Vulture's Roost...Visitors

When we last met Marie was awaiting Cousin Carlanne's visit ~ Marie is relaxing in the parlor waiting for Carlanne's arrival ~ She arrived on the 3 o'clock train so it won't be long now ~

Nigel is busy cleaning the dragon room and thinking about the disaster up in the attic bedroom ~ I guess I will head up there soon before the snakes come down here and bother the baby dragons ~

The bedroom is crawling with big snakes who are after the rats ~ Aunt Agnes watches silently from her frame ~ Aunt Agnes is the worlds oldest living witch, all that is left of her is her head ~ she hasn't spoken a word in hundreds of years, she just silently watches over Vulture's Roost ~

There is someone at the door ~ a small witch and her beautiful hound ~

Marie welcomes Cousin Carlanne and her trusty hound Shadow ~ Carlanne is a very good witch who always travels with her Book of Shadows ~

Marie and Carlanne relax and catch up on all the news in the cool darkness of the Vulture Terrace ~  They enjoy a cup of tea and delicious cookies that neighbor Tabitha has sent over ~ They hear pounding from below, what could cause such a disturbance ~ the sound is worst than nails on a chalkboard, a feeling of doom and darkness can be felt in the air ~

Who is pounding on the door, could it be Avon calling?

She is singing "I'm so pretty, I'm so pretty" and about to pound the door off the hinges ~

Lucas and Theodore look down with dread at the witch who is pounding and singing at the door   ~



That is all for now, next time we will see who is at the door ~

I have based my characters of Vulture's Roost on real people , some living and some dead. People who have made an impression on me with their kindness, generosity and friendship ~ Shadow, Carlanne's hound is a prized possession of mine. He belonged to an old man who received a pair of dogs, one white and one black as a gift in 1934. He wrote on the belly of the white dog the year and his name, I bought a number of his possessions at an estate sale in 1989  ~

None of the people in this story are real ~
People are never real except after midnight ~

Hugs
Victoria

Vulture's Roost....New friends and old ~

Marie and Clarence her bat minion are tending to new dragon hatchlings who just arrived from the UK ~ Marie had ordered dragon eggs from the Dragon Queen and they had hatched enroute ~ The babies are a mess so Marie and Clarence are giving them a bath ~

Clarence a ooak bat minion by Celtic JuJu friend Julie Rodgers ~

The new twin dragon hatchlings getting a good bath ~ they were sure stinky after being cooped up in that crate all the way from the UK ~

The Dragon Twins by The Mini Dragon Queen friend Nicky Cooper ~ She also made Titan my big dragon head ~  

Marie finally was able to get back to her cleaning ~ Marie worried as she swept ~ What does Hattie want ? why is she coming back here? I don't even have a bed for her to sleep in, what am I going to do? Just as Marie finished her cleaning of the small potion room she heard a knock on the door ~ Marie jumped in fright, could it be Hattie? With dread Marie started down stairs to answer the door ~

Who is at the door ~ is it Hattie?  Knock, Knock, Knock ~

Lucas looks down from his roost on the balcony at the visitor knocking on the door ~ Lucas calls out " Hello old friend, long time no see "

Marie flings the door open to find an old friend ~ it is Nigel a nobel and gentle werewolf ~

Nigel am so glad to see you. What brings you back to Vulture's Roost?
 Nigel explained with a toothsome grin, I have come to help. I heard Hattie was on her way back and thought you could use some help.
 Marie cried in relief, Oh Nigel I could sure use a strong wolf's help around here.
No need to worry Marie, you have more help coming in a day or two. Cousin Carlanne will be on the next train.

Cousin Carlanne is on the 3 o'clock train ~

Nigel the werewolf is my first animal doll in polymer clay ~

Till next time........

Hugs
Victoria

Welcome Christine Verstraete....

Today, I welcome miniaturist and writer http://cverstraete.com">ChristineVerstraete.  

