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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Witch Shop - Week Five

I'll lead this week with another reminder about my giveaway. It's been open for over a month now and it closes on the 31st May . . . And I have four entries. Four. It's really quite embarrassing. Other bloggers start giveaways and in under an hour they have more than four entries, in fact some can have close to forty. I know I can't produce the amazingly jaw-dropping fabulous prizes other bloggers can but please, please take pity on me and enter anyway. All you have to do is leave a comment suggesting a name for my Witch Shop and it doesn't even have to be a good name. Please. Oh, please. . . . .
Now I've finished crawling, i'd better get on to the Witch Shop. Most of the progress for this week was in the large room upstairs. This room is destined to house the shop's book section, so it really needed some bookshelves. These were made from balsa wood to fit in the right side back corner of the room. I'm quite pleased with how they turned out, but I think they could use some fancy trim along the top to finish them off. Between these shelves and the castle's library, I have a lot of books to make in the near future. Could a hand made book be among the mystery items in the giveaway prize?
After the shelves were in position, the room started to look more like a room than just an empty box, but it was the addition of rails around the stair well that really transformed the room. The rail is just pre bought spindles and posts with a balsa wood handrail, but the effect on the room was amazing. There is one problem with the position of this staircase however. When I decided to put it there way back when I assumed the door from the external steps would be hinged on the side of the back wall. As it turns out, it is hinged from the other side. Thus to enter the room through this door you have to open the door about halfway (which is when it hits the railing and can't open any more), shuffle into the small triangle of room open to you, climb over the stair rail and close the door while balancing precariously and hoping there's no one downstairs positioned to see up your skirt, then clambour back over to the right side of the rail. I'm thinking there should be a big pot plant or something in this corner to make it clear that the door fell out of use after the internal staircase was added.
The main floor area in this room will be occupied by a variety of eccentricly miss-matched chairs where the witches book club meets. On the left hand wall there is currently a sideboard where there will be a range of cakes and other treats for the witches to snack on durring their meetings. On the other hand, this is the only place in the room there could be a fireplace. I really want a fireplace in this room, but is it more important than delicatable, sugary treats? And the chimney would be a real b****r to try and make and instal as the roof over this wall opens and is angled. What to do? What to do?
I borrowed the bed from the castle to play around with the layout of the bedsit next door to the reading room. After trying the bed in various positions I decided that the room worked best with the bed in the least likely place; along the front wall. Because the door opens back toward the reading room rather than into the bedsit, there is just enough room to get in and out around the foot of the bed. This arrangement leaves plenty of space in the room for other furniture and a maximum of wall space which can be used to add a fireplace either on the back wall or either of the side walls. Finally, don't forget that there is a separate post each week for the castle so be sure and go back to take a look for it and it you haven't already done so, Please enter my giveaway!

11 comments:

  1. You are funny, Alennka. :) I hadn't entered yet, although I think your prizes are gorgeous, because I am trying not to hoard bits I may not use and sadly my 40s house is rather boringly non magical! But, just in case I ever have a suitable house, I think Witchies Wonders might give me an entry - and the embarrassing thing is that it took me nearly an hour to come up with that. Thinking of names is not everyones talent. :D

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  2. i'm one of the 4 woohooo :D love what your doing here...as you may know i'm downsizing as my mam is moving in with me so i'm trying to combine the witch house and shop...its small but at the moment i'm trying out a witch hat stall out the front lol...seems like it may work with a bit more tweaking :D Linda x

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  3. I've put a link on my facebook...hope you get more entries xxx

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  4. How about --Witches Wares--?

    I love your Witch Shop too, and especially the arched bookshelves this week. I am always amazed at how "full-sized" and real your work looks!

    p.s. Your prizes are fabulous --I just never thought I'd stand a chance, that I'd be overwhelmed by the thousands of other entries!

    Val
    vadam@tropicalbits.com

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  5. Youve mad e a fabulous bookcase, to get one to go around a corner now thats clever! I have entered my name in your giveaway on that post, must have missed it before! good luck everyone! Kate xxx

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  6. I love your witchy shop, a name id suggest is Wonder of Witches, hope that gets my name in your draw. I am planning on oding a Wizards roombox, in style of Harry Potter type Wizards, need lots of ideas.

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  7. Thanks everyone for entering (even if it took a while)! Thanks to you, the number of entries has doubled overnight!

    Christine - I've been trying to think of names for a couple of months and still don't have any, so your hour isn't too shoddy at all!

    Linda - You have a facebook page? One day you're going to have to explain the attraction of facebook to me. Me? I think I'll stick with blogger. (Oh, and thanks for adding the link).

    Val - Thousands of other entries? That would be nice. I have to admit though, sometimes the camera shows up flaws that are invisible to the naked eye and sometimes it hides them, so sometimes what I do looks more "real" in a photo than in real life.

    Kate @ Whittakers - The bookshelf is actually a cheat. It's two separate units put together in an L shape. The hard part was accomodating the slope in the ceiling at the back.

    Chrissey - If you want to do a Potter room, you'll probably want to take a look at Whittaker's Miniatures blog if you haven't already. They've done lots of Potter themed houses/rooms. Their URL is http://whittakersminis.blogspot.com/

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  8. I love what you've done with the bookcases. I just wish I could get to grips with balsa to that degree.

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  9. Thanks Irene. I wouldn't worry about the balsa wood, you do pretty amazing things anyway.

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  10. Thankyou will defo check out Whittakers, any others id find interesting xx

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  11. Hi Chrissey,

    There are plenty of bloggers out there who are or have worked on HP themed houses/rooms/displays and other fantasy themes too. Some that come to mind are:

    Michelle is working on Slug & Jiggers apothecary at http://wwwmichellesmadworld.blogspot.com/

    Janice has done some HP stuff and a witches house too. http://onbeingaminimum.blogspot.com/

    Debbie has done a number of HP things over time http://debbiestinytreasures.blogspot.com

    Erica makes a range of wizardly items from potion bottles, books, orries, etc. http://evminiatures.blogspot.com/

    Another Erica has made a library in the style of Terry Pratchett's Unseen University. Not HP, but very magic. http://grimoire-miniatura.blogspot.com/

    Daydreamer is working on a castle. Not HP, but might be inspirational http://aboutmydollhouses.blogspot.com/

    DS Victoria is making a witches house, again not HP but fabulous anyway http://darksquirrelminiatures.blogspot.com

    Maigret is creating a sorceress' tower. http://margriets-miniatures.blogspot.com/

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