Step into my Parlor

I did it! I finished the Green Gypsy Parlor! I finally tackled the chairs; yowza wowza, that was difficult. Half inch scale is TINY! Those chairs are only two inches tall. I'd been dragging my feet about them, not wanting to take on such an intricate task.

Although I must admit, I'll still fuss, I want two glasses of wine for the table, and maybe a chair in the corner instead of the table holding the egg and the dragon. Or maybe not. There is a tiny stag's head for the parlor, but I need to find a mount for it. Yes, those are "real" Tarot; I have an entire deck in that scale, the rest of the cards are in the side console drawers. Technically, one inch, but why quibble? I would like to print them on cardstock so their backs are not plain. I cheated and lightly glued them to the table. That's not a real spread, it'd be awful if it were. The glass basket on the console holds two real miniature crystals. I also have the front porch and the entryway done. I need a Welcome mat of some kind, maybe one which says "Enter at Your own Risk." I'd also like a picture to place above the matador; he looks alright viewed through the front door, but seems low when seen through the arch of the parlor.

Pictures: Front Porch with male and female lucky Tanukis. Note the brass letterbox. Peeking into the entryway: A Matador I painted, two lucky cats on a table I did the faux marbling on, and the inlaid floor ... that I did not do myself. Three views of the parlor: I painted the pictures myself, the portrait of the green woman isn't visible in the photos. The Egyptian women were once a bookmark (thanks Deb!), Nefertiti and Hathor. I made the candles from tiny wood trim, and I painted the green Snake myself. I also did the marbling on the large round table. The rug began life as a coaster. There is a violin, a shawl, and a proper crystal ball. The books are bound with blue leather. That's a glass dragon in the bookshelf, and an elephant and a chihuahua. The chairs, finished, intermediate and the kit pieces. I made the middle chair for the kitchen from scraps and bits I had about; the inlaid wood trim matches the wood trim along the ceiling in the kitchen. I added a churn to the kitchen.

The Blue Fairy Bedroom

Note the photo next to the bed ... yep, a blue fairy!

Tea with the Black Dragon

Yay, again! Another room finished, and this one is pretty much done. Tea with the Black Dragon features some of the finest Japanese miniatures I picked up in Akasuka, hand painted gold on black lacquer. The bowl hanging on the wall was part of a home Buddhist prayer cabinet. The tea set is signed by Mock, or Mark, and is one of the first things I bought for the house. Not Japanese, but hey, it is marvelous. If you look closely, the Black Dragon has a teensy cup in his claws. The buddhas in boxes on the wall are lucky trinkets from Kamakura. The petit fours are Fimo, some of my first experiments with the medium.

I got digging into my boxes; I wanted to find my miniature Japanese woodblock print stickers so I could frame them and put them in the tearoom. Couldn't find them at all. But I did find my super-mini glass animals, bits and odds and toys for the Blue Fairy Bedroom, and some kitchen items and pewter figurines I'd mixed in with the full-sized miniatures. Then, a silver skull, some other tiny silver charms and earrings, and YES! the rest of my miniature paintings. As in, I painted them. I got the details I wanted for the kitchen finished, and added a few items to the Red Den. Like the Dormouse sleeping in the chair, so cool, I'd forgotten him. He's jointed, hand painted metal, a collector's piece. I also have a lot done in the Blue Fairy Bedroom, it will be finished in a day or two.

Pics: One of the things I like about this blog is that I can post huge pictures. One click and they're full size, so I can scroll around and check details I'd otherwise miss, like globs of min-hold and crooked things.

Tea with the Black Dragon, tea table, Kitchen with added items, Den with added items. Can you find the ghost family in the kitchen? The pirate's treasure map in the den?