Extra Long Post for Christmas

This is an extra long post packed with photos to you dear readers. As I will not have time to write before Christmas, take it as Christmas post J

In the last weeks I made a big improvement on the salon de thé. First I was scared to death to start the exterior painting, but I could not skip this step and leave it white... So collected myself and started to paint. I applied two thin layers of basic limestone colour (a mixture of cafe cream and matt white).

 then the „artistic” work started: I had to apply several layers of different aged and/or damp limestone shades, even dirty ones. For these layers I thinned the paint mixtures with water. All in all I used 7 different shades to get the correct effect.

I decided to paint the back wall really aged and damp, as it is usual when the building wasn’t renovated outside, but certainly did not want to repeat it on the front facade, it will not match well with the luxurious interior. Therefore the front got an average limestone look with smaller damp patches and some dirt at the feet.

Finally I took some „simulation” photos today, though the end result will not look like this. The floor will be white marble with tiny black squares, the walls covered with white and golden wood panels decorated with pink toile de jouy wallpaper and an ornate ceiling decorated with golden patterns. The golden décor will reflect the light of the wall sconces and the crystal chandelier. Mouth-watering extraordinary cakes will fill the marble counter, each windowsill will be decorated with a macaron topiaries and macaron tower, which will allow the guests to see the park, but will protect them from the visitors’ stares.

Dear Readers, I wish you merry Christmas, I hope you will return in 2012!

Orsi

RL - Advent Preparation

This is a totally different post, because it is about real life and not about miniatures.
As the Christmas' approaching I try to switch the home into "Festive Mood". I am not the person who puts pine and yew branches everywhere, I usually use scents intstead of them. This year I found a new Greenleaf scent, called Merry Christmas, it mixes cinnamon and cloves basically and it reminds me the granny's kitchen and gingerbread. I hide 1-1 bag in the kitchen, the hallway and the living room, put some yew branches into a simple bucket and made a pretty decoration from planting pots, crystal, moss and pine cones. I usually use glass, crystal and silver ornaments, as they reflect the sunshine and snow perfectly and look like ice.

Beside them my two cactuses surprised my some weeks ago, when I wanted to remove them from their current spot from the window and found out that they are full with buds. I got them in spring and they were on sale because looked very weak and unhealthy, so I was really amazed when I counted 60 buds on them. It seems they like their current place extremely as they started to grow during the summer.

I am far from perfect gardener, I have to tell you, but like to take care of my plants, especially about my orchids, therefore the other surprise was my zygopetalum orchid which is now in full bloom (it shares the place with the cactuses... maybe it is a magical spot.. according to the feng shui, that is the love corner of the living room). Now every orchid has tiny new buds, they will be in bloom in January-February I suggest.

I will be back soon with miniatures.

Have a nice weekend,

Orsi

Birthday, Birthday

A very good friend of mine had her 40th birthday 2 days ago and a colleague of mine had the 50th yesterday, so I made them two tiny cakes as birthday gifts. I used their favourite colours, so Erika got a Mad Hatter style orange, pink and pale green cake with stripes, dots and curves, while Eva owns a gift box cake made of "chocolate", filled with chocolates and truffles and decorated with an orange ribbon.

See you soon,
Orsi