Happy Halloween!

From the boys of Merriman Park!  There will be lots of Tricks & Treats, bobbing for apples, and maybe even ghost stories in front of the fire.

I'm living vicariously through my dollhouse for Halloween, since it falls on a Monday this year.  There was of course the usual shenanigans planned for last night at all the bars, but yours truly could not decide on a costume for the evening.  And last year was such a dreadful bore!  Everyone was dressed the same:  either you were a sexy pirate, a sexy cowboy, or a sexy policeman.  Blah, blah, blah!

So I stayed home and worked on my niches.  Anneke was kind enough to pass on the information about DAS.  It is an air-drying, modeling clay that doesn't shrink.  I have to say, it was the perfect solution!  Thanks, Anneke!

This was my first attempt.  I left the clay on the wine bottle overnight and it stuck to the bottle as I tried to remove it.  But the clay that was pressed against the glass was still fairly soft, so I was able to repair the minor damage.  Maybe I should grease the bottle a little next time?

This photo shows you how large the niche is.  They will support two 'life-size' statues, hopefully of Roman gods or goddesses.  That is, if I can find some!

I also received my photographs of the Entrance Hall!  They are burned to a CD so as soon as Glen gets up this morning (usually at the crack of noon, on a Sunday) I will post them later today!

I think I solved my niche dilemma!  Whilst pouring the evening cocktails I just happened to glance at the vodka bottle and then it hit me:  The vodka bottle is the same shape as my niches!  So I placed my handy niche template over the bottle and guess what?  The vodka bottle was too big.  Rats! But you can't  foil the likes of me that easily, I'm here to tell you...  

A dash to the recycling bin produced two new contenders: wine bottle versus super-sized, cheap-o wine bottle.   And the winner is: super-sized, cheap-o wine bottle!

Now that we have the mold, what to use to fabricate the actual niches?  We've already poo-pooed  papier-mache as being too difficult to obtain a smooth finish.  I want my niches smooth as a baby's bottom!  Laugh not, gentle Reader, but I have just recently stumbled across a blog posting extolling the virtues of using laundry dryer-lint as a papier-mache substitute!  As unlikely (not to mention unsavory) a prospect this may seem, your intrepid amateur miniaturist has taken a solemn vow to leave no stone unturned in his never-ending Quest for Fabulosity!

But seriously: what am I going to use?  Fimo?  Plaster of Paris?  I've heard that Fimo shrinks when you bake it which might be problematic.  I remember as a boy in art class mixing saw-dust with glue and making a paste that you could model and I assume, sand smooth.  Decisions, decisions! 

Opinions?

Anyway, enough about my tiresome niches...I grow WEARY of them!  In honor of Halloween which is, after all, right around the corner, and since this is a dollhouse blog, (right)? I bring you this macabre little gem.  (Warning, Fiona!  This might give you the hebe-jeebies)!  Happy Halloween, everyone!