The Teapot Wall Pearl China Company Set

Recently, on our way home from church, we noticed an estate sale with everything half off. We made a U turn. What treasures might there be?

My teapot wall isn't large enough for all my teapots, there are a few on the Paris cabinet and a few in the kitchen and breakfast nook. I really don't need another teapot but......when you are offered such a bargain for a beauty you can't resist. It was offered for 25% less than half off, I wasn't even negotiating. It was in such perfect condition for three pieces it came home.

We were told most of the items had been stored away for many years. There are several of the same set for sale on the internet but all of them have the gold with lots of wear. This set is in perfect condition and looks right at home in front of the painting Jan did for me of the Tuck Box in Carmel, California.

It's made by the Pearl China Company in the 1950s or 1960s. Each piece has a swirled design and 22k gold. Here is another view. What a beauty!

What kind of a tea theme would this fit?

Looking Back a Year to My Garden Castle Shed

It's dusk and we just came in from having dinner outdoors by the garden castle shed. The solar lights are on and it looks complete though as I've said many times before, there are still lots of projects to do but for now it's satisfying.

Looking back here is the day Jan dug up all the plants in that corner of the yard.

Here was my foam core model that was to be only 8 feet high turrets and storage only in turrets. As work progressed we decided to make the whole form into storage and 11 feet high turrets. I wouldn't want to go back to that day in September 2014.

It's a little dark now but had to be in a good night photo from my castle shed.

New York Twin Towers Painting

Earlier in the summer Jan (pronounced yan) did a commissioned painting for a pilot friend. On June 11, 2000 the pilot was in New York and flew by the twin towers and took a photo from his cockpit. It was a memorable moment he wanted captured in a painting from his 4x6 inch photo.

Jan struggled with all the details but he persisted and did this fine painting that was 24x30 inches. I'm so proud of my hubby.

Copper Sconce for Castle Shed Torch Lights

Wow! The design worked out great.

Remember the August 3 blog entry? I described the pattern making process from paper. There were 9 paper patterns and it was number 8 that I liked the most. It's been melding in my mind how to make it. My jewelry making skills are for small pieces of jewelry as in my MaDil Designs Etsy shop.

The skills and tools are a little different for something much larger. Finally I figured out the best way to make it out of copper sheeting.

Do we have a copper sconce or a patat frit holder?  Dutch hubby keeps calling it that. In the Netherlands french fries are served in a paper cone holder and he keeps drooling wanting a batch topped with the traditional mayonnaise on top.

It looks like a perfect torch light sconce to me. 

Now on to make the second one and mount them to the castle shed. They just may appear for sale in my Etsy shop for sale by next week as indoor electric sconce lighting. There are ideas rolling in my head.

Can you visualize them under the torch lights? The final decision will be to leave them shiny copper to age on their own or verdigris them as I did the roof finials and flags.

Jones Serpentine Hand Crank Machine Base and Labor Day Weekend

What a gorgeous labor day weekend already. Last night we had a TGIF taco night for five neighbors that came over. There is nothing like a good soft taco, a little beer or wine, music in the background and friends you enjoy.

This afternoon we took a bike ride and now I'm sitting at the medieval table in my castle shed with the doors open and the sun setting. It's 84 degrees with only 20% humidity, very nice.

A few years ago I purchased a Jones Serpentine hand crank sewing machine, from about the year 1890. Some people call it the cat back. The feet have holes in the bottom and hubby made me a base with dowels to hold it in place. It's been unfinished wood for too long so I primed it a couple of days ago and will be adding a little teal color to the base so it won't be such a harsh contrast from the black sewing machine to white.

I grabbed a couple of containers with some mixed paint, one was green, the other blue. With a stir stick I pulled out a little of each into a small pie pan I use for mixing small amounts of paint. 

Since the paint has a little carpenter's chalk in it the drying time is about 10 minutes in the nice low humidity weather. The south turret where my painting station is at is perfect for afternoon projects with a little sun still coming in through the screens.

Quick as a snap it dried and I put the machine back in place, each foot over the protruding dowels.

Here it sits on my new medieval table before taking it back into the house.

The shadows are getting deeper.

Soon the solar lights inside the castle shed will come on and a little later the torch lights. Haven't made the light fixtures yet, sigh. Still lots to do but it has come a long way and has been a very enjoyable process.