa will very welcome!!
The minis will find good mini homes too - I have great ideas about the filigrees and frame, and the test tubes are perfect for my next project :)
The little books and French charm are talking to me of an early 1900s scene . . .

Thankyou so much, Ewa - you are very kind, and a good friend!! :)))

xxx Glenda

A gift from my daughter

When my lovely daughter asked me 'What do you want for your birthday?', I sent her a list of some of my favourite 'wants' on Etsy.
And yesterday in the mail - treasure!!! She had chosen to send me a witch's potions cabinet and contents made by the lovely and talented Lorraine at DFly Creations (here)!! (and I can never have enough mushrooms!!)
These minis are exquisite!! My witch is going to be so well equipped!
And here is the cabinet opened.
Not only, but also . . . there was a fab and fun rusty watering can filled with yellow daisies too - very finely made, and so cheerful!! Daisies just make me want to smile! :)

Thankyou sooooo much!!! Here is a very happy Glenda!!

Ab fab printies from Norma, and a floor test

Oh, I love mail!! Norma has sent a wonderful gift of printies - and they are perfect for my projects!! Norma has a knack for knowing the exact thing to send, and she has outdone herself here!!! :)))))

She has sent me two medieval tapestries, some parchments, and some open books - every one of these will have pride of place in either my witch or medieval settings!
And the open books have beautifully 'faded' printed covers! They're beautiful!! Thankyou so much, Norma!

Lakehouse flooring test

I did a quick preview of the lakehouse floors last night, and I'm considering the result in today's light. I wanted the floor to be a pale birch colour, and found some in my box of veneer samples. It is actually a Tasmanian eucalypt, with fine figuring. Unfortunately it splits easily, and the grain runs slightly skewed to where I want the board markings.

I was greatly encouraged by reading Nina's flooring experiences - thankyou, Nina!!
The first thing I tried was to score the lines with a fine embossing tool - this didn't work, as the lines were invisible except where they crossed the grainy bits where they widened and threatened to split the veneer. Any scoring of plank ends across the veneer went all splintery.
I tried pencilling lines in the score marks, and they had the same effect of thickening every so often.
Then I tried simple pencil lines without scoring it first, but when it was in place in the house, they looked far too dark.

Out with my colouring pencils - I tried four shades of gold and brown, and I think I've found the one that will work, and when the plank ends and nail holes are marked, it looked even better.
A quick wash with 1:1 PVA to water, to seal it, and it's good!