A Tool Caddy for the Garden Shed

Today I spent some time making a tool caddy for the garden shed. I had accumulated a few miniture tools and found a tutorial online for a tool caddy in full size, and worked at reducing it to miniature today. My first attempt failed, because I couldn't cut the necessary notches in the wood without breaking the wood, but with some minor adjustments, I finally accomplished the task. I am pleased with the results.



I aged it with the same product I have been using for the crates. It's a bottle I purchased about 20 years ago while visiting a miniature store in North Carolina. I am starting to get really low on the product!! I've got to source more of this product.

I haven't added the tools yet because the wood was still wet when I took the picture. That will be for another posting.

I also stained and glued the rafters in place today. Next step is to stain the roof joists and glue those in place. Things are really starting to take shape here.

I was so busy with all my swap offerings yesterday that I failed to welcome my new followers, so now I have 5 to welcome this evening. I had several comments on the swap offerings yesterday and had a few emails as well. If there is anyone else interested in swapping garden themed accessories or flowers, just drop me an email. My email address is in my profile.

I would like to welcome these followers. Please take the time to have a look at their blogs.

Ewa, http://thesunnyhours112miniatures.blogspot.com/

Silvia, http://ilpiccolomondodisilvia.blogspot.com/

Nuira, http://casitaminicm.blogspot.com/

Heather, http://diaryofadollhouse.blogspot.com/ and

Mini Babies, I don't see a blog, but if you do have one, just drop me a comment and I will post a link for you. If I have gotten anyone's name incorrect, I apologize. My translator was working well for some of the blogs, so I had to do a little searching for a name. I hope I have them correct.

-Wanda

A Relaxing Day

I've spent my bonus day off relaxing and working on my minis. It's nice to have an extra day, all to myself to work guilt free on the garden shed and accessories. Today I sanded down the red paint on the garden tool carrier, and worked on the accessories to fill it.

After I had most of the items in the carrier I felt the colour was too bright, so I thought I would age it as well. I still need to cut out the plant stakes and make gloves for the carrier, but I am pleased with the work so far.

I have to make enough accessories to fill the other two carriers I have now. Hopefully I can use them for a draw in the near future.

I make a lot of old vintage gardening signs today and aged more crates and added signs to the end of the crate. I still have to age them, so that will be a picture for another day. As usual I made much more than I needed!! More to share I guess!

I have more followers to welcome also:-

De, http://delightfulminis.blogspot.com/

Dale, http://dalesdreams.blogspot.com/

Jose, http://jose-miprrimeracasita.blogspot.com/ Jose is building a phenomenal castle, you should check out jose's blog.

Also welcome to Sabiha, who doesn't appear to have a blog,

and a big welcome to my sweetie, and husband-to-be, Jeff, who is now one of my followers, (but weren't you always one of my followers??? lol

Check out everyone's blogs, there are some great things there to see! And thanks for taking an interest in my blog.

-Wanda

Accessorizing the shed

Yesterday, I decided to hang the tools in the shed. I made up a board with some hooks (jewelry findings) and then glued everything in place. I like the results.





You can see the stain coming through from the outside finish on the shed. I had debated whether I would stain the interior of the shed so that the bleeding from the outside would be gone, but I decided that I liked the uneven colour of the interior. It's a shed!!! It isn't suppose to be finished on the inside!

I've been cutting so many garden printies, that I decided I should evaluate and see how many I actually really need. I decided to place the accessories I had in the shed and see what else I needed. Based on the other accessories I put in place today, I probably don't need a tenth of the hundreds of printies I have cut!! Oh well, I will have lots of printies to share I guess.

This is how the interior of the shed looks with some of the minis placed. Keep in mind that there are NO printies in the shed yet, so it may be a really crowded shed!!

Hope you like the work to date. Nothing is glued in place yet, I just wanted to get a feel for it.

