The Stage is Set....

The Garden Corner is now constructed, and the next step will be to "dress" the stage; I have a bit of theatre experience, and if you've been following this blog for a while, you will already know that I operate on the belief that, if it looks like what it is supposed to be, I've succeeded.

The basic L-shape is made of off-cuts of inexpensive foam core board, mostly from the $ stores, a double layer for the base and a single layer for the back wall. The pavement and brickwork is made of egg carton bits and pieces, painted and with a little green "algal growth" around the edges. The fence is made of coffee stir sticks, and there is a bit of a story.

Dear Readers, there is a world-wide shortage of skinny coffee stir sticks. I had 5 1/2 left over from the Covid era, and went shopping for more. Three $ stores and a large supermarket later, I'd been informed that they just couldn't get them any more, supply issues, most likely. Hmmmm, the world supply of  non-hardwood trees is that scarce? The stir stick factory closed? I suppose it is possible. I did find a very small package for a very large price, and Sunday one of my knitting group friends let me know that they are once again available at that supermarket (unlike last week), at 100 sticks for $4.50 - they used to be sold in $ stores for 100 sticks for $1.25; that's more than three times the previous price.  

 Fortunately, my knitting group friend is one of two ladies who do a lot of volunteer work for my church, and they said they thought there were some skinny stir sticks left over in the basement kitchen. I found just 21 of them, and combined with the 5 I had, was able to construct the fence. Now I wonder if I should go and buy the much more expensive ones, before they too disappear. Be warned, Dear Readers....

Once again, I used my $ store white paint, and got a wonderful distressed, shabby chic finish on the wall and the fence. The faucet is a white metal miniature, painted to look like tarnished brass and with a worn green handle; the pipe is a painted tooth pick section, and the brackets holding the pipe in place on the wooden pillar are painted card, with pin heads for nails. To mimic metal, I painted the surfaces with dark gray paint, then dry brushed them with terra cotta, with another dry brushing of pewter for the iron and gold for the brass.

A bird house has been cut, and many flowers have to be made, along with assorted shabby chic garden accessories; I'd like to see if I can make an aged bistro chair, and if I can't, I still have several unfinished  bench kits from years ago. The colour scheme will be distressed white, pink, blue and assorted colours in the purple range, with apple green accents. And the potting bench I made during Covid, from stir sticks, toothpicks and scrap wood, will be a permanent part of the vignette.

My youngest daughter and her husband arrive for a week this Wednesday, so I may not have too much time to devote to minis for the next week. However, I'll be back!