Birchwood cabinet is progressing nicely

And it's enchanting….

It’s taken time, moving at a snail’s pace in fact – but the Birchwood Cabinet is now together, painted, varnished and it has the artwork added inside and outside.  I have done quite a bit on the mannequin and on some of the furniture as well but having a migraine for a couple of days has decreased my motivation to do anything too fiddly at the moment.  So when the medication is taking effect and the pain isn’t too bad, I can work on bits that I am comfortable with.  When I have a headache my vision is affected so fine detail isn’t on the agenda.  But everything in these kits is so beautifully made and prepared that even the artwork matches up perfectly.  The timber for the cabinet went together like a dream.  The only hiccup was that the side trims were a little tight.  A gentle sanding and all was fine.

Instructions for the top and some other surfaces say to comb the paint several times with a small comb, to create a grainy effect.  Perhaps my comb was too large or something but I wasn’t happy with the result, so I brushed over it with quite a coarse brush and made a ‘grainy’ effect with the brush strokes.  I like the effect of the ‘dirty varnish’ in the grooves of the paint overall. After the varnish was dry I sanded it in places to give a worn effect on corners and edges and other spots.

I was supposed to add the mannequin next, but the eyes weren’t up to doing the stitching part that I am up to.    I just need a steady hand and clearer focus to stich the covering over the mannequin’s body now and hopefully that might be tomorrow or the day after. I love the tree, it is well on the way to being done.  The trunk is finished ready to paint, the leaves are painted ready to attach.  I am still considering whether to thin the trunk down a bit though, to me it looks a bit sturdy – I think of birches as being very slender trees.

I added the exterior trims except for the lower trim across the bottom of the cabinet but above the drawer.  It is just sitting there for the photo.  And here it is, with the ‘dirty varnish’ applied, the artwork glued inside and outside and the trims around the openings attached.

Next step is the interior trims.  These are beautifully laser-cut.  They are so delicate and fragile but give a wonderful 3D effect to the walls. 

Here is an overview of the cabinet with the interior trim (for this photo I have left off the trim above the drawer).  And yes, I noticed that in the previous photo the centre trim had come loose, and have re-glued it.  Unfortunately it has also moved down slightly and now there is a gap at the top.

At the top  is the bedroom and here are some closeups with the interior trim added

One floor down is the kitchen.  The left wall in the kitchen doesn’t have the trim added yet, to enable the installation of a false wall.  The false wall won’t be inserted until all the furnishings are glued against it. 

Then there is the Boutique

And on the bottom there is the root cellar

Here is the drawer at the bottom of the cabinet (complete with the lavender spring, you will notice.

Keep tuned – I will post photos of the furniture room by room as I complete it.  I think I’ve mentioned that I’ve already done Percy’s Delivery Wagon and started on the bedroom furniture.  I am keen to see what the rest of the furniture is like.  Hope you are too!  This is certainly very different from anything I've done before.

Starting a new series....

Still on that different tack....

I have been subscribing to the Birchwood Club from Robin & Shaun Betterley, through Judith Dowden of 'In Some Small Way'.  So far I have received the 'taster' kit and the first five installments.  There seems to be a hold up with the sixth and final kit.

Last year I bought the 'Taster kit' - Percy's delivery wagon.  Percy is a grumpy turtle who collects scraps of fabric and dolls' clothes and delivers them to Edith the Fairy's little abode in the forest, where she sews them into clothes for the fairies.

This kit came complete with a lovely little badge, which I think I might attach somewhere near the cabinet when it is completed.

Each and every kit comes beautifully packaged, the taster kit with Percy's wagon coming in a brown paper bag with string handles, and a little story sheet giving some background of Percy and Edith.

The pieces are laser cut and the kit includes everything you need, including the Betterley's lovely artwork.  All that has to be supplied is paint, glue and varnish.

 

I wanted to wait until I had received more of the pieces before I started to construct anything, and they wouldn't start arriving until January this year.  So I put the little bag aside for several months.

