OK, That Took Time....

 But the copper kettle is done! As mentioned before, the shape was  moulded over a small preserving jar, using paper clay. Once dry, it was cut to size and sanded, and then faux painted. The bail handle is made of wire, and is not all that visible when the kettle is placed upside-down over a log to drain, as it will be in the diorama. The "rolled" rim is cotton yarn glued around the edges, and the ears are made of card.

I am very pleased with it; the original clay was stone gray, which was then sealed all over to take the paint without softening the cellulose clay. Once dry, I painted it with a couple of coats of raw sienna paint, and when that was dry it was dry-brushed, using a mini fan brush, with a brass-colour metallic rather than a pinkish-copper metallic paint, followed by a brushing and wiping with antiquing gel. And when that was dry, the whole thing was given a coat of satin varnish. The effect is of a copper kettle that has seen a rough life out in the woods, but is still being used, dents and all, as well as being kept quite clean by the maple sugaring crew.

There are a few more small items to come, but so far I'm happy.

A New Camera, and Some Things to Show

 I'm not a woodcarver, but over the weekend I carved a paddle - complete with (cardboard) reinforcement strip on the back, a pair of wedges and an axe for the maple sugaring diorama. I also began work on the large copper kettle which will rest against a stump in the background of the scene, but took the photos with a new-to-me very fancy camera, and my old camera is unable to "read" the pictures I took.

The new camera is a bit of a learning curve, in that it is very slim, apparently has the ability to work with a higher number of pixels, and does not have a port for a cable - apparently, it is WiFi and we have to figure out how to make that work. The photo I took of the freshly-draped paper clay kettle is currently unavailable, but I did take a photo of the dried and trimmed version with my old camera.

The next step is to seal the inside and outside of the dried paper clay shell, and when that is dry I can faux-finish it to look like worn copper. The inside is unlikely to show in the final project, so I'll use that to test my finishes on. I still have to make the "ears" and the bail handle of the kettle, as well as figure out how to make it look like it has a rolled top. (I used a small preserving jar for the shape.)

Weather permitting, Marilyn and I'll be meeting up tomorrow to work on the scenery; I have some items for that to find/put together as well. Hopefully, there'll be some more photos to show you. If and when I can figure out how to download from the new camera, I'll post a photo of the wet clay draped on its form....

...And, We're Back in Business

 Finally, after a busy holiday season and a lot of weather cancellations, as well as health concerns and the like, we're finally back in business on the Maple Sugaring diorama.

The curved background of the diorama has been constructed, and we are working on the actual landscaping of our scene. The major elements are in palace here, and we are about to start the placement of the various trees.The pink foam will be shaped into shallow slopes, to draw the eye of the viewer from the background to the foreground. Marilyn has taken on the landscaping on this project, and we worked together at her house today to begin that process.

There will be a number of large and small trees, to carry the viewer's eyes into the background, and Marilyn is figuring out placements. The size of the trees will decrease the further they are in the diorama, to create a sense of greater depth than there is.

There are still a few small pieces, my part of it, to create, and we hope we can get this project done in a month or so, ready for what may be an early maple sugaring season here, thanks to el nino's contribution to the weird weather. However, a storm system is expected to appear here tomorrow and the next day, so heaven only knows what will happen. 

The display will be on show near the end of March, if everything falls into the schedule we've envisioned for this project. We're going forward again!

I'm Working on Christmas Gifts Right Now

Usually every year I attempt to make some home-made gifts for my family, and this year is no exception, except that I've gotten very behind at what I'm working on. It's mostly a question of supply availability, which means that I've got several things going on at the same time. I'm knitting, quilting, and there is some sewing and embroidery lurking about for my attention, as well as some knitted decorations that need stuffing.

We are still working on the Maple Sugaring diorama, but with the busyness at this time of year, things tend to sit around until there is a block of time to actually finish them. 

Stick with me, I promise there is more to come. 

Winter is here, we had snow and then loads of rain. As depressing as that was - there was some localised flooding of low road areas - I keep reminding myself what it would have meant if that rain had come down as snow! There have also been more than the usual number of get-togethers with friends and family this year, which is lovely, but has added to the time things on the go tend to sit unfinished. We have company staying with us for nearly a week over Christmas, which means the house needs some real attention. In my kitchen cupboard is a mug that has a slogan on it "What housework? I'm busy crafting." 

Yes, I am.

...And a Few More Things

 Woodpile, chopping block, borrowed axe, stumps to to sit on, and finally, barely visible, a damper for the fireplace. Now for lids and spiles for the sap cans....

Fatigue and a Carrying Chest

Yesterday, I had my Covid booster, and I'm feeling very tired, an expected side effect. However, I did manage to finish a six-board chest, painted in barn red, (still needs its rope handles, though!), for my maple sugar workers to carry their gear in. I managed to create a passable sieve, used to remove bark bits etc. from the raw sap, so that is two more items for the diorama.

 We've had two overcast days, with rain constantly - although I'm not complaining, as it could have been snow - which means I've not yet been out in the garden to retrieve some firewood branches and tree stumps. They'll be in scale, of course, one large stump for chopping the logs for the fire, and two small ones for the workers to sit on. They can use the chest as a table to hold their tea and meals, as it is several days' work to boil the sap down into syrup. I also need to make lids for the syrup buckets, and then I have to create spiles. 

As I don't work tomorrow, since my bosses at my volunteer job are at a three-day conference, and will try to make some items for the diorama then. Hopefully, I'll be less tired. My first attempt at a tea kettle didn't work out that well, so I'll try that again. The lid ended up being too small to stay on top of the kettle....

Maple Sugar Buckets, and....

 It took several days, and about 8 applications of sealer, paint coats, and varnish to produce these sap buckets. They are made of recipe card cardboard, and were finished to match the buckets on the trees in the background, which are rather more pale yellow-silvery than the paint job on the fireplace and the evaporating pans. The little scraper is also made of painted card, with a toothpick handle.

On the drawing board are a teakettle, a couple of mugs, and some more necessary tools, as well as a woodpile, among other things. At some point, I have to produce a  passable facsimile of a large copper cauldron. Along with the woodpile, the scene needs a couple of stumps, one being used as a chopping block for the wood that goes into the fireplace.

And the other thing? Well, the third attempt to acquire the 1/8" heart punch is now over; we received it late last week, and it was once again the wrong size, this time measuring 3/8". We've given up and asked for a refund of our purchase price. Now I have to see if any of the dealers I know carry this size of punch, or are able to source one for me. Sigh! I don't know right now if I'll ever be able to get back to the garden corner vignette. However, I haven't given up hope yet.