The Power is On

 The Electrician finally showed up to begin the Manchester lighting. She began by installing the lower front porch lights, which turned out to be quite the project, including one minor mishap when she hit her finger with the hammer. 

Installation of the porch lanterns proved to be more difficult than she had anticipated. She pre drilled holes for the eyelet, but they wouldn't make a connection, so she drilled new ones. Rather ugly, so it's a good thing the holes won't show from underneath wallpaper.

She has secured all the connections with electrical tape covering them to give them added protection.

So the power is on now. She added just enough lights at the moment to indicate the electrical lines that have power. The rest of the ceiling lights will in go in last when the walls are secured and just before the floors are installed. 

And look, she's left her tools all over the place.

She'll have to come back to install the rest of the lights, including the the balcony porch lamps. 

Oh. And the Manchester has a dog, a Corgi. I'm thinking I'll name him after my friend's Corgi, Ziggy or maybe just plain Z.

Looking lonely, Ziggy needed a friend, so a cat came to live at the Manchester, too. Meet Sabrina, inspired my granddaughter's cute cat, Sabrina. Looks just like her.

I've continued making flower, too. I had finally got brave decided to make the Butterfly or Moth Orchid, Plantehospis. Pieces are so tiny. With each flower I got a little better at placing each tin piece. The flowers were supposed to get smaller as they approached the end of the stem, but this is an orchid in full bloom. 

Compared to the manufactured orchid that I purchased years ago, it seems gigantic, but that's how this orchid grows.

Here is my own orchid that finally re-bloomed after years of sitting in the bathroom, where I thought the humidity would do it some good, but it never re-bloomed. I moved it into the office with a western window with more light, where it produced this wonderful stem of blooms. 

We didn't notice the bloom stem that was growing on the back side of plant soon enough to get it staked so that it would grow straight; instead, it was quite crooked. Unfortunately as I was moving it around to get the have bloom stem supported, it fell off the shelf, breaking off the stem. I has so mad at myself, but in reality the blooms would have faded attached to plant.

So my seemingly out proportion mini orchid seems not so odd, after all. Nature isn't always perfect, nor am I.

With major construction in full swing at the Manchester, the contractor asked me to move some the stuff I've been collecting from the work table, so I laid it all out on the card making tables. It helps to have it all laid out so I can see that I have.

This is just for the kitchen--well except for the deer head.

Meanwhile, back at the work bench, I've discovered a good way to store my tiny flowers to keep them safe until it's time to plant them in the gardens: fresh fruit containers. I can see what I have while they remain dust free.

  
I made peonies this week, too.  You can see the difference in the two kits. The top one  I purchased from ItsyBitsy Minis wallpaper site, which really didn't seem to me to represent a peony,  until I stumbled across a photo of one of my peonies that is fully opened.

The bottom flower is a Mary Kinloch eBay kit. It came together so nicely and looks more like a peony not quite fully opened

I've been reorganizing my work area and stumbled on this long forgotten photo another favorite flower. The photo is a sweet reminder of my 2006 tour of England. Back in those days, I was using my 35mm film camera and was stunned when the developed photo came back with background darkened. It was an accidental result that made the photo so unusual.  I treasure that moment wandering through Jane Austin's garden in Chawton located in East Hampshire.

So I was inspired to make some mini daisies of my own.

I just don't get tired of my little hydrangeas either.

There is so much work to do on the Manchester, each project fraught with problems. I painted the entertainment center yesterday and wanted to paint the lower kitchen cabinet that I had rebuilt, but the doors weren't right, so I had a go at recutting them then I cut them again--and one time--then again. Good Grief! 😐 The story is too dreadful to spend time on; I'll work on them today.

I did and I cut more doors, again. Recalibrated my Maker knife blade. Remeasured again because it didn't seem that the machine was cutting the right size. 

And measured again. Oh. I was misreading my ruler

.😖 Good Grief. 

The kitchen cabinet now has doors.😃

I also need to find wallpaper to cover the copper tape for the addition, both upstairs and down; another saga, but I'll share my solution next week.

Before I go, if you follow Sweet Mini Dollhouse on Instagram,  you will know that in her most recent posts she let us know that she and her boys have left Kharkiv for a safer location. Since the war started, she had been posting updates from their subway safe place where they were enduring unimaginable conditions, especially the cold. At one point her home was still intact, so they were able to go home to shower. Can you imagine? 

I just feel odd posting my seemingly trivial happiness when so many are suffering. I ease my feelings for her by thinking of her and sharing her blight just so that we are aware. That's about all we can do, just be aware and have compassion.

Have a great week. 

Thanks for visiting.