I was going to make another table to go under the window and then I remembered I had a House of Miniatures dry sink that I had started to assemble years ago, and then realized that there were two drawer fronts missing. It's sat on a shelf ever since then, and I thought it's a perfect place for an old dry sink that can't be used in a kitchen. I might paint it to match the potting table. I have a little time to decide.

Overall I am pleased with the temporary placements. I have lots of glueing to do once the printies are placed. It will be difficult to access the interior once the roof is attached so I want to ensure nothing is going to move later!

I would love to have your feedback on everything!

I have another new follower to welcome! My first Canadian and fellow camper for Camp Mini Ha Ha. Hello to

Karin, http://orrlakemusings.blogspot.com/ and http://minitutesfromorrlake.blogspot.com/

Karin has two blogs. Have a look!

Also in my last posting I had said that I didn't think Ascension had a blog. But she does!! Here's the link for her blog:- http://ascension-misminiaturas.blogspot.com/

Thanks everyone for taking an interest and for your kind comments!

-Wanda

Potting Bench is finished!

So now the final chapter in my potting bench refinished. I decided I would antique the table with cracking medium. So the colour you saw in the previous posting was the first coat, and what would be seen through the cracks of the paint, once I applied the crackling medium and the top coat. I used a light tan colour for the top coat. I had crackled tole painted wall art many years ago, but it's the first time I have tried it on my minis. I was a little afraid that the "cracks" would be out of scale. But I am pleased with the finished results.





Now I have to dress the potting table before I put it in place. I am hoping to make a second work table to go along side of it, but under the window. This one doesn't fit under the window with the back section, so I need to build another one without the hutch! This one will have to be from scratch.

I have also been busy working on refinishing many other items for the interior of the shed. A lot of the wood pieces I had were new, and I wanted them to look a little older and used.

Also I went looking through Ebay for some garden items that Carol of http://weecutetreasures.blogspot.com/ had recommended, and I saw several flower trellis there as well as the items Carol had recommended, and I thought I could build the trellis myself, so presently my trellis is in a clamp. Pictures to follow on all these items once I have them finished. I will be doing an Ebay order shortly as well to get all the great items I found through Carol's recommendation! Thanks Carol!

I am still busy cutting out printies such as seed packages and other related gardening items. My fingers are sore from this and I have resorted to using a rotary cutter as much as possible to help my poor fingers.

So I have been busy, there will be more pictures coming in later posts as I complete all these "Mini Projects."

And the most exciting news of all......I have reached 50 followers in only two weeks. YIPPEE!!! Welcome to my 50th follower:-

Sonia, http://minitink.blogspot.com/

Thank you to everyone for taking an interest in my blog, and thanks you to Sonia for being my 50th follower!!

-Wanda

Potting Bench

I've been a busy little beaver with all these printies....or maybe it's a busy little cutter. My fingers hurt, and I have more than I need, just have to decide what to use. Thank you for everyone who gave me tips on where I could find more gardening themed printies!

Tonight have decided on how I am going to finish the potting bench. Right now I have the base coat applied, and it's far from how I plan it to look when it's finished, but I thought you might be interested in the progress so far.

It's a little RED!!! But it's not going to be like this when it's finished, but it was necessary to give it a red base coat if I am to achieve how I want it to look in the end. I am being very mysterious, and I am not going to say anymore. Surprise to follow tomorrow.....stay tune!!

Now it's back to my printie cutting....oh my fingers!!

And before I forget I have to welcome a few more followers!!

Lisa, http://minilisa.blogspot.com/

Rosy, http://rosyminiaturas.blogspot.com/

and Meli Abellan who does not appear to have a blog. If I am wrong on this, let me know and I will post a link to your blog as well.

I am up to 49 followers now, and it's only been 2 weeks!! It's unbelieveable to have so much interest in my minis. Thank each and everyone of you. Maybe by morning I will reach the 50 plateau!

Thanks!

-Wanda