Wildflour Cakes and Tea Room

The pargeted house was so much fun, I just had to do another one. What could be more perfect than a decorated cake shop? If there isn't a real pargeted shop like thios somewhere, there certainly should be! The interior has a pastry shop on the ground floor and a cozy tea room upstairs.

See it in person at Chicago International!

One Spot Opened Up in Chicago Workshop

One spot has opened up in my Pastry Shop class at Chicago International on Thursday, April 19th.
If you're interested, go to: http://www.bishopshow.com/chiinfo.htm and click on Workshops, then scroll down to Thursday to see the picture; click on that for more info.

Wildflour Cake Shop

After finishing the pargeted house last fall, I had the idea that a building like that, with its similarity to a decorated pastry, would be perfect for a cake shop. I've been working on the cake shop for about ten days, and it's almost finished. Pictures soon!

Painting 1:144 Scale Furniture

I just received an email from a customer who wanted some tips on painting the cast resin furniture I sell. I thought I'd share my answer:

 

You can use any of the acrylic craft paints, like Delta Ceramcoat, Folk Art, etc; that's mostly what I use. No need to primer the pieces before painting.

You are less likely to get brush marks if you

- use really good quality brushes with fine bristles

- use larger, square ended brushes for large areas

- don't try to cover surfaces with one coat; several light coats is always better.

To get wood grain effects:

- for dark woods: paint the whole piece a dark color first; then dry brush with a lighter color.

- for light woods: paint a light color first, then dry brush with a darker color

If you're going for realism, let the pieces dry overnight and then give them a very light wash with brown watercolor (I use watercolor pencils).

Medieval Furniture Site

I'd like to pass along a great site for those who might be interested in making their own miniature medieval and/or Tudor furniture:
http://marhamchurchantiques.com/

It was recommended to me by David Hurley, who made the cabinet for the medieval baby house. It's a commercial site with an ever changing collection of interesting pieces for sale; and they give measurements! A very useful reference.

Medieval Baby House III

As I was taking pictures of the finished baby house, I realized that I hadn't yet posted a good picture of David Hurley's beautiful cabinet, so here it is:

The interior is very hard to photograph. It is almost impossible to get all four rooms in focus while still getting close enought to catch the detail.

The interior details are slightly different from my original design. I decided to make slightly more elegant brass andirons; the originals were black wrought iron. The "cloth of estate" behind the high table is a deep red instead of blue with fleurs-de-lis. I added a bit more furniture, and decided the chair near the fireplace in the hall should have a high back rather than a low one. I also added two little lap dogs on a cushion (porcelain, by Sylvia Mobley).

A tiny replica of the little pottery jug that inspired the project can be seen on the cupboard at the far left of the great hall.

Medieval Baby House II

Panelling and doorways have been installed on both floors. There is wood panelling on the right and left walls on both floors.The dooorway in the great hall has a curtain instead of a door, to make it easier for servants to enter when carrying food and drink

The next step will be to install the back wall and the fireplaces, and then add the furniture.

(Sorry the photo is a bit out of focus)