The Greatest Showman

Last Saturday I went to see the movie called "The Greatest Showman". It was absolutely fantastic. It was so good I actually went and saw it again the very next day, and then saw it again a few days later!
If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it as it is definitely a movie that needs to be seen on the big screen.
The genre is similar to my other two favorite movies, Les Miserables and Moulin Rouge. It is visually stunning, has lovely costumes, great music, singing, and of course, fabulous choreography. Best of all, it actually has a great story!
(My kids want to see it again, so maybe sometime this week we will see it again.)

My husband always buys flowers for our anniversary and the cats seem to enjoy them as well.
Mr Nova loves to admire them up close. (I have to watch him like a hawk otherwise he will knock them over and try to eat them.)
Most normal people keep their flowers on the kitchen table but mine have to live in my office to keep them safe from the beasts!

(Go see "The Greatest Showman" before it disappears from the theatres.)
Cheerio,
Sam

Cats Play With Lego Blocks Too!

Hi everyone,
This is just a shameless plug of cute cat pictures that were taken a few years ago.

My kids had been playing with Legos and toy animals while Nova and Kovu watched.




Cheerio,
Sam

Apple Blossom - Part Three

Hi everyone,
I attached the extension and I covered the house in the first layer of paper mache.
Yes, this is the embarrassing stage. It looks like a kindergarten project - not something a grown up would make.
I do have a rough vision of what this should look like one day.

This house will now sit up above my desk for a few weeks to make sure it is completely dry before I add anymore layers.

I think I will make a back for this dollhouse. The new windows are rather large and you can see too much background. Anyway, it will help keep out dust (and inquisitive little kitty cats!).
Speaking of whom, here is a quick pic of my boys.

Cheerio,
Sam

Guardian of the Alison Jr Box

I was looking for the box that contained the Alison Jr dollhouse. I asked one of my building inspectors, Mr Kovu, where it was and he told me that it was under the desk.

When I looked under the desk I found Mr Nova and I asked him, "Do you know where the box is for the new dollhouse kit?"
"No," he replied in a sleepy voice.

As he lay down for a long nap, the blanket moved and I found what I was looking for.

He closed his eyes and I did not have the heart to wake him. Sometimes just being cute allows you to get away with anything.
Cheerio,
Sam

Hazel's House (And a Feline Intruder) - Part Four

Well, I am still messing with Hazel's house.
I thought that some of the front panels were too thick, so I carved away some of the foil and styrofoam, and I have been covering the structure with newspaper.
You know, for every step I take forward, I always seem to take half a dozen steps back.
No wonder it takes me forever to get any crafting done!


Suddenly, I noticed a claw waving from the upper window.
Who is that?

It is my Nova. He really enjoys being up high, and the third story on this house fits him perfectly.


Cheerio,
Sam

Good Books

Random post just for fun! (Too busy with real life at the moment to work on dollhouses.)
One of my favourite authors is Pearl Buck.
My husband found twelve of her books at a library sale and bought them for me.

Nova decided that if I liked them, then he would like them as well. As a Siamese cat, he felt that he should familiarize himself with stories about Asia.

There is something magical about an old book. It is really amazing how once you start a great story you are transported away to another place and time.
I suggested to Nova that he start with The Good Earth, but, being a cat, he chose his own and began reading.

Cheerio,
Sam

Dura Craft Mansion - Part One

Let me introduce you all to yet another dollhouse that I am currently working on - The Dura Craft Mansion.
I know, I know, I know - I have a TON of dollhouses that I am working on at the same time. Whenever I get stuck with one I move onto the next and I find that gives me time to sort out the problems with the other houses.
Last summer I was at a garage sale when I noticed a forlorn looking box with the word dollhouse on it and a tattered $20 price tag. I doubted that it was a whole dollhouse, but I thought that all the wood pieces would be good to supplement my other dollhouses.

When I got home, I carefully went through the whole box and came across some instructions. It turns out that this is the Dura Craft Mansion. It even had a parts list, so for the next hour I carefully did an inventory. There were quite a few pieces missing, but I figured I could make them myself.

The Dura Craft houses have the strangest construction I have ever come across. It basically consists of hundreds of little pieces of siding that you slot together in the corner trims.
There are also a million pieces that had to be primed for the windows and porch railings.

Really Mr Nova? Sleeping on the railings does not look comfortable at all. (But really cute!!!!)

Once the basic walls were built, I was able to make a base.

(Yes, I am often found out in the garage in old clothes working on my houses.)

I scored the porch floor wood to look like boards, and I gave it a quick undercoat of brown paint.

Well, I am really pleased with how this dollhouse has turned from a pile of wood into a house.
Cheerio,
Sam

Sweater Weather

It is very strange to walk into your office and see your sweater "writhing" around.

Upon closer inspection, it turns out to be a cat.

Take a peek inside the sleeve.


That's my boy!!!!! ---- Nova

How To Ruin A Dollhouse -The Amberwood Saga - Part Four

But before I tell you about this tale of woe, I have to let you know what is going on with Kinsey's house.
Harley said that it would take a few weeks or even months to see any changes, so we just have to wait patiently and see what happens.

Meanwhile, work continues on the Amberwood. I thought a little bit of aging would make this house look good.
And, guess what - I made a rather big mess.
I was happily listening to some music and painting a color wash all over the exterior when. . . . one of my kids walked in to my office.
"Why are you covering your house in baby poop?" they exclaimed.
Suddenly the music came to a screeching halt and I stepped back.
What was I doing???

When my building inspector gave me THAT look. I knew it was NOT good.

I even tried to age the roof by painting it grey and then black.

I have realized something........
Subtlety is not my forte.

(But I do like the way the paint is getting into the crevices.)

I thought that a black antique wash over everything would improve the situation.
But it did not.
It made it all dark and murky - like a haunted house!

This was NOT the look I was going for, so I will go back to the drawing board.
Anyway, as my Mum always says, it is important to keep experimenting with your art in order to learn new things even if you destroy it in the process.

Cheerio,
Sam