GIVE AWAY

Please click twice on photos for a close up.

It is long past time I thank all of my Followers with a Give Away. I especially would like to thank those of you who regularly contribute here. Letting me know you have been here by leaving a comment has led me to your blogs to meet you, enjoy your work and collections. I have made some wonderful friends since I started this blog, just over a year ago.

I made the lampshade out of an off white silk satin. The square base of the lamp is black onyx as is the black finial at the top of the shade. All the metal parts are solid brass. The center (bead) is not missing a dab of paint. All of these beads I have are just like this one. I am afraid I am a lousy photographer...I think they are exceptionally beautiful beads. The brushed gold element in the design is raised. Yes this is a working lamp. I intend to make another lamp just like this one for myself.

This Give Away is for the lamp and lampshade only. I just added the other things so you could see the scale of it. All that is necessary to participate is to be one of my 374 Followers and leave me a comment so I know you are interested. The winner will be announced on May 01, 2011.

I will try to take better photos in the morning to replace these very bad ones. ;-)
Thank you for visiting Kilmouski & Me.

Catherine XXX

'Nuttycrest'...... Nutshell House

Welcome to Nuttycrest Cottage. It's residents are a bit eccentric. They have deviated from the villages strict building codes with their outrageous roof top addition of a gazebo /garden. It is the reason for a town hall meeting tonight at Twigs & Berries. Several of the villagers are furious. It seems that many residents want the offenders to move their house to a entirely different tree!

OK... I know, I said the last one was going to be 'it' for a while. I just couldn't help myself. I was laying in bed one night and thought... Oooooh a observation deck/roof garden, Then I had to turn on the light and draw a sketch to figure out how to make it work. Then I thought... It needs a swing with a 'wisteria like' vine growing down out of the gazebo. Totally crazy which is part of the reason for the name of the cottage.

These are almost impossible to photograph. The purple 'berries are so vibrant,deep and sort of metallic... The color is really off in these photos. ;-(( I finally gave up this morning and settled for these. They are so small and there is just so much going on 360 degrees.Don't forget to click twice on the photos for a close up.

A Wee Band-Aid

I was feeling pretty sorry for myself because I missed the show this year in Chicago. There were so many people going I wanted to see too. So, I decided to put a band-aid on it.

I bought three of Scott Hughes fixtures last year at the show. I just love them. I telephoned Scott before he left for Chicago and told him I wasn't able to go and wondered if he would send me a photo of a couple of fixtures. I bought a lamp but when it arrived yesterday it was too big. :-( So today I asked him what he had in that aged patina I love. This is the chandelier I bought from him. I am soooo excited.

Scott doesn't have a web site or a catalog. He only does one show a year. In my mind that makes his work all the more special.

Linda Master

Linda sent me this wonderful bread board last week. She hand carved the entire thing. Including the circle!!! Just try and draw a perfect circle sometime. lol I know very well how difficult that is to do because of the hand engraving I have done on metal. Her work is simply incredible. If you can think of it, she can carve it for you. You will be delighted when your order arrives.

http://www.miraclechickenurns.com/

Thank you so much Linda! I love it!!!

New Lamp Bases

I never liked the bases for these lamps I made. I was having a look around in Etsy and found a solid brass tiered finding that said it was 7 mm on the interior of the square! WOW perfect, just the right measurement and a perfect look for this lamps new base.

They came in the mail today. the interior of the tired square was 12 mm in the inside Grrrrr How off can you get with a ruler...scary!

Uh-Oh! I had to destroy the old lamp bases to get them off. Which I did, in anticipation of the new ones arriving. Hrmmm.... now what? I guess I'll cross my fingers and operate!

I had a old plastic miter box I bought long ago when I first became interested in miniatures. I measured 7 mm and marked the finding then cut the corner off with a jewelers saw. I did that to all four of the &^%$ things. Then just soldered them all together. There ;-) ...Now they're 7mm on the inside. all I have to do is clean them up and glue them on.


Lots of things are almost finished on my work bench. I have been busy working on several things I hope to share in a day or two.

My English Cottage Interior Inspiration

I have saved hundreds of inspiration photos for the miniature cottage I want to build. I thought I would share a few here.

Please double click on photos for a closer look.

I adore this cottage and it's rooms. I love the quirky (Elm) beams in the ceiling. One side of the hearth is carved with the initials A. W. and 1810. The cottage could be a lot older however. The room is 8 feet 3 inches X 12 feet. The six foot owner can only stand up straight in three places in the room. I love the billowing plaster ceiling daubed into a crazy mattress of twigs and branches.


Spice Cupboards were often built into the wall next to the hearth. The hope was to keep the valuable contents of herbs, spices and possibly tea and sugar dry. I lreally like this one and hope to add one of these to my miniature cottage. I love the butterfly hinges and the initials and date carved into the wood. Also the scratch moulded framing.Another example of a built in wall cabinet.

I LOVE the patterns in the brick in this medieval cottage hearth. What a fun miniature clay project this could be.

French Flower Buckets

With all the things out there you can buy in miniature there was one thing missing, at least I couldn't find one. French flower buckets.

I tried one this morning using a sheet of tin. I am not happy with it though for a variety of reasons. First... I knew to make them look right I needed to have a die made to form them onto, using a hydraulic press. Reason being, this would allow the two band lines below the lip of the bucket to be pressed into the sheet. I tried instead just to solder on two rings to "look like" that. It wasn't a success. :-( Secondly... I have to find a tool for my flex-shaft that will give the surface of the metal the right look that galvanized buckets have. Sadly... the patina I want for the outside is in the inside where I didn't have to clean up anything.

I am determined... I will get there!!!