The next installment was delayed by quite a long time.  When it arrived it had stickers all over it saying it had been opened by Australian Customs.  There was a note inside to say nothing had been removed, but they hadn't been any too particular when they packed it up after inspecting it.  This one had been packed in a paper bag, with a sweet sticker and tied with two colours of embroidery floss. 

I could see why it had roused some interest - it contained all sorts of things: some pebbles, landscaping materials, wire, water clay, beads, pins, fabric, lace - so many little bits that will be used for all the parts of the project.  The pieces for the mannequin were in this kit.  That is standing in the right side of the cabinet.

When kit #2 arrived, I realised just how badly

 re-packed the first one had been by customs - everything simply bundled back into the paper bag and the crumpled mess that it now was shoved back into the envelope and re-sealed and tagged with the customs tape.  This one is really plain - the plainest of them all in fact, but it is still packaged beautifully - so neat and the label giving it a really special touch.  And with each parcel being different there is the novelty of wondering what the next one will be like.   It is like receiving a gift, opening each one an adventure.  

Instalment #3 didn't have a pretty wrapping since it arrived in quite a largish box.  But it was still presented beautifully.  The box was lined with olive green tissue and contained the pieces for the cabinet, nestled in crinkled shredded brown paper.  Here is a photo of the cabinet that was included, sitting in the box.

I was tempted to start the project at this time but again it was delayed, and by then it was late March, and the Sydney Fair was approaching.  I had lots of things I wanted to prepare for the Fair and all my mini effort was devoted to that.  So the large box joined the small packages in the 'Birchwood' container on the shelf.

Below is a photo from the Betterley's site of the Birchwood cabinet, showing the rooms all furnished and completed.  The artwork is their usual high standard and having looked at the trimming in the cabinet kit, it is so delicate and beautifully done.

Installment #4 contained Edith's Fairy Bedroom.  It really gets the creative joices going.  It's so feminine and delicate.  Again it is in a paper bag, same as the rest.  This time it is tied with a sort of velvety ribbon, with a photo of the room on the front.

Isn't the bed gorgeous?  And there are bolts of lace, fabrics, boxes and bits that decorate the room as well.

That photo doesn't show the details very clearly, so here is a close-up of the picture at the top of the bag.  But I wanted to show you how beautifully it was packaged. 

If you visit Robin Betterley's Miniatures you can see how each of the four rooms on the left are decorated, and the exterior area on the right with the mannequin as well.

The final installment that I have received thus far, #5, is the Keeping Room/kitchen. 

This one has a bit extra on the front - a sprig of  lavender tied within the thread.  And there's a note saying to let it dry and put it into the drawer of the cabinet to give it a nice perfume.  My sprig was already thoroughly dried, and I love the smell of dried lavender.  I have carefully kept the sprig and any leaves that have become detached and will certainly add it to the drawer to perfume it all.

Here is a close-up of the note and the sprig of lavender. 

I said in my last post that I did the Birchwood Secret Book in an effort to get back my mojo.  I was blown away by the comments people left.  And you are so right, we don't have to apologise at all for our miniatures or the relief from stress that we can obtain from doing them. 

Today was a difficult day.  I wasn't looking forward to our visit to the nursing home and it was rather as I expected.  But I decided I was going to be kind to myself and to see whether starting on Birchwood would improve my spirits.  Last night I took out Percy's Wagon and started that and then went on with the cabinet.  This morning I continued with the cabinet and this is how much I've finished so far (left). 

I also started the mannequin, and have done quite a bit on that as well.  Bit of an accident though - it dropped on the floor when it had the tree branches in the top and one of them broke off.  I tried gluing it back on but it didn't take so I have to buy some super-glue and try again. I also need to get some more varnish.  I have satin and gloss but no matt - and of course that's the type I need. 

I'm not concentrating very well on it all.  I become distracted very easily and just go back to the computer and start doing a jigsaw or puzzle game, but at least I've started it.  And knowing that I want to share it with you gives me motivation to do it :)  So thank you!  I might not have my mojo back, but at least I can think about something else than worrying.  For that I am grateful.