The Winner Of The Walnut House Is....

I want to thank all of you who entered the Nutshell cottage Give Away. It was great fun to read all the fabulous names you thought of for it. I was really surprised at the number of entries since the piece is not a 1: 12 dollhouse miniature. ;-)


This morning I used the random number generator to select a winner from my 594 eligible followers who named the house and left a comment.

Congratulations Debora!!! http://petitpunt.blogspot.com/ Who named the house Nutty's Observatory. I will email you through your blog for your address details.

Name The Nutshell Cottage To Win. Have Fun!

The above photos are bigger than the actual size.

I would like to thank all of you who follow Kilmouski & Me. Particularly all the new Followers and those of you who contribute so often here.

If you wish to enter the nutshell house Give Away you must be one of my 594 Followers.

I have named all the nut shell cottages/houses I have made so far. There was Twigs & Berries, Nutty Crest and Sparrow Hop. Now it is your turn. Please name the cottage when you leave a comment here if you wish to enter. Just a bit of fun to make things interesting. Also, it will let me know who is just leaving a comment verses the people who want to enter.

I will use the random number generator to select a winner on July 08, 2012 and announce the name of the nutshell cottage and the winner. Good Luck!

This cottage has a huge bay window in the back. For star gazing I presume.

For Mother's Day & Some Silver

Kilmouski is very good at choosing Mother's Day gifts. I think he is trying to tell me that I shouldn't neglect my embroidery projects. These are the most beautiful embroidery scissors I have ever seen.

I have been weaving and forming 10 gauge sterling silver wire. Talk about tough!!! Forming it isn't a problem, it's the weaving. There is no way I could do this with anyone else around, it makes you say some seriously bad words! Now all I have to do is carve a spike out of African Blackwood to go through to two end pieces then I can wear it in my hair.

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

Tom Bishop Show Chicago 2012

I didn't buy very much at the show in Chicago this year. I did order several things, it may be six months before I see them though.

I brought home a candlestick made by Scott Hughes. I asked Scott if he would custom make two lamps for two beautiful glass shades Frank Whittemore blew for me many years ago. I still have 12 or more of Frank's shades I want to do something with.

From Gerd Felka some more wine glasses and another decanter.

I fell in love with a Blue Jay sitting on a ('chipped, rusting, metal') bowl of peaches made by Mary McGrath. I thought it would be fun to have it sitting on an open window in the kitchen over the sink. You may not be able to see that the Blue Jay has pecked into one of the peaches. I tried very hard to photograph it with very little success I'm afraid. It is just one of those pieces you have to see in person.



I also got a gorgeous working clock for the kitchen made by Malcolm Hall. I love his work.




I was very pleased to find lots of supplies I needed. Several tools and paper thin leather.

New Copper Teapot and Brass Bucket For...

I am not sure if I will be using this in the house I am designing but the stove did need a few things. I made another brass bucket for the coal it uses and a much smaller copper teapot to go on the back burner today. Now I must make a coal shovel for it.

This was once the plastic the Chrysnbon parlor stove. It was in my very first post. I thought it was sort of sad looking in plastic. The kit it had lots of bright silvery "nickel" parts. I thought about casting those pieces in nickel silver for a duller look but decided against it.

I also wasn't very happy about the fact the stove was so plain. I wanted to add a lot of decorative embellishment to it. That was done by pulling molds off of tiny brass findings and injecting wax into the molds I made. Then... Those waxes had to be welded (with a hot needle) to the plastic kit pieces, before I cast them all in bronze. Some plastics burn out very well just like casting wax does.

The kit came with a sheet of acetate for the glass inside the stove. I use mica sheets instead which make the stove look like it has been used.

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF....

This story is about a woman (in England) who single handedly dismantled her 15th -century cottage to save it from being demolished.

What a amazing labor of love and hardship. You can see all the photos and read this magnificent story here....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-1185210/Moving-house-How-little-old-lady-spent-23-years-single-handedly-dismantling-cottage-brick-brick-rebuilding-100-miles-away.html

In case the link does not translate...

Moving house: How a little old lady spent 23 years single-handedly dismantling her cottage brick by brick and rebuilding it 100 miles away

Another 'Master' Piece!!!

Look who just waddled his way to my house. I am just so thrilled with this gorgeous pintail duck decoy! He looks like he might let out a quack and wiggle his tail any minute. I just adore him!

This is just how I want to use him, as a decorative 'antique decoy'. Either on a table or on a mantel piece.


I have said it before... Linda Master's talent is simply astonishing. http://miraclechicken.blogspot.com/ It is evident in everything she does. She can carve, draw or paint anything you can dream of and in smaller scales too.

Linda is about to start some very exciting antique European accessory pieces in 1: 12 scale. I can't wait because they are things I have never seen in miniature before. No, I am not going to tell you what is coming. I'll let that be her surprise.

Thank you so much Linda!!!!!


New sterling silver tray and goblet recently made by me. ;-)