Hi Victoria, thanks for letting me appear on your blog! I'm happy to talk (and talk!) about minis (what else, right?) - and celebrate release of my latest book, <a href="http://cverstraete.com/dollhousebook_inminiaturestyle2.html"> IN MINIATURE STYLE II.  The book is available in eBook/pdf, Kindle, iPad, other e-formats, and print. 

The book includes updated and new features, photos & dozens of new how-to projects in various categories by talented miniaturists and IGMA artisans. See above link for photos, details and where to buy.

I have to say that I LOVE Victoria's imaginative cabinets, and the house she's working on is so cool! Funny thing is if I had to pick a couple favorite things in that house, it's the floor and the coffin-shaped cabinet. A while ago, I was working on the same thing, but in half scale. Done, except to glue in other shelves. What threw me off was being unable to decide on the setting... I have this neat Gothic-looking clock I found, love it!, but it's only a few inches deep with glass in front and a front opening door, so I have to figure out how to expand it. Ideas/suggestions are welcome! I really do want several rooms and it'll probably be on two floors. Don't you hate when something stops a project?

Anyway, I'll let Victoria get in here... 

Welcome to my blog Chris! I just read your new book this weekend and throughly enjoyed it. You have included many easy DIY projects in this book, great for the beginner or for a reference  on how to do something you have forgotten. I love all the pictures of the dollhouses and smaller scale miniature scenes in unusual containers, How cute is a kitchen in a toaster. I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys miniatures and would like to mention the small price if you choose to download it to your computer.

So, on to... The Contest!

Each blog on the tour features one question for a kind of online scavenger hunt. The answer may be at Chris'shttp://candidcanine.blogspot.com/">blog (type the words in the search box in left column), but will most likely be on her">website. Hint: click miniatures, a good place to start, or see the >IN MINIATURE STYLE II book page and video.

Comment on that day's blog (DO NOT post the question's answer!) to be eligible to win the day's prize. Then collect all 7 answers  --- EMAIL all to me with Blog Tour in subject line to chris @ cverstraete.com (remove spaces or click contact at website or on blog) - DO NOT POST ANSWERS ONLINE!!. There's a new question and prize each day. Names will be drawn from correct entries.  **See Chris's http://candidcanine.blogspot.com">blog for the prize list and tour schedule.**

Today's Contest Question

Question 6: Name one of the flowers in the book (other than the hydrangea on the cover! Too easy!) 

Christine Verstraete http://cverstraete.com
NEW In Miniature Style II ebook: http://tinyurl.com/6kmt4ya
NEW Now in Print: http://tinyurl.com/4ockdh2
Searching for a Starry Night: #1 Kindle for minis eBook!
Blog: http://candidcanine.blogspot.com 

Dilemma at Vulture's Roost......

Before I present the dilemma I must introduce you to Marie ~  Marie is an old witch of 103...she has lived at Vulture's Roost her whole life ~ Many years ago Vulture's Roost had many inhabitants but over the years everyone moved away except Marie ~ Marie has always loved Vulture's Roost, she couldn't imagine living anywhere else ~ she has cleaned out the old house and is restoring the grand old house on what little money she can scrape together ~

Marie's hat made by Kat the Hat Lady ~ please visit Kat's wonderful blog Here and enter her  monthly drawing for an exclusive Kat creation ~

Marie is my first polymer clay sculpt doll ~ I knew I wanted dolls  to live at Vulture's Roost but knew I couldn't afford to buy the kind of dolls I wanted so I pulled out my clay box and started sculpting heads from very old clay just to practice and use it up ~ I watched hours of tutorials on making dolls and would like to Thank all the artists who so generously share their knowledge ~
Marie is named after a very old lady who I knew for years, she always had interesting stories and lived her life to the fullest for over 100 years ~

Steampunk witches broom by myself, for sale in my Etsy shop Here ~

The Dilemma ~ Marie has just received a telegram from her younger sister ~ Hattie will arrive in 2 weeks for a visit ~ Marie has just had Vulture's Roost cleaned out and was redecorating ~ She has no extra beds and the kitchen is so bare she can hardly mix potions ~ 

Marie is in a panic ~ the house is not ready for company ~

What shall I do? says Marie in a panic ~

Why is Hattie coming back for a visit? Hattie is the youngest and wildest of Marie's sisters, where Hattie goes trouble follows ~

Victoria ❤

Vulture's Roost Progress... Dragons on my mind

The Dragon Room is coming together at last ~ I spent a couple of days trying to get the wall finish just right ~ I did many washes of green and black wash then an ink wash and topped it with a homemade glaze of copper and matte medium ~ I have added my furniture all handmade by myself, the table was a kit I did years ago ~ my lighting so far are battery powered lights from Hobby Builders Supply, I ordered them in January and finally received them 2 weeks ago. The yellow light on the floor by the table is a battery powered cube thing that was in a box of stuff I bought at a yard sale ~ 

Another view of the room ~ I still have more to add as you can see ~ 

Dragon eggs by Nikki Rowe, I am sure if you are reading this you know Nikki and her work. Nikki has created some amazing miniatures, visit her blog Witch and Wizard Miniatures ~ The little guy in the basket is Fido created by Nicky CC , visit Nicky's Dragon blog The Mini Dragon Queen ~ 

The dragon table ~ skull by Nikki Rowe ~ books by Nikki Rowe and Ericka VanHorn ~ scrolls by Dfly Creations ~ dragon embryo by Ericka VanHorn ~
Visit Ericka's blog EV Miniatures and Lorraine's blog Dollhouse Minis by Dfly ~

I want to Thank blog friend Glenda of Peppercorn Minis for offering me all these beautiful dragon things she had collected for a project. Thanks to Glenda I have a dragon room ~

Glenda included these wonderful gifts in my package ~ Glenda makes and sells the little leather journals and  potion bottles in her Etsy shop undancey ~

On to the top floor bedroom on our tour ~ I made a bed for my witches, I still need to dress it. ~

The vampire beds are lined but not dressed yet ~ Thank you to Susan who's blog is Tabitha Corsica for sending me red silk and velvet for the coffins ~

A view of the whole top floor ~ I am making a curtain to hang between the rooms, you can see the hooks I have installed to hold it ~

Well that is all for now ~ I have many other things started for Vulture's Roost and will do a post when I have more done ~

Everyone have a wonderful weekend ~

Mini Hugs
Victoria ❤ 

Mata Hari's Secret

I wanted to share the cupboard I have been working on for the last couple of weeks ~

I have had this cupboard planned for over a year but couldn't picture it ~  one night the Muse whispered " The time has come for Mata Hari " ~ Never argue when the Muse speaks ~

The Secrets reveled ~ 

The icing ~

Mata Hari's Secret is for sale in my Etsy shop Dark Squirrel ~ Here

Everyone have a Wonderful Weekend ~

I promise to be back soon with an update on Vulture's Roost ~

Victoria ♥

And the Winners are....

The Winners are:

1st: Linda Larsen

2nd: Lainie

3rd: Ewa

Thank you to all who entered and left links to their blogs. I love miniature blogs and love seeing what everyone is working on.

Linda has claimed the cupboard ~

Winners please email me your addresses, 1st has pick of the 3 prizes, 2nd has pick of remaining and 3rd you will receive remaining prize. Winners of potion bottles have choice of labels or they can be left plain. Please contact me at

Have a Great Weekend everyone and I will be back next week with an update on Vulture's Roost.

Victoria ♥

Vulture's Roost Update...Coffin bed frames done ~

Here are the frames of my coffin beds ~ I cut them out of wood scraps and after much sanding and glue was able to get them together ~ I hid my bad seams with tiny wood trim and sanded some more ~ I thought they needed legs so I glued on some plastic skull beads for legs ~ I then glued on some small filigree pieces and some skull buttons with the shanks cut off, Thank you Kat for the buttons ~

After all my glue was dry I coated everything with black paint ~

Next step was a coat of red paint to edges and top of beds ~

Next a coat of crackle medium was added over the red paint ~ This needs to dry at least an hour ~

Next step is to give the red a coat of black paint ~ this step is a bit tricky, you can only drag the brush on the surface once or your crackle won't take right ~ Next I will add a little highlighting to bring out the detailing of the skulls ~

The beds have been highlighted with a dry brushing of gold ~

The beds need to be sealed now ~ The next step will be to make liners and bedding ~ Blog friend Susan is kindly sending me some scraps of red silk and velvet for the bedding ~ Susan's blog Ask Tabitha  is full How To information for miniaturists, be sure to check it out ~ I am open to ideas for head boards, I'm not sure if they are needed, the wall has a slope so they couldn't be that tall ~

Everyone have a Wonderful Weekend
Victoria ❤

Vulture's Roost Progress...more fireplaces and more ~

You will have to excuse the quality of my photos today, it is cloudy so my pictures are bad. This is the drawing room fireplace I crafted out of wood and egg carton, I cheated and lined them with plastic brick which I am not a fan of. I did use all the plastic brick I had so that is a plus. I used some vintage braid for the fire box front and added some logs, you won't really be able to see into the fireplaces so I am happy how they look ~

Here is what the drawing room looks like with the new fireplace ~ Notice the perfect candelabra  which was a gift from Glenda  who thought it would be perfect for Vulture's Roost. The candles are from Lorraine of Dfly Creations, they fit perfectly in the candle cups. I will do dripping wax on them at another time ~

This is the fireplace I made for the Dragon Room, much the same as the other only I was able to use my vintage andirons in this one ~  I am really itching to start loading the dragon room but have a few more things to do in the attic before I get too crazy ~

T

The Dragon Room with her new fireplace ~ you might have noticed how the window sills are cutout between the windows, that is so a cupboard will fit there that I built years ago ~ That is Titan the Dragon between the windows, don't worry he died of old age ~ Titan was crafted by Nicky CC, who is The Mini Dragon Queen ~

The attic floor is finally down ~ I cut what seemed like a million little wood strips, sanded and glued them down. I sanded them again and added some stain and an ink wash to age the floor ~ this will be a dorm style bedroom for the witches and vampires ~ 

I decided to punch out the trap door to the attic, there will be a ladder up to the attic ~ the witches will have the bigger room and the vampires will have their coffin beds in the little part ~ I am going to hang a curtain divider between the two spaces so the witches will have their privacy ~  I will probably start building the coffin beds next and try to find some red silk and velvet for their bedding ~

I want to Thank everyone who has joined my blog and left a link to theirs, I joined a lot of great blogs this week ~

Well kids that is it for this week ~ Don't forget to sign up for my drawing on April 2 ~

Till Later
Victoria ❤

Dark Squirrel 200 Follower Giveaway ~ The Prizes...

I would like to say thank you to all who have entered my giveaway and posted their blogs ~ I have 49 entries so far and have discovered some great new blogs ~ Pictured here are the 3 prizes I have made special for the drawing ~

The first name I draw will win this or choice of the 3 prizes ~ I have created this little dragonfly cupboard in shades of green and packed it with an assortment of perfume or potion bottles ~ the little cupboard measures 3 inches tall and 1 1/2 inches wide ~

The second name I draw will have a choice of the two remaining prizes ~ I have made two sets of 3 potion bottles in different colors ~ I will put custom hang tags on them if you choose ~

Third name drawn will receive the remaining bottles with their choice of custom hang tags ~

To enter the drawing you must post on the 200 Follower Giveaway Post and leave a link to your blog if you have one so we can go check out your blog and enjoy it ~
The drawing will be on April 2nd.

Victoria